(KRON) — For the first time since Pajaro was flooded and thousands were evacuated from their homes, residents can safely drink tap water again, health officials said.
The Pajaro Water System and Monterey County Health Department lifted the “do not drink water notice” on Friday.
State, county, and local water agencies determined that, after abatement of health hazards created by massive flooding and comprehensive water testing, tap water quality is back to normal.
For weeks, flood victims could only drink bottled water. Other necessities, such as taking a shower, cooking with water, and washing laundry, were stressful for residents as they wondered if the water was safe of not.
The agricultural community was swamped by a storm-triggered levee breach along the Pajaro River on March 11. Dozens of victims, including young children, were rescued by emergency responders from rising floodwaters.
A mandatory evacuation order was not lifted until March 23. Residents were warned to enter their homes at their own risk due to sewer concerns.
Returning home after the disaster was heart-wrenching for residents. Huge piles of their destroyed furniture, clothes, and other possessions were piled up along neighborhood streets so crews could haul it all away. Many of Pajaro’s residents are low-income farmworkers.
The Pajaro River’s antiquated levee was built in the 1940s to provide flood protection. State officials acknowledged that the levee had been a known risk for decades.
Late last month, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers urging them to accelerate construction of the federally authorized project to repair the levee.
