Merced County town hit with clean water shortage. How are officials responding?

Update:

Residents in the Merced County town of Ballico are advised not to drink the water after a mechanical failure at the well which supplies the community.

According to Tricia Wathen, section chief of the State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water Central California, the board was notified Saturday that a Ballico Community Services District well failed on Friday afternoon.

Wathen said the problem is believed to be mechanical, and is expected to be repaired once parts are available. “From what I understand, they only had one source of supply that they can work with,” said Wathen.

The community worked with Merced County Office of Emergency Services and a local school to connect water to the system from the school’s irrigation well.

This water supplied to the system is temporary and for sanitation reasons, allowing residents to flush toilets and shower. According to Wathen, it is advised that members of community not drink the water in the system at this time.

Wathen said that when there is no water in the system such as that in Ballico, bacteria can be introduced. It is currently unknown when the system will be fixed and operational. Wathen said the timeline of returning water service to the 72 service connections and roughly 250 residents also depends on multiple rounds of bacteriological testing.

Wathen said the first step is getting the pump fixed. Once that is completed, two rounds of bacteriological testing must be completed.

Once water is restored to the system, it must pass two rounds of bacteriological testing. According to Wathen, it is all dependent on how quickly the well can be repaired.

Earlier report:

Bottled water has been supplied for residents of Ballico who have been affected by a water outage, according to the County of Merced.

In a social media post Sunday, the county said that due to a recent clear water shortage in Ballico, water is being provided to the affected residents at no cost.

It is unclear at this time what caused the outage. According to Merced County Spokesperson Mike North, water from a Turlock Irrigation District well has been backfilled into the system as a temporary solution until the district’s well is once again operational.

North said that until further notice, it is recommended that residents follow the boil notice as instructed by their water district.

Bottled water is available from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday at the Tri-Tipery, located at 11359 Newport Road in Ballico. According to the county, this will be extended if necessary.

Should residents need water after 2 p.m., water will be available at Ballico Fire Station 92, 11284 Ballico Ave., and residents can contact the station if they require assistance, according to North.