Don’t Be Alarmed If Your Tap Water Looks Odd at Times This Week, City Alerts Residents

Pasadenans shouldn’t worry if they notice an odd color to tap water this week, a city official said last Thursday, explaining Pasadena Water and Power announced temporary discoloration is a possible by-product of a planned improvement project and running the water from the faucet for about five to 10 seconds should flush out the discoloration.

Assistant Manager Julie Gutierrez said there is potential for temporarily discolored water because Pasadena Water and Power is recalibrating the balance between imported and local water supplies, and at times, balancing disinfectants between the two sources can tinge the water.

This is a momentary effect, officials said, and the water will be safe at all times.

Gurcharan Bawa, PWP General Manager, said both his department and the water industry as a whole have been using disinfectants for the past 100 years to help prevent bacteria from growing in the pipelines.

For the past 30 years, Pasadena has imported more than half – about 60 percent – of its water from Northern California and the Colorado River. The remaining 40 percent is pumped locally from groundwater sources. Depending on the weather and access to imported water, PWP pumps and blends more imported water into the City’s water distribution system.

The PWP announcement said aside from the added benefit of having its own water quality laboratory, their team is state-certified and monitors quality on a daily basis, including on weekends and holidays. The team draws samples from 300 locations to test for more than 170 elements to ensure the standards are maintained.

PWP said the City’s water supply continues to exceed all drinking water quality standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Drinking Water. Should customers have concerns or questions, they should call PWP’s water quality manager at (626) 744-3704.

To learn more about water quality and safety, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/water-and-power/waterqualityfaqs.