Havasu Water Co. Fined for Failing to Provide Residents with Drinking Water
California regulators fined a Havasu Lake water company for failing to provide potable water to its customers for more than a month.
Havasu Water Co. has 224 connections and serves a population of 361 in Havasu Lake along the Colorado River.
Additionally, the water company is accused of allowing its equipment to fall into disrepair, reported The Press Enterprise.
The California State Water Resources Control Board issued a $1,500 fine on May 6 for the water company. According to the board, Havasu Water Co. failed to meet state-imposed directives and deadlines and now must meet a new list of directives and deadlines by May 20.
Former plant operator Theodora Goodgame said in an email to a state water board engineer that “The condition of the plant just keeps getting worse and worse,” and even after rate increases, the company had not “not put one penny” into fixing its pressure tank, reported The Press Enterprise.
The water company will also be billed in August for the time it spent on the enforcement actions, reported The Press Enterprise.
A Mar. 29 compliance order asked the water company to provide evidence that it has a certified water treatment operator and a distribution system operator, which it failed to do, reported The Press Enterprise. A corrective action plan to the state that was due Apr. 29 was not submitted as well.
The water company provided the state water board logbooks on Apr. 29, showing that its on-site operations manager was not a certified distribution or treatment operator.
The result of this issue is that a boil water notice is in place for customers and the San Bernardino County Office of Emergency Services has been providing bottled water.
Havasu Water Co.’s water supply was cut off on Mar. 21 due to pump failure after a Southern California Edison power outage, reported The Press Enterprise. The backup generators were inoperable and it took nine days before the water supply was restored for showers and toilet flushing.
