PARADISE, Calif. - The water in Paradise is still not safe to drink. But the Paradise Irrigation District is working to fix that.
At a liaison committee meeting between the Town of Paradise and the Paradise Irrigation District Wednesday, the district spoke to its recovery plan. The district said it is continuing discussions to secure funding from FEMA, and that mutual aid is arriving from San Francisco for two weeks to assist with water testing.
The main recovery focus from the water perspective is on standing structures, particularly those clustered together, on Skyway, Clark and Pearson Roads. The priority is to get main business corridors and schools back into service.
Kevin Phillips, with the Paradise Irrigation District spoke to the water testing process.
"They have to find the meter, take the meter out, flush it and stagnate it for 72 hours."
After the 72 hour period, a water sample is taken from the property and sent to a lab for another few days of processing. Once that is evaluated and the sample comes back clean, the resident can then be hooked back up for service.
The resident will also be issued a letter that states their water is potable, or safe to use.
The district also responded to comments that it is taking too long to complete its water testing.
"A plan has never been developed, it's the first time we've experienced anything of this magnitude," Phillips said.
Town Manager Lauren Gill said that she feels positive about the progress that has been made.
"On the water, the rebuild, the debris removal, the roads, on everything, it will take a long time. We keep hearing this is a marathon, so people need to understand. Rebuilding a whole entire town takes a lot of time."
