South Tahoe Public Utility District: Christmas Valley water safe to drink

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – On Tuesday, February 11, 2020, South Tahoe Public Utility District discovered food-grade oil in their Christmas Valley water tank during a routine inspection. Up to one gallon of food-grade oil leaked into the 200,000-gallon water tank due to a mechanical issue and the tank was immediately taken out of service. Results from the water samples collected from the top and
bottom of the water tank and two neighboring homes meet all drinking water standards.

There is no evidence that oil entered the water distribution system.

STPUD tested for oils, disinfection byproducts, and other volatile organic compounds. Of the four water samples taken, oil was only detected in the sample taken from the top of the water tank at a level of 0.15 parts per million (ppm), which is below the United States Food and Drug Administration health limit of 10 ppm for food-grade oil. This was expected since this oil floats on top of water. STPUD is working with a contractor to drain and clean Christmas Valley Tank before putting it back in service.

The fastest way for the District to contact customers during an incident is by email; make sure yours is up to date by going to mywater.stpud.us.