Paul Rochelle, water quality manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement on the safety of Metropolitan’s water supplies following the discovery of human remains in a portion of its dewatered Sepulveda Feeder pipeline in Culver City:
"This is a tragic discovery within our water system. However, we want to reassure the public that there are no risks to the safety of Metropolitan’s drinking water supplies or public health. Metropolitan maintains disinfection throughout its water delivery pipelines exceeding regulatory requirements to guard against possible contamination. Through regular testing and monitoring of the water delivered through this pipeline, we can ensure that we have consistently provided safe, high-quality drinking water, meeting or surpassing all state and federal regulations.
“The pipeline is currently shut down for a previously scheduled inspection to perform routine maintenance. We have taken all necessary steps to ensure the pipeline’s continued safety before returning it to service. We are also investigating our infrastructure to understand how this could have happened and to prevent any possibility of recurrence.
“Metropolitan is working closely with the Culver City Police Department as they investigate this discovery.”
Read Culver City Police Department's press release.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a state-established cooperative that, along with its 26 cities and retail suppliers, provides water for 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
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