_{Thumbnail photo courtesy of KFUG Station Coordinator Amanda Dockter.}

Crescent City residents in the Bertsch/Oceanview neighborhood awoke this morning to very low water pressure. According to a City Facebook post, this was due to a broken water main on Maiden Lane, off Elk Valley Road. City Manager Eric Wier told Redwood Voice Community News by phone this morning that the twelve inch main is deep, about seven feet below the ground, and will take time for City crews to access. The scope of the break won’t be known until that happens. Tidewater Contractors is assisting City crews at the scene.

The City has advised residents, some of whom may still have low-flow running water, to BOIL that water before drinking. Most of the residents in the Bertsch/Oceanview neighborhood are without water at all. Wier said the City will be setting up a potable water distribution point across the street from KidTown where those residents can fill containers with safe drinking water. He estimated it will be operational by noon and that residents should follow Crescent City’s facebook page for updates.

Once the main is accessed, repaired and recharged, Wier said — and there is currently no estimate available as to how long that will take — it will then be an additional 24 hours for the City to test water safety. During that time, resident will still need to boil water before drinking or cooking with it.