Authorities indicate that tap water is safe to drink

Ada Zevallos says that she has never drunk tap water directly, neither in Peru, where it originates, nor in the United States, the country she came to live two years ago.

"My mom worked as a nurse in a hospital and to prepare soft drinks and juices she always told us 'boil the water,'" says the resident of Panorama City.

He adds that now they also consume bottled water at home, but when it is finished and needed, then it boils water. "Maybe it's just a matter of habit," says the 60-year-old woman. So when the pandemic health emergency came, he confesses that he did not worry much about getting packages of water bottles.

For her part, Cynthia Herrera, a resident of Hawthorne, indicated that they have a filter for water in their home. "We use this for coffee or tea."

However, she adds that her mother does not trust filters and that is why she feels more comfortable obtaining bottled water than from the tap. "(Same) you never know, in an emergency it's always good to have bottled water."

Tap water is safe

Since the coronavirus pandemic broke out, it has been common to see people constantly buying bottled water and toilet paper among their essential supplies.

However, what many are unaware of is that tap water is just as safe as bottled water, said Edel Viscarra, government relations representative for the Los Angeles County Division of Sanitation.

"I think everyone saw people on television buying bottled water for fear that perhaps COVID-19 would reach the water system," he said. "We want to tell people that they can rest easy knowing that COVID-19 does not pose a threat to their tap water."

Vizcarra said this water is safe as it is regularly tested and controlled to ensure it is free of contaminants and pathogens – including 99.99% of viruses.

Los Angeles County is one of the state's largest water districts, and the Sanitation Division has around 250,000 connections.

"There is also the Department of Water Energy in the city of Los Angeles that is spreading a similar message that their water is safe, that they clean it and test it," said Vizcarra. "And we have many individual municipal water providers."

The spokesperson added that currently There is no risk of impediment to provide water to customers.

"Our main message is that your water supply will continue to function normally, and there is no need to buy bottled water during the COVID-19 crisis," said Vizcarra.

Some people feel more secure when they use boiled tap water or if they add a few drops of chlorine to disinfect it, but added that this is not necessary.

"We treat our water, test it, and monitor it regularly to make sure it doesn't have any of those contaminants so there's no need to add another layer of treatment.", said the spokesman.

Vizcarra reaffirmed that there is no reason to believe that water supplies will have problems. "They will continue to function normally," he said.

With information from Mey Lyn Mitteenn