100,000 gallons of SLO County drinking water drained after storage facility break-in
About 100,000 gallons of drinking water were drained at a San Luis Obispo County water storage facility in Santa Margarita on Monday after an employee discovered a break-in, according to the county Public Works Department.
“The storage facility fence was vandalized and the lock accessing one of the water storage tanks was cut providing access to the drinking water supply,” the agency said in a news release Tuesday.
The tank was taken out of service and drained as a precautionary measure because “it is unknown whether perpetrators tampered with the water,” the release said.
According to Public Works, the tank held about 100,000 gallons of water at the time of the incident.
Water service to Santa Margarita residents will not be disrupted as there is a second water tank at the site, the release said.
The incident was reported to the California State Water Resources Control Board, San Luis Obispo County Health Department and the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office, Public Works said.
The public works department is asking Santa Margarita residents to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 805-781-4550 if they have any information regarding this incident.
This story was originally published November 8, 2022 at 11:26 AM.
