Water contamination forces some South County businesses to close
Bacterial water contamination has altered — and even halted — some business operations in the Five Cities area.
On Wednesday night, a boil water notice was issued for cities in the South County after an “unprecedented” detection of coliform bacteria was found in the water distribution system of Zone 3 of the San Miguelito Water Co., The Tribune reported Thursday.
The alert advised residents of the impacted area to boil or otherwise disinfect water before using it for drinking, cooking or brushing their teeth. Bottled water can also be used as an alternative to tap water, the notice said.
On Thursday, The Tribune looked into how businesses were responding to the warning — and it found that the impacts varied.
Some businesses close, medical operations change due to water contamination
Businesses like Rooster Creek Tavern and the Arroyo Grande Meat Company closed Thursday due to the boil water notice, according to signs posted on their storefronts, while others in the area remained open.
Gina’s Italian Cuisine was one of the spots that remained open Thursday.
Manager Carlos Estevez told The Tribune that he boiled water for the restaurant before opening and was serving bottled water to customers. He said he didn’t know how the weekend would go if the alert remains in place but said the restaurant would remain open.
Branch Street Deli also stayed open Thursday but declined to comment to The Tribune. The restaurant did post guidance from the SLO County Health Agency’s Environmental Health Services Division for what to do during a boil water notice and what to do after it ends.
Mule Bakery also remained open, but cautious.
Baker and front-end employee Peter Ljepava told The Tribune one of the owners was up until 2 a.m. sanitizing the bakery.
“We’ve been in contact with the health department, seeing what we can do, what we can’t do, what we need to make extra sure of,” he said.
The impacts on the actual baked goods were limited, since water isn’t an ingredient in any of the items except the icing on some scones, which were disposed of, he said.
But Mule did not serve any drinks Thursday, which did take away a significant portion of their business, Ljepava added. The bakery will wait to see when it’s safe to begin serving drinks again, he said.
As for the status of bottled water in the area, the grocery stores The Tribune visited did still have some water stocked — but it was depleting steadily as residents streamed in to purchase it.
Walmart in Arroyo Grande had eight pallets of water stocked around 1 p.m. Thursday. Around 11 a.m., a Walmart employee told The Tribune that the water wasn’t disappearing as quickly as he thought. He said one pallet was gone in about an hour.
Walmart customer Kathie Merlo told The Tribune she bought water at Food 4 Less on Wednesday night after the notice was sent out. She described the experience as “like a run on the bank.”
“People were, like a line of people, just grabbing it off the shelves,” she said. She added that a student from Arroyo Grande High School helped her get the last bottle off the shelf, which was pushed too far back for her to reach.
As of Thursday morning around 11:30 a.m., Food 4 Less in Arroyo Grande did have bottled water in stock.
The Tribune also reached out about how the contamination issue might impact medical services.
Arroyo Grande Community Hospital and all other medical facilities across the Five Cities area were affected by the contamination issue, according to a statement from hospital president and CEO Sue Andersen.
“Our hospital is actively coordinating with regional partners, including the County EMS Agency and Public Health, to ensure continued patient care and safety,” Andersen said. “In the meantime, we are using bottled water and taking all necessary precautions to maintain safe operations.”
This story was originally published May 1, 2025 at 6:03 PM.
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