Video: health officials say Long Beach water is safe

State, county and local officials discussed the state of Long Beach’s drinking water at a public forum at City Hall on July 24 in the hopes of assuaging residents’ concerns a month after the city’s drinking water tested positive for traces of E. coli.

Residents asked a panel of health experts questions following a brief presentation by Long Beach Public Works Commissioner John Mirando, state Office of Public Health Deputy Commissioner Brad Hutton and County Health Commissioner Lawrence Eisenstein.

Health officials said that that E. coli found in the system was not a system-wide problem, but rather an isolated incident. They also deemed the water safe to drink and stated that they have no confirmed cases of any illnesses from the water.

“To this day, there have not been any cases tied to any samples of E. coli in this water system,” Eisenstein said.

Still, many residents expressed concerns about the source of the E. coli outbreak — which officials said has yet to be determined — as well as discolored water and the city’s aging water infrastructure. Some residents called for more action to be taken to improve the city’s water quality.

State Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who organized the forum, said that he is working to secure state funding to help improve the city’s water infrastructure.

Full story to come.