Help is on the way for Paradise’s troubled water system. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded about $1.4 million to the Paradise Irrigation District to repair and restore its water system damaged during the Camp Fire, according to a press release from Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s office.
Paradise water test results came back positive for the chemical compound benzene, which is known to cause cancer. The district is now performing more extensive tests to determine the magnitude of the problem, starting with the Skyway. (See “Troubled water,” Cover story, Jan. 31.)
Because the process of testing, isolating contaminated areas and then removing the contamination along 170 miles of pipe is complicated and costly, it could take a significant amount of time to get potable water running.