Andrew Edwards Staff Writer
Posted: 11/26/2010 05:03:24 AM PST
BARSTOW - One day after the lifting of a citywide "do not drink" order for tap water supplies, the war veterans who call this Mojave Desert city home were able to celebrate Thanksgiving without having to rely on bottled H2O for basic needs.
Barstow's water supplies were officially unsafe for about one week after the discovery of perchlorate, a contaminant used in the manufacture of rocket fuel, weapons and fireworks, was discovered in nearby wells.
"They told us not to bathe, wash clothes, brush teeth, anything," said Ramiro "Rudy" Rueda, a 77-year-old Army and Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War.
Rueda has lived at the Veterans Home of California, Barstow since February 1996, he said.
He and some other residents described the past few days' lack of drinking water as a minor convenience. The experience was not the first time he and other combat veterans there had to survive without pristine water supplies.
"I was in World War II, and we used to have pills sometimes for the water," said George Warren, an 88-year old veteran of the U.S. Army Forces in the Pacific Theater.
Warren served as an aircrew member aboard B-24 and B-25 bomber aircraft and still has the metal aircrew badge he earned in 1943.
While at war with Japan, he and his compatriots had to make do with whatever water was available in places such as Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Okinawa.
Barstow's do not drink order was issued Nov. 19, and the Veterans Home was the last
place in town where state public health officials and Golden State Water Co. cleared water supplies for human consumption.
The OK announcement for the Veterans Home came out around noon Wednesday, about 14 hours after the rest of Barstow was freed from the do not drink order.
Veterans Home staffers also received instructions to flush out water pipes, ice-makers and filtration equipment.
While the order was in effect, Veterans Home administrators relied on emergency water supplies and stocked up on bottles and 5-gallon containers of the liquid to keep the center, which serves 189 veterans, running.
The kitchen required 70 gallons of bottled water per day, administrator Art Robles said.
By Thursday, some of the remaining containers were stashed out while the veterans gathered to dine on turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, and other traditional foods.
"It's good. The food is always good here, and this is excellent," said Warren, whose plate was stacked high with the day's repast.
Warren also said he had a big stack of laundry that piled up while water was off limits.
The perchlorate contamination was discovered last week when test results of water supplies sampled in August at Marine Corps Logistics Base came back positive for perchlorate. A retest showed perchlorate levels were above the legal maximum.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency on Saturday, and city and state officials distributed bottled water to Barstow dwellers while the do not drink order was in place.
The cancellation of that order has not convinced all Barstow residents that their tap water is safe for drinking and other other domestic uses.
Top Hat Liquor on Main Street sold its entire stock of bottled water on Friday, manager Mike Elkamel said. Sales have slowed down, but he said some customers are still unwilling to drink from the tap.
"They don't trust what the media said, that the water is safe," Elkamel said.
Arturo Martinez, a 51-year-old Federal Aviation Administration employee, is but one person in Barstow who is still suspicious of the town's drinking water.
"I don't feel comfortable drinking the water," he said. "I'm not going to cook with it. To be honest with you, it's a done deal.
"Most people are not satisfied because they have to shower in the water," Martinez added. "We're not even brushing our teeth with the water. We're using bottled water."
- andrew.edwards@inlandnewspapers.com, 909-386-3921
