Sacramento Neighborhood Warned To Avoid Tap Water After Possible Contamination

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A Sacramento neighborhood has been warned to not drink their tap water due to a possible contamination.

The area under the alert is south of Main Avenue, west of Norwood Avenue, east of Pell Drive and north of Interstate 80.

Residents say workers were going door-to-door giving out "Unsafe Water Alert" fliers, telling them to not shower or drink their tap water until further notice. Residents are even being warned to not try and treat the water themselves, including with boiling, filtering, freezing or adding chlorine.

"Think about it you're going to get up and do your normal routines, have your coffee, everything like that," said neighbor Gene Babineaux. "You're not thinking about going outside and finding a notice on your front door."

An unknown substance is reportedly causing purple discoloration, according to the alert.

City of Sacramento officials say they expect to know by 4:30 p.m. whether or not there is any health risk from the possible contamination.

Robla school district officials say students at Glenwood Elementary School, which is in the same neighborhood as the alert, are being provided with bottled water. Pallets of bottled water were dropped off by the city, officials say.

"We obviously needed to change our menu because the first people on staff on campus are the people who cook breakfast for the students, so we scrambled and get word to them make sure they were not using water to prepare the food," said superintendent Ruben Reyes.

Neighbors in surrounding streets say they drank tap water with their coffee and brushed their teeth before finding out about the letter.