A boil water notice was canceled in Koreatown on Thursday — 24 hours after neighbors had to only use boiled or bottled water over Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria concerns.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) said tap water was considered safe to drink and use as of 1 p.m. Thursday following “rigorous testing and reporting of water quality results.”
Those who live in the affected area (on South Ardmore Avenue and South Mariposa Avenue between West 5th Street and West 6th Street) may now tap water without health concerns, the LADWP said.
Officials initially said the notice would be in place for at least two executive days, urging people not to use tap water for drinking or cooking purposes, including making ice cubes, washing produce and other food preparation.
The protocols also affected food businesses and restaurants, forcing small businesses to close ahead of the busy Fourth of July weekend.
“The boil water notice was issued out of an abundance of caution following routine water testing after samples collected from the testing station came back positive for E. coli bacteria on Tuesday, June 30, 2026,” the LADWP said.
With the lift of the boil water notice, city officials will stop distribute bottled water, starting at 5 p.m. Thursday.
LADWP water quality director Jonathan Leung had told NBCLA Wednesday that crews were confident that E. coli was not in the pipe system. Rather, the sample may have been contaminated.
“The concentration that we did detect was very low, but nonetheless, we are doing this and an abundance of caution, combined with flushing, doing the additional sampling,” Leung said.
For further information and updates and the full Boil Water Notice, see here for more information.