Bolinas, the small Marin coastal town of roughly 1,200 residents, spent yesterday without running water after its public utility district shut down the system to fix what officials described as a substantial leak. Neighbors were urged to fill jugs and containers and prepare for an overnight outage while crews worked to locate and isolate the break. Officials warned that when service comes back, taps could sputter or run cloudy as air moves through the lines.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the district told residents to expect to be without running water for the evening and said a contractor was on site by about 6 PM Water was expected to be shut off around 6:45 PM. The Chronicle also noted that meeting minutes show the district had been dealing with major leaks this spring and had called its emergency contractor, Piazza Construction.
In a notice on its website, the Bolinas Community Public Utility District said staff and outside contractors "have located the source of the leak" and were replacing failed infrastructure, adding that repairs might be completed within hours but the system would need extra time to recharge. The district's update also posted step-by-step guidance for purging air from household plumbing and gave an emergency contact number for residents with continuing sputtering or low pressure.
Where Bolinas Gets Its Water
Bolinas draws water from two small reservoirs and the Arroyo Hondo Creek, and, as the San Francisco Chronicle reports, both reservoirs were full as of February. The district also connected two new wells to its distribution system in 2024 to bolster emergency supply. The town, about 13 miles north of San Francisco, has long limited new water hookups; a 1971 water-shortage emergency declared by the district created a moratorium on new connections that remains in effect.
What Residents Should Do Next
The district's online notice explains how to purge air from pipes by running the coldest faucet for several minutes. Cloudy water from trapped air is described as harmless and should clear. Residents with persistent problems were told to contact the Bolinas Community Public Utility District at (415) 868-1224 for assistance.
