Livingston forced to pay for well filter

If you thought Livingston's water woes couldn't get any worse with all the hoopla over water and sewer rate increases, think again.

Earlier this year the city was notified by the California Department of Public Health that one of its wells failed to comply with drinking water standards. Well 15's water had a higher-than-allowed for level of manganese.

In a notice letter, the state said the city must begin the process of buying a filter for the pump's water or face fines of up to $1,000 a day.

The estimated cost for a filter is $1 million.

The city has moved ahead with engineering the filter. Meanwhile, the water is still being pumped and sent to city residents. The water is drinkable, said City Manager Richard Warne -- it just looks and smells funny.

-- Jonah Owen Lamb