Mountain View, the Silicon Valley city home to Google, declared a state of emergency on April 26 over a contaminated water main issue that occurred in the Cuesta Park area.

The city council ratified the declaration on April 28, which will allow the city to seek reimbursement from the State of California and the federal government for expenses related to the incident.

Mountain View said approximately 67 households are currently under a “do not drink” order, and water in the affected area will be turned on only for flushing toilets.

Drinking water is expected to be safe again by mid-to-end of the week, pending test results of water samples and approval by the State Water Resources Control Board.

The city said the incident happened near the intersection of Bonita Avenue and Cuesta Drive on April 24. A contractor was working on a pipe when a slurry mix, which includes cement, became mixed into the live water main.

Crews shut off water to the households connected to the water main as soon as they became aware of what happened.

The State Water Resources Control Board and the city of Mountain View advised affected residents to not use tap water for drinking, cooking, handwashing, or bathing.

The affected streets were Cuesta Drive, Leona Lane, Montalto Drive, and Carlo Court. The rest of the city’s water has no issues.

On Saturday, water utility crews were on site flushing the system and conducting water quality testing. City crews went to each affected household and gave written guidance on how to flush the indoor house plumbing and answered questions. Water mains were flushed in the streets and front yards of the properties.

On Sunday, two of the five water samples tested came back positive for bacteria. The city said this extended the timeline for restoring safe drinking water and that it would conduct additional safety testing.

The city said it had crews distribute cases of bottled water and went door-to-door to check on those affected.

The same day, two of the homes on Leona Lane were found to be connected to a non-impacted water main and were taken off the affected homes list.

The city has been providing those affected with temporary lodging through local hotels and will hold a neighborhood meeting on May 1 for the residents whose drinking water was impacted.