Courtesy Anheuser-Busch
While the City of Dos Palos is still in the midst of a water emergency, local improvements and outside assistance are helping to alleviate the crisis.
The city said Thursday that efforts by the Utilities Department have allowed the water plant to begin operating and treating water again after it became clogged with algae and was shut down earlier this week.
Dos Palos is still under a state mandated boil water notice, however. Lab results from tests are expected in a few days, which may allow the boil water notice to be lifted, according to the city.
Aid to the city in crisis has flowed in from nearby communities, like Merced, in the form of water and monetary donations. As of Thursday, Dos Palos has distributed more than 200,000 bottles of drinking water and over 8,000 gallons of bulk utility water at three locations.
Help is also coming in from St. Louis, Miss. based brewing giant Anheuser-Busch with the donation of more than 50,000 cans of emergency drinking water, according to a company news release.
Merced County Supervisor Daron McDaniel reached out to the company, which he used to work for, right after he heard from Dos Palos Mayor April Hogue that the city was in need.
“I knew that Anheuser-Busch was always ready to step up,” he said, noting that the company would be able to supply significantly more water than any one individual could.
The clean, safe drinking water was produced at Anheuser-Busch’s Fort Collins, Colo. brewery. The brewery periodically pauses beer production to can emergency drinking water to assist communities experiencing disaster.
“We are incredibly thankful for our neighbors at Anheuser-Busch for using their resources to lend a hand when we need it most,” said Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, in the release. “This donation of emergency drinking water will help us ensure we are able to continue to provide these critical resources to the people of Dos Palos.”
Other companies like Pepsi-Cola Corporation and the Home Depot have donated, too.
Anheuser-Busch’s water relief is provided in partnership with the American Red Cross.
Canned water donations will be delivered from the brewery in Fort Collins to the company’s wholesaler partner Donaghy Sales in Modesto; who will work with the City of Dos Palos and the Dos Palos Lions Club to distribute it. Some has already been delivered, but more is on the way.
Anheuser-Busch has a long past of providing support for disaster relief in partnership with the American Red Cross, according to the release. Since the creation of its emergency drinking water program in 1988, Anheuser-Busch and its wholesaler partners have provided at least 83 million cans of water to communities in crisis.
Abbie Lauten-Scrivner is a reporter for the Merced Sun-Star. She covers the City of Atwater and Merced County. Abbie has a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Public Relations from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
