City officials said a cement slurry mix contaminated the local water supply during a city water project, cutting off safe drinking water to 66 homes.
Crews have been testing the water for five days while residents rely on bottled water to handle basic daily tasks.
"I've been using that for doing, like, dishwashing and brushing your teeth," Mark Tashima said.
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Asked if they wanted the situation to end, the resident replied, "Yeah. I'd like to take a shower again."
The city said testing of the affected water lines has not detected E. coli, but coliform bacteria has been found. City officials noted the bacteria can cause illness if ingested.
The emergency declaration allows Mountain View to seek assistance from state and federal agencies as officials work to offset costs residents may incur while flushing their water and secure additional resources if needed.
"But truly, it's not always just money. It's also a lot of help from other neighboring jurisdictions and from the state itself. And if we get to a point where we run out of a particular resource and maybe I need a help, or maybe I need a body, or I need somebody else from a neighboring agency, I've got that declaration in place so I can say, 'this is what I need, this is why I need it' and can just fill this request," MV Fire Dept. Office of Emergency Services Coordinator Robert Maitland said.
The Mountain View Fire Department has been assisting residents by delivering bottled water and hand sanitizer throughout the neighborhood.
Until this situation is remedied, the city, in particular the fire department, is making sure no one is left hung out to dry.
Fire crews have also been conducting door-to-door checks and coordinating deliveries for residents who were not home during earlier drop-offs.
"We are working on rotations in the morning, in the afternoon, knocking on doors. However, we've got email addresses, telephone numbers in place so people can reach out to the city and say, 'hey, I wasn't home when you were delivering water, can you stop by?' It's whatever needs to be done to make sure that our residents are accommodated," Maitland said.
Tashima said the outreach has helped during the disruption. "It feels like I'm being taken care of by the city, but I want this to be over."
City officials said there is still hope the situation could be resolved by the end of the week.