Some Counties Urging Water Conservation During PG&E Power Shutoff
VACAVILLE (CBS13) — Some Northern California residents who will experience power outages Wednesday are also being asked to conserve water.
The city of Vacaville and El Dorado County announced Tuesday that the PG&E Public Safety Power Outage may also affect water service to neighborhoods.
Vacaville's utilities department is working to ensure water is available to customers during the anticipated shutoff period. But, they said it's important for residents to conserve water in case the shutoff lasts more than a couple of days.
In El Dorado County, the Irrigation District's ability to provide water and wastewater treatment may be affected during the power outage. The district facilities said they have backup power, which is limited to meet the minimum public health and safety needs.
Water conservation will help all residents have drinking water supplies and adequate sanitary sewer services during the emergency event.
READ: Everything You Need To Know About PG&E Power Shutoffs Wednesday
Vacaville is asking residents to follow the following measures to conserve water:
- Do not use water to conduct any non-critical activities that can wait, such as washing your car.
- Do not irrigate lawns and landscape during this period. Set automatic sprinkler controls to "off" or "rain" until the alert is terminated. Landscape should not be hurt going without water for a couple of days.
- Flush your toilets less throughout the day as much as you are comfortable, applying the practice of "If it's Yellow Let it Mellow" (placing the toilet seat down helps). If you do not already have a water-efficient toilet, place a plastic bottle filled with water in the toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush.
- Spend no more than 5-10 minutes in the shower. A good practice is to rinse, turn off the water to soap and later, and turn the water back on long enough to rinse once again before shutting off the water.
- Use the bathroom and kitchen sinks sparingly. Do not leave water running in between activities such as brushing teeth or shaving in the bathroom, or cleaning dishes in the kitchen.
- Do not use water unless it's absolutely necessary, and do not leave water running when not in use.
El Dorado County echoed Vacaville's sentiments and said even residents who do not lose power should do their part in water conservation.