(continued)
In its notice to utilities this week, the state health department says it
"encourages all utilities to secure backup power capabilities and to routinely test
their emergency power generating equipment. ... In addition, storage should be
maintained as full as possible."
The advisory also asks utilities to update their "disaster response plans" so the
state can better help utilities in emergencies.
Cliff Sharpe, chief of the health department's drinking-water enforcement for
Northern California, said small community water systems are at greatest risk
because they lack adequate water storage.
But larger systems such as those in the Sacramento area could have delivery
breakdowns if the outages at the well pumps last more than two hours, he said.
Officials at Citizens Water Resources, which serves 180,000 residents in the
unincorporated areas of metropolitan Sacramento, said it has water-sharing
arrangements with the city of Sacramento and other suppliers in the event of a
water outage.
Having enough power to deliver the water, however, is an open question, said
Herb Niederberger, Citizens operations manager. The utility has several
portable generators and many more on order to install at its wellheads.
Still, officials said they would need the help of residents to make sure the
system gets by. They are asking residents to confine outdoor watering from
midnight to 10 a.m.
"If the blackouts occur during peak hours of energy use and many customers
are using their sprinklers, we'll lose pressure immediately," Niederberger said.