Prepare for PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs

In 2018, PG&E rolled out its Community Wildfire Safety Program (CWSP), which included planned power outages under the PSPS program. If extreme fire danger conditions threaten a portion of the electric system serving a community, it may be necessary for PG&E to turn off electricity in the interest of public safety. In spring 2019, PG&E announced that such shutdowns would be more frequent and last longer than in 2018. Click here for detailed information from PG&E.

CCWD’s water, wastewater, and recycled water systems rely upon uninterrupted electrical power from PG&E in order to ensure safe and reliable operations. PG&E supplies power directly to CCWD’s drinking water and wastewater treatment plants, along with water distribution and sewer collection systems and is critical to the 24/7 operational needs of these facilities.

It is important to remember that when power outages occur, customers are encouraged to conserve water. While the district has backup generators for key infrastructure facilities, water conservation helps to lessen the load on these generators during power outages while reducing the negative impacts of a possible generator failure. A generator failure can result in loss of water treatment capacity or sewage spills.

CCWD customer or not, it is important all County residents plan and prepare for the implementation of PG&E’s PSPS program this summer.  It could occur at any time.  Adequate preparation is critically important for residents on wells and septic tanks, as extended outages (multiple days) are a reality.  CCWD encourages you to have a plan in place to secure standby power generation for your well and septic tank operation. CCWD urges all County residents to be prepared by visiting www.prepareforpowerdown.com for detailed information.

Preparation for Extended Outages

• Have an emergency supply of drinking water available.
• During a power outage, minimize water usage to only critical health and safety needs to help CCWD maintain service to its customers and reduce potential backups associated with engineered septic systems (if applicable).
• Plan for medical needs such as medications that may require refrigeration or devices that need power.
• Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
• Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies, and cash.
• Sign up for alerts about Public Safety Power Shutoff events by going to https://prepareforpowerdown.com.
• Sign up for emergency alerts from Calaveras County at https://oes.calaverasgov.us/Notifications
• Subscribe to updates on the CCWD website at www.ccwd.org or “like” our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/calaveraswaterdistrict and ensure your contact information on file with us is up to date.

PG&E’s outages will occur in response to localized weather conditions and may not be fully known until the day of the event. CCWD may not have advanced notice of potential interruptions to water and wastewater services. The District urges all customers to be prepared for power shutoffs and possible utility service interruptions and calls for water conservation.

If a PG&E power outage has the potential to impact services to customers, CCWD will immediately notify customers prior to and during PSPS events once information is provided by PG&E.

To help ensure the District can maintain communications regarding this important public safety matter, all CCWD customers are encouraged to verify their contact information is up to date in the District’s customer information system, by emailing CCWD customer service at customerservice@ccwd.org or calling (209) 754-3543.