Water Use Curtailment Called Off

The local water district was up and running Friday with business as usual. Assistant General Manager David Barnum reported there is no longer any need for customers to conserve water or to take any safety measures before turning on the tap.

“There never was a ‘boil alert’,” Barnum said. “No customers had any break in service.”

Recorded phone messages went out to the district’s customers at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, calling for “water curtailment.” By 11 p.m., San Diego Gas & Electric had restored power to the Poway Pump Station. Because of the late hour, Barnum made the decision to wait until 6 a.m. Friday for the second call out, lifting the curtailment.

Poway Pump Station, located off Espola Road in Poway, is the main source for bringing water into Ramona. It is run by electricity and a generator is not permitted to be there full time, Barnum said. He requested an emergency backup generator from SDG&E soon after the power went out across the county.

“We were the first agency to request a backup generator,” Barnum said. “It was trucked in about 10:30. Once staff reported power was restored, we released that generator.”

RMWD was one of the first water districts in the county to open its Emergency Operation Center. It remained open throughout the night with a skeleton crew staying on after about 2 a.m.

“Staff did a phenomenal job,” Barnum said. “Many worked 12 or 15 hours.”