Riverside, Calif. – While the city’s water providers, Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) and Western Municipal Water District (Western), continue to ask customers to conserve water and eliminate water waste, they are also urging customers to prepare for the strong storms that are predicted to come with the El Nino weather event this fall and winter.
“All signs are pointing to Riverside getting some very wet weather,” said RPU General Manager Girish Balachandran. “So it is important that all residents take the time to prepare and be ready now, should an event occur later that disrupts water or energy delivery services.”
As of Nov. 1, Riverside’s RPU water customers will be required to reduce their outdoor watering schedules from three days a week to just two. Customers of Western are still required to reduce outdoor water use by 50 percent; no specific watering days are in effect. But, if the predictions are correct for the El Nino forecast, customers may be able to just turn off all of their outdoor irrigation this winter, as rainfall from the weather event can be enough to let California native, drought tolerant plants thrive for many months.
El Nino can bring with it heavy downpours and high winds that can flood streets and yards, topple trees, power poles and create power outages when tree limbs or debris get tossed in to power lines.
Preparations residents can take include having a supply of sandbags ready to re-direct heavy rainfall or flooding from the property; cleaning out rain gutters and downspouts; checking for and fixing leaks on the roof, near windows and any other cracks that may cause unseen water damage and dry rot; and having an emergency plan, making sure each family member knows the plan, where to meet and how to contact each other.
Additional information on creating an emergency plan, and what to do when outages or emergencies occur, can be found online at ReadyRiverside.com
For additional information about all current water conservation mandates and water saving rebate programs offered by RPU and Western, visit BlueRiverside.com
For information specific to Western customers, visit www.wmwd.com
