Thousands Will Be Asked to Ration Water for a Couple of Days

As if the power shortage weren't enough of a headache, thousands of Sacramento area residents are now being asked to conserve water as well.

It's not that there's a water shortage. There just won't be any way to get it to the people who want it. The problem is a huge pipeline that takes water out of Folsom Lake for use by about 250,000 residents of Sacramento and Placer counties. The pipeline, which is nearly seven-feet in diameter, need repairs. While those repairs are in progress, no water will flow.

The story begins last year, when maintenance workers discovered a crack in one of the valves. It's no ordinary valve. This one weighs 15 tons and took nine months to manufacture. Replacement of the damaged valve got underway at 9:00 Monday night. The first step in the repair was shutting off the water through the pipe.

With the flow through the pipe cut off, residents of Roseville, Carmichael, Folsom and several other communities still have running water. However, instead of coming from the lake, it comes come from storage. Supplies of stored water are limited, so residents are asked to cut way back on usage.

The good news is that, unlike the power crisis, the end of the water shortage is in site. Engineers expect to have water flowing through the pipe again by sometime Wednesday.

http://www.kxtv.com/news-story/March2001/031901/water-conserve.htm

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), March 20, 2001