PLACERVILLE, Calif. — The El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) is asking customers, including those in Placerville, to stop all non-essential water usage.
They say water coming into the water treatment plants is very cloudy because its full of ash and mud from the Caldor Fire burn scar. It makes it harder to treat the water and as such reduces the volume of water the district can send into its distribution system.
Customers minimizing water usage lowers the potential for the water system to run out of water or experience low water pressure.
Ways you can cut water usage include not running your dishwasher or washing machine, not washing your car, and stopping outdoor irrigation.
With all the excess water from a series of winter storms, it begs the questions as to why.
"It seems like with the excess water, of course you would think that there’s plenty of water to drink. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s very readily treatable water, and that’s the challenge we have faced with us," said Patrick Wilson, drinking water operations manager.
Many of the creeks and streams running through the Caldor Fire burn scar contribute to El Dorado County's sources of drinking water. When heavy rains hit vegetation-stripped ridges, it washes mud and ash into reservoirs and into water treatment plants.
"It’s very challenging water to treat," said Wilson.
"In the future we’re going to be fraught with this until a lot of that brush, that undergrowth comes back, as well as the trees to help break up the rain as it falls," said Wilson.
The El Dorado Irrigation District (EID) will notify customers when the conservation request ends.
"Being able to conserve this water helps us to continue to produce the water, to meet the demands that are out there," said Wilson.
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