THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Just off the 101 Freeway in Santa Barbara County covering five square miles is the El Capitan Mutual Water Company. Founded in 1982, it serves a total of 26 customers — including agricultural, business and residential — during both non-emergency and emergency situations.

Emergencies can occur for a number of reasons — earthquakes, wildfires, floods. Even a prolonged power outage requires careful planning. To prepare, this small, rural water agency has purchased backup generators and will add more water storage this year. It also plans to add solar power to its wells.

And when it comes to power shutoffs, early notification is essential

“During a Public Safety Power Shutoff, our priority is to keep our water tanks topped off. That’s why notifications are critical,” said Allen Paneral, operations manager at El Capitan Mutual Water Company.

Paneral spoke at a recent resiliency workshop hosted by Southern California Edison, which is partnering with local water agencies to help support their resiliency efforts.

“SCE does not operate in a vacuum. We are collaborating with various agencies to help in emergency preparedness,” said Chris Tran, SCE senior manager. “We are focused on resiliency and helping water agencies develop their resiliency plans.”

Water agencies serving more than 100,000 customers are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to complete a risk and resiliency assessment by the end of March. Smaller utilities with more than 50,000 customers have until the end of the year. Those with more than 3,300 customers have until June 2021.

The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency was formed in 2018 and serves 73,000 customers across a 200-square-mile area. It uses a tank-based system to deliver water to its customers.

As part of its emergency preparedness efforts, the agency has both stationary and portable backup generators, including several smaller mobile generators. Their resiliency efforts also include demand curtailment and topping off water tanks.

“Our goal is to maintain water service. If we know there is a PSPS event, we will top off our tanks,” said Keith Abercrombie, chief operating officer of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency. 

Workshop attendees were also encouraged to have a refueling plan for backup generators and to identify critical infrastructure. Processes should also include action items before, during and after a power shutoff.

Water agencies can also look to mutual aid groups for assistance, including: CalWARN, county Emergency Operations Centers, California Water Boards, California Utilities Emergency Association, Environmental Protection Agency, Association of California Water Agencies, Association of Water Agencies of Ventura County and Water Emergency Response Organization of Orange County.

“We are providing tools and information to take back to their workplaces so they can build their resiliency plans,” said Beena Morar, SCE senior project manager. “We want our customers to have the information they need so they can be prepared for any emergency, including PSPS.”

SCE is using proactive power shutoff as one of its tools to help reduce the risk that electric equipment starts a wildfire in areas with a high risk for fires. In addition to finding more information at SCE.com/PSPS, attendees were encouraged to sign up for notifications, including 48- and 24-hour notices.

“PSPS is not the only emergency. We need to be prepared for all emergencies,” said Tran.

The next water agency workshop will be hosted by SCE on Feb. 4 in Highland. Please register here.