Treating Rainy Season Like a Drought

People are preparing for the El Nino winter by repairing roofs, replacing their windshield wiper blades and investing in new umbrellas.

But government officials also want you to change the way you do your wash, clean your dishes and even brush your teeth during the heavy storms predicted for Southern California. Concerned that anticipated downpours could overwhelm local sewer systems, sanitation districts in Los Angeles and Orange counties are preparing a public information campaign with a seemingly contradictory message: When it rains, conserve water.

“I know it sounds incredibly perverse. People think of conserving water when we have a drought, not when it is raining,” said Joe Haworth, an official with the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County. “But it’s very important, and we could have major problems if we don’t do this.”

Officials fear that pounding rains might clog the maze of underground sewage drains that feed massive liquid waste treatment plants such as the Hyperion facility, south of Los Angeles International Airport. At the worst, they say, effluent could back up from the plants and erupt through manholes onto the streets.

The sewer system in Orange County was pushed to the brink during heavy rainstorms in January 1995. The sewers usually handle 245 million gallons of effluent a day--enough to overflow a large football stadium. But on one day that January, the system took in 550 million gallons.

“That was a lot,” said Michelle Tuchman, spokeswoman for the Sanitation Districts of Orange County. “When you have that much rainwater, it fills the pipes. Here’s where we have the concern.”

Some Eastern cities have had manhole covers tossed into the air by the pressure from backed-up waste water.

In the effort to avoid problems this winter, sanitation districts plan to take a page from water conservation campaigns successfully employed during the recent drought years.

Officials in Los Angeles and Orange counties are developing a public information campaign to get the word out. Because money is tight, the agencies hope to disseminate their message through news conferences. Fliers may be mailed to customers with their water bills.

People are being urged to take shorter showers, shut off the tap while brushing their teeth or washing dishes, cut back on laundering clothes and turn off automatic sprinklers during rainy weather. Conservation is most important during daylight, when sewer systems are busiest.

“If we can get people to treat the rainy season like a drought, it will help us tremendously,” Tuchman said.