Water, Water Everywhere, and Not a Drop to Waste

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 reconsider when and how you do your wash, clean your dishes and even brush your teeth during the heavy storms predicted to batter Orange County.

Concerned that the predicted deluges could overwhelm local sewer systems, sanitation districts in Orange and Los Angeles 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 of 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 torrential rains will flood streets and invade the sewer system through holes and cracks around nearly 200,000 manhole covers in Orange County. This could overburden the two massive liquid-waste treatment plants in Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley.

In the worst-case scenario, sewage backs up from the plants and flows through manhole covers onto streets.

The sewage system was pushed to the brink during the historic January 1995 rainstorms that caused flooding throughout western Orange County. The system usually handles 245 million gallons of effluent a day--enough to fill Anaheim Stadium three times. But on one day that January, the system was swamped with 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 capacity of the pipes. Here’s where we have the concern.”

In some East Coast cities, manhole covers have flown into the air because of pressure from backed-up waste water. But Tuchman said such an occurrence is unlikely in Orange County. “Those manhole covers weigh 350 pounds each and are sealed,” she said. “They might rattle, but it is very unlikely they will fly out.”

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

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

During typical drought conditions, residents are asked to take shorter showers, shut off the tap while brushing their teeth and washing dishes, reduce clothes washing and turn off automatic sprinklers. Conservation is most important during daylight hours, when the sewer system is the most heavily taxed.

Officials in Orange and Los Angeles counties are developing a regional public information campaign to get the word out. Because money is tight, the agency hopes to spread the word through press conferences and pamphlets. Flyers might be mailed to customers with their water bills.

Haworth said that although public interest in the El Nino condition is high, he hopes to keep the sanitation districts’ approach simple. “We really have a secondary message, compared to the people dealing with flood control,” he said. “I don’t think [giving] too many messages is good. So I feel if it won’t fit on a refrigerator magnet, it probably won’t work.”

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Dealing With Deluge

County officials are concerned that heavy El Nino rain runoff could overburden the county’s sewer system. Reducing the amount of waste water flowing through the system during rainstorms would help. Some conservation tips, similar to those employed during drought conditions:

* Take shorter showers

* Don’t leave tap running when brushing teeth and washing dishes

* Avoid using washer

* Make sure dishwasher is full before operating

* Turn off automatic sprinklers

Source: Sanitation Districts of Orange County