CITY-WIDE WATER SHUT-OFF ALERT:
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, 8am-5pm.
A public notice was sent to all City of Trinidad water customers on Friday, January 31 informing them to prepare for a city-wide distribution system shut-down scheduled during the hours of 8am-5pm on Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The notice is still effective.
The purpose of the shut down is to allow the City's team of engineers, Public Works Department, and Tank and Pipeline Construction Project contractor Mercer-Fraser to bring the new water tank online. This is the final phase of a project that has been in the works for nearly 5-years, in response to consecutive drought years that prompted the City's grant team to develop a project that was suitable for the funding opportunities Governor Newsom opened up through the Department of Water Resources for water system resilience.
The City has been operating since October when one of its two, 150,000 gallon redwood storage tanks were demolished to make room for a new 250,000 modern stainless steel tank. The water system's resilience has been tested during the transition. The new tank will provide relief to the entire operation when it is brought into service tomorrow.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
The notice asks all customers to be prepared to be without water from 8am-5pm. There confidence is high that if all goes well the interruption will take only a few hours, but there are too many variables ahead of the shut-off so the full day gives staff time to achieve the objective.
The distribution system carries a high volume of water within it, gravity flowing from the tanks at the highest point (east of Westhaven Drive) to the lowest points in the distribution system (lower Edwards Street/Harbor). The water will be terminated at the tanks first thing in the morning to perform the final steps to introduce the water from the new tank into the distribution system.
The water in the distribution system at the time of termination will be finite until the new tank is connected and the water begins to flow. Customers closest to the tanks will likely be immediately affected, with customers down hill experiencing loss of pressure, then loss of water, like dominos until exhausted a the Harbor. If everyone is conservative and considerate of use, it's possible the lower end of town could be affected for the shortest amount of time.
TIPS FOR PREPARATION:
Most standard toilets can be flushed with 1-2 gallons of water poured into the tank. Hot water can be achieved by boiling water on the stovetop. Be prepared by filling a 5-gallon bucket in advance of the shut-off and have a few gallons of drinking water handy. The more we all conserve, the more likely there will be sufficient amount of water in the distribution system throughout the morning for a gallon or two flushing, hand washing, etc. to get you through the day.
POSSIBLE ISSUES:
During the process and at the conclusion of the shut-off, customers may experience air in their lines that can be evacuated by opening a faucet and letting it do its thing. There's a slight possibility that air in the lines may rattle sediments resting in old distribution and/or customer service laterals, resulting in slightly discolored water. Open the faucets until the air is released and the water is clear.
NOTIFICATIONS & INFORMATION:
The best way to know when service is restored is to simply turn on your faucets throughout the day. The City will be staffing the phones and sending out email and sms (TEXT) alerts during the process, publishing information as needed to this page.
We appreciate your patience, cooperation, and conservation during this monumental day. The last time the City did this was in the early 1970's when the second redwood tank was brought online.
City staff and the construction team will do everything possible to minimize the extent of the interruption.