Avery, CA…Calaveras County Water District purchased a nearly new 550kw generator to replace a 29-year-old 270kw generator at the district’s Hunters Water Treatment Plant facility in Avery. The previous generator could not run all of the pumping systems at the plant at one time. This has become an escalated challenge and concern in recent years due to increased PSPS outage events in the area. Under generator power, district operators have had to make strategic adjustments during power outages to ensure the facility can operate without issue.

Now the facility can fully operate without a reduction in operation or treatment capacity. As a result, the district is better prepared to deliver continuous water services from the Hunters Water Treatment Plant to the Ebbetts Pass service area during power outages. The district has other generators that are in need of replacement and is prioritizing funds in conjunction with seeking grant opportunities to replace these aging generators.

It is important to remember that when power outages occur, customers are encouraged to conserve water. While the district has backup generators for key infrastructure facilities, water conservation helps to lessen the load on these generators during power outages while reducing the negative impacts of a possible generator failure. A generator failure can result in loss of water treatment capacity or sewage spills.