Benicia residents told to cut back on water usage by 40%

BENICIA, Calif. - Benicia residents are being asked to cut down on their water usage by 40% after a water pipeline broke, activating a stage 4 critical water shortage. 

Benicia city leaders found out about a leak to the city's main water line last Friday when sensors on the pipes tipped them off to the problem. Crews have been able to excavate the earth to find the one main leak, which they've pinpointed to Morrow Lane and Goodyear Road.

Deputy City Manager Sarah Shawky said Thursday afternoon that the water reduction request may remain in place through the middle of next week.

While the cause of the break is still under investigation, Shawty said a solution has been identified.

"Multiple orders have all been placed and we expect multiple deliveries as early as tomorrow morning, so then the process will be to begin the repair, then there's a process of testing that repair," she said.  

If that testing is successful, the city will begin the process of refilling the main water line, a step that could take through the weekend before full service is restored.

For now, the city is using Lake Herman as a backup water source. But that source is limited.

Shawky said that lake water still meets all the state and federal standards to be considered safer water, which is why they didn't push the panic button. 

The city is now asking residents to keep showers to under five minutes, run washers with full loads, and avoid all outdoor water use. 

"I have two little kids so immediately I was like we have to take shorter baths and things like that, but I also want to keep them safe too," said resident Allison Costelow. "We have a lot of backup water supply in our garage just for emergencies, so we’ve been drinking that."

Benicia resident Donna Wigand said her household is also stepping up conservation.

"Last night we turned our sprinkler system off for now, we’re really pretty good at conserving in other ways. We don’t take long showers or anything like that and I only wash clothes once a week," Wigand said. "We’ve been through this before, we know the drill, we’ll get through this."

Local businesses are also adapting. First Street Taphouse in downtown Benicia is only running fully loaded dishwashers and reminding customers that water will be served upon request.

"I think it’s great. I think all the restaurants should conserve," said Nancy Sideris, a diner from Santa Rosa. "Water is wasted so much in restaurants, people will be served water and they won’t even drink it."

The city is expected to provide another update early next week.

Despite the shortage, the Benicia Chamber of Commerce said this weekend’s Oktoberfest in downtown will proceed as scheduled. City officials said they do not expect the event to be impacted.