Conservation Caused Chloramine Imbalance, Forced 500,000 Gallon Dump

Poway, CA, a small city near San Diego, was so successful at saving water during the drought that it had to dump 500,000 gallons when the sudden spike in conservation threw a glitch into the system.

“It was a perfect storm of conservation and heat,” Poway Mayor Steve Vaus said.

Residents cut water use by 45 percent in May, and the sheer size of these savings created complications. Water sitting in the Blue Crystal Reservoir got overheated and underwent a chloramine imbalance. Vaus said the water was not safe to drink, according to ABC 10News.

It was a sizable loss for the city. “The amount of water released is enough to supply about four households for an entire year,” the report said.

In part, financial constraints led to dumping the water. “Vaus said that the water couldn’t be released back into the town’s lake, as it would’ve been too expensive to transport it there from the reservoir. Instead, it was released into a nearby canyon,” TIME reported.

Safety concerns stopped the city from recycling the water. “The city says it couldn't send the water through the pipelines into homes for irrigation because there's a chance someone may drink it,” 10News reported.

New equipment could prevent this problem in the future. “The city says it's still deciding on a plan to prevent this from happening again. It's looking into a standalone recycling system but that would cost more than $1 million,” the report said.

Poway was required to cut water use by 32 percent during the drought because its water use is high, according to the city.

California has cracked down on individual, business, and agricultural water users in recent months. Urban centers face particularly stiff cuts.

"While 135 communities face a stark 35 percent order, another 18 communities, including San Francisco, face reductions of just 10 percent, reflecting the progress they have made in cutting water consumption on their own. The remainder of the 400 California water agencies...would have to make cuts of 20 to 25 percent. Los Angeles would have to reduce its water use by 20 percent," Newsweek reported.

For more drought news, visit Water Online’s Water Scarcity Solutions Center.