Amador County – The Amador Water Agency has requested public water system customers in the Upcountry of Amador County to voluntarily conserve water until further notice, due to heavy rains having filled up storage pond used by the Buckhorn Water Treatment Plant in Pine Grove.

Agency General Manager Gene Mancebo said in an e-mail to TSPN Thursday that customers along the Highway 88 corridor from Mace Meadow Golf Course down to Pine Grove are being asked to conserve water until further notice.

Mancebo said “recent heavy rains have filled water treatment plant backwash ponds at Mace Meadow to emergency levels, as determined by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.” To prevent the ponds from spilling over into nearby creeks, the agency “is asking for voluntary water conservation by all public water customers of Mace Meadow Mutual Water Company, Rabb Park Community Services District, Pine Grove Community Services District and AWA’s Central Amador Water Project Retail System.”

Mancebo says he doesn’t know how long the voluntary conservation notice will be in effect. He said: “It all depends on the weather,” and “if we get an extended spell of dry weather, there may be an opportunity to get the pond levels down.”

He said “if it continues to rain like it has the past couple of weeks, we’ll have to keep pressing for conservation. We will let customers know as soon as the situation improves.”

The agency gave some simple steps that could help reduce water consumption. If people suspect a water leak, call the AWA at 223-3018. Also, do not use the dishwasher or washing machine until you have a full load.

Another conservation tip is to limit showers to five minutes and turn off water while brushing teeth. People can also shut off all outdoor landscape watering, if they haven’t already done so. People can also protect their outdoor plumbing from freezing to avoid pipe breaks.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.