This past July, another in a series of electrical power outages
hit Morgan Hill during a heat wave that had lingered over the area
for several days. Most of us already knew the drill: the
possibility of no power through the night; search for candles;
locate flashlights and portable lamps; restock on batteries.
This past July, another in a series of electrical power outages hit Morgan Hill during a heat wave that had lingered over the area for several days. Most of us already knew the drill: the possibility of no power through the night; search for candles; locate flashlights and portable lamps; restock on batteries.
During this 14-hour outage, more than 7,000 Morgan Hill homes lost power. A spokesperson with Pacific Gas & Electric explained that a cable failed for an unknown reason while they deployed their forces to get power restored.
There is another vital public utility based right here in Morgan Hill; one that has developed a reputation of reliability when the unexpected happens. Its role in your family’s comfort and well-being, your business activities, your local recreational pursuits, and your health is just as vital as that of PG&E – and perhaps even more so. It is your city water and wastewater utility.
The city of Morgan Hill’s Utilities Division provides regulated public-use water and sewer service to every home, business, and public facility within city limits, as well as the water needed for our local fire department to fight fires.
But just how reliable is this city-owned utility?
Imagine the impact if this public utility’s services suddenly left thousands of homes without water or sewer service – your late afternoon shower is interrupted, you have one final flush left for your toilet, the washer stops rinsing in mid-cycle, you can’t draw cooking water from your kitchen tap, and your family of four is down to the last of its emergency supply of bottled water. Imagine 14 hours without water.
Service interruption is one indicator of level of reliability.
During the July power outage not one of the Utilities Division’s 11,014 residential customers or 1,200 commercial/businesses accounts experienced even one minute of down time.
How is such uninterrupted utility service possible during a major power outage?
Frankly, this hasn’t always been the case. Years ago, something like the July power outage incident would have shut down Morgan Hill’s water and sewer service to hundreds of residents. Standby crews would have scrambled to rent emergency generators. Electricians would have been hired to connect these generators to facility electrical panels, most likely at premium rates due to incidents in the evenings, weekend, or holidays. Today’s fully modernized water and sewer system can continue functioning for many hours during a widespread power outage due to a well-coordinated response plan, trained operations staff, and a supply of city-owned generators for a power-hungry operation.
Utilizing computer-assisted operations and monitoring systems, every critical function of the water and sewer system is checked 24/7. This interrelated group of elements forming a complex whole is comprised of eight water booster stations, 17 water wells, 14 sewer lift stations, and a combined total of more than 1.6 million feet of water lines and sewer mains. These elements are a part of it takes to meet the demand for reliable water and sewer service throughout Morgan Hill’s unique topography.
It is a well-oiled system built on wise investments in capital and technology and a skilled workforce.
Over the years, it has been developed into a system that is now able to keep pace as Morgan Hill faces the challenges of the future as a modern community.
“Utilities on Demand” is a series of columns by Utilities Manager Mario Iglesias that describes the “what-and-how” of the city’s water and sewer system. Submitted questions are encouraged, and will be addressed in future columns.
Contact glesias at (408) 776-7333, or ma************@***********ca.gov.
Mario Iglesias has worked in the utility industry for 27 years, the past six years as the Utility Systems Manager for the city of Morgan Hill. He has a degree in Water and Wastewater Management from Hartnell College and is a member of the American Water Works Association, the California Water Environmental Association, and the California Rural Water Association. Mario lives in Pacific Grove with his wife Carri. Their two sons, Mario and Nathan, currently serve as officers in the military, and are deployed in Afghanistan.
