Las Flores, CA (December 8, 2008) – In light of the recent fire events in Yorba Linda, Los Angeles and the Santa Barbara area, Santa Margarita Water District (SMWD) has prepared the following information detailing how it is prepared to serve its customers during times of crisis.

	Fire-fighting helicopters dip at SMWD’s Oso Reservoir in fall 2007

Emergency Supply Infrastructure Critical to Reliability and Safety
SMWD has no local groundwater supplies so it is nearly wholly reliant on imported water from Northern California and the Colorado River. This makes local emergency water supply storage essential in the event regional distribution systems are disrupted or strained. Realizing this need, SMWD has worked to provide its customers access to more than 240 million gallons of emergency supplies through interagency pipeline connections and 31 local storage reservoirs. These sources can serve District customers with up to 7 days of emergency supplies with reduced demands.

Moreover, this emergency supply system will be greatly enhanced with construction of the recently approved Upper Chiquita Reservoir – a 266 million gallon regional emergency storage facility.

The Upper Chiquita Reservoir is located so water can flow from it by gravity, without the need for any electricity. This means that in the event of electrical failure, clean drinking water can still flow to residents’ taps and fire hydrants. The reservoir is also located in one of the most seismically stable locations in the area, making it an ideal emergency storage facility in earthquake-prone Southern California.

SMWD’s open-air reservoirs also serve as critical fire-fighting assets. In the fall 2007 fire storms, the District’s Oso Reservoir in Rancho Santa Margarita was a key dipping station for fire authorities. The image to the right shows the dramatic scene as helicopters scooped more than 640,000 gallons of water from the reservoir to fight local fires.

Sound and Reliable Operations
SMWD’s water distribution system is constructed with redundancy, so if one source of water is out, water can be routed another way. The highly-trained SMWD staff can also deploy quickly to assist in firefighting and emergency situations. The District owns several portable water pumps that are vital to firefighting efforts when intense strain on the water system is unavoidable – in fact, one of these pumps saw extensive use at the recent Yorba Linda fires, providing extra pumping capacity to move more water to the higher elevations were fires threatened homes. These pumps can be connected to sources of water like fire hydrants to help increase water flow and pressure to deliver water where it is needed. SMWD has emergency generators in place at its critical pump stations and can also utilize its large portable electrical generators to power water pumps or other District facilities in times of emergency.

Be Proactive
SMWD customers are reminded to prepare for emergencies at home. Preparedness tips can be found on the District’s Web site (www.smwd.com/emergency.htm). All local residents are also encouraged to sign up for AltertOC – a County-led effort to notify residents through phone, email and/or text messaging during emergencies. Sign-up information is available at www.AlertOC.com.

About Santa Margarita Water District
SMWD is Orange County’s second-largest water district, serving more than 155,000 residents and businesses in Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Coto de Caza, Las Flores and inland southern Orange County, including the communities of Ladera Ranch and Talega.

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