As we approach the third anniversary of Tropical Storm Isaias on August 4, it is a good time to think about your drinking water. What would happen if you lost power for days at a time, especially if you are one of the more than 820,000 people, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, who rely on a private residential well?
For most of us, not having electricity is an inconvenience – albeit a big one – but most of us can survive without power. Not so with drinking water. Water is necessary as an elemental human need. Would you, your family or your pets have clean water to drink? Or to wash your hands with? Or bathe in? Having access to drinking water is essential for health and sanitation, no matter the weather. Preparing now can make the difference when severe weather knocks out the lights.
The criticality of water during power outages was driven home for me during the storms of 2011. The one-two punch of Tropical Storm Irene in late summer and the Halloween snowstorm in October each put hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents in the dark, some for more than a week.
While the vast majority of Connecticut Water customers had continuous water service, our team of local water professionals recognized that private well owners in the community were in desperate need of drinking water for themselves, their pets and their livestock. Our people mobilized and set up potable water stations to serve many of our communities. We supplied tens of thousands of gallons of clean water from tankers and fire hydrants for free – because that’s what neighbors do.
The gratitude of the people who stopped to fill jugs, coolers, buckets, and bottles with clean water and the relief on their faces made a lasting impression on me.
Because we never know when the next storm will arrive or prolonged power outages will occur, over the past decade, Connecticut Water has invested approximately $4 million to install and maintain our more than 164 generators at critical facilities. This and other equipment to “harden” our water systems during periods of severe weather and power outages have kept water flowing to all of our customers despite severe weather and power outages. Actually, our biggest concern, probably much like yours, has been the quick restoration of power because backup generators are just that, a backup, and not a long-term replacement for electric service.
We continue to work with our regulators and the power providers to prioritize water infrastructure for power restoration as “critical infrastructure” by definition. Public health, safety and basic human needs – in the form of drinking, cooking, bathing, sanitary purposes, and fire protection – are reliant on the provision of potable water to homes and communities.
If you are a private well owner, what can you do to prepare for prolonged power outages? According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, everyone should have a basic disaster supplies kit that includes at least one gallon of water per person per day for several days for drinking and sanitation. Prior to severe weather, consider filling a tub with water to use for toilet flushing or washing up. For drinking water, commercial bottled water that is sealed in its original container and stored in a cool, dark place is preferred. If bottled water is not an option, then you’ll find tips at ready.gov/water on how to sanitize storage containers and water to ensure the water is safe to drink.
Craig Patla is president of the Connecticut Water Co., headquartered in Clinton, Conn.
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Opinion: If CT power goes out in severe weather, will you have water? - Hartford Courant
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