Ready to Ride it Out?

South Coast Water District is making every preparation to protect the public water and sewer system from natural and manmade disasters. Our employees are trained in emergency response activities and are committed to restore services as quickly as possible. However, in times of emergency, it is possible that your water and sewer service could be temporarily disrupted. What would you do?

Be Prepared

Assemble a home Disaster Supply Kit to tide you over for at least three days. Of all the supplies, water may well be the single-most important item for survival.

Click here for a valuable checklist: Earthquake Preparedness -- Handy Household Tips on Drinking Water. This checklist summarizes the important information you need to know about drinking water — before and after natural disasters and other emergencies. That information is also provided in this section of the website.

Your Disaster Supply Kit should contain a three-day supply of water -- at least one gallon per person per day. A two-week supply is preferable. Additional supplies would be needed for pets.

• Tap Water can be stored in clean, heavy, opaque plastic bottles with screw-on caps. The containers should be labeled by date and replaced every six months to ensure freshness.
• Commercially Bottled Water can remain unopened in its original packing box. It should be restocked after the expiration or “use by” date.

Sign Up

You can also sign up to be contacted by SCWD in the event of an emergency by filling out our Emergency Contact Form. We will only use this information in the event of an emergency, such as an earthquake, flood, or landslide, and supply vital information on protecting yourself, your loved ones, and your home.

Hidden Sources of Water

If you run out of your stored water, there are some safe sources of water in the home that you may use without purifying:

• Hot Water Heater- Turn off the gas/electric supply, let the tank cool, and shut off the main water valve to the house. Let air into the tank by opening a hot water faucet or disconnecting the hot water line on top of the tank. Open the faucet at the bottom of the tank to drain water into a container.
• Ice Cubes and Canned Foods- Melted ice cubes from your freezer are safe to drink and many canned foods come packed in water, like vegetables and beans.
• Toilet Tank- Water from the toilet tank, not the bowl, can be a water source in an emergency unless chemicals have been added to the tank for cleaning or other purposes.

How to Purify Water

After a major disaster, it’s not advised to drink, bathe in, or wash anything with water directly from the tap, if you hear reports of broken water or sewer lines. However, if you run out of stored water or “hidden” sources of safe water in your home, you can purify water in several ways.
Strain water through a clean cloth, handkerchief, paper towel, or paper coffee filters to remove debris or sediment. Then do one of the following:

• Boil water rapidly for one minute - if you still have gas or electricity. This is the best option for emergency water purification. Alternately, you could boil water on a camping stove or the barbecue. Let it cool before drinking.
• Use water purification tablets, following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Add unscented liquid chlorine bleach to water, mix, and let stand for 30 minutes. (For one quart of water, 4 drops of bleach; for one gallon of water, 1/4 teaspoon of bleach; for five gallons of water, 1 teaspoon of bleach.) If there's a slight chlorine odor, the water is disinfected. If not, mix in more bleach, and let stand for 15 minutes.
• Add 12 drops of 2% tincture of iodine per gallon of water, mix, and let stand 30 minutes.

Your Disaster Supply Kit should contain water purification tablets, unscented liquid chlorine bleach and/or 2% tincture of iodine - as well as an eye dropper.

Personal Care

In a major disaster, the sewer system may become damaged or inoperable, so you must also equip your Disaster Supply Kit with items for sanitary use. This should include a five-gallon plastic bucket with lid and plastic bag liners, ties, household bleach, large trash can with plastic liners, toilet paper, towelettes, soap, and other personal hygiene items.

What We're Doing

A plan identifying the risks posed by natural and manmade disasters – and ways to minimize potential damage before it occurs – has been developed by a coalition of 20 Orange County water and sewer agencies.

South Coast Water District, along with 19 other agencies compiled the Orange County Regional Water and Wastewater Multi-Hazard Mitigation Plan. The team spent nearly a year performing risk analyses for disasters specific to the area and developing strategies and corresponding actions to reduce the possible effects. These disasters include earthquakes, fires, floods and manmade hazards.

The South Coast Water District Board of Directors – as well as the other participating city councils and water boards – have approved the plan.
The Plan will be implemented as part of the comprehensive Federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000. The Act requires that all governmental agencies have disaster preparedness plans to help ensure the safety of its citizens in the event of an emergency, and to qualify for future funding should a disaster occur.
A grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency helped underwrite the cost of compiling the Plan.

Hazard Mitigation Plan Participants Include:

• City of Buena Park
• El Toro Water District
• City of Garden Grove
• City of La Habra
• City of Laguna Beach
• Mesa Consolidated Water District
• Moulton Niguel Water District
• Municipal Water District of Orange County
• City of Newport Beach
• City of Orange
• Orange County Sanitation District
• Orange County Water District
• Santa Margarita Water District
• Serrano Water District
• South Coast Water District
• South Orange County Wastewater Authority
• Trabuco Canyon Water District
• City of Tustin
• City of Westminster
• Yorba Linda Water District