Will there be Water After an Earthquake?

Because operating pressures must be maintained throughout the system, water contractors have limited ability to curtail water uses without compromising availability of water for critical applications such as fire suppression and hospital use. Petaluma's Response: Finding (F8) is disputed because the City has the power to impose its water shortage contingency plan during a water supply curtailment such as might occur during the after-math of an earthquake. Under the Plan, the City would likely declare a third level emergency in which all unnecessary water use (i.e. outdoor use, washing, etc.) would be prohibited and if a customer did not comply, their water service would ultimately be shut off. It should be pointed out that by shutting offa customer's domestic water supply, they would still have access to fire flows from nearby fire hydrants, and if they do have an in-building fire sprinkler system, it may be fed by a separate fire service line that would not be affected if the domestic water service were to be shut offfor non-compliance with the drought restrictions.