Water pressure at some of Anaheim’s busiest venues plunged twice today, sending city officials scrambling to fill the void, which was accomplished in the evening, authorities said Tuesday.
The first sign of trouble was between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Tuesday when customers in the central part of the city started complaining about low water pressure, Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster told City News Service.
The city was able to isolate the problem to four of the 14 wells that provide groundwater that accounts for 75% of Anaheim’s supply, Lyster said. The city tapped into Colorado River water, about 25% of the normal supply, to fill the gap.
The problem returned at about 6:15 p.m., he said. It affected the Disneyland Resort, Anaheim Stadium, the Anaheim Convention Center, City Hall and businesses and residents in the area.
The experience at City Hall was 10% to 20% of normal pressure that gradually went up when remedial action was taken, Lyster said.
The city essentially turned off the four problem wells and turned up the spigot on Colorado River water, he said. All water is treated before it goes to customers.
It took about two hours for the water pressure to gradually return to normal, which happened in the 8 o’clock hour, Lyster said.
“The first time we took it seriously, now the second time we will keep the four wells off-line until we can do a deep dive to find out why,” he said.