With many stores in the Pahrump area out of bottled water, the Great Basin Water District offered some reassurance to local customers about their in-home water sources, even as GBWD closed its doors to the public on Monday “to protect the safety of our staff, visitors and the community.”
“GBWD is taking all reasonable and appropriate, science-based actions required to mitigate the impacts the COVID-19 outbreak on our employees and customers,” Vice President of External Affairs Michael H. Phillips said in a prepared statement on Monday.
Several weeks ago, according to Phillips, GBWD began planning and executing preparedness activities by instituting an Incident Command Task Force “that is charged with focused on protecting employee and public health and ensuring we continue to provide our customers and communities with safe, reliable water and wastewater services.”
First and foremost, said Phillips, “the treatment protocols we use in all our water and wastewater plants are designed to address any pathogens (including coronaviruses) that may be present in the source water.”
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the COVID 19 virus has not been detected in any drinking water system. “Conventional water treatment methods that use filtration and disinfection, such as those in most municipal drinking water systems, should remove or inactivate the virus that causes COVID-19,” according to the CDC website FAQs.
“GBWC is a well-based system. We use treatment equipment and chemicals to address any bacteria or viruses present in that source before the water is distributed throughout the system to customers,” said Phillips.
Phillips said GBWD, which is regulated by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, conducted a “remote pilot work exercise” on Friday, March 13, testing “administrative and IT systems needed to support implementation of a temporary remote work policy.” With the tests deemed successful, GBWD “determined the next best step to protect the safety of our staff, visitors and the community is to temporarily close our offices.”
The offices will be closed until at least March 30, 2020, “but we will still be operationally capable, including performing routine maintenance and ensuring our systems are fully functioning. Our customer contact centers are fully operational,” However, Phillips noted that longer than normal hold times could occur.
“In recognition that the services we provide – water delivery and wastewater collection and treatment – are essential to the health, safety and welfare of the communities we serve,” said Phillips, the company has implemented some measures of note, including:
■ Suspending disconnection and late fees until further notice. This went into effect March 10.
■ Chemicals and critical spare parts inventories are being assessed and preparations made to ensure enough supplies are kept on hand to maintain essential business operations.
■ Updating and completing Facility Emergency Action plans to ensure appropriate protective and disinfection actions are taken if COVID-19 infects one or more employees.
■ Regular, essential operational and field activities, which can be performed using recommended social distancing measures, will continue, however GBWD has suspended all non-essential business travel until further notice.
Additionally, said Phillips, “GBWD has reached out to the other two water companies in Pahrump and recommending field technician sharing assistance to one another should one of us become subject to a staffing shortage due to quarantine or otherwise.”
“As the situation continues to develop, we will closely monitor guidance provided by the CDC, the World Health Organization and our state and local public health agencies and make decisions accordingly.”