Koblerville resident David Lizama says he hopes a little creativity will get the attention of lawmakers and officials from the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. <\/p>\n
Lizama put up a cardboard sign in his front yard yesterday reading \u201cPls. CUC give us water!\u201d after, he said, living without water from Saturday until early yesterday morning. <\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of feel frustrated with CUC,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
He plans on keeping the sign out for a month or two, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo lawmakers can see what we\u2019re going through,\u201d he added. \u201cThey need to come out to the public to understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Power has been sporadic, but even when there is power, water is not a guarantee, he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf the power is on\u2026at least give us a couple hours of power,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
Bruce Megarr, CUC Water and Sewer Division deputy director, said the constant power outages wreak havoc on the water pumps and pipes. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the power goes out, it causes damages to the pump,\u201d he said. \u201cWe did experience that. We believe all of them are back up, but I\u2019m not 100 percent sure. We will by end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the southern part of the island, most of the water wells are tied to one electrical grid, so when it goes down 50 percent of the supply is lost, Megarr said. The water division is working closely with the power side to minimize the outages as much as possible, he added. Also, the division is working to replace transformers and balancing the pumps. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re taking aggressive measures,\u201d Megarr added. <\/p>\n
Lizama recently bought 5,000 gallons of water to deal with the situation, and he regularly spends $50 to $100 each month on additional water, he said. <\/p>\n
Lizama and his wife, Rosie, have also started collecting rainwater. <\/p>\n
\u201cAny kind of water supply Mother Nature can give us\u201d we collect, he added. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s difficult living with the three to five hour power outages several times a day because it\u2019s uncomfortable and food gets ruined, but it\u2019s bearable, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s hurting us is the water,\u201d he added. <\/p>\n
He has told his tenants in his apartment building they shouldn\u2019t use the water to wash clothes, only to flush the toilet, wash dishes and take showers, he said. <\/p>\n
Lizama said he thinks the fire department should provide water to the neighborhoods when the power is out. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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