Water Alert Quickly Rescinded After Brief Emergency at Rio Oso Tank

Jul 07, 2025 10:19AM ● By Gail Bullen River Valley Times Reporter

An alert sent to customers about a water pressure issue at the Rio Oso Water Tank was quickly rescinded by the Rancho Murieta Community Services District on July 2. File photo by Gail Bullen

RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Community Services District (CSD) quickly rescinded a water-use alert issued to customers around 7:50 p.m. on July 2 due to the Rio Oso Water Tank pumps losing power.

According to social media reports, the district initially asked residents to stop using water via a CodeRED emergency alert, citing problems maintaining water pressure. However, by 8:30 p.m., the district issued a second alert stating the issue had been resolved and normal water use could resume.

In an email response to the River Valley Times, Director of Operations Eric Houston explained the cause:
“We had an emergency water pressure issue caused by SMUD performing an electrical repair in the area, which rendered our pumps at Rio Oso unusable,” Houston wrote. “We sent out the emergency request to conserve water in order to maintain pressure and protect both residents and the system. We were able to restart the pumps and coordinate with SMUD to prevent this from happening again.”

Houston noted that the issue was resolved so quickly that only about 35% of CSD customers received the initial CodeRED alert before the “all clear” notice was sent.

The CSD uses the CodeRED alert system to issue targeted voice notifications to residents in Rancho Murieta. Residents can sign up at the district’s website. For regional emergencies, including wildfires and evacuations, residents of Rancho Murieta and Sloughhouse are encouraged to register at sacramento-alert.org for Reverse 911 alerts.

The Rio Oso Tank holds 1.2 million gallons and serves approximately 800 homes north of Guadalupe Drive. It relies on electric pumps to maintain pressure and refill the tank. When pumps are offline, pressure depends on stored water and an air cushion, which can quickly diminish during use.

In contrast, the 3-million-gallon Van Vleck Tank is elevated and provides constant water pressure through gravity, independent of pumps.