Downieville - Since the Downieville Public Utilities District (DPUD) is currently operating the town's water system from a single storage tank, water plant manager Paul Douville checks the system daily for abnormal "use and loss" measurements.

This past Saturday, January 14th, and Sunday, the 15th, Douville drove through town checking meters after observing sensors were reporting an alarmingly high amount of "use and loss" measurements.

Early on Monday afternoon, the 16th, having been unable to identify the cause for these measurements, around 2 p.m. Douville utilized the Everbridge emergency system to alert water users of the problem and to request everyone to reduce their water usage while the issue was under investigation.

Shortly thereafter, residents Sharon and Eric Copps reported a significant water leak on Johnson Way, a short road encircled by East River St. and northeast of Pearl St.

This tip or "leaked" information was a great relief to Douville. He quickly assembled a team including himself, Billy Epps (who brought his backhoe), Dan MacNamara, Nigel Pearmund, and Brandon Koppes.

Weathering the cold and other winter elements, these dedicated souls worked until ten o'clock Monday night before capping off the leak. Despite the hours it took to repair the situation, fortunately enough, the impact on the residents of Downieville was minimal. The emergency notification system Everbridge sent out a request to residents to stop water usage around 2 p.m. and notified the community around 5:30 p.m. when the source of the problem was identified. Sunnyside was the only street cut off from water, only lasting about an hour.