Emergency Preparedness

Reservoir Storage Capacity: Moulton Niguel operates and maintains 28 potable water reservoirs at 22 sites in Orange County. Moulton Niguel has more than 52 million gallons of locally-stored water available for our service area. In addition to our locally-controlled water reservoirs, Moulton Niguel owns capacity rights to water stored at the R6 Reservoir operated by El Toro Water District and Upper Chiquita Reservoir operated by the Santa Margarita Water District. Combined, these two reservoirs provide our customers with access to an additional 103 million gallons of water.  

New Helicopter Hydrant in Aliso Viejo: Moulton Niguel installed 800 feet of new pipeline and added 2 fire hydrants, providing a primary and secondary connection to the Orange County Fire Authority’s Helicopter Hydrant.  The new Helicopter Hydrant is capable of filling its 7,500-gallon tank capacity in just 5 minutes.

Backup Generator Systems: In the event of a power outage or system failure, Moulton Niguel has backup generators on site at our Emergency Operations Center, our critical water facilities, and all of our wastewater facilities. In addition to the stationary generators at our critical water facilities, we have 6 trailer-mounted generators ready for mobile deployment.

Fire Hydrant Testing: Moulton Niguel services and maintains more than 7,000 fire hydrants in both residential and commercial zones of our service area to ensure our community is safe.

Emergency Preparedness Program: Moulton Niguel staff are certified by the federal government in the National Incident Command System and regularly train at local, state and federal levels in order to be prepared for any emergency situation. As part of our emergency preparedness program, we regularly meet to discuss, plan, train and drill for a potential emergency response in our community. 

Mutual Aid Agreements: Moulton Niguel maintains regional and national mutual aid agreements to receive and provide help and assistance during an emergency event. Mutual aid greatly improves our resiliency, as well as the resiliency of our surrounding communities.

$500 Million Infrastructure Investment: Over the next decade, Moulton Niguel will invest more than $500 million of ratepayer funds into building, maintaining and upgrading our local water, wastewater and recycled water infrastructure system.

Although we have taken these pro-active steps to prepare for an emergency, no municipal water system is designed for extraordinary water demands caused by extreme wildfires. During an emergency event, we must work together to provide help and protect our community. You can help by taking a few steps to enhance our community resilience.

• Vegetation Removal & Defensive Perimeter: Create a defensive perimeter around your home. Clear vegetation near your home, remove dead plants and dry brush, and maintain a fire-resistant perimeter.

• 2-Week Emergency Water Storage at Your Home: The Federal Emergency Management Agency now recommends that we all keep at least two weeks of water for every person and pet living in our homes. Your 2-week emergency water supply will help our community in the event of a widespread emergency, such as a major earthquake, when water service could be disrupted.

Together, we are building a stronger, safer community prepared to face any emergency.