Last week, Riviera Utilities recently issued an alert urging customers to conserve water as South Baldwin County continues to grapple with soaring temperatures, a lack of rain and heavy irrigation demands. Although water levels have stabilized, thanks to the community’s collective efforts, residents and businesses are still encouraged to monitor their water usage, particularly during peak hours.
The alert, sent via RU ALERT last week, came after Riviera Utilities’ tanks reached alarmingly low levels, prompting immediate conservation measures.
“Small changes, like watering outside of peak hours or only running full loads of laundry or dishes, make a real difference,” the utility company stated, emphasizing the ongoing need for water conservation as the region faces persistent heat waves.
Riviera Utilities, which serves over 12,600 customers in South Baldwin County, operates seven wells that supply water to two treatment plants. These plants have a daily capacity of up to 6.5 million gallons, but recent challenges have raised concerns about the utility’s ability to meet future demand as Baldwin County continues to grow.
Community members voiced their worries on social media, particularly about the rapid pace of new subdivision approvals in the area. “The City keeps approving new subdivisions and not considering infrastructure,” one resident commented on Facebook.
Another echoed the sentiment, saying, “They have overbuilt the resource without investing in the infrastructure and they just keep building.”
Riviera Utilities acknowledged these concerns and reassured the public that infrastructure upgrades are in progress.
“We understand the widespread frustration. Rest assured, Riviera Utilities’ utility professionals and leadership have several projects in the works, including additional wells, plant expansions, and new tanks to ensure our infrastructure can withstand the growth of Baldwin County,” Riviera Utilities said in a statement. “As a not-for-profit public utility fueled by your neighbors, family members, and friends, we put everything we’ve got back into our system to ensure our homes and local businesses have the essential services they need to operate. Exponential growth will always have an impact, but we have planned for that. Mother Nature’s plans are a bit more difficult to predict, and our area has experienced extremely high heat with minimal precipitation over the past few weeks.
“We’re lucky to have almost 300 employees working to improve the quality of life for our customers by serving as an excellent public utility provider, employer, and corporate citizen. And we are thankful for the community and customers who support us along the way.”
For more information on Riviera Utilities’ infrastructure upgrades, residents are encouraged to visit the utility’s website.