By Emma Melvin
On September 17, 2025, the city of Benicia issued an urgent water conservation plan. The city manager, Mario Giulani says it’s due to “The age of the pipe and the pipe damage of the main line.” And because of a “wet winter,” the main water pipe became oversaturated which caused a landslide.
The plan required a 40% water reduction, cutting down to essential water consumption only. Some recommendations Benicia had for how to achieve this were to take showers no longer than 5 minutes, only run your dishwasher and washing machine if the load is full, and stop all non-essential outdoor water use, such as filling your pool and car washing.
According to a group on Facebook, a number of Benicia residents report varying rates of water bills, with some stating their monthly bill is as little as $160, and others reporting as high as $500-$600. Considering Benicia has had 2 urgent water conservation plans within the last 2 years is concerning, especially considering the high cost of the water bill.
In March of 2023, a similar problem occurred, which led to a prior water conservation plan. These problems are arising from a damage in our main water supply system.
Mrs. Gladi, an employee at BHS and a Benicia resident says, “It seems like one of the employees broke the water pipe. From what I read someone was working on repairing the supply and it bursted open.”
Since the city of Benicia has its own water system, we will have to rely on Lake Herman for supply in the meantime. The water may smell earthy, but the water is completely safe to drink.
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