UPUD Office Closure and Other Actions in Response to Coronavirus

March 19, 2020

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MARCH 18, 2020: UPUD is taking proactive measures to protect and ensure the health and safety of its employees and customers and to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The District is committed to maintaining uninterrupted, safe and reliable water service for the communities we serve. UPUD staff will be working throughout this difficult time and adjusting our operations and administrative functions to comply with recommendations from public health officials.

The following actions that may impact customers are being implemented immediately:

• Union Public Utility District’s main office at 339 Main Street in Murphys will be closed to the public. We ask those who bring their payments to the UPUD office to drop them in the slot in the front door.
• Those who must pay with cash, come to the door, knock and we will let you in and observe the social distance recommendation to complete your payment. For those who want to consider using our auto-pay service you can also find instructions & forms at our website: upudwater.com. If you cannot access our website, please call our office for instructions.
• Our office staff are currently available by phone during regular business hours: 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM – Monday thru Friday and closed for lunch from 12:00 to 1:00 PM. These hours are subject to change as we work through this pandemic.
• UPUD operations staff will be working throughout our District as needed. We ask members of the public to limit in-person interactions with field staff and respect their efforts to maintain social distance.
• If you need assistance or have an emergency, please call the office at 209-728-3651, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All calls will be answered by staff or by the answering service which will route the call to the appropriate person.

UPUD staff is actively monitoring the evolving situation with a top priority of ensuring the safety of our employees and the public while maintaining delivery of the highest quality water with outstanding customer service. UPUD wants to reassure its customers that their domestic water remains safe to drink. The coronavirus has no impact on the quality or supply of UPUD’s domestic water. See the Centers for Disease Control’s statement regarding coronavirus and drinking water at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/water.html

These are challenging, unprecedented circumstances and UPUD will continue to adapt as needed. We encourage residents to visit https://covid19.calaverasgov.us/ and https://www.cdc.gov/coranavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html to find reliable information and updates.