Yuma city officials on Wednesday morning announced an unexpected power outage at the Agua Viva water treatment facility.
Schools in the area including the Arizona Western College main Yuma campus and Gila Ridge High School announced closures for the day as city personnel work to restore normal operations as soon and as safely as possible.
City of Yuma officials said the cause and anticipated duration of the outage are currently unknown.
Residents and businesses are asked to reduce water usage at this time. Conserving water will help maintain water system pressure and support continued service to the community. People are asked to limit non-essential water use including irrigation, washing vehicles and other activities that can be postponed.
Yuma K-12 campuses closed today due to the outage are Dorothy Hall Elementary, Desert Mesa Elementary, Gila Ridge High School, Mary Otondo Elementary, Castle Dome Middle School, Sunrise Elementary, Ron Watson Middle School and Southwestern Christian.
AWC officials said the Yuma campus is closed today due to the water interruption affecting a chiller, which means there is no air conditioning for the time being.
Employees, are asked to check with their supervisor about working remotely today.
For faculty, in-person classes are moving online for today. Students will check in on Canvas and/or await instruction from faculty regarding today’s instruction.
AWC officials said they expect this to be a one-day interruption and will share updates as they become available.
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Stay tuned to KAWC for updates on this power outage as they become available.
KAWC education solutions reporter Sisko Stargazer contributed to this report.
