OUC is asking Orange County residents to conserve water for at least a few more weeks. 

Hospitalizations in Orange County have decreased, but there’s still a high demand for liquid oxygen nationwide as COVID hospitalizations rise in other parts of the country.

Tim Trudell of OUC says this nationwide shortage coupled with dry weather this week means residents should keep conserving water. 

He says the oxygen that’s used to purify water is much better used as supplemental oxygen in hospitals right now.

“The concern this week is that the forecast doesn’t call for any precipitation so we are still asking people to limit their water use. Just for the time being. To continue to allow us to build up our systems again. But the water emergency is not over yet.”

Trudell says that means people might want to rethink how often they water their lawn or fill up their pool for the next few days. 

“What’s happened with the pandemic has certainly impacted us locally. We made our announcement August 20th. And hospitalizations have decreased since then. But the demand for liquid oxygen is still pretty strong.”

Trudell says every small action has helped reduce water intake over the past few months.