Unplanned Electric Outage
An unplanned outage is normally caused by an unexpected event or circumstance. The majority of power outages fall within this outage type and causes include but are not limited to:
- Traffic accidents damaging utility equipment
- Overloaded power lines, transformers, or electrical equipment from heavy use of air conditioners during high temperatures
- Balloons, palm fronds, or tree branches damaging equipment
- Severe weather as heavy rains and high winds damaging equipment
- Earthquakes or Fires damaging equipment
- Failed electrical components
- Substation equipment failure
During an unplanned outage, crews will work hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. The time it takes to restore power varies and is dependent on the amount of damage and repairs needed.
Planned Electric Outage
Investing in our future and infrastructure is key to providing reliable electric services to our customers; therefore, maintenance and upgrade work is constantly being performed to modernize electrical equipment.
Often, temporary outages are required to keep our crews safe while the work is performed. We’ll notify you prior to a planned maintenance outage with the anticipated date and timeline of the outage including contact information for any questions or concerns.
Mandated Load Shed
Load shedding is the temporary shutdown of electricity services, generally caused by:
- Statewide power shortages or problems on the Regional Electric Grid
- Insufficient power generation capacity
- Transmission constraints
- Risks of entire electric system failure
Emergencies such as a California Independent System Operator (CAISO) Energy Emergency Alert 3 (EEA 3) or a Southern California Edison Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event may trigger mandatory load shedding in order to help stabilize the statewide power grid or required load shedding to balance insufficient power supply with the electricity demand.
Unplanned Water Outage
Unplanned water outages occur when we need to shut off water service to complete emergency repairs such as a water main break, major water pipe leak, or a hit hydrant. Issues including tree roots damaging pipe, third party damages hitting underground pipe accidentally and vehicle collisions into hydrants are some of the various reasons for unexpected service disruptions. Crews will work hard to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. The time it takes to restore service varies and is dependent on the repairs required.
Planned Water Outage
Investing in our future and infrastructure is key to providing reliable water services to our customers; therefore, maintenance and upgrade work is constantly being performed to keep the water flowing to our customers. While we try to avoid service interruptions, sometimes it may be necessary for operational reasons in order to get any repairs or improvements done. We’ll notify you prior to a planned maintenance outage with the anticipated date and timeline including contact information for any questions or concerns.
Estimated Restoration Time
Please note, estimated restoration time is based on our field crew's assessment of the extent of the problem and is subject to change as the conditions of the outage change.
If your power outage is not included in the outage map, please check your circuit breaker first. If that does not restore your services, please submit an online 311 service request here to report a power outage during normal business hours or call (951) 782-0330 for 24-hour water and/or power emergencies.
If you are experiencing a major or life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1.
For outage tips and other resources, please visit RiversidePublicUtilities.com/Outages.