FILE — A male House Finch perches on a water supply at the Benicia-Martinez Bridge Vista Point in Benicia, Calif., on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. (Ray Saint Germain/Bay City News)

The city of Benicia’s drinking water line has experienced significant damage and all residents are required to reduce their water use “immediately,” the city said Wednesday evening.  

In response to the situation, the city has declared a Stage 4 “Critical Water Shortage” alert, requiring a 40% reduction in water use citywide. 

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Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.