SLVWD Board Meeting Summary
October 15, 2020
Mark Dolson
Unfinished Business
CZU Wildfire Damage Assessment Report
District Manager Rick Rogers provided yet another update on infrastructure recovery work being managed by Sandis. A clean-up crew was on site to pump out and clean the big Lyon Tank. Scaffolding was inserted inside the tank to enable pressure washing and sampling. Results are not yet available, but everything appeared to go well. In contrast, the Little Lyon tank will definitely require sand-blasting. A construction crew is replacing the 10” and 12” connecting lines (from the big Lyon and Little Lyon tanks down to the Big Steel tank) with 10” and 12” buried ductile iron pipelines.
The big Lyon tank is the current priority because it is the largest tank at the treatment facility, and it is imperative to get the treatment plant back online as soon as feasible. The pipeline has been tied into the treatment plant and is close to being tied into the intake. However, actual operation can’t resume until debris flow danger has diminished and turbidity assessments are acceptable.
Board questions (from Directors Fultz and Henry) and public comment (from Tina To) focused on details of the buried ductile iron pipe. Director Fultz sought assurance that the 3’ depth (which conforms to American Water Works Association (AWWA) standards) would be sufficient to avoid the excessive heating that occurred in Paradise. Rick Rogers reiterated that the issue in Paradise was the intrusion of steam, not external heating; he said that he had every reason to believe that 3’ would adequately protect the pipe. The pipes are connected by gaskets which do not melt in buried situations, and they are protected from rust by an interior lining and exterior plastic wrap. The pipe joints allow for five degrees of deflection in each direction, so they should also not have any issues with earthquakes.
Director Moran asked about details of hazardous material removal and disposal, and Operations Manager James Furtado provided a reassuring response.
CZU Wildfire Water Quality Update
District Manager Rick Rogers provided a further update on water quality status. A widespread precautionary Do Not Drink-Do Not Boil (DND-DNB) notice was originally issued as a standard response to the depressurization of the system that resulted from the melting of High Density Poly Ethylene (HDPE) lines during the fire. This notice has now been removed for most (all but 337) of the originally-affected customers, but it is still in effect for the Riverside Grove Neighborhood (where benzene was detected) and for homes west of the Highway 236/Paone Dr intersection (also known as the Lyon Pressure Zone). The process for eliminating this notice involves both repeated testing and the removal of the service laterals (the lines that connect the customer water meter to the SLVWD water mains) for burned structures.
The Riverside Grove contamination came back through the meters into the system from burned homes. Benzene and other VOC’s have not been detected in mainline sampling in the Riverside Grove neighborhood since 9/16/2020. Service laterals to all burned structures have now been removed, and one more round of sampling is being completed. This will presumably lead to the end of the DND-DNB order for Riverside Grove by late in the week of 10/19.
Removal of service laterals elsewhere is now nearing completion as well, and the target for removing the DND-DNB order for the Lyon Zone is 10/28. There might be one or two isolated homes that are still not back in potable water at that time.
SLVWD staff is also working with the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) on a Long-Term Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) Monitoring Plan to monitor for VOC’s in the distribution system for the foreseeable future. Long-term monitoring will continue through at least December, 2022.
President Swan asked how the District has been communicating with affected residents. Nate Gillespie said that bulletins have been posted on the website and on Facebook.
Director Moran asked whether service laterals were being removed from occupied homes or only destroyed homes. James Furtado said that this is only done for destroyed homes. Each resident gets a letter stating that they need to contact the District to put in their new service lateral and to establish their new meter location (many of the old meter locations were difficult for everyone to deal with). There is no monthly charge until the customer requests that the meter be reinstalled and turned on. Somewhere around 120 homes were destroyed.
Director Fultz asked how many subscribers will have been offline for an extended period of time. His primary concern was that these customers be treated considerately and fairly.
New Business
Bottled Water and Water Filling Station
Rick Rogers reviewed the District’s experience distributing bottled water and making water available at its filling station at its Operations Building in Boulder Creek. The bottled water was all donated and distributed by volunteers. This has become less convenient as donations and volunteers have become harder to find. In contrast, the filling station is continuing to work well, and the location is also being used to dispense other items. There have been some problems with people from out of the area seeking to exploit free resources, but there have also been a lot of positives as the filling station has evolved into a community gathering and resource distribution center. The only cost to the District has been $1000 for 5-gallon containers.
When potable water is restored to all connections (presumably by the end of October), the District plans to start closing down the distribution of bottled water at the Operations Building. Rick recommends leaving the filling station open through the end of the year (at which time this plan can be reassessed). Notification will be given to the public and to other water providers.
Director Fultz sought assurance that the District will continue to also support the needs of nearby affected communities such as the 500 subscribers in the Big Basin Water District who will continue to need water. Rick Rogers said that the District continues to reach out to these organizations but needs them to start responding.
Announcement
President Swan reported that he has sold his Ben Lomond property and will be residing out of state. He will be submitting a resignation in the near future with an effective date to be determined.
Departmental Reports
Director Farris asked about progress on various projects that have been pushed into the background by more urgent concerns:
The County has put the RFP for the intertie pipeline (for selling water to Scotts Valley) out for environmental review.
The Swim Tank will be discussed in November.
Fish and Wildlife is in the process of approving an amendment to the Fall Creek Fish Ladder. Expect construction in spring, 2021.
The Five Pipeline project had a 40-day interruption, but it has now resumed. California Avenue work will begin 10/19. The District is still in design on Quail Hollow, Sequoia, and Lyon. These plans should be ready to approve by the end of winter with construction starting in early summer.
·The District has so far spent roughly $1M so cash reserves have dropped to $2M. Once the FEMA allocation is received, the District will be able to get a bridge loan. The District will need to spend $3M no matter what, so cash flow is a concern.
Written Communications
Rick Rogers said that the petitions relating to the new water tank being installed in the Scenic Way neighborhood will be reviewed as an agenda item at the next Board meeting.