LAKEPORT — The Lake County Board of Supervisors (BOS) Tuesday discussed yet another option to deal with nuisance algae in Clear Lake.
The BOS discussed a proposal submitted by Armour Petroleum Service and Equipment Corporation for algae harvesting as an extra item during its regular meeting at the Lake County Courthouse.
Staff received a proposal from the Fairfield-based company on Sept. 8, according to Water Resources Director Scott De Leon. The plan involves removing matted algae from the lake”s surface, pumping materials to a dewatering filter box and transporting the remaining product to a nearby recycling facility.
Armour requested a two-week trial at a maximum cost of $31,300 but some of the supervisors expressed concern about the cost and length of the trial now that the summer is ending.
“I think we”re being taken advantage of,” District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown said. “The emergency was in July, not in the end of September.”
The BOS asked De Leon to contact Armour and see if the company would be willing to conduct a one-week trial for a maximum cost of $15,000.
De Leon reported back to the BOS Tuesday afternoon, letting the supervisors know Armour had agreed to the modified terms. “They understand your concern and they want to work with us,” he said.
The BOS unanimously approved the agreement for the one-week trial at a cost not to exceed $15,000.
The Water Resources Department has sought companies to conduct algae harvesting trials all summer and the BOS approved several contracts earlier this summer.
De Leon pointed out Tuesday that staff continued to seek out companies late in the summer in part because one previously approved contractor failed to perform its trial by the agreed upon conditions.
The BOS approved a contract with Synagro WWT, Inc. on Aug. 2 but the contractor later informed staff it could not complete its trial for the agreed price nor mobilize in Lake County for several weeks later than originally anticipated, De Leon said.
In another lake-related item, the BOS approved a contract with county resident Jim Steele for professional services related to the quagga mussel prevention program.
Steele, a biologist who retired from the California Department of Fish and Game, would be able to supplement Water Resources efforts with the mussel program, according to De Leon. “He brings a skill set that we just don”t have,” De Leon said.
The BOS unanimously approved the agreement, which stipulates Steele will be paid $50 per hour for consultant work, for a maximum amount of $50,000.
The BOS held a mandatory protest hearing Tuesday morning for proposed increases of water charges and fees for County Service Area (CSA) No. 20, Soda Bay.
Special Districts proposes a rate increase for a two-year period, with first-year averages rising from $26.88 per month to $45.53 per month. The increases would consist of rises in base rate and tiered rates for usage as well as new charges for a capital improvement program and loan repayment.
The CSA has been in “financial distress for several years,” and the increases will help generate funds for ongoing operation and maintenance of the water system, provide monies for future required upgrades and allow CSA No. 20 to repay loans with the county, according to Special Districts Administrator Mark Dellinger.
Several CSA No. 20 customers said they opposed such significant increases, but the county only received four formal protests. Written protests from a majority of the 645 customers was required to prevent implementation of the proposed increases.
The BOS voted 4-1 to waive the reading of the entire ordinance establishing the increases, having it read in title only Tuesday. The BOS then voted 4-1 to advance the second reading to the Sept. 20 meeting. District 4 Supervisor Anthony Farrington dissented in both votes.
In one of its final items of the day, the BOS unanimously approved an administrative encroachment permit, authorizing the closure of parts of Clear Lake between Library Park and Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport for the Clear Lake Splash-In.
The BOS also waived the $215 permit fee. The 32nd annual Splash-In seaplane event will run from Sept. 23 to 25. For information on registration and other aspects of the event, visit www.clearlakesplashin.com.
