HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE >> After issuing a curtailment notice to the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District (CSD) in May, the State Water Resources Control Board recently sent a compliance order to the CSD requiring the district to prevent new service connections and secure a more reliable, long-term supply of water.
The order follows the board”s issuance of curtailment notices to post-1914 water right holders in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds in late-May, ordering those junior water right holders discontinue diversion of water unless the water is the only source available for human health and safety purposes. Hidden Valley Lake”s water district pulls exclusively from three wells, known as the Grange Wells, which are included in the Sacramento Watershed and fed by Putah Creek. The district serves an approximate population of 5,600 through 2,444 service connections.
Upon determination that without the use of the curtailed Sacramento River Watershed water right the Hidden Valley Lake district is unable to provide an adequate and reliable supply of water to its customers for human health and safety uses, the board issued the order. The order mandates the district to not make additional service connections to its system, including to property owners who have received “will serve” letters promising connections but for which a building permit was not issued prior to Oct. 17.
It also requires the district to provide a source capacity planning study by May 1 that would include the anticipated growth of the water system over then next 10 years, estimates for how much water would be needed to meet that demand and a map and description of the entire existing and proposed service area. Additionally, a plan for complying with conservation regulations and monthly monitoring reports that includes the amount of potable water the district produces and estimates for how much water is used per person per day is required by the order.
According to the district”s general manager, Roland Sanford, there are currently no “will serve” agreements that are pending. There were “quite a few” contractors that were on the verge of constructing but that had not received building permits or agreements for connections with the district, Sanford said.
The district had also already adopted an ordinance restricting outdoor irrigation to two days a week in late-August, according to Sanford.
While the district is still studying the order and evaluating its options, it plans to dispute the curtailment notice it was issued in May, Sanford said. With plans to meet in the coming weeks with the water board, the district believes it should not be subject to curtailment as its wells are still relatively full and it has not received any complaints from senior water right holders down south.
According to Sanford, the Grange Wells that the district pulls from are 5-feet lower than their historical average.
“We were caught in a big net when the state issued the curtailment notices, and from our perspective, we”re hopefully not meant to be part of that catch,” Sanford said. “The notices were issued fairly rapidly and I think even the state board would acknowledge that.”
In the meantime, the district is preparing to meet the requirements of the board”s order and planning a workshop with residents on Nov. 4 to discuss the implications of the order for the area.
If the district is unsuccessful in proving its case to the board, the district will have to look for alternative sources of water in preparation for an ongoing drought. A potential option is to use the water stored in Hidden Valley”s lake, but with increased water treatment, the option is likely to come at a high cost to the district, Sanford said.
Until the district is able to meet with the water board and receive feedback on the characteristics of the district and its needs, much is uncertain, Sanford said.
