LAKE COUNTY >> Three water districts on the top of Lake County Special District”s list of priority systems for improvements were successful in an application for funding from the state”s Integrated Regional Water management (IRWM) Grant Program.
The funding, which will provide nearly $2.5 million for the county”s projects, will go toward replacing pipelines in Mt. Hannah and Spring Valley and building a pipeline between Clearlake Oaks” water system and Paradise Cove customers, as well as the future development of the Paradise Valley Ranch subdivision across the highway.
The money is a chunk of $221 million that was appropriated to the state”s Department of Water Resources (DWR), and at the pen of Gov. Jerry Brown, expedited for solicitation and award to projects that would help alleviate drought conditions and improve regional drought preparedness in March.
Special Districts Director Mark Dellinger said he was pleasantly surprised to receive funding for all three projects.
“It”s somewhat unique that we were able to get funding for all three of the projects we asked for,” Dellinger said.
The DWR received 39 grant applications requesting a total of $339 million and announced Oct. 30 that it would be conditionally awarding $221 million to 27 proposals, according to the DWR”s website.
Lake County”s three projects were bundled with two other projects for water management solutions in Yolo County and Woodland in an application submitted by the Westside Sacramento Regional Water Management Group. A total of $7 million was approved for the group, which leverages resources for Lake, Colusa, Yolo, Napa and Solano counties.
Dellinger attributes the application”s success to the support from people representing Lake County”s needs in the Westside Group, the county”s strong relationship with Yolo County and Special Districts Compliance Manager Jan Coppinger”s hard work.
He added that the projects for Mt. Hannah, Spring Valley and Paradise Valley”s water systems were chosen for their ability to fit within the grant program”s guidelines and the exacerbation of the systems” issues that has been driven by drought conditions.
While Mt. Hannah”s system, serving a mere 36 connections, does not require a local match, Spring Valley”s improvements will cost the district $796,000 and Paradise Valley”s connection will cost $419,000 and include contributions from the developer of Paradise Valley Ranch. All three districts were designated as disadvantaged communities (DAC).
Mt. Hannah has been fortunate to receive a few rounds of emergency grants over the last decade, including grants from the state and county to install a new storage tank after an earthquake tilted the already dilapidated tank in 2007 and drill a new well.
The single well serving the small community continues to suffer under the drought, though, and leaks in the system”s aging pipeline are only making matters worse with an estimated loss of 900,000 gallons a year. With the drought, the poor circumstances have limited residents to using 35 gallons per capita per day (GPCD), well below the minimum 55 GPCD suggested allowance by the California Department of Public Health.
The proposed project would replace the existing 900-foot water conveyance pipeline between the well and storage tank.
Similarly, Spring Valley will replace leaky water pipelines and install a distribution loop to improve drinking water quality for its 494 connections. Combined annual water losses are estimated at 10,000,000, or 30 percent of the system”s supply, and the district”s customers have been limited to less than 48 GPCD, according to the application. A total of 16,600 feet of pipeline will be installed, reducing the system”s losses by the equivalent of 17 GPCD.
“This should help moderate rates in the future for the customers, but just as importantly, it”s going to help protect us against future droughts,” Dellinger said.
Dellinger added that without the grant funds, the district may have had to wait another 5 to 10 years before the improvements could be made.
Finally, Paradise Valley”s connection to the Clearlake Oaks” system will allow for 8,900 feet of pipeline to be installed along Caltrans” right-of-way on Highway 20.
In addition to Clearlake Oaks” 1,700 active connections, the Paradise Cove subdivision of mini-mansions will add another 72 and the future development of Paradise Valley ranch will result in another 80 connections. Though Paradise Cove does not qualify as a DAC, Clearlake Oaks does and allowed for the project”s designation as a DAC, according to Dellinger.
When Paradise Cove was first developed in 1981 and a well was drilled, the development had more than enough water to support its anticipated residents, Dellinger said. Since then, supplies in the area have dwindled as the water source is believed to be a confined aquifer though.
The connection between the districts is looked upon favorably by both parties as well as the state, which generally encourages consolidation of districts, according to Dellinger and Clearlake Oaks County Water District General Manager Matt Bassett.
Bassett said at current levels of the district”s production, the system will have more than enough water for the additional 200 connections.
The “insignificant amount of extra water” for the system”s new partner down the road will allow for costs to be spread out over more ratepayers and keep costs down in the future, Bassett said. The system is currently struggling to replace its deteriorating infrastructure, though it has applied and tentatively received a number of grants from the state to make repairs and conduct a study of leaks that are responsible for losing 40 percent of the system”s treated water.
“It should really be a win for both districts; their rates should go down because we”re promising they won”t get any special rates applied and we cost almost half of what they”re paying to Special Districts, and we get to expand our rate base” Bassett said. “It should be absolutely great.”
Work on all three projects is scheduled to begin in 2015 and should be completed by 2016, Dellinger said.
While the Special Districts is grateful for the grant, it also has a long list of other water systems that could use improvements; crossing Mt. Hannah, Spring Valley and Paradise Valley”s projects off the list leaves the Soda Bay and North Lakeport water systems up next in terms of priority, Dellinger said. The Southeast and Northwest Regional, Kelseyville and Middletown systems also make the list.
Another cycle of the DWR”s funding program is expected to seek solicitation of applications for agencies dealing with drought-related issues in the near future, but Dellinger has yet to hear what its targets or priorities are. Lake County”s luck in receiving funding this time around may limit its ability for future awards but Dellinger remains hopeful.
