SPRING VALLEY >> A project to replace part of the aging and leak-prone Spring Valley water system is underway and could save up to 10 million gallons of water a year, not an insignificant number considering that the state and county are in the fifth year of a drought.
The $1.2 million project is entirely funded by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources, according to Scott Harter, deputy administrator of Lake County Special Districts.
The agency operates the Spring Valley water system through County Service Area (CSA) #2. The water district (CSA) has 495 connections that serve 1,021 Spring Valley residents.
Work on the project started in October and is scheduled to be completed by early next year, Harter said.
The original water system was constructed for a much smaller community than currently exists, with “less than ideal” materials and design and during a time when the water system was not under the control of Special Districts.
“Maintenance continues to be a challenge,” according to information on the Special District’s webpage for CSA #2.
Pipe replacement is currently underway going north on New Long Valley Road to Indian Hill Road at River Road. It will then go down Apache Trail to Pawnee Trail and back to New Long Valley Road.
This has been one of the worst areas of Spring Valley’s water pipe system, with numerous leaks, service outages and boil water notices one the past few years, especially along Indian Hill Road.
The 10 million gallons saved each year will come from reduced leakage and less pipe flushing, which is needed when service is turned off or water in a pipe becomes stagnant, usually because the pipe ends in a dead-end. The new water system will eliminate the need for frequent flushing because pipes will be in a looped system, Harter said.
So why was this section of the water system’s pipes selected for replacement? Harter explains, “This area is historically prone to leaking. We get a lot of service calls to repair breaks in the pipes.”
Many of the leak repair calls come from Pomo Trail along with calls about water quality issues, such as stale water, Harter said. When that happens, work crews must open a fire hydrant and flush out the system, which uses a lot of water.
“This work will reduce the leaks and the stale water,” Harter said. “Indian Hill Road is also prone to lots of leaks and service calls.”
Last week, Special Districts issued a boil water notice to about 40 customers on Acacia Way, Blueberry Was and Pomo Trail before the water to them was shut off for pipe replacement, Harter said.
“All customers affected were notified 48 hours in advance with door hangers,” he said. “This was a precautionary measure because of the potential for (harmful) bacteria.”
Harter added that water to customers in the Pomo Trail area will be turned off next week.
“As we progress north, we will be required to shut down the system for a few hours,” Harter said. “After it goes back online, we will issue boil water notices.”
The water boiling is precautionary, Harter said, and added that there are currently no known contaminants in the Spring Valley water system.
The pipe being installed is plastic and none of the pipe it is replacing is cement pipe that contains asbestos that was installed in other Lake County water pipes in the 1970s, Harter said.
Work on the project is being done by California Trenches Corp. of Hayward.
Once the project is completed, customers connected to the new pipes should notice a difference.
“There should be less leaks, service interruptions and boil water notices in the areas where the work is done,” Harter said. “Some residents should see an increase in water quality, mainly along Acacia Way, Acacia Court and Pomo Trail.”
The Spring Valley water system has more than 66,000 feet of distribution pipeline, a 241,000-gallon storage tank, a 370,000-gallon clear well and a high-lift service pumping station.
The only source of water for Spring Valley, other than private wells, is Indian Valley Reservoir via Wolf Creek and the North Fork of Cache Creek, which empty into the Spring Valley Lake reservoir where the storage tank and pumping station are located.
