KELSEYVILLE >> Lake County Special Districts and the State Water Resources Control Board will be holding an informal meeting at the Riviera West Clubhouse, located at 8475 Harbor View Dr.in Kelseyville, on Friday, May 25 at 4 p.m.
Interested members of the public from the areas along Sunrise Shore, Jago Bay, Konocti Bay, Buckingham and the Rivieras are invited to attend.
Guest speakers include Fire Chief Willie Sepeda, Lake County Special Districts Administrator Jan Coppinger, and representatives from the Rural Communities Assistance Corporation.
“We scheduled this for the Friday of Memorial Day weekend to allow weekend residents to be included in the discussions,” said Coppinger. “We’ll explore and discuss a variety of ways water systems can work together and be stronger by working together.”
“The cost to produce safe drinking water keeps rising, and joining forces among the many small systems will allow them to avoid duplicating lab costs and other state-mandated expenses,” Michelle Frederick explained. “Many of our water systems serve only a handful of people and are supported in whole or in part by volunteers. Recruiting both volunteer and paid help is a constant challenge.”
Mary Benson, volunteer manager of the water system in Jago Bay said, “We want to put into practice the lessons learned from the Valley and Tubbs Fires. When a fire hits our neighborhood, if it is as ferocious as recent fires, the pipes in the ground could melt. There typically is no insurance or FEMA coverage for pipes in the ground. Melted pipes can contaminate water or need to be completely replaced. The 23 households of our community will not be able to replace our network of pipes. Our community has a better chance of being able to recover from a disaster if we are part of a larger system.”
“As a larger partnership, if we have a regional plan, we are better able to recover from fire, earthquake, or drought impacts,” Coppinger said.
RCAC will present information on different alternatives to partner up and work together to access public funds and bring regional solutions so we can become stronger and more resilient.
For more information, call Mary Benson at 994-1005.
