Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 17, 2008
4. Water Quality
WATER QUALITY PLANT SOON TO BE ONLINE:
El Centro water plant online by 2009 - Imperial Valley Press
SEWAGE ISSUES:
Williams faces big sewer bill - Marysville Appeal Democrat
WATER QUALITY PLANT SOON TO BE ONLINE:
By Eric Galvan, staff writer
On Tuesday, the city had a ground-breaking ceremony symbolizing the next steps taken in constructing the new $28.4 million facility, which will sit next to the old plant.
“We plan on issuing notice to proceed Tuesday and they should start working that same day,” Steward said.
The current facility is more than 50 years old, having been built in 1955, and has become antiquated.
“Reliability was becoming an issue,” Steward said. “We had some breaks in pipes that, if they happened at the right time, could put the entire city out of water.”
At the current facility chunks of concrete have begun falling off walls, rebar is starting to break through the concrete and pipes are starting to rust.
“We’ve had some equipment failures,” Steward said. “And I’d say it’s been really bad the last 10 to 15 years.”
Also, with the city’s increased development and population the old facility is reaching near capacity. It’s peak capacity provides 16.5 million gallons of water each day. Current capacity is more than 20 million gallons per day.
The new facility when fully constructed will have a maximum capacity of 63 million gallons a day.
Steward said under the plans for the new facility a first phase will be constructed that will pump out 21 million gallons a day.
A second phase will duplicate the new plan and increase the capacity.
The new facility will be able to provide services for at least the next 70 years, Steward said.
Increased water standards has added to the burdened system.
“When this facility was originally built, it was built to treat water differently,” Steward said. “The standards then aren’t what they are today.”
With increased standards on particulate matter, lead, copper and arsenic, the new plant has to be more technology-driven to keep up.
Steward said when the new facility is online it will be running at the same time as the old one. It will take some time to transition and he said he can’t guarantee there won’t be minor problems initially.
Consumers won’t notice an overnight change but the quality of water will be higher, he said.
Most importantly, he said, the new facility will not mean any new increases in water rates that aren’t already part of the increase schedule.
He said when studies were done in 1993 the City Council at the time voted to increase water rates and a 30 percent increase was implemented.
However, that 30 percent was spread over the course of five years.
“All the rates are in place to support this project,” he said. “Everything to finance this facility has already been done.” #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/01/17/local_news/news01.txt
SEWAGE ISSUES:
Williams faces big sewer bill
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 1/17/08
By Robert Parsons, staff writer
Williams property owners may be faced with an $8,641 sewer connection assessment to help pay for a new $25 million wastewater treatment plant.
“If the federal government says we have to do this, then how can they not give us at least a little money to help us out?” asked Williams homeowner Antonio Tinoco.
Finding money to build the new plant in Williams was the topic of a crowded and tense public information meeting at City Hall on Tuesday.
Ballots for a special districtassessment to raise money for the plant were mailed to property owners on Dec. 19 and voting closes Jan. 30.
If the assessment is approved, city property owners with the potential to connect to the city’s sewer system would be charged at least an additional $470 on their annual property tax bill under a 40-year federal low-interest loan.
They could also opt to pay the entire estimated $8,641 cost at one time.
The meeting was supposed to help educate residents on the specific details of the new plant. But the presentation was cut short by residents more interested in the enormous costs than in how the facility would function.
Changes in 1999 to federal and state wastewater treatment requirements were designed to promote cleaner water standards. But many small towns have struggled to bring existing facilities up to those standards, resulting in severe fines.
Williams has been out of compliance with state permit requirements since December 2005, and the city has already been fined about $2.1 million, officials said.
State officials have agreed to essentially forgive the fines for now and allow the city to instead roll those funds into the cost of the project.
“I don’t want to have to vote for this, but I’m going to,” said Mayor Patricia Ash.
City officials said they have considered other options and share the community’s frustration.
Tinoco, a truck driver and city resident for seven years, said he would vote against the assessment.
City Manager Jim Manning said if the assessment fails, the city would be forced to find another way to finance the project. The price tag will stay the same and any other solution would spread the cost between fewer people and likely involve a much higher interest rate, he said.
There will be a special district public hearing at City Hall on Jan. 30 prior to ballot tabulation. #
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/city_59064___article.html/williams_property.html
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