All five Fern Valley Water District board members were present at the district’s last meeting. General Manager Victor Jimenez told the board the district would be receiving a credit on the siren pole for the siren emergency alert system at the Idyllwild Fire Station. The pole was donated by Sturgeon Electric. The company also installed the pole and siren at no charge. The district partnered with the Idyllwild Fire Protection District on the project.
Director Walter Bonneau brought up the possibility of the district going solar. He has been watching the electricity costs to see if there is justification. Jimenez contacted three solar companies and is sending the Edison data to them. They will then come out and see what is required. The district’s annual nitrate sampling impacted the electric bill as well as pumping because the total organic carbon (TOC) level is higher. The TOC level was higher after the Cranston Fire and the district is experiencing a higher TOC level after the recent rain and snow. A sample of the snow was collected. A high TOC level was found. Jimenez wrote in his general manager’s report, “The filter plant has been used minimally due to high TOC readings but will be used more heavily as the numbers decrease.” Jimenez contacted the state Water Resources Control Board to see if it has heard of any issues. It has not but is looking into it.
General manager’s report
Jimenez said the county’s Department of Environmental Health/HazMat came up a couple of months ago and no issues were reported.
In addition to the general manager’s written report, Director Robert Krieger and Jimenez previously spoke regarding reports that need to be completed for the state.
Jimenez completed the report regarding the water rights. The district has to report yearly what it takes from the creeks. He also completed the water emergency plan and sent it to the state. Jimenez is working on the state electronic annual report.
Maintenance and repairs were addressed. Bonneau mentioned the district was at 145% of its FY 2020/21 budget for maintenance and repairs. Jimenez told the board that what happened in August regarding the pipeline leaks negatively impacted the budget. Assistant General Manager Jessica Priefer added the well repairs also contributed to going over budget. The FY 2021/22 budget will allow more funding, according to Jimenez. Even though vehicle maintenance is all done in-house, the parts still cost money. The district had to work on its dump truck and one of the Ford F-250s. Next year’s budget will allow more funding for those repairs as well.
Well pump replacement
The board unanimously voted to ratify the emergency well pump replacement at well 14. The total cost of the well pump at well 14 was $10,045.60. Jimenez wrote, “All charges were identical to the previous job with the exception of the parts which were more expensive for this larger pump.” The cost came out of the reserves.
Elections
Three directors are up for election in August: Gary Erb (appointed to replace James Rees), Krieger and Jim Gates.
The board, in a 4-0-1 vote (Bonneau abstained), voted to authorize the county registrar of voters to conduct the election. Priefer said that in the last 15 years the district has only had the number of people run for the seats available. The cost to the district is under $1,000 for the county to process paperwork if it does not go to election. If an election is required, then the cost to the district is about $4,000.
Budget
The largest expenditure for this fiscal year was the pipeline at $465,000, excluding final asphalt work. An additional $35,000 was added to the cost of the project due to extra linear feet of the pipeline. However, some properties did not require service connections, so the district will be $10,000 over what was expected instead of $35,000.
The FY 2021/22 budget will be proposed at the May meeting after Jimenez meets with the budget committee.
Two ad hoc committees — personnel and planning — met during the month of April. An overview of the personnel ad hoc committee meeting accompanies this story.
Planning committee
An increase in the mapping budget is expected. Jimenez wants to “get the next several pipeline projects down on paper” so the district can plan those projects.
Jimenez wants to have a metal detector on each district truck to locate valve cans. Right now, the district has one locator and one detector. The district is in need of two additional detectors that will cost about $800 each.
An additional $5,000 for steel to do handrails at one of the tanks is included in next year’s proposed budget. Jimenez said the tanks need to have railing at the top for safety. No steel is in stock to do patch work.
Included in the proposed budget is $6,500 for a trenchless boring tool needed to replace a service or make a repair without trenching, removing the need for asphalt work. Jimenez stated that he has not had a problem in the past with the road caving while using this tool.
Allocated for production and treatment is $40,000, including a $25,000 carry-over and an additional $15,000.
Jimenez would like to purchase a chlorine shed. Currently, the district buys chlorine in 55-gallon drums, which is now costing the district more for freight than chlorine. According to Jimenez, chlorine is about one-third of the price in bulk and delivery is free. This way, only a once per year delivery will be necessary. A couple 250-gallon heavy-duty tanks and a plastic shed that can withstand the weather is required. In addition, the district needs to pour a concrete slab and run power and water to the shed. The water is needed for an emergency shower station. Jimenez estimates the cost at $7,500 and the majority of the cost will be the shed.