Better meters on IWD wells solve missing water mystery

At the March meeting of the Idyllwild Water District (IWD) Board, the directors heard good news from General Manager Bill Rojas: an exceptionally low water loss figure of 3%. Rojas explained that, several months ago, the search for leaks led his crew to sources they had assumed were natural springs, but were turned out to be IWD pipes. The main contribution to the lower figures, however, was the replacement of older, inaccurate meters on the wells. One meter was over-reporting the water pumped by 200,000 gallons per month. A broken check valve was also allowing water in the Rockdale tank to go down well 28. Rojas was hopefully confident that the lower loss figures were a trend that will continue.

The Directors commended Rojas for his efforts, Stephen Olson thanking him for the continued “cleanup” of IWD’s longstanding issues. President Charles Schelly later praised Rojas for another initiative: there is now a large poster in the GMs office that lays out all of IWD’s state-mandated testing deadlines for the next ten years. Schelly said that two years ago, the previous management had a one-month plan, and seemed to be performing these tests at the last minute.

Rojas also reported that Staff are trying out new equipment on loan from a vendor, Halogen Systems, for a 30-day pilot study. While referred to as “chlorine analyzers” the devices are actually “multi-parameter” units that measure chlorine, pH, conductivity caused by dissolved minerals and other factors. The old units use a chemical reagant that must be refilled regularly, and must be maintained every two weeks. The new units need only be maintained twice a year, provide continuous readings, and are compatible with the IWD’s Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

Among repair projects in the last month, Rojas highlighted a leak in the waste water system on upper Pine Crest that requiring digging up the sewer pipes and purging them. This was back in service the same day. A more difficult leak in the water distribution system, on Strawberry Valley near Saunders Meadow, is still awaiting a complete solution. The leak is linked to an old repair, and the section of pipe cannot be shut off due to a broken gate valve. A full repair will require shutting down a larger section of the system, including service to Idyllwild School. As a result, the work has bee postponed until spring break.

The contract for the Strawberry Creek Diversion project, with ELCO—the firm that does pipeline work for IWD and FVWD—has been signed and the contractor has given a tentative start date of June.

Rojas also noted that the Wastewater Treatment Plant project is still on hold as the district seeks grant funding. The office staff is compiling a new survey using census data in hopes that segregating sewer customers from the broader Idyllwild/Pine Cove community will yield a population eligible for grants based on community income levels.

Rojas has been meeting regularly with representatives of iamGIS, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) vendor. Interim GM Curt Sauer initially suggested implementing GIS last year improve the efficiency of leak detection and district mapping. Instead of using paper maps in the field, staff would be able to reference iPads or laptops to locate lines accurately, update the system with repairs as they are made. “Most places off the Hill already have this technology,” Rojas noted.

The board approved $52,750 to replace the inverter for one of the solar panel arrays at the Foster Lake facility. Rojas explained that one of three arrays was essentially “dead,” and a second failing. Electrical bills have been rising as the production falls. The present system is about 14 years old, and the power it normally produces is worth about $15,000 annually. Asked why this was not budgeted, Rojas answered that the system was working when the budget was written. Schelly then asked Rojas and CFO Hosny Shouman to negotiate a better warranty period with the inverter supplier.

The District has agreed to purchase a property on Upper Pine Crest. A well will be drilled there, and the house will serve as lodging for staff when needed. Shouman has also described the purchase as an investment.

In another decision, board voted to increase the GM’s emergency spending limit—from $15,000 to $75,000—allowing urgent projects to proceed without prior board approval. Board President Charles Schelly pointed to an episode during the tenure of Curt Sauer last year, when a leak on Highway 243 required immediate repair, but was beyond IWD’s capabilities. At that time, staffing was also short, with one new hire getting his boots wet for the first time that day. Sauer hired ELCO to do the work for $25,000, although this was above his authorized emergency spending limit. The Board accepted the breach as necessary at that time. Schelly said that getting the board’s approval would have required giving public notice and holding a special meeting. (The Brown Act also allows emergency Board meetings without the usual public notice, although the press must be notified.)

Board member Steve Olson questioned whether the increase would grant the GM “carte blanche” for emergency spending, and asked if President Schelly was OK with that. Schelly answered that he was. Schelly clarified that projects like the Foster Lake inverters would not be considered emergency expenditures.

The remainder of the meeting was dedicated to reviewing Meeting and Board Decorum policies. Olson found many typos in the updated version prepared by legal council, and expressed the hope that the District would not be billed for the time needed to correct them. Schelly pointed out that passages requiring members of the public fill out speaker cards before addressing the Board are in violation of the Brown Act, which he said protects the public’s right to speak anonymously if they wish. These provisions will be removed.

Schelly announced the creation of a new private bank account to allow directors to donate part or all of their stipends—recently raised to $75—to be used as the board sees fit. Possible uses would include employee appreciation awards or local nonprofit organizations. He suggested that staff could be sponsored in the Idyllwild 5k-10k race. Schelly said that he will contribute the first $75 he earns each month. Directors are compensated for the first meeting they attend on any given day, and for other district-related events. The board president must also meet with the GM to set meeting agendas.

CFO Shouman raised the idea of building two public electric vehicle charging stations on IWD property that would generate revenue for the district. Schelly expressed the hope that IWD would not have to change its name to “Idyllwild Water and Power.”

The next regular session is scheduled for April 16.