WATER, continued from page 3 EL DORADO IRRIGATION DISTRICT NOVEMBER – DECEMBER 2012 How do you plan for water use for the future? You’ve mentioned that there is a pretty stringent educational and licensing requirement of those employees who work as In order to keep pace with increasing water demands, EID water system operators. Can you tell me what is involved? prepares master planning documents that look to the future growth in demand and the needed supplies and infrastructure The Safe Drinking Water Act requires all employees who work to meet those demands. EID is nearly finished with the latest as water treatment or distribution operators be certified. In plan update, the Integrated Water Resources Master Plan, California, the Department of Public Health is the certify- which lays out the plan for the near-term and to buildout of the ing authority. Certification is issued in five levels. Level one is The Waterfront District service area. entry level and level five the most advanced, depending on the amount of education, specialized training and experience an When the season gets off to a slow start in terms of precipi- applicant has as well as the size and complexity of the water tation, are you concerned about drought? What does the system they work for. EID’s water system is rated at the high- District do to prepare for a drought should there be one? est level for complexity and population served and thus requires EID has a drought preparedness plan in place to respond to staff be certified at the highest levels. both near-term and long-term changing water supply condi- In 2008, the District partnered with the Los Rios Community tions. Drought indicators and associated trigger levels function College District to develop a certification program for water to declare a drought early enough to maximize saved water, but and wastewater operations and maintenance training to prepare not so early that an unnecessary drought declaration is issued. the next generation of EID certified staff. EID continues Monthly Cost of EID Water The plan looks at current storage in Jenkinson Lake, Echo Lake, to support this program with three staff members currently Lake Aloha, Silver Lake, and Caples Lake, and worst-case teaching in the program. expected supplies to assess current supply and water demands $45.00 through the year to determine drought stage conditions. (Based on a single family residential rate using an annual average of 3,057 cubic feet) Keep Holiday FOG Out of Your Drain Throughout the year—and especially during the holidays— • If you’re soaking a greasy pan, people pour the byproducts of cooking down the sink drain. first pour off grease into a MONTHLY COST OF MONTHLY COST OF MONTHLY COST OF MONTHLY COST OF Fats, cooking oils, and grease (FOG) can coat and clog pipes and container. Then place paper cause sewer lines to back up into homes. That could mean costly towels over the drain basket to clean-up and repair costs. FOG can also cause blockages further catch grease and food as you down sewer lines. And that can result in overflows or sewage pour the soaking water down backups into yards or streets, creating a public health risk. the drain. • Deep fat fryers for turkeys The oil making its way to wastewater treatment plants can dis- leave a large amount of oil. rupt treatment processes and add to the need for maintenance. Fats, cooking oils, and grease Solidify the grease by mixing it can coat and clog pipes To prevent these problems, we encourage you to dispose of your with an absorbent material such leftover FOG properly. Here are some general suggestions that as cat litter. Or, soak up excess oil many of your neighbors may already be following. $100.00 $30.00 $70.00 $78.00 with newspaper and then place it in the trash. • Don’t put fats, oil, grease, or greasy food down the garbage To learn more, visit our website and click on: Regulatory > Comparison prices above based on California averages. This graphic adapted from the Association of California Water Agencies. disposal or drain. Industrial Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention > FOG. • Mix cooking oils with an absorbent material such as coffee Helping Hands Program Conserve Water Now to Save Year-Round grounds, place in a lidded container, and dispose in a trash receptacle. Pat Johnson, EID paralegal, updated the Your 2013 residential sewer fees are derived from Board on the activities of the Helping the water you use during the November 2012 to 2012 REGULAR BOARD MEETINGS Hands Outreach Program during its February 2013 water-use evaluation period. January February March April May June July August September October November December meeting on October 9, 2012. Created by Here are just a few tips to get you started. 9 13 12 9 14 11 — 13 10 9 (T) 13 (T) 10 EID in 2010, the program is administered by the El Dorado Community Foundation. • Stop irrigating during the winter 23 27 26 23 29 (T) 25 23 27 — 22 — — • Cover your irrigation control valves to prevent Board meetings generally occur on the second and fourth Monday of each month. The dates marked (T) take place on a Tuesday. Helping Hands was established after the Pat Johnson cracks and leakage caused by the winter weather District recognized that some customers In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and California law, it is the policy of the El Dorado Irrigation District to • Install insulating wrap around pipes that can needed economic assistance in paying de- offer its public programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to everyone, including individuals with potentially freeze. Our coldest temperatures are disabilities. If you are a person with a disability and require information or materials in an appropriate alternative format; or if linquent utility bills during difficult times. Through voluntary deductions normally between December and March. you require any other accommodation, please contact the ADA Coordinator at the number or address below at least 72 hours from their paychecks, EID personnel have been the primary and gener- prior to the meeting or when you desire to receive services. Advance notification within this guideline will enable the District to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility. The District ADA Coordinator can be reached at: Phone: (530) 642-4045; e-mail: [email protected] ous funders of the program. To date, donations total $10,007 and 43 You can positively affect your sewer rates for the rest The Waterfront is written and designed by EID’s Communications and Community Relations Department. families have been financially assisted with their District utility charges. of the year by conserving water during this period. www.eid.org • El Dorado Irrigation District • 2890 Mosquito Road • Placerville, CA 95667 • 530-622-4513 | 916-965-0930 For more information, call EID’s billing department at 530-642-4100. 4 Message from the General Manager Q & A: Do You Know Where Your Water Comes From? Maintenance and Restoration— An Annual Necessity evaluates the scope and timing of existing and new projects and Each fall when the temperatures start to assigns projects to one of three priority levels. A “level 1” project Jim Abercrombie drop in the Sierras and the leaves begin is considered mandatory from a health and safety standpoint, or to turn to red and gold, the District shuts if it responds to a regulatory requirement. A “level 2” project is down the Project 184 water supply and delivery system to per- considered necessary because it maintains the reliability of the form critical planned maintenance and restoration. This annual District’s systems and facilities by replacing existing assets that work helps to ensure that the 22-mile-long conveyance system have exceeded their useful life. Failure to replace the asset would of flumes, canals, tunnels, pipelines, and spillways that supplies lead to eventual failure of our water or wastewater facilities EID Communications and Community Relations Director Mary Lynn Carlton (above center) spoke approximately one third of our customers’ consumptive water and cause interruptions in service. A “level 3” project increases with Drinking Water Manager Dana Strahan (right) and Water/Hydro Engineering Manager Cindy supply remains in sound operating order. Plus, by ensuring service levels or improves efficiencies, but does not affect health Megerdigian (left) about where EID's water supply originates and the complexities involved in treating that the system is in good shape, this stretch of liquid gold also and safety nor is it required by legal mandate. it and delivering it to customers. Photos: (left) Salmon Falls water tank; (center and right) inside the provides an additional average of $8–$10 million in hydroelec- tank where recoating work is underway and the new mixing pipe is seen in the background. This year we added a step to our CIP process—that of seeking tric revenue for the District by running the water through our public input before finalization of the plan. Once staff came up Some people may not realize the effort and cost it takes to Because our water supplies originate from three different locations 21-megawatt hydroelectric power plant before it completes its with recommendations for the next year’s CIP, the public was transport raw water to a treatment plant, treat it, and then and our transmission pipelines are intertied, water treated at journey and merges back into the South Fork American River invited to tour some of the proposed CIP projects. The new deliver it to a residence or business. Would you describe the Reservoir A and Reservoir 1 can be fed all the way to El Dorado in Pollock Pines.