RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - Rancho Murieta Community Services District officials addressed recent drinking-water odor problems, gate security and several technology improvements during the Sept. 16 Board of Directors meeting.

The board also approved a four-year employment agreement with Marti Brown, who is expected to begin work as general manager Oct. 19 at an annual salary of $225,000.

See the separate story about the board’s response to a Grand Jury report released in June.

Chief Plant Operator Travis Bohannon took responsibility for the taste and odor problems residents experienced in August, saying the timing of aquatic harvesting contributed to the problem.

Bohannon said the harvester arrived during one of the hottest weeks of the summer. Removing aquatic growth can release geosmin, a naturally occurring compound that causes an earthy taste and odor.

Geosmin is not harmful, Bohannon said, but becomes more noticeable when the water is warm. The district uses powdered activated carbon at its conventional treatment plant to control the problem but ran out of carbon at approximately the same time.

Carbon from the district’s Canadian supplier can take about a month to arrive. Bohannon has since found a supplier in Texas that should be able to deliver it more quickly.

“This one was a little self-inflicted,” Bohannon said. “I take responsibility for this one, and I do apologize to the district for how this one happened.”

The district has a two-year contract with the harvesting company. Bohannon said he will try to schedule future harvesting when the water is colder and odor problems are less severe.

New membranes ordered for the water-treatment plant were expected to arrive the following Monday, reducing the staff time now spent making almost daily repairs.

The district’s excess recycled-water supply declined from approximately 56 million gallons at the beginning of the irrigation season to slightly more than 21 million gallons as of the meeting. Recycled water will continue to be delivered to the golf courses until the supply is depleted or rain begins.

Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder announced that the recurring Lago Gate malfunction had been repaired by replacing the failed wired connection with a wireless system. 

“Hallelujah,” Wilder said. “Everybody on the north, it has been fixed.”

Security Supervisor Branden Arino said gate failures can require traffic lanes to be closed, potentially delaying emergency vehicles. He plans to discuss with the Rancho Murieta Association whether malfunctioning gates should remain open rather than blocking lanes needed by fire engines and ambulances.

Arino also cautioned drivers against following too closely behind residents entering through automatic gates. He said a driver recently struck the inner resident gate at South Gate, leaving it “hanging on by a thread.”

Cellular-enabled iPads have been placed at both gates so officers can continue processing visitors during internet outages.

The board approved an upgrade to the ABDI gate-entry system that will provide license-plate recognition, driver’s-license scanning, offline visitor processing and a resident web and mobile portal.

The five-year agreement costs $2,414.50 per month, or approximately $144,870 over 60 months, plus sales tax. The $18,590 installation charge was waived.

Arino also is discussing more visible directional signs with the RMA Compliance Committee because existing signs can blend into the landscaping.

Two August incidents of note included a dog bite and gate officers assisting a disoriented resident who arrived at South Gate in a golf cart after traveling along the highway. Using the “Bring Me Home Safe” program, officers escorted him home.

During public comment, Jeff Pearson and Bob Keil separately challenged statements Director Bill Gere made on Nextdoor about water costs, development and water-augmentation fees. Gere is running for re-election.

Pearson, speaking for Rancho North development, read from a post in which Gere said a developer had “repeatedly stated” it would not pay for water exploration. Gere also wrote that the entire $2 million to $3 million cost advocated by Pearson and several CSD candidates would have to be paid by residents.

Pearson said the post did not identify the developer, explain what it had refused to pay for or establish the basis for the estimate. He also objected to Gere’s reference to “your slate,” saying he does not have a slate.

Pearson said residents could not tell whether Gere was speaking as a private citizen, as a sitting director, as a candidate for reelection or as all three. “This lack of transparency in public statements creates a trust and confidence issue for the public,” Pearson said.

Keil disputed Gere’s statements about water-augmentation fees. He said Gere had suggested the fees could be spent on other purposes and that they amounted to “freebies to the developer.”

Keil said those statements were inaccurate and asked District Counsel Patrick Enright to give another public presentation explaining how the fees are collected, what they may legally be used for and how long the district may retain the money.

“We’re at a crisis point right now where we need to spend that money, and the board is reluctant to spend it,” Keil said.

Keil also asked the district to revisit Lake Clementia as a potential water source by temporarily ending body-contact recreation, applying to convert the lake to potable-water use and conducting the required testing.

Director Tim Maybee said recreational use is an RMA matter and that testing would be costly. Bohannon added that the district’s state regulator had advised against testing unless the district was prepared to proceed because the results would remain valid for only a limited time.

Board President John Merchant said it was a broader issue that the Improvements Committee could discuss.

“So, nothing is being done,” Keil asked.

“It’s a bigger topic,” Merchant responded.

Wilder said the district has ordered a new boardroom audiovisual system that will integrate microphones, recordings and transcription while helping meet accessibility requirements.

Cybersecurity improvements have been installed and are being tested. The district also is pursuing an AT&T wireless backup system to keep its phones and gates operating during internet outages.

The district is working with Sacramento County on a wildfire and flood evacuation plan. Wilder said upcoming union negotiations are expected to include a proposal allowing gate officers to help direct traffic onto and off Highway 16 during emergencies.

The Lake Clementia spillway culvert repair is nearly complete, with additional rock and concrete work remaining before the rainy season.