Photo shows the damage to a spray field main that has since been repaired. Photo courtesy of Rancho Murieta Community Services District

 

RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - The Rancho Murieta Community Services District Improvements Committee agreed Oct. 7 to bring a proposal to the full board for legal advice on using Lake Clementia as a drinking-water source while preserving swimming at the lake.

The agreement followed a sometimes-contentious discussion about how to move the project forward, its potential costs and the district's progress on water planning. The Improvements Committee also received updates on four emergency repairs and learned that the Murieta Equestrian Center culvert project was complete.

The Improvements Committee examines infrastructure and utility issues in depth and reports its findings and recommendations to the full board. It consists of Directors Bill Gere, the chair, and Randy Jenco, Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder, the acting director of operations and other district staff.

Clementia Permitting

Jenco, who requested the Lake Clementia agenda item, said the district needed advice from its water attorney to determine the legal steps before pursuing engineering work or deciding how the water would be used.

“We've been talking about this for a year, and nothing's happened on it yet,” he said. “The place to start is to figure out how to do it. And we need legal advice.”

Jenco described a possible path involving a permit change to allow drinking-water use, followed by state legislation to allow swimming and other body-contact recreation. He said that approach needed to be reviewed by the attorney and emphasized that he did not believe the community would accept losing the lake's recreational use.

Gere said he supported seeking legal advice but wanted a defined scope and a broader understanding of the project, including permitting, treatment, moving water and financing.

“I want to know the entire scope of what's going to be required and all of the hurdles that we're going to have to go through before we start sinking a lot of money into it,” he said.

Interim General Manager Amelia Wilder agreed to ask the attorney what work would be required and how many hours it would take. The proposal would then go to the board in open session Oct. 21 for possible authorization and a spending limit.

At the meeting's conclusion, Gere restated the question to be placed on the board agenda: “How do we revise our permits to allow drinking water, but not lose our ability to have body contact?” Wilder confirmed that was the direction she had recorded.

The committee did not approve a conversion project or authorize legal spending.

During opening public comment, Tom Shewchuk thanked the committee for including Lake Clementia on the agenda but urged it to discuss other major water issues every month, including a third water tank, wells, a water audit and whether to pursue an Integrated Water Master Plan or an Urban Water Management Plan.

“Those probably should be regular agenda topics for this meeting ... every month just because they are so important,” he said.

During the Lake Clementia discussion, Shewchuk said the former Water Vision Working Group, which the board dissolved in August, had already prepared questions for the attorney and submitted them to staff in March. He offered to resend them and urged the district to decide among different strategies for the lake, including emergency drought supply, water for future homes or golf course irrigation.

Shewchuk favored emergency backup supply, with swimming restricted during the period when the lake would be used for that purpose. Jenco said state water officials had told the district it could not simply switch body-contact recreation on and off. Shewchuk acknowledged he might have misremembered that discussion.

Developer Bob Keil pointed to an existing district lake management plan that anticipated Lake Clementia becoming a water-supply lake at full buildout, with recreational uses reduced. He questioned why the district had not moved forward.

Jeff Pearson, representing Rancho Murieta Properties, also urged action, saying the Water Vision group could have helped determine the process and costs. Gere responded that he wanted to know the entire process, its cost and who would pay.

The discussion also exposed disagreement over financing. Jenco said a previous board decision reserving new water for existing homes created an obstacle to using water augmentation funds for the project. Keil disputed the board's approach, citing district documents describing those fees as supporting water-supply expansion for undeveloped land. The committee did not resolve the funding question.

Rio Oso concerns

An update on a leaking check valve at the Rio Oso tank prompted a separate exchange over the urgency of planning the tank's rehabilitation and a third water tank.

Utility Supervisor Corey Carskaddon said replacement valve parts had been ordered and were expected to take about 12 to 13 weeks to arrive. The parts are estimated to cost about $11,000. Carskaddon said he believed district staff could install them.

Keil asked why the broader Rio Oso tank project was not on the agenda, citing what he described as a 23-month window before the tank would fail. Gere said the absence of Chief Plant Operator Travis Bohannon and the approaching arrival of a new general manager had affected the discussion, and the project would move toward the top of the list in the next month or two.

Keil urged an earlier public discussion of alternatives. He described a possible approach using pumps and valves to improve pressure without enlarging the Rio Oso tank. Carskaddon said that approach would not provide the stored water capacity needed for fire protection for new homes.

Gere disputed Keil's assertion that Rio Oso had not been discussed, noting earlier committee consideration of failing anodes. The committee made no decision on tank rehabilitation, replacement or a third tank.

Photo shows the repair to a water service line on De La Cruz Drive. The final step will be restoring the asphalt. Photo courtesy of Rancho Murieta Community Services District

Repairs, Culvert Completion

Carskaddon reported the wastewater treatment plant's backwash pump had been removed and was being handled by a repair company. He said he understood the repairs were done, but staff and engineers were still determining specifications for a protective coating. The initial repair estimate was about $12,000, with the coating expected to add to the cost.

A water service line leak at 15134 De La Cruz Drive had been repaired by contractor TNT on Sept. 29. The line was buried more than 14 feet deep, beyond the district crew's available excavation equipment. Carskaddon said staff handled other leaks and repairs while the contractor completed the work. An estimate for permanent asphalt restoration was still pending.

Although the agenda packet listed the wastewater spray-field main repair as pending, Carskaddon reported that a contractor had replaced 40 feet of pipe using materials the district had in stock. He said the line was believed to be working, with some backfilling still to be completed by staff. The repair cost was unavailable.

The equestrian center culvert project had been completed two days before the meeting, Carskaddon said. Rails and bolts were in place, and hydroseeding was finished. No final project cost was reported.

Wilder said she planned to bring the emergency repair items to the Oct. 21 board meeting for formal emergency declarations and closure of completed work. The equestrian center culvert emergency would also return to the board to be discontinued. The Rio Oso valve repair would remain open while the district awaited parts.