Manager’s Notes, March 2017

MARCH 2017    MANAGER NOTES

This wet weather season has really kept us moving!   Heavy rains can create a lot of stress to manage the water and keep it flowing to the right places within the wastewater treatment system.   This is true at our homes and in the community too.   The San Andreas Creek was flowing extra high and fast this past few months, as many of our neighbors can attest to first hand.   High creek levels can be exasperated by debris and trash that accumulates in the creek beds.

Part of being a community is looking out for one another when we can. While the Sanitary District can’t be responsible for private sewer laterals, our crew are available to talk about ways a homeowner can reduce the potential for private sewer backups.   We also participate in the community for general cleanup of the roadways and are networking with community groups to join the effort to clean and beautify the watershed. My wife Sheri and I recently participated in an ‘adopt a highway’ cleanup with our church group; there were fifteen volunteers working together on a Saturday morning to make the streets cleaner. By so doing, the watershed was also protected, by prevention of the road trash from washing down into the creek.   There are a lot of ways to make a difference, and we’ll keep you posted on community wide events where you can help.

The Sanitary District is working to ensure the main sewer trunklines are in good repair and are functioning well. You may have seen our Operators on the streets with the vactor and jetter equipment. They usually are present on a preventive basis, clearing out problems before there are blockages, performing video inspection to see the inside of the pipes. Sometimes, the crew is called out to investigate a sewer problem reported by one of our customers. In either case, our goal is to keep the sewage moving from the community to our treatment plant without any spills in the community. This is a big job, and it’s made more difficult during times of high “I and I”, or inflow and infiltration.   See our SASD News posting for more details about I/I.

We have recently initiated planning for the replacement of a 2,500 foot portion of the sewer main that runs along the creek bed. Some of this pipe has been in place since the 1950’s, while other parts were replaced in the 1990’s.   We believe that replacement of this pipe will improve the quality of life for our neighbors by reducing the risk of sanitary sewer overflows that can occur during heavy rain events when the creek is running full.   This will be a big job, and the planning phase has just begun; we are hoping to see some new pipe in the ground by end of 2018 if all goes well.

Till next time,

Hugh