Water System Description

The District has approximately 536 water connections. The District purchases treated water from Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District (HBMWD) for delivery to its customers. According to 2014 HBMWD records, the District’s average daily use was 159,000 gallons per day (gpd) and peak daily use was 240,000 gpd. The District retailed approximately 57 million gallons of drinking water in calendar year 2014. Availability of connections within the District water system is not limited by source, but by the District’s contract with the HBMWD (430,000 MGD); the HBMWD has sufficient water supply to meet the District demands. HBMWD also provides operation, maintenance and administrative support to the District. The District’s water system begins at a HBMWD water connection just north of the intersection of Fieldbrook Road and Glendale Drive. The system contains more than 10 miles of water mains, two booster pump stations, and two water tanks (a 400,000 gallon redwood water tank and a 20,000 gallon concrete water tank). The redwood water tank was constructed in 1972 and was upgraded in 2005 with the installation of a liner. Water quality meets or exceeds the State standards, however localized pressure problems are experienced by some District residents. There are also a number of residences (estimated at 200 to 250) that have individual water sources. These include wells, springs and diversions from streams adjoining the properties being served. The residences using these individual sources are generally located on larger hillside parcels within the District. They rely on private water sources due to the distance to the District’s existing water mains. The water quality of these individual sources varies greatly from location to location. However, in general, many of these systems can be high in iron and manganese and can have inadequate supply during the fall season. These sources are not regulated by any governmental agency.

Water System Condition Assessment

The District is currently using approximately about 56 percent of its contracted water allotment from HBMWD during peak demand. Water service within the District is generally very good with the exception of some localized, low pressure areas where a new booster pump is needed. Additionally, the construction of a third reservoir will be needed. The District is aware of the water system constraints and their long range plans for service improvements include:  The construction of a new booster pump station at HBMWD’s Essex facility to improve water pressure within the service area. This will also improve water pressure for HBMWD’s customers along Warren Creek and West End Roads, and will allow the existing City of Blue Lake water booster pump station to deliver more water;  The installation of a standby emergency generator at the Lyman Road Pump Station; and  The construction of an additional reservoir to provide increased storage capacity. With respect to the residences within the District that rely on private water sources, connection to the Districts water system is dependent on the ability of the home owners to absorb the infrastructure costs.