Water Project Update   August 30, 2009

 The District is in the second of an intensive three-year program to replace, rehabilitate and/or improve the water and sewer infrastructure with the goal of providing reliable utility service to your home. Some of the projects include:

·    Replacement of water mains and laterals in areas with reduced fire-flow capacity and galvanized service laterals that are failing due to corrosion. The 2009 project includes approximately 5,700 feet of new mainline, 111 new laterals, eight new or replacement fire hydrants and provisions for the future installation of water meters.  The total cost of the project is estimated to be $1,046,424. Work started in June and will be completed by the end of September. In 2008, 2,400 feet of mainline and 58 laterals were replaced at a cost of approximately $625,000.  The 2010 project will replace 2,600 feet of mainline and 92 laterals at an estimated all-in-cost of $600,000. For more information on the current project click this link

·    The District continues to replace existing fire hydrants that are no longer repairable because the manufacturer is out of business. An added benefit of the replacement is the new hydrants meet Truckee Fire Protection District requirements. This is the last year of this program.

·    Sewer manholes and water valve boxes that are lower than the surrounding street pavement will be adjusted upward and repaired.

·    Television inspection of 15,000 feet of the gravity sewer system was completed in the spring of 2009. The inspection identified a number of pipe sections with Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) of groundwater due to cracks or off-set joints and other conditions that require attention.  The worst section of line was on Soda Springs Road between Summit and Dulzura and this fall a contractor will install a cured-in-place liner to cure the deficiencies. The inspection also identified 45 residential laterals where “clean” water was entering the mainline, either due to I&I or a leaking plumbing fixture in the house. A television inspection of each lateral (from the house to the main) will be completed this fall to determine the source of the flow. If the results warrant, the District may consider requiring lateral testing by each homeowner beginning in 2010. The District’s ratepayers are charged for each gallon of sewage sent to the Donner Summit PUD wastewater treatment plant and records show that over the last five years the amount of sewage is more than double domestic water use during the spring. Reduction of groundwater and snowmelt entering the sewer system is a very high priority because of both the operational costs (pumping and treatment) and the effect on the design of the plant upgrades.  A link to the flow data is here

·    The contractor installing the liner will also coat the interiors of a number of manholes and one of the pump stations with a spray-on cement type coating to extend the life of these facilities.

·    A contractor has completed upgrades to the electrical controls at the main sewage export station on Hemlock to provide increased pumping reliability and emergency redundancy. A new pump replaced one installed when the station was constructed approximately 25 years ago.

·    An upgrade of the computer system that monitors and controls the water and sewer pumping stations will be completed the first week of September.


There are a number of other smaller projects already completed, underway or to be done this winter; the project budget for Fiscal Year 2009-2010 is $1,569,507.  Please do not hesitate to contact the District office at 530-426-7800 if you have any questions concerning the projects or program in total.