President’s Corner, Brent Dills, RLECWD Board President –
RLECWD conducted a routine Strategic Planning Meeting on October 21st that was attended by just a few community members. Not as many as we would have liked to see but we hope that is because we are in a good place without any drama or controversy and you have confidence in us on what we are doing. Our plans have not changed. We continue to provide safe water and good customer service.
We are currently digging new higher producing groundwater wells in areas with better water quality. That is smart and allows us to replace or not use some other lower volume producing wells with questionable water quality. We are also looking for surface water to add to our groundwater portfolio. That will give us some redundancy because most, if not all, of our water comes from ground water wells and not rivers. Having surface water may also help us to improve our water quality. We will look for the best options available, and there are many, to obtain that surface water. There are those that are for better water quality at any cost. I’m not sure how many of our ratepayers would include themselves in that group The State of California is currently still mulling over a new chromium 6 standard. A judge said the state had not considered the economic feasibility of the rate when it was set and sent them back to the drawing board. In other words, they need to consider if it is possible for rate payers to pay for the higher quality of water. It is not easy to make plans without knowing what the regulatory requirements are going to be. This is sort of like throwing a dart at a moving bullseye. So we are making plans with and without a lot of water treatment included until we hear back from the powers that be. We are also seeking more grant funding and pursuing other funding available so that we can pay for things, keep our rates down and the water bills within reason for our customers.
I don’t want to mislead anyone though. Regulations continue to demand higher and higher water quality. That will cost more money. It is not clear that the quality of water now is hurting anyone or that higher water quality standards will protect anyone either. It is sure to cost more though. So this debate needs to happen. That is one of the things that the judge is considering regarding the chromium 6 economic feasibility. The State of California may decide to protect us so well and set water quality standards so high, that none of our water will pass that test nor could we afford to treat it well enough to comply.
I don’t want to leave this on such a serious note, things are going fine at RLECWD. Really just business as usual—but not easy. Hope you all have great and happy holidays and don’t worry about the water!!
Submitted on behalf of the RLECWD staff and board—Brent Dills—Board President[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
