Community Alert: Discolored Water Addressed By City Of St. Helena

Press release from the City of St. Helena:

ST. HELENA, CA — Patch received this community alert Wednesday evening from Andrew Bradley, assistant to the city manager, and in turn is publishing it for the community to view.

Dear Residents and Water Customers of St. Helena,

This communication is intended to provide information about the cause of our current water discoloration issues and the City’s action plan to remedy the situation. You should know that City staff is working diligently to address these issues.

First, the City has no current reason to believe that the water from throughout our distribution system is not safe. Staff continue to be in contact with the California Water Board’s Division of Drinking Water (“DDW”) about this matter, providing them with regular updates as we work with a multitude of specialized partners toward a comprehensive solution.

However, the investigation of any potential issues from the water treatment plant is not yet complete, and the City intends to complete this investigation as quickly as possible. This will require the immediate procurement of specialized services and equipment to address the issues that are causing the discolored and cloudy water. The City Manager, in coordination with the Public Works Director, understands the nature of this urgent situation and will take emergency actions under the Municipal Code to expedite procurement of equipment that will allow the City to urgently address the water treatment plant. The City Council will then make required findings supporting the emergency and ratify the City Manager’s actions, in some cases after actions and work has been done, at the City Council’s next scheduled meeting on Tuesday, August 22, 2023. Like most complicated situations however, there are no easy or quick fixes, and we are exploring the most effective path to address the situation while complying with the City’s obligations under the Municipal Code and other applicable statutes.

While our water system has experienced several issues in the last couple of decades, last year’s pipe failures and the current water discoloration indicate the precarious state of the system. Although the system will be receiving significant investment over the next few years, the work required for this remediation was not on the City’s list of planned upgrades. The City Council and staff are diligently working on finding solutions and the following is a status report.

THE CAUSE:

• Accumulated buildup of minerals, sediment, iron/rust: While tests are ongoing, our water treatment plant staff and specialized contractors recognize that the cause appears to be an accumulated buildup of minerals on three primary items at the water treatment plant.
  • These include the Clear Well*, Tank 1A, and the transmission pipe that runs between those two structures.

WHY NOW?

• Increased water usage: Residents have experienced this type of issue previously and it typically occurs when water demand increases. The increased flow rate dislodges the accumulated buildup of minerals in the tanks at our treatment plant and pipes throughout the system.
  • Since we have been in a water emergency over the last few years, some of these minerals have had additional time to buildup, making this year more noticeable in more parts of the City.

WHAT’S BEING DONE:

• Investigation: Initial work in the Clear Well and Tank 1A is complete and the information is being used to help further diagnose the issues and develop plans for permanent solutions. Additional investigation is required for the pipeline between the Clear Well and Tank 1A.
• Mitigation: The process to mitigate the discolored water is well under way, which includes procurement of specialty contractors to perform remediation work.
• Immediate Intervention: Staff is implementing short-term operational changes that can minimize transmission of cloudy and discolored water into the system.
• Hydrant Flushing: Staff continue to perform prescriptive hydrant flushing in the specific neighborhoods that are experiencing discolored water issues. This is also done to help prevent the cloudy and discolored water from permeating throughout more parts of the distribution system.

SHORT- AND LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS:

• Remediate the Clear Well and Tank 1A: These plans are in the development phases and will require the procurement of contracts and equipment, both of which will take time, even utilizing the current legal authority we utilized to immediately procure services and contracts.
  • The preliminary schedule could require that the treatment plant be offline for up to two months.
  • Staff is working on plans for when the remediation work could be best implemented, what workarounds could be used to distribute water from other sources during the period that these facilities are offline, and more.
  • The ideal time frame for this work to happen is during a lower demand season, like winter, but staff are considering all options and timetables to resolve the issue more quickly.
  • This remediation work was not anticipated and is not part of the current CIP.
• Infrastructure Improvements: In the recently approved Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), more than $42 million is set aside to complete 40 water and wastewater projects.
• Outside Expertise: Additional contractors and experts are being consulted to help ensure that a lasting solution is implemented.

WATER USE:

• Water Use: Residents who experience cloudy or discolored water can run cold tap water to help flush the system within their homes. As you run the tap water, consider running it into a bucket and using that water for exterior landscaping.

REPORTING ISSUES:

• Should you have water quality issues:
  • Email: enviro-tech@cityofsthelena.org OR
  • Call 707-968-2658 (M-F, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) or 707-967-2850 (after hours)

CONTINUED UPDATES:

• We will continue to provide updates via email, through our local news outlets, and posts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Nextdoor.
• On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, at 6 p.m., there will be a presentation on the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) during the City Council meeting. The community is invited to participate.

*Clear Well: A clear well is a component of a municipal drinking water purification system. It refers to the final storage stage in the system, following the filtration and disinfection stages. The filtered water is held in a storage basin to allow the disinfectant to inactivate any remaining pathogens.

This press release was produced by the City of St. Helena. The views expressed here are the author’s own.