Clearlake City Manager Alan Flora discussed the city's four Water Districts at this Thursday's Judge's Breakfast in Clearlake. Several board members from some of the water districts were also present and the topic drew a larger crowd than usual.
Flora began his presentation by introducing the different water districts; Golden State Water Public Utility, Highland Mutual Water Company, Konocti County Water District, and Lower Lake Waterworks District Number One.
All four water district's serve the city of Clearlake, with some overlapping occurring throughout the city. Golden State Water services central and northern Clearlake and is the only privately owned public utility water district. Highland Mutual Water Company services central Clearlake from around Lakeside Drive to above Olympic Avenue and was established in 1925. The Highland and Golden State service areas overlap for some of downtown Clearlake. Konocti County Water District began in 1961 and services eastern Clearlake and the neighborhood known as The Avenues. Lastly the Lower Lake Waterworks District Number One services the smallest area in southern Clearlake and was established in 1947.
Fees and service charges differ from district to district, with those of the Golden State Water Company being the highest. District 2 Supervisor Bruno Sabatier noted, "You see the difference in people's yards. People cannot possibly landscape when it costs $500 a month. Zeroscape is ok but it leaves our town looking less than what it should be." He continued "As far as Golden State goes, it's an animal that's gotten out of control."
Flora explained the issues and shared how some of these districts lack a fire hydrant and are a decade behind most standards. This has left many residences and businesses with inadequate pressure for current safety regulations like fire sprinklers. This issue arises often when assessing the roads, as miles of water lines run underneath the roads, remaining inaccessible for repair unless the road is repaved when the work is completed. Considering these issues and their solutions, Flora noted "It's very rare that a city does not own any of its utilities." Unfortunately, it is not so easy to change that, with the Golden State Water District being a private entity. Flora shared how hard it would be to overtake, stating, " It would involve imminent domain." Flora further explained that although it had been done, the city would be expected to pay Golden State Water for their future revenues, which would be very costly.
All of these issues are compiled when businesses and residences need to complete repairs or upgrades to their water systems. According to Clearlake resident Joan Mingori, fixing her water system was quoted at almost $20,000. Konocti County Water District General Manager Frank Costner explained the companies' perspective when it comes to developers and maintenance stating, "I suggest the city looks into trying grant money... The water district has invested tens of millions of dollars into infrastructure and we are a government agency."
The Judge's Breakfast is held at the Clearlake Masonic lodge every Thursday morning at 7 a.m. and is open to the public. Next week's speaker will be Alan Flora again discussing new technology being utilized by the city.
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