The Lake County Water Works Association, in its association with the Cobb Area Water District, is hosting the meeting, which will be held from 9:30 a.m. to noon on Friday, Nov. 30, at the Board of Supervisors chambers at the Lake County Courthouse in Lakeport.
The gathering is the idea of Robert Stark, manager for the Cobb Area Water District, who said there used to be a Lake County Water Works Association which hosted regular meetings for local water managers.
Unfortunately, the group “faded into oblivion,” said Stark. But he's working to revive it.
“I got this idea to at least have two big meetings a year and have as many people there as possible, both managers and operators,” said Stark, who added that private water operators also are welcome.
The idea for this upcoming meeting, Stark said, is to have an opportunity to speak with colleagues about last summer, the year's rainfall, well levels, the lake's water quality and many other topics.
Stark said it's important for local water managers to share information, because they're also in the unique position of being able to help each other, whether it be with knowledge or the right sized pipe to make a repair.
The proposal to meet has received positive feedback so far, said Stark. He's also getting questions about tying in continuing education – which plant operators need to keep their license up to date – with the meetings in the future.
“What we want to do is talk to each other,” said Stark, as a prelude to building relationships which don't already exist.
“It just frustrates the heck out of me that we've lost communication with each other,” Stark added.
His hope, he said, is that sharing information and providing a countywide support network will help ease local water managers' workloads and worries.
If it goes well, another meeting will be set up for next spring, Stark said. “There's no way two hours will cover it all.”
Mel Aust, general services manager for the Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District, said he used to attend the Lake County Water Works Association's monthly meetings years ago, which he said were “very beneficial.”
“It was a chance to get together and discuss mutual concerns and network a little bit,” he said.
He said he supports the new effort to bring water managers and operators together once more.
“The concept is great and it does a lot and allows us to share mutual concerns,” he said. “I'm glad Robert's trying to resurrect it.”
Concerns for county water professionals
There are a lot of things for water managers to worry about these days, besides just the looming issue of supply.
On the local level, Aust said there's concern about the accuracy of a groundwater report released last year.
In addition, Lake County is a signatory on a North Coast Intregrated Regional Water Plan, which attempts to take a regional approach to water issues, said Aust.
Not everyone is convinced of the plan's value, said Aust. However, if different water districts can link projects, they may be able to qualify for Proposition 84 funding, approved last year for water projects. Linking projects also could yield cost savings, he said.
Hidden Valley Lake Community Services District's board was the first to sign a memorandum of understanding with the county to participate in the plan, said Aust.
There's also the matter of how the local water agencies are affected by the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), said Aust.
At a recent state water meeting he attended, Aust said he emphasized LAFCO's role in dealing with facilities and making sure that, when they annex a new area into a service district, that the decision doesn't cause an agency to run out of resources or money.
Aust said if water shortages can be prevented through better planning, including having LAFCO work with utilities providers, “we owe that to the public.”
Challenges ahead for the county
The realities of this dry year are different for various parts of the county, said Stark. While areas like Lower Lake suffered due to its wells being very low, “It wasn't necessarily bad for Cobb,” he said.
The question, he said, is what to do if we have another dry winter.
“What happens long-term in Lake County, as far as development, is going to make a huge impact on the water system,” said Stark.
To be prepared for it, he wants to pursue a grant to do a deep sonic probing of the Cobb area's aquifer to see just how big it is. That will tell him “how many straws” can be put into it.
Just as pressing is the difficulty of finding qualified help, said Stark.
“There is a serious lack of operators,” he said, noting that when you can find them, they want much higher wages than are usually found in Lake County.
In addition, testing requirements keep expanding, said Stark. He expects it won't be many more years before they'll be required to treat groundwater as they do surface water.
“Nobody quite knows where the money is going to come from,” he said.
However, he added, “Right now our main concern is infrastructure.”
Said Stark, “The water system infrastructure in Lake County is similar to the roads in Lake County. It's a mess.”
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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