Water

Landscape watering in Rancho Murieta is being limited to certain hours and days under drought emergency restrictions put in place by the Community Services District.  Next month, the district will consider implementing tiered water rates as a way to discourage water wasters. Read more » about Drought: Is it 1976-77 again (or even worse)?

The Rancho Murieta Community Services District declared a Stage 2 drought emergency Wednesday night, setting the community on a course of water-conservation actions. Read more » about Drought prompts water-emergency steps

Facing a drought unprecedented in Rancho Murieta’s history, the Community Services District board of directors voted Wednesday night to declare a Stage 2 drought emergency.  Under the declaration, residents are asked to voluntarily reduce water consumption 20 percent this month.  The reduction becomes mandatory Feb. 1. All landscape watering will be prohibited from Feb. 1 until March 9, since irrigation isn’t necessary in late winter. After that, watering will be limited to twice weekly.  Plans for tiered water pricing to encourage conservation will be brought to the board’s next meeting.

On Thursday, CSD staff said the Feb. 1-March 9 mandatory reduction had been removed from its plans.  See comment below.

The community’s reservoirs -- Clementia, Chesbro and Calero -- are currently about 60 percent full. The CSD has been unable to divert water from the Cosumnes River since the diversion season began Nov. 1 because river flows haven’t met the pumping threshold of 70 cubic feet per second. 

In other business, the board moved forward on plans for water treatment plant expansion, including financing $3 million, the CSD’s share of the cost,  from the district’s reserves.  Staff estimated the net ratepayer increase to repay the reserves at about $1.40 a month.  A resolution on  financing will be brought to the board next month.

Full coverage is upcoming at RanchoMurieta.com. Read more » about Drought emergency prompts water cutbacks

The Rancho Murieta Community Services District board of directors will address drought concerns at its meeting Wednesday. The board will receive a drought planning update and discuss the possibility of implementing tiered pricing and mandatory water conservation.

Water management consultant Lisa Maddaus will make a presentation on drought conditions with the recommendation that the CSD take immediate action to conserve existing water supplies and implement provisions of its water shortage contingency plan.

To date,  the dry winter weather has resulted in a rise in water use, with higher than expected use in November and an increase of 100,000 gallons per day in December. Read more » about CSD will discuss mandatory water conservation

The Rancho Murieta Community Services District board of directors continued toward its goal of constructing a new water treatment plant this month by finalizing one developer agreement and setting the terms for another. The plant would replace a 40-year-old facility and expand water treatment capacity to accommodate new development. Topics discussed at Wednesday's two-hour meeting included the impact of dry conditions on the community’s water supply and future CSD control over the use of recycled wastewater. Read more » about CSD, developers reach terms on water plant

The Rancho Murieta Community Services District board continued to move forward on its plan to build a water treatment plant at its November meeting,  authorizing negotiations for a $3 million bank loan for the CSD’s portion of the cost. The project would upgrade and expand a water treatment facility that’s been in operation since 1975. Agreements with developers for their share of the cost have yet to be finalized. Read more » about CSD looks at loan for water treatment plant

At its meeting Wednesday, the Community Services District board of directors received the final 2012- 2013 audit,  adopted standards for using recycled water, and received a report on financing and services agreements being negotiated with developers. Read more » about CSD reviews audit, development financing

The Community Services District provided the following update on drilling test wells for its water augmentation project.

Rancho Murieta Community Services District Augmentation Well Project

Rancho Murieta Community Services District (District) is working with Dunn Environmental Inc. and Frederick Well Drilling to drill two (2) test wells in search of a potable water augmentation supply. Our goal is to find a 600 acre‐feet augmentation supply (a 372 gallon per minute well) for our potable water system. This initial work is to determine the geology of the area to see if the test wells may provide water and to obtain preliminary water samples if water is present. Read more » about CSD update on test wells for drinking water

The Rancho Murieta Community Services District board of directors approved a budget for 2013-14 that will increase the average monthly bill for water, sewer, drainage, security and trash collection services 4.55 percent. At the CSD meeting last week, directors received a presentation on the costs and possibilities for expanding the use of recycled wastewater as the community grows. Current potable water usage was also discussed, and the board saw a mock-up of a CSD bill that will show residents how their water usage compares with similar lots. Read more » about CSD OKs rate hike, considers recycled water

[Brief version published April 26] Community Services District staff is working with developer John Sullivan to try to reach agreement on the water needed for his hotel project after a design-build proposal for a water treatment plant was ruled out by CSD. Sullivan, a Murietan, had proposed to design and build the plant -- instead of the usual competitive bidding process -- but board President Jerry Pasek told a recent workshop on the project that bidding is required under state law. Read more » about CSD will try to provide water to developer