By Mary-Justine Lanyon
Water consumption is up slightly but the draw on Lake Arrowhead is down.
That was the report from Operations Manager Matt Brooks at the Dec. 10 meeting of the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District board.
Comparing November 2024 to November 2023, consumption was up 3.7 percent – 70.65 acre-feet compared to 68.13 a-f. For the first 11 months of the year, consumption was up 5.4 percent – 1,187.96 a-f compared to 1,126.82 a-f.
At the same time, the lake draw was down when comparing the two Novembers: 48.77 a-f in 2024 compared to 56.15 a-f in 2023. The difference is more dramatic when comparing the first 11 months of the year: 75.33 a-f in 2024 compared to 903.71 a-f in 2023.
The difference, Brooks said, can be explained by the amount of water LACSD has purchased from CLAWA this year. In 2023 they purchased just 39.06 a-f in the first 11 months as compared to 315.49 a-f in the same period of time in 2024. LACSD is purchasing more CLAWA water to blend with its own water to reduce the amount of PFAS being delivered in drinking water. The CLAWA water is nondetect for PFAS.
Well production is down because LACSD’s largest producing well has been offline the entire year. It is going through rehab, Brooks said. “We hope to get it back online in a couple of weeks,” he added.
More recycled water was delivered to the Lake Arrowhead Country Club in 2024 than in 2023 – 213.23 a-f as compared to 158.00 a-f. One reason for the difference, Brooks said, is LACSD did not deliver any recycled water to LACC in 2023 until June. Delivery in 2024 was terminated for the season on Nov. 19.
LACSD is blending the drinking water at the Bernina treatment plant, bringing in 100 gallons a minute from CLAWA. Brooks noted they hope to stop taking CLAWA water when the well is back online.
The district has met with N2W on the design plans for the PFAS treatment systems at both the Bernina and Cedar Glen treatment plants.
Resident George Hatt asked where the PFAS is coming from. “I have heard reports of broken sewer pipes,” he said. “I don’t hear much about repair. Why aren’t we spending money fixing sewer lines?”
President John Wurm replied he doesn’t think the district has broken sewer pipes that aren’t being fixed. “If we have a broken wastewater pipe, staff gets on it immediately,” he said.
General Manager Catherine Cerri added, “At last month’s meeting, Field Operations Manager Nathan Porter reported on all the sewer repairs we have done in the past and the ones we have planned for the future.”
Resident Michael Schultz asked if it is true some things used in the lake have PFAS. Brooks responded that “a lot of products have PFAS in them – anything water resistant or waterproof is likely to have PFAS.” He gave as examples Teflon coating, sunscreen, swim trucks.
“There’s a lot of human contact in the lake. We have tried to find a source [of PFAS] but haven’t been able to find a source. We feel there are multiple sources.”
At the end of the meeting, during Board Member Comments, Director Robert Morris noted that these permanent chemicals were created in the 1930s. “They have been in our world since then. Some have piled up in spots. They are everywhere.
“There is a move to reduce if not eliminate them in our environment. There’s a big fear of them – and rightfully so – but they have been around since all of us have been alive – in our water systems, in the air, in our bodies. Until recently we haven’t had the technology to locate and track them. Now we are dealing with parts per trillion and trying to figure out what to do with them.”
Morris added “there is an irrational fear of something we have dealt with our entire lives. We are doing everything we can to make sure our drinking water is safe for our ratepayers and will continue to do so.”
Action taken
John Wurm was reelected as president of the board and Steve Boydston was reelected as vice president.
A fifth amendment to the employment agreement with General Manager Catherine Cerri, who has been the GM since 2016, was approved. That agreement grants her a 5-percent salary increase effective Jan. 1, 2025. Her annual salary will be $295,529.83.
Revised salary schedules were also approved for managers, supervisors and confidential employees as well as members of the Utility Workers Union of America, Local 557.
A contract to procure 17 interior doors for the corporate yard project drew considerable discussion. Garin Vartanian, attending online, calculated that the $39,183.29 bid comes out to over $2,000 per door. “Is that a low and responsive bid?” he asked. “Have the doors been priced with other vendors?”
When President Wurm asked what kind of doors they are, Engineering Manager Scott Schroder said they are of various types. Some have windows; all have the necessary hardware and materials to install them. That installation will be done by district staff. He added they are required to be all steel.
“We are held by law to certain standards,” Vice President Boydston noted. “Some doors are cheaper than others.”
Cerri added there had been a second bid of $100,000, including installation.
The four directors present approved the contract for the doors.
The directors also approved a contract for $97,800 to install dry wall and T-bar at the corporate yard.
A final contract approved was for a manhole rehabilitation project totaling $141,935. Schroder noted this is a yearly project. Field crews locate manholes that are leaking. This project will include 20 manholes, including coating, base, shelf and channel repair.
This project, Schroder explained, is part of LACSD’s ongoing efforts to improve its aging wastewater collection system infrastructure and comply with the cease and desist order through the State Water Quality Control Board.
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