By Mary-Justine Lanyon
The general managers and board representatives of the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District and the Arrowhead Lake Association met for one of their interface meetings on Feb. 25.
Representing LACSD were outgoing GM Catherine Cerri, new GM Ryan Gross and board members John Wurm and Jacqueline Brown. Representing ALA were GM Mike Pate and board members Bud Macer, Jim Hannon and Marilyn Dishell.
Lake level, Pate reported, was at 5,106.92 on that date, 0.22 feet above full. Last year it was 5.75 feet below full.
Gross addressed the issue of PFAS, saying that the design for the treatment process at the two water treatment plants is 100 percent complete. LACSD expects to have a funding agreement no later than the end of June. “We should put the construction project out to bid and get it awarded this year,” he said. The treatment will result in non-detect of PFAS.
When Macer asked if LACSD would continue to test the water, Cerri said they would still be required to test the raw water.
Wurm noted that LACSD continues to expand its wells, which are producing. Gross said the newest one is on the district office’s property; it should go online later this year. “We plan on one more on this property and are looking at several other sites,” he said.
When Dishell said she was concerned about swimming in the lake due to PFAS, Pate said that swimming is not considered a high risk. “You generally don’t ingest water while swimming and PFAS doesn’t come through the skin.”
Wurm ended the discussion by saying that “we have been at the tip of the spear in developing a plan. I don’t know if any other district is ahead of us.”
ALA has been addressing the issue of quagga mussels and now faces the threat of the golden mussel. “We are doing everything we can to mitigate it in terms of boat inspections,” Pate said. “We have trained lake safety staff on both the quagga and golden. My greatest concern is peripheral things that come in the lake – a super soaker of it’s been in Silverwood, lily pads, paddleboards. They don’t come to our ramp.”
Pate added ALA plans to put up banners around the lake and at entry points, cautioning people about the mussel. He suggested LACSD add a warning on their invoices.
“If it gets in the lake, it could cost us millions,” Wurm said, “if it gets in the infrastructure.” Cerri said they have talked about it and want to help everyone out.
As for dredging, Cerri asked ALA to advise LACSD of the schedule and areas that will be dredged. “You’ve been great about notifying us,” she said. Pate handed out a map and said their intention is to dredge in the fall. He noted they had been very aggressive with silt basins last year, which proved beneficial during the huge rainstorm at the end of 2025.
Finally, updated LACSD on the valve outlet tower. They are waiting for the Division of Safety of Dams to specify the requirements for draining the lake in case of an emergency. ALA has been working with Schnabel Engineering, who has submitted two viable alternatives. One would reuse a portion of the main outlet tunnel. The tower, Pate noted, “is the start of the current outlet system. It was never intended to drain the lake; it was to get water to farmers.” The tunnel, he said, is in very good shape. The other would be a bigger tunnel project, going around Papoose Lake and the dam.
DSOD, Pate said, had eight engineers at the last meeting. “They were very friendly but inflexible. Lots of data is being collected.”
Dishell added that DSOD is “very rigid. They are angry because they were ignored for so long. Now there is constant communication – they feel more respected.”
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