Hillview Water Co. imposes water restrictions

By Elizabeth Gabriel

(Updated: Wednesday, May 07, 2008, 6:20 PM)

If summer is coming -- and it is -- it must mean watering restrictions for customers of Hillview Water Co.

The company sent out notices that it has requested approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for mandatory water conservation plan for the Oakhurst-Sierra Lakes Service area.

In the same mailing, the company notified customers that the Oakhurst-Sierra Lakes water system failed to meet uranium and arsenic drinking water standards.

Hillview owner Roger Forrester said in the past watering was restricted to two days a week, which he said is enough to maintain an established landscape. This year it is allowed three days.

"Before, we didn't have the water to do that," he said.

Five new wells went online last July. More improvements are coming up.

The restrictions are in effect from May 25 to Sept. 25. No watering is allowed on Sundays. Customers with addresses ending with even numbers may water Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; customers with addresses ending in odd numbers may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. No watering is allowed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

The conservation plan also requires written permission to fill outdoor pools before June 30. You can't get permission in July and August.

Other things on the list include common-sense water conservation measures such as no washing of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, etc.; no car washing; no leaking, broken or improperly maintained water connections; watching for run-off that floods gutters, streets, etc. and no unattended open hoses.

The restrictions preceded a report that the Sierra snow pack is about two-thirds of normal. Gov. Schwarzenegger used the snow report to say that all Californians should pay more attention to water conservation.

The Hillview report on uranium content stated that during 2007, the Oakhurst-Sierra Lakes water stem failed to meet the uranium drinking-water standard of 30ug/L. Ug/L means micrograms per liter. A microgram is one-millionth of a gram (it takes 28.35 grams to make one ounce of weight) and a liter is nearly 34 ounces (of liquid).

Hillview reported the reason the standard was missed is because Sierra Lakes No. 4 source was kept online all year. The district has several wells and mixes water to achieve optimum results.

"During 2007 the average blended levels of uranium entering the distribution system in Oakhurst-Sierra Lakes was 37.7 ug/L," the report stated.

The company's report stresses that there is no immediate risk but suggests people may want to use bottled water.

It also states that the company developed more than 600 gallons per minute of new water source and installed more than 17,000 feet of new pipeline in 2007.

Hillview also reported arsenic levels above drinking-water standards. The federal standard for arsenic is 10 ug/L. Testing results show that the average arsenic concentration from blended water is 27.1 ug/L. The EPA revised the standard from 50 to 10 ug/L in 2006.

Hillview has been awarded $7 million in two state grants to address all the compliance issues. The company's April 18 newsletter reports a $5 million grant will include two wellhead uranium treatment plants, a new, 1,200-gallon-per-minute arsenic, iron and manganese removal system and a 500,000-gallon treated water storage tank on the south side of town. The $2 million grant will be used on the northwest side of Oakhurst and be spent for three new wells, a 600,000-gallon treated storage tank for blending water, a 500-gallon per minute iron and manganese removal system and additional wireless monitoring and control electronics. Construction is expected to start in 2009.