Madera county moves to take over hillview

[Surfus]

Madera Co. moves to buy water firm
By Charles McCarthy / The Fresno Bee

(Updated Wednesday, March 1, 2006, 5:30 AM)

MADERA — The Board of Supervisors opened the door Tuesday for an Oakhurst-based maintenance district to seek federal money for a future purchase of privately owned Hillview Water Co.

The board directed Madera County Resource Management Agency Director Floyd Davis to submit a preliminary application to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for an unspecified share of Rural Development funding.

"This is a shelf-ready project," said Supervisor Gary Gilbert, who represents the Oakhurst area. "This is a complete system available to go, on the ground."

The supervisors formed the district, known as Maintenance District 22-F, last July to seek eventual public ownership of Hillview. The per-parcel property tax assessment was set at zero.

The board noted that although it makes decisions for the county, the maintenance district would own and operate the water system.

"It is the district that is financially responsible, not the county," Gilbert said.

After he learned of the board's unanimous action Tuesday, Hillview President Roger Forrester said in his Oakhurst office: "I'm a willing seller, if the price is right ... $4 million plus take over the existing debt."

That would total between $5.5 million and $6 million, Forrester estimated.

Last August, dwindling water in Hillview's tanks forced Forrester to ask for voluntary cutbacks, a plea he has had to make in numerous previous summers.Customers were asked to stop all outdoor watering.

Two major wells had been deepened and new wells would be brought online. Hillview had one new well tested and ready to start pumping water last August. But it didn't have enough pipeline in place to deliver the water, Forrester said.

Without cutbacks, the Hillview system might not have enough water to keep its downtown hydrants supplied in the event of a fire.

The 2005 plea was similar to Hillview warnings since 1999 that its system was hard-pressed to supply enough summertime water to the growing community.

In July 2004, Madera County Sheriff John Anderson declared a community emergency that restricted not only outside watering but daily use of dishwashers and washing machines along with banning frequent toilet flushing.

By mid-August 2004, Forrester said, the company was pumping enough water to ease that summer's heat crisis.

The reporter can be reached at cmccarthy@fresnobee.com or (559) 675-6804.

[monkey]

I hope something good comes of this. It's awful that Oakhurst doesn't have safe drinking water, yet has to pay for it. I'm so sick of Hillview and it's owner!

[AAA]

FREEDOM FOR OAKHURST http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/applause.gif
LET OAKHURST GOVERN IT'S SELF
WATER
FIRE SERVICE
POLICE ETC

[Kat]

Hi,
I'm actively looking to buy a place in Oakhurst, till I saw these Hillview water posts.
Am I k-nuts to even consider a place on Hillview water? I am/was looking at Moonray Ct, off of Spook Ln.
Anybody have some input?
Thanks,
kat http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/anxious.gif

[Yosemite Joy]

I don't think that is Hillview. I think that is Broadview water... though I am not 100%. Call the realtor or rental place and ask them. There is a difference, though slight, and both have uranium in the water during the summer months.

[CatdaBrat]

Personally, I wouldn't live within a maintenance district or subscribe to any water company, especially one with such major, serious problems. But some people feel comfortable doing stuff like that.
People need to remember that those within a maintenance district are the ones responsible for paying for the improvements, etc., so hopefully when the bills arrive, it won't be too much of a shock.

[Yosemite Joy]

With a family of three our water bill used to run about $30-45 a month. We are on a well now.

Yes, it was inconvienent to have my water undrinkable, and unusable when it came to cooking. Paying about 100 dollars a month total in water (when you include bottled and gallons of water for cooking use) was expensive and difficult.

If I were to buy a house in this area I would not buy one that I had to pay for the water plus pay for a water service. Wells can be expensive too, but at least you can get your water tested and drink it during all months of the year.

[Patagoniamaniac]

we get 75 gallons a minute..thinking about bottling it and selling it.. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/idea3.gif

[oakhurstleaf]

I feel like I'm getting ripped off majorly.

First off, this is not "our" house...we are mere renters for the time being. Didn't pick the house because we loved it, but it just happened to be the best of what was available in our price range at the time. Wasn't too concerned about the quality of water...though soon after we moved in, we had three days of brown water (flushing the pipes?) Gross. Honey, would you like to take a bath in iced tea?

Apparently, Goldside (a golfing community where barely anyone golfs) is on a well system that is of course owned and managed by Hillview (there is one lucky resident across the street from me who has their very own well). Water here does not have uranium issues like in downtown Oakhurst and nearby subdivisions which rely on the notorious reservoir.

The water here is fine. Highly mineralized...typical hard water, but safe. I don't drink it, but I cook with it and of couse everything else with it. For some reaason the water here is very valuable...it comes at a very high price.

My water bill runs around $85-95 a month...outrageous. Family of five, lots of laundry and showers, but still.

In Fullerton, we paid about $50 (maybe $70 in summer) every TWO months and this also incuded TRASH service. Here it's $69 every 3 months for just trash, which I don't mind. But the water is CRAZY and I will want our next permanent residence to not be on the Hillview system.

There are subdivisions where residents share well systems...all the water they can use, for like $20-30 a month per household. What a deal.

[Kat]

http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/sad3.gif Yikes, well thank you for all the input. It sounds pretty dicey. I will keep looking, maybe in Coarsegold. But, geee, I did love that house!
Thanks,
Kat

[Kahlua Kid]

We used to pay about $75 a month for water in Simi Valley. But what we have to remember, is when you are on postage stamp lots, there are far more people to pay in and "share" the costs of water delivery (pipes, infrastructure, plant, etc).

We found the same thing when it came to electricity. It was about $90-110 a month in Ventura County... but here - can range anywhere from $145-250. We were shocked! Then figured it out, there are less customers for the number of power poles, lines, etc to deliver electricity here. (Seriously considering solar!)

We don't live on Hillview water. But the county making a water district is a good thing. And if the Uranium levels are high, unsafe, I would think they will be forced in the future to drill new wells. They will be held to safe water standards like any other water municipality.

But I agree, not being able to drink the water in the summer due to uranium, that you are paying for, would drive me nuts. And not to be able to water outside, or use my dishwasher? But I remember drought years down south and we could only water on certain days too.

Do they issue notices stating the uranium was at unsafe levels? (Don't the restaurants in town just go on serving water from Hillview with no signage or warnings - I've never seen one - I know some restaurants are on wells, but not all?)

California has higher standards than states back east. Supposedly there are actually other states normal water systems deliverying higher uranium parts-per-million and its not an issue there. But in California, we're more conservative and view it differently.

And yup! A well can be expensive too.

We just drilled deeper in ours due to losing water last summer... we were down to 1/8 a gallon a minute. To the tune of thousands of dollars to drill and no guarantee you'd hit a fracture with water! Its about $15 a foot to drill (and sometimes you may go down 400, 500 or even 1,000 feet) + set up fees and then on top your pump fees ($500-10,000) depending on how much water you hit, how deep, and the static line.) And your electricity bill is a bit higher, because you pump/pressure your water up.

Either way - I feel you will pay!

[Yosemite Joy]

Yep, they give out pretty notices. And yes, I believe many of the restaurants keep serving the water.

[Yosemite_Wolf]

Sheesh.. And they say YLP has expensive water! $85-95 a month is way more than YLP. We get our bill quarterly, and my bill has never been more than 300 dollars.

[Newcomer]

bill has never been more than 300 dollars.

Hey YW - doesn't 300 divided by 3 = $100 a month?

Our water bill in YLP ran about $200 for the quarter... $66 a month

[Yosemite_Wolf]

yeah.. but my usual bill is 200 or so. never 300

[dessertros874]

Wow, can't believe how far back this issue goes. And still it goes on, unsolved. The notices still come out every summer that the levels for uranium, etc. are above acceptable state levels, but "the water can still be safely consumed".rolleyes: (BUT, "if you have concerns, consult with your doctor"). I've only been here a couple of years. The water is still nasty as far as I can see, sometimes has weird smells to it or is brownish. I won't cook with it or drink it, I use bottled water. The county never took them over and Hillview hasn't done a heck of a lot about it's wells (restricted watering for users on their system started again, 3 days a week, on May 25th). I expect before summer is over, it'll be watering outside 1 day a week, if that. Does ANYONE drink this water??????? If not, what do you do for cooking/drinking water? What about for your pets? Has anyone heard anything significant about any planned improvements?

[BooBooBear]

Wow, can't believe how far back this issue goes. And still it goes on, unsolved. The notices still come out every summer that the levels for uranium, etc. are above acceptable state levels, but "the water can still be safely consumed".rolleyes: (BUT, "if you have concerns, consult with your doctor"). I've only been here a couple of years. The water is still nasty as far as I can see, sometimes has weird smells to it or is brownish. I won't cook with it or drink it, I use bottled water. The county never took them over and Hillview hasn't done a heck of a lot about it's wells (restricted watering for users on their system started again, 3 days a week, on May 25th). I expect before summer is over, it'll be watering outside 1 day a week, if that. Does ANYONE drink this water??????? If not, what do you do for cooking/drinking water? What about for your pets? Has anyone heard anything significant about any planned improvements?

If I had to deal with Hillview as my only source of water I'd be getting bottled water too! I'm not sure how I'd handle showering cause I sure wouldn't want to be bathing in it either. As for Pets..no way would I allow them to drink that crap either. When I dine in oakhurst and I ask for water I also always ask...is it Hillview..if they say yes, I pass on the water..I don't care if they say they have a filter or not...you can only filter out so much crap.

[oakhurstleaf]

*Take note of the article's final paragraph... With regard to now (summer 2009), the water must be a lot better for most Hillview customers...I don't know where you live desertros, but we aren't getting any brown water and we did not get any warnings or restrictions from Hillview this year (business in north end of town and residence in Hillview Estates). I don't know if Sierra Lakes subdivision is still having water problems. Broadview Terrace, as we've discussed here, still is but they are not on the Hillview system.

[May 08, 2008]


Hillview Water Co. imposes water restrictions

(Sierra Star Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 6--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.

To see more of the Sierra Star or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sierrastar.com.
Copyright (c) 2008, Sierra Star, Oakhurst, Calif.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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[dessertros874]

I live over by Deadwood Oakhurstleaf. I got the warning about the uranium and arsenic just before the "watering days" notice came out. In fact, I get that warning that the levels of arsenic and uranium exceed state levels twice a year, guess that's when they test. Seems to me that they could have done something in the past 5 years to correct that, or something. I always get a "funny feeling" when they go on about the water is safe for consumption, but then give the warning part in the notice about checking with your doctor.:eek: It's like, which is it. Also, have had my water pipes checked when the water has the brown tinge, and it's not my pipes, it's the Hillview water. I no longer buy white clothes because it is almost impossible to keep them from getting dingy and there are definitely times when my laundry coming out of the washer smells "funny" from the water. I even give my pets bottled water, figure if I won't drink it, shouldn't expect them to. I can kinda/sorta understand the watering schedule, however every summer since I have lived here, I have gotten the notice during the summer that cuts the days down even more because a well fails. (Although my FAVORITE notice was the one from the sheriff telling us when we could and couldn't flush our toilets rolleyes:). Just doesn't seem to get any better, but the price sure doesn't go down either.

[oakhurstleaf]

Dessertros, I sure hope the water gets better for you...i wonder how much progress Hillview has made this year according to last year's projections and did those grants come?

When we first moved here almost 5 yrs ago, we got a rental in Goldside (3 miles from town off Hwy 49). Goldside is on a Hillview-owned/operated well system and we got notices on summer conservation/restrictions, but nothing about water safety or lack of it. In other words...safe to consume. But what I found most disturbing is the occasional brown water. Hillview told us they were flushing the pipes and the brown was sediment...only lasting about 4-6 hours. When we first moved in, I attempted to draw a bath for my son and it looked like strong iced tea! Stopped that real quick. Thank god I didn't throw a load in the washer. We had no knowledge or warning of this...there was no wriiten notice of a planned "flushing" and there wouldn't be in future planned brown water days (seemed to be an annual thing). At least it didn't last...but what an inconvenience. Never experienced anything like this before when we lived in OC suburbia.

[monkey]

When I managed the Comfort Inn, 10 years ago, I had to post notices on the front door and at the front desk stating the uranium levels were high, but "safe to drink"
When I purchased my first house here, I made damn certain it was not on the Hillview system, and had the well tested during escrow.

[asimi7]

Does anyone know how the water in Coarsegold/YLP compares to Oakhurst? Is the Uranium and Arsenic a problem there as well? Has Coarsegold/YLP ever gotten "notices?"

[dessertros874]

Dessertros, I sure hope the water gets better for you...i wonder how much progress Hillview has made this year according to last year's projections and did those grants come?

When we first moved here almost 5 yrs ago, we got a rental in Goldside (3 miles from town off Hwy 49). Goldside is on a Hillview-owned/operated well system and we got notices on summer conservation/restrictions, but nothing about water safety or lack of it. In other words...safe to consume. But what I found most disturbing is the occasional brown water. Hillview told us they were flushing the pipes and the brown was sediment...only lasting about 4-6 hours. When we first moved in, I attempted to draw a bath for my son and it looked like strong iced tea! Stopped that real quick. Thank god I didn't throw a load in the washer. We had no knowledge or warning of this...there was no wriiten notice of a planned "flushing" and there wouldn't be in future planned brown water days (seemed to be an annual thing). At least it didn't last...but what an inconvenience. Never experienced anything like this before when we lived in OC suburbia.

I guess that's why I get frustrated, no warnings about the brown water, no apparent progress on any of the problems that I can see. Somehow being told the levels exceed state standards but "oh by the way, it's safe to drink" just doesn't fly for me. I thought state standard levels were what indicated "safe to drink"!!!!!! As my daughter said one day "I'm not drinking that water then having my pee glow in the middle of the night!"

[dessertros874]

When I managed the Comfort Inn, 10 years ago, I had to post notices on the front door and at the front desk stating the uranium levels were high, but "safe to drink"
When I purchased my first house here, I made damn certain it was not on the Hillview system, and had the well tested during escrow.

The notices still say they should be posted in public places, etc., but you rarely see them where anyone should be able to see them. I've always wondered, where does the water in those big water bottle dispensers like at Raley's come from, if not the Hillview system? And remember when Jack in the Box sodas tasted so bad? Hillview water!