Once again you deliver complex information in a concise and objective manner. It is a breath of fresh air. I continue to be grateful for the actual journalism that you present.
Answer from Dante: “ Well 6 was offline from October 2022 to August 2024 for a major mechanical upgrade which included pump, motor and piping replacement upgrades. We weren't trying to hide anything. We were actually making improvements.”
I have passed your question along to Dante Del Prete, and I'll let you know what he says. Well 6 is the one that is high in arsenic, but its water is treated, before it reaches consumers, by dilution with water from wells in Zone 1.
As always - thank you so much for your thorough and informative reporting. We are so lucky to be the recipients of your excellent work that helps reveal our community and its workings to us, in so many ways!
One small editor's note (I'm both an editor and on the board of my local private water company here at the south edge of town) - Aquifer is spelled with an "i". (Although I can see how one could think it would be spelled with an "a", given the words "aqua" and "agua"! :)
Laura, Thank you for continuing to follow the Sebastopol Water and Sewer information. How come the billing problems from the June/July bills were not addressed? How come the $13,000 the City overcharged customers was not addressed? What would it take for citizens to get regular updates from the City regarding our Water and Sewer finances, infrastructure condition, infrastructure funding and water quality? In essence, the City of the Sebastopol is running a water district. Citizens/ratepayers are entitled to transparency on finances and infrastructure. For decades, the City was negligent in its duties which is why we're in such bad shape now and have such high water and sewer prices despite sitting on a very healthy aquifer. For instance, the City sells water to commercial vendors. How much does the Water Enterprise Fund make from these sales? How much is sold on a monthly basis? With the new water rates, when can ratepayers expect Well 4 to be replaced? It's time for the City to maintain a separate website for the Water and Sewer enterprise fund and Water and Sewer capital projects. It's time for a Ratepayer committee to advocate for financial and infrastructure oversight on behalf ratepayers. Ratepayers need advocates who oversee and regularly audit the finances of the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds, which are completely separate from the General Fund, and to make sure money is spent on infrastructure in a timely manner.
All good questions. I believe they were covered in the Q&A to the presentation, which I didn’t cover but now see that I should have. A Follow-up is in order. Oddly, I think the audio on the city site malfunctions towards the end of the presentation. But I believe I have a recording of it.
Not just transparency - sweetwatersprings dedicated board provide oversight that ensures the finances are in good standing and the projects underway to maintain and improve the system are on schedule and on budget.
thank you so much for this informative article
Once again you deliver complex information in a concise and objective manner. It is a breath of fresh air. I continue to be grateful for the actual journalism that you present.
Why did the Consumer Confidence Report for 2023 not include the samples from the problematic well 6?
Answer from Dante: “ Well 6 was offline from October 2022 to August 2024 for a major mechanical upgrade which included pump, motor and piping replacement upgrades. We weren't trying to hide anything. We were actually making improvements.”
I have passed your question along to Dante Del Prete, and I'll let you know what he says. Well 6 is the one that is high in arsenic, but its water is treated, before it reaches consumers, by dilution with water from wells in Zone 1.
Excellent!
As always - thank you so much for your thorough and informative reporting. We are so lucky to be the recipients of your excellent work that helps reveal our community and its workings to us, in so many ways!
One small editor's note (I'm both an editor and on the board of my local private water company here at the south edge of town) - Aquifer is spelled with an "i". (Although I can see how one could think it would be spelled with an "a", given the words "aqua" and "agua"! :)
Thanks for the heads up!
Laura, Thank you for continuing to follow the Sebastopol Water and Sewer information. How come the billing problems from the June/July bills were not addressed? How come the $13,000 the City overcharged customers was not addressed? What would it take for citizens to get regular updates from the City regarding our Water and Sewer finances, infrastructure condition, infrastructure funding and water quality? In essence, the City of the Sebastopol is running a water district. Citizens/ratepayers are entitled to transparency on finances and infrastructure. For decades, the City was negligent in its duties which is why we're in such bad shape now and have such high water and sewer prices despite sitting on a very healthy aquifer. For instance, the City sells water to commercial vendors. How much does the Water Enterprise Fund make from these sales? How much is sold on a monthly basis? With the new water rates, when can ratepayers expect Well 4 to be replaced? It's time for the City to maintain a separate website for the Water and Sewer enterprise fund and Water and Sewer capital projects. It's time for a Ratepayer committee to advocate for financial and infrastructure oversight on behalf ratepayers. Ratepayers need advocates who oversee and regularly audit the finances of the Water and Sewer Enterprise Funds, which are completely separate from the General Fund, and to make sure money is spent on infrastructure in a timely manner.
All good questions. I believe they were covered in the Q&A to the presentation, which I didn’t cover but now see that I should have. A Follow-up is in order. Oddly, I think the audio on the city site malfunctions towards the end of the presentation. But I believe I have a recording of it.
Thank you! Here's an example of a local water district and the type of transparency they provide to consumers/ ratepayers.
https://www.sweetwatersprings.com
Not just transparency - sweetwatersprings dedicated board provide oversight that ensures the finances are in good standing and the projects underway to maintain and improve the system are on schedule and on budget.