Almanor Recreation and Park District - calafco

PLUMAS LAFCO
MUNICIPAL SERVICE REVIEW FOR LAKE ALMANOR REGION OF PLUMAS COUNTY
Wastewater treatment providers are required to comply with effluent quality standards
under the waste discharge requirements determined by RWQCB. All wastewater providers
in the Lake Almanor region were in compliance with requirements on all days in 2011.
Wastewater agencies are required to report sewer system overflows (SSOs) to SWRCB.
Overflows reflect the capacity and condition of collection system piping and the
effectiveness of routine maintenance. The sewer overflow rate is calculated as the number
of overflows per 100 miles of collection piping. Of the agencies reviewed, only Chester PUD
reported a sewer system overflow during the period from 2009 thru 2011, which equates
to 9 overflows per 100 miles of collection mains.
There are several measures of integrity of the wastewater collection system, including
peaking factors, efforts to address infiltration and inflow (I/I), and inspection practices.
The peaking factor is the ratio of peak day wet weather flows to average dry weather flows.
The peaking factor is an indicator of the degree to which the system suffers from I/I, where
rainwater enters the sewer system through cracks, manholes or other means. Chester PUD
has a peaking factor of 2.3, which by industry standards is moderate; however, the
District’s high tourist population during the summer makes it challenging to calculate a
peaking factor that is indicative of the true amount of I/I that is entering the system. Based
on the Chester PUD’s struggle with compliance and consistent operation under cease and
desist orders, it is apparent that the District faces a high volume of I/I. Chester PUD's
solution, only partly implemented to date, is to replace the entire sewage collection system.
There are no plans at this time for when this is likely to occur. To date, about 15 percent of
the collection system has been replaced. In the case of WACSD, the amount of I/I is
unknown, as the system is self‐contained and flow into the leach field is not tracked during
dry and wet periods. Due to the young age of the system, it is assumed that there is
relatively low I/I. Similar to Chester PUD, WRCSD experiences high demand during the
summer, which makes it challenging to assess the true amount of I/I; however, WRCSD
reported that the part of the system that is underground is pressurized, and consequently,
is not susceptible to I/I, but the sand filter, which is not covered, is susceptible to
infiltration due to a limited degree of atmospheric precipitation.
Rates
Compared with other municipal services, there are relatively few financing constraints
for wastewater enterprises. Generally, agencies may establish service charges on a cost‐ofservice
basis. In the past, wastewater providers have not been required to obtain voter
approval for rate increases or restructuring however, based on recent court findings,
wastewater providers have been required to complete a Proposition 218 voter protest
process when updating rates. The boards of each of the public sector wastewater
providers are responsible for establishing service charges. Service charges are restricted to
the amount needed to recover the costs of providing wastewater service. The wastewater
rates and rate structures are not subject to regulation by other agencies. Service providers
can and often do increase rates annually.
MSR AREA
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