Spring 2004
Ventura River Siphon Project Nears Completion
OVSD Manager John Correa, Wins District Manager of the Year
Award
Sewer Rate Increase Likely—Many Factors Cited
Pretreatment is More Than an Ounce of Prevention
District’s Efforts Have Greatly Reduced Infiltration
and Inflow
Free
Biosolids
Ventura River Siphon Project Nears Completion
The Meiners Oaks sewer trunk line that crosses the Ventura River just north of Highway 150 is being replaced. The highly vulnerable line is being replaced with a new siphon line that runs far beneath the river bottom. Using a technique called horizontal directional drilling (HDD), the new line was installed nearly two hundred feet below the river bottom, so that it can maintain its integrity, regardless of long-term erosion or intense river flows, ultimately protecting the river’s ecological balance from being damaged by potential sewer leakage.
Installed in the 1960s, the old line was an 18-inch diameter pipe that routinely failed and required repair by the Ojai Valley Sanitary District (OVSD) with every powerful storm, resulting in degradation to the environment. Since the Ventura River was designated as a critical habitat for the endangered steelhead trout, the OVSD made the decision to construct the best long-term solution possible and to proceed as quickly as possible. By using the HDD process, work directly “in” the river was avoided, since this method went “below” the river and the majority of work was completed in six months without impacting critical habitat.
In addition to protecting the river’s ecology, the new line continues the use of gravity instead of the more expensive alternative of pumping. OVSD General Manager, John Correa, said, “This is one of the longest and largest diameter lines of this kind anywhere. There are longer lines that aren’t as wide and wider lines that aren’t as long as ours. This is a real engineering feat.” The main pipeline is a 30-inch steel casing. Inside are smaller sewer lines, made of heavy duty plastic, which are ten and twelve inches in diameter. These new sewer lines travel 3,400 feet connecting up with the rest of the system, transporting sewage far enough below the river bottom so as to completely eliminate any risk to the river whatsoever.
Correa sums up the District’s stance by saying: “This is a wonderful project, it is both the least expensive option and the best solution for long-term elimination of risk. In the long run, it made the most sense for the OVSD and for the environment.”
OVSD Manager John Correa, Wins District Manager of the Year Award
In March, OVSD General Manager, John Correa, was presented with the Manager of the Year Award for 2003 from the Ventura County Special Districts Association (VCSDA). Correa was selected from a field of more than a dozen highly-qualified managers, according to VCSDA Awards Committee Chairman, Jack Curtis. “Our Board felt that John Correa was the best candidate for this year’s award for many reasons, including the successful completion of recent projects like the Ventura Siphon Project and Ojai’s Infiltration and Inflow Program,” Curtis said.
Correa has been with the Ojai Valley Sanitary District for the past four years, and is a leader who pays particular attention to creating a positive work-place atmosphere for his staff. “I like keeping communication channels open and morale high,” said Correa.
Sewer Rate Increase Likely—Many Factors Cited
Funds from property taxes currently represent close to 7% of the Ojai Valley Sanitary District’s annual budget; however, given the circumstances surrounding the State of California’s budget crisis, this is likely to change. In fact, legislative analysts propose that the State reallocate the amount of property tax currently given to Enterprise Special Districts like the OVSD in order to balance the State’s own budget.
In addition to this development at the state level, the OVSD is facing significant changes to its revenue structure at a local level as well. Primarily, the increased cost of regulatory compliance, operational costs, and a significant increase in workers’ compensation insurance all add up to a much higher cost of doing business. The rate increase implemented by the OVSD last year was only enough to stabilize and maintain the operation, and not enough to compensate for these additional cost increases.
To compensate for this loss of revenue, the OVSD will be forced to consider another, more significant rate increase for the coming fiscal year. OVSD General Manager, John Correa, said: “We wish this rate increase could be avoided but the State’s decision to take property tax revenue, along with much higher insurance and other costs, forces us to raise our rates.”
Pretreatment is More Than an Ounce of Prevention
Putting grease down your drain can result in costly plumbing repair bills and unhealthy living conditions. Grease can lead to even bigger problems after it leaves your property, causing sewage to back up and overflow onto the street, polluting our river, ocean and streams. Grease can cause your neighbor’s plumbing to back up as well. So, to be a good neighbor and to help prevent damage to our environment, please remember to:
- Scrape grease from plates, pots and pans, utensils and grills and place in the trash...
- Store animal fats in a can and put all fat, oil and grease discards in a trash container—don't pour them down the sink, garbage disposal or toilet...
- Be cautious of chemicals or additives that claim to dissolve grease—these are often not effective...
To arrange an appointment to properly dispose of other household hazardous materials, including paint, oil, anti-freeze, and pool chemicals, please call the County of Ventura’s Pollution Prevention Center at (805) 289-3339.
District’s Efforts Have Greatly Reduced Infiltration and Inflow
The extensive efforts put forth over the past two years by the OVSD to reduce the amount of infiltration and inflow (I & I) into the sewer system, have proven successful. As a result of our most recent storm, which dropped more than four inches of rain in less than twelve hours, the treatment plant managed peak flows without the system being overwhelmed.
Ronald Sheets, Operations Superintendent, commented on the situation, “This last rain storm really helped prove that our efforts have been effective. We were able to handle the peak flow of 12.6 million gallons of wastewater per day (mgd) without significant problems; that’s nearly three times our normal peak flow. Now that the most significant I & I problems have been solved, we can begin to isolate the remaining problem areas and deal with those head on.”
In 2002, the OVSD began tackling the I & I problem by video inspecting each of the sewer lines in their system to determine places where water was getting into the system, either through leaky pipes or from storm drains or other sources. Once those problems areas were determined and repaired, OVSD crews continued to improve the situation by corking (or foaming) the holes in their manhole covers closed and adding new lid liners under the manholes. Mark Chauvel, Collection System Supervising Operator said, “We corked or foamed about ninety-seven percent of our 2,215 manholes this year to reduce inflow from the outside.”
Starting June 1st, 2004
All OVSD compost meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s "Class A, Exceptional Quality" standards for biosolids.
Bring your own bag, or a pick up a truckload at the District's Wastewater Treatment Plant located at 6363 N. Ventura Avenue, while supplies last.
Call (805) 648-5066 between the hours of 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to ensure compost availablitly.
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