Spring 2005
Storm Damage to Sewer System Will Approach $8 Million
District Projects Sewer Rate Increase
Awards Reflect District's Commitment to Protecting the Environment
New "FOG" Program Aids in Prevention of Grease-Caused Sewer Spills
Closure of Honor Farm Has Revenue Impact on District
Illegal Sewer Connections Cost All of Us
Free
Biosolids
Storm Damage to Sewer System Will Approach $8 Million
Torrential rains that pounded the Ojai Valley in January—inundating many homes, closing roads and eroding away a portion of Highway 33—also took a toll on the Ojai Valley Sanitary District system. The storm washed out a portion of the OVSD sewer line along the San Antonio Creek at the end of Old Creek Road and threatened the sewer line at the Ventura River.
Total costs by the time permanent repairs are completed, will approach $8 million, District officials report. FEMA will pay a substantial—but as yet unknown—percentage of the cost, with the rest coming from District reserves, which have been accumulating over the years to cope with such emergencies.
The 2004-2005 season brought near-record rains to the Ojai Valley. According to the Ventura County Watershed Protection District, the January storm in the Ojai Valley was a 25-year event in intensity. The flow of storm water in San Antonio Creek was in the range of a 50-year event.
“Overall, our crew had the system prepared for the rains and it performed well despite the break,” said Ron Sheets, OVSD Operations Superinten-dent. “It was just the extraordinary magnitude of the storms that caused the damage.”
The line washed out on January 10th, when a particularly intense storm cell swept through the Valley, turning the San Antonio Creek into a raging torrent. The rain-swollen creek changed direction, jumped the bank, ripped across a rancher’s field and washed out the unprotected sewer pipe. This caused raw sewage to spill into the creek.
District officials immediately swung into action to deal with the emergency. They engaged a Santa Paula firm, which specializes in supplying and installing pumps, piping and tanks, and work began.
In just eight days, crews had installed an emergency pump station and a 7,000-plus-foot pipeline, bypassing the pipe break. The bypass ran along Creek Road and down Highway 33, then reconnected to the existing line near the bridge at the bottom of the Arnaz grade.
“I think we did very well to get this job done in eight days under difficult circumstances,” said Sheets. “The emergency brought out the best in our District staff and the work crews. There was excellent cooperation among the local, city, county and state agencies involved.”
While the temporary bypass was in operation, crews built a temporary gravity line back through the area that was washed out, bypassing the damaged portion of the original line. The initial emergency bypass has now been taken out of service and removed, and the temporary gravity line is now functioning normally. However, this is only a temporary solution.
During the storms, there were other threats to the system. In three locations, along San Antonio Creek, Canada Larga Creek and the Ventura River, the swirling waters eroded away portions of the river banks.
The sewer line adjacent to the Ventura River near Foster Park, which was previously well over 100 feet away from the bank is now right at the bank and exposed. To prevent continued erosion and possible damage from future storms, the District in effect built a levee by placing huge “rip-rap” boulders in that spot, to protect the pipe. Similar measures were taken along the eroded locations in the Canada Larga and San Antonio Creeks.
Permanent repairs and replacement are still needed. The plan is to build a new siphon line underground, similar to the one that the District recently completed at the Ventura River and Highway 150 (Baldwin Road). This proposed siphon line will cross the creek in such a way that it will not be subject to storm damage. It is estimated that the new siphon—a major portion of the $8 million storm-related cost figure—can be completed within a year.
District Projects Sewer Rate Increase
Due to a variety of factors, Ojai Valley Sanitary District officials have projected a rate increase to customers for the new fiscal year.
They cited several factors as significant causes of the rate increase, including rising operational and maintenance costs, storm damage, expanded regulatory mandates, loss of Honor Farm revenue (see page 3) and the loss of property tax revenue to the State of California.
District officials also point out that unlike many sanitary districts where large scale residential development occurs regularly and more customers are coming on line all the time to spread out the costs, the Ojai Valley is relatively static. There is little population growth and thus current ratepayers share the increasing expenses of operating the Sanitary District.
Awards Reflect District's Commitment to Protecting the Environment
John K. Correa, P.E., General Manager of the Ojai Valley Sanitary District, has been honored as Civil Engineer of the Year, 2005, in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties by the regional chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers (A.S.C.E.). He also received a Construct-ion Management Award from the California Chapter of
the Construction Manage-ment Association of America (C.M.A.A).
Both awards recognized his leadership in the construction and completion, on time and on budget, of the Ventura River Siphon Project. The siphon was designed to protect the river’s sensitive ecological balance from being damaged by potential sewer leakage.
“I am honored, of course, to receive these awards,” said Correa. “But they are not just about me. The awards honor our entire district staff and recognize their skills, dedication and teamwork. We’re proud to say that this is an award-winning District.”
Correa noted that the District has received awards for Small Sewage Treatment Plant of the Year from the California Water Environment Association twice in the last five years.
“Most of all, these awards reflect the commitment shared by all of us at the Ojai Valley Sanitary District to protecting the environment,” he said.
New "FOG" Program Aids in Prevention of Grease-Caused Sewer Spills
When grease from homes and businesses is poured down the drain, it hardens and builds up in the pipe, narrowing and eventually clogging it up. This in turn may cause a sewage backup into homes or businesses or spills into our environment. Restaurants are a key source of fats, oils and greases, which the EPA has identified as major causes of sewage spills.
For restaurants, the Ojai Valley Sanitary District has launched a new Fats, Oils and Greases (FOG) Program as a part of its pretreatment efforts. The OVSD Program will emphasize education of local restaurant management and personnel—showing them the ways in which prevention can benefit them at the same time they are protecting the environment.
The FOG Program’s key elements include:
- Education on Best Management Practices, such as pouring grease into containers for disposal, and wiping down pots and pans before they are washed.
- Issuing permits to implement Best Management Practices (BMP) and regular maintenance of installed grease removal devices designed to reduce the amount of grease entering the sewage system.
- Inspections of grease handling and disposal practices, grease traps and grease interceptors (large underground receptacles that some restaurants have). The inspections are designed to ensure the devices are being maintained and cleaned properly. The District routinely conducts video inspections of their own sewer lines that reveal the condition of restaurants’ lateral lines (pipelines between the building and the Sanitary District sewer pipe).
The District will require restaurants to install appropriate grease collection devices such as traps or interceptors if the BMP’s are found to be inadequate in keeping grease out of the sewer system.
District officials point out that discharging grease down the drain clogs the restaurant’s own lateral. The restaurant then incurs the expense of calling in a plumber, who usually unclogs the line, but does not remove all of the grease deposit. The District is also concerned that the built-up grease will be shoved down through the lateral to the District pipeline, where it may cause another clog. The lateral itself soon clogs up again, and the restaurant has to call the plumber again, increasing their costs.
“We want to show the restaurant owners that prevention is in their best interest,” said Ron Sheets, OVSD Operations Superintendent. “It reduces lateral backups and may save them money in the long run.”
For further information about the FOG Program, call 646-5548.
Closure of Honor Farm Has Revenue Impact on District
After the County closed the Honor Farm on Highway 150, sewer service was no longer needed for the facility, causing a significant loss of revenue for the Ojai Valley Sanitary District.
Previously, the Honor Farm—with its inmate facilities, large laundry and farming operation—had a sewer capacity equal to 448 homes. The rate per home is approximately $400 per year, so the loss of revenue to the District is about $178,000 annually from the closure of the Honor Farm.
OVSD officials said this cessation of service is one factor in this year’s rate increase affecting all customers. (See cover story on rate increase.)
Illegal Sewer Connections Cost All of Us
Unfortunately many properties throughout the Ojai Valley have illegal sewer connections. Because these property owners are not paying their service fees, all the rest of the Ojai Valley Sanitary District customers are subsidizing them.
These can include structures which have been converted into a separate residence such as garages, pool houses and other structures at the rear of the property.
The property owner pays for only one sewer connection to the main house, when that person should be paying for the connection and service fees for the second residence as well.
The actual number of illegal sewer connections is unknown at this time, according to John K. Correa, OVSD General Manager. “There are perhaps hundreds of them,” he estimates. “There are people out there who are not paying their fair share. The District is investigating this. You, as an OVSD customer, have a stake in this. If you are aware of any situations that should be checked, please contact us at 646-5548.”
Mission
Statement | About | Board
of Directors | Services | Newsletter | District
Divisions
Treatment
Plant | Agenda & Minutes | Budget | Rates | Contact
Us | Links | Home