Forestville Water District*

between their facility and FWD's in order to provide frost protection to vineyards near Forestville. The dissolution agreement with the SCWA called for a $25,000 per use fee to be charged to both the FWD and GCSD, but at no time was the FWD charged the fee. In May 2009 the SCWA requested that the agreement be amended to waive past fees and institute a fee based on volumetric use and not to exceed a combined fee of $25,000." FWD RESPONSE TO F-8: The implication of F-8 is that Graton gets charged the $25,000 fee and FWD does not. This is inaccurate. Either District will get charged whenever it uses the pipeline for its primary purposes. GCSD was charged the $25,000 fee on the occasion in question because it required use in an incident where it needed frost protection for one of its vineyard customers. GCSD was unable to use its own water because it had run out of chlorine and had to hold the water, 2009-2010 Responses to Grand Jury Report July 21, 2010 Staff of the GCSD called the General Manger of the FWD (George Roberts) and asked if FWD would supply treated water. Mr. Roberts stated that FWD could supply the frost protection, but there was a $25,000 fee, collected by SCWA, to open the valve between the two systems. Mr. Roberts told the GCSD staff they needed to contact Randy Cullen at SCWA to arrange for the valve to be opened. Randy Cullen (SCWA) later told Mr. Roberts that the GCSD staff had agreed to pay the $25,000 fee and he (Mr. Cullen) had the valve opened. FWD then supplied frost protection water to the GCSD customer, as well as FWD customers. The FWD has never been charged the $25,000 fee by the SCWA because it has never had to use the pipeline to meet its customers' demands. Instead, it has used the pipeline, but only to meet the water conservation goals of the SCWA and the general public. The pipeline has been used to ship water from Graton to FWD for treatment, and then to irrigate and provide frost protection of FWD customers. Normally, FWD would use its allotment of potable water for these purposes, but because of drought conditions, it agreed to the SCWA's requests to treat Graton water for these purposes instead. Neither FWD nor GCSD were charged the $25,000 fee for those instances when FWD was using the pipeline. FWD incurs a cost in treating that effluent, and it did not get reimbursed. The GCSD benefited from such uses because it was not charged for the added cost that FWD incurred in treating to tertiary standards; additionally, GCSD was able to get rid of water without discharging it into streams. The public and the SCWA benefits from such use because water is conserved for the region. Neither District was and is charged for such use of the pipeline by the SCWA. This is an example of how cooperation between the local agencies serves the public. Dated: 7/29/10 Submitted by: Yo over (Colorts, General Manager . . ORESTVI P.O. Box 261 Forestville, California 95436-0261 Phone (707) 887-1551 Fax (707) 887-1552 [email protected] ATER DI2 July 28, 2010 CERTIFIED MAIL: 7008-1830-0002-5305-1690 Board of Directors Graton Community Services District P. O. Box 534 Graton, CA 95444 Request for Joint Board Meeting RE: Dear Graton Board of Directors, It has been suggested in the Sonoma County Grand Jury for 2009-2010 by Recommendation R-6: "Serious consideration should be given to a joint venture with FWD!" Therefore, the Board of Directors for the Forestville Water District would like to extend an invitation to the Board of Directors for the Graton Community Services District to schedule a Joint Board Meeting to start discussing options for how our two agencies can share resources and services. Some of the following are potential benefits to a Joint Venture: POTENTIAL COST SAVINGS FROM... Sharing Staff a.) - One General Manager for both agencies - Cross-trained Operators - Office Personnel: one Office Manager Possible lower/stabilized sewer rates for all customers by creating a larger customer base. b.) Less Capital Outlay by sharing Treatment Facilities and existing pipeline(s). c.) Sharing Reclaimed Water: long term goal is to get rid of excess water without having to d.) discharge (lessening chances for violations and fines when discharging). The Forestville Water District would like to start receiving all Board Meeting Agendas for Graton Community Services District meetings. FWD would be happy to reciprocate should Graton be interested in receiving all Board Meeting Agendas from FWD. Agendas can be either e-mailed, faxed or mailed in enough time for any interested Director or Staff member to attend these meetings. 8/5/10- www.sonomacountygazette.com - 31 Meanwhile Graton. By Hollynn D'Lil [email protected] (707) 829 9440 the tree treatment would work. It had to Potluck in the Community Garden have been well researched and thought Traditional Graton Friday night out, I thought. potluckers shared dishes and tomato Not so, evidently. Turns out the growing tips in the Graton Community designers didn't take into account a Garden, a new community effort layer of clay that redwood rc-ots can't thriving these days in the lot behind penetrate, a conclusion of the Grand Underwood's Restaurant. Headed up by Jury. The Grand Jury report states that Jane Kurtz, the garden was seeded by taxpayers via the Graton Co.nmunity Graton Projects. John Rohel, President of Service District and FEMA paid a local Graton Projects, says, "The Community engineering firm $1.5 million in the last Garden is the most positive thing that five years for advice on the redwood I have seen happen while I have lived treatment, other designs, and flood relief. here. Growing veggies is just plain The problem is that the 652 ratepayers fun and the wide assortment of people have seen their rates increase from $826 who 'farm' are fun to be around and annually in 2004 to $1,359 in 2009. Oops! they seem to like being there too. We The report leans heavily on a really are communing with each other. recommendation that the Graton Service Jane Kurtz has created a community District consolidate with other districts gathering place by sheer will and muscle for sewer treatment. Either that, they power." say, or come up with $7 million for a Attending the garden potluck traditional tertiary treatment plant. were Steve Sheldon, and Orrin and Graton residents in the past have Terry Thiessen. Steve is allowing the expressed a desire to retain local community use of the land for a few control over sewer treatment, which years until he commences with his plans keeps Graton water in Graton rather to build housing there. Orrin and Terry than having it pumped to other parts are providing the use of the well water of the county. Is there an agenda to for irrigation. Jane Kurtz (see Sarah get recycled Graton water available for Alexandra's photograph below), said development of drier parts of the county? the community is very appreciative of Can we salvage the tree treatment? the support of the local developers. It's a Would it help to add trees with strong project she's been wanting to see happen tap roots that would puncture the clay for years since a previous garden in the layer? On the other hand, shouldn't we same location transformed the property have more to show for the increasing in the early '90s. For more information amounts of money expended by the and to participate, call Jane at 823-7550. district on consulting fees and operating costs? We should have a report from Grand Jury's Report on the Sewer the GCSD responding to the issues and When I moved to Graton in 2004, my city concerns delineated by the Grand Jury in friends asked why i would want to move September. to such a small town as Graton. I liked Gunshot Kitty Recovering to joke that it was because we have such a great sewer! The newly formed Graton Sue Miller's kitty, Skeeter, is recovering Community Service District (GCSD) from her gunshot wound, inflicted by an had developed an environmentally unknown assailant. Thanks to Betty Ann friendly tertiary treatment by pumping Sutton, owner of Mr. Ryder's Antiques, the secondary-treated water under a more than $700 has been raised for the 20-acre plot of redwoods trees. I, like kitty's medical expenses. Though her leg so many others in the area, trusted that has to be amputated, Skeeter can know that in spite of one person's insanity, she has a community to lean on. More People To Thank A few more people to thank for their contributions to the "Party for a Park!" fund-raiser last spring are Susan Nestor who provided face painting, Catherine Sagan who provided a booth with wares from Guatemala and Auric Blends which also provided a booth. Thank you for helping with our park! cc: Ay Bd Mtg. August 10, 2010 The following items have been mailed from the Forestville Water District (FWD) to the names & addresses below: FWD Responses to 2009-2010 Sonoma County Civi! Grant Jury Final Report A.) FWD Certified Letter to Graton CSD Board of Directors B.) Article from the 8/5/10 issue of the Sonoma County Gazette "Meanwhile in Graton" C.) by HolLynn D'Lil Superior Court, State of California 2.) .) ATTN: Gary Nadler, Presiding Judge P. O. Box 5109 600 Administration Drive Santa Rosa, CA 95402 Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Sonom: County Administrator 4.) Sonoma County Board of Supervisors 3.) ATTN: Veronica Ferguson -575 Administration Drive, Room 100-A 575 Administration Drive, Room 104-A Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Santa Rosa, CA 95403 Graton CSD Director John Roehl 6.) Graton Community Services District 5.) P. O. Box 365 Board of Directors Graton, CA 95444-0365 P. O. Box 534 Graton, CA 95444-0534 Graton CSD Director Rolan Wiebe 8.) Graton CSD Director Jane Eagle 7.) 2601 South Edison 510 South Edison Graton, CA 95444 Graton, CA 95444 Graton CSD Director David Jeppesen 10.) Graton CSD Director Judith Christensen 9.) P. O. Box 308 2882 South Edison Graton, CA 95444-0608 Graton, CA 95444 -- James Smith, Chair of Board Forestville Water District Board of Directors 11.) - Claudia McDermott, Vice-Chair P. O. Box 261 -- Steven Bandettini, Director Forestville, CA 95436-0261 -- Richard Benyo, Director -- Edmund Brush, Director Malcolm Manwell, Legal Counsel for FWD 12.) Perry Law Offices P. O. Box 1028 Santa Rosa, CA 95402 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .