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Lanier community asks State Water Board to push Riverdale consolidation talks; legal tool under Health and Safety Code cited
Summary
Representatives for Lanier Community Services District urged the State Water Board April 15 to use its authority under the Health and Safety Code to require six months of negotiations with Riverdale Public Utility District to consolidate drinking water and wastewater services.
Residents and legal counsel for the Lanier Community Services District asked the State Water Resources Control Board on April 15 to press for consolidation with nearby Riverdale Public Utility District, saying local negotiations have stalled and the community has longstanding water and governance problems.
Michael Claiborne, directing attorney with Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, told the board that Lanier has a long record of water-quality and governance issues, including a 2007 arsenic treatment plant that operated only six months due to operations and maintenance costs and a receivership ordered in 2010. Claiborne requested the board issue a letter under Health and Safety Code §116682 directing the parties to negotiate for six months to break an impasse with Riverdale.
Why it matters: Lanier’s drinking water system has been in receivership and is reliant on a single active well; counsel said consolidation with Riverdale was identified as the most feasible option in prior feasibility work but stalled for years. Counsel and community advocates urged the board to act to avoid long-term service failures and to coordinate with regional boards on wastewater service extension where appropriate.
Claiborne described prior studies and funding: two feasibility studies completed with state technical-assistance funding concluded consolidation is feasible and developed cost estimates; Riverdale wrote the board in February opposing both drinking water and wastewater consolidation. Claiborne said a state-board letter could unlock further progress and asked for action. Community members including Isabel Solorio and Leslie Martinez spoke in support, describing 14 years of chronic problems in Lanier and urging the board to prioritize consolidation.
State board staff said they would follow up and coordinate next steps with the parties and the regional board. No formal action was taken at the meeting.
