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Special districts presentation flags Southeast wastewater capacity, I&I and SCADA upgrades as priorities
Summary
Special districts administrator outlined capital projects, I&I reduction work, wells and water projects, and capacity concerns at Southeast wastewater treatment plant; board approved multiple special-district budgets with an amendment to a capital-asset line.
Robin Voorhees, special districts administrator, told the Lake County Board of Supervisors on June 24 that capital and operational work across the county's water and wastewater districts will be a priority in FY2025''26 and that staff are preparing a five-year capital improvement plan.
Voorhees said the department asked for two analyst positions to help manage rate studies, grant administration and project accounting. She described ongoing inflow and infiltration (I&I) reduction work around the county, including smoke testing, manhole inspections, line sealing and targeted cut-and-cap actions on private laterals where high inflow was identified.
Why it matters: Voorhees warned the board that the Southeast wastewater treatment plant is close to hydraulic capacity during storm periods and that, if infiltration and capacity upgrades are not completed, the county could face limits on new connections. She said the department is pursuing projects to increase capacity (including a possible Vallejo lift station and headworks reconfiguration), tertiary treatment and a ''full-circle'' affluent pipeline for Kelseyville, and upgrades to SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) to allow remote monitoring of systems.
Project highlights and constraints: - I&I reduction: crews are conducting smoke testing and installing temporary measures (dog-bowl manhole inserts, sealing and clean-outs) to reduce stormwater entering sewer lines. - Wells and water: Spring Valley well upfit funding remains available; North Lakeport production well drilling began; additional tanks for North Lakeport are planned. - SCADA: current systems lack remote access and the department plans a stand-alone SCADA network for monitoring and alarm response to avoid exposing county networks. - Kelseyville projects: tertiary treatment and an "affluent pipeline" design contracts are underway; options for routing and phasing are under review.
Board action: the board approved a large package of special-district budget units covering multiple lighting, water and wastewater districts and directed staff to finalize a revised capital-asset amount for one utility relocation/adjustment line discussed in the meeting. The motion to approve the special-district budgets carried 5''0.
Ending: Voorhees said she will return with a consolidated five-year CIP, updated rate-study results, and specific loan or grant strategies for projects that cannot be cash-flowed through the districts' current reserves.
