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Residents press board on suspected septic contamination and rising nitrates at Kimbark Elementary
Summary
Several Devore-area residents told the school board they believe aging septic systems at Kimbark Elementary are leaking nitrates into the local aquifer and urged immediate action and better public information; residents asked whether reverse-osmosis units cover all drinking sources and requested records and a remediation plan.
Multiple community members used the public-comment period to press the board for concrete action after repeated concerns about on-site septic systems at Kimbark Elementary, which residents said are contaminating groundwater with nitrates.
"Does this include all drinking fountains and bathroom faucets? If not, the children are being directly exposed to the nitrates," said Karen Slobom, a Devore resident who said she has lived in the area since the early 1970s and asked the district to respond to earlier public-record requests.
Liz King urged replacement of aging septic tanks with modern advanced treatment systems (ATS) and cited Assembly Bill 885 (2000) as a potential funding avenue to replace septic systems that are affecting community water. She told trustees that surveyors and a ProCraft septic truck had recently been at the school and asked for findings and a plan.
Community member Mike Thompson, a former water-system operator, summarized his review of historical sampling and billing records and said there was a period of unusually high water use related to a large leak between roughly 2012 and 2018 that could have diluted nitrate samples, complicating trends. Thompson said recent well averages between two wells were about 9.8 parts per million (ppm) and noted multiple samples at or above 10 ppm over recent years; he asked staff to provide water-quality records and public records responses.
The board did not respond during public comment (standard practice for this item), and trustees instructed staff to receive comments and follow up. "We will receive your public comments, and any information will follow up," President Ceballos said.
What’s next: residents requested document production and clear answers on which water sources are treated by the campus reverse-osmosis unit, a timeline for replacement or mitigation of septic systems, and any planned testing or notification to families. The board acknowledged receipt and said staff will follow up through the district’s public-records process.
