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La Verne operator details water sources, treatment and $5.5 million annual purchase cost
Summary
Brandon Vanelheisen, a La Verne City water production operator, described the city's mix of local well water and purchased supplies, treatment steps for contaminants, infrastructure and staffing practices, and said the city spends about $5.5 million a year buying water.
Brandon Vanelheisen, a water production system operator for La Verne City, described the city's water supply, treatment operations and infrastructure in a recorded presentation. "We have eight active wells and that meets about 30% of our needs for the city and the other 70% we import water from Three Valleys Municipal Water District," he said.
Vanelheisen said purchased water arrives via the State Water Project and Three Valleys, and that the current purchase rate is "$1,400 an acre-foot," which he said equals about 326,000 gallons; he added La Verne spends roughly $5.5 million annually buying water. He explained the city's ability to produce local groundwater is constrained by existing pumping rights, and that new wells can only be added as replacements for existing wells.
The operator described two treatment plants serving the city: the Six and White Avenue facility, where groundwater is treated for volatile contaminants including trichloroethylene, and the Amherst facility, which he said removes nitrates and perchlorates. Treated groundwater is stored in an 80,000-gallon forbay and blended with imported water before distribution. "This is our SCADA system that monitors the water in our reservoirs and booster pumps throughout the system, sending out alarms whenever there's an issue," he said.
On disinfection and testing, Vanelheisen said the city injects chlorine (and ammonia where needed) to maintain a residual and runs routine sampling: daily monitoring of disinfection and nitrate levels, weekly sampling and monthly bacteriological testing. He said testing results are reported to the state water board upon request.
He detailed routine maintenance at treatment sites: weekly filter-bag changes and backwashing to prevent pressure buildup, and periodic acid washes on chlorine generators to remove calcium scaling. He attributed elevated nitrate and perchlorate levels in local groundwater to historic citrus farming in the area, saying fertilizer use in previous agricultural operations introduced those contaminants into the groundwater.
On distribution and storage, Vanelheisen said the system includes about 132 miles of pipeline, 11 reservoirs with a combined maximum of about 27 million gallons for drinking water and fire protection, and 10 booster stations serving seven pressure zones. He clarified that an open reservoir at Esparanza and Live Oak is owned by the Metropolitan Water District, not the city. He also described the Wheeler reservoir site near Oak Mesa Elementary, where two underground reservoirs each hold about 3 million gallons and chlorine and ammonia are used to maintain residuals.
Regarding operations and emergency preparedness, Vanelheisen said pumping between pressure zones cost the city about $1 million last year. He noted the city maintains two fixed backup generators at sites and two trailer-mounted generators that can be moved to critical locations; standby staff respond to after-hours calls within about 30 minutes. To work as a water production operator in La Verne, he said, staff must hold California Water Board distribution and treatment certificates and often complete college courses in water technology.
Vanelheisen closed by inviting residents with water-quality questions to contact the Public Works Department at City Hall and previewed a follow-up video on resident water consumption and conservation.
