The Home Front
In Touch And In Tune
10/27/2024 9:33 AM
WATER SYSTEM UPDATE
Our engineers have been on site performing modifications to the chlorination equipment and building.
The general schedule is to complete the ring foundation form work for our second tank this week with a potential concrete pour scheduled on Friday. If the weather holds, and we have no construction surprises tank installation may begin around November 12th. Hopefully, there will be no planned interruptions in your service during this period.
Thank you for your support!!
10/11/2024 8:31 AM
WATER SYSTEM UPDATE
Yesterday was a big day.
On Thursday, 10/10/2024 from 12:47PM to 4:10PM your water was shut down, and the first of our two new tanks was put into service.
With the tank changeover you may find your water pressure is a little higher due to the increased tank height and your water “may” taste a bit different which is expected.
Significantly, if there are any conditions found in your tap water such as cloudy water, air in your system , or other abnormalities please let us know.
Today our second “old wood tank" is offline. Demolition will begin immediately and ultimately the weather will determine how far the demolition and rebuilding of our second tank will get this year.
Fingers Crossed!!
Also, another piece of the project now comes into play. Soon, as you drive into town you will see construction taking place at the purification facility as we transition from our current liquid chlorination system to a hypochlorite purification system.
For those who want to catch up on the project there will be a board meeting this Saturday. A notice was posted in town and on this site giving meeting details:
Johnsville Public Utility District Board of Directors
Date: October 12, 2024
Time: 1:00 PM
Location:
Historic Saint John’s Church
5578 Arastra Street
Johnsville, CA 96103
10/3/2024 7:00 PM
WATER SHUTOFF DATE CHANGE
Johnsville's water will be shutoff at 8:AM, Thursday , October 10,2024. Please expect the outage to last all day.
Sorry for the change. We passed out BacT bacterial test and are now waiting for the results of the VOC test discussed below. We hope to receive positive results next week. Thank you for your continued support.
9/30/2024 2:40 PM
WATER SHUTOFF
Johnsville's water will be shutoff at 8:AM, Tuesday, October 8,2024
Following discussions regarding the project schedule, and with the hope of conducting a successful Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) test our new "full" tank will be hooked up to our water plant for a trial run.
During this transition your water will be turned off at 8:00 AM next Tuesday.
9/25/2024 11:15 AM
PLEASE HELP US!!
This request is to all, and specifically to our Johnsville homeowners. PLEASE do not go up to the tank construction area. We know that people are curious, but it is (and will stay) off limits to everyone. It is private property, and we have a lot of liability for numerous reasons-especially during construction.
We have posted no trespassing signage and are putting up an 8' high barbed wire fence to keep everyone out. It's serious business, which includes government standards & restrictions prohibiting anyone being around municipal water supplies.
We continue to remind everyone to please stay away. We have gone too far on this project to have a worker or you get hurt at the site. Importantly, we don't want the project shut down for an accident or problem that can be prevented. Hope you understand. Please help us.
9/20/2024 8:15 AM
ADVISORY NOTICE
As construction progesses today and next week, some water lines to our new tank will be connected and tested. It is likely there will be a complete water shudown in town for at least one day next week and/or possibly the following week. Specific times and dates will be posted as they become available. Thank you for your support!!
9/2/2024
HAPPY LABOR DAY.
For those of you following your project we had over 4000 page views last month. Our first tank has taken shape as the picture at the The Home Front will show.
8/28/2024
Superior Tank is currently erecting the east bolted steel tank. Their schedule indicates that it will take approximately two weeks to complete.
During this period of construction it is unlikely there will be interruption of water service; however, it is possible.
Of note, excess watering is really hard on our mechanical parts and contibutes to the risk of shutdowns for all of us.
8/26/2024 11:18PM
Superior Tank should be on site around 6AM in the morning to start unloading steel and materials for our tank build. It will be a busy day in town. Please be cautious with all the heavy equipment on the road to and from Johnsville.
8/22/2024
The concrete pour was successful (see Homepage) Posted 3:38 PM
8/22/2024
FINGERS CROSSED
Pouring cement today!! Posted 8:55 AM
8/16/2024
WATER UPDATE
Thank you to our General Manager, Melissa Sheets, and family for going door to door last week and asking everyone in town to voluntarily shut off their water. The emergency request was made due to a rapid loss of water caused by a malfunctioning transmitter in our only remaining water tank. The emergency was aggravated by a land line telephone failure that shutdown our emergency warning system.
Also,thank you all for understanding the frailty of our system and shutting down as asked. Hopefully ,we all understand that the risk of a total water system failure is real, and it comes from “burning up“ system components. Spare parts are not readily available.
Our earlier guidelines on conservation were not solely to preserve the “greenness” of our yards, but to prevent burning up functional components by overworking an already frail system.
We may need our single tank for a long time. Please help us take care of it!!
7/29/2024
ADVISORY NOTICE
Johnsville's water was shutoff for about 40 minutes today and was back on at 9:39AM. The water was turned off because an old water line from the east tank was still active, but in the way of new consrtuction . The line needed to be abandoned, and there was no other way to isolate the system from the old line.
Unfortunately, there are no air valves on our system, so most of the air will either migrate to the tank or through individual services. It is doubtful the water system "depressurized" which could cause leaks in the system. Noteworthy, it might take a little time for the air bubbles to bleed off in the system,. Please let us know if you hear about or discover any leaks or problems.
Thank you for your patience and support with these inconveniences!!
Your continued support with water rationing will payoff in the long run. Our mechanical parts are not designed to run 24/7. Lawns are suffering; however, rationing is giving our pumping system a chance to occassionly"rest" as it works to keep our remaining tank on line. A failure of expensive equipment such as the pumps that supply our water is an inconvenience; but, more importantly replacing a failed pump is a cost we cannot currently absorb .
7/25/2024
URGENT UPDATE
WATER SHUTOFF FOR JOHNSVILLE MONDAY JULY 29, 2024
The entire water system will be shutdown in Johnsville for approximately four hours on Monday July 29, 2024 between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM.
(Posted 12:30 PM Thursday July 25,2024)
7/18/2024
SAFETY NOTICE for RESIDENTS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC
We need your help.
We are working on getting signs to post the area as a hazardous site.
Please don't go up to the worksite for a visit. . Currently, our contractor is in the middle of taking down the redwood structure which in and of itself is dangerous in a confined area. Demolition is complicated, and when crews have to do two things at once on a narrow road and a confined area it becomes dangerous.
It is not safe for the crew to have people standing around, and it's not safe for observers who are in the way of heavy equipment and heavy debris.
It only makes sense not to stand around a building or heavy a structure that is unpredictable when it is being demolished. We don't want anyone to get hurt including you.
Thanks for your help!!
7/10/2024
URGENT UPDATE
Today, Wednesday, 7/10/2024 at 3:30 PM Johnsville transitioned to one water tank. All water restrictions outlined below are in place until further notice.
7/8/2024
Tank Construction Has Begun.
All previous water advisories are in place and subject to change as we move forward (Please See Below).
As a special note, our contractor has a large water tanker onsite for fire safety.
There is heavy equipment at the tanks and on the road up to our tanks. We are asking all nonessential people and vehicles to please avoid Eureka street for both safety and practical reasons. On Eureka Street; on the road up to the tanks; and at the tanks there is little or no maneuver room for large equipment and essential personnel. Consequently, it would be helpful to avoid these areas unless you have a reason to be there..
Expectations for the next few weeks are to take down one tank, build a foundation. and build a bolted steel tank in its place. When this first tank is up and running, the process will be repeated for the second tank. This whole process could take 10 to 12 weeks or more.
Our construction project will bring heavy equipment down Main Street. Consequently, we are asking everyone to err on the side of caution when moving about town. Pedestrians, bikers, children, and pets should be monitored to prevent any avoidable incidents or accidents. Please drive slowly.
Your Help and Support Is Truly Appreciated!!!
Thank You
6/29/2024
This is an URGENT message from the Johnsville Public Utility District (JPUD).
Please be advised that the JPUD will be starting the Water Tank Replacement on Monday, July 8th, 2024.
Due to the nature of the storage tank replacement, this long awaited project will cut our water storage/supply in half for the remainder of the summer. Because we are a very small district this will have an immediate and severe impact on the availability of water in Johnsville.
We strongly request that all residents cut any and all normal water use at least by 50 percent.
It is recommended that outside irrigation (watering) be limited to 5 minutes per day, either in the early morning or late evening. All irrigation systems must be on a timer-please no unattended sprinklers or hoses. Preferably, we would like you to keep any landscape alive, without over-watering.
OVER-WATERING COULD PUT OUR ENTIRE WATER SYSTEM AT RISK!
During construction we will be operating off of ONE tank. If this tank is depleted, water in the town will shut down and any occupancy will be curtailed due to an emergency action.
In addition, running out of water in our remaining tank could damage our pumps, treatment and distribution system, causing financial liability to all residents/customers. The JPUD will be relying on cooperation from all residents to get us through this process.
If you have questions or concerns please contact our General Manager, Melissa Sheets (530) 251-7114 mdsheets346@gmail.com or any JPUD Board member directly. David Piepho, Chairman (925) 699-9575 DavidPiepho@gmail.com John LaTourrette, Director (775) 843-6159 jalatour@sbcglobal.net Don Fregulia, Director (775)-233-8891 donbfreguliaf@gmail.com
6/20/2024
The Johnsville PUD expects tank construction to be begin on 7/8/2024. Currently we are on hold. The National Environmental Proection Act (NEPA) bird survey found birds nesting in our construction area. The survey had to be done two week before the start of construction, so bird nesting caused a delay.
Dear Neighbors,
As we come out of winter, the JPUD Board of Directors and staff have a lot in store for the upcoming year. After 5 years of arduous work, and many positive developments, we are replacing our 2 failing wooden water tanks with 2 larger steel tanks and updating our chlorination system.
Bottled Water
The projected tank construction “window” is May 2024 through September 2024. During construction, the district’s goal is to keep the water flowing without interruption. However, any number of factors during construction could cause a water system shutdown for unknown periods of time. As a precaution for temporary water shutoffs, you may wish to consider purchasing a bottled water supply for emergency uses.
Water Tank Replacement
The JPUD Board believes that all customers have expectations of uninterrupted water service. Consequently, we are trying to schedule potential shutoffs during non-peak periods. Our priority over the course of construction will be to deliver safe quality water to each customer and to maintain our ability to provide water necessary for fire protection.
The potential for water service interruptions increases as the project moves forward. Aging pipes and valves are vulnerable and could upset the frail stability of the system if they fail. If there are interruptions, rationing water may be a reality and one of the solutions needed to stabilize and keep our water flowing. Prudent planning would suggest "an ask"to keep outside watering at a bare minimum so we can have adequate water for drinking, flushing toilets, and fire protection.
As summer sets in and the snow melts, you will notice the start of construction. Going forward it is now up to our contractor and YOU, the community, to see us through to the end. The realities of construction are going to require coordination, cooperation, and patience from all of us. As the project schedule solidifies, we will be doing our best to communicate and facilitate the impacts so that all of us that rely on water to live and thrive in Johnsville will not be too inconvenienced.
Communication
The JPUD holds public meetings at the St. John’s Church which are posted and noticed in Town, at the Church, at the Museum, and on our website www.Johnsvillepud.org The board will be hosting “TownHall” style meetings in an effort to disperse information along with our regular board meetings. Public attendance is encouraged.
The first Town Hall meeting will be held on Saturday, May 18th, 2024, at 1:00 pm at Saint John’s Church. In addition to these public meetings, we will continue with mailings and public postings. The JPUD website will be one of the best sources for the historical background . Please check in here ,“The Home Front” ,for critical updates during construction. https://www.johnsvillepud.org/the-home-front
Planning
The JPUD Board, Contractors and Engineers are currently developing a detailed project timeline. This timeline must take into consideration requirements such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which includes a Bird/Wildlife survey that can affect the start dates due to numerous variables and mitigations. This important and mandatory survey will be the first pre-construction step and will begin shortly. Once the survey is complete we will post a project timeline.
HIstorical
In 2017 the JPUD received a routine report from the State Water Control Board board indicating that our two redwood water tanks were reaching the end of their service life with a recommendation that the district begin a process of replacing the tanks.
Based on this recommendation the JPUD built a team to establish and complete a Tank Improvement and Liquid Chlorination Project.
In 2020 our team completed a Preliminary Engineering Report and applied for both a short term bridge loan and long term financing for the Project. Both loans were approved in August of 2020. We obtained the bridge loan thru the Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC); and a committment for long term financing with United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) which is a combination of grant and loan financing.
On April 29,2022 we received additional grant funding with the assistance of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the California Rural Water Association (CRWA) under the Water Resources" Small Community Drought Relief Program .
Resources
- California Department of Water Resources (DWR)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC)
- California Rural Water Association (CRWA)
- Plumas County Treasurer's Office