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September 24, 2021

Recycled Water Delivery Program Changes

City Council approved two necessary changes to the recycled water program to maintain service through the dry season – to implement delivery fees and set an end date. The decision to implement fees was not easy, and we know it’s frustrating for some. However, the City simply does not have adequate funding to continue service beyond September. Thus far, the City has contributed $365,000 to deliver approximately 3 million gallons of water since July. Here are the details on the changes:

Delivery Fees -- starting the first week of October, recipients of recycled water will incur a $45 fee per delivery. To continue service, please complete an opt-in form so we have authorization to bill the account in December for all deliveries. The total cost will be no more than $315 for 7 weeks of service. CARE customers are exempt from fees. Opt-in or -out form: https://healdsburg.seamlessdocs.com/f/recycledwaterdelivery The $45 delivery fee is based on trucking costs to move water regardless of gallons delivered.
Program End Date – the program is set to end Nov 5 (with rain) or Nov 19 (no rain). Starting in mid-November, temperatures cool down, the days get shorter, and water demands for plants are substantially less. Although we don’t know how much rain this winter will bring, we will get some to maintain plant-life.

Regardless of your decision to stay in the program after October 1st, we hope that you’ll stay the course with continued conservation.

Recycled Water Agency of the Year

The City of Healdsburg Water Reclamation Facility has been honored a second time this year with an award for Recycled Water Agency of the Year for California from the WateReuse Association. The WateReuse California Awards for Excellence recognize individuals and/or projects that are making significant contributions in support of greater adoption of water reuse.

The City of Healdsburg produces Title 22 recycled water which is distributed for agricultural, industrial, and construction uses through a distribution system of 2 pump stations, approximately 47,000 linear feet of pipe, and 2 automated filling stations. Water is supplied to over 1,000 acres of agriculture and a local gravel processing facility for dust control and washing aggregate materials used for asphalt and concrete production. The City’s trucked recycled water program benefits construction use (primarily soil compaction, dust control, and hydro-seeding), irrigation for remote properties, and residential landscape irrigation. Over 1000 residents either self-haul or receive deliveries of recycled water to offset drinking water use for landscape irrigation, reducing diversions from the Russian River by over 40% 133,000,000 gallons have been reused since January 2020.

The work noted above came right after a major flood event that devastated the Water Reclamation Facility. City Staff worked many hours to restore the plant to full operation so that today’s achievements were possible.

Healdsburg Conservation, Best in the State of California

Conservation in Healdsburg continues to be high with the most recent numbers showing a 47% reduction in overall water usage. The Healdsburg community has done an incredible job this summer quickly reaching very high levels of conservation and holding that conservation throughout the summer. This has not gone unnoticed by State officials, please keep up your good work. For more information on conservation levels, follow this link to the City’s drought page https://healdsburg.gov/714/Current-Drought-Information.

Urban Water Management Plan Workshop - Recording Available

The Water Department hosted another workshop to review Healdsburg’s draft Urban Water Management Plan. The UWMP forecasts future water demands based on population growth and compares against water rights and supply projections. The plan also analyzes supply and demand for a single dry year and a five-year consecutive drought scenario. Additionally, the UWMP details recommended projects to diversify Healdsburg’s water supply options including an emergency groundwater well. A recording of the workshop along with the draft 2020 UWMP can be found here: https://www.ci.healdsburg.ca.us/622/Urban-Water-Management-Plan

Foss Creek Cleanup - September 25, 2021

Join us this Saturday, September 25, 2021 for the annual Foss Creek Cleanup. As part of annual Creek Week and National Pollution Prevention week activities, this event gives residents and community members the opportunity to volunteer their time to collect trash and litter along Foss Creek. The cleanup is well attended with both adults and children helping to keep our watershed waste-free. Volunteers meet at the Community Center.

Check-in/Breakfast: 8:30am - 9am (provided by Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise)
Clean-up: 9am - 11am
Awards: 11am - 11:30am
Lunch 11:30am - 12:30pm (provided by Healdsburg Kiwanis)

For more information contact Ben Kageyama (707)431-3399 or bkageyama@healdsburg.gov

Emergency Preparedness Resources for Seniors

A police chief and fire chief speaking with a group of people

Senior Center staff in partnership with the Police and Fire Department hosted an emergency preparedness community meeting on September 15 to help our older adults be better prepared for the next emergency. The forum included a presentation from Police Chief Jenkins and Fire Chief Boaz, who provided an overview of updated evacuation zones, current emergency response procedures, recommendations to be better prepared for an emergency, and answer questions from participants. Additionally, each attendee received a large-print, hard copy reference document that includes a map of the updated evacuation zones, important phone numbers, how to enroll in emergency alert systems (including land-line notifications), and a detailed checklist of how to prepare leading up to and during an emergency evacuation. These outreach efforts stemmed from the the Senior Citizens Advisory Commission’s goal to ensure Healdsburg seniors are better educated and prepared for the next emergency our town faces. While these outreach efforts are targeted towards our older adults, anyone in the community is welcome to attend.

For those unable to attend the September 15 meeting, staff are in the process of scheduling additional community meetings in October. Future meetings will be publicized on the City website, Facebook, and through the Senior Center newsletter. The reference document is available in English and Spanish and hard copies may be picked up at Senior Center, Community Center or Police Department. Electronic copies of the reference document are available on the City’s website: https://ci.healdsburg.ca.us/1026/Emergency-Preparedness-for-Seniors

Interested in Volunteering - Commission Vacancies

The City Council of the City of Healdsburg is seeking qualified applicants to fill three (3) vacancies on the City of Healdsburg Parks and Recreation Commission and two (2) vacancy on the City of Healdsburg Senior Citizen Advisory Commission.

Members of the Parks and Recreation Commission serve in an advisory capacity to the City Council and the Director of Parks and Recreation on policies and programs pertaining to public parks and recreation.

Members of the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission advise the City Council on all matters relating to policies and programs which serve all senior citizens of the community. Members of the Senior Citizen Advisory Commission are required to attend monthly meetings, reside within the City limits of Healdsburg and be fifty-five years of age or older at the time of appointment.

If you are interested in applying, applications are available on the City’s website under Boards and Commissions, at Boards & Commissions | Healdsburg, CA - Official Website or by emailing rallan@healdsburg.gov. All completed applications must be submitted to the Office of the City Clerk by 5:00 P.M., Friday, October 8, 2021.

University Avenue Water Line Repair

On Tuesday September 14, 2021 around 6:30 a.m. a call came in on the City’s Utility Hotline (431-7000) reporting a water leak on University Avenue. Arriving on scene around 7:00 a.m. was Foreman Vic Halverson along with Utility Workers, Jose Vasquez, Rowan Pedersen and Jackson Hernandez. After ten hours of work, the water was turned back on.

While this is a common occurrence for our skilled crews, most residents are not aware of what this type of repair entails. Before turning the valves to stop the water they listen to the pipe to try to find the location of the leak. The water doesn’t always reach the surface at the location of the break and excavating more than necessary means more time for the adjacent homes to be without water. After roughly determining the location, water valves need to be turned off to stop the flow of water in the pipe, and to reduce water loss to as few homes as possible. Next, the crew began excavating to find the extent of the leak. In this case a small section of this pipe had failed along the bottom, which is typical of cast iron pipe. The failed section was cut out and a new piece of pipe was cut to size, sanitized, installed, flushed to remove any debris, chlorinated, and tested for bacteria. After the new piece of pipe has been sanitized, the water can be turned back on.

Lane Closure - Dry Creek Road

Beginning Monday, September 27, 2021, and lasting through Friday, October 8, 2021, the center turn lane and northernmost eastbound lane on Dry Creek Road will be closed between Grove Street and Healdsburg Avenue. The closure is necessary to allow for construction within Dry Creek Road as part of the Foss Creek Pathway Segments 7 and 8 project.

The Foss Creek Pathway Segments 7 and 8 project will be extending the Foss Creek Pathway along the North Coast Railroad Authority Railroad right-of-way from the flood control detention basin adjacent to the Carson Warner Memorial Skate Park north to the intersection of Grove Street and Healdsburg Avenue.

During the lane closure access to businesses will remain open at all times.

Please observe and adhere to construction area signage and traffic control.

The City of Healdsburg greatly appreciates your patience and understanding over the duration it takes for completion of the project.

Please do not hesitate to contact Clay Thistle with any questions or concerns. Clay can be reached by phone at (707) 431-3391 or email at cthistle@Healdsburg.gov.

Healdsburg Avenue - Russian River Bridge Closure

On Tuesday, October 5, 2021, beginning at 9a.m.and lasting until 3 p.m., the Healdsburg Avenue Bridge crossing over the Russian River will be CLOSED. The closure is necessary to allow for Caltrans to perform a routine bridge inspection. The bridge inspection is conducted every two years to evaluate the bridge and determine if future maintenance like painting or pavement repairs are necessary.

During the bridge closure, access to businesses will remain open at all times.

Please observe and adhere to construction area signage and traffic control.

The City of Healdsburg greatly appreciates your patience and understanding during this inconvenience. Please do not hesitate to contact Clay Thistle with any questions or concerns. Clay can be reached by phone at (707) 431-3391 or email at cthistle@Healdsburg.gov.

Wildfire Mitigation Work

This summer City Electric Crews have focused on preparing for the height of wildfire season. One of the projects being completed is the installation of new electrical equipment to reduces the risk of utility caused wildfires. This week electric crews replaced fuses and lightning arrestors South Fitch Mountain Road. This new equipment helps to interrupt power due to equipment failures while also lowering the risk of sparking wildfires.