Critics say Groveland’s water not so ‘pristine’

Groveland Community Services District is one of three utilities in the nation, along with the cities of San Francisco and New York, that doesn’t have to filter debris from its water.

District General Manager Jim Goodrich said the district has a “filtration avoidance waiver” because the district’s water source — which flows from Sierra Nevada snowpack into the Tuolumne River and through the Hetch Hetchy Mountain Tunnel and is then piped to district homes — is pristine.
  

Yet the lack of filtration has led to some customer complaints. Two district customers filed claims against the district saying they suffered thousands of dollars of damage to their homes and appliances from debris in waterlines.

Both claims were rejected at an April 27 board meeting and passed onto the district’s insurance company, which is standard procedure, Goodrich said.

The California Department of Health Services approved the filtration avoidance waiver in 1993, because the district’s water meets the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Surface Water Treatment Rule criteria for filtration avoidance.

The waiver saves district customers between $20 and $30 per month, Goodrich said. A filtration system would cost the district between $10 million and $20 million, he added.

District Engineer Randy Klaahsen said at the April 27 board meeting that sand collected from the Hetch Hetchy Mountain Tunnel is often present in district water.

Goodrich agreed that this is the source of the sand.

This has led to multiple claims against the district, Goodrich said. Small claims are usually taken care of in-house, while larger claims are typically rejected and passed to the Special District Risk Management Authority — a state agency that provides risk management for local government agencies.

Goodrich said proper maintenance of water-pressure regulators — which are required of homes in the district because of steep mountain terrain that can lead to excessive water pressure — will help customers avoid burst pipes or damage to appliances.

Problems often occur during high water-pressure incidents, such as when lines are being flushed, Goodrich said.

Goodrich said he’s written articles in newsletters and provided fliers for customers regarding proper maintenance of water-pressure regulators. He recommends that a plumber tests regulators at least once a year to avoid complications.

In one such flier, concerning regulator maintenance, Goodrich wrote, “This is a homeowner responsibility, so please avoid damage to your home and appliances by checking your water pressure regulator at least once a year.”

Krystal Bigger, who filed one of the recently rejected claims against the district, said she has never heard about water-pressure regulator maintenance and never received a flier.

She has observed dirty water in her toilet, bathtub, sinks and washing machine for more than a year, she said. The sand-filled water has damaged several appliances, including a water heater, kitchen faucet and shower head, she said.

She said the sand is especially evident when the district is flushing its system.

She hasn’t received any compensation for the damage and hasn’t heard back from the insurance company, she said.  

“We are very angry and hurt that they don’t care what we have had to go through,” Bigger said.

Lawrence Romaneck, who filed the other claim against the district, said he has done regular maintenance on his pressure regulator and problems still occurred.

He claims debris entering a waterline from nearby district construction damaged his regulator, causing about $100,000 of damage to his Groveland home after a waterline broke when he was away. His insurance company paid $90,000 of the bill, but the remaining $10,000 he paid.

About 62,000 gallons of water flooded his part-time home, he said.

After the claim was rejected by the district, it was also rejected by the Special District Risk Management Authority, Romaneck said.

The state-run insurance company told him it was his responsibility, he said.

The company did not return a phone call by press time.

Romaneck questioned how he was supposed to know to check the regulator for debris that day. He said he plans to take the issue to small claims court.

“Everything was ruined,” he said.