General Manager’s Report

Shareholders,

Meters at Wells
We have just completed installation of two flow meters out at our operating wells at White Pines. This is to comply with the State Water Resources Control Board, which mandates flow meters with totalizers on all wells in California. Well #2 had a 4 inch meter installed, and well #3 had a 6 inch meter put in. I anticipate that the governing agency will want to know how much we are pumping, and how it affects our drawdown in each well. We already monitor the drawdown quite closely so as to not over pump our wells. We want to maintain the storage in the wells to ensure enough water is available for the higher demand summer months.

Drought
Stage 2 of our Drought Plan is still in effect, but as you know, the snow pack this year is only a fraction of a normal year. All of the reservoirs are low and so we must anticipate going into Stage 3. The available storage in our wells is about 12 feet below last year at this time, due to the low snow amounts we received over the winter months. I must ask all residents to continue the fantastic conservation effort that has been put forth so far. We saved 10,000,000 gallons of water in 2014.

There is still some time before the summer months arrive, and we are monitoring the wells recovery closely. Our field crew has an excellent leak detection program, and they are diligently at work to stop all leaks. If you are contacted about a leak at your house or in your service line, please make the repair as soon as possible. Our crew is available to help identify the source of the leak should you need help.

Well #4
We plan to add another well to our system and have it operational before this summer’s demand. This will add to our source capacity by at least 50 gallons per minute. Well #4 will help, but it will not be the answer to our water supply problems.

CCWD Wholesale Water Agreement
Dave Eggerton, the new manager of CCWD has promised a proposal for purchasing water from CCWD. We will get this proposal before our next Board Meeting on March 14, where it will be discussed.

A committee has been formed called the Highway 4 Corridor Committee. The first meeting was on March 5th. Several agencies along the Highway 4 Corridor attended; Angels Water, Murphys Water and Sanitary District, Utica Water and Power, Debbie Ponte and Michael Oliveira from the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors, along with representatives from CCWD Board of Directors, Bertha Underhill, Dennis Mills, and Terry Strange and finally Dave Eggerton. Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Company was represented by Directors George Paul and Paul Penny, as well as myself.

The purpose of the Committee was to find ways to secure the water rights CCWD has for Calaveras County and the Highway 4 Corridor. The tone of the meeting was positive and Blue Lake Springs felt that we could help CCWD hold on to some of its water rights by coming to an agreement with CCWD on a wholesale water purchase. Director Paul expressed frustration on the progress of our conversations with CCWD over the past months, but I am hopeful that a workable proposal will come out this latest discussion.

This is an open monthly meeting and I will let you know the next scheduled meeting location and date. A question that came out of this meeting that I want to pose to you is: What project would you like to see the Highway 4 Committee work towards? Let us know your thoughts by e-mailing info@blsmwc.com.

That’s all for now. Thanks for conserving!

Dave Hicks
General Manager