Hello Shareholders,
Fall is upon us, and rain is in the forecast for this weekend. Colder weather is coming, so if you are going away for the winter, please don’t forget to winterize your cabin. It’s a good idea to turn of the water to your cabin, even if you are only going to be gone for a couple of days. This protects you from water damage from broken pipes while you are gone.

Production/Consumption

Our wells produced less water in September than July or August due to us purchasing water from CCWD, and the winding down of summer use. This affects the amount of water stored in the ground, and makes it possible for us to gain water during the lower usage months of October through May.
I will use our main Well 3 as an example. Last year at this time we had 45 feet of water above the pump intake in Well #3. This year, the level stands at 133 feet of water. This assures us of having enough supply to cover the winter and spring months, even if something happens to CCWD water availability.

Usage

I will break down the September usage numbers for you.

  • 2013 4,855,000 gallons
  • 2014 3,834,000 gallons
  • 2015 3,315,000 gallons
  • 2016 5,033,000 gallons

As you can see, we used a lot more water in 2016 than on the 4 previous years. I can attribute this to more people coming up for the Labor Day holiday, and more water used for irrigation.

Please remember, we are in Stage 2 of our Drought Action Plan, which sets a target of 20% reduction of water usage. Check your irrigation system timers for a malfunction, and your plastic lines for leaks. Hopefully, it will start raining soon and the irrigation can be turned off, but if you continue to water, please cut back on the amount of watering time. The days are cooler and the sun is lower in the sky, so not as much water is needed. I know a few shareholders are watering their big forest trees in hope of saving them from bark beetle attack. Please remember that under Stage 2 of our Drought Plan this is not allowed.
We are all hoping for a good amount of precipitation this fall, winter, and spring. The truth is, no one can predict what will happen. We must continue to keep water conservation on our mind looking forward to be sure we will have enough supply for the future.

Water Pressure

Water pressure is important to the operation of any home water system. Some homeowners may notice what seems high or low water pressure at their home. Average water pressure at a house should be between 45 and 60 pounds per square inch, but our water mains may have as much as 150 psi. A pressure reducing valve or regulator needs to be installed at the house to reduce the pressure to safe operating levels.
Almost every home in Blue Lake Springs has a regulator at the service box, but it’s a good idea to put one at the house too. If you think you have a pressure problem, you can call our office and we will check to see if the regulator needs replacing.

That’s all for now.
David Hicks
General Manager
Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Co.
P.O.Box 6015, Arnold, CA 95223
Ph: (209) 795-7025