::: COMMUNITY NEWS

School district plans for possibility CSD won't provide water to new school right away

Published Monday, March 5, 2007

The Elk Grove Unified School District board is expected to approve the environmental document for the Cosumnes River Elementary School project at its meeting tonight. A report on alternatives to receiving water and sewer services from the Community Services District has been added to the document. (The meeting agenda is here.)

At last week's planning session for the school, consultant Constantine I. Baranoff, retired associate superintendent for facilities and planning for the school district, emphasized that the measures are "an interim solution" for the district.

"It's the desire of the school board and the administration to rely on the Rancho Murieta Community Services District for water service. We don't want to be in the water business," he said.

Since the school site is outside the boundaries of the CSD, water and sewer services would be provided under an out-of-service-area agreement between the school district and the CSD.

The CSD is currently under a cease and desist order from a regulatory agency related to storage capacity at the wastewater treatment plant and other wastewater issues.

In addition, the treatment plant for the community's domestic water has reached capacity and the CSD is now negotiating with developers to expand it to accommodate projects that are in the county planning approval process. Construction time for the plant is estimated at 18 to 24 months.

At the Feb. 26 school district meeting, consultants detailed the options that will be used if the CSD is unable to provide the necessary hook-ups by fall 2008, the target date for the school.

Baranoff and geologist Fred W. Guis of Wallace Kuhl & Associates said, based on testing done at one well location, a total of three wells on the school site are expected to produce enough groundwater to supply the school's requirements for domestic water, fire suppression and landscape irrigation. The water would be stored on the 14.4-acre school site in a 24-foot-high, 500,000-gallon tank next to the AT&T substation property. Guis said testing indicates the school's water use will not significantly impact other well users in the area.

The water would be treated and chlorinated for the students' use, Baranoff said.

Property owner Paul Frank, who is donating the site to the district, pointed out that there is no guarantee the wells will supply sufficient water to meet the school's needs.

"Absolutely," said Guis. "I cannot guarantee anything. That's why we do these test wells, these pump tests, these models… We should see the same conditions."

"My concern is transferring, giving them the property and not knowing beyond a theory whether they can build a school there," said Frank.

"The transfer of property will give us the ability to pursue this project," Baranoff responded. "… If we're not able to materialize this project than the Paul Frank family gets the property back. Our goal is to get the deed to the property as quickly as possible so we can then pursue it further."

CSD General Manager Ed Crouse said the CSD could handle the school's potable water needs with the existing water treatment plant capacity because the school won't be at maximum enrollment when it opens and its water needs won't coincide with the community's peak water usage during the summer months.

When the plant is expanded, the school district will be expected to pay its fair share of the cost, Crouse said.  The new water plant is expected to cost $8 million and serve an additional 700 units. The school's water demand is the equivalent of 30 units, obligating the school district for about 5 percent of the cost, Crouse said.

The CSD will provide domestic water for the school. Irrigation needs will continue to be met with well water.

If it can't hook up to the CSD sewer system, the school's option for sewer service is a containerized wastewater treatment plant that utilizes a high-tech membrane system. It would be located at the far end of the school site, next to Highway 16. Certified operators would process and reclaim the water so it can be used for flushing toilets and outdoor irrigation.

Baranoff said the systems have a track record of successful application in public facilities, with no odor problems.

Crouse has characterized the CSD's current storage capacity problems at the wastewater treatment plant as short-term, resulting from carryover wastewater storage that occurred in 2003 when deliveries of recycled water to the Country Club were delayed for much of the irrigation season.

The CSD expected to dispose of the excess last year, but is still dealing with the problem. Flows to the plant are limited under the order until the storage problem is resolved.

In opening the school meeting, Superintendent Steven M. Ladd said "great progress" had been made since the previous session, Feb. 5.

That meeting was an emotional session that focused on the school district's requirement for reimbursement for half its costs if there is development on property on the other side of a new stretch of roadway the school district will construct.

Ladd said he and Baranoff had had "a very productive" meeting with Paul Frank after the edgy Feb. 5 session and they were "working diligently to bring (the road issue) to closure."