The Rancho Murieta Community Services District has received a notice of violation from the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board for spilling up to 150,000 gallons of treated wastewater in May. The July 16 notice advises the CSD that failure to comply with discharge requirements may result in further enforcement action, including a fine, but it does not impose a fine. The spill was the result of an operator error.

The recycled water overflowed from a lake located at the entrance to Murieta South May 27 after a plant operator mistakenly left an automatic valve open in the manual mode. This kept the valve from shutting off when the high-water level was reached.

The valve controls the flow of recycled water from the reclamation plant to the ponds 16 and 17 at the entrance to Murieta South. The water is used to water the South Course.

Pond 17 overflowed into a drainage ditch that connects to a holding pond. According to the notice of violation, "none of the wastewater entered surface waters." The notice describes the incident, how the CSD responded, and the measures the district has taken to prevent another incident.

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