Overview

The Water Distribution Section is responsible for maintenance, upkeep and monitoring of all potable water tanks, pump stations, and well sites.  An effective preventative maintenance plans ensures that all assets in at these locations are inspected, maintained, and kept in proper working condition at all times.  Using the City's GIS database and a computerized maintenance management system staff is able to schedule preventative and predictive maintenance to keep equipment in proper working condition.  These preventative and predictive maintenance cycles help to extend the lifecycle of pumps, motors, tanks, pipes, valves, and various other equipment

Tanks

Pump Stations

The water distribution system has several pump stations in town that are used to pump water to the far reaches and upper elevations of the City.  Maintaining pump stations requires staff to perform preventative and predictive maintenance on pumps, motors, piping, valves, telemetry, and various other assets to ensure that pump stations can deliver water to storage facilities consistently and economically.  Staff conducts inspections of this equipment in order to ensure that equipment is rebuilt and maintained in order to keep it from breaking.  Our steadfast effort to maintain our equipment allows us to provide water to the community 24/7/365.  It is very rare for members of our community to be out of water.  If you do not have water at your house this could be a sign of a large issue; please call us immediately if this is the case (805) 781-7215. 

Groundwater Wells

The Utilities Department maintains several production wells in the City.  Although groundwater is not part of the current potable supply and has been offline since 2015, the wells provide the City with an additional potential water source and added supply stability. The distribution team works closely with the water treatment team to maintain these well sites and ensure that all wells sites are safe, secure, and operable condition.   

Overview

Dead end water mains are often found at the end of cul-de-sac streets and older neighborhoods.  Dead end water mains do not provide enough flow to keep water fresh and chlorine levels present.  Due to this fact, water distribution crew has a preventative maintenance cycle set up for flushing dead end water mains to ensure high water quality and acceptable chlorine residual.

As a result of sedimentation, stagnant water, and low levels of chlorine, our staff attempts to flush all dead end mains at least once a year.  As staff flushes these main lines they record the beginning chlorine residual, ending chlorine residual, and estimated gallons flushed to help us figure out which dead end mains need to be flushed most often.  All dead end mains are not equal; some have higher usage which helps keep water fresher over time.  These dead end mains may not need to be flushed as often as a large main line feeding a cul-de-sac with very few homes on it.  Due to the variability in this process it is essential that our staff keep accurate records so we can prioritize our work and maintain water quality across the system. 

The water distribution system delivers potable water to approximately 17,000 metered customers. The goals of the program are to provide uninterrupted water flow at adequate pressures, to meet all fire and domestic flow requirements, and to minimize system water loss due to leakage.

Overview

Emergency repairs and replacements exist in every distribution system.  With much of our infrastructure being installed in the 1950s, 1960s,  and 1970s, assets do age over time and become vulnerable to failure.  The emergency repair crew is responsible for all emergency related duties.  This includes service line failures, main line failures, replacement of broken fire hydrants, and a variety of other tasks.  While we do conduct preventative maintenance, it only reduces the chances of unaccounted for failures within our distribution system, it does not eliminate them.  The emergency crew is often working in hazardous conditions that are very dangerous.  If you ever see our emergency crew performing a repair or a replacement in the street please be cautious; these situations often require a great deal of heavy equipment that has low visibility.  Please restrict your path the sidewalks if walking or a designated detour if driving.

Main Line Repairs

The most costly system repairs that we make are often a result of failed/broken water mains.  As pipes age they corrode from both the inside and the outside.  When high surface loads, surges in pressure, and soil expansion take place, the reduced structural integrity of the pipe often gives way to these changes in conditions.  As emergency crews are dispatched, our staff isolates the affected areas so repairs can begin.  Depending on the extent of the damage, we generally have two repair options, replacing sections of pipe, or installing clamps over the areas that broke. 

Clamps are generally available for main line breaks under 24 inches in length where the pipe has not completely lost structural integrity.  These clamps create a seal around the broken section of the pipe and act as a permanent fix to the broken section of the pipe.

With larger main line failures sections of pipe are often replaced.  If sections of pipe are replaced staff uses solid couplings to seal points where the new pipe and old pipe connect.  These sleeves are pressure rated and load rated to act as permanent fixes to large scale main repairs.  With large main line failures there is often a great deal of excavation and cleanup that is required due to the power and force that water has at such high quantities.  The water distribution staff deploys silt retention devices and dechlorination tablets to try to minimize the impact that water breaks have on our local creeks and the wildlife that inhabits them.  Our environmental compliance section also works directly with distribution staff to ensure that all precautionary measures are taken to minimize risks to the environment.

Service Line Replacements

Water service lines are the smaller water lines that supply water from the water main to your home or business.  The distribution team replaces anywhere from 60 to 250 service lines per year depending on a variety of factors.  The most common cause of service line failure is pipe material.  During the 1980s and 1990s utilities across the country installed a service lines in a material known as polybutelene, or PB. Polybutelene, while not known at the time of installation, is a defective material with a very short life span.  Since the 1990s city staff has been replacing failed PB services and proactively replacing it in our system.  for more information on polybutelene please visit http://www.polybutylene.com/poly.html.

Overview

Water meters are our most accessible and abundant asset.  With nearly 15,000 water meters across the city, keeping up with our meter replacement strategy is a very important task.  As meters age they generally record only a fraction of the total amount of water that is passing through them.  These inaccuracies are accounted for by replacing water meters every 15-20 years.  Along with meter replacements the meter repair and replacement crew also maintains meter boxes, curb stops, and GIS records about meter details.

Meter Replacements

With water meters ranging from 5/8" to 6" in diameter, there is a wide variety of work that can go into replacing a water meter.  As meter age and become less accurate, it is essential to replace them with new meters that provide accurate consumption records and allow both homeowners and the utilities department to easily and accurately read the meter.  Replacing water meters requires staff to temporarily shut water off to the home or business while the new meter is being installed. 

Meter Box Maintenance

Maintaining meter boxes and the area around meter boxes is essential for quick, safe access for both the customer and utilities staff.  Meter boxes provide protection to valves, piping, and the meter itself.  Replacement of meter boxes also keeps gophers from filling the boxes with dirt.  In order to maintain ease of access, the meter replacement crew also replaces and maintains meter boxes.

Based on pipeline maintenance requirements, certain water lines are selected each year for replacement. The Public Works Department designs, manages and inspects these projects to ensure the new infrastructure meets the objectives set forth by the City. The Water Distribution crew from the Utilities Department is in charge of daily maintenance and emergency repairs.

 The Water Distribution programs seeks to:

• Ensure reliable water services to our residents and businesses
• Reduce the need for emergency repairs
• Enhance available fire protection flows
  
  
  

New section of transmission main installed below ground on Miossi Rd

The assumed useful life expectancy of water lines is 50 years and most water lines proposed for replacement were originally installed in 1940s, 50s and early 60s. 

They are substandard, deteriorated and leaking, and cannot effectively handle the capacity demanded by a growing city population. Replacing these water lines results in lower costs and reduced customer impacts that would otherwise be associated with emergency repairs. It also provides more staff time for preventive maintenance, which prolongs the expected service life of water distribution facilities and equipment. New water lines provide better service levels, eliminate capacity issues and improve water flow for fire protection.  

New section of transmission main assembled above ground on Miossi Rd.