Leucadia Wastewater District

Check out a few of the District's Fiscal Year 2020 Successes! Fiscal Year 2020 (FY 2020) was certainly one of the most unprecedented and unusual years in the District’s history. We are very pleased to report that the District maintained its very high level of performance despite the current COVID emergency, the severe rainstorm events in November and April, and the many other challenges we faced throughout the year. Like many organizations, the District had to adjust to a who...le new way of doing business. Our Board of Directors began conducting its public meetings via video and teleconference, all the while meeting the state’s open meeting law requirements. Our staff successfully adjusted to working remotely from home and to an alternate work schedule designed to keep our employees and customers safe. Throughout this period, the District was able to safely transport and treat wastewater from our customers’ homes and businesses. In addition to the COVID emergency, the District faced intense storms on Thanksgiving Day and in April. Heavy storms present serious challenges to wastewater agencies, in that stormwater finds its way into the sewer system and can overwhelm it causing sewer spills. During the April 10th storm event, the District recorded its highest peak flows ever. The District operations team’s response was excellent, as we were able to keep all of the wastewater flowing in the pipes. In fact, the District was one of only a few area agencies that did not record a spill that day! Although we had these challenges, the District had several FY 2020 highlights. They included being recognized for both the Wastewater Collection System of the Year Award and for the Community Engagement Award by the California Water Environment AssociationSan Diego Section. In addition, the District was recognized by the Government Finance Officers Association for its excellent financial reporting and by the California Municipal Treasurers Association for its excellent investment policies. Get bi-annual updates on news and tips from The District by subscribing to our e-newsletter: https://conta.cc/2T4pnUw

Have you ever wondered how large of an impact flushing wet wipes has on US clean water facilities? Although the package reads "flushable", wet wipes clog pipes, negatively affecting the sewer system. In 2019, the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA), along with other water associations, conducted a nationwide study of the impact of wet wipes on the operating costs of America’s clean water agencies. The study found that wipes result in $441 million a year in ad...ditional operating costs at US clean water utilities. California, along with 7 other states, account for about half of the total US costs of wipes and clean water utilities pay an average of about $100,000 a year in additional operating costs because of flushed wipes. Within California, San Diego was the second largest contributor to the extra costs associated with flushing wipes, comprising nearly $3.3 million of California's total cost at $47 million. Read the full report here: https://casaweb.org///2020/09/govaff-3-cost_of_wipes-1.pdf Find more educational, legislative, and utility focused resources here: https://www.flush3p.org/ National Association of Clean Water Agencies | California Association of Sanitation Agencies

Construction Alert From Monday, November 2 through Wednesday, November 4 construction will take place at the District headquarters from 8:00am-4:00pm. If you’re coming to the District, expect some noise and activity. Please plan accordingly as we improve the District's infrastructure. Thanks for your patience!

California Special Districts Association invited students to create a video of 90 seconds or less about California’s special districts in a creative and interesting way through the 2020 Districts Make the Difference Video Contest. This annual contest is a great opportunity to get our youth engaged in local government, as well as to educate the public on the essential services provided by our state’s 2,000+ special districts. The public now has the opportunity to help stude...nts earn $3,500 in scholarships by voting for their favorite video. Additional prize money will be given to the teachers of the winning students to promote technology and support distance learning. Check out the five finalists videos and vote by November 2 here: https://www.districtsmakethedifference.org/video-contest Through our website here: https://www.lwwd.org/students-named-finalist-statewide-vide #Environment #Leucadia #Carlsbad #Encinitas #Wastewater

Teachers! Creating a more sustainable future begins with educating our youth on the habits of sustainability. With her LWD Teacher Grant, Capri Elementary kindergarten teacher Nancy Jois brought her students on tours of the wastewater district and the local watershed, where they learned about the importance of protecting their environment through good sustainable habits, like no wipes down the wipes. Learn more about our Teacher Grant Program here: http://bit.ly/2RGLnC5... City of Encinitas | Encinitas Union School District #Encinitas #Carlsbad #Leucadia #Wastewater #Environment

UC San Diego is working on the frontlines of COVID-19 by investigating the importance of testing wastewater and what happens when trace amounts of the virus are found. UCSD has invited students, faculty, and staff to submit their questions about how COVID-19 is detected in wastewater and how it is used to track the virus. Rob Knight, professor and director of the Center for Microbiome Innovation at UC San Diego, answers these questions in this Q&A: https://bit.ly/35NyH5y https://bit.ly/35NyH5y

On Saturday October 24th from 10am-2pm, turn in prescription drugs safely and anonymously for The DEA's National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Even though it starts with a "P", Prescriptions are not one of the 3 P's that belong in your toilet. Prescription drugs aren't always broken down in the treatment system, and the compounds can end up in the ocean if flushed. Exposure to even low levels of drugs has negative effects on fish and other aquatic species, and also may neg...atively affect human health. Tossing medications into the garbage also has its consequences as it poses a threat to the health of the environment and the community at large. Locate nearby safe disposal sites here: https://takebackday.dea.gov/ #NoDrugsDownDrains #DontRushToFlush

Today, try to Imagine a Day Without Water. This national education campaign is the sixth annual day to raise awareness and educate America about the value of water. No water to drink, or wash your hands with. No water to shower, flush the toilet, or do laundry. Hospitals would close without water. Firefighters couldn't put out fires and farmers couldn't water their crops. Disease would spread. This year, as communities across America faced the public health threat of the coro...navirus pandemic, water and wastewater systems continued to do their job through the crisis. Sign up to participate and learn more about the history of this campaign, the resources available, and who else is involved here: https://imagineadaywithoutwater.org/ California Association of Sanitation Agencies

Although Water Professional Appreciation Week was last week, we express gratitude to these hard workers year-round. Thank you wastewater and water employees for ensuring our communities accessibility to safe, reliable water and wastewater service 24/7. Although these essential workers faced unprecedented challenges this year, they continue to ensure public health and maintain environmental stewardship. Watch this video to see how wastewater districts across California are meeting the moment despite hardship: https://www.youtube.com/watch

Marvin Gonzalez, one of the District's valued Field Services Technicians, recently celebrated 15 years with Leucadia Wastewater District! Marvin currently leads our team of 9 Field Services technicians that operate and maintain the collection system and an advanced water treatment facility, known as the Gafner Water Recycling Facility. Before his time at LWD, Marvin served in the United States Marine Corps.... Thanks for 15 years of dedication, Marvin!

Teachers! Check out what El Camino Creek Elementary did with the Teacher Grant program last year. 5th grade teacher Jennifer Smith and her students utilized a LWWD grant to build a hydroponic garden to understand water-wise gardening and food production. If you would like for us to come to your school and talk about the Teacher Grant Program, please reach out to us.... Learn more about our Teacher Grant Program here: http://bit.ly/2RGLnC5 City of Carlsbad - Official | Encinitas Union School District #Environment #Wastewater #Carlsbad #Encinitas #Leucadia

Sometimes you’ll notice an odor coming from your sink or shower drain that smells like rotten eggs. This could be sewer gas, especially if it’s coming from a bathroom sink or drain that isn’t used much. Sinks, toilets, and showers all have a P-trap that helps prevent sewer gas from coming back up your pipes and into your home. These traps hold a small amount of water which helps prevent gases from entering your bathroom or other areas that have drains. When the P-trap is full, any lingering gas travels up a separate pipe that vents through your roof, keeping it out of your house. If you notice an odor coming from your sink or other drain, run the water for a while to fill the trap. If the problem persists, you may need to get a plumber to check to make sure that your trap and vent are working properly.

Today is the last day of Water Professional Appreciation Week Legions of planners, environmental engineers, water quality specialists, technicians and other water professionals have built and maintained the systems that bring that water from its source, utilized in the community, and efficiently reprocessed and cleaned. Please join us in thanking them for their dedication to environmental protection by watching this video by The Value of Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch... #WeAreCAWater #CAWaterWeek #WorkForWater #ThankWaterPros California Water Environment Association

As we are nearing the end of Water Professionals Appreciation Week, we want to showcase another one of our Field Services Technicians Meet Curney Russell and get to know more about his vital role, as well as his favorite part of his job. Our District is grateful to have someone like Curney who is dedicated to maintaining and supporting our vital infrastructure.... #WeAreCAWater #CAWaterWeek #WorkForWater California Water Environment Association