North State Water Treatment Services

I meant to get this out yesterday on the second anniversary of the Camp Fire, November 8th, but life has a way of getting in the way. Just two years later, I kn...ow it still feels raw for so many people. I wrote this for my parents, who lost their home where they raised me and my sisters. While they lost everything but the two cars and two dogs they had with them at the time, we were more fortunate than those who lost their lives or the lives of loved ones. This song isn't perfect (would loved to have recorded live drums and bass), but it was necessary for my own healing, and I hope it can connect with some of you. Bless you all, and may the future be brighter than the past couple years. See more

Excellent Study... a must read

Homeowners are responsible for testing in their homes.

Methylene chloride, a known carcinogen used in some solvents like paint and varnish removers, was also detected. It showed up at a quarter of the homes tested in Paradise. A handful of homes’ plumbing showed unsafe levels of the chemical. Paradise Irrigation District has also detected the chemical in some service laterals.

It is my understanding that CalWater found these compounds in a well they own in Oroville and had to take it out of service. Currently the State of California does not require us to test for these compounds for our clients so we have no idea how prevalent this issue is in the North State. So our ability to understand the magnitude of the issue in our region is greatly hindered.

This recent presentation made by Dr. Andrew Whelton is the most comprehensive overview of not only what happened but where we are now with regard to the water quality issues in and around the Camp Fire. https://www.northstatewatertreatment.com/camp-fire-water-co

Trading water will increase the value of ag land substantially. No wonder the Tuscan Water District and the proposed PID pipeline is being supported by big ag interest in our county.

As a follow-up to a post on water, here are some important questions and answers: 1. Who are the major surface water rights folks in Butte County, including wa...ter districts? "There are some agencies who hold surface water rights and others who use surface water through a contract with a surface water right holder. We attached a background document on water users from the Inventory and Analysis Report: https://www.buttecounty.net//Reports/I%26A/Report/AppxA.pdf Here's a partial list of major water right holders but there are hundreds of small water right holders. Many of them have riparian rights along creeks and streams for use on their property along the creek. In the Water Inventory and Analysis Report, section A-2, references the various water right holders and the State Water Resources Control Board database. (see link above): Surface Water Suppliers a. Western Canal Water District (agricultural) b. Richvale Irrigation District (agricultural) c. Thermalito Water & Sewer District (domestic) d. South Feather Water & Power District-(domestic and agricultural) e. Lake Madrone Water District (domestic) f. Butte Water District (agricultural) h. Biggs-West Gridley Water District (agriculture) j. Paradise Irrigation District- (domestic) k. Dayton Mutual Water Company (agricultural) Ranches m. M&T Ranch (agricultural) n. Llano Seco (agricultural) o. Rancho Esquon (agricultural) Others: p. PG&E q. Butte County (State Water Project Table A) Butte County has contracts with Cal Water Oroville and Del Oro Water Company for them to use Butte County’s Table A. Butte County also leases most of the Table Allocation to State Water Project Contractors south of the Delta. 2. Do any of them sell surface water out of county? Yes. It varies from year to year. Water transfers occur typically in drier years when State Water Project and Central Valley Water Project allocations are low. There were no water transfers this year. When the Settlement Contractor water districts (Western Canal, Richvale, Biggs West Gridley, Butte Water District) participate in water transfers, they do fallowing transfers. This involves landowners signing up to fallowing specific fields and transferring the surface water that would have otherwise been delivered to those fields. Thermalito and South Feather have participated in water transfer programs in the past. Butte County has a long-term lease with South of Delta SWP Contractors which occurs annually. None of these transfer programs involves groundwater. 3. Do any of them sell surface water and then pump? Chapter 33, the Groundwater Conservation Ordinance, requires obtaining a permit from the County if they sell surface water and then pump (aka groundwater substitution transfer) or if they pump groundwater and sell it directly (groundwater transfer). No permits have ever been applied for since the Groundwater Conservation Ordinance was adopted in 1996. 4. Is there a way to know if they're pumping and selling? Or is it by their word or well levels? How is this monitored? And finally, how is Chapter 33 enforced? Yes, we and the public know if there is a plan for a water transfer program. Water transfers cannot be done secretly. The surface water system is a largely engineered and managed system. If surface water is sold south of the Delta it has to get there by going through DWR’s pumps from the Delta into the San Luis Reservoir and then into the California Aqueduct, of which they keep an accounting. They would need to get approval from DWR to move the water through the system. Additionally, the water transfers require CEQA documentation. Most of the entities that transfer water are public agencies and their respective boards would have to take an action (e.g., contracts, agreements, CEQA). We get notice of most local water agency agendas. In years when there are water transfer programs, there is pretty open discussion among the agencies. Western Canal and Richvale hold a landowners meeting in February each year. As part of the update, they will let landowners know if there is a transfer program planned. We (DWRC, County Counsel, BOS) routinely attend this meeting. As for enforceability, the Groundwater Conservation Ordinance includes civil penalties for violations. The bigger hammer lies with the state if someone south of the Delta illegally took water from the California Aqueduct or the Sacramento River. The State Water Project conveyance system is closely monitored and regulated by the state. DWR and the State Water Board would take enforcement action. The bottom line is that there is no physical or legal way that someone could transfer water out of the county without anyone knowing.

Paradise Residents on PID water take notice - Dr. Whelton just posted this on Twitter so I feel that we can share our experience. What you don't see in this photo is how the water in this toilet from our client in Paradise is literally CRACKING like glass with a hard film on the top of the water surface. We will be taking samples to find out what we can to help this family. From what I understand - this water is from Paradise Irrigation District.

This is why our state has appalling water issues. There is no effective way for the public to gain a comprehensive understanding of water quality in the groundwater they consume.