Hillcrest water resolution OK'd
Yuba City residents had a taste of resolution with the Hillcrest water controversy Tuesday. For some it was sweet, for others — bitter. The Yuba City City Council voted 4-0 to adopt water fees and charges related to the Hillcrest Water System conversion from groundwater to surface water, which begins this month. Mayor Leslie McBride was absent due to illness.
"I think it's a win for this community and a win for our citizens," said Mayor Pro Tem Kash Gill.
When the city started looking at the Hillcrest Water System two years ago, its goal was to be fair and equitable while providing safe, clean drinking water, he said. The issue divided the community and pitted neighbors against neighbors.
Now that a resolution has been reached, the community can move on, Gill said.
But the issue is far from over from some still-dissatisfied residents.
Elaine Miles, who lives in Region 2/3, said it is obvious council members have not thought through the costs or methods of the implementation process.
"Groundwater customers are left in a lurch," she said.
Meter installations will not occur until after the state revolving fund's loan package has been finished and approved, which should not be for several months, said Bill Lewis, Yuba City utilities director. Once the City Council approves the loan package, decisions about rate implementation will be made.
For now, the plan is for res dents to keep their groundwater rates until meters are installed, even after they are converted to surface water, he said.
Region 2/3 residents north of Lincoln Road will begin the conversion in the next few weeks. And Region 1 residents, who live east of Highway 99, will be converted this fall.
Region 2/3 residents south of Lincoln Road west of Highway 99 will wait for conversions until fall 2010.
Tony Galyean, who lives in Region 1, said he was pleased to see the council approved the long-awaited ordinance.
"The water quality is, at best, horrible and at worst, toxic and poisonous," he said.
Moving forward with the conversion is what's best for residents, Galyean said.
"The money that we'll be paying, that value is more than offset by increasing our quality of life," he said.
Opponents failed to defeat the nearly $20-per-month water connection surcharge in November.
An initial protest hearing in August saw a majority of Hillcrest residents rejected the switch, but after some users said they were misinformed, a second protest hearing in November only gathered 807 of more than 2,000 necessary ballots.
The surface water connection will replace the Hillcrest groundwater source, which is high in arsenic and requires extensive and costly treatment. The $18.8 million project includes plans for a water storage tank and connection piping that allows for future growth.
Gill hopes that as construction costs continue to drop and with a request pending for stimulus funding, the final cost to residents will be even lower, he said.
Councilmember John Miller voted for the project for the first time Tuesday, after recusing himself in the past because he is a Hillcrest water user.
The ordinance needed four votes to pass and, after reviewing the Fair Political Practices Commission's significant segment of a population rule, City Attorney Timothy Hayes said it seemed clear Miller is free to vote and participate.
How it Will Happen
Timeline for ground water to surface water conversion:
• February 2009: Residents north of Lincoln Road, west of Highway 99
• Fall 2009: Residents east of Highway 99, in Region 1
• Fall 2010: Residents south of Lincoln Road, west of Highway 99
Contact Appeal-Democrat reporter Ashley Gebb at 749-4724 or agebb@appealdemocrat.com.
