Kootenai County Water District #1 Information Site
5:00 PM: Leak repaired. All water services restored.
11:30 AM: An emergency repair of a leak on Vista Loop is underway. In order to isolate the leak location to repair the pipe, crews will need to shut valves in that vicinity, and possibly the Vista Booster station. This will/may cause water service interruptions today on Bonnell, Vista Loop and Highview. ETR (Estimated Time of Restoration) of water service to the area will be late this afternoon.
An Executive Session MS Teams meeting has been called for December 17, 2021 at 3:00 P.M. {Idaho Code 74-206A (1) (a) & (b) (j)} Engineer facility plan matters.
Water Service for E Highview has been restored as of 4:50 PM, except for the Patron whose service line was leaking. That line has been isolated with a temporary valve. Patron has been notified directly and drinking water has been supplied by the District for their use until repair work can resume tomorrow to replace the old line.
UPDATE 10:50 AM: The leak appears to be in an old galvanized service line, and not the main. Unfortunately, it crosses the road, and in order to isolate it, the crew will need to turn off the valve that controls flow from the Vista Booster Station, so they can uncover the service line connection to the main. All of Highview and Kingswood may experience a service interruption when this valve is closed, but it will hopefully be of short duration.
A leak was reported on E Highview Drive late yesterday afternoon. Crews are on site this morning and are ready to begin repairs. After uncovering the portion of the pipe with the leak, a valve will need to be shut in order to isolate the leak for repair. Patrons in the 7300 to 7800 portion of E Highview will experience service interruptions until the repairs are completed. Estimated time of Restoration (ETR) is 5:00 PM this evening.
The regular Board meeting is this Wednesday December 15, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. Please note; the meeting location has changed. The new meeting venue is Eastside Highway District, 6095 E. Mullan Trail Rd.
We are greatly appreciative of the Eastside Highway District Commissioners for granting KCWD1 to host the district business meetings in their facility.
The agenda can be viewed on the agenda's page tab.
The Board of Directors regular meeting is this Wednesday November 17, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The meeting date is the 3rd Wednesday this month, because of Thanksgiving and will also be held the 3rd Wednesday in December for Christmas.
The Board of Directors will host a special meeting Monday November 15th at 1:00 P.M. at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed at the Agendas pages tab.
There will be a Special Board of Directors Meeting on Monday, November 1st, 2021 at 6:00 PM, at the Fire Station located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The meeting is open to the public. Please see the Agenda on the Board Meeting Agendas page.
There is a BOD's meeting this Wednesday October 27, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. located at the Fire Station at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed by clicking on the Board Meeting Agendas tab. The Public is welcome to attend.
There will be a Special Executive Session Board of Directors Meeting on Thursday, September 30, 2021 at 2:00 PM. As it is an Executive Session, the meeting is closed to the Public. The meeting will be held via Zoom. Please see the Agenda on the Board Meeting Agendas page.
The Board of Directors regular meeting is this Wednesday, September 22, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda is available for viewing by clicking on the side bar under Board Meeting Agendas.
UPDATE: At 6:30 PM the District repair crew began flushing the lines on Sunnyside in the process of re-pressurizing after completing the repair of the Main. Both booster pump stations at Vista Heights and Grouse Meadows were being checked around 7:30 PM to determine if the pumps needed to be primed to bring back on line. Pressures should begin to recover to normal levels in all areas of the District over the next few hours.
---------------------------------------------------
The District is responding to a large leak in the main at E Sunnyside and Capt. John Mullan. In order to isolate it and get the main repaired, several valves will be need to be turned off to preserve the reservoir storage while the work is done.
ALL OF THE EAST AND SOUTH SIDE OF THE DISTRICT FROM CAPT. JOHN MULLAN WILL BE AFFECTED, INCLUDING SUNNYSIDE, BONNELL, VISTA LOOP, HIGHVIEW AND KINGSWOOD.
ETR (Estimated Time of Restoration) is 5:00 PM this evening, but may be earlier if the repair goes better than anticipated.
The District will be repairing a third leak on Vista Loop. The plan is not to turn off any valves, but depending on the nature of the leak, valves may have to be turned off briefly to stop water flowing to install the repair clamp(s). If the valves have to be shut, the 4000 blocks of Vista Loop and Bonnell may be affected.
To all Patrons:
Links to the documents of KCWD#1 Resolution 2021-02 Declare Emergency and Temporarily Suspend New Water Hook-ups are posted on a separate page in the list to the upper right of this blog.
Today, September 7, 2021, will be the effective date of posting of Exhibit A, the list of all those water hook-up applications received before the June 29, 2021 temporary suspension effective date and any water hook-ups for which the District has contracted through a separate previous agreement.
All those who believe that they have been inadvertently left off this list, i.e. submitted an application before June 29, 2021, can petition the KCWD#1 Board of Directors for inclusion until October 7, 2021, 30 days from this posting date as described in the Resolution:
A Special Board of Directors Meeting will be held on Thursday September 9, 2021 at 11:00 AM, at the Fire Station at 7739 E Sunnyside Rd., to interview a candidate for the Water System Operator position. Please see agenda on the Meeting Agendas page.
Update 3:54 PM: Valves turned back on. All water service should be back on. Good news, long term leak is repaired!
Update 2:00 PM: Valves being turned off at this time. Please cease water use until valves turned back on shortly. Monitor blog for valve turn-on announcement.
Update 1:30 PM: There is a delay as different parts were needed than was originally planned, so valve turn-off is delayed. Will update when new time is communicated.
There is ongoing work to repair a leak on Vista Loop today, Saturday, September 4, 2021. At approximately 1:00 PM, the District is planning to close two valves that will affect Water Patrons in the 3200-3800 block of Vista Loop, and the 3800 block of S Bonnell. E Highview Patrons are also asked to temporarily cease water use at this time to keep the Vista Booster reservoir full and lines pressurized. The valves are expected to be closed for a short duration to allow the cutting and capping of an exposed pipe.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Update 4:20 PM: Water Service has been restored. Please call JD Owen at (208) 660-8092 if you are still experiencing a water service interruption.
Update 11:00 AM: Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) is 5:00 PM.
Repair Work on Leak #2 on Vista Loop will begin in the next half hour. In order to isolate it, the main valves that will have to be closed will cause Water Service Interruptions to Patrons on parts of Vista Loop, E Highview, and Bonnell. Will update with an ETR when District personnel have finished evaluating the scope of the work.
One of the leaks discovered in the last few days has been repaired on Vista Loop today, but the dig site still requires restoration. There is another leak that still needs to be repaired on Vista Loop and a third on Bonnell. Repair work will continue tomorrow. Patrons served by the Vista Booster Pump Station that were affected by today's work had full pressure restored at around 7:00 PM this evening.
Please monitor the blog for further information about water service interruptions during the work tomorrow.
A Special Board of Directors Meeting will be held via Zoom and in-person at the Fire Station at 7739 E Sunnyside Rd. to interview a candidate for the Water System Operator position. Please see agenda on the Meeting Agendas page.
Effective today, September 1, 2021, KCWD#1 is suspending most of the Emergency Measures to conserve water. The cooler weather, along with Patrons' efforts, have resulted in a sustained pattern in the last few weeks of being able to meet the daily peak demand for water without having to run the pumps 24 hours.
The District is still requesting that non-food landscape watering still be done on an odd/even day schedule until winterizing your sprinkler systems. Thank you all for your cooperation these last few months, and your continued cooperation as we head into Fall and Winter.
Please see page: UPDATED! Mandatory Water Conservation Measures
Three leaks on Vista Loop were discovered and the District crew is on site for repair. The Vista booster pump is down in order to isolate the leaks. All Patrons supplied via the Vista Boosters, including Highview, Vista Loop, will experience water service interruptions until the leaks are repaired. Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) is 5:00 PM this evening.
The Board of Directors meeting is Wednesday August 25, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed under the Board Meeting Agendas page.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 2021-2022
KOOTENAI COUNTY WATER DISTRICT No. 1
Notice is hereby given that Kootenai County Water District No. 1 (KCWD#1), Kootenai County, Idaho, will hold a public hearing for the consideration of the proposed budget for the fiscal period December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022, pursuant to the applicable section(s) of Idaho Code. The hearing will be held at the Fire Station, 7739 E. Sunnyside Road, Coeur d’Alene, ID at 6:00 P.M. on Wednesday, August 25, 2021. All interested resident patrons and tax payers are invited to appear and show cause, if any, why such budget should or should not be adopted.
The proposed revenues and expenditures for fiscal year 2022 have been tentatively approved by the Kootenai County Water District No. 1 Board of Directors (the “Board”) at a public meeting held July 28, 2021.
The Board of Directors will hold a Special Meeting on Thursday, August 19, 2021, 3:00 PM at the Fire Station at 7739 E Sunnyside Rd. Keller Associates will participate via MS Teams to discuss the 40 HP pump emergency back-up/redundancy options that they have researched. Please see the agenda on the Meeting Agendas page for additional detail. Patrons are welcome to attend.
10:30 AM: Power has been restored, and all booster pump stations are operating.
7:45 AM: Avista crew estimating that it will take at least two hours to replace the pole, so original estimate of 8:15 AM will not be met. Expect no later than noon. Also, power outage includes Grouse Meadow booster pumps, so all Patrons served by those pumps are also experiencing water service interruptions.
7:25 AM: Avista crew has arrived onsite at broken pole.
A transformer blew near the Bonnell substation around 12:30 AM, and power is still out for those Patrons on that grid, including the Vista Booster Pump Station. All Patrons serviced by that pump station are experiencing water service interruptions (e.g. Vista Loop, Highview Dr.). Avista website reporting an 8:15 AM ETR for power, which will bring those pumps back online.
Kootenai County Fire responded to a fire at lower Sunnyside near Lakeshore earlier today. They used raw water from the District hydrants below the sand filters, so we are now recovering sand filter water levels and contact chamber levels to continue to fill the reservoir. Thankfully, the reservoir was near full at 7:00 PM yesterday evening, and even with the normal early morning draw down, the reservoir level is currently recovering as the sand filters and contact chamber refill after the fire department diverted raw water to fight the fire.
Thank you all for continuing to conserve water use!
Evening Update: Water Service was restored at approximately 6:30 PM this evening. Did not receive ETR earlier as crew was working in an area with no cellular service.
District crew is working on a major leak located on Little Joe in the Bonanza District. They are with Avista completing the locate services for electrical and will begin repair work shortly. Patrons on Little Joe, Cartwright, Hoss, Allen, and Reagan will all be affected when the line leak is isolated by valving off nearby mains. Will update with an Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) as soon as the crew reports.
The monthly Board meeting is this Wednesday, 6:00 PM, July 28, 2021, held at the Fire Station at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda is available under Pages and then click on Board Meeting Agendas. As a reminder, all Board meetings are open to the Public.
District personnel will be replacing a damaged valve on Goldrush in the Bonanza area today. Patrons on Goldrush, S Cody, Buckboard, and Wagon Wheel will experience water service interruption while the work is being done, beginning at approximately 12:30 PM. ETR (Estimated Time of Restoration) is 6:00 PM this evening.
Thank you for your patience.
UPDATE: ETR is now 8:00 PM, two hours later than first estimate. Thank you for your patience.
District personnel are responding to a sizeable leak on Goldrush in the Bonanza area of the District. In order to isolate it to repair, Patrons on Goldrush, Bonanza, Dillon, Cody, Silver and possibly Wagon Wheel will all be affected. ETR (Estimated Time to Restoration) is 6:00 PM this evening.
The KCWD#1 Board of Directors will hold a Special Meeting Wednesday July 21, 2021 beginning 10:30 AM at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed on the Meeting Agendas page.
The reservoir was at eight (8) feet this morning at 8:00 AM. Much better than we have done in the past two months on Mondays, even though the 40 HP pump is leaking. RC Worst is working on getting the replacement seal so that they can come out and repair as soon as possible.
Please keep up with the water conservation measures. It is working!
District crew out working on a leak on Little Joe in the Bonanza area.
MANDATORY EMERGENCY WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES:
OUTSIDE WATERING: All Patrons are to MINIMALLY water on an odd/even schedule, with no watering on the 31st of a month. Addresses ending in odd numbers water on odd dates, even numbers water on even dates. If you can water less frequently, please do so. Very green grass means too much water use. Please stagger watering times on your assigned dates with half in the morning, and half at night or alternate watering times from morning to evening.
ADDITIONAL REDUCTION MEASURES:
In addition to the above, please use all means to reduce overall water use, such as:
v Try collecting grey water and use it for your garden needs (e.g., spring water collecting under your home, dish water, etc.).
v Turn off water fountains and features that require water replenishment.
v Take shorter showers, not baths.
v Fully load dishwashers and washers and use shortest settings.
v Put covers on pools and spas (or any sizeable water container) when not in use to reduce evaporation.
v Do not run sink water when doing dishes, brushing teeth, shaving, etc.
v No car washing, power washing, or other elective water use.
v Fix leaks, broken/misdirected sprinklers.
The reservoir was between five (5) and six (6) feet around 6:00 PM this evening. Assuming that all Patrons have turned off all outside watering timers, and their systems do not come on in the early morning hours, we should have a full reservoir by 5:00 AM. If the reservoir is depleted, we will need to extend the suspension of outside watering. Please cooperate so that we can relax these restrictions for the whole community!
The work on the Control System began today, as confidence in the PLC operating the pumps correctly is not high. The new PLC is not operational yet, but it has been installed and some early debugging and testing was done. We are hoping to have the majority of the work done on Monday as planned. In the meantime, we have some of the pumps on automatic control, but will continue to verify that they are operating correctly via the Control System and steadily replenishing the reservoir to meet demand.
Thank you.
AM Update: The Reservoir was between 5 and 6 feet at midnight, and dropped back down to between 1 and two feet this morning at 7:00 AM. This is causing pressure drops and loss of water service to some of the community!
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL AUTOMATIC WATERING TIMERS AND NO OUTSIDE WATERING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
ESSENTIAL HOUSEHOLD USE ONLY!
The longer that some members of the community continue to ignore the District's requests for conserving water, the longer it will take to recover the system and lift water use restrictions. Do your part.
PLEASE IMPLEMENT EXTREME WATER CONSERVATION UNTIL WE CAN RECOVER RESERVOIR!
NO OUTSIDE WATERING UNTIL DISTRICT NOTIFICATION THAT WE HAVE RECOVERED AND ABLE TO MEET DEMAND!
Good news! RC Worst was able to get 40 HP pump back up working. We have a leaky seal, but we can run until they get the new seal and replace it next week. We have both the 40 and 20 HP online and they are pumping at maximum capacity, but it will take at least 18-24 hours to recover the reservoir even with everyone using as little water as they can.
Thank you for your cooperation, and let your neighbors know what is going on if they have not heard.
PLEASE STOP ALL WATER USE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
We lost the 40 HP pump at approximately 4:54 PM. We are pumping with the 20 HP, but as you all know, it cannot keep up with any kind of demand approaching normal use. Could not get the 40 HP pump restarted and we now have RC Worst onsite evaluating if they can get it started again.
Will be initiating an automated call in addition to this notice.
The reservoir level this morning was approximately half at 7.1 feet, not as high as yesterday, but much better than previous weeks. We believe that the conservation efforts are working, but there are still a few Patrons who need to review their landscape watering, as they are affecting their neighbors at higher elevations.
The leak on Mullan Trail has been repaired, and the isolation valves have been re-opened. Patrons in the Forest Lake development, and others, whose service is provided by the Shiras and Mullan Trail Mains loop should see an improvement in water pressures.
Thank you to everyone for cooperating with the detour while the Mullan Trail main was being repaired. We are not quite finished with that repair as we must repave the road there. It has been difficult to find an available paving company for this relatively small piece of work, and we are fortunate to have a Patron in this business here in the District. He will be able to do the repaving sometime next week. In the meantime, please slow down as you drive over the gravel patch to minimize the need for reworking the area that must be repaved.
The Control system is still exhibiting some abnormal behavior, so Water District personnel will be closely monitoring through the weekend to manually ensure that the system is consistently and optimally producing water. Monday we hope to begin work on installing the new PLC's and testing the programming logic.
To All Patrons,
Please keep up the good work on the water conservation! For the first time in months, we started the day with a double digit level in the reservoir at 10.1 feet! For the first time in weeks, some of the Patrons at higher elevations in Grouse Meadows did not lose there water pressure completely in the morning!
Work was started on the repair of the six (6) inch main on Mullan Trail early this morning. Still awaiting an update on that progress, and will report when I get it. Thank you all for your patience and cooperation with the detours around this work area starting early this morning.
In other news, the Board will be meeting with DEQ and our engineering firm next week (time and date still to be finalized) to discuss kicking off a project to add a redundant 40 HP pump in the main pump house to reduce our risk of catastrophic failure of the existing old pump, while bringing on line a more reliable, more efficient new pump. Will report on project progress on this blog.
We are also in the process of upgrading our Control System as we have seen some hiccups with the controls in the last month that have also contributed to some of our reservoir replenishment issues. The upgrade includes remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and controls, instead of our current outdated capability of only being able to react to low water level alarms.
Thank you again to the whole KCWD#1 community for implementing the Water Conservation Measures!
If you have not checked yet, there is a notice that was hung outside your mailbox this morning by some District volunteers. A big THANK YOU to all nine of them for helping to get this important information out to the KCWD#1 community!
If you look to the upper right hand side of this blog Home page, you will see three new pages with additional important information including the Mandatory Water Conservation Measures that were included in the notice that was distributed this morning. Check back to this page periodically as we will update if these measures change.
The second new page is a status page for the Plan to fix our Water System. We will be updating this page regularly so that Patrons can track progress on the work being done.
There is also an updated page listing some Water Saving Tips. If you have more ideas, please email them to custserv.kcwd1@gmail.com so that we can add to the list on this blog to share with the community.
Thank you.
There was a large draw down through the night and early morning leaving the reservoir at around five (5) feet this morning from our reported 11.5 feet last night.
A reminder:
DETOURS ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH:
The current plan is to begin repair work very early in the morning on Wednesday. Mullan Trail Rd. will be closed at Sunnyside at about 5:30 AM on Wednesday, so please use Sunnyside to Lake Shore to Sherman to access Hwy 90. If you are going east on Mullan Trail Rd. to get to Sunnyside, please detour through Tumble Creek Rd. to Shiras to get around the closure on lower Mullan Trail Rd. The repair is estimated to take most of the day and into the evening, and final restoration work on the road may happen over a few days.
The reservoir this evening reached 11.4 feet, the first time in many days that we have been able to recover to a double digit level. Please keep up the water conservation and the odd/even date watering to continue this trend.
We were not able to complete the coordination with Eastside Highway early enough today to begin the repair work to the broken main on the lower section of Mullan Trail Rd. as we had hoped.
DETOURS ON WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH:
The current plan is to begin repair work very early in the morning on Wednesday. Mullan Trail Rd. will be closed at Sunnyside at about 5:30 AM on Wednesday, so please use Sunnyside to Lake Shore to Sherman to access Hwy 90. If you are going east on Mullan Trail Rd. to get to Sunnyside, please detour through Tumble Creek Rd. to Shiras to get around the closure on lower Mullan Trail Rd. The repair is estimated to take most of the day and into the evening, and final restoration work on the road may happen over a few days.
To All Patrons:
As of 6:00 PM, the reservoir was holding at around 5 feet, ~1/3 full, even after opening the isolation valve for the Patrons on Mullan Trail Rd. We have not been able to increase above that level all day. We are hoping that we can see an increase overnight as Patrons continue to conserve water use and minimize outside watering. JD Owen will head down to the plant around midnight to monitor that all is operating as expected.
The District will attempt to coordinate with Eastside Highway District early tomorrow morning, and the tentative plan is to begin digging tomorrow, Monday, to uncover and then repair the leak. Please expect that lower Mullan Trail Rd. will be closed to through traffic tomorrow around 9:00 AM until sometime in the evening. Please use Sunnyside to Lakeshore, and Tumble Creek to Sunnyside as alternate routes around the work area.
Thank you for your cooperation.
To all Patrons:
The reservoir has dropped to five (5) feet after allowing the resumption of restricted water use. Patrons at the higher elevations and Grouse Meadows are being affected, both by the isolation valve being opened this morning for the four Patrons along the leaking Mullan Trail Rd. main, and Patrons' use of water at lower elevations.
PLEASE TRY TO LOWER YOUR HOUSEHOLD WATER USE FOR ESSENTIAL NEEDS ONLY TO ENABLE THE SYSTEM TO PROVIDE WATER FOR ALL OF THE COMMUNITY! EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!
WE ARE MANUALLY OPTIMIZING FLOW RATES AT ALL STAGES OF WATER PROCESSING, AND THE OPERATION OF THE VARIOUS PUMPS, TO MAXIMIZE PRODUCTION, BUT WE ARE STILL STRUGGLING TO STAY AHEAD OF DEMAND!
To all Patrons:
We have isolated a significant break in the six (6) inch Main on the lower part of Mullan Trail Rd. which was having a significant impact on the nightly depletion of the reservoir. The isolation of this part of the Distribution system is affecting four (4) Patrons who are now being allocated water for a few hours in the morning and evening when one of the isolation valves is opened by the Water Operator. During the time that the valve is open, the leak is active, but we are trying to ease the burden on these Patrons as much as we can until the main is fixed. We thank them for their very gracious cooperation and understanding.
Repairing the break is going to require coordination with the Eastside Highway District, as lower Mullan Trail Rd. will have to be closed while active work is going on. Because of the complexity, the District will also be using an outside contractor to do the repair work. We expect to start this coordination, planning, and repair process on Monday.
The reservoir was at slightly over eight (8) feet yesterday evening around 9:00 PM, and we were hopeful that it would be full, or very nearly full, this morning (14.5 ft is full). We were disappointed that we were actually at around seven (7) feet this morning, and as we had been steadily recovering since we isolated the leak in the late afternoon yesterday, we can only assume (and observed) that a number of Patrons decided to turn their outside watering back on before the notice to resume.
AT THIS TIME WE ARE PROCEEDING WITH THE FOLLOWING MANDATORY MEASURES:
PLEASE HELP! WE NEED TO REDUCE PEAK DAILY USE AND OVERALL WATER USE DURING THE HOT DAYS!
The District will be distributing information notices door to door early this week with information that will hopefully encourage 100% community participation in keeping our system operating and reducing the risk of catastrophic failure.Thank you to the volunteers that have contacted me already. We could use some more Patrons to volunteer to help distribute the door notices, probably on Tuesday, July 13th. Please email me at claudiag.kcwd1@gmail.com to volunteer!
Update 5:00 PM: After a long day of searching, we believe we have found a large contributor to the problem of the nightly depletion of the reservoir. We have found a leak on a six inch main along the bottom of Mullan Trail Rd. We are in the process of valving it off, but believe this main is part of a loop, so should have minimal impact to Patrons on the west side of the District. Those Patrons in Grouse Meadows, and other Patrons in that area, may see some reduction in pressure as the shutting of that valve will mean that water is being fed to the Grouse Meadows Booster station only through the Shiras main. The only Patron on that main uses his own well water.
The reservoir has only reached a level of 1.1 feet since this morning (full is 14.5 feet), so please continue to keep outside irrigation off and continue to use water for only essential purposes until we can report on the reservoir recovery.
Thank you.
_____________________________________________________________________________
TO ALL KCWD#1 PATRONS:
THE
WATER SYSTEM RESERVOIR WAS TOTALLY DEPLETED AS OF 6:30 AM THIS MORNING, Saturday, July 10, 2021.
LOW PRESSURE OR INTERRUPTED WATER SERVICE WILL FIRST OCCUR
AT THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF THE DISTRICT UNTIL THERE IS SUFFICIENT RECOVERY OF
RESERVOIR LEVELS.
STOP ALL OUTSIDE WATERING AND RESRICT WATER FOR ESSENTIAL USES ONLY UNTIL
FURTHER NOTICE THAT RESERVOIR HAS RECOVERED.
PLEASE LET YOUR NEIGHBORS KNOW, AND IF THEY HAVEN’T
ALREADY, ASK THEM TO SEND AN EMERGENCY CONTACT EMAIL ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER
TO:
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to thank all of the Patrons who attended the Emergency Meeting this morning. Their participation in understanding the water system issues and limitations, discussions, suggestions on possible solutions, and willingness to volunteer to help get the word out about what we are trying to solve, based upon their new understanding of the serious problems we are facing during these hot summer days, was most welcomed by the Board. The District will soon be distributing a "door hanger" notice, and posting to this blog, to let everyone know what the issues are with our community water system, and what everyone must do to ensure our system can provide essential water for all Patrons, while lowering the high risk of a system catastrophic failure.
If you can volunteer to help distribute door hanger notices, please email me at claudiag.kcwd1@gmail.com. I will be notifying all volunteers where to meet when we have the notices ready to distribute!
Please continue to conserve water use, especially daily consumption, while we finalize the mandatory measures for all households which were discussed and supported by those who attended the meeting.
Claudia Gough
President, KCWD#1 Board of Directors
An Emergency KCWD#1 Board of Directors Meeting is scheduled for Friday morning, July 9, 2021, at 7:30 AM Tuesday. It will be held at the Fire Station at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed on the Board Meeting Agendas page.
Phone Message July 3, 2021 11:37 AM
This message is from the Kootenai County
Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.
Thank all of you for stopping all
yard watering for the last two days, and conserving other water use. The reservoir was able to recover and the
pumps got a needed rest.
Going forward, the District requires
the following mandatory measures to conserve water use and give our aging system
the best chance of continuing to operate with the best reliability possible.
1.
No yard watering on Friday’s and
Monday’s.
2.
Yard watering allowed only on odd or
even dates according to your address number. If you have an even numbered
address, water on even dates. If you
have an odd numbered address, water on odd dates.
3.
Split your watering schedule to the
early morning and evening with minimum time durations.
The District realizes that these
measures require some extra time to program and reprogram automatic irrigation
systems, and we appreciate your cooperation.
Please give this information to your landscape service provider, if they
are responsible for timer programming, so that they can adjust to this schedule.
In general, please conserve water use
during the rest of the summer and fall seasons, so that we can assure enough
water for all Patrons.
Please pass this information on to your
neighbors as some have not provided, or updated, a phone number for automated
notifications.
As always, please monitor the blog at www.kcwd1.blogspot.com for important information and updates for the District.
Phone
Message July 1, 2021 08:54 AM
This emergency message is from the Kootenai
County Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.
To all Patrons,
Yesterday morning, the Fire Department responded to a grass fire
on S Bonnell, and utilized the District hydrant in the area. The reservoir was depleted in the effort, did
not recover overnight and the level is still falling.
Effective immediately, please turn off all outside watering for
today, and use water for essential tasks only.
Please pass this information on to your
neighbors as some have not provided, or updated, a phone number for automated
notifications.
As always, please monitor the blog at www.kcwd1.blogspot.com for important information and updates for the District.
Thank you.
To All Patrons,
Thank all of you that are voluntarily watering on an odd/even calendar date according to your address (Odd address number = Odd date watering; Even address number = Even date watering). The District would like to ask you to make one more adjustment. Please split your watering to one session in the morning and one session in the evening. We are seeing high demand in the early morning hours, and we suspect this is a result of everyone scheduling their watering in the morning. (This is especially true in Grouse Meadows, where those residents at higher elevations are seeing low water pressures due to all their neighbors below running their sprinklers in the morning!)
We are closely monitoring the Water System to make sure we are maximizing water output, but if we can even out the water consumption over 24 hours, the water system can more consistently handle the demand for all Patrons.
Thank you for your cooperation, and let your neighbors know about this extra step of splitting the watering sessions, in case they have not heard or seen this message.
To All Patrons:
At the Special Board Meeting held this morning, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to enact a Resolution, effective today, June 29, 2021, to temporarily suspend installation of new water service connections. All Water Service applications and Will Serve requests received, and dated, prior to Tuesday, June 29, 2021, will be processed, including installation, when approved by the Board of Directors through the normal process. In addition, contractual obligations to install water meters for the remaining Forest Lake parcels are excluded from the temporary suspension.
Due to the continuing strain on the water system's aging infrastructure, the Board determined that it is not reasonable to add additional Patrons to the system until key elements of the Bond Project are completed to assure reliable service to all existing and potentially new Patrons.
The formal Resolution will be posted to the blog when signed and sealed.
KCWD1 Board of Directors special meeting is Tuesday June 29, 2021 at 11:00 am at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed on the Agenda pages tab.
Phone Message June 25, 2021 8:48 AM
This message is from the Kootenai County
Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.
Thank you all for conserving water use over the last 24
hours. The reservoir was able to recover
completely from yesterday through the night, and the system is operating
normally.
We now believe that the event yesterday was most likely caused
by control system malfunctioning, and our service contractor has ordered some
new components that will be installed early next week. Until then we are monitoring the control
system frequently and verifying readings with direct observation of system
water levels.
At this time, Patrons can resume normal water use. However, we are asking all Patrons to
voluntarily stagger irrigation on an odd/even date schedule during the summer
months. If your address is an even
number, please irrigate on even numbered calendar dates only. If your address is an odd number, please
irrigate on odd numbered calendar dates only.
Since many sprinkler timers use days instead of dates for setting up
automatic watering schedules, it may require resetting at the end of the month.
If most, or all, Patrons voluntarily change to this watering schedule,
we can avoid very high peak use days, and allow the plant pumps some needed
down time.
Please pass this information on to your
neighbors as some have not provided, or updated, a phone number for automated
notifications.
As always, please monitor the blog at www.kcwd1.blogspot.com for important information and updates for the District.
Thank you.
Phone Message June 25, 2021 12:45 PM
This message is from the Kootenai County
Water District No. 1 Board of Directors.
Water service outages were not District wide as reported earlier
on the District blog this morning. Instead, Patrons at higher elevations
in the District were affected by a very low water level in the main reservoir
early this morning. From review of the data, we had an unexplained very high
draw down of water between midnight and 5:30 AM, followed by the 40 HP pump shutting
down, indicating a phase fault, around 4:00 AM. We have not discovered,
or have any reports of, a large leak anywhere in the District, and as the
reservoir is currently now recovering, we are not sure that a leak caused the
draw down. We have not discovered the cause for the large water draw down of
approximately 100,000 gallons between midnight and early morning, and are
continuing to investigate. We are also investigating why the pump is shutting
down.
The water system plant is making and pumping at full capacity right
now and we need your help to fully recover the reservoir and continue to
investigate to find the causes for this event.
PLEASE STOP
ALL OUTSIDE WATERING AND ANY UNNECESSARY WATER USE SUCH AS CAR WASHING AND
RECREATIONAL USE, UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
PLEASE NOTIFY
YOUR NEIGHBORS SO THAT EVERYONE GETS THIS MESSAGE!
Please monitor the blog at www.kcwd1.blogspot.com for updates.
Please pass this information on to your
neighbors as some have not provided, or updated, a phone number for automated
notifications.
Thank you.
Update: The water outages were not District wide as reported earlier. Patrons at higher elevations were affected by a very low water level in the main reservoir. From review of the data, we had an unexplained, at this time, very high draw down of water between midnight and 5:30 AM. We have not discovered any large leak as of yet. However, if a large number of Patrons are irrigating between midnight and early morning, this could be causing a large demand on the system.
We are making and pumping at full capacity right now and we need your help!
PLEASE TURN OFF ALL OUTSIDE WATERING UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
PLEASE NOTIFY YOUR NEIGHBORS SO THAT EVERYONE GETS THIS MESSAGE!
___________
First reports of Water Service interruptions in the District started coming in around 4:30 AM this morning. The reservoir was full around 7:00 PM yesterday evening, and is now very low. This means that around 100,000+ gallons were "used" between then and early this morning!
We need your help! We are suspecting a major break and leak somewhere in the District, and we have not gotten any reports.
PLEASE REPORT ANY UNUSUAL SURFACE WATER THAT YOU OBSERVE ASAP. WE HAVE BEEN OUT DRIVING AROUND LOOKING AND HAVE NOT FOUND ANYTHING SO FAR.
PLEASE CONSERVE WATER USE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
A leak was discovered on Little Joe Rd. this morning, impacting Water Service to Patrons on Cartwright, Hoss, and Little Joe Rd. District personnel are responding, and have begun repair work. Estimated time of restoration of Water Service is 6:00 PM this evening.
The KCWD1 Board meeting is Wednesday June 23, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. View the agenda on the agendas pages.
Update 6:45 PM: Crew ran into some complications today that extended work time. Water mains are pressurizing now, and Patrons who were affected should see restoration of water service shortly. Thank you for your patience.
Update 11:00 AM: Water service restoration estimated by 4:00 PM.
Due to a water meter installation this morning on Vista Loop that requires a bore and main tie-in, Patrons on upper Vista Loop, some locations on E Highview Dr. will experience water service interruptions until the main from which the water meter will be installed is uncovered, and shut-off valves are re-opened. Typical installations require several hours.
To All Patrons:
The District asks that you voluntarily water landscaping on odd or even days according to your address; i.e. if your address is an even number, water on even numbered dates; if your address is an odd number, water on odd numbered dates. If all, or most, Patrons voluntarily take these measures, we can lower peak daily demands, allowing the pumps in the main pump house a chance to rest instead of operating 24/7 during the hot summer months.
As not everyone in the District monitors the blog, please let your neighbors know about this request, so that we can get the highest participation possible. Thank you for your cooperation.
Update 2:00 PM: Control System reset and both pumps on line. System being monitored; reservoir slowly recovering.
To all Patrons:
The Reservoir is still very low, so please conserve water use throughout the day. The plant Control System does not seem to be functioning correctly, so we have our service provider coming in to troubleshoot and test to ensure that the system is responding to demand and the pumps are functioning correctly.
PATRONS: Update on water outage. The main 40 hp pump had shut off. Both pumps are turned on; running to replenish the reservoir tank. Water should start to disperse out within 2 to 3 hours to your homes, but please be conservative on water usage, as it takes 24 hours to fill the reservoir back to capacity.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Patrons.
We are aware of the water outage. At this time we are waiting for updates. JD Owen has been notified. We will keep all of you updated as soon as we have further information.
Thank you
The KCWD1 BOD meeting is Wednesday May 26, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The agenda can be viewed by clicking on the pages for agendas.
The Board of Directors have a Special Meeting Friday May 21, 2021 at 10:30 A.M. located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd.
Topic Kickoff/Planning meeting
A leak has been identified on Cartwright Rd. The water will have to be shut off for repair affecting Patrons on; Little Joe, Haas, and Cartwright Rd. The ETR for water restoration is this afternoon.
KCWD#1 has four Candidates running for the two open seats on the Board of Directors (#2 and #4 Seats). The Candidates introduced themselves at the recent April 28th Board Meeting, and their statements can be accessed via the links below.
Please click the Candidates Name below to read statements that they have prepared for the upcoming election:
Damon Shaw (Incumbent) - Seat #2
The Board of Directors Meeting is Wednesday April 28, 2021 at 6:00 P.M. located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd.
To all Patrons:
As of 7:30 this evening, the reservoir was fully recovered, and the plant is operating normally. Patrons can resume normal water use.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Update Monday Afternoon:
Filter Bays and ClearWell/Contact Chamber recovered sufficiently to run both the 20 and 40 HP pumps at around noon today. Anticipate that reservoir will be full by this evening and system fully recovered. Thank you everyone for your assistance in conserving water use over the last 24 hours.
********************
Around 10:30 PM last night, generator was hooked up to the main Pump house and the 20 HP Pump was turned on to pump water to the Distribution infrastructure to keep some water moving into the mains and reservoir, but not deplete the clear well/contact chamber and sand filter bays, as there was no raw water pumping to the filter bays.
Avista had a crew on site at around midnight clearing the tree that took down the power lines. Power was restored around 4:30 AM.
Raw Water pumps did not come on right away due to controls being scrambled and a fuse blown. Raw water pumps are now on and we are in recovery mode of the whole system. Reservoir is at half full, so we are holding to the 20 HP Pump operation, only, until the filter bays and clear well/contact chamber levels are recovered sufficiently to turn on the 40 HP Pump.
PLEASE CONSERVE WATER USE OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS SO THAT THE SYSTEM CAN RECOVER TO NORMAL OPERATING LEVELS IN THE PLANT AND DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION!
Wind Damage:
There are trees down in several places along Sunnyside Rd., one of which has taken down power lines near the pump houses. Avista has been notified of exact location so that they can get their crews there as soon as possible. Both the raw water pump house and main pump house are without power at this time, and no water is being pumped.
The reservoir was at 13 ft. at around 4:00 PM this evening, which is a fairly good buffer. However, please conserve water use at this time. Patrons that are dependent on the booster pump stations at Vista Heights and Grouse Meadows will shortly experience low pressures as water in the distribution system at these locations is depleted, so please limit water use until power is restored to those booster stations.
Please monitor the blog for further updates.
The KCWD#1 Board of Directors will hold a Special Board Meeting Tuesday evening, March 30, 2021 at 6:00 PM at the Fire Station located at 7730 E Sunnyside Rd. Please see the Agenda on the Board Meeting Agendas page.
The Board of Directors Meeting is this Wednesday March 24, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. The Agenda can be viewed on Agendas page.
The Board of Directors will hold an Executive Session Only {Idaho Code 74-204 (3)} on Tuesday March 16, 2021 at 5:30 pm regarding Unfinished Business; Motion and Order (Idaho Code 74-206 (1) (a) & (b) Personnel Matters
The Templen and Regan Rd. area of Bonanza Ranch has had a leak identified this early moring, which is affecting roughly 6 homes. Please be advised the repair is under way this morning. The estimated time of repair is approximately around 5:00 p.m.
The Board of Directors will be meeting together Tuesday, March 9, 2021 to conduct a job interview for water operator.
To all Patrons:
As an extra measure of assurance, the District had taken, and sent in, water samples for testing on Tuesday after the system had recovered sufficiently. Just received Coliform test results from the lab this morning. All tests, for all zones, were good.
To All Patrons:
Thank you all for minimizing/stopping water use over the last few days. With the repair of the valve allowing the operation of the 40 HP pump beginning early this morning, along with the cleaning of Bay 2, the reservoir is now approaching half full.
Although, the reservoir is not fully recovered, the District believes that Patrons can begin to resume normal water use at this time.
During this event, DEQ has NOT REQUIRED a Boil Order, but the District has opted to take samples from the three different zones of the District and submit them for testing today as an additional measure of assurance. We will have results of those tests on Thursday.
Note: To correct some misunderstanding of the request from the District over the last few days, Patrons were asked to curtail water use. We have had several Patrons who interpreted the water use conservation request as an indication that the water was not drinkable. Working closely with DEQ and our interim licensed charge operator during these recent system failures, the District was not directed to declare that the water was not potable.
If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the KCWD#1 blog by filling in your email address in the box on the left of this Home page, and then activating your subscription using the link that will be sent to your email address. You will receive an email once per day if new information is posted on the KCWD#1 blog.
If you are accessing the blog on your mobile phone, scroll down on the mobile phone home page, and you will see a link below the "Home" button for the "View Web Version". If you tap on the "View Web Version" link, you can get to the view that allows access to the email subscription box.
All Patrons:
Our service provider was able to install a valve from a piece of District surplus equipment to replace the obsolete valve that failed on Saturday. The good news is that it is a newer valve and if we ever need to repair it, replacement parts are more readily available. The replacement enables the use of the 40 HP pump which can be turned on when the Contact Chamber recovers to a level that will accommodate the 40 HP pumping volume.
At this time, we are seeing the Contact Chamber level rising steadily, even with the 20 HP pump still running, so turning on the 40 HP pump is planned to happen this evening.
It is important that Patrons understand that the 20 HP pumping volume is just keeping up with current Patron demand, and cannot fill the main reservoir at the same time! When the reservoir has no water, Patrons at higher elevations lose their water service! We asked all Patrons to stop water use (or absolutely minimize use) until the main reservoir is recovered, but either Patrons are not cooperating or are still unaware that their water use is slowing the system recovery. Please help your neighbors out, and curtail water use until the District notifies everyone that the reservoir is at a sustainable level!
If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the KCWD#1 blog by filling in your email address in the box on the left of this Home page, and then activating your subscription using the link that will be sent to your email address. You will receive an email once per day if new information is posted on the KCWD#1 blog.
The KCWD1 regular Board of Directors meeting is this Wednesday February 24, 2021 at 6:00 p,m. located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. Agenda is posted in the Agenda pages.
All Patrons,
20 HP pump shut off some time during the night due to a low current setting. Was put back on line at around 7:30 AM, and has been pumping water since. Reservoir still in recovery. As of 9:00 PM last night, level was not rising, possibly due to Patrons' use.
PLEASE HOLD OFF ON WATER USE UNTIL NOTIFIED BY THE DISTRICT THAT WE HAVE RECOVERED THE RESERVOIR AND PUMPING CAPABILITIES WITH WATER PRODUCTION.
Crew is in the process of cleaning Bay 2.
No update yet from valve service provider.
If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the KCWD#1 blog by filling in your email address in the box on the left of this Home page, and then activating your subscription using the link that will be sent to your email address. You will receive an email once per day if new information is posted on the KCWD#1 blog.
To All Patrons,
The 20 HP Pump is back on line as of 3:45 PM this afternoon, and is moving water into the system mains. The filter bays at this time seem to be producing enough water to the contact chamber to keep the 20 HP pump running, and since the Cla valve has been isolated, we believe that we will be able to continue to recover the system through the night.
You may begin to see water pressure later this evening, but please hold off on water use until notified that the reservoir has been substantially recovered.
We will have a service provider on site tomorrow to give us the options for repairing or replacing the Cla valve. Getting the valve working properly will allow the 40 HP pump to move more water contingent on having enough flow from the filter bays.
A crew will be cleaning Bay 2 tomorrow, but it requires another day to restart it properly before that filtered water can be routed back to the contact chamber, possibly Wednesday earliest.
If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the KCWD#1 blog by filling in your email address in the box on the left of this Home page, and then activating your subscription using the link that will be sent to your email address. You will receive an email once per day if new information is posted on the KCWD#1 blog.
Update 2:12 PM: Starter for 20 HP Pump located and service provide en route to install.
PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY WATER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE!
It has been discovered that the Cla valve diaphragm has failed at the contact chamber, and the service provider's attempt at a temporary fix did not work. The service provider is trying to expedite an overnight shipment from New York for the replacement diaphragm of the District's obsolete valve, and we are waiting for a confirmation.
The 20 HP pump starter has also failed, and we are trying to get a replacement starter installed as soon as possible. AS A RESULT, WE ARE NOT ABLE TO PUMP ANY WATER INTO THE SYSTEM AT THIS TIME. When the pump is restarted, water will be able to be moved into the system through a manual process, but recovery will be slow.
IMPORTANT! EVEN IF YOU STILL HAVE SOME WATER PRESSURE, PLEASE DO NOT USE ANY WATER AT THIS TIME SO THAT WE DO NOT DE-PRESSURIZE THE SYSTEM.
UPDATE: Water service interruptions are being reported. Please curtail any unnecessary water use to allow reservoir to recover. Thank you.
To all Patrons,
Due to the pump failures yesterday and the delay on scheduled cleaning of the slow sand filter bays since the depressurization event, the production of water has been reduced and the reservoir is still at a critically low level. The pumps are still being operated manually to keep pace with slow water production. There is a crew scheduled to clean Bay 2, hopefully this afternoon. It will take a few days to bring it back online, so the District is asking that all Patrons minimize water use over the next few days to allow the system to recover.
PLEASE CONSERVE WATER USE
Update 7:45 PM: Both pumps are up and running, but will have to be manually cycled overnight to compensate for low flow rates from the sand filters. Reservoir recovery is slow, so PLEASE CONTINUE TO CONSERVE WATER USE.
Update 10:58 AM: 40 HP pump was restarted, and water is being moved to the reservoir, but it will take time for recovery (24 hours). Awaiting arrival of electrician to understand why the pumps went down and to repair.
Both of the main pumps in the Main Pump house have failed to start, and the reservoir is now at a very low level. Widespread water service interruptions are being reported. The District Electrician is on the way in to troubleshoot. Please monitor the blog for further updates.
There will be a Special Board of Directors Meeting this Thursday, February 18th, 2021 at 6:00 PM at the Fire Station located at 7739 E. Sunnyside Rd. Representative of Keller Engineering will be present to clarify the scope of work as part of the proposed Engineering Services Agreement.
Please see the agenda on the Board Meeting Agendas page.
Update: Repair of the two significant leaks has been completed, and water service was restored as of 3:00 PM this afternoon.
There are two significant active leaks on Bonanza Rd. causing water service interruption for Patrons in the Dillon Rd, Kitty Lane, Bonanza Rd. area. Repairs are under way, and estimated time of service restoration is 4:00 PM this afternoon.
As of Monday, February 1, 2021, at 2:00 PM, the last two residences had their Boil Order lifted, marking the recovery of the KCWD#1 Water System, from the depressurization event, as completed.
An Executive Session only BOD meeting will be held Tuesday February 2, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. The Agenda is posted with Idaho Codes and topic.
To All Patrons:
As of 2:00 PM , Friday, January 29, 2021, as approved by DEQ, and based upon the final sample testing result, Kootenai County Water District No. 1 can finally lift the Boil Order that has been in place since Thursday, January 16th, 2021. Thank you for your patience and understanding through this difficult two and a half weeks.
Note: There are two Patrons that are an exception. The District has completed a repair of a leak in the Vista Loop area, and will be submitting tests for this line today to verify that line's specific water safety. Both Patrons have been notified in person, and only those two Patrons are affected by the location of this leak.
To all Patrons:
Yesterday's post was not correct. District personnel were not able to get access to the residence for the re-test sample yesterday afternoon as the property owners were not at home. Samples were taken early this morning and delivered to the lab. The lab is doing an expedite testing (18 hours instead of 24) in order to get us results by mid-day Friday.
This has been a frustrating process for all, and we appreciate your patience, as the District wishes, to not only comply with the legal requirements, but to be sure that the District water has been confirmed by test analysis, that it is safe for human consumption.
Until then:
THE DISTRICT IS STILL UNDER A BOIL ORDER.
DO NOT DRINK ANY WATER COMING FROM THE SYSTEM AT THIS TIME UNLESS YOU HAVE BOILED THE WATER FOR AT LEAST ONE MINUTE.
THE WATER, AS SUPPLIED, CAN BE USED FOR ALL NON-POTABLE USES INCLUDING TOILET FLUSHING, LAUNDRY, SHOWERS (DO NOT DRINK!), AND LIVESTOCK.
THE DISTRICT WILL NOTIFY PATRONS WHEN THE WATER PRODUCED BY THE SYSTEM HAS TESTED AS BEING SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION.