Town of Discovery Bay Community Services District Newsletter • Vol. 3 AUGUST 2014
New Water Conservation Measures In-Place
deliveries in the event that drought conditions persist into 2015, and all Californian’s and municipal water The Town of Discovery Bay (TODB) has executive order seeking to strengthen the agencies are required to comply with begun the process of implementing emerstate’s ability to manage water and habitat the new regulations. gency water conservation measures that effectively in drought conditions. Fines of up to $500 per day for were adopted by the State Water Resourc As California enters a third year of failure to implement water conservaes Control Board on July 15, 2014 and excessive drought, the state has taken tion measures are also a part of the which follow the Governor’s April 25th measures to ensure ongoing water state mandated order. The Town is required by the The new emergency water conservation measures went into effect on new measures to monitor August 1, 2014 and will remain in effect for 270 days. The new measures require all residents water use and those who are of Discovery Bay to comply with the new orders and include the following prohibitions: non-compliant will likely 1.Watering of lawns and decorative landscape is limited to no more than twice weekly; receive a notice from the 2.The watering of outdoor landscapes that cause runoff to adjacent property, nonTown directing them to irrigated areas, private and public walkways, road ways, parking lots or structures; conform to the new conser3.The direct application of water to any hard surface for washing, vation measures. including decks, driveways, docks, and walkways; The Town provides 4.Washing a motor vehicle, recreational vehicle, or boat, unless water saving tips on its the hose is fitted with a shut-off nozzle; and website, and residents can also visit www.saveourh2o. 5.The use of potable water in a fountain or decorative water feature, unless the water is re-circulated. org for more information.
Conserving Water – Irrigation Management Tips The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average homeowner uses approximately 30 -60% of their daily water consumption on outside uses. Up to half of that usage is wasted to evaporation, inefficient systems or runoff. Here are some helpful tips to reduce water waste on irrigation. First, make sure that your system is properly functioning. Run a short test on each valve and check for broken
or leaking heads, nozzles or lateral lines, and make any necessary repairs. Keeping a 2-3” layer of mulch on your shrub beds will help prevent evaporation loss. Most importantly, check the programs on your clock. Maximize the efficiency of the water you use by reducing the number of minutes that each valve runs, but adding additional start times. For example, if Continued on page 2 >
Town Receives Top Honors Town of Discovery Bay The Town of Discovery Bay Board of Directors meets at 7:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at the District Office District Office 1800 Willow Lake Rd. Discovery Bay, CA 94505 Located behind Delta Community Presbyterian Church BOARD President: Mark Simon Vice President: Chris Steele Director: Kevin Graves Director: Bill Pease
The Town of Discovery Bay Community Service District was recently recognized as a California “District of Distinction” by the California Special Districts Association (CSDA). The Town is one of only 20 Special Districts in California to have achieved this recognition, and it acknowledges the Town as an organization that follows best practices in all governance areas. In order to be considered, CSDA provides an independent audit review of the last three years of the district’s operations, making sure that prudent fiscal and operational practices are being followed. Additionally, the all-inclusive evaluation includes a comprehensive review of
the Town’s website, ensuring efforts in transparency and public access are being followed. Finally, the review includes verification that the district’s board of directors and executive staff has received necessary educational training in public governance, as well as compliance with ethics, harassment prevention, and conflict of interest rules and requirements. The Town also received CSDA’s Certificate of Excellence in Transparency. This Certificate recognizes the Town for its efforts in making sure that the Town conducts its business in a manner that is open, transparent, and participative. Of the over 3,000 Special Districts in California, only a small few have received this honor.
Director: Marianne Wiesen STAFF General Manager: Rick Howard Water/Wastewater Manager: Virgil Koehne Finance Manager: Dina Breitstein Parks & Recreation Manager: Fairin Perez
PHONE: (925) 634-1131 www.todb.ca.gov
Continued from pg.1 Conserving Water-Irrigation Tips
What’s Going On?
you are running turf for 15 minutes at 7am, you could increase efficiency by running the sprinklers at 5am and 7am for 7 minutes. You will achieve a deeper watering which will also promote root growth. You can contact our Landscape Department at (925) 634-1733 if you would like programming assistance.
• Well No.7 construction ramped back up along Newport Dr. recently after a permitting delay. It is anticipated that the new water production well will be operational in the fall.
Dock Address Signs If you didn’t take advantage of the Dock Sign Program the first time around, here’s your chance to put your address on your dock with a nice new sign that shows guests, and more importantly, first responders where you live. This provides immediate identification for police and or fire personnel who might respond by water. Knowing the right address could be a life saver. The signs are $50 each, and further information can be found on the Town’s website. Just click on the Dock Sign logo!
• Renovation of Lift Station “F”, located at the corner of Willow Lake and River Lake Roads, was completed while school was out for the summer. This lift station is the oldest of the Town’s sanitary sewer lift stations. The Town appreciates your patience while this project was ongoing. • The tennis courts at the Community Center will be rehabilitated later this year with a $65,000 grant from the East Bay Regional Parks District’s Measure WW funds; and the community pool will also be replastered once the swim season comes to an end later this summer.
If you have any questions about what’s happening around Town, call (925) 634-1131 or check the web site at www.todb.ca.gov. Page 2
Watch for FOG! What do you do with all that the turkey grease after the holidays? Do you put bacon grease in a coffee can like your grandmother did? Today, people who cook with fats, oils or grease (also known as FOG) typically discard the leftover mess by washing it down the drain with hot water. Hot water might keep it from solidifying in our pipes for a short time, but it will eventually cool and when it does, it will collect more FOG, causing blockages in sewer lines. Residents of the Town of Discovery Bay are encouraged to go back to the old ways of collecting FOG and bring it to Ironhouse Sanitary District’s FOG collection drop-off recycling center. The folks over at ISD will turn that fog into bio-diesel that is used to fuel school buses. And, in the process, you have done a good thing for the environment!
DON’T F.O.G. YOUR DRAIN Recycle Fats, Oils & Grease with ISD Turn your grease into bio-diesel. Drop-off grease at ISD offices Monday—Friday 8 a.m.—5 p.m.
Ironhouse Sanitary District 450 Walnut Meadows Dr., Oakley
www.ISDP2.org
New Online Bill Pay Service for Residents If you receive a monthly water bill from the Town, did you know that we recently upgraded our system to allow for on-line bill pay? As a way to offer you more choices in how you pay your bills, The Town of Discovery Bay now lets you pay your bills online. We have partnered with Xpress Bill Pay, the premier provider for online bill payment systems. All you need is an Internet connection through a Web browser and an e-mail address. Once you sign up for your free account and start using this service, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it! It’s simple to use, and each month we’ll send you a reminder e-mail letting you know when your bill is online and due. You also have access to a full year’s history of your account online, so you can compare your usage from year to year. We offered this service at the request of our customers – You asked and we delivered! To sign up, just go to our website, and click on the “Pay Water Bill” button. And remember, it’s free to sign up and free to use. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up today.
Employee Spotlight:
Aaron Goldsworthy is a familiar sight as he drives
around town making repairs to the Town’s water distribution system. Aaron is the go-to guy when it comes to replacing water meters, fixing leaks, and maintaining the overall integrity of the system. Aaron has been with the Town of Discovery Bay for three years, and in that time he has come to know a number of Discovery Bay residents, many who flag him down with a variety of water related questions. One of Aaron’s primary functions is to ensure the integrity of the Town’s automated water meter reading system. The system transmits data electronically to the Town’s servers, where it is generates water bills for mailing to the portion of town where meters are installed. When not dealing with the electronic meter reading network, he can be found inspecting new construction, testing fire hydrants for proper fire flows, repairing leaks, or assisting fellow members of the staff in a variety of other areas. Next time you see him driving his familiar Ford work truck with the bright orange cone on the front bumper, go ahead and wave at him. You’re likely to get thumbs up and a smile in return. If you suspect that you have a problem with your water service, or believe that you may have a leak, please contact the Town by calling 634-1131, or use the Contact Us button on the Town’s website.
Did you know? That the county has a local Brentwood office to assist you with all of your permitting needs. Contra Costa County Brentwood Office Location 1120 Second Street, Suite 101, Brentwood, CA 94513 (925) 427-8850 www.contracosta.ca.gov Page 3