GSD Received a Notice of Violation

Garberville-water-district

GSD’s water treatment plant

After their most recent Board of Directors meeting, the following press release signed by Garbeville Sanitary District’s General Manager, Ralph Emerson was issued.  Item #3 refers to a Notice of Violation from the State Water Resources Control Board’s Division of Water Rights.

FROM GARBERVILLE SANITARY DISTRICT

 

On Tuesday November 27th, Garberville Sanitary District Board of Directors met for their monthly Board meeting and included are the highlights of that meeting.

  1. There was discussion which requires more research about having Randalls Sand and Gravel recovery operation directly over and in close proximity to the GSD raw water intake gallery which provides the potable water for Garberville. Concern was raised about high turbidity after the recovery process takes place and the potential for destruction of the intake gallery pipes under the gravel recovery area. Staff was directed to do more research and report those findings at the next Board meeting.

 

  1. The water treatment plant chlorine contact chamber was discussed along with the State Water Boards investigation of its efficiency. After one year from when the contact chamber failed, we are operating with our new Highland Tank baffled chlorine contact chamber and grateful to have an above ground system which can be monitored while avoiding the disaster of last year.

 

  1. The Board discussed the recent emergency “bulk water” demands for fires and emergency road repairs for Cal Trans and Humboldt County. The State water Board has issued a directive which prohibits GSD from providing water for road repairs and when approached by these public agencies in the future, GSD will only provide water if approved by the State Water Board.

 

Garberville Sanitary District would like to thank those who participate in providing input on how to better serve our customers and the community. We are committed to providing safe potable water and efficient customer service, directed through transparent Board governance.

Ralph Emerson

General Manager

Garberville Sanitary District

You can read relevant information in the Board of Directors’ packet posted at the Garberville Sanitary District’s webpage on pages 42 through 46.  The packet includes the District’s defense and the official Notice of Violation.

The Division of Water Rights responded by email to questions about how this may impact CalFire’s needs, writing, “The CDO (Cease and Desist Order) and Notice of Violation (NOV) is not intended to prevent CalFire from doing what they need to do, including diverting water from the GSD system, to fight fires or respond to an emergency.”

And DWR staff elaborated, “The NOV we sent GSD was about airport construction. The NOV would be against planned construction projects that are not emergencies. Taking water for emergency fire situations would not fall under the NOV.”

 

 

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local observer
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local observer
5 years ago

way to go Ed. someone has to call people on their shit. probably even cash sales that never got recorded.

Ed Voice
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Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  local observer

Dear MR. Emerson and Letter to the Editor;

I’m reading your General Managers report in the December 18, 2018 GSD BOD meeting agenda. and would like to discuss what you stated on page 4, 3rd paragraph:

“There are some in the community and elsewhere who demand our time for their own personal crusade against the community and those trying to improve Southern Humboldt County while claiming to protect the environment but as a Public Agency, we have certain requirements to provide information to these people regardless of how beneficial to GSD which is very time consuming and during this past month we have spent countless hours doing research which limits staff time from doing productive work for the customers and GSD.”

https://www.garbervillesd.org/files/82490b57f/BOD+Meeting+Agenda+Packet+December+18th+2018.pdf

It would be awesome if you could explain, in great detail, who, what, why, when and where, i.e. “crusade against the community”, “claiming to protect the environment”, “some”, “demand”, “those trying to improve”, “very time consuming”, “spent countless hours doing research” and “but as a Public Agency”?

But you’re correct with that statement; GSD is a Public Agency and you are a Public Servant. You serve at the pleasure of the public and the GSD BOD, i.e. California Public Records Act (California Government Code §§ 6250). Providing public information, documents and records is a requirement as a Public Agency and a civic responsibility, not a burden!

You’ve seemed to have forgotten, when you stated; “There are some in the community and elsewhere” and “these people”, are all members of the public, not anonymous trolls on a blog or the boogeyman!

When the GSD Board members are sworn into office, they affirm, in part:

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California”

And in both cases, the US and State Constitution preamble begins with the words “WE THE PEOPLE”.

I am sorry you feel you need to scapegoat, disparage and ostracize members of the public, only because WE care enough to try and protect the “environment”, the South Fork Eel River and its ecosystem!

Your words have consequences and so do your actions, careful what you wish for…

Ed Voice & Voice Family
Former Garberville & Redway resident and homeowner 1961-2015

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

Lets start with your item # 2 above, e.g. “The water treatment plant chlorine contact chamber”.

What Emerson neglected to mention, this new “chlorine contact chamber” did not meet its stated expectations or quantification when it was tested by the state. In other words it fell short and not worth the concrete slab its bolted to! Emerson did not want to disclose that information? So much for “transparent Board governance” by GSD!

Back in February Kym posted this for me:

https://kymkemp.com/2018/02/08/letter-to-the-editor-questions-gsds-choices/

It would seem, everything I stated in this letter to the editor has materialized and are now falling into place, after reading a letter sent to GSD by the Southern Humboldt Community Park Board, asking how the Park could be connected to GSD for water at the December GSD Board meeting and the only reason for this new “chlorine contact chamber”.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

I for one would like to know why the GSD General Manager is reporting for RHBB? Its the fox guarding the hen house. Everything he stated was spin and damage control. Bottom line, GSD is pro development, they have control over who, what, why, when and where water and sewer can induce growth within their jurisdictional boundary and water rights place of use. The problem is and what most people forget, its the South Fork Eel River, including its threatened and endangered species that cannot support this development, given the scale and demand GSD is more than willing to sell you!

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

He pays me big money, Ed. I bury it with all the other big money I get for printing press releases. I’m afraid to spend it though or you might figure out I’m on the take…

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Kym, kinda making something out of nothing here. I didn’t say anything about you being paid money, I asked why the MGR for GSD was doing the reporting? BTW, his “press release” you posted was not included in the public agenda for that meeting, nor does it appear on the “press release” link page on the GSD website. There was a MGR’s report in the agenda, but completely different than what you posted. You should have called it a propaganda release, just say’n…

Kym Kemp
Admin
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

Well, when there’s history, Ed. Then folks, or at least me, tend to be ready to see a repeat.

As usual, we provide a public place for you to post your rebuttal to the press release.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Why didn’t Kelley post the email she said the Division of Water Rights responded to? And whom were they responding to?

“The Division of Water Rights responded by email to questions about how this may impact CalFire’s needs, writing, “The CDO (Cease and Desist Order) and Notice of Violation (NOV) is not intended to prevent CalFire from doing what they need to do, including diverting water from the GSD system, to fight fires or respond to an emergency.”

“And DWR staff elaborated, “The NOV we sent GSD was about airport construction. The NOV would be against planned construction projects that are not emergencies. Taking water for emergency fire situations would not fall under the NOV.”

The issue was never over “emergency fire situations” or the use of water for fire suppression. This was something claimed by Emerson, not Water Rights or even included in my complaint. In fact, if you look at the list of private contractors that purchased bulk water from GSD in 2017/2018 (page 4 link below), not one was for “”emergency fire situations”!

https://www.garbervillesd.org/files/e354356cd/for+website.pdf

My problem with GSD doing the only reporting, is just that. No one is willing to hold their feet to the fire, even though they are a public agency. Is Emerson speaking for the GSD Board, or himself?

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Ed Voice

The unelected delegating authority they don’t have in the first place.

Ed Voice
Guest
Ed Voice
5 years ago

Here’s the other strange thing, at that November 2018 GSD Board meeting, the Board did not take any action on the Notice of Violation issued and ordered by the Division of Water Rights. Not one word from the Board. Now you would think, since this is GSD’s second violation and stating in 2012 they would cease all bulk water sales other than for emergency domestic use, you would think someone on the Board would have asked, how did this happen, right? And so lies the problem and why Emerson created his story, that the bulk water was only used for “emergency demands for fires and emergency road repairs for Cal Trans and Humboldt County”. Funny thing about one of those “emergency road repair jobs for CalTrans”, it was for a job on Hwy 36, near Bridgeville? Wow, I guess GSD is the only one that could sell them water for that job, right!!!