Water
News From the Mineral County Water District (MCWD)
Download a Meter Reading Chart Here to Track Your Daily Water Usage
View and download to print the community-created Meter Reading Chart to record previous and current meter readings in order to calculate usage frequently.
Mandatory Water Conservation
June/July 2024
Beginning immediately after meters are read on Sunday, June 2, 2024, Mineral County Water District (MCWD) customers will be under stringent mandatory water restrictions while the District's 324,000-gallon storage tank is out of service for interior and exterior re-coating.
The Battle Creek Meadow Ranch has generously offered to share its new tank (next to the water plant) with MCWD for the duration and will be under restrictions as well. Please be sure to thank your friends at the Ranch for their mutual assistance to Mineral!
Having the use of this tank will save MCWD the large expense of constructing its own back up tank and maintaining it. The catch is that the Ranch tank holds 50,000 gallons, which is only 15.5% of MCWD's usual capacity. Hence, red flags will fly at every subdivision entrance and the Ranch gateway to remind everyone to conserve water.
Based on historical usage records and Spring #2 production data, General Manager John Frehse has set the maximum daily residential consumption level at 100 gallons or 13 cubic feet. Frequently recording meter readings throughout this period will help you track your conservation efforts. Meters display usage in cubic feet. Blank forms are available at the post office for tracking. Note: MCWD may read meters at any time during the month to locate leaks.
Water use in Mineral increases substantially on summer weekends. Ideally, the tank will be full early Saturday morning, not dip below 8 feet over the weekend, and then recover by Tuedsay morning.
Therefore, outdoor water use, including lawn irrigation, will be prohibited from Friday through Monday.
The District's Water Shortage Contingency Plan is based on much higher storage capacity, so we are in uncharted territory when it comes to setting maximum usage levels. MCWD asks for customers' understanding as we evaluate Spring #2 production and conservation throughout this period.
MCWD recognizes that mandatory restrictions are a serious imposition on homeowners and we apologize for any inconvenience. However, recoating is critical at this time in order to prevent structural decay of the 20 -year-old tank. John Frehse thanks everyone in advance for their cooperation. Please feel free to approach him or any District associate with questions or concerns.
The consequences of failure to conserve are dire: It's not about paying more for use, it's about preventing severe financial effects and increased regulatory demands.
The best-case scenario for everyone is if total demand does not exceed Spring #2 supply, because the amount of creek water that Frehse can filter in a 24-hour period is restricted by regulatory requirements for chlorine contact time in the tank. Due to the tank's smaller size, the required contact time is tripled.
The Ranch's tank must be kept 3/4 full at all times to avoid Boil Water orders. Filtering creek water to make up for more than 16,000 gallons (4 feet) of drop in the tank level at any one time will trigger a Boil Water order.
Once a Boil Water order is placed, it will remain until MCWD's distribution system can be hyper-chlorinated and tested, prior to using the District tank again. A Boil Water order would not only create a big inconvenience for customers, it would be a budget-buster for the District, as well as a heavy strain on Frehse, who will already be addressing many out-of-the-ordinary technical issues posed by this challenging situation.
Re-coating should be completed by June 30, but it could take several more days to refill the tank. Yellow flags at subdivision entrances will indicate that the tank is partially filled and back in service. Wait for District notices lifting restrictions completely before resuming normal use.
Consider attending the June 10th District monthly meeting for updates on conservation efforts, progress on the tank, and Spring #2 production (currently 18 gpm). Check for notices at: www.mineralwater.specialdistrict.org, MCWD's display case, the Post Office, the Store and www.mineralcalifornia.com.
Questions? District Secretary Cathie Gasper is available at 530-604-7824.
Mineral County Water District's Drought Contingency Plan
This Does Not Apply During the June 2024 Tank Re-Coating Project.
See above for current info on maximum usage and outdoor water use.
Blue Flag Stage 1 - Watch
Goals: 10% reduction by all tapholders
Focus of Response: Blue Flags - Education/voluntary restrictions
Main Focus: Private Citizens & Businesses - Voluntary conservation. Avoid irrigation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The Lodge restaurant will be asked not serve water except upon request.
Main Focus: District - Provide water-wise information and education. Increase leak detection and repair. Limit operational flushing of system.
Yellow Flag Stage 2 - Warning
Goals: <200 GPD per residential tapholder and 10% reduction from historic use averages by the Mineral Lodge
Focus of Response: Yellow Flags - Mandatory restrictions - moderate limitations on non-essential use. violation may result in flow restriction. Overage rates begin at 801 CF/month for residential tapholders.
Main Focus: Private Citizens & Businesses - Mandatory conservation. Landscape watering schedule in effect: Odd-numbered addresses may water on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday; even-numbered addresses on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. No watering on Monday. Maintain adequate supply for residential and commercial uses as well as fire protection. The Lodge restaurant will not serve water except upon request.
Main Focus: District - Immediately inform all customers via mailing or billing insert. No adjustment for overages. Investigate and repair leaks. Constantly monitor water supply and operate Treatment Plant accordingly. Coordinate with other water suppliers and fire protection agencies, especially Battle Creek Meadow Ranch, Mineral Hose Co. #1, and Lassen Volcanic National Park. Eliminate annual flushing program.
Orange Flag Stage 3 - Emergency
Goals: <100 GPD per residential tapholder and 30% reduction from historic use averages by the Mineral Lodge
Focus of Response: Orange Flags - Most non-essential use is prohibited. Violation may result in flow restriction and fine if average use exceeds 100 GPD. Overage rates begin at 401 CF/month for residential tapholders.
Main Focus: Private Citizens & Businesses - Adequate residential and commercial water, with restrictions. Very limited watering of perennials on scheduled days. The Mineral Lodge may be required to supply additional water and to install water-saving devices, if applicable.
Main Focus: District - No hydrant use except for fire safety. Fines will be imposed after two (2) written citations. Investigate water lease or purchase. Reserve the right to hire an additional licensed water treatment operator. Reserve the right to impose a surcharge to cover shortage/drought-related budget shortfalls.
Red Flag Stage 4 - Critical
Goals: <50 GPD per residential tapholder and 50% reduction from historic use averages by the Mineral Lodge
Focus of Response: Red Flags & Door-to-Door Notification - All non-essential use prohibited. Violation will result in a flow restriction and fine if average use exceeds 50 GPD. Overage rates begin at 201 CF/month for residential tapholders.
Main Focus: Private Citizens & Businesses - Maintain minimally adequate supply for essential and emergency use.
Main Focus: District - The Board will call a public meeting. Fines will be imposed after one (1) written citation. Possible water lease or purchase. Possible hire of additional employee or sub-contractor to assist with restriction enforcement. Reserve the right to increase fines and impose or increase a surcharge to prevent related insolvency.
Mineral County Water District
38292 Scenic Ave.
PO Box 206
Mineral, CA 96063
530-595-3479
Governance
The Mineral County Water District is an enterprise special district governed by a board of five volunteers. There is no vacancy on the Board at this time.
Current board members are:
Stephanie Dennis, President
Todd Goodman, Vice President
Mik'el Le Master
Lefty McClellan
Brad Koeberer
Regulatory Oversight
MCWD must meet regulatory standards established by the State of California-EPA in order to provide potable water to our community. The State Water Resources Control Board directly oversees the District in this respect. Go to the District's website and click the CCR tab to access a downloadable PDF of MCWD's current Consumer Confidence Report (2021).
Employees
General Manager: John Frehse
Secretary: Cathie Gasper
Back-up Operator: Tim Taylor (GM, Skyview Water District, Paynes Creek)
Service Area
MCWD provides potable water to 190 active meters within special district boundaries. Services do not extend to the U.S. Post Office, Volcano Country Campground, Stringtown, the USFS Battlecreek Campground, the Assembly of God Church Camp, or the Cal-Trans yard.
Martin Creek Water Intake System Improvements July 23, 2020
By Jim Richardson
Improvements to the Martin Creek water intake system have recently been completed. The improvements benefit not only Lassen Park, but Mineral County Water District and Battle Creek Meadows Ranch. Photos show the historic Martin Creek water diversion (left) and the new cement collection box (right). The light-colored gravel seen in the photo covers the new horizontal infiltration gallery buried adjacent to the creek. The gallery pulls in creek water, which is naturally filtered prior to entering the system. These improvements make maintaining water flow easier and safer, especially during periods of high-runoff from snowmelt or storms.