Town of Yountville
Staff Report
6550 Yount Street
Yountville, CA 94599
Agenda Item #: {{section.number}}A
Yountville Town Council Staff Report
DATE: November 7, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: John Ferons, Public Works Director
PREPARED BY: John Ferons, Public Works Director / Mackenzie Anderson, Associate to Town Attorney
RECOMMENDATION
1. Receive An Update Regarding the Recent Boil Water Notice; and
2. Discuss and Consider Adopting Resolution 23-4236 Authorizing a Joint Powers Agreement by and between The Town of Yountville, California Department of Veteran Affairs and City of Napa for Shared Services Including Water Sampling and Certified Water Testing Laboratory Services.
DISCUSSION/BACKGROUND
Background:
The Town of Yountville (Town) has received two boil water notices from its water supplier in the last three months, a precautionary boil water notice on July 20th and a mandatory boil water notice on October 20th. Many of the Town’s residents and businesses may not realize, that the Town of Yountville does not own or operate the Town’s primary source of water. Those facilities, Rector Reservoir and Rector Water Treatment Plant are owned and operated by the State of California via the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (Cal-Vet). The Town purchases its water supply from Cal-Vet and distributes that water to the Town’s water customers via the Town’s water distribution system. Both entities are regulated by separate permits issued by the California State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water (DDW). Each of those permits requires rigorous sampling, testing, and reporting to the DDW by each agency to ensure the water Cal-Vet makes is safe for consumption and the Town maintains the quality of that water as it is delivered to the Town water customers.
When either of the two entities, Cal-Vet and/or the Town, receives the results of a failed test, the DDW orders the agency with the failed test to issue a Boil Water Notice to its customers to ensure the utmost safety to the water consumer. For the two recent events, it was Cal-Vet who received failing test results which caused DDW to order Cal-Vet to issue a Boil Water Notice to its water customers. Since the Town is a water customer of CalVet, the Town received the Boil Water Notice. As a permit holder for water distribution, the Town is then obligated to pass that Boil Water Notice to all of its water customers. Currently, the Town manages a total of 838 water connections to the Town’s system so all 838 customers are subject to the Boil Water Notice.
The following background information may be helpful for understanding the various testing/sampling routines for each agency in general terms under existing conditions:
Cal-Vet Sampling/Testing Schedule:
• Constant Monitoring
o Chlorine Residuals at Treatment Plant
• Weekly at Rector, 10” main @ Museum, Main Kitchen & Hydro Station o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform
• Monthly Raw Water Sample from Rector in addition to regular weekly samples. o Coliform
• Quarterly at Four locations at Vet’s Home (after tank) o Disinfection Byproducts
Town of Yountville Sample/Testing Schedule:
• Weekly at Various Locations in Town (north, central, and south) o Chlorine Residuals
• Monthly at Monroe, Larkspur and Yountville Crossroad
• Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform Monthly at Monroe
o General Physical
• Quarterly at Monroe and Vet’s Park
o Disinfection Byproducts
• Quarterly Raw Water Sample from Well
In the samples and tests listed above, it is the Coliform test that may trigger a Boil Water Notice. Each Coliform test takes 24 hours to be grown in a laboratory. A positive fecal Coliform test indicates the presence of e-Coli in the water sample. A positive test triggers the local agency, Cal-Vet (or Town) to conduct follow-up samples at the same locations and the DDW orders the local agency to issue the Boil Water Notice. Two consecutive samples have to be tested and found to be negative for coliforms in order for the Boil Water Notice to be lifted.
It is important to note however, potable water as regulated by the State requires a detectable chlorine residual in the water to be 0.2 to 4.0 parts per million. When the chlorine residual is in the proper range, the chances of a positive fecal (E.coli) test results are significantly reduced to near zero.
This was the case for the most recent Boil Water Notice. Cal-Vet had four positive e-Coli test results, one at Rector Water Treatment Plant and three at the Vet’s Home. These were reported to DDW who then ordered Cal-Vet to issue a Mandatory Boil Water Notice to all of Cal-Vet’s water customers. The Town of Yountville, being one of those customers, received the Mandatory Boil Water Notice and then as the permitted water distributer, passed that Mandatory Boil Water Notice onto the Town water customers. However, during this time, the chlorine residual of the water coming out of Rector Water Treatment Plant remained at 1.0 ppm, within the proper range, indicating perhaps an issue with the sample and/or test process.
With the Boil Water Notice in place, both Cal-Vet and the Town took samples on two consecutive days and all of the subsequent samples tested negative. Those results were reported to DDW and DDW allowed the Boil Water Notice to be lifted.
Discussion:
Town staff is deeply concerned about any Boil Water Notice the Town receives because staff is committed to the health and safety of our community, which remains the highest priority. Staff also recognizes the impacts that are created for our residents and businesses due to these notices, especially with two notices in the last three months.
The State Water Board, Division of Drinking water has also expressed that they intend to work with the Town of Yountville and the California Veteran’s Home to identify causes of the contaminated samples and solutions to those causes. They are planning further outreach in advance of and in addition to, their routine scheduled sanitary survey.
In an effort to create immediate change, the Town is proposing to partner with the City of Napa Utilities Department to provide certified laboratory testing services. In this proposed scenario, both the Town and CalVet will send the Coliform samples to the City of Napa certified laboratory at the Edward I. Barwick Jamieson Canyon Water Treatment Plant located in American Canyon. The City of Napa would provide certified staff and the laboratory to process the samples on a weekly basis Monday to Wednesday each week. This service will suit the needs of both Cal-Vet and the Town.
In addition to enlisting City of Napa’s laboratory services, the Town will also begin taking water samples at two Cal-Vet locations, one at Rector Water Treatment Plant (upstream from the Town’s connection) and one at the 10-inch main at Napa Valley Museum at the Vet’s Home (downstream from the Town’s connection). These samples will not supplant the need for Cal-Vet to take their permit-required samples at those locations, rather it will provide additional test results to be used by DDW when considering the need for a Boil Water Notice.
Proposed Revisions
Combination Cal-Test and City of Napa Laboratory(s)
Cal-Vet Sampling/Testing Schedule:
• Constant Monitoring
o Chlorine Residuals at Treatment Plant (Cal-Vet In-House) • Weekly at Rector, 10” main @ Museum, Main Kitchen & Hydro Station o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform (City of Napa)
• Monthly Raw Water Sample from Rector in addition to regular weekly samples o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform (City of Napa)
• Quarterly at Four locations at Vet’s Home
o Disinfection Byproducts (Cal-Test)
Town of Yountville Sample/Testing Schedule:
• Weekly at Cal-Vet Rector & 10” Main @ Museum (this will NOT replace Cal-Vet’s role to take their samples at these locations)
o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform (City of Napa)
• Weekly at Monroe, Larkspur and Yountville Crossroad
o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform (City of Napa)
• Weekly at Various Locations
o Chlorine Residuals (Town In-House)
• Monthly at Monroe, Larkspur and Yountville Crossroad
o Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform (City of Napa)
o General Physical (Cal-Test)
• Quarterly at Monroe and Vet’s Park
o Disinfection Byproducts (Cal-Test)
• Quarterly Raw Water Total & Fecal (E.coli) Coliform Sample from Well (City of Napa) Another countermeasure the Town is initiating will be the continuous chlorine monitoring at the primary location where the Town receives water from the Cal-Vet system. This location is in the parking lot of Town Hall which has the necessary electrical and sewer infrastructure to support a continuous chlorine monitoring system. In future scenarios, if Cal-Vet receives a positive Coliform test AND the Town can show that the water it is receiving has chlorine residuals within the acceptable range, the DDW may not have to issue a Boil Water Notice for the Town’s distribution system and leaving the boil water to the Cal-Vet system only.
The mechanism for the three agencies to combine efforts for shared services would be a Joint Powers Agreement as described in the following action section.
Proposed Action: The Joint Exercise of Powers Act (Government Code section 6500, et seq.) (the “JPA Act”) authorizes public agencies, including local agencies and state departments, to enter into agreements to jointly exercise any power common to them as well as additional powers granted under the JPA Act. Under the JPA Act, agencies may elect to carry out the terms of the agreement themselves or create a separate agency or entity to do so.
The Town of Yountville, the City of Napa, and California Department of Veterans Affairs (“CalVet”) (owning and operating the Veterans Home – Yountville) have negotiated the proposed joint powers agreement for the coordination and provision of shared water sampling and certified water testing laboratory services (the “Agreement”). The Agreement does not create a separate agency or entity. To take effect, the Agreement will need to be approved by the Town Council, as well as the governing bodies of the City of Napa and CalVet.
The presented resolution will approve the Agreement and authorize the Mayor to execute the Agreement on the Town’s behalf. The resolution will also authorize the Town Manager to modify the Agreement as necessary to reach agreement with the other parties.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Staff considers the Agreement to be exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3) (common sense exception) as no physical changes to the environment are proposed in connection with this Agreement for shared water sampling and testing services. To the extent this Agreement is a Project under CEQA, it is categorically exempt pursuant to CEQA Guidelines sections 15301 (existing facilities), 15306 (information gathering), and 15309 (inspections), as the Agreement is limited to sampling and testing for water quality within existing public utility facilities, involving no expansion of use or disturbance to any environmental resource.
FISCAL IMPACT
Is there a Fiscal Impact? Yes
Is it Currently Budgeted? Yes
Where is it Budgeted? 61-4505-4210
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? Discretionary
Is there a Staff Resource Impact? Nominal
STRATEGIC PLAN GOAL
Is item Identified in Strategic Plan? Yes
If yes, Identify Strategic Goal and Objective. Quality of Life: The Town enhances the livability of Yountville by providing well-maintained public facilities, parks, trails, and quality programs and events. Visionary Leadership:
The Town's leadership maintains an open-minded, forward-thinking decision-making process. We value engagement and participation from all members of the community as we work together to create policies and plan for the future.
Briefly Explain Relationship to Strategic Plan Goal and Objective. Town Leadership recognizes the impact a Boil Water Notice has on Town residents and businesses and is taking pro-active action to reduce the potential of future boil water notices with the goal of maintaining the quality of life and livability of Yountville.