COMMUNITY FAQ’s

In the process of bringing continued transparency to the residents of Rancho Murieta from the RMCSD we are providing a question and answer section in the Pipeline which will also be repeated on our Website in the section called FAQ’S.

DECEMBER, 2021

WHO TO CALL?

In heavy storms, like the one we experienced a few weeks age, sometimes there is flooding or problems for residents. There can be confusion about “who to call?”

Rancho Murieta Community Services District (RMCSD) manages several services including:

• Water
• Sewer
• Drainage
• Waste Management
• Security

These services are for the whole District, including behind the gate as well as the area across the Jackson Hwy.

Anytime you have a problem during business hours contact the RMCSD office and they will direct you to the right person—916-354-3700.

If the problem is after business hours, you can call the South Gate at the same number or directly at 916-354-3743. After hours there are employees who cover emergency needs either from RMA or RMCSD.

FILLING THE RESERVOIRS

This is a brief explanation of the Cosumnes River diversion into our storage reservoirs (Calero, Chesbro, Clementia) for the Water Plants to process into drinking water for community use.

Depending on flow levels in the river, water may be pumped from the Granlees pump station to Calero or Chesbro, through a 33” pipeline, or to Clementia through a 21” pipeline. Typically we will fill Calero first.

Diversion from the Cosumnes River may start November 1st and end by May 31st. Typically river flow from the first storms is allowed to pass by, flushing out the river system of sediment and possible contaminants washed in from roadways and agricultural areas, as our goal is to pump the cleanest water possible while being able to fill our reservoirs to maximum capacity each year.

For more detail go to our website here:

https://www.ranchomurietacsd.com/water-system-overview

View Cosumnes River flows at the Michigan Bar gauging station on the web here:

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=11335000

NOVEMBER, 2021

We will start this month’s addition of Community FAQ’s with a little more information on last month’s topic of:

How was the $781,785 received from Reynen and Bardis distributed? By explaining why did Reynen and Bardis pay RMCSD $781,785?

· When Van Vleck Spray fields were built to use our reclaimed water the owners of Riverview at the time choose not to participate.

· As the developers Reynen and Bardis began their buildout in Rancho Murieta South they were required to pay back the money that the other developers covered.

· See last month's  Pipeline for the details on the distribution of funds.

What is Purple Pipe?

· Purple pipe refers to the pipe used to transfer recycled, non- potable water to points in the community primarily for landscaping.

· The water is recycled (reclaimed) which means it is purified enough to use for landscaping.

· We supply this water to two users in the community:

1. RMCC at no cost, agreement from 1984.

2. Van Vleck spray fields at no cost (a secondary source for disposing of our recycled water.)

· Recently due primarily to conservation within the community our ability to provide recycled water to the areas we have committed to has become a problem.

· The concept of recycled water in our community is not viable without enough waste water.

· The need for new development to provide purple pipe for recycled water transfer is no longer necessary and extremely costly for the district. Thus we are not requiring Residences East and West to provide purple pipe infrastructure.

Why did the District Sell Water to Ag Properties?

· The one time sale of raw water to Ag Properties was requested on August 3, 2021.

· At the point of the request the CIA ditch was completely dry. Only twice in  the past, 1908 and 1977, had this happened.

· There was no other source of water because their storage pond had also run dry. RMCSD was able to supply a small amount of raw water from our reservoir Lake Clementia. 45 acre feet was sent to Ag Properties to save the alfalfa crop which was a few weeks from harvest. The cost was $8,625 paid    to RMCSD.

· 45 acre feet is about 1/ 20th of the water we currently hold in storage at Lake Clementia. This is less than an inch of water around the surface of the reservoir.

· Lake Clementia is currently used as a storage reservoir for emergency use.   It is not used to provide potable water. It is filled from rain water and seasonal runoff.

· Due to the shortage of recycled (reclaimed) water we will also use Lake   Clementia water to fulfill our obligation to the RMCC for the month of  October .

Why are we being asked to VOLUNTARILY reduce our water use by 15% yet we have sold water    to Ag Properties for an alfalfa crop?

· The 15% conservation request has come from the state of California on July   8, 2021. Gov. Newsom sent out an executive order because the state is experiencing severe drought in 50 of 58 counties.

· The RMCSD, RMA and the RMCC have committed to reducing water usage   by 15% on landscaping.

· For more information go to the RMCSD website at www.rmcsd.com.

OCTOBER, 2021

Let’s start with questions related to Riverview in Rancho Murieta South. This development was approved in 2007 by Sacramento County for 140 lots, along with Lakeview for 99 lots.  Both were bank held until 2017 when they became Reynen & Bardis properties again.  Currently the 140 Riverview lots are being developed and are the subject of several development questions.

Why are Riverview Developers Reynen & Bardis allowed to use Rancho Murieta water for grading during construction?

·  They have paid for hook ups.

·  There is no other source of water for keeping dust down and for keeping natural asbestos at bay.

·  This is standard practice for landowners and developers.

·  The county has approved this development and we have an obligation to maintain and monitor the dust that is    produced during the grading process. It is not feasible for them to go offsite to get the water that is used to control the dust, so we are obligated to sell them water.

How was the $781,785 received from Reynen and Bardis distributed?

The District received a check in the amount of $781,785, from Reynen & Bardis, August 17, 2021. After working with EPS (who manages the 670 FSA) for the final distribution amounts, we issued the reimbursement checks on Friday, September 10, 2021. The distribution of the funds is below. As agreed, to by the signors of the 670 FSA, the District costs associated with the legal and consulting work needed to address the concerns by Reynen & Bardis, was collected from the each of the parties involved. We will continue to monitor the status of the potential the Lakeview reimbursement in the future.

Where the water is going, why is Clementia so low?

· Clementia historically gets lower in the summer due to evaporation, this year it has been unprecedented.

· We have used water from Clementia this summer to meet our obligations to supply water to the South Golf Course.

· Normally we use recycled water for the Golf Course, but the amount of recycled water available this season has been less than normal, due to a shortage of recycled water which we attribute to the general conservation habits of residents.

Why is the Clementia dock blocked off?

· The water in the Clementia Reservoir is so low that it was starting to compromise the integrity of the dock, so it has been unbolted.

· It is not usable when the water is this low.

· The District is discussing a joint maintenance project with RMA that will take advantage of this situation.

· Hopefully we can use this time when the water is low to clean out the cove and result in a better place for swimming and recreation for years to come.