It must be frustrating to estimators and project managers these days, to get something as “old school” as construction water. I decided to call the various cities and counties to find out what each of them are doing during this prolonged drought in the hopes that the information will be useful to you!
To better serve our ECA members, I have called many of the service areas you all do work in to find out if the contractors can get construction water. Here is what I found:
- North Marin Water District (Novato)–No on Construction Water hookups. I called and was told there no new hydrant meters are being issued at this time due to the drought. Contractors can apply for recycled water through their recycle water use program and you can access the application and cost online by going to NMWD website, hitting “Menu”, go to “Your Water” and clicking on “Recycled Water”. Calling and talking to a person is not easy, and the one I spoke to insist all the information to apply for recycled water was available online. I did not find that to be true. I hope you find the application for construction water (recycled) easier than I did as I could only find residential pickup information for recycled water use.
- Petaluma Water District–No on Construction Water hookups. –Maybe!I called 707-778 4672 (from their website) and talked to Tiffany. She was better able to assist, but it does not seem like a “cut and dried” process to get water. I asked if a contractor is bidding on work in Petaluma (road repair specifically), how does the estimator know what to put in the bid for construction water? Tiffany referred me to two sources of information as all construction water is “dependent on what it will be used for”. The two places to go to were Ken Eichstaedt (Petaluma Engineer) at 707-7784546 and the other is the Ellis Creek Recycled Facility (she did not give me that number as they want the calls to go to either the 4672 or 4546 numbers first. Clear as mud? Good luck to you!
- Rohnert Park– Yes on Construction Water Hookups! I spoke with Mark Henderson (Operations Manager) and he told me hydrant meters are being issued for construction water inside the City limits of Rohnert Park. To start that process, you call Utilities at 707-5856750. They seem to be in slightly better shape because of their multiple wells that are producing.
- City of Santa Rosa-waiting for a call back.
- City of Sebastopol–Yes on Construction Water Hookups!I spoke with longtime friend, Joe Gaffney, and he told me Sebastopol has a “flat fee” on their grading permits that covers the cost for construction water. To get the dollar amount for bidding purposes, a good ECA contractor would call 1-707-8232151. Very helpful!
- Town of Windsor– Yes on Construction Water Hookups! I spoke with Cheryl (Cher), and she said for projects inside the Town limits, a good ECA contractor could call 1-707-8381004 and get the estimated cost for temporary construction water and deposit. This sounds so “old school” that it was my favorite call so far! Good on you Windsor!
- Healdsburg-No to Construction meters. You are guided to 2 outlets for recycled water. One is at the WWTP off Westside Road, and the other one is on Kinley Dr.
- Marin Water District–Unknown. I called and spoke with receptionist who put me through to engineering, but I could not speak to a live person. Instead, the number 1-415-9451530 has a recorded message that says the process for a construction meter can be found on their website. I tried to find it, and I did find the application for a new water meter service. I am not sure that is exactly useful to you all, but that is the best I can do in this week’s newsletter.
Next week-I will tackle Mendocino County water meter policies, Napa County, Lake County, and Sonoma County (County only, I have already done the Cities in Sonoma County). If you want specific information on cities in Marin County, please let me know (there are 13 of them!).
That’s All Folks
John
