At its September 9th, 2020 Board Meeting, the Calaveras County Water District Board of Directors accepted the successful completion of the Kirby, Gabor, and Garner Service Line Replacement Project.  The project was part of a larger effort by CCWD to reduce the number of leaks in the Jenny Lind distribution system.

The Jenny Lind distribution system was installed in the 1960s and 1970s using construction practices that fall short of current CCWD standards.  In recent years, frequent leaks throughout the system have been a source of frustration for CCWD’s customers, staff, and Board of Directors.  Starting in the spring of 2019 CCWD dedicated additional resources to repair leaks faster and to address the underlying causes of the leaks.  The additional effort has paid off.  CCWD’s crews have reduced the average number of in-process leaks from about 60 leaks to about 8.  This not only conserves water, but it saves the District money in the long-run as leaks can get more costly to repair over time.

District staff used heat maps to determine that portions of Kirby, Garner, and Gabor streets were among the most problematic parts of the distribution system.  The CCWD Board approved a construction project to replace 86 service lines in that area, many of which had been the source of multiple leaks in the past.  The project started construction in February 2020 and was critical to stopping problematic recurring water leaks in failing water service lines serving over 155 customers in Rancho Calaveras.   The work was recently completed by T&S West of Linden, CA in August 2020.  The final cost was $500,000 including the work on the water services and associated road paving repairs.

CCWD is pursuing additional projects to address the causes of the leaks in the Jenny Lind distribution system.  A significant construction project to replace a major transmission main is in the design phase and construction could start in 2021.  The project is expected to significantly improve CCWD’s ability to control operating pressures in the distribution system, in addition to increasing water supply reliability and extending the life of other infrastructure.

For more information, contact Customer Service, at customerservice@ccwd.org or (209) 754-3543.