Call at Fir st Sig n of Over flow
New Sewer Caps in Place Starting in August, your residential utility bill (which includes charges for both water and wastewater service) will reflect the new sewer cap you established last December, January, and February during the “Average Winter Water Use” period. In response to community requests, the volume-based wastewater rate structure was implemented in 2007. Residential users went from a flat-rate billing system, in which everyone paid the same no matter how much
In a wastewater overflow or spill, wastewater could potentially
enter our creeks and flow through our community, coming into contact with a lot of people along the way. None of us want that. That’s why it’s so important for residents to recognize
the first signs of a wastewater overflow and call the Utilities
Department immediately, before it becomes a bigger problem.
wastewater they generated, to a much more equitable system based on actual use. For questions on how the wastewater bill is calculated, visit the Utilities Department website at slowater.org and click on “How to Calculate Your Water and Wastewater Bill” for more information.
An overflow occurs when the wastewater system becomes blocked. The first signs are usually wastewater coming up
and through manhole covers or out of clean-outs near homes or businesses.
The first step in a wastewater overflow is to get the pipes
cleared and the wastewater flowing. The next step is for the
City to report these spills to either the Regional Water Quality Board and/or to County Environmental Health Department.
This action is required by law. Which agency gets
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notified depends on how big the spill is.
If you think it’s a spill, let us know. Please call (805) 781-7220 Monday through Friday during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), or call Police Communications at (805) 781-7312 after business hours. A standby person will always respond.
Highlights IN THIS ISSUE:
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New Sewer Caps Summer/Fall Irrigation Guide Internship Program New Sewer Cap Improved Utility Billing | Rainy Season is Coming
Summer Spring 2013 Volume 17, Issue 3 2
you can always count on us
As part of our commitment to providing safe and reliable water and wastewater services to the community, the Utilities Department has got you covered 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. This means that when an incident occurs after regular business hours, a crew member with the appropriate expertise will respond immediately. Our dedicated team members take turns on “standby” duty for these after-hours incidents. Each standby employee is responsible for anywhere between 35 to 180 days a year (usually a week at a time) of standby duty. They are required to respond to a call within 45 minutes during their shift, which means no trips to the lake on weekends or out-of-county vacations. Our staff is fully committed to providing the best service to the community. Caring for the community’s infrastructure and environment frequently requires them to pause family life, at times leaving Little League games and birthday parties early, to respond after business hours. The Utilities Department takes great pride in providing the community with an extraordinary level of service. Delivering water and wastewater services 24/7 takes a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of our employees; a challenge the department fully embraces as part of our commitment to the community. Thank you to each of them for their unparalleled service.
New Water Rate Structure Approved The San Luis Obispo City Council completed an indepth study on how the City charges for water service in December 2012. The result was a recommended water rate structure modification to add a $5 fixed fee and have two tiers for all customer classes (see Rate Structure table). The new rate structure went into effect July 1, 2013, but residents will not see the changes until the first full billing cycle after that date. For more information, please e-mail Utilities Department Conservation Manager Ron Munds at rmunds@slocity.org.
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Old Rate Structure Residential
Non-Residential
$0.00
$0.00
0 – 5 units
$6.25/unit
$6.25/unit
6 –25 units/6+ for non-residential
$7.82/unit
$7.82/unit
26+ units residential
$9.80/unit
Base Fee (minimum charge) Volume Charges
Current Rate Structure July 1,2013
July 1,2014
$5.00
$5.28
0 – 8 units
$6.56/unit
$6.92/unit
9+ units
$8.20/unit
$8.65/unit
Base Fee (minimum charge) Volume Charges
U n iq u e Partn e rs h i p I m proves E ffici e ncy, Saves Mon e y Treating over 1.7 billion gallons of wastewater each year requires the
Water Reclamation Facility to use a lot of energy. We’ve teamed up with
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) for a unique public/private part-
nership to reduce the significant energy costs related to the City’s Water Reclamation Facility.
On May 7, the City Council unanimously voted to approve the Water Reclamation Facility Energy Project, which helps the Utilities Department create
a sustainable wastewater treatment facility and further its goal to be effec-
tive stewards of natural and fiscal resources. The cumulative effects of this bundled project will have significant environmental, economic, and social
benefits to the community. It includes onsite cogeneration of energy, solids
Time to Turn D own the Irrigation
lighting, and process system control.
“ It ’s only August and you’re talking about turning down my irrigation time? ”
Consistent with the community’s commitment to reducing greenhouse
What most people don’t realize that lawn and
management, upgrading and optimizing aging infrastructure, efficient
gas emissions and other General Plan policies, Utilities Department staff
began researching and pursuing energy efficiency options for the wastewater treatment facility back in 2010.
In January 2011, Utilities department staff asked PG&E about available funds or incentives for energy efficiency projects and discovered that there was an opportunity to participate in the company’s Sustainable Solutions Turnkey program, which had previously only been available to federal facilities.
Thus, the Water Reclamation Facility Energy Project was born. With this
unique public/private partnership, the City has created a streamlined solution to implementing energy and infrastructure replacement projects.
garden water needs decrease dramatically through September and October as the angle of the sun lowers and the nights cool down. In fact, most lawns need about half as much water in October as they do in August. So, use your water wisely. For best results, we recommend using the suggested Summer/Fall Lawn Irrigation Guide. Be sure to monitor and take care not to over water. Divide watering time into three or four days and check for runoff. For a complete irrigation schedule for all your plants, visit slowater.org.
S u g g ested S u m m er / Fall L awn Ir r ig atio n G u id e Month
Irrigation Minutes/ Week
August
60 minutes/week
September
45 minutes/week
October
30 minutes/week
November
As needed
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UTI LITI E S D E PARTM E NT 879 Morro Street San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Internship Program Trains Future Technicians
Join the Conversation: Like us on Facebook The City of San Luis Obispo has developed a successful internship program
that has helped launch the careers of more than 85 water quality professionals. The City’s Water Quality Lab Internship Program started as a way to provide
water quality testing 365 days a year, a requirement by state and federal regulations. Laboratory Manager Anne Fairchild started the program, which has been
Are you on Facebook? So are we! Like us at facebook.com/SLOUtilitiesDepartment to get news about the latest water projects, money-saving tips, interesting facts about your water and sewer utility, and much more.
offering valuable training and real-world experience to science and engineering majors at Cuesta and Cal Poly who wish to enter the water quality field.
This non-paid opportunity allows students to “learn by doing” and set them-
selves apart from the competition by learning how to use the equipment and
Em erg en cy N u m b er s
reports. Students also receive school credit that is often required to graduate.
We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
The program has been a tremendous success. To date, more than 110
Water and Sewer Problems
in the water quality field.
(805) 781-7220
For more information on the program, or to apply, contact Anne Fairchild at afairchild@slocity.org.
(805) 781-7312
technology properly, understand safety procedures, review data, and generate
interns have completed the program, with 80 percent entering careers
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Printed on recycled paper
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After Hours and Weekends