Walnut Ranch residents got the good news they’ve been waiting on that could finally end an ordeal that has lasted more than a decade to have the services they deserve as a City of Colusa subdivision.
The former Del Oro water customers, which were long plagued with severe water quality issues, will finally get a new water and sewer system, thanks to the State of California and the Colusa City Council.
The city has received a $2.9 million grant for the sewer project and a combination $1.8 million grant/loan for the water project, officials said. The sewer grant will pay for 100 percent of the cost for the infrastructure to connect all customers who want to abandon their septic tanks with city services. The water grant will provide 90 percent of the project to provide new water mains and meters.
“We ended up getting them a much better deal than we thought we were going to,” said City Manager Jesse Cain, who met with the homeowners Wednesday night.
In a special meeting on Thursday, the City Council approved a resolution agreeing to pay the state the $200,000 (10 percent) estimated cost on the water project, although grant amounts are subject to change once the city receives formal bids for construction, Cain said.
Colusa acquired the Walnut Ranch assets from the private Del Oro Water Company in 2017, after the company’s single well greatly exceeded the maximum contaminant level for arsenic and physically collapse, leaving the subdivision to rely on an emergency intertie with the city.
Residents had long reported the water had destroyed appliances and septic systems, killed or sickened pets, and posed a constant health risk to people because of the high levels of arsenic and other problem metals.
Despite objections from Del Oro, whose solution to the water troubles was to tie into Colusa Industrial Properties via a 4,400-foot pipeline and charge the rate payers a 113 percent increase over six years, Walnut ranch property owners chose annexation.
On a 95-7 vote, the residents passed Measure E in 2011, which authorized the county to levy a two-year, $687.57 parcel tax to pay for the annexation process into the city.
Colusa City Councilwoman Denise Conrado, said she attended the meeting Cain had with property owners, who were jumping with joy at the near resolution of the water and sewer crisis.
“Jesse was treated like a hero,” Conrado said. “Normally, he’s kind of the villain in meetings, but he was a hero to everyone in the room.”
Cain said the water project will include all new water lines, water mains, and meters. The 100 percent funding for the sewer project will pay for all new lateral lines to connect the homeowners’ plumbing system to the public sewer main that is located in the street, should they want to abandon their septic system now and have access to city services at no cost to them.
“We are not going to require it, if people are happy with their septica and they are working, which I don’t think many of them are. But what we are going to do is run that lateral to the property line. Down the road, if their septic tank fails, then they are mandated by law to hook up but it will be at a cost to them. If they hook up now, there is no cost at all.”
Cain said he thinks few, if any, Walnut Ranch residents will opt out of the opportunity to connect to city services.
“I met with them,” Cain said. “It was a packed house and they seemed super excited.”
The City Council is expected to authorize the funding agreement in December so the project can go out to bid by the end of the year or early January.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2022 to coincide with the Wescott Road project. ■