Teichert awarded Robbins water meter, main repairs project contract

Sutter County recently awarded a nearly $700,000 contract to Teichert Energy and Utilities Group to install new water meters and repair water lines in the community of Robbins.

The small community doesn’t currently have meters installed, so per-connection water use is going unmeasured. The average water usage in Robbins from 2001 to 2018 is approximately 335 gallons per person per day, which is over three times the national average of 80 to 100 gallons per person per day, said Sutter County Public Information Officer Chuck Smith.

As part of a state law enacted in 2004, water suppliers across the state are required to have water meters installed on customer connections by 2025.

“The law requires all metered services billed at a metered rate, so that water bills reflect water consumption,” Smith said. “Metering promotes water efficiency, reduces vulnerability to drought, and provides water savings through the identification and repair of leaks in the distribution center.”

Currently, a single-family residence in Robbins pays a flat monthly rate of $70 for water. With the ability to meter each water user, the county will be able to charge an amount that better reflects the amount used.

“For comparison, the average monthly water usage in Robbins was evaluated with the Yuba City fee structure. A single-family residence in Yuba City can pay as little as $35.84 per month for water if the usage is under the 15 Hundred Cubic Feet (HCF), or 11,220 gallons per month, base allotment,” Smith said. “The 11,220 gallons per month baseline equates to just under 100 gallons per person per day, for a family of four. The calculated 2001 to 2018 monthly average Robbins water bill would be approximately $102 per month using the Yuba City fee structure.”

However, Yuba City has more residents and a larger water system so it is able to distribute the fixed costs over a larger population. The water system in Robbins won’t be to the same scale as Yuba City’s, so it’s possible actual water rates will be higher once data is gathered to create a metered rate for the small water system, Smith said.

As part of the contract, Teichert will install 93 new water meters, make repairs to the community’s water lateral lines and replace approximately 1,700 feet of water main lines.

Construction is scheduled to begin in September and be completed by the end of the year. The county is leveraging a $1.06 million construction loan through the California State Water Resources Control Board to purchase the water meters and install them.

The improvements aren’t expected to fix the issues Robbins has had for over a decade with a high amount of arsenic in its drinking water, which is a chemical that has been linked to skin damage, circulatory problems and an increased risk of cancer. The county, which is in charge of the public water system in Robbins, said the existing water system is undersized and cannot treat water at volumes required by the distribution system.

The county reached a settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in July that outlines how they plan to address the issue and how long it will take.

As part of the agreement, the county will install a new well near the intersection of Del Monte Avenue and Knights Road, build a pipeline to the primary well site, expand its primary well site, and treat the water to meet regulatory standards. Construction on the project is expected to be completed by Jan. 1, 2022.