Recycled water thefts occurring

Keys to be distributed to authorized users

The city of Ukiah plans to further limit access to its recycled water supply due to unauthorized activity at its truck fill-up station, Sean White, the city’s director of water and sewer resources, told the Ukiah City Council this week.

White told the council at its

July 21 meeting that the city has “produced about 170 million gallons of recycled water so far this season, which is equal to about 520 acre-feet, or about 20 percent of our annual use. I think we’re definitely doing a really good job of taking pressure off of the river, and subsequently Lake Mendocino.”

White also addressed his previous report to the City Council regarding the city depleting its supply of recycled water, further explaining it is actually the city’s goal to use all of its recycled water in order to eliminate the need to discharge that water into the Russian River.

“So what we try and do is run out of recycled water every single year,” said White, adding that the issue this year is the city is depleting its supply about a month earlier than is ideal for agricultural users. “We’d like to run out about September, because it’s also our goal to get our recycled water users through their crop, and to have a finished product. We had a very successful meeting with our users and we have definitely offset that time demand (by) doing some very cooperative, informal water mastering … and I think we’re going to make it through the season.”

As for the city’s wells, White said they are providing “the vast majority of our supply this year, and they are performing beautifully and we have no significant draw down, they’re chugging right along.”

City Council member Mari Rodin then mentioned recent reports of statewide water theft, especially for illegal marijuana grows, and asked about the city’s “free recycled water tap,” and whether the city would be locking it. “I just hope (that water is)

not being stolen.”

“It’s definitely being stolen, that’s happening,” White said. “It’s either locked, or is in the process of being locked, and we’re in the process of getting keys out to all our authorized users. But at the end of the day, I’d much rather have people stealing recycled water than potable water right now. Water theft is huge right now, particularly

out in Redwood Valley where they have none to spare.”

White added that the Ukiah Police Department “has been really good keeping an eye on trucks and communicating with our department to make sure the people they are pulling over are permitted. But it has been getting out of control, so we’ve had to take efforts to lock it down.”

When asked Thursday where exactly the tap was on the Hastings Frontage Road and if it had been locked yet, White said he did not want to advertise its location because “our authorized users know where it is.” As to when it would be locked, White said likely “early next week,” as he was not sure that all the keys had been distributed yet.

Around 10 a.m. July 12, a caller on the Hastings Frontage Road reported that an unpermitted water truck was taking recycled water from “the purple meter,” as the recycled water system is also called the “Purple Pipe.” The truck reportedly left prior to the officer’s arrival.