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Of course, the MVN article in question is actually a word for word regurgitation of something that was issued Friday as part of the City Manager's report, so we're going to quote from that instead. The rule of thumb at The Tattler being that if you're going cite something, you should always go with the original content source. Why even mess with the cut and paste "journalism" of people who can't write their own articles?
Here is how we wrote about it last week:
Yellow water is on people's minds again. Gary Hood brought in jars of San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District Gold for those seated at the dais to check out. Despite assurances from the folks in the Water Department that this problem had been fixed, water is obviously still yellow for some in town. Nobody seems to have heard too much from the consultant hired by the city lately, either. Perhaps Dr. Hélène Baribeau is concentrating her vast energies on spending the $50,000 she was given to solve these problems?
Remember, it was just a year ago that people (including even City Hall) were talking about topics like Nitrification and something called "Blue Baby Syndrome." We wrote about that three times here last June. It was a big deal.
Spring is the time of year when the nitrification of our water can begin to become a problem. When warmer temperatures, along with the chloramine-rich water pumped into this city by our substitute supplier, mix it up in some of the more low flow rusted out pipes in town, rather awful things can happen.
In other words, after months of telling residents that the water quality had gotten better, and then inappropriately taking credit for it, the Sierra Madre Water Department still said nothing about problems that would soon be returning once the weather got warmer. Which it has, and unseasonably early this year. You can only wonder what 90 degree temperatures in March are going to mean when July and August roll around.
Then lo and behold, and right after our report, City Hall broke its silence and began talking about yellow water. It had to have been a coincidence, right?
This from Friday's City Manager's report, which also showed up on the front page of the Mountain Views News on Saturday with little additional comment.
WATER TREATMENT UPDATE
Dr. Helene Baribeau, under contract to the City has two concurrent studies under way on our behalf. The first, a pilot corrosion test is designed to determine the best long-term treatment for the imported MWD water to eliminate corrosion-related water discoloration and odor. The second study is to assess the possibility for the city to blend its own free-chlorinated well water with the chloraminated MWD water without reaching chlorine breakpoint, the resulting disinfection by-products (trihalomethanes, THM4; and haloacetic acids, HAA5) that are likely to be found should breakpoint chlorination occur, and to provide recommendations.
Procurement of test rack materials and fabrication of the test racks took a good deal longer than expected, particularly due to delays in receiving the mild steel test “coupons,” in designing a stand-alone water supply system for the test racks, and in stabilizing water flows through the test racks. The corrosion testing is now under way, with test coupons having been immersed in the subject waters and treatment types for over a month. Because corrosion is a slow process, the testing is as well. The first analysis of this testing is scheduled for April 6, 2015. The final of eight analysis is scheduled for July 13th. However Dr. Baribeau has indicated that she should be able to provide the city a preliminary report in June, based on some of the early coupon tests that will occur in May.
The study of blending MWD water with the City’s well water has only recently been implemented. The actual sample testing will begin March 30, with completion of that phase of the work by April 6.
Analytical results will be obtained almost immediately on April 6th, for everything but disinfection by- products. The DBP analysis requires 2 weeks, which will set the likely release of a draft report for the first week in May. At this point, from discussions with Dr. Baribeau staff is not confident that a workable blending plan can be developed. However, the study will also touch on the possibility of chloramination of the city’s well water, which would allow for blending the two sources.
Now that sounds all in charge and proactive, but does it actually gibe with what we'd been hearing over the last several months? That being the city's yellow water problem was under control, and Bruce Inman hadn't heard of any new complaints? No new complaints in Bruce-speak meaning things are just hunky dory.
The actual reason for the change is weather is cooler in the winter, and that means nitrification is not as much a factor. Yellow water and its many associated ills really gets rolling once the weather warms up. Something that City Hall knew all along, but instead preferred to take credit for something they didn't have all that much to do with.
So suddenly we're back at square one. Which, despite everything we've been hearing these last few months, the Water Department never actually moved from. Rather we were told what they thought we wanted to hear.
Are you ready for UUT #3?
The Mountain Views News seems to be Mayor Harabedian's own personal agenda publicity platform. And now that he has decided to try his hand at raising utility taxes in Sierra Madre (boldly following in the footsteps of his illustrious tax happy predecessors, Josh Moran and Cha Cha Walsh), what better place to try out his passive-aggressive approach to tax advocacy?
Here is how the Mayor had Susan Henderson prepare and publish his tax hike pitch.
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Two things that immediately jump out.
1) How can City Hall claim not to know how taxpayers here really feel about utility tax increases after they voted two times in a row to reject them? Was there a hidden message in that somewhere? Does NO actually mean YES in the enchanted land of tax increaser double-speak?
2) It is not the responsibility of the tax paying residents of Sierra Madre to come up with ways for City Hall to live within its budgets. That is what city employees are being paid to do. It is their job. But, quite obviously, this is hardly what these proposed "organization meetings" are really all about. Rather they are part of a passive-aggressive marketing strategy designed to promote a substantial utility tax increase.
Just say no. Again. For the third time.
sierramadretattler.blogspot.com
This from Friday's City Manager's report, which also showed up on the front page of the Mountain Views News on Saturday with little additional comment.
WATER TREATMENT UPDATE
Dr. Helene Baribeau, under contract to the City has two concurrent studies under way on our behalf. The first, a pilot corrosion test is designed to determine the best long-term treatment for the imported MWD water to eliminate corrosion-related water discoloration and odor. The second study is to assess the possibility for the city to blend its own free-chlorinated well water with the chloraminated MWD water without reaching chlorine breakpoint, the resulting disinfection by-products (trihalomethanes, THM4; and haloacetic acids, HAA5) that are likely to be found should breakpoint chlorination occur, and to provide recommendations.
Procurement of test rack materials and fabrication of the test racks took a good deal longer than expected, particularly due to delays in receiving the mild steel test “coupons,” in designing a stand-alone water supply system for the test racks, and in stabilizing water flows through the test racks. The corrosion testing is now under way, with test coupons having been immersed in the subject waters and treatment types for over a month. Because corrosion is a slow process, the testing is as well. The first analysis of this testing is scheduled for April 6, 2015. The final of eight analysis is scheduled for July 13th. However Dr. Baribeau has indicated that she should be able to provide the city a preliminary report in June, based on some of the early coupon tests that will occur in May.
The study of blending MWD water with the City’s well water has only recently been implemented. The actual sample testing will begin March 30, with completion of that phase of the work by April 6.
Analytical results will be obtained almost immediately on April 6th, for everything but disinfection by- products. The DBP analysis requires 2 weeks, which will set the likely release of a draft report for the first week in May. At this point, from discussions with Dr. Baribeau staff is not confident that a workable blending plan can be developed. However, the study will also touch on the possibility of chloramination of the city’s well water, which would allow for blending the two sources.
Now that sounds all in charge and proactive, but does it actually gibe with what we'd been hearing over the last several months? That being the city's yellow water problem was under control, and Bruce Inman hadn't heard of any new complaints? No new complaints in Bruce-speak meaning things are just hunky dory.
The actual reason for the change is weather is cooler in the winter, and that means nitrification is not as much a factor. Yellow water and its many associated ills really gets rolling once the weather warms up. Something that City Hall knew all along, but instead preferred to take credit for something they didn't have all that much to do with.
So suddenly we're back at square one. Which, despite everything we've been hearing these last few months, the Water Department never actually moved from. Rather we were told what they thought we wanted to hear.
Are you ready for UUT #3?
The Mountain Views News seems to be Mayor Harabedian's own personal agenda publicity platform. And now that he has decided to try his hand at raising utility taxes in Sierra Madre (boldly following in the footsteps of his illustrious tax happy predecessors, Josh Moran and Cha Cha Walsh), what better place to try out his passive-aggressive approach to tax advocacy?
Here is how the Mayor had Susan Henderson prepare and publish his tax hike pitch.
Two things that immediately jump out.
1) How can City Hall claim not to know how taxpayers here really feel about utility tax increases after they voted two times in a row to reject them? Was there a hidden message in that somewhere? Does NO actually mean YES in the enchanted land of tax increaser double-speak?
2) It is not the responsibility of the tax paying residents of Sierra Madre to come up with ways for City Hall to live within its budgets. That is what city employees are being paid to do. It is their job. But, quite obviously, this is hardly what these proposed "organization meetings" are really all about. Rather they are part of a passive-aggressive marketing strategy designed to promote a substantial utility tax increase.
Just say no. Again. For the third time.
sierramadretattler.blogspot.com