Springville water woes 'sure as hell not our fault,' residents say

Springville has gone months without access to clean water after the Tule River floods in March.

Now, residents are furious with the area's water provider, Del Oro Water, for charging them higher rates when they had no water and when it was contaminated.

In an emergency town hall meeting July 28, Del Oro representatives faced a packed house of angry residents demanding answers at the Springville Veterans Memorial Building.

Some people stormed out of the meeting before it ended and others were in disbelief and frustrated with Del Oro official's responses. The crowd lost control for a moment once a Del Oro spokesperson said there'll be no access to water until October. Residents were also told there'd be more water now if people conserved.

"Right now, I need your help," said Janice Hanna, Del Oro's accounting director. "I truly do. How many people are watering three days a week?"

"You will have water in October. You have water now if you would help us with conserving," she said.

Raffaella Woods, who has lived in Springville for 20 years, said it's impossible to conserve water when there is none. Since June, she said the water shuts off in her neighborhood from 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. During the town hall, she gave a graphic breakdown of how it affected her daily life.

For Woods, she can't wash her hands, shower, brush her teeth or flush the toilet, emphasizing how waste builds up in the bathroom for up to nine hours until the water turns back on. When it does, the water is still undrinkable, and she thinks about the money she spends on bottled water while still paying her triple-digit water bill.

"The flood is not Del Oro's fault. It's sure as hell not our fault. But we're suffering now, five months later, and it feels like an eternity," she said. "This is not OK. Del Oro has never offered to pay for our baby wipes, wet wipes and hand sanitizers, even now that we have no water... Why are you not providing us with drinking water?"

Woods said the base rate is $150 before water consumption. Although the flood caused homes to have undrinkable or no water, many residents received bills over $200.

One resident said she was charged $800 after the house was flooded, which also increased her insurance rates.

Once Woods noticed she was still being charged a standard rate for her water bill despite it being undrinkable, she filed a complaint to the California Public Utilities Commission.

"The CPUC does approve every charge, so I guess they get the blame by approving the charges without really listening to us," Woods said.

Woods organized the town hall meeting.

She invited Hanna, Tulare County Fire Chief Charlie Norman, Dennis Townsend, the county's District 5 supervisor; and state representatives from Senator Shannon Grove's and Assemblyman Vince Fong's offices. They all answered questions from the public.

"Water is life. The people of Springville deserve reliable running water. What they have been dealing with is not acceptable," Fong told Visalia Times-Delta. "They deserve better."

Residents were upset that no one from CPUC's offices came, although they were invited. They have yet to respond.

Del Oro is a California-based private water company operating in 20 water districts across the state.

In Springville, it provides water to 400 of the 2,000 residents. Del Oro lost five of its wells around the area where the river flooded. Residents lost water for the first 10 days and were then connected to irrigation lines.

Del Oro did donate bottled water for the first couple of weeks, but then stopped, according to Woods. It wasn't until two months later that residents received clean drinking water in their plumbing, but in June, the water became scarce in the wells and had too many nitrates for it to be safe to consume.

Townsend said since it's a private company, it's regulated by the state and Tulare County has no regulatory oversight. He said the CPUC has been responsive in providing information but was frustrated when it said it provided drinking water to Springville, although residents contradicted that.

He said the town hall needed to happen because he's received complaints about water services for many years. After hearing Del Oro's ask to conserve more water, he said it creates more of an issue than a solution.

"They don't have water for most of the day, and some of the neighborhoods have no water at all. I believe in my heart the residents will do everything that they can... We will conserve what's needed, but you got to be more forthcoming," Townsend said.

He also said Del Oro needs to step up and fulfill its contractual obligation to the residents to provide clean water, even if it costs them money. He also hopes that the town hall leads to more aid from the state and a quicker response from the CPUC.

Grove told Visalia Times-Delta she will bring more water resources to the area.

"The water crisis in Springville is an urgent issue that I am working to address immediately to ensure that community members have access to drinking water. I have requested assistance from local and state departments, in addition to other sources that can deliver water while long-term solutions are also underway. I am beyond thankful for everyone who is willing to work together and provide this urgent need for our community members," Grove said.

Del Oro's plans to bring back water

Hanna said if 50 high-water users cut their water usage by 20%, water would be in their communities' tanks.

"We knew that there are high users in this district. There always have been," she said.

Funding is one of the main setbacks for Del Oro. It did not qualify for certain federal and state aid. She blamed the state water board for its difficulty with communication and lack of funding for the company.

A long-term solution Del Oro has is constructing a water treatment plant, Hanna said. This will provide a reliable source of drinkable water to Springville and be above flood planes.

However, Woods noted that the treatment plant was announced in 2009 and was originally planned to be built in 2013. Residents have been paying Del Oro additional fees, she added.

To pay for the treatment plant now, Hanna said there would be a surcharge of $44 for the next 30 years.

"Next year, you will be getting treated water that your whole family can drink from that treatment plant. It's very close to being done," she said in the town hall.

After the town hall, Hanna noted that citizens wanted Del Oro to take more accountability but said, "We did the best we could through the floods."

Woods said she'll continue to fight for clean water in her community. She acknowledged how difficult it's been balancing this, her job as a realtor and a mother.

"It's very hard. I also have a child with special needs, so I guess you just do what you need to do," she said. "There's no point in complaining unless we take action."