Cambria leak stopped, water loss at target levels

A major water leak behind the Bluebird Inn on Main Street has been stopped, and Cambria’s water-loss figures are at target levels as of Monday, July 10, the services district general manager said.

Jerry Gruber, general manager of the Cambria Community Services District, said in an email early Tuesday afternoon that the difference between production and influent flow at the district’s Wastewater Treatment Plant for July 10 was 51,000 gallons or 10 percent.

Production was at 508,000 gallons and influent flow was at 457,000, Gruber wrote.

The report came three days after Jason Buhl, the district’s water system supervisor, reported that a temporary bypass was in place for the Bluebird Inn leak. A heavy silver pipe has been laid across one side of the pedestrian bridge that crosses Santa Rosa Creek, providing access to Fiscalini Ranch Preserve from Main Street. Plastic cones and folding wooden barriers are in place to keep pedestrians and cyclists from stumbling over the pipe, which CCSD determined was the best way to keep water flowing and away from the creek.

“I think things are back in line with where they need to be,” Gruber said in response to an email question Monday. “I contribute that to the leak being repaired behind the Bluebird Hotel. Although all leaks matter, the ones to date — 12-plus prior to the Bluebird repair — made a difference, however nothing compared to the Bluebird leak.”

Gruber told the CCSD board last month that the target figure for unaccounted-for water is 10 percent, the figure he reported as of Tuesday. That’s down significantly from 41 percent in April and 39 percent in May — and even lower than the 13.2 percent mark for 2016.

Buhl said the temporary bypass line was in place as of 11:45 a.m. Friday, July 7.

“The two vales isolating the line under the creek are working perfectly,” he said in an email. “There is no longer any water flowing into the creek. No more leak.”

Buhl said Tim Winsor or Winsor Construction had hauled away trees and brush from the site.

Gruber has said a permanent line should be in place within the month and said Monday in response to questions from The Cambrian that he has asked for a quote from Arroyo Grande-based Dechance Construction on that job.

In his email response Monday, Gruber also said he had not yet received an invoice for the cost of the temporary line repair. He added that he wants to meet with his staff to determine how much water was lost between the time the leak was discovered Sunday, June 25, and the time the temporary bypass was put in place.

Gruber said production for July 8 was 576,000 gallons, “considerably less than what we have been recording,” and thanked CCSD staffers for their efforts in an email. That was 11.1 percent more (64,000 gallons) than the influent flow at the Wastewater Treatment Plant, a difference Gruber attributed to irrigation.

He wrote that the district has “resolved the matter.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 9:14 AM with the headline "Cambria leak stopped, water loss at target levels."