Another Oxnard wastewater pumping station breaks down
By George Miller
While most of us were enjoying the holiday weekend, a public utilities crew was out in the Labor Day holiday heat today, with feverishly working men and a bucket brigade of tanker trucks to haul away raw sewage. This is station #30, where Channel Islands Boulevard and Harbor Blvd meet.
Tank trucks and repair crews at Oxnard wastewater transfer station #30. Photo: CitizensJournal.us
From a distance, it looked like a toxic waste spill site being cleaned up. But up close, we could see effluent being removed and men working. We were told that this was still another pump failure. Recently, station #29 had two pumps fail.
At a recent city council meeting, Public Works employes attributed the station #29 pumps failure to extreme deferred maintenance. The pumps are supposed to be completely inspected every 5 years and serviced if needed. This hasn’t been happening. It was way longer than that when pumps failed. The cost of replacing the pumps is far higher than maintaining them. We find it difficult to comprehend the reasons why this was allowed to happen and hope that a better plan will be put in place.
Tank trucks and repair crews at Oxnard wastewater transfer station #30. Photo: CitizensJournal.us
Most people are blissfully unaware of all the machinery, systems and people that keep their city working and safe. Good management, employees, equipment and funding are important to keep all this operational. The City has been without a permanent Public Works Director for years, along with other key vacant management and technical positions. The City is spending a fortune on consultants, which evidently is not solving all of the problems.
City staff have previously presented at City Council meetings that wastewater and water systems need about $800 million in investment over the next decade, which will result in significantly higher utility rates in the future. No reserves or sinking fund are available to handle all this, making a future rate shock all the more severe.
City Council created a residents’ Utilities Rates Advisory Panel, (URAP). to study and make recommendations on future utility rates. Deferred maintenance, city growth and inequitable rate structures have all been cited as problems. Check out recent articles (below) by Phil Molina and Dan Pinedo, who is on the URAP.
The next URAP workshop will be held at the Regional Recycling and Transfer Station at 111 Del Norte Blvd. on Wednesday, September 9, 2015. A tour of the facility at 5:00 PM will be followed by a workshop in the conference room at 6:00 PM. The meetings are open to the public, community members are encouraged to attend. The workshops are being recorded, check with city for airing dates and times. The full workshop presentations can be reviewed at the City Of Oxnard website, (Public Works, Utilities, Utilities Ratepayers Advisory Panel (URAP), Workshop Highlights.
Oxnard Holds Utility Rates Workshops
By Dan Pinedo In anticipation of utilities rates increases the city of Oxnard has created a Utilities Rates Advisory Panel, (URAP). The panel is made up of 8 members representing the community from three categories: Business/Industrial, Single Family Residential and Multi-Family Residential. There are 5 alternates. Under the direction of Interim Utilities Director Daniel Rydberg […]
Former Oxnard Finance Director points out inequitable utility rates
By Phil Molina Editor’s note: We published this letter from Mr. Molina to Oxnard officials and “friends” just as we received it. Friends, Mayor, Councilpersons and staff: How much do you like Oxnard? How fairly, equitably and justly do you feel Oxnard treats you? Do you like subsidizing the poor? Do you like paying […]
Oxnard utility rates to go sky-high?
By George Miller For years, the Oxnard utilities staff has been warning us about shrinking water supplies, higher costs, extensive deferred maintenance, obsolescence and expanding demand for water, wastewater and stormwater services. These services are probably as important to the health and safety of residents as are the police and fire departments. After one year of […]
[PDF]Draft 2012 Rate Study Update – Public Works – City of Oxnard
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George Miller is Publisher of Citizensjournal.us and a “retired” operations management consultant, active in civic affairs, living in Oxnard.
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