MSWD Water Leak Along Pescadero-Seal Cove Fault in Moss Beach Causes Water Discoloration

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NOTE FROM MSWD GENERAL MANAGER. Montara Sanitary and Water District General Manager and Montara resident, Clemens Heldmaier explains the brown water that you might have notice coming out of your faucet in the last week…. no health concerns.

A main brake can present itself in various degrees of severity. The situation in Seal Cove was definitely an emergency that required immediate response of our on call personnel. We consider customer notification as very important and most situations allow direct contact with affected homes. The vast majority of leaks do not lead to discolored water. On site staff prioritizes according to the severity of a situation, but first responder safety and public health and safety are always going to be the most important .  In this case it meant addressing the leak situation.

 

 

In MWSD, discolored water is due to the pressure fluctuation  (water hammer) stirring up iron and manganese deposits in pipes. This unpleasant looking water stains fixtures, however,  no health concern is related to the discoloration. The discolored water is very localized around the leak and can be simply flushed out as soon as the leak has been addressed.

We regret not having been able to notify customers in real time, this was an all hands on deck situation. Staff has been following up with the affected parties as soon as possible.

Approximately 60,000 gallons of water were lost. The leak was caused through movement along one of the series of parallel fault lines that make up the Pescadero- Seal Cove fault system. Utilities that are serving the Seal Cove area and are crossing the actively moving system are seeing up to 1 foot of ground movement per year. Pipe repairs in the area often require the addition of various “flex systems” to allow being pulled apart before rupturing.

 


 

Montara Water & Sanitary District (MSWD) Meetings 1st & 3rd Thursdays

Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.

Agendas and Zoom Live Meeting Links

If you experience technical difficulties or have technical questions prior to or during the meeting, please contact MWSD’s IT support at (650) 728-7843.

Meeting Videos


Meeting Schedule:

Regular meetings are 7:30pm on the first and third Thursday of each month. They used to held at the District office at 8888 Cabrillo Hwy, next to Pt Montara Lighthouse and Hostel.

To receive agendas by email, send a request to [email protected]

In addition to email, we post agendas before each board meeting:

  • On the District website here
  • Montara post office
  • Moss Beach post office
  • the bulletin board in front of the MWSD office

 


Who is on the Board of Directors?

DIRECTOR TERM
Kathryn Slater-Carter — President Term 2016-2020
Jim Harvey — President Pro Tem Term 2018-2022
Ric Lohman — Secretary Term 2018-2022
Peter Dekker — Treasurer Term 2019-2020
Scott Boyd — Director Term 2016-2020

 


Services

Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) – MWSD is a member of SAM, the agency that collects and cleans our Coastside community’s wastewater before it enters the ocean. SAM meets monthly on the 4th Monday at 7:30pm. Jim Harvey and Scott Boyd presently serve as SAM board members.

Recology of the Coast – MWSD has contracted with Recology of the Coast for trash pickup, recycling, and waste hauling.

Visit County Solid Waste Department for more information about recycling, composting, etc.

 


In an Emergency

Water Emergencies: Call MWSD at (650) 728-3545

Sewer Emergencies: Call SAM at (650) 726-0124

For emergencies that affect life, health or safety:  Dial 911

 


Contact Us

  • 8888 Cabrillo Hwy
    Montara, California 94037
  • Office Hours:
    8:30AM to 5PM Mon-Fri
  • (650) 728-3545
  • [email protected]

Note: Public participation is not permitted during closed session discussion items.

MSWD General Manager Clemens Heldmaier showing a creek filtration system.

Coastside Buzz
Author: Coastside Buzz

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