Well #4, which suffered an “electro–mechanical problem” with the pump on January 30, is back online as of April 24. We asked what caused the failure and whether there would be a financial impact but were asked to wait for the General Manager’s report to the Board. Although the well is back in service, the roof of the pump house is not scheduled to be replaced until April 28.
Fixing the problem involved removal of the pump house roof by a crane and disconnection of the motor and other surface equipment. Then, using two cranes, the down-hole pump and 30 sections of 20′ pipe were pulled one at a time from the well over in a couple of days and placed on a truck. After inspection, necessary repairs were made, and everything was reinstalled one pipe section at a time, reconnected, and tested.
There was no loss of water production to our system because Well #6 was able to supply all our requirements. In the winter months when our consumption is fairly low, one well can supply our whole system. Well #4 is expected to function normally this summer. We always need two pumps in the hot dry season.
Law and prudence require that we have a backup source to keep our system supplied in the hot dry months in case one of our pumps fails. Crestview’s plan is to drill another well as a backup. Until then, in an emergency we can switch to imported water from Calleguas Municipal Water District. Calleguas water was very limited in the last year, but with recent series of storms statewide that crisis has ended for the foreseeable future. Because Calleguas water costs about ten times as much as producing our own, there is a big financial incentive to be self-sufficient. Crestview’s water sources are more secure than almost any other water system in Ventura County.
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