EID cost of service analysis bid put off

Michael Raffety

Mountain Democrat correspondent

With Director George Osborne absent, the four directors present Feb. 27 locked up on two 2-2 votes, only agreeing to postpone action on the costof-service study bid until the March 13 El Dorado Irrigation District meeting.

Three requests for proposals were received to analyze the costs of services for EID. The low bid was $83,777 from Raftelis Financial Consultants. That consultant’s proposal was favored by Directors Lori Anzini and Alan Day. Staff recommended the second-highest bid of $115,750 from NBS Consulting because it included 40% more hours of face-to-face staff time and public engagement. That bid was favored by Directors Pat Dwyer and Brian Veerkamp.

The highest bid was from Carollo Engineers for $159,532.

NBS was familiar with EID’s complex system, having done previous analysis.

Day moved to accept the Raftelis bid and add $20,00 for more in-person meetings and public meetings. That would total $103,777. Raftellis would otherwise work through Zoom meetings and conduct one public meeting.

Two separate motions produced 2-2 votes with Day and Anzini favoring come down at a business Thursday evening.

Raftelis and Dwyer and Veerkamp favoring NBS.

Postponing the vote until all five directors were there brought a unanimous vote.

The cost-of-service analysis will produce rate proposals for the next five years following a Proposition 218 notice to rate payers. The last five-year rate structure produced 5% annual water rate increases and zero wastewater increases for the first three years.

A second unanimous vote later in the Feb. 27 meeting approved ordering two replacement filters for the El Dorado Hills Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The El Dorado Hills plant has six tertiary filters. Four area half-pipe filters installed in the 1990s are working fine, though some corrosion will need to be treated.

The two filters failing were plastic multiblock underdrains installed in 2007. These two will be replaced with the half-pipe underdrain system. It takes seven months to obtain the new parts after putting in the order at a cost of $955,986.

The replacement filters and installation are estimated to cost $1.9 million and will be entirely funded by sewer hookup fee funds, according to the writeup by engineer Tracey EdenBishop.

The roof over the gas station pumps at Swiss Mart gas station on Emerald Bay Road gave way to the snow and caused a gas pump to catch fire but South Lake Tahoe Fire Rescue personnel quickly doused the blaze. No injuries were reported and the entire lot is, “red-tagged, meaning no entrance is allowed onto this site,” state SLTFR officials in a social media post. Many south Tahoe residents were loading up sandbags Thursday at the Tahoe Valley SLTFR station but for those who weren’t feeling safe at home, some Stateline casinos were offering deals on hotel rooms. Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe discounted room rates to $59 a night with no resort fees.

Caltrans crews reported they had to close Highway 50 temporarily Thursday morning between Twin Bridges and Meyers due to avalanche control on Echo Summit. The roadway reopened before 10 a.m. State Route 89 was closed in both directions at Emerald Bay Road due to avalanche danger.