VIDEO. From the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Directors’ Special meeting on Monday, January 4th, 2023 at 7:00pm by Zoom.
SAM Chair and HMB Council member, Debbie Ruddock, introduces the agenda item. SAM attorney, Jeremy Jungreis, clarifies technical points of the agenda item.
Special meeting of the
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside Directors
on Wednesday, January 4th, 2023
at 4:00pm – 6:00pm, by Zoom
Background and Discussion/Report
On December 31, 2022 an atmospheric river dropped over five inches of rain in a 24 hour period in the Coastside and throughout the Bay Area—leading to wide spread flooding, levee failures, and floodwater rescues throughout Northern California, including within San Mateo County and the City of Half Moon Bay.
See https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2023/01/01/san-francisco-flooding-rainfallrecord/.
The next atmospheric river, which may be even more severe than the December 31, 2022 storm, is anticipated to hit the Coastside on January 4 bringing heavy rains and high winds to soils that are already inundated—potentially resulting in catastrophic flooding. The storm events caused the following damage:
1. On December 31, 2022, the Pilarcitos Creek adjacent to the plant flooded into the Plant. Approximately, 2690 CFS was flowing in the creek at the time of flooding. The flooding into the plant caused storm water to enter the Electrical building located in Mechanical Building 1, Pipe gallery, Effluent building and caused damaged to certain equipment.
As of now, the following equipment damage has taken place:
a) Recirculation Pump 1
b) Transformer for Effluent building
c) Breakers for spray pumps to the Press
d) Chain in Primary
To protect the plant further from flooding we also had to shut off Portola Pump Station and Montara Pump Station. This caused an overflow at the Wet Weather Storage on the Burnham strip, Magellan Avenue and RV Park across Burnham strip.
Full 1/4/23 Agenda
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Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) Meetings ~ 2nd & 4th Mondays @ 7:00pm
Watch remotely. Comments and questions by email.
SAM Agendas and Zoom Links
SAM Meeting Videos via Pacific Coast TV
Contact Us
Our regular office hours are 7:00 a.m. through 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The Authority can be reached 24-hours a day at:
650) 726-0124
Our Mailing Address is:
Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside
1000 Cabrillo Hwy N.
Half Moon Bay, CA 94019
(650) 726-7833 (fax)
Regular Board Meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month at 7:00pm.
From time to time a meeting date may be changed, cancelled or relocated. Check the posted agenda for any changes to the normal schedule (click on links below).
The Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside (SAM) provides wastewater treatment services and contract collection maintenance services for a population of approximately 27,000 in the following areas:
- City of Half Moon Bay
- El Granada
- Miramar
- Montara
- Moss Beach
- Princeton by the Sea
SAM Directors
SAM is a joint powers authority (JPA) created by its three member agencies: City of Half Moon Bay (City), Granada Community Services District (GCSD), and the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD).
The JPA is a separate, independent, public agency created by the member agencies to perform functions and share powers common to the member agencies. Those powers are outlined in a joint exercise of powers agreement (Agreement). The Agreement creating SAM can be found on the Documents page.
Each Agreement identifies how the independent agency will be governed. In the case of SAM, each member agency appoints two members from its governing board to represent it on the SAM Board of Directors, for a total of six directors.
The Agreement also establishes the weight of each director’s vote. The vote by each representatives from the City is given the weight of two votes. The vote by each representative from GCSD and MWSD is given the weight of one vote. The total number of possible votes is eight. A quorum is a minimum of five votes and resolutions require at least six votes to pass.
Deborah Ruddock
Chair, Representing the City of Half Moon Bay
Kathryn Slater-Carter
Vice-Chair, Representing Montara Water and Sanitary District
Matthew Clark
Secretary/Treasurer, Representing Granada Community Services District
Dr. Deborah Penrose
Director, Representing the City of Half Moon Bay
Barbara Dye
Director, Representing Granada Community Services District
Ric Lohman
Director, Representing Montara Water and Sanitary District
Trash Wipes and Rags; Do NOT Flush. Cost For Repair?
VIDEO. Two pump failures in last two weeks.
Wipes and rags, as seen below, are the culprit.
Talk to your neighbors, please.
Repair for one pump can be $50,000.
Replacement is very, very expensive. A new pump can be a million dollars.
Burning out a generator can cost $100,000 to replace
~ Montara Sewer and Water District’s (MSWD) Board Member Kathryn Slater-Carter and MSWD General Manager, Clemens Heldmaier.
Smaller Is Better: The Solution to California’s Ancient Water Pipes by Rinaldo Veseliza
Other Links
- Wastewater and Microgrids for the Coastside? No More Inter-Tie or Outfall!?
- Video. What is ElectroScan & How Can it Help Sewer Authority Mid-Coast (SAM)?
- Podcast. Managing sewage is the most important job on the planet ~Freakonomics: In Praise of Maintenance.
- Video. SAM Meeting 4/22 ~ Partners with PG&E to Reduce its Carbon Footprint
Video Tour of the SAM Plant
