Arnold, CA…As of 8:30 this morning, CCWD completed the emergency water transmission line tie-in project and water service has returned to normal for the Arnold community. During construction projects of this nature, it is common for minerals to be dislodged from the inside walls of pipelines, which can cause customers to experience discolored water. Crews are flushing lines in the Arnold area this morning to minimize these impacts. However, it’s important to remember that even if the water is discolored, it is completely safe to drink and poses no health risk. If customers would like to flush their personal plumbing systems to remove the discolored water, they can turn on an outside faucet at the lowest point on the property and let it run until the water turns clear.

Those with questions or comments regarding this emergency project may contact CCWD Customer Service at 209-754-3543 or customerservice@ccwd.org.

Additional details in earlier release

Some CCWD customers in Arnold may experience low water pressure tonight (January 18) through tomorrow morning (January 19), due to work on an ongoing emergency water transmission line construction project. This project was initially expected to be complete by 10 p.m. January 18, but poor weather conditions created challenging working conditions. CCWD now expects to restore normal water service to all Arnold customers by tomorrow morning. The District is grateful to the Blue Lake Springs Mutual Water Company for providing water from one of its storage tanks during this project to help supplement Arnold’s water supply and reduce the impacts to CCWD customers.

This emergency project became necessary after Big Trees Creek overwhelmed a culvert under Blagen Road in White Pines on Wednesday January 11 and caused significant damage to about half the roadway. Along with destroying a portion of the road, the flooding also exposed a portion of CCWD’s old Reach 3A Water Transmission Line, which is the main water supply for Arnold. Last week, CCWD took emergency measures to stabilize the exposed section of line by installing a steel I-beam and connecting the pipe to the beam with heavy-duty straps. On Friday January 13, the District installed a temporary bridge across the damaged section of Blagen Road. While the temporary bridge does allow CCWD and Calaveras County Public Works crews to cross the creek, Blagen Road will remain closed to the public at Big Trees Creek until further notice, due to safety concerns. CCWD is working with Public Works to expedite a permanent repair of the damaged section of Blagen Road.

After completing the critical emergency projects last week and thoroughly evaluating all available options to further protect Arnold’s water supply, CCWD determined it was necessary to take the threatened section of the old Reach 3A Pipeline out of service. Fortunately, in the summer and fall of 2016, CCWD’s contractor T&S Construction installed a new section of water transmission main line that runs parallel to the threatened section of the old Reach 3A Pipeline. This allowed the District to tie in the new section of transmission line, take the threatened line out of service and effectively bypass the old section of old pipe.