We are looking forward to many new changes and updates to our District systems.  You will find our upcoming projects here, more insight to how the District is changing and how we are addressing our aging infrastructure.  We look forward to making great things happen this year and moving forward.  We are under new management focused on making positive changes to the way we operate and are committed to addressing the needed improvements to our Districts infrastructure.  Expect great things!  Todd Kidwell is our new General Manager and Kenneth Blaisdell is our new Superintendent.  Feel free to stop in at any time to visit them and learn more about these upcoming changes and more. 

                         ********************************

October 02, 2023 - Customer Winter Preperation and Education Notices.  We are sending out customer winter preperation and education notices to the District to better help our customers avoid frozen pipes this winter.  We will include valuable tips and suggestions to help each customer consider ways to reduce or eliminate dealing with frozen pipes this year.  We will continue to educate and provide tips to our District customers each year.

September 29, 2023 - SCADA system failure.  We experienced a failure of our SCADA system (monitoring system).  We were able to work with Aqua Sierra Controls to get our SCADA finally back up online and running.  Our SCADA monitoring system is back up and running without issue.  During this time we scheduled additional checks on our water and sewer systems to be sure all was running within compliance.  Having the added field workers made this possible and is a good example of why we need to maintain the appropriate number of field workers for the District.  We cannot eliminate emergencies.... but we can be better prepared.  We will be upgrading our plant computers (currently running no longer supported and failing Windows XP) to more modern solutions and also implement local data logging storage solutions for each plant so that data is reduntantly stored and maintained.

September 29, 2023 - Sewer Line Video & Slip Line Project 2023.  As promised we have completed our 2023 planned video of our sewer lines (plan 20% each year), as well will have our 2023 Slip Line Project completed by end of next week!  We will post video on our website of before and after of our slip line work once complete, as done in the past.

September 27, 2023 - New Fleet Truck.    We have been able to add a new fleet truck to our inventory again this year so that we may retire one of our old trucks to auction.  Last year we put together a service truck replacement plan so that we can rotate our fleet on a budgeted basis and not waste money by holding on to aged vehicles too long.  The buy and hold strategy is not a good strategy with the newer electronic laden vehicles.

                                                                      This Fall 2023:

Video & Slip Line Project:  We will continue our project plan to complete 25% of our sewer relining each year.

Oh! Ridge Lift Station Project:  We will be replacing very old failing equipment and upgrading at our Oh! Ridge Lift Station as planned.  Work will begin after the campground is closed, but before winter sets in.  This project will replace the old equipment at this station and will include state of the art chopper pumps.  We will also be upgrading to allow this station to be part of our SCADA alarm and control system.  We should no longer need to use funds for maintenance workers to have to pull apart pumps to remove "rags" (flushable wipes) by hand, in raw sewage as was being done in the past.

Main Station 1 Project:  We will be replacing very old equipment and upgrading at our Main Station 1 lift station.  This will include new chopper pumps and include much more efficient motors.  We should no longer need to use funds for maintenance workers to have to pull apart pumps and remove "rags" (flushable wipes) by hand, in raw sewage as was being done in the past.  We will be working to upgrade this main sewer station to be included in our SCADA monitoring system.

Portable Generator Project:  We will be installing transfer switch stations at several of our locations in preperation for the arrival of our grant funded portable generator project.  We will be recieving our trailer mounted portable generator this year.  This will provide enough power to run a plant in the event of power failures/in place generator failures and allow us to be better prepared for emergencies.  It is imperative that our water and sewer continue to flow in the event of power outages.

Scales and Turbidimeter installation Project:   We will be completing our scale installation and turbidity meter replacement program this fall.

Road Work to  Water Plants:  We are going to be doing much needed road work to the roads leading to our water plants.  This is needed in case of emergency and as we begin upgrades to our aging water plants in the coming months/years.  It will also increase the longevity to our fleet trucks that are needed to access the water plants.  Our backhoe will be put to good use!

August 07, 2023 - Is June Lake Water Safe?   Update on our water quality.  There have been some rumors circulating that June Lake does not have safe drinking water.  I wanted to address this... as it is not the fact.  We did have higher than normal turbidity in the Petersen Tract this year due to the unusually high seasonal runoff.  This prompted the notices that were sent out earlier in the month.  Our water was treated and processed just as always, however the runoff caused some coloration (tanins in the water).  By law we must notify the public whenever the turbidity level exceeds a strict state mandate.  HOWEVER the issue was addressed quickly and diligently and our water was made safe to drink.  Also note.... this only effected the Petersen Tract.  Petersen Tract and Clark Tract can be a shared system but we had Petersen Tract isolated from Clark even though they can be shared if we need them to be.  So the high turbidity only effected the Petersen Tract.  Hope the above helps to squelch the rumor and let you all feel competely comfortable drinking the water here.  Please feel free to call:  Todd Kidwell (760) 648-3375 General Manager should you have any questions.

August 01, 2023 - New field workers added.  In an effort to provide better service to our customers and to make sure that we have upcoming replacement employees who can be mentored and grow with our District we have added 2 additional field workers.  We are excited to have them join our team and look forward to growing them into knowledgeable, well trained succesful and long term assets.  

July 24, 2023 - Superintendent replacement.  Timothy Morris will be leaving and we are replacing Mr. Morris with a long time employee Kenneth Blaisdell.  Mr. Blaisdell has been working as a District employee for 25 years and we expect great things from him moving forward.  We have lots of projects coming up and Mr. Blaisdell will be hands on and be providing the history and knowledge to assure success on these projects.  We wish Mr.  Morris the best success in his future endeavors.  

July 21, 2023 - Backflow Prevention.  Every year we require that all backflow devices be tested by property owners.  This is to assure that there is not the possiblity of contaminating our drinking water systems.  It is vey important that these be tested at least once per year.  I have instructed my office to send out mailings to those businesses and properties that have backflow devices to have them tested for correct operation.  PLEASE be sure to comply with the letter timely.  We have listed a few contractors in the area who are certified to perform the testing.  The importance of having your backflow prevention devices tested at least each year cannot be stressed enough.   Please call our office if you have any questions regarding this.  Thank you for continued cooperation with this important testing to assure safe drinking water for everyone living in and visiting June Lake. 

June 19, 2023 - Mosquito Abatement.  Mosquito Abatement is in full swing to do all we can to stay on top of what is expected to be a challenging year keeping the mosquito's at bay!  We are in the field daily to treat known and new areas for the hatch.  Rest assured we are doing all we can and hope to have a significant impact.

May 03, 2023 - Employee Housing.  We are continuing to work to address the issue of employee housing.  Realizing the need to hire outside the area on occasion, the biggest hurdle is providing housing for those that wish to come and work for the District.  It is a very real problem.  We urge anyone who owns a property to consider the benefits of allowing us to procure residence for our hard working employees.  We may consider guarantee of timely rent payment and do everything we can to work with homeowners looking for solid reliable tenants.  We are hoping for long term lease/rent solutions.  Please contact us should you have a property or know someone who is interested in providing a home.   This is a fantastic way for homeowners to earn a solid, reliable and long term solution with far less hassle than a short term rental.  We are open to all possiblities!

May 02, 2023 - Upcoming Projects.  We are gaining steam for the season!  We have lots of projects lining up for this year.  The Oh! Ridge Lift Station project is moving forward.  We will be replacing equipment there that will greatly reduce the labor involved in servicing that station.  No more tearing pumps apart twice a week to remove "rags" (term for so called disposable wipes).  The new equipment is state of the art and will take care of this issue and save greatly on labor/labor costs.  The Generator/transfer station Grant Project is funding sooner than later and we look forward to completing that project this year.  We are on our second year of our Sewer Slip Line Project, whereby we are completing another 20% of the planned 100% sewer slip line.  That will mean that this year we will have completed 40%!  This year we will be conitinuing our Vehicle Replacement Plan.  We are hoping to be able to budget for replacment of another of one of our service trucks as well bringing on a brand new badly needed Vactor truck (we have a very old and worn out early 80's model that we purchased years ago used).  We are continuing to pursue the feasability of solar power out at our wastewater treatment plant.  The WWTP Solar Project is looking promising so far.

March 13, 2023 - Customer side frozen lines/leaks.  We are working to keep up on some weather related issues to our water systems this year.  We have received calls for 4 leaks in recent weeks, and 5 frozen lines.  The frozen lines and leaks have been mainly on the customer side of the meters, however we have jumped in to help on these regardless.  2 of the customer frozen service lines we unfroze and we suggested  a bleeder (let faucet flow slightly) to keep them unfroze, unfortunately these were shut off by customers (not by us), and these lines have refrozen.  We have successfully helped other customers to unfreeze.  We thank everyone for their patience and hope to begin further educating the customers on how to avoid freezing service lines.  We have included some tips here on our website as well.  We have also helped several customers this year with leaks on their side of the meter as a courtesy to try to mitigate damage to their homes, and to stop water loss.

March 01, 2023 - Is Solar an option for out Wastewater Treatment Plant?  Possibly!  We are researching the new options available for a solar project in the future.   We are conduting feasability studies and looking at the challenges present at our Wastewater Treatment Plant.  This year we will be looking at the cost effectiveness and practicality of using solar to run the plant.  We have the space needed.  But what about the soil composition, bird migration flight paths, and scenic highway, and permitting challenges?  We will be looking into these challenges and are hopeful we can join the many other solar powered wastewater treatment facilities here in California.

February 09, 2023 - New Fleet Truck.  We have been able to add a new fleet truck to our inventory this year so that we may retire one of our old trucks to auction.  This year we have put together a service truck replacement plan so that we can rotate our fleet on a budgeted basis and not waste money by holding on to aged vehicles too long.  The buy and hold strategy is not a good strategy with the newer electronic laden vehicles.

February 03, 2023 - Scales/Metering Project -  We are just wrapping up our new Scales/Metering Project at our water treatment plants.  This was part of our budgeted projects for this fiscal year.  A much needed upgrade to our water treatment plants.   

December 07, 2022 - Our first annual Xmas Ugly Sweater Contest! -  We have a winner!  From our families to yours.... have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

November 30, 2022 - We DID IT!  We were AWARDED Grant Funding for the June Lake Portable Generator w/transfer stations.  We are excited that after this years intense application and negotiation efforts (there were a lot of competing districts), we have been awarded grant funding from Prop 1 for a portable generator as well as transfer switches to be installed at our critical plant locations.  The total cost of this project being grant funded is estimated to be $201,500.  This is a great first step towards the possibility of obtaining grant funding to help in our wastewater treatment plant upgrades in the future.  This grant has given us a clear roadmap for the process moving forward.  Having the portable generator and transfer switches in place will allow us to be better prepared for future power outages promised by SCE.  

November 16, 2022 - Main Station 1 failed pump.  We completed the rebuild of the pump at main station 1.  We run 2 pumps in redundancy.  It is becoming harder and harder to source parts for the aged pumps at main station 1, so we are looking to rehab this station in fiscal year 2023.    

November 02, 2022 - Signal cable from June Lake water tank.  We were able to troubleshoot and locate the break in the signal cable that sends signal down to our June Lake plant.  We replaced the signal cable and finished repairs at our June Lake plant. 

October 24, 2022 - Winterizing system - Completed winterizing our water systems to prepare for winter.

October 21, 2022 - Manh0le repairs - Steelhead and Nevada street we completed manhole repairs.

October 05, 2022 - June Lake Plant upgrade project.  We received the equipment upgrades for our June Lake Plant.  These will be installed and in combination with new updated software be up and running on October 18.  This was a much needed upgrade as the equipment and software was outdated and could no longer be serviced.

September 20, 2022 - Met with Industrial Flow Solutions/OverWatch system.  We met with and inspected our Main Station 1, Main Station 2 and Oh Ridge! lift stations to go over the aged equipment and begin planning for upgrades to these lift stations to include the OverWatch direct in-line pump systems.  This allows us the option of discontinuing the wet wells at these locations and using state of the art technology.  More efficient, better sewer collection and safer processes will hopefully come to these locations starting next year.

September 16, 2022 - Sewer Slip Line Project for 2022 completed.  The contractors wrapped up our sewer slip line project for this year 2022.  We are going to work to improve our sewer lines at approximately 20% per year.  This year was our first year to complete some of the sewer slip line work.  The video of the work completed is impressive (See on our website www.junelakepud.com).  We completed 2,732 linear feet.

September 15, 2022 - GIS goes live!  We officially launched our GIS mapping.  Exciting stuff.  The capabilities are impressive.  GIS will allow us to start adding data to our assets in the field.  Repairs, location of assets within a centimeter acccuracy, notes regarding repair work, notes regarding history of any given line or asset.  The possiblities are vast.  Being able to overlap our mapping with county maps is incredibly useful.  No longer will we need to rely on memories and hand written notes from aging maps of our system.  This is a welcomed step in our plan to upgrade our aging infrastructure.

September 12, 2022 - Slip Line Project Begins.  Today our slip line project has begun.  This is a project that has been attempted to be done for many years.  We are starting on California st..  You may experience some delay to and from home.  If possible try to plan an alternate route.  The Slip Line Project will continue throughout the week in the area between Washington st. and Los Angeles st..  You will notice some traffic control in that area.  Please be aware that depending on the day and time of day you may be asked to reduce use of toilets, showers, or sinks to reduce flow during their work.  They will be working quickly so likely you will not be inconvenienced for a long period of time, but your cooperation is greatly appreciated.  The slip lining is a process that relines our sewer pipes to fix offsets, intrusion from roots, and other damage that occurs over time.  This method is preferred to excavating the old sewer pipe/digging up all of our sewer pipe and then relaying new pipe in place.  This method is faster and creates far less impact on the homeowners.  The results are remarkable and lasts for a very long time.  There are lots of Youtube videos that show the process.  It is quite interesting to watch.  As well we will be doing additional inspections in preperation to the process.

 September 08, 2022 - Vactor truck rent out.  We were able to help out and save Mono county money by working with them to rent our vactor truck for their project in town this week.  This will create a small revenue for us that we can use toward upcoming projects, as well,  saved the county substatial expense.  Perhaps a new watercart for the town to use at its outdoor events (instead of using plastic water bottles!).

September 02, 20220 - Water main breaks.  We made final repair to 2 water main breaks.  Texas St. broken hydrant.  Repaired the broken fire hydrant and failed valve on Texas St..  We were able to restore water service to the area.  We also made repairs to the road damage by the failed valve.  HWY 158 broken main.  We repaired a broken main caused by a contractor doing excavation work and restored service to the homes there. 

September 02, 2022 - GIS Project field geotagging completed.  We are excited to be able to have mapping completed for our new GIS Project.  All went better than expected and we completed more than we anticipated during the field work that was needed for this much needed and very important project.  More on the project is mentioned below.  We will be doing a presentation on our new GIS mapping capabilities at one of our upcoming board meetings.

  August 25, 2022 - Did your bill go up?  You may have noticed a small rate increase on your bill.  This is the approved small rate increase that was proposed over a 5 year period and approved in 2018.  These small rate increases have helped us to continue to provide the highest quality water to our district.  As well continue to provide wastewater collection & treatment.  Some of the projects reflected below were able to come about as a direct result of these increases.  As always if you ever have a question or need help with your bill we are here Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. to assist you.

August 16, 2022 - Fern Creek Diversion Monitoring Project.  Met with Hydrologist to continue to collect overflow data.  Serviced equipment recalibrated and created portal for data access from our offices.

August 04, 2022 - C0mmunications Upgrades.  We are working on better office integration to streamline processes and to be more efficient.  We are excited to be making changes to office to field communications while at the same time implementing additional layers of security.  Exciting times here at the JLPUD!

July 25, 2022 - New Field Worker - We welcomed our newest field worker Dustin to our staff.  Dustin will be working as a seasonal/temporary worker for 6 months.  At the end of that time we will evaluate his performance and hope that we will be able to bring Dustin on board full time year round.  Dustin is a local that brings great skillsets to our team as well as valued integrity to the field!  We are excited to have him and look forward to working with him in the field.

                                                         This Spring/Summer 2022:

New online bill pay: We have created a new online bill pay portal for our customers to conveniently be able to pay their monthly water/sewer service bill.  No need to create an account online to use this and that saves time and makes the process very simple.  This service is free to the District and there is a small service fee charged to the customer.  You may now use a credit/debit card for paying.  We also still provide the auto debit feature as well.  Be sure to give the new online bill pay portal a try!

Mosquito Abatement:  Our mosquito abatement is under full swing.   

Pump Station at Oh! Ridge:  We addressed our failing lift pumps at one of our Oh! Ridge stations.  Rather than replace the pumps we have had them completely rebuilt (included balancing impellars, remachined shafts, etc).   This was a substantial savings to the District, and we expect to be able to get another 10 years life at minimum from them.

Improved efficiency in the field:   We have armed our field staff with the tools they need to work more efficiently in the field.  Reducing wasted travel time and making them better able to communicate with the office from the field.  Streamlining work orders, improving the way we operate.

Security Updates:  We have updated our security both in the office and in the field.  New security measures have been taken at our Wastewater Treatment Plant to address vandalism and breakins.  Software and hardware improvements have been put in place in our office to protect our sensitive data and improve efficiency.

Grant funding:  We are agressively pursuing grant funding this year to help with funding more projects in the future.  We have difficulty qualifying as a "Disadvantaged District".... but that will not stop us!  We are working closely with the USDA Rural Development and will be meeting with the State of California to plead our case.  The grant funding available should be available to districts just like ours.  That is our belief.

                                                                   This fall 2022:

SlipLine Project:  We are addressing repairs needed to our sewer lines.  After years of being stalled in the planning phase.... we are finally moving forward.  In September we will be begin work on our slipline project. We will start the relining process in the Clark Tract.  The project will address approx 20% of our sewer lines each year.  This is a 5 year plan.  The work will take approx 3 weeks to complete the 20% this year.  The funds for this project have been set aside from our reserve/investment funds.

June Lake Water Plant Project:  Many do not know.... we are only drawing water from June Lake approx 3 months of the year.  Right after winter (to allow for turbidity to settle in our Snow Creek plant), and only if needed in late summer (depending on demand).  We are currently offline with our June Lake water plant and will be taking advantage of the time to make some much needed improvements.  This will include new software and hardware as well as replacment of valves.  The funds for this project have been set aside from our reserve/investment funds.  

SCADA Systems Upgrade Project:  We are working to improve our SCADA systems to allow for better monitoring and alarming moving forward.  The funds for this project have been set aside from our reserve/investment funds.

GIS Mapping Project:  We are working to place our entire system(s) into GIS mapping for better response to emergency's and to be able to track updates as they are needed.  This is a huge improvement over the fading aged maps.  This will allow for a great many details to be stored to allow for future planning.  This will also allow us to be able to isolate an issue quickly rather than using a trial and error approach, saving time and inconvenience, in the event of emergency repairs..  The funds for this project have been set aside from our reserve/investment funds.  

Hiring of field staff:  We are hiring an additional field staff person to make us better able to respond to projects needed including emergency repairs.  The funds used for this will be from our annual rate increase of 5%.

Meeting with State Water Board:  We will be meeting with the State Water Board to walk and examine our aging sewer infrastructure to arrive at areas that we can plan to upgrade and make improvements to.  This will be an important step in building and developing a true Capital Improvement Plan for the JLPUD that can be budgeted for and achieved over the coming years.

                                                            Upcoming Projects 2023/24:

Meter replacement program:  We are putting in place a new meter replacement program.  This should begin next year 2023.  Most meters have a 10 year accurate operating lifespan.  After that the meters can become unstable and not as accurate.  It is good practice to replace meters that have reached their 10 year service mark.  Our goal is to replace 10-15 meters per month. 

Valve Exercise Program:  We are putting in place a badly needed valve exercise program.  This will help assure that we address any failed valves timely.  This will imrove our ability to isolate an emergency problem rather than inconvenience several homes/or businesses for a single repair.

Main Station 1 & 2 Upgrade Project:  We have looked into past attempts at upgrading our sewer Main Station 1 & 2.  This year after much research without having to spend additional revenue, we are arriving at a solution that may be far less costly than had been proposed in the past.  Technology has improved over recent years, with that comes more efficiency and in some cases lower costs.  We will be introducing our solution to the board in the near future (upcoming months), once we have feasability studies completed and have firm costing made available to us.  This project which has been looked at for many years, may finally be addressed and completed in next fiscal year.  That is our goal.

Oh Ridge! Lift Station Project:  We have looked into past attempts at upgrading our Oh Ridge! sewer lift station.  This year after much research without having to spend additional revenue, we are arriving at a solution that may be far less costly than had been proposed in the past.  Technology has improved over recent years, with that comes more efficiency and in some cases lower costs.   The project will also now include, improved alarming and notification capabilities as it will tie into our upgraded SCADA system.  We will be introducing our solution to the board in the near future (upcoming months), once we have feasability studies completed and have firm costing made available to us.  This project which has been looked at for many years, may finally be addressed and completed in next fiscal year. That is our goal.