I went to the project office today at 2025 Tenth Street to find out about my lateral and what could be done about faucets that have no visible means of modification to reach the targeted goals of 1.5 gallons per minute or less. (I had gone online and found that my unmodifiable kitchen faucet for instance could put out 2.5 gpm, yikes!)
I met Michelle Houser who is the Community Liaison and who is really someone interested in getting you to the right place for answers. Very helpful! (Don't be bashful, she will put you at ease immediately!)
Michelle told me that I will need to get a pre-inspection on my faucets and the contact person to schedule that is Ray Dienzo at 788-6633. He is the Water Conservation Manager. That number will get you to a message service and he will call back as soon as humanly possible, but it might take two days, the office has been swamped lately.
Next person I needed to see was the "lateral guy," and I don't know if the same person fills that role every day that the office is open or not, but I met with Tim Cate at the next desk over who also was really helpful and perfectly patient with my endless questions. I had a whole-neighborhood lateral print-out I had made from a pdf file that had been sent to me ages ago by a Public Works guy and it really didn't mean much to me. I needed a translator!
Apparently mine was the same file from the old project and it was in Tim's big book of lateral plans. I have heard other parts of town had some lateral changes, so if you are concerned where your lateral actually is, do visit the Tenth Street office and get the guided tour.
Tim brought up my house on Google Earth Street View so he was able to show me the side of my property where the lateral will go. Many of us have ignored where the right of way actually is and filled in that big blank spot with flowers (OK, some weeds too) and in my case a bear statue. I will need to plan for eight feet to be cleared around where the lateral will go in that right of way. I can be less wide than eight feet where I pick up the line past the County-easement part on my property, I intend to hire a person to hand dig it the rest of the way to save as many plants as I can. Rotator cuff surgery is my excuse not to dig it myself!
Here is something else I learned. The County won't be allowed to dig up any trees. So if a tree has grown on top of the path to your lateral, you might want to find out how to handle that. You might need a re-route of your lateral, and as I said yesterday, time is almost up to make those changes. I see trees cut down all the time around here, but have no idea if the proper procedure was followed or not. I found this general ordinance online for us in the Coastal Zone,
"Coastal:
No tree over 8” in diameter at 4’ from the ground may be removed or killed unless a permit is first issued. A permit can only be issued if the tree meets certain criteria. If you feel you have a hazardous tree, or one that is damaging utilities or your house, please call us for an inspection."
http://www.slocounty.ca.gov/planning/Ordinance_Compliance_and_Enforcement/Code_Enforcement_Frequently_Asked_Questions.htm
Don't be caught flat-footed when lateral time comes to your house!
Expect to see a stake placed in your yard prior to construction on your street. This is where your lateral will go. Don't forget to visit the interactive map to see the estimated time that construction will begin on your street. Be sure to check back frequently as due to the nature of construction, especially in this archeologically sensitive area, your time may have shifted. Here is the link, and click on as close as possible to where your house actually is to get an accurate reading!
https://gisapps.hdrprojects.com/LosOsos/index.html
I lucked out on a slowdown in the pre-inspection office, I got a call back from Ray less than two hours later! My appointment is for Friday at 1:00 - I'll report how that went!
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