At their Wednesday monthly meeting, the AV Community Services District Board discussed a letter they received from Philo resident Morgan Baynham, a long-time member of the Boonville Fair Board. The letter bluntly declared that the County Fair has elected not to participate in the District’s long-planned drinking water system for Boonville. The letter didn’t seem particularly official; it had no signatures from the Fair Board and offered no reasons.
All five CSD Board members seemed surprised by the Fair/Baynham announcement and wondered what precipitated it. CSD Board member and lead-advocate for both the Boonville Water project and the Boonville Sewer project Valerie Hanelt had drafted a letter in response, basically asking the Fair Board to meet with the District Board to discuss the Fair’s apparent decision and the reasons for it. Hanelt hoped to include the consulting project engineer in the meeting to make sure that all Fair Board members were fully informed about the Boonville Water Project before making any final decision. Board members also wanted to be sure that all Fair Board members understood the impact that the State Water Board’s increasing regulation of local water systems might have on the Fair’s existing water system for the future. They also wanted to discuss the costs of project as it would apply to the Fairgrounds since the CSD Board assumed that the cost of the Fairground’s connection to the Boonville Water Project was a factor in whatever decision making the Fair Board’s position.
After a brief discussion and a few suggested edits the Board decided to ask Hanelt and Director Sash Williams, an avowed fan of the County Fair who happens to live across the street from the Fairgrounds, to finalize the letter and send it to the Fair Board in hopes that they might reconsider before making any final decision. The project engineers have prepared detailed cost summaries of the proposed systems in anticipation of the official “rate letters” which are expected to be sent to all parcel owners in the water and sewer districts (the proposed water district is larger than the sewer district) later this year. Each parcel owner in the respective district will then have an opportunity to vote for or object to each project. If the water system is approved, each parcel owner can then choose to hook up or not. If the sewer system is approved, however, all parcels in the district will be required to hook up per state law,
The Board also approved the distribution of the below Fact Sheets for each of the proposed Boonville municipal projects which have been in the planning and engineering process for more than ten years now:
Fact Sheet for the Proposed Boonville Sewer System
March 12, 2026
The approximate cost of the Boonville Sewer System project is $32 million (Feb 2026) and would be funded by a grant from the State Water Resources Control board (State Water Board) and Division of Financial Assistance (DFA).
The Sewer Service Area boundary would encompass the main Highway 128 artery and all the side streets from Highway 253/Hutsell Rd. to Mt. View, the High School and Anderson Valley Health Clinic (AVHC). There would be approximately 159 parcels within the boundary. (Map posted outside of Fire House).
The Sewer System would be administered by the AVCSD. Technicians would monitor the system, including on-site facilities, with telemetry and ensure each grinder pump is operating. Technicians would maintain and service the collection system, as required. The parcel owner would not be responsible for maintenance or operation of the grinder pump, except for paying for electrical costs.
The State Water Board grant would pay for the collection system, treatment plant and disposal system located on a 20-acre site within the Service Area boundary.
Based on existing parcel uses, the grant would also pay for an appropriately sized grinder pump system including wet well, grinder pump including electrical appurtenances, and sewer lateral on each parcel within the Service Area, to move waste from the buildings to the collection system. Infrastructure provided for larger users such as non-profits and public buildings would be designed with larger grinder pump systems to accommodate existing facilities in the most efficient manner possible.
The wet wells and grinder pumps would typically be located near the existing septic tank. The parcel owner would be able to consult with the construction company to assist in determining the path of their service lateral.
The grinder pump/wet well would be sized to provide emergency storage during power outages. The grinder pump would be powered by each parcel’s electrical service (30 amp). The contractor will assess whether the electrical panel of a residence or non-profit requires grant-eligible upgrading. In the event of a power outage lasting more than a day, technicians could operate the grinder pumps and empty wet wells by connecting a portable generator. The Fairgrounds would have permanent standby generators in case of a power outage during an event. Telemetry would allow technicians to monitor wet well and pump status remotely and maintenance prioritized accordingly.
Septic tanks would be decommissioned per County requirements as part of the grant-funded project, but existing leach fields would be abandoned in place.
Sewage would be pumped from each parcel through a low-pressure collection system to the treatment plantThe treatment system would be a Membrane Bioreactor (MBR), located within a building, and would produce highly treated effluent (“secondary plus”).
Solids removed during treatment would be “dewatered” which produces a greatly reduced volume of material to be taken off site.
The treated liquid effluent would be piped into a leach field. The treated water would be clean enough to be used for many purposes, and reuse may be a future benefit.
The 20-acre treatment plant site would include the treatment plant and disposal leach fields. The only above-ground visible feature would be the approximately 50’x100’ building housing the treatment system and a separate smaller generator building.
The rate structure would be developed with a rate study once the final engineering report is approved by DFA and the Regional Waterboard, currently in that process as of August 2025. The next steps include environmental review (CEQA) and the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) which approves the new sewer service area.
The mechanism for the parcel owners to approve the project is the “Proposition 218 Letter” which follows CEQA/LAFCo. This step will likely be taken by the end of 2026. The parcel owners would receive a letter with rate information for their parcel and can consent by doing nothing or object by sending a “protest” response. If 50% plus 1 parcel owners protest, then the project would fail. If the community approves the project (less than 50% protest), all parcels within the service area would be connected to the sewer system during construction. Due to the health and safety concerns the system is intended to correct, there is no option to not participate if the parcel is in the service area.
The next public meeting will be scheduled – most likely before Summer 2026.
Fact Sheet For The Proposed Boonville Municipal Drinking Water System
March 12, 2026
The approximate cost of the Drinking Water project is $26 million (Feb 2026) and would be funded by a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) and Division of Financial Assistance (DFA).
The Drinking Water Service Area boundary would encompass the main Highway 128 artery and all the side streets from Highway 253/Hutsell to Mt. View, the High School, Anderson Valley Health Clinic (AVHC), Meadow Estates housing development, and residences along Anderson Valley Way to the Elementary School and museum. There would be approximately 270 parcels within the boundary. (Map posted outside of Fire House). The Water Service Area is larger than the Sewer Service Area because it is connecting other existing public water systems in the valley.
The Municipal Drinking Water system would be administered by the AVCSD. Licensed water system operators would be contracted to monitor, service, and maintain the system on-site and with telemetry.
The State Water Board grant would fund the installation of the infrastructure (storage tanks, water mains, wells, treatment plants) including the service laterals from the water meter boxes to private residences and non-profits/public buildings (Fairgrounds, AVHC, Churches, Fire Station, Elementary School, Jr/Sr High School, Veterans’ Bldg., etc.).
The infrastructure provided to residences, non-profits, churches, Fairgrounds, AVHC, and schools would be free if the owner signs up before construction.
Water meter boxes would be provided at the edge of a parcel where it joins the public road. The grant would cover the expense of a meter and a lateral to ONE residence. Connecting additional residences would be at the owner’s expense.
To benefit from the provision of free infrastructure that does not have an existing residence, the parcel owner would sign a contract for the lowest monthly rate and receive a meter box on the edge of the parcel for future use.
Commercial buildings that have a residence on the parcel MAY be able to use the same meter box (this is an issue that has not been resolved yet). Commercial parcels with no residence would have to pay the expense of the meter box and the lateral into the building.
Free infrastructure provided to non-profits and public buildings would not necessarily be limited to a single lateral. In these instances, the infrastructure would be designed to accommodate existing connections with adequate service in the most efficient manner possible.
The water system storage tanks and distribution system would be sized to provide fire protection. A fire service connection would be supplied to the Fairgrounds
JIM LUTTICKEN (Boonville):
Mark Scaramella’s report on the the community services district (CSD) meeting of 18 March includes facts presented by the CSD on both the proposed water system and proposed sewer system.
The facts presented gloss over much of the financial impact to the community. For example, although the installation of the sewer system will be paid for by the grant, the yearly maintenance and operation of the sewer system will be paid for by the parcel owners forever. Those yearly costs will most likely be passed on to any tenants living on those properties.
It is also not mentioned that parcel owners within the sewer district could have liens placed against their property if they cannot or will not pay the yearly cost of maintenance and operation of the sewer system, a system which many within the sewer district do not want nor need.
Another fact that is not mentioned about the water system is that in addition to the yearly cost of maintenance and operation, each parcel owner will be responsible for the yearly inspection and maintenance of the required backflow device. This is a device required to stop the flow of well water from any of the parcels to the drinking water system.
It is obvious to me, based on looking into both systems and on Mark‘s reporting about them, that there is much serious discussion needed about these issues before we move on.
COMMUNITY SERVICES DISTRICT Board member Valerie Hanelt replies to Jim Luttiken, re: Boonville Water & Sewer project plans:
Hanelt: “Yes, it is true that the municipal Sewer and Water projects will be funded by the rates paid by parcel owners within their boundaries. This is how all municipal systems work everywhere. It is not true that the parcel owners will be responsible for checking their back-flow preventers. Every parcel will have one and they will be part of the District’s normal maintenance.
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