Laurel Pump Station FOG clean out

Ironhouse Sanitary District’s (ISD) collections crews spend countless hours each year inspecting the 125 miles of underground gravity sewer lines in Oakley and Bethel Island. During these inspections, it’s not uncommon for the crews to find a potential problem before it occurs.

Earlier this month a crew inspecting lines found a foot-long block of household fats, oils and grease (FOG) near the District’s Laurel Road pump station. Had the crews not found this when they did it could have turned into a potential sewage spill in the streets. Luckily the crew was able to use the District’s VacCon truck to pull the grease block from the pipes and avoid an environmental mess.

You can help stop these kinds of potential disasters by making sure to not pour household FOG down the drain and to scrap off all grease from pots and pans before cleaning. It is as easy as keeping a jar handy that can be used to store FOG that you can later bring to ISD for proper disposal. The FOG filled jar can be stored in your freezer until it is full and ready to disposed of.

FOG brought to ISD’s FOG House at 450 Walnut Meadows Drive, in Oakley, is recycled into biodiesel by an outside company. For more information see ISD’s website here.

Water Recycling Facility Phase I updates to begin

ISD has awarded the engineering contract in the first phase of the Water Recycling Facility expansion projects to Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction. Last year the District completed a reliability study that named 29 projects to be completed in the next six years that would help to meet the needs of our growing community.

“Several projects on the list have been prioritized as needing to be completed right away,” said Plant manager Chris Christean. “I look forward to working with Anderson Pacific on quickly completing a couple of those that would immediately improve productivity at the facility.”

On the list of Phase I Improvements is the construction of a liquid aluminum sulfate storage (alum) and feed system, replacement of odor control biofilter media, and installation of various process piping and electrical improvements to support retrofits of primary screening and screening handling equipment performed by the original equipment manufacturer at the existing wastewater treatment plant.

“Right now, we are working with a temporary alum feed station that is helping us handle wet weather seasonal issues caused by rainwater getting into our sewer lines,” Christean said. “Building a permanent alum station will result in substantial savings and allow ISD to purchase alum at cheaper prices.”

To see the original request for bid on the Phase I plant project go here. To see Anderson Pacific Engineering Construction’s bid go here.

Fill Station summer season hours

In its ongoing commitment to helping customers conserve water, ISD is once again offering recycled water free of charge to ratepayers. The Residential Recycled Water Fill Station officially opened for the season on June 1 with a re-grand opening barbecue.

Several recycled water users from last year were lining up early to fill up their containers on opening day.

“We’re glad you decided to open again this year,” said Mary Mattingly. Oakley residents Mary, and her husband Jorge, have been coming in to get recycled water since 2016. “This water always makes my lawn look so green.”

Ironhouse’s recycled water can be used for watering your trees, gardens, vegetables, lawn irrigation, washing your car, cleaning outdoor furniture, washing hard surfaces such as paths, walls, windows, etc.

There is no limit on how much recycled water users can take home per day, however, only 300 gallons can be taken home at one time. Many ISD users have 300-gallon tanks, however, several users have smaller containers that can fit in car trunks or in small trucks.

New users are welcome. Currently, the Fill Station is open Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information see our webpage here.

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Special Districts video contest

Oakley and Bethel Island high school and college students, gather your friends and family and create a fun and informative 60-second video highlighting Ironhouse Sanitary District (ISD) and the difference the District makes in our community for a chance to win a $2,000 scholarship.

The annual “Districts Make the Difference” video scholarship contest provides a chance for students to be creative, learn about special districts and a chance to help pay for college. ISD will give tours and provide interviews to be used for gathering information and footage to go into the video.

The video should feature information not only about ISD, but also the purpose of special districts and their benefits to local communities. For over 100 years, local service agencies, known as “special districts”, have provided access to a multitude of services that enhance our community. California’s special districts are much more than local service providers. These local agencies are created by local residents to meet their community’s needs in the most efficient and effective manner.

ISD is an independent district that provides cleaning of wastewater services for the City of Oakley and unincorporated Bethel Island. The District cleans water at its Water Recycling Facility in Oakley and its collections staff maintains sewer pipes and pumps throughout both communities.

Videos can be submitted to the Special Districts Make a Difference organization until Sept. 30.
Contest Awards: 1st Place- $2,000 Scholarship, 2nd Place- $1,000 Scholarship, 3rd Place- $500 Scholarship.

The contest rules and application are available at www.DistrictsMaketheDifference.org/video-contest. For more information on ISD, call (925) 809-3006 or email isdoutreach@isd.us.com.

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