Press release
On August 17th, Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) opened its doors, set up demonstrations, led tours, and served ice cream and cake to attendees to commemorate 60 years of service to the Mammoth Lakes community.
MCWD was formed in 1957 when voters approved the formation of the District to provide water service. The vote for approval was 42 to 1, out of the 54 registered voters. About 8 years later, MCWD also started providing sewer service. The population served by MCWD has grown from the 54 registered voters in 1957 to a resident population of over 8,000 that increases to around 35,000 when accounting for the transient population that stays in town.
Attendees had an opportunity to visit outdoor exhibits and wander inside the buildings and meet staff. Outdoor exhibits included the largest, attention-gathering vehicle owned by MCWD, the Vactor. This truck with a large tank and multiple hoses can jet high pressure water to excavate pipelines and clear clogged sewer pipes.
The Vactor can also produce high suction capacity to remove the debris from pipe cleaning and to suck up water from flooded areas. The District also had their TV van on display with a camera on wheels driven by a remote control device to find breaks and blockages in sewer lines and to meet State required mandates for sewer line inspections.
The water distribution system staff showed attendees equipment used to reduce water pressure that can increase 100-fold over Mammoth’s varied topography; meters and radios that collect and transmit usage and billing data, and valves used to control water levels in storage tanks.
Indoors, the public was invited to meet the conservation staff and receive free water efficiency products, see the hourly data available from the new water meters and sign up for an online account to view personal usage data. MCWD’s new Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Online Portal was also on display. MCWD collaborates with the Town and County to share geographic related data. This multi-agency collaboration results in increased information available for all the cooperating agencies.
Tours included the water quality and wastewater laboratory and the wastewater treatment plant. Participants had the opportunity to see how sewage is treated to meet State and Federal standards. The wastewater treatment plant produces recycled water used to irrigate the local golf courses.
MCWD would like to thank all the attendees whose presence helped celebrate the 60 years of service. General Manager Pat Hayes said “We hope participants learned how of our water and wastewater systems work and, importantly, we hope they also enjoyed the cake and ice cream.”
About Mammoth Community Water District
MCWD provides water and wastewater utility service to the Town of Mammoth Lakes and surrounding areas. MCWD strives to provide reliable, affordable utility service to our customers and to conduct our operations in a manner reflecting our stewardship role. We encourage our customers to practice responsible use of our limited water resources, and to take advantage of the information and services available to support this goal.
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