CARMICHAEL, CA (MPG) - On the evening of June 15, every seat was filled at the Carmichael Water District (CWD) as the public was invited to hear updates and weigh in on what they believed was best for the future of local water. With many concerns and opinions from the community shared, it became clear the current executive board, hoping to move forward with combining CWD with Sacramento Suburban Water District (SSWD) has an uphill battle ahead of them.

Cathy Lee, the General Manager of CWD, opened the meeting with a presentation of a five-step strategy to determine whether it will be beneficial for Carmichael to combine with other water agencies. The plan to merge was presented with a variety of pros and cons, including information on rates, revenue, capital improvements. The presenting team erred on the side of optimism, assuring those in attendance that customer rates were likely to remain the same while taking advantage of upgraded water collection systems. Lee also noted a projected benefit to both the employees of CWD and Carmichael residents.

“With a larger district, employees will have upward mobility,” stated Lee. “A larger organization that covers a bigger area will also allow for political advocacy.”

The need for political leverage was mentioned several times throughout the evening, as presenters explained the possibility of a future where the State of California will place heavier restrictions and regulations on small water districts if faced with another drought.

Despite presenting the potential of combining the water districts, few in attendance agreed. Joel Levine, a Carmichael Colony resident whose family has lived in the area for over 100 years, expressed concern over the possibility of Carmichael residents’ pocketbooks filling any gaps SSWD causes.

“If SSWD infrastructure is crumbling, would CWD be fixing that at our expense? Has there been quality research done to ensure that SSWD has the same or similar infrastructure?” Levine asked.

SSWD General Manager Dan York responded that SSWD has spent over $100 million in infrastructure and the merge intends to keep operations on both sides running smoothly.

In favor of the combined districts, Greg Zlotnick, who stated he’s worked in the water business for 25 years said, “I started this process as a skeptic... but I think it’s important to remember that if you don’t do this, what does your future look like?”

Despite CWD representatives sounding the alarm over Carmichael’s potential loss of autonomy due to anticipated state mandates, Zlotnick seemed to be one of very few voices in favor of the merge. Some in the room were seen shaking their heads in disappointment and calling out from the audience when they felt a question was being dodged. The planning board furthered their attempt to win approval by noting the larger the organization, the better resources there would be to serve customers well.

Joan Kline has been through a similar merge before and shared her experience with the group.

“I have a house in Truckee. Our water was delicious. Then we combined with Donner, and now the water just doesn’t taste as good,” Kline stated. “And as for combining and having better customer service from a larger company, when in the history of the United States has this been true?”

Her feedback was met by applause by the crowd, while another resident spoke up to share some of her own research. “This report was written like something a high school student could’ve thrown together,” stated Cynthia Campbell, “This is garbage.”

The report in question was distributed to each person in attendance, and is also available online at both carmichael.org and sswd.org. It covers both the presented advantages and disadvantages of combining. The report was written by two independent firms Raftelis and Zanjero.

Campbell went on to note that the writers of the report were not local to the Sacramento region, and argued that distance made them unfit to represent the voices of Carmichael. After asking how much was paid to the third-party consultants, Lee ballparked the fee at around $150,000, paid by CWD and SSWD.

As CWD and SSWD move forward to the next step of their strategic plan, Martin Ross, a longtime Crestview resident asked the question weighing on many locals’ minds.

“Carmichael has some older water rights. Would we lose those? Carmichael has a 100-year-old water agreement. Does SSWD? If there is a shortage, will we lose our rights?”

CWD Board of Director representative Jeff Nelson replied, “Carmichael is only 17% of the population [being served under the merge]. Combining is not a threat. We have been curtailed by the state. Combining actually helps us to keep our rights. We want to develop infrastructure to meet the demand of supply.”

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 21, 2023, at 6:30 PM. It will be hosted by Sacramento Suburban Water District at the SSWD Boardroom located at 3701 Marconi Ave, Sacramento, CA 95821.