National Good Neighbor Day, September 28, 2017
Being a good neighbor and providing high levels of service to its community is a top priority for Moulton Niguel Water District, a public agency providing water, recycled water, and wastewater treatment services to more than 170,000 customers in South Orange County.
On National Good Neighbor Day, Moulton Niguel reflects on a recent incident where its staff responded to a call for help from a neighboring agency, the El Toro Water District, with a sewer pipeline emergency repair that occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
When an external contractor accidentally damaged a sewer force main that is owned by the El Toro Water District, both agencies worked together to prevent an immediate spill. Fortunately, the station was not discharging at the time the force main was damaged. From there, a major collaborative effort took place to manage flows to the sewer lift station to avoid a spill while the pipe was repaired.
Through the talented and dedicated staff at Moulton Niguel and El Toro, both agencies were able to work together to contain 100% of the sewer flows without any sewer spills.
“We very much appreciate the assistance from Moulton Niguel Water District that helped turn a potentially dire emergency situation into a significant success,” said Dennis Cafferty, El Toro Water District Assistant General Manager/District Engineer.
Moulton Niguel played a significant role in the effort to divert flows away from the lift station by providing three vactor trucks and additional equipment to supplement and assist El Toro’s efforts. The repair efforts began on Tuesday evening and ended Wednesday morning as staff from both agencies worked through the night to fix the issue.
“We are so proud of the outstanding staff we have here at Moulton Niguel Water District,” stated Matt Collings, Moulton Niguel Water District Assistant General Manager. “The emergency response and teamwork demonstrated by both Districts highlights the importance of inter-agency collaboration and our commitment to protect our infrastructure to ensure reliable service for our customers, while also safeguarding our beaches and watersheds.”