Holiday Greetings from Stinson Water!
We are fortunate in this community to have a number of different traditions celebrated this holiday season. Regardless of how or what you celebrate, let this season serve as a time to slow down, show kindness and compassion, express gratitude, and celebrate with family and friends.
On behalf of the Board and staff here at Stinson Water, we wish you and your families peace, joy and warmth, and may your new year be filled with love, good health and prosperity. Thank you for being a valued customer of Stinson Water and we look forward to continue rolling out changes in the coming year to improve our level of service.
Properly using and maintaining your OWTS
Periodically pump out accumumlated solids in your septic tank using a licensed septic tank pumper. The frequency of pumping varies by use and practices of each household, but most full-time residents can expect to pump your system every three to five years. Failure to pump will cause your OWTS to fail.
If your tank alarm sounds, do not ignore it—it’s there to warn you of problems. Contact your service provider as soon as possible.
Switch your diversion valve at least every six months. This helps to prolong the longevity of your leachfield and keep your OWTS functioning properly.
Use of an outdoor shower for bathing is illegal unless it is plumbed directly into your OWTS, or it’s only used for rinsing off beach sand. Use of an outdoor shower with any cleaning agent or personal care product (e.g. soap, detergent, shampoo, body wash, etc.) that drains directly onto the ground is considered a graywater system and is explicity prohibited by the District’s Title IV Onsite Wastewater Management Code adopted by Ordinance 2025-03.
Community Wastewater System Feasibility Study
Earlier this year, the District advertised a Request for Proposals (RFP) for qualified engineering firms to submit proposals to conduct the District’s Community Wastewater System Feasibility Study. As you will recall, the purpose of this study is to explore more effective and sustainable solutions to the treatment of local wastewater considering the observed and predicted impacts from climate change, as well as to address the increasing degradation of our local surface and ground water quality due to prolonged use of concentrated onsite wastewater treatment systems (OWTSs).
The District received grant funding in the amount of $1.5M from the Ocean Protection Council to perform this study, with the option of potentially partnering with the Bolinas Community Public Utilities District for a regional approach. The project was recently awarded to the engineering consulting firm West Yost, with the project kick-off held in October.
All residential and commercial properties in Stinson Beach have OWTSs, approximately 70% of which are either moderately or highly vulnerable to sea level rise itself as well as seasonal high ground water levels resulting from storm surge, increasingly higher tides, heavy rainfall events, and rising sea levels. During such events, existing OWTSs are essentially inundated, effectively neutralizing treatment and causing raw, concentrated wastewater to freely mix with surface and subsurface water. This creates both acute and chronic public health risks and can cause significant environmental harm.
There are two main objectives of this study: 1) conduct a feasibility study to evaluate options for adapting wastewater infrastructure in Stinson Beach and Bolinas in an effort to mitigate sea level rise risks, protect public health, and improve coastal resilience across both communities, and 2) develop a conceptual level (10% design) of a regional wastewater system for both Stinson Beach and Bolinas, or separate wastewater systems for each community.
Throughout the project, the District will be conducting public meetings to review our findings with residents and solicit input as we progress. Please stay tuned – we will announce the time and locations of these meetings when scheduled.
There are a lot of factors that will impact whether the District proceeds with construction of such a system, including project funding, environmental restrictions and permitting, etc. Assuming all those issues are resolved, the earliest time frame for start of construction will be in the next 5-10 years, and will likely require 2-3 years to complete. If built, all properties in Stinson Beach will be required to abandon their OWTS and connect to the community system.
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