City officials are considering formally disclosing high water
pressure to homeowners in five of the city
’s 19 zones where pressures are sometimes double the recommended
standards. Morgan Hill Public Works Director Jim Ashcraft told the
Times he is recommending the city disclose the high pressure, which
can climb as high as 240 pounds per square inch in some areas, to
inform homeowners to protect the
mselves against the possibility of bursting pipes or damage to
their appliances.
City officials are considering formally disclosing high water pressure to homeowners in five of the city’s 19 zones where pressures are sometimes double the recommended standards.
Morgan Hill Public Works Director Jim Ashcraft told the Times he is recommending the city disclose the high pressure, which can climb as high as 240 pounds per square inch in some areas, to inform homeowners to protect themselves against the possibility of bursting pipes or damage to their appliances.
“In view of current disclosure standards for real estate sales and increasing costs to repair water damage, we plan to work with our billing and risk management staff to create a formal disclosure process for high and low pressure areas to inform residents in these areas and have disclosure notices to new customers in these areas,” said Ashcraft.
Ashcraft and his staff presented an exhaustive water pressure study report to the Utilities and Environment Subcommittee last week after two Morgan Hill homeowners complained to the city council that high water pressure had destroyed appliances, broken pipes and flooded their homes.
Morgan Hill homeowners Pat and Rebecca Van Dahlen and Jeff and Lisa Mueller, who are next door neighbors in the Woodland Acres subdivision west of Morgan Hill, complained to the city council last month about extraordinary high water pressure coming into their homes. The owners said they had grown frustrated with the city’s lack of action to fix the chronic problem.
Both couples told the council they had installed pressure reducing valves on their water mains as instructed by the city’s Web site, but the pressure quickly deteriorated the valves – causing the owners to replace them several times a year.
Rebecca Van Dahlen told the Times she worried that another claim of water damage would raise her homeowners’ insurance rates or possibly even cancel her policy altogether.
With pressure reducing valves, the homeowners register water pressure coming into their homes between 145 psi to 190 psi, and at one time, as high as 205 psi. The common pressure standard is between 40 and 120 psi, according to the Public Utilities Commission and the American Water Works Association. The city recommends pressure regulators be installed by customers having a threshold above 55 psi. Most home appliance manufacturers identify 120 psi as a pressure limit for refrigerators, dishwashers and as high as 150 psi for washing machines.
In his report to the subcommittee last week, Ashcraft stated water pressure can be as high as 240 psi in some areas along the western hills of Morgan Hill such as Holiday Lake. In all, five of the city’s 19 zones have pressures exceeding 150 psi – affecting a total 179 users in the system.
Complaints of low water pressure far outnumber those of high pressure, Ashcraft also reported. City Risk Management records show seven complaints attributed to damage from high water pressure from 1992 to 2004 and 11 complaints from 1998 to 2004, though no other details were provided in the records.
Morgan Hill isn’t the only city with exceptionally high water pressure, according to the study. Los Altos Hills has three zones with 300 psi; Glendale, six zones with 250 psi; and Scotts Valley, eight zones with 200 psi. None of those cities have disclosure policies, but some areas, such as the Soquel Water District, do.
Ashcraft said his staff will also study the cost of dividing the five high-pressure zones to reduce their water pressure, perhaps by providing extra booster stations. He will also recommend that all residents with pressure at the meter exceeding 150 psi install a pressure regulator, shut-off valve and pressure test port in a vault immediately behind their water meters.
The Van Dahlens and Muellers said they are very happy with the concern shown by subcommittee members Mayor Dennis Kennedy and Councilman Mark Grzan, but it doesn’t solve their problem.
“It’s a step forward. It (the meeting) did not resolve our issues, but we trust they’ll resolve it,” said Rebecca Van Dahlen. “Residents need to know about these problems so they can protect themselves and their homes. The city needs to let people know what the warning signs are for high water pressure.”
Jeff Mueller indicated he still is displeased with the response from city staff.
“I didn’t appreciate the city’s cavalier approach in solving our problem. The city does a great job in conditioning its customers that there is no problem and it’s not their responsibility,” Mueller said. Both couples said city officials initially told them it is the homeowners’ problem, that the city’s responsibility stops at the water meter.
Both Kennedy and Grzan said the subcommittee will study the issue further, but they both believe it’s important that the public be made aware of the water pressure problems.
“Anytime you have a community with homes on the hillside, there is high water pressure in some cases because of the gravity of the water coming down from the water tank,” said Grzan, who is the subcommittee chairman. “The city thought recommending water regulators would help, but they failed.”
Rose Meily covers City Hall for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 779-4106 ext. 201 or by e-mail at rm****@*************es.com
