Cloverdale Weighs $50,000 Stopgap for Six Acres Homes Under Boil Notice

Roughly 22 Six Acres homes have lived under a boil water notice for three years, and the permanent fix isn't expected until June 2028. At a Nov. 4, 2026, special meeting, the Cloverdale City Council told staff to scope a temporary city water connection at low cost. The council also opened a public Q&A on a revised Esmeralda development agreement, but the outcome of that item is not yet known.

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• Six Acres stopgap gets a cautious look: a temporary hookup could cost about $50,000 from the general fund, with no funding source identified.
• Council demands a master schedule with milestones for the long-term Six Acres annexation and rebuild.
• Residents press for emergency action over outages, a three-year boil notice and failing septic systems.
• Esmeralda deal revised: an 18-month building permit hold, a reinstated health risk study and a proposed 60% city EIFD share.

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Six Acres Stopgap: Cheap to Study, Hard to Fund

Why it matters: Any city-paid hookup would draw on the general fund. Staff warned it could also put state funding for the permanent fix at risk. The council is weighing urgent need against taxpayer exposure.

The basics: Six Acres Water Company is a private system. It is pursuing a state-funded rebuild and eventual annexation into Cloverdale's system. The state Division of Drinking Water and the State Water Board control the money.

Where things stand: Staff said a temporary connection, using a city master meter and backflow protection, could take 30 to 90 days. That clock starts after 6-to-8-week lead times for equipment. The estimated cost is roughly $50,000.

"The water enterprise can't subsidize anything, so it would have to be backfilled by the general fund," said Derek Montani, Director.

Staff said the Water Board and Division of Drinking Water would not amend the funding agreement to cover the hookup. Diverting the project's operations and maintenance funds is, in staff's words, a "very fine maybe." A cost fronted by the city might be tolerated.

The other side: Councilmembers asked about alternatives, including water deliveries, a storage tank and having residents pay. Staff pointed to the Clearwater Ranch precedent, where "the trucking of water became so expensive," Montani said. The neighboring Briarwood mobile home park's consent would also be required.

"We can't go out and fund with community tax dollars someone else's private water district," said Vice Mayor Todd Lands.

"We don't have a funding source for that," said a councilmember.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: The council took no formal motion or vote. By consensus, it directed staff to:
- Do limited, low-cost scoping of the connection.
- Check with the Water Board and the Division of Drinking Water.
- Ask SRT whether operations and maintenance funds could cover a tank.
- Report back to the infrastructure subcommittee.

Six Acres residents may gain interim relief. General fund dollars and Briarwood's cooperation are the pressure points.

"If we want to pay for it, it'll be a budget amendment here at the city council," Lands said.

What's next: Findings go to the infrastructure subcommittee. Any construction spending would return to the full council as a budget amendment.

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Residents Want Emergency Action and Deadlines

Why it matters: Residents framed the delay as a public health problem. They also noted that annexed households will become Cloverdale voters.

Where things stand: Teddy Spain, a Six Acres resident and newly seated board secretary/treasurer of the Six Acres Water Company, described repeated outages under a three-year boil notice. Spain asked the council to:
- Evaluate a state of emergency.
- Hold agencies accountable with deadlines and regular updates.
- Treat water, sewer and annexation as one package.

Spain also said bottled water deliveries to residents expire at year's end and that the new Six Acres board meets next week.

Debbie Benatoni, a resident and Six Acre Ranch owner, focused on failing septic systems and the health risks tied to annexation delays. Council members noted the state has not granted emergency status.

Accountability gap: Councilmembers said the long-term path lacks a real plan. Councilmember Andres Marquez urged staff to "maybe create a detailed plan that would lay out all the steps and milestones that would need to be accomplished."

Another councilmember called an Oct. 27 stakeholder meeting short on agenda, milestones and accountability. He said he and Montani would join future meetings.

The power map: Cloverdale is not the funding applicant for Six Acres. Staff said SRT and the Water Board will set the construction schedule. That leaves the council with oversight through persistent pressure rather than direct control.

Staff noted three related projects are in motion: South Cloverdale, Six Acres and a wastewater project for which the city will be the funding applicant.

What's next: Staff will place a Six Acres update on an infrastructure subcommittee agenda and ask the Six Acres board to attend.

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Esmeralda Agreement Returns With Tougher Terms

Why it matters: The revised development agreement governs fire service funding, sports park delivery, contamination testing and who controls the deal if it changes hands. All of it applies to a major residential project on a former industrial site.

The basics: A development agreement locks in a project's terms between a city and a developer. An EIFD, or Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District, uses future property tax growth to pay for infrastructure.

Where things stand: Mayor Brian Wheeler described the Q&A format as voluntary. "The council chose to do this to make sure the community is up and has their questions answered," he said.

The City Attorney outlined the revisions to the Second Amended and Restated Development Agreement with Esmeralda Land Company, LP:

• Section 2.2C: Sets sports park timing and preserves the $5 million construction budget under any alternative compliance.
• Section 2.13: Extends fiscal impact study timelines, reviewed by Chief Jenkins. "No building permits can be issued for 18 months," the City Attorney said.
• Section 2.15: Adds more detail on the Phase 1 environmental site assessment.
• Section 2.16: Lets residents opt in to voluntary water testing at any time.
• Section 2.17: Reinstates original mitigation measure 5.6-3, replacing a more limited health risk assessment. The developer calls it unnecessary.
• Assignment: Offers two options, requiring council approval or delegating authority to the city manager.
• EIFD: The developer proposed raising the city's EIFD contribution from 55% to 60%.

Who vouches for the review: The City Attorney said the findings under California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines 15162 and 15164 appear in the draft resolution. The city lacks in-house expertise to do this review itself.

First Carbon, a developer-contracted consultant, prepared the addendum. Rincon Consulting and W-Trans peer reviewed it independently. Caitlin Roberts, Principal Planner with Four Leaf and a consultant to the city, also addressed those questions.

"This is all risk borne by the developer under the DA Section 11.2 and 11.3," the City Attorney said. Those sections require the developer to defend and indemnify the city.

The other side: On contamination, a representative of Esmeralda Land Company pointed residents to the State Water Board's GeoTracker database for existing test records. He said the site has been studied and remediated for more than 50 years. "We have never claimed that the site is clean," he said.

The representative described a legally enforceable site management plan reviewed by the city's consultant. He argued that reinstating 5.6-3 would mean double testing.

"I think the reimplementation of mitigation measure 5.6-3 will do that type of testing," Marquez said.

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Fire service funding gets an 18-month cushion. Park users get a protected $5 million budget. Nearby residents gain testing access and a full-site health risk assessment. The developer absorbs legal risk but carries additional testing costs.

What's next: The available meeting record ends mid-answer during the Q&A. Whether the council reintroduced the ordinance, and on what terms, has not been confirmed. Watch for official minutes.

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Looking Ahead

Two items to watch: Six Acres' bottled water deliveries end at year's end, and the infrastructure subcommittee update will show whether a $50,000 stopgap moves toward a budget amendment. Meeting documents, including the Six Acres agenda report and the Esmeralda ordinance, are posted on the city's Legistar portal.