IMPROVEMENTS

Bonita Creek Water Company Re-Established 1991

The Bonita Creek Water Company was re-established in 1991 after the Dude fire.  The natural spring that forms Bonita Creek comes from the Mogollon Rim escarpment and flows two miles down the canyon into the community.  Here it is pumped and purified before delivery to water customers. 

The water company has undergone many changes, updates and renewals over the decades of its existence.  Our board would like to thank all the previous boards and water operators for volunteering their time, labor and expertise improving the pump house and filtration system. 

This page is dedicated to all those who assisted to where we are today.  Below are before and after photos of the water company and water filtration system to show all water patrons and community how far we have come.  If you have any questions please reach out and [email protected]

Update for projects to be completed 2022 - 2023

When funds allow, the following projects will be implemented
to the Bonita Creek Water Company Infrastructuer;

~ Automation completion from Pump House to Storage Tanks. 
~ Road repair for storage tank easement and pump house areas.
~ Water meter automation completion for all active meters.
~ Shore up creek intake to include concrete containment wall.
~ Pump House comprimised tree removal (3 total) 

New Holding Tanks Before and After 2020

Holding Tanks Before
Holding Tanks

Pump House Filtration System & Online Automation Before and After 2022

Filtration System Before
Filtration After

Stream Inlet to Pump House Before and After TBD

Water Inlet Before

Our water intake is virtually original from when the system was initially installed.  We have reached out to ADWR in hopes to improve it by eliminating large debris entering the intake and jamming it up during storms, snow fall, etc.

Our current diversion structure (water intake) will remain in its current location. Some of the improvements we would like to add are,  1) A check gate that would be placed near our intake to help regulate the water we pump when creek is muddy, has high organics, snow season, etc. 2) Add an engineered small concrete/block containment wall that would encompass the check gate and surround 3 sides of our pump intake, so to prevent debris from entering our intake.  The creek flow would not be disturbed and would continue to flow around the added containment wall and intake as it does today.

We recently received written approval from ADWR to move forward when we are ready.  The after photo will be uploaded once completed.

Holding Tanks & Chlorinator Online Automation Before and After 2023

Holding Tanks
Screen Shot 2023-08-11 at 11.32.57 AM

New Primary Sand Filter Before and After 2023

Current Sand Filter 2022
New Sand Filter Installed

Community Automated Water Meters Before and After 2023

Screen Shot 2023-08-22 at 8.19.47 AM
Water Meter Automation

The Bonita Creek Water Company has had someone driving around the community, once a month at a monthly cost, for over 30 years in sun, rain and snow checking patron meters for usage and leaks. This automation system will remove the costs of; monthly meter reads, significantly reduce residential water leak waste and provide water company alerts and ultimate resolution for those who abuse the system when in STAGE 4.  After calculations with system cost, installation and monthly savings, we believe the ROI for this system will be found inside 5 years.

Advanced Metering Infrastructure, or AMI for short, are high-tech water meters that will assist BCWC with these ongoing issues.  Each meter has a transmitter that sends readings to the antenna that is mounted in the tree photo above. These new meters allow customers to track their usage on an hourly, daily or monthly basis through an online password protected portal.

Here are just a few of the benefits of AMI meters and how the data they provide can help.  These meters can detect potential water leaks, meet local guidelines for usage especially in STAGE 4 situations, set home owner and water company alarms for real time leak detection to your home, help conserve water and provide better customer service.

Water Company Roads & Easments Before and After 2023

Screen Shot 2023-10-15 at 2.33.18 PM
Screen Shot 2023-10-11 at 2.13.05 PM

The 2022/2023 winter was unlike any in quite some time.  That winter put the water company and its patrons in some of the most difficult situations ever encountered.   So much so, that it ruined roads, broke water lines and ultimately halted water production.  We had no choice but to have water brought in from Mesa AZ as no other water delivery company would accommodate our Bonita Creek location.  After one delivery it was clear this cost was unaffordable. Here is the timeline from August 2022 to April 2023 of what the water company and its patrons endured. EMERGENCY TIMELINE

Kyle Disilvestro and his family picked up this Herculean effort and kept the community in water for weeks.  Unfortunately due to the ongoing whether the roads became unnavigable because of the sheer weight of the vehicle and water hauling efforts, see photo.

During the summer of 2023, the water company hired Kyle once again to correct the roads by grading and adding material in hopes that should this happen again we have good roads to navigate.  Thank you Kyle.

Water Line from Pump House to Tanks Before and After 2023

Exposed Water Lines Before
Screen Shot 2023-07-12 at 7.26.00 AM

We recently replaced the 2" water line between the Pump House and Storage Tanks.  This project also incorporated a 1" conduit for our fiber optic communications cable, a 1" conduit for a new 220v power line to the storage tanks and a vacant 1" conduit for future need if necessary.

Currently our community is made up 3.4 miles of 80% galvanized piping and 20% PVC Schedule 80 piping.  Most of our pipes are 2" and 60+ years old.

Funds for this part of our infrastructure project have not yet been  established.  From 2021 through 2024, grants with various groups have been applied for and denied.  Photos will be provided should the project get completed.

Water Company Documents Before and After 2023

BC Paperwork Before
BC Paperwork After

The Bonita Creek Water Company has been keeping documents that date back to 1956.   There is a complete history of the community and water company since its inception.    The documents have been carried down from board to board over decades.

The 2021 Board finally had the time to consolidate and scan the 100s of documents in over 6+ boxes and upgrade the handed down flash drive to store the majority of these documents.  The originals have been kept and filed into these two binders.  All of these will be handed down to the next board in 2024.

Pump House Trees Downed Before and After 2023

Pump House Tree Removal
Trees Cut Down

Our Pump House is located amongst tall pines in excess of 70ft high.  A few of these trees, over the years, had become a bit unsettling as they began to lean into the pump house.  We feared that with some of the strong winds and heavy snows we get from time to time, one of these 3 trees may fall into the pump house leaving us with no way to pump water.

We hired a professional Arborist out of Payson to down all 3 of these trees to help keep the Pump House as safe as we can.