Well owners advised to have systems inspected this spring

News release

WESTERVILLE, OH —

The National Ground Water Association is urging private water well owners to have their systems inspected by a certified water well contractor as they approach the spring and summer seasons. The organization recommends an annual inspection of all private water systems. Because winter storms and spring flooding can lead to contamination and damage to private water systems, early spring is an ideal time to perform the recommended annual inspection. The rise of emerging contaminants such as PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) — including PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) — have made these inspections especially important, according to the NGWA.

Annual water well inspections should include:

• A test of the water for coliform bacteria, nitrates, PFAS/PFOA and anything else of local concern.

• A flow test to determine system output, along with a check of the water level

Red Hawk Continued from A1

region.

“We are proud to see our casino continue to grow and evolve with the opening of the Apex and the hotel, both which provide new opportunities for our guests and supports economic development in our community,” said Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians Chairwoman Regina Cuellar. “The new hotel is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and we look forward to welcoming guests from near and far to experience all that our resort has to offer.”

Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows that offer guests sweeping views of the surrounding before and during pumping, pump motor performance and pressure tank and pressure switch contact. foothills and the accommodations incorporate modern design with traditional tribal elements. There is a fitness center and the pool is anticipated to open mid-to-late June.

• An inspection of well equipment to assure that it is sanitary and meets local code requirements.

More information on private water wells, annual inspections and how to find local contractors can be found at Wellowner.org.

WellOwner.org is operated by NGWA with support from the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The hotel is connected to Red Hawk Casino, which opened in 2008, offering slot and table gaming, as well as several restaurants and a live music stage.

In August 2022 plans were announced for a nine-hole golf course on land owned by the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians just south of Highway 50. That project is still in development but tribal officials expect an update soon.

• Request for immediate payment: Scammers may instruct the customer to purchase a prepaid card, then call them back supposedly to make a bill payment.

• Request for prepaid card: When the customer calls back, the caller asks the customer for the prepaid card’s number, which grants the scammer instant access to the card’s funds.

• Refund or rebate offers: Scammers may say that your utility company overbilled you and owes you a refund or that you are entitled to a rebate, and ask you for your personal financial information.

• Scammers impersonating trusted phone numbers: Scammers are now able to create authentic-looking 800 numbers that appear on your phone display. The numbers don’t lead back to PG&E if called back, however, so if you have doubts, hang up and call PG&E at (833) 500-SCAM. If customers ever feel that they are in physical danger, they should call 911.

How customers can protect themselves

Customers should never purchase a prepaid card to avoid service disconnection or shutoff. PG&E does not specify how customers should make a bill payment and offers a variety of ways to pay a bill, including accepting payments online, by phone, automatic bank draft, mail or in person. If a scammer threatens immediate disconnection or shutoff of service without prior notification, customers should hang up the phone, delete the email or shut the door. is a DobieX with short black fur. Only 12 wks old.

Customers with delinquent accounts receive an advance disconnection notification, typically by mail and included with their regular monthly bill. Signing up for an online account at pge.com is another safeguard. Not only can customers log in to check their balance and payment history, they can also sign up for recurring payments, paperless billing and helpful alerts.

Customers who suspect that they have been victims of fraud or who feel threatened during contact with one of these scammers, should contact local law enforcement. The Federal Trade Commission’s website is also a good source of information about how to protect personal information. For more information about scams visit pge.com/scams or consumer. ftc.gov/scams.

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Judy Groves introduced the kids in the audience to good-boy-in-training

Weldin, who is learning how to be a service dog.

“We do a lot of games and Weldin isn’t just having fun but is learning to help do things that his person may need help with,” Groves demonstrated, playing tug-of-war with the pup. “This tug can help Weldin learn to pull along someone’s wheelchair if they get stuck and need help moving, for example.”

Sunshine the show pig from Frog Creek Farms surprised the crowd with her size — at just a few months older than 4, she weighs in at an impressive 650 pounds.

On the other side of the scale, a presentation with live local bats demonstrated how light the nocturnal fliers can be by showing their weight using index cards with just five or six paper clips taped to them.

Creepy and no-socreepy crawlies also had their time in the spotlight, with bees, worms, butterflies and beetles all getting some attention. Students had the opportunity to decorate and fill worm boxes for composting, while others learned about the dangers of invasive species such as the Japanese beetle or the spongy moth (formerly known as the gypsy moth). Staff from the El Dorado County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures let kids take a peek into insect traps, explaining their use helps the county monitor for invasive bugs — a practice that has helped the county stay free from pesky glassy-winged sharpshooters and others of its ilk prevalent in southern parts of the state. Other students learned about efforts to bring back insects that had once visited the region in droves; Sierra Monarch Rescue is working to establish a flyway for monarch butterfly migration. In addition to establishing protected flight zones for the migratory butterflies, the nonprofit is working with public and private land managers to plant the butterfly’s food of choice, milkweed, along the migration route to encourage more orange and black lepidopteran visitors. Lisa Perdichizzi, executive director for the Wopumne Tribe nonprofit that helms Sierra Monarch Rescue, highlighted some groups that had already gotten involved.

“Marshall Gold State Park and other El Dorado County parks and trails are planting and monitoring these milkweed waystations,” Perdichizzi explained. “They’ll be planting a garden at the Nisenan Village at the Marshall park. This is a 10-year project and monitoring of those areas will help us present data on monarch visitation to the California government.”

Forest and watershed management presentations gave many opportunities for amazement, including a lumber-milling demonstration by Sierra Pacific Industries personnel that showed how quickly a log can turn into a plank of wood right before the Farm Day crowd’s eyes.

A hands-on activity demonstrating safe forest management proved a real hit with the kids, as they set matches into a soil-filled tub with the hopes of spacing the matchstick trees apart well enough to keep the “forest” safe when one caught fire.

Ag in the Classroom’s goal is to bring agriculture into STEM — giving kids a STEAMpowered curriculum. Farm Day is the local nonprofit’s centerpiece project every year but it also provides classroom resources and programs such as Fields of Learning, which pairs a school with a local farm to provide hands-on agricultural experiences through multiple farm visits a year.

The education nonprofit is constantly working toward its mission. While waiting for lunch to be served to Farm Day volunteers, Christa Campbell, owner of Rainbow Orchards and president of Ag in the Classroom’s board of directors, was already thinking about the future. next year’s,” Campbell said. “It’s our goal to get every third-grader in the county to get to have this experience. We’re looking into how to get kids down from the schools in Tahoe down for next year.”

Mountain Democrat photos by Odin Rasco Children look through a batch of soil to find worms to add to their worm-composting boxes.