We Do The Unexpected To Maintain Your Water Supply

Vital Water Information for Customers of Montecito Water District ■ Fall 2003
We Do The Unexpected To
Maintain Your Water Supply
Pumping, treating and delivering water from Lake Cachuma are the obvious things we do to provide
Montecito customers with a healthful and adequate water supply. But providing water service
involves doing much more: we maintain our own dam at Jameson Lake, balance water needs from
Fox and Alder Creeks, and even collect groundwater that seeps into Doulton Tunnel. There are other
little known activities. Here are a few.
Prepares For Emergencies
Protects Water Rights
Montecito Water District was a founding
member of the Montecito Emergency Response
and Recovery Action Group (MERRAG),
composed of various associations, businesses
and schools, along with the local water, fire
and sanitary districts to provide coordinated
emergency response.
Your Water District recently completed a
multi-year effort with other local agencies
and cities to develop an agreement on
water rights and water quality issues on the
Santa Ynez River. Such long range efforts
help protect our water supply, maintain
water rights and control costs.
Your Water District also:
Enhances Steelhead Trout Habitat
■ Maintains backup power generators at
key facilities to keep water flowing during
power outages.
The District participates in the Santa Ynez
River Fish Management Plan and similar
efforts in local creeks to enhance the habitat
of endangered steelhead trout and other
species of concern. The effort involves habitat
improvement, barrier removal, and releases
of water to enhance the wildlife environment.
■ Maintains multiple water sources to
provide service in the event that one or
several are disrupted.
■ Works closely with law enforcement and
other agencies to protect the water supply
from vandalism and terrorism.
Monitors Round-The-Clock
It’s not enough just to have the water on
hand. What if something goes wrong? The
District has high tech monitoring devices
that automatically track major elements of
the water system and alert our field crews if
any problems arise.
Tracks the Weather
For the last 75 years, the District has kept
weather observation data at Jameson Lake’s
Juncal Dam, which has also helped us manage
the water supply. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration presented the
District with a certificate in recognition of
our years of cooperation in gathering this
valuable data.
Montecito Water District officials receiving a certificate at Jameson Lake from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration in recognition of 75 years of weather observation. From left to right: Steve
Hickox, Water Treatment and Production Superintendent; Louis Andaloro, Dam Caretaker; Jan Abel, Board
President; Ryan Kittell, Intern; Dessa Garden, Surface Program Manager for the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration; Mark Lenz, Senior Service Hydrologist
Quality, Service and Cost Effectiv
■ D ISTRIBUTING WATER R ELIABLY
TO
C USTOMERS
■ P ROVIDING A
Major Project to Replace Sycam
Water Main Completed
Old Pipeline Dated Back to 1923
As part of an ongoing capital improvement program, Montecito Water Dist
in Sycamore Canyon Road between Barker Pass Road and Eucalyptus H
between the pipeline from Lake Cachuma, a major pump station and a re
stores 4.3 million gallons of water.
New Pipeline and Hydrants Improve Fire Prote
The Sycamore Canyon construction project was recently completed and in
ductile iron pipe, the installation of 3 new fire hydrants, and replacing 2
Projects Save Money and Improve Service
The ongoing program of replacing and enlarging aging facilities has yield
dollars in annual maintenance costs, decreasing leaks of precious water,
increasing water flow for firefighting.
You can turn on your tap anytime, day or
night, and plenty of high quality water
will flow out—virtually without fail.
This reliability is due to careful long term
planning, continuous maintenance
and good management.
Our planning horizon is not just a few
months or years. We must look ahead 20 or
more years into the future to ensure we are
prepared for whatever the future may bring.
Major pipeline replacement project along Sycamore Canyon Road between
Barker Pass Road and Eucalyptus Hill Road.
Three key areas of planning are: 1) water
supply; 2) water quality; and 3) water
distribution to our customers. These pages
provide more details on the District’s water
distribution plans and activities.
Among the many water system improvements in recent years are additional backup
generators, like the one shown above, that improve reliability during power outages caused
by fires and other emergencies.
veness — Built on Solid Planning
A DEQUATE WATER S UPPLY
more Canyon Road
rict replaced an aging 1923 water main
Hill Road. It is a critical line that runs
eservoir above East Mountain Drive that
ection
nvolved replacing about 2,400 feet of new
25 water service lines to customer meters.
ded many benefits: saving thousands of
improving pressure for daily use, and
“Nearly half
of Montecito’s
pipelines were
installed in
the 1920s and
are reaching
the end of
their useful
life.”
Tom Mosby,
District Engineer
■ A SSURING E XCELLENT WATER Q UALIT Y
GIS: New High Tech Tool
Improves Reliability and
Lowers Costs
Montecito Water District is developing the first phase of
its Geographic Information System (GIS) to improve
water system planning, design and maintenance. GIS
creates digital maps that will accurately represent the
location of roads, buildings, and pipeline condition,
age, and material.
Helps Improve Design, Monitoring and
Upgrade of Systems
A software program will use data from the GIS to help track the
age and condition of pipes as well as conduct “virtual” tests of
equipment. The data obtained from the GIS allows the District to
fine tune pressure regulating and pump station operation, and
provides other valuable data to allow us to do a better job.
SCADA Computer
Monitoring
GIS follows our introduction
of a modern SCADA
computer monitoring system
that makes it possible to
remotely monitor and
operate key facilities.
Together, SCADA and GIS
give us two high tech tools
that help us to provide
more reliable, lower-cost
water service, and better
water quality information.
Water System Improvement Program Funded
By 1998 Bond
Replacing Undersized and Aging Facilities
The water system improvement program replaces undersized and aging facilities, many dating back to the 1920s,
including pipelines, pump stations and other facilities. It is funded by a $14 million bond secured in 1998.
Additional Improvements and Funds Will Be Needed
Even after five years of intensively replacing aging facilities, nearly forty percent of the District's pipelines are
over 70 years old, so there is much more work that remains to be done. Also, increasingly strict water quality
requirements will require costly treatment upgrades in coming years and increased storage facilities may be
needed to meet daily and emergency water needs.
The District is conducting an ongoing evaluation of facility and funding needs and will keep customers informed.
Public-Private Cooperation Improves Fire
Protection
“This dramatically
improves our ability to
save homes and lives.”
Scott Coffman, Battalion Chief
Carpinteria-Summerland Fire
Protection District
Left to right: Scott Coffman, Carpinteria-Summerland Battalion Chief with Bob Puddicombe, Montecito Water
District Director; Chris Toomey, President of Torito Road Homeowners Association; and several firefighters.
The Montecito Water District, Torito Road Homeowners Association and its
representative, Chris Toomey, and the Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection
District worked closely together to extend a water main into Torito and
El Pasillo Roads that will dramatically improve fire protection.
Project Completed
Water District Commitment
The project, completed in July, provides two
new water mains and two new fire hydrants
at key locations within the Torito Road
community, and allows some homeowners
to relocate existing water meters.
The Battalion Chief said that the project—
coupled with other reservoir and treatment
plant improvements and new hydrants
along Toro Canyon Road—”show a large
commitment” by the Montecito Water District.
Job Well Done
Collectively Seeking Solutions
Carpinteria-Summerland Fire Protection
District Battalion Chief Scott Coffman
congratulated Montecito Water District
“for a job well done,” adding that the
project improves availability of fire flows.
Pleased with the cooperation between the
Montecito and Carpinteria-Summerland
districts, the Battalion Chief said, “We have
been able to collectively seek the best
solution for providing the best service to
our communities.”
“This enhances fire protection,” and
because of the close proximity of homes
to wild lands,“ the fire conflagration
potential is very real in this community.”
Thus, “efforts to improve fire protection
are of utmost importance.”
Sharing the Cost
The $81,000 project was shared between
the Montecito Water District and the Torito
Road Homeowners Association.
FREE Water
Audits Offered
A helpful water audit is
available free of charge to all
residential customers of
Montecito Water District.
The voluntary program
provides expert advice about
water use and suggestions for
reducing water waste.
To request an audit, fill out
a simple form. You will
receive an individual analysis
of your water usage along
with suggestions for cost and
water saving practices.
To request an audit form
please call 805-969-2271.
Printed on recycled paper. Each ton of recycled paper saves 7,000 gallons of water.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Jan E. Abel, President
W. W. “Rick” Drewry, Vice-President
Robert M. Edmonston
Robert W. Puddicombe
Larry Wilson
583 San Ysidro Road, Montecito, CA 93108
805/969-2271
email: webmaster@montecitowater.com
Please visit us at montecitowater.com. Learn about
the District’s history, Board of Directors, agendas,
construction schedules, newsletters, water quality,
billing information, conservation and more.
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