Tag archives: Montecito water District
Last week marked Groundwater Awareness Week, according to the National Ground Water Association, and The Groundwater Foundation. Groundwater Awareness Week was established in 1999 to highlight the responsible development, management, and use of groundwater and to celebrate local groundwater efforts across the country. According to Montecito Water District, groundwater is a critical component of California’s […]
Montecito Water District has announced that this Friday, February 4, they will host a pop-up distribution center for at-home COVID-19 test kits. It will be a drive-through site, where those needing test kits can drive up and will be given one kit per person in their household. The distribution is from 10 am to noon, […]
As part of its Capital Improvements Program, Montecito Water District is upgrading approximately one mile of water main on East Valley Road. The work began earlier this month and is expected to be completed during this summer. Several Montecito residents have expressed frustration that the road construction is taking place just months after Caltrans completed […]
The removal of salt from seawater (desalination) is bitterly opposed by the California environmental community and its supporters in academia, government, and the press. Los Angeles Times editorial columnist Steve Lopez, a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, grudgingly acknowledges that “Desalination may have a role to play in addressing California’s long-running water shortage; after all we […]
At a Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting earlier this week, Montecito Water District general manager Nick Turner reported that intensifying drought conditions and increased water usage by district customers has prompted a request from the district that all residents reduce their water usage. “Over the last five years the board has been dedicated to […]
The 2021 WaterWise Garden Recognition Contest recognizes beautiful, water-efficient residential gardens throughout Santa Barbara County. The Santa Barbara County Water Agency and participating local water providers encouraged residents to apply for the contest and enter into the running for an agency award and the countywide grand prize. A winner from each of the participating water […]
With climate change and potential severity of future droughts unknown, voluntary conservation continues to be an essential component for water supply planning locally and statewide. Historically, Montecito Water District customers have been able to reduce demands when necessary. In 2009, SBX7-7 set a requirement for urban water suppliers to reduce demands 20% by 2020. The […]
It was a meaty agenda at this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, which featured updates on the Highway 101 expansion through Montecito, the beginning of Smart Meter technology at Montecito Water District, and updates on proposed state housing bills that could have a significant effect on Montecito. Kirsten Ayars with the 101 widening […]
The Community Voices article in the April 15 edition of the Montecito Journal by Charles C. Read and Eileen White Read attempted to identify the motive for suggesting that the Montecito Water District (MWD) and Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) should merge. However, it reminded me of what someone told me several years ago. That person […]
Last Thursday, the Montecito Water District and Montecito Sanitary District held a joint strategic planning meeting to discuss options for a joint effort to recycle most of the 500,000 gallons a day of treated Montecito wastewater, now being dumped into 35 feet of ocean water, 1,500 feet off Butterfly Beach in Montecito, a practice whose […]
By Charles C. Read & Eileen White Read The Montecito “water wars,” circa 2015-2020, brought ugly, big-city political shenanigans that shattered the peaceful commonweal of our village. We all remember the misleading mailings that implied Montecito was unlawfully dumping sewage in the ocean. The $100,000 campaign budgets amassed to get a seat on a water […]
We are deeply dismayed to learn that Das Williams is seeking an appointment to the California Coastal Commission for the Central Coast. A controversial supervisor synonymous with Santa Barbara’s much-contested cannabis ordinance, Williams was barely able to retain his position in 2020 (even with the political and financial muscle of the cannabis industry). Indeed, there […]
In Bob Hazard’s guest editorial (MJ 1-8 April 2021) he offers the quote, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there,” as argument for supporting the road he is on personally, to combine water and wastewater districts, connect groundwater basins across the South Coast – extend pipes hither and […]
A recent series of letters in the Montecito Journal has questioned the wisdom of the Montecito Water Board and the Montecito Sanitary Board’s studying the issue of consolidation. Jeff Kerns, a respected former Sanitary Director, has raised an important issue. He suggests that the first step is to define the problem you want to solve; only […]
Contrary to Nick Welsh’s February 10 piece in the Santa Barbara Independent, at no point did I suggest in my Montecito Journal editorial replacing Dr. Ansorg or Van Do-Reynoso with Thomas Tighe or Charity Dean. My letter made the fairly obvious suggestion that our county would benefit from a COVID Czar that has the independence […]
Interesting concept, as per last week’s lead piece of this newspaper. Having a COVID vaccination czar in Santa Barbara. It would be even worth investigating if it weren’t so hypocritical and so self centered for this particular newspaper to bring the subject matter up. Two weeks ago MJ’s investigative reporter Nicholas Schou pointed out, what […]
Two new stores are calling Montecito Country Mart home as business picks up throughout the Mart following the lifting of the state’s stay-at-home order in January. “People are here, they are shopping and eating, all in a safe way,” says Mart rep Kristin Teufel, who introduced us to the new shops earlier this week. The […]
Readers of this column are already aware of the bizarre situation unfolding on Montecito’s Middle Road, where the Montecito Water District (MWD) recently informed resident homeowner Trev Broudy of abnormally high copper levels in his drinking water. Subsequent tests showed that a stray electrical current was likely responsible for causing the copper to leach into […]
Trevor Broudy could be forgiven for thinking he might just be the unluckiest person in Montecito. The Middle Road homeowner’s troubles began early last year, when Bacall, his beloved golden retriever, began to rapidly and inexplicably lose weight. Aside from taking his pet to various veterinarians, Broudy stopped giving Bacall tap water to drink and […]
At a monthly board meeting last week, the Montecito Association Board of Directors heard from Brett Balint, CEO of Onward & Upward, who presented a very conceptual idea of modifying airspace over Santa Barbara and Montecito. Balint, who was in attendance on the Zoom meeting with Jasenka Rakas, Ph.D., from the University of California at […]
