Tag archives: Montecito water District

Montecito Association Meets
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 13, 2018

At this month’s Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting, Pat McElroy from the Partnership for Resilient Communities reported that his group funded another lidar radar flight over Montecito, which showed 71 sites in the foothills that would be appropriate for steel-wire ring nets to slow down or stop debris from falling. McElroy said they are […]

Why I am Running for the Water Board
By Cori Hayman   |   September 13, 2018

Montecito is at an important crossroads in this post-disaster era. Our community’s ability to recover and thrive depends in large part on our leaders’ willingness to take decisive and large steps to move forward with resilient, sustainable, and environmentally sound infrastructure and strategies. Water is the most important resource for Montecito, and it is in […]

No More “Anonymous”
By Montecito Journal   |   September 13, 2018

I was pleased that President Trump stands four-square behind public disclosure on opinion pages and has come out so strongly against the use of “Anonymous” as cover for accountability. I would hope that the Journal would adhere to our president’s common sense and stop allowing letter writers to be “Anonymous” when stating their opinions in […]

Montecito Sanitary Latest
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 6, 2018

At their board meeting last week, the governing Board of Directors of the Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) took action to clarify confusion in the community regarding the Sanitary District’s role in a recycled water project to serve the Montecito area.  MSD Board members Judith Ishkanian, Tom Kern, Jeff Kerns, Warner Owens, and Bob Williams, unanimously […]

The “Campaign” Begins
By Judy Ishkanian   |   August 30, 2018

Election campaign season is about to begin, and the local election for Montecito Sanitary and Montecito Water Districts is on the November 6 ballot. I have served on the Montecito Sanitary District for 12 years, and this is the first time I have run in a competitive re-election campaign. Who would imagine that this year, […]

Montecito Falling Behind on Recycled Water
By Bob Hazard   |   August 30, 2018

Recycling of treated wastewater is environmentally responsible and can create a significant new water supply for both landscaping water (sometimes referred to as non-potable or “purple pipe” water) by surface spreading, or even better, indirect potable reuse (IPR) by injecting the purified water into local groundwater basins as recharge water for later withdrawal as a […]

Buying the Montecito Water District
By Dick Shaikewitz   |   August 30, 2018

This November, three seats on the five-member Board of the Montecito Water District (MWD) will terminate, allowing interested candidates to run for the open positions. The MWD, formed in 1921 is governed by a majority vote of the five elected directors who serve four-year terms. These directors determine policy and approve the expenditure of funds […]

Desalination Celebrates One-Year Anniversary
By Bob Hazard   |   August 23, 2018

Santa Barbara mayor Cathy Murillo was able to take a well-deserved bow last week as she and Josh Haggmark, City Water Resources manager; Cathy Taylor, Water Systems manager; Randy Rowse and other civic leaders celebrated the one-year anniversary of the reopening of the City’s Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant. All hailed the addition of desalinated […]

Keeping and Storing Montecito Water
By Bob Hazard   |   August 16, 2018

(Between now and Tuesday, November 6 [election day], members of the water and sanitary district communities, and other interested parties, will present various opinions on the subject of water and waste management. The views expressed under the imprimatur of this column – whether they are by candidates for the water or sanitary boards of directors […]

Latest on FEMA Maps
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 5, 2018

At this month’s Montecito Association Land Use Committee, deputy director of Water Resources Tom Fayram reported that the County continues to move forward on a hazard mitigation grant to look at modifying the three debris basins above Montecito: Cold Spring, San Ysidro, and Romero. “We’re trying to expand the size of the basins and improve […]

Can Montecito Become Drought-Free?
By Bob Hazard   |   April 19, 2018

This town could use a little good news. It has been a little more than a year since we elected two new members to the Montecito Water District Board of Directors. Are we any closer to the goal of water security? Montecito Water District (MWD), its board, its management, and its employees have all been […]

MWD Clarifies Water Loss
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   March 15, 2018

Last week, Montecito Water District (MWD) officials released a statement and visual chart clarifying the contribution of released water during the 1/9 debris flow event. It had been widely reported that damage to the District’s infrastructure contributed millions of gallons of water to the flooding and debris flow that damaged hundreds of homes and took […]

Montecito’s Year in Review 2017
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   January 4, 2018

As another year passes, we reflect on notable events in the Montecito community. From California’s largest wildfire, progress on development and new businesses, school happenings, retirements, and more, 2017 was a busy year in Montecito. While far from all-inclusive, here is a snapshot of our community’s happenings in 2017.  Thomas Fire   Without a doubt, […]