Tag archives: water
Bob Hazard’s recent piece, “Should the Montecito Water and Sanitary Districts Consolidate?” needs a host of corrections, out of respect for the intelligence (and ratepayer costs) of the citizens of Montecito, particularly Water District customers. As part of the “Montecito Water Security Team,” Hazard praises a number of studies – MORE STUDIES – on studies […]
The Montecito Water District will be replacing a 100-year-old stretch of pipeline on East Valley Road near Mount Carmel Church during the coming three to four weeks. This priority project will replace approximately 500 feet of water main that dates back to the 1920s. The start date of the project is Monday, April 25, with […]
Last week, the Independent published an editorial titled, “Merger in Works for Montecito Water? Push to Combine Water and Sewer Districts is Solution Without a Problem, Critics Say.” The implication in the Independent editorial is that there is no good reason for the Montecito Water and Sanitary districts to challenge the status quo, to study […]
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 […]
Combating climate change and the effects of air traffic are dichotomous and irreconcilable. In spite of this threat, private/corporate and commercial jets are increasingly congesting our local skies. To make matters worse, Santa Barbara’s City Council approved the airport expansion that is expected to bring a 50% increase in aircraft traffic in 10 years. While […]
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 […]
Bringing an end to California’s cycle of dependence on imported water and surface reservoirs will require that we increase reliable local supplies of potable water that are independent of rainfall, and that we decrease our demand for water through continued conservation. In order to drought-proof California’s Central Coast over the long term, we need to […]
What a joy to return in late summer to my home in Montecito and discover the newly constructed, protected walking path along Hot Springs Road. Twenty years ago, when my husband and I first came, we often walked cautiously up to East Valley Road and back, hoping for safety from passing vehicles. Thanks now to […]
Last week’s column (September 30) dealt with Santa Barbara’s worsening water shortage issues – August was the driest year in the last 127 years for which we have good records! All 423,895 of us in Santa Barbara County moved past “Extreme” drought to the worst of the National Weather Service’s five categories of drought: “Exceptional.” […]
Israel is located in one of the driest regions of the world and has traditionally suffered from a scarcity of freshwater resources. Despite that challenge, it is now considered “the best nation in the world for water efficiency” according to Global Water Intelligence, an international water industry publisher. In fewer than 20 years, this parched […]
I am reading Bob Hazard’s series on our water crisis with great interest. He is a strong writer and does his research, but I think there are instances in which he is cherry-picking the data. In his first piece, he mentions that 5% of California water is used for outdoor residential purposes. That may be […]
You may recall the 18th century poem, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It is an incredible story of one man’s abuse of nature causing devastation all around him. In the tale, the Ancient Mariner is the navigator of the vessel on which he sailed, and after some misadventures, his ship […]
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 […]
One805 has come roaring back from lockdown with a perfectly executed, sold-out event that was the perfect combination of class, emotion, and world-class entertainment. The One805 Live! event held this Saturday at the stunning Winn-Twining estate, featuring Danny Seraphine of Chicago and Robby Krieger of the Doors, was a knockout success. Strict COVID protocols at […]
As of mid-September, 50 out of the 58 California counties are reporting either “extreme” or “exceptional” drought status. Montecito falls into the “extreme drought” category. While Montecito’s water supply appears secure for the next three years, all bets are off if continued drought becomes the new norm, or if Montecito Water District (MWD) customers are […]
The latest August 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) identifies methane as one of the worst greenhouse gases contributing to climate change. This IPCC report is one of many signs that climate change is accelerating, and already producing considerably graver impacts than has been forecasted by all the leading scientific consensus […]
It’s distressing that in 2021, five years after Prop 64, that we have individuals pushing the same fear mongering about cannabis we all learned growing up with Reefer Madness. Today it’s Jana Zimmer and the writers of the Montecito Journal, along with a small number of neighbors in Carpinteria allege that the County of Santa […]
Lack of potable water is a more serious problem than COVID-19. Without water the average person dies within three days. A horse can go five days without water; a camel 10 days; plants can survive two to three weeks. Without water, all life perishes. Water makes up more than 70% of the Earth’s surface; the […]
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 […]
If you’re new to Montecito and California, you’ll want to pay extra attention right now. Wildfires are burning presently in Greece, Italy, Turkey, British Columbia, and of course, here in California. The Dixie Fire has now burned 249,000 acres. It ranks No. 11, as of today, in largest California wildfires in history. The Thomas Fire, […]
