MWD Urges Reduced Water Usage
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 19, 2021

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 […]

MWD Urges Customers to Conserve Water
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   July 8, 2021

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 […]

 

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Montecito Association Meets
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   June 17, 2021

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 Privatization of Our Water is a Bad Idea, as is Combining Districts
By Robert Roebuck   |   May 6, 2021

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 […]

An Unknown Roadmap: Breaking Down Montecito’s Recycling Plan Options
By Bob Hazard   |   April 29, 2021

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 […]

Montecito Water District’s Newest Hire Aims to Strengthen Our Underground Water Supply
By Nick Schou   |   December 3, 2020

Six years ago, former California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law landmark water management legislation consisting of several bills which bundled together were called the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). The law made history by finally mandating a statewide campaign to protect and preserve the groundwater basins that collectively make up the reserves of California’s […]

Candidates Throw Their Hats in the Ring
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   August 13, 2020

Last week was the candidate filing period deadline for many local elections, including the Montecito Fire Protection District and Montecito Water District boards of directors. This week marks the deadline period for both public schools in Montecito (Cold Spring School and Montecito Union), as well as for the Montecito Sanitary District board. At Montecito Fire […]

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  • Why Did it Take 32 Years for Montecito to Cut a Desal Deal with the City of Santa Barbara? (Part II)
    By Bob Hazard   |   July 9, 2020

    The story of desalination in Santa Barbara dates back 32 years. Its plot, with all its twists and turns, rivals the movie, Chinatown, a tale of manipulation of water in Los Angeles in the 1930s. Faced with the threat of drought in the late 1980s, the City of Santa Barbara, the Montecito Water District and […]

    Which Way Water Security?
    By Nick Schou   |   June 25, 2020

    Anyone carefully watching the progress of MWD’s “Water Supply Agreement” (WSA) with Santa Barbara already knows that it is almost a foregone conclusion that the agency’s board of directors will have already approved this deal by the time you’re reading these words. Yet as historic as today’s vote is, or was, there are still several […]

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    Montecito’s Missing Water
    By Nick Schou   |   June 18, 2020

    On June 15, Nick Turner, executive director of the Montecito Water District (MWD), gave a two-hour slideshow presentation to the public which outlined the agency’s proposed rate changes that will impact roughly 4,600 households. Thanks to a proposed 50-year Water Supply Agreement (WSA) with Santa Barbara, Montecito will receive a guaranteed supply of agua secured […]

    Montecito Association
    By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   June 11, 2020

    Nick Turner, General Manager of the Montecito Water District, gave a presentation to the Montecito Association Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, in advance of next week’s special MWD Board Meeting (June 15) to discuss the District’s proposed Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara and Rate Study, and a Public Hearing on […]

    A Modest Proposal
    By Nick Schou   |   June 11, 2020

    From 1 to 3 pm on the afternoon of June 15, the Montecito Water District (MWD) will hold an online hearing in which Nick Turner, the agency’s executive director, will explain several proposed water rate changes that will affect roughly 4,000 households in Montecito and Summerland, not to mention several major luxury hotels and private […]

    There Will Be Water
    By Nick Schou   |   June 4, 2020

    On November 10, 2011, the Montecito Water District (MWD), which was created to provide residents with drinkable water, will celebrate its centennial anniversary. It’s an auspicious occasion, because Montecito doesn’t really have any water, at least none you can find under the soil. In fact, according to countless studies – okay, only 18 studies – […]

    Montecito’s Water Supply Much Improved. Still Needs Love, Luck, and Lucre
    By Nick Schou   |   May 28, 2020

    An Historic Vote On June 25, the five members of Montecito Water District’s Board of Directors will hold a public hearing – almost certainly to take place via Zoom – to discuss a proposed change in water rates for its customer base of roughly 4,000 Montecito households. The hearing will allow affected ratepayers as well […]

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