The provision of safe water, sanitation, and hygienic conditions is essential to protecting human health during any infectious disease outbreak, including the current 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). Montecito Water District (MWD) is prepared for the rapidly evolving situation and is actively monitoring guidance from local, national, and global health organizations. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) […]
This time last year, we were “loving the rain,” but as a dry January stretches into a dry February, Montecito Water District customers are eager for status updates on the Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara and the new Rate Study. A draft contract for a Long-Term Water Supply Agreement with the […]
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Not many people pay much attention to the Montecito Sanitary District. Neither did I. When solicited by the Water Security Team, I learned how change in the MSD direction was needed for several vital reasons. So, I became a candidate. Woody Barrett and I were voted by you, our community, in as directors, thank you! […]
The Montecito Sanitary District (MSD) was formed in 1947 with the sole purpose of collecting, treating and disposing of the community’s wastewater, but it didn’t actually come online as a completed sewage system and treatment facility until the early 1960s. Today, the MSD serves approximately 3,100 customers in Montecito, with only a scattered number of […]
During the recent severe drought, water restrictions coupled with financial penalties were adopted to encourage water conservation. For single family residence (SFR) the penalties affected consumption of water above 25 hundred cubic feet (hcf) per month. Since the average Montecito SFR uses 5 hcf/month for interior use and 17 hcf/month for exterior use the financial […]
As the current Montecito Water District Board President, it is incumbent upon me to ensure that the public is provided the facts surrounding the long-term (50-year) draft agreement with the City of Santa Barbara in order to provide a complete “desal” picture to the residents of Montecito and Summerland. Historical Background In 2010 and 2015, […]
The Board of the Montecito Water District appears ready to enter into a 50-year, $1/4 billion contract with the City to acquire 1,409 acre feet of desal water a year. They are waiting for the new rate consultants they just hired in December for $82,221 to finish a new rate study. The Board terminated its […]
In an update to a story we brought you last week (MJ # 25/37), over 200 members of the Westmont student body participated in a Safe Routes to School Project for Cold Spring School, with support from the Bucket Brigade, Cold Spring Landscape, Cold Spring School parents and staff, Montecito Trails Foundation, and material donations […]
At this month’s Montecito Association monthly board meeting, SB County Water Resources Deputy Director Tom Fayram reported on Montecito’s debris basins following the strong storms over the last several weeks. “We’ve been going full throttle since January,” Fayram said, adding that hundreds of trucks have been in Montecito clearing debris basins, sometimes 24 hours a […]
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Last week many Montecito residents endured evacuations due to a series of several rain storms that hit our area, bringing much needed wet weather to the County. Montecito Water District reports that Thursday’s storm in particular brought significant precipitation over the Santa Ynez River upper watershed, and was seemingly concentrated over Jameson Lake, a key […]
Earlier this month, Montecito Water District’s Strategic Planning Committee met to review the current status of a potential long-term Water Supply Agreement with the City of Santa Barbara. Phase 2 negotiations resumed in late March 2018, spearheaded by Nick Turner, MWD’s General Manager. Turner and MWD staff, along with District consultant David Moore of Clean […]
California’s aging State Water System with its surface canals and pumps was designed to meet the needs of 25 million California farmers and urban users. Today, it struggles to provide sustainable water for 40 million current state residents. Fortunately, technology – at a price – can help solve the problem, especially for coastal communities, if […]
Your choice for the Water and Sanitary District (MSD) candidates in the Tuesday, November 6, election will decide what kind of Montecito will be rebuilt from the debris and destruction nine months ago. A few months ago, I spoke to the Montecito Association at “public comment” time about the need for unity while the community […]
If the Committee for Montecito Water Security fulfills their promises, you can expect your water bills to increase by about one-third. They raised $80,000 in campaign money two years ago and were successful in having their two candidates elected to the Water District Board. There are only five Water Board directors, and it takes just […]
