News of the Arroyo
Title: | Don't call them the �Water Police' |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2008-07-10 |
Summary: | July 10, 2008 - Foothill MWD will develop a new way to involve and education local residents, a Water Conservation Team. |
Author: | Ruth Longoria |
Publication: | La Canada Flintridge |
Content: | Water is on most everyone’s mind these days as water rates increase due to water shortages up and down the state. And, with the week of high temperatures and dry conditions a lot of people are concerned with keeping their lawns green and their sprinklers or pool supplied with enough water to beat the heat. As conserving water becomes increasingly vital, officials at Foothill Municipal Water District have devised a way for residents to become more involved with conserving the area’s valuable resource. Docents are needed to join the now-forming Water Conservation Team. Team members will be educated in water conservation techniques by Metropolitan Water District and go through a training course that involves touring local water facilities. Volunteers also will receive identifying polo shirts and caps. Although one of the expectations of team members is “advising the water district of water wasters you might spot from time to time,” the docents “definitely won’t be a form of water police,” said Nina Jazmadarian, general manager of Foothill Municipal Water District. Docents’ primary duties will be to educate the public with conservation measures and explain the water supply situation by manning booths at various events and functions, Jazmadarian said. One event she plans to need team member help for is a planned booth at the Sept. 10 business expo at Verdugo Hills Hospital, she added. advertisement Volunteers don’t need prior water-related experience. “We’re looking for enthusiastic, involved people in the community who can spare a few hours each week,” Jazmadarian said. Those who don’t have the time to volunteer are still asked to remain vigilant in conserving water in their own homes and reporting water waste when observed. That’s how Stacy Summers, a Fairview Avenue resident, helped stop water waste this week. Summers saw water spurting up and along the street in front of her home Tuesday afternoon. She called City Hall, where she was referred to the proper department and water district to solve the dilemma. A team from Valley Water Company showed up shortly and was able to cap off a broken, deteriorated 30-year-old plastic pipe. Water was “jumped” from Summers’ home to a neighbor’s house, with a hose, to accommodate the other family’s water needs while the pipes were fixed Wednesday, said Pat Casteneda, of Valley Water Co. Casteneda and his crew worked throughout the day to replace the plastic pipe with copper piping, which is likely to last much longer, he said. “We see about one or two of these [plastic] pipes break every year,” said Mike Sanders, also a worker with Valley Water Company. “The old plastic pipes just can’t hold up to rocks and roots. These pipes are all over La Cañada and other cities; everyone put them in 30 years ago. Some cities still do, and that works fine for them, but it hasn’t for us,” he said. |
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