News of the Arroyo
Title: | Foothill Water District to host public forums |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2009-10-01 |
Summary: | October 1, 2009 - Foothill Municipal Water District will sponsor two public upcoming meetings to discuss the water situation. |
Author: | Megan O'Neil |
Publication: | La Canada Valley Sun |
Content: | With the state facing one of the most severe droughts on record, the Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD) is hosting two community forums during which officials will discuss ongoing water shortages, as well as the district’s long term plans to upgrade its aging infrastructure. The first meeting will take place on Oct. 8 at the Altadena Community Center, and the second will take place on Oct. 13 at Verdugo Hills Hospital. Both forums will start at 6:30 p.m. “California is suffering through a terrible drought, imported water supplies are shrinking and Southern California’s water reserves are extremely low,” Nina Jazmadarian, general manager of FMWD, said. “We need to act now to ensure that we will have adequate water supplies for our communities.” The FMWD, which was incorporated in 1952, pumps supplemental water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California up into the foothills where it reaches approximately 80,000 residents through its eight member agencies. The agencies supply homes and businesses with mix of water from local sources, including reservoirs and wells, as well as the Metropolitan Water District. Among the priorities at the meetings, Jazmadarian said, will be to outline the FMWD’s two-pronged, local reliable supply program. The first part of the program is a modernization of its infrastructure, Jazmadarian said, including lining aging pipelines, and upgrading pumps and reservoirs. advertisement One pipeline, which runs along the Alta Cañyada bridge, had a break several years ago and will receive priority status, Jazmadarian said. A second pipe, on the Windsor Boulevard bridge in Altadena, will undergo extensive observation. The second part of the local reliable supply program is the development of local water supplies, including expanding the use of recycled water (such as captured storm water) and intensifying conservation efforts. The FMWD is considering a $20 million, 30-year bond measure that would fund the water system upgrade and the first stage of the recycled water program. In order to cover the cost of the bond, the district is also considering a property assessment, or parcel tax, which could go up for a vote via mail-in ballot this fall. Voters would include FMWD customers in La Cañada, as well as parts of Altadena and La Crescenta. The tax would cost property owners an estimated $4 per month, Jazmadarian said, depending on property size. “We had community forums in the summertime and the overall response was fairly positive,” Jazmadarian said. “I think people like the idea of being independent of other water supplies.” The FMWD Board is expected to make a final decision on the bond and parcel tax by mid-October. Jazmadarian said the FMWD agencies were able to meet the water needs of U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Department during the Station fire. One agency, the Lincoln Avenue Water Company in Altadena, lost some piping, but otherwise direct damage by the fire was minimal. |
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