Tag archives: Montecito Water

No Lead is Good News: Customer Pipe Inventory Complete
By Laura Camp   |   November 12, 2024

The District treats and tests water to make sure that it is lead-free when it leaves the treatment facility to travel through water mains. All pipelines that carry water play an important role in the quality of the water that arrives at the tap. A comprehensive survey of the District’s pipes completed in 2018 detected […]

Montecito Water Progress Report
By Tobe Plough and Floyd Wicks   |   July 2, 2024

Ten years ago, Montecito was in a water crisis – we were literally about to run out of water. Forced to take action, the Water District rationed water supply to customers, imposed extreme penalties of $45 per 100 acre-feet for overuse, threatened flow restrictors and severe fines, and totally relied on purchasing supplemental supplies of […]

Montecito Water District Rate Evaluation Underway
By Laura Camp   |   March 12, 2024

Extraordinary inflation and opportunities to improve resiliency were key discussion points in Montecito Water District’s Special Board Meeting this week. Directors reviewed a preliminary analysis with Raftelis Financial Consultants in anticipation of adjusting water rates for customers later this year. Rates are revisited every three to five years, and are required to be based on […]

Montecito Association Meets 
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   September 20, 2022

At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on the crime highlights in Montecito for the last month, which include a washed up panga boat on Butterfly Beach; $10,000 of vandalism by a well-known guest at the Rosewood Miramar Resort; assault at a juvenile party on Middle Road; […]

Has the County Lost Its Mind?
By Sharon Byrne   |   July 5, 2022

We work a lot with the county, from sheriffs to Public Works to Flood Control to Zoning. Normally, the relationship is pretty good. The county is usually responsive, and our community benefits from working closely with our government.  But our county is doing something we don’t understand at all. Apparently, neither do the judges. You’ve […]

MWD at Montecito Association
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   May 17, 2022

At this month’s Montecito Association Board meeting, Montecito Water District (MWD) General Manager Nick Turner presented an overview of drought conditions and a summary of the District’s 5-year Strategic Plan, which was adopted earlier this year.  The District has been in existence for the last 100 years, and its mission statement is to provide an […]

Should the Montecito Water and Sanitary Districts Consolidate?
By Bob Hazard   |   April 19, 2022

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 […]

Montecito Association Meets
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   April 19, 2022

At this month’s Montecito Association meeting, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Lieutenant Butch Arnoldi reported on the most recent crime events in Montecito.  Arnoldi noted an abandoned rental car on East Mountain Drive; vandalism at Hot Springs trailhead; mailbox destroyed on Buena Vista; intoxicated subject breaking into vehicle on Lilac Drive; embezzlement scam on School House […]

East Valley Road Construction
By Kelly Mahan Herrick   |   February 1, 2022

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 […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   March 28, 2019

MWD: Reconsider Water Deal… Please (The following letter was sent to Floyd Wicks, President of the Board of Directors of the Montecito Water District, and its Board members, and a copy was cc’d to Montecito Journal by the letter writer.) I am writing to support the recommendations of your former General Manager Bob Roebuck (“Water […]

Vote for Your Water Bill to Increase
By Dick Shaikewitz   |   November 1, 2018

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 […]