Carpinteria Valley Water District rates to increase

BY ROBERT MCDONALD, GENERAL MANAGER CARPINTERIA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT

Inflation has touched every aspect of all our lives over the past few years, and the costs associated with supplying water to our customers are no different. Like all public water agencies, we must recoup the cost of ensuring high quality, safe and reliable water around the clock, and that results in increased water rates.

Our staff has received many questions and comments regarding the Proposition 218 notice that was mailed out specifying the proposed water rate increases over the next three years, so we wanted to use this opportunity to explain why these increases are necessary to continue to provide safe and reliable drinking water to the community. It is also important to note that our Proposition 218 notice sets the highest rate increases that could be implemented over the next three years. Our staff and board of directors are still actively working to tighten our projected budget, so that the final rate increases to be adopted in June may be less than those stated in Proposition 218 notice.

As a public water agency, we review our expenses each year to ensure that we can continue to cover the costs of delivering safe, reliable water to our customers. This year it became apparent that we needed to increase rates to offset the increased expenses, largely driven by inflationary pressures. There are three major factors driving the budget increases for the next Fiscal Year (FY): operational costs for the Cater Water Treatment Plan in Santa Barbara, employee costs and the Carpinteria Advanced Purification Project (CAPP).

Operational costs for the Cater Water Treatment Plant in Santa Barbara have significantly increased and account for the majority of the proposed budget increases for FY24 ($874,000). We anticipate more modest increases for these costs after the first year in FY25 and FY26.

Employee costs for our invaluable staff, who keep everything running, are also increasing in FY24 due to wage pressure. These costs account for $432,000 of the proposed budget, increasing by approximately $200,000 over normal years.

Additionally, the proposed rate increases over the next three years have also been carefully designed to generate a portion of revenue for the CAPP, a critical facility that will ensure a locally-controlled, drought-proof water supply for the future, which will be completed by 2026. Fortunately, the district has been awarded several grants totaling $27 million, which will cover a significant proportion of the anticipated cost of constructing CAPP. However, some costs still must be recovered through rates. The proposed rates have been designed to generate an additional $500,000 each year for the next four years to fund the construction and operation of the CAPP project.

After seeing our imported surface water treatment costs nearly double this year and managing our highly variable and vulnerable water supplies over the past decade of drought, it is evident that investing in a locally-managed and drought-resistant water source will be monumental for Carpinteria Valley Water District and our customers. Through our partnership with the Carpinteria Sanitary District (CSD), CAPP will provide us with the facilities required to capture and purify water that would otherwise be released into the ocean. This purified water will be put into the Carpinteria Groundwater Basin (CGB), where it can be stored for later use by the district. The CAPP is currently in final design, and construction will begin at the end of next year.

When the CAPP comes online, it will provide Carpinteria with greater resiliency when faced with unpredictable water supply conditions, including drought.

It is noteworthy that even without the CAPP portion included in the rate increase, the rates proposed would be twothirds or about 67% of what is currently shown in the notice.

We understand that any rate increase can be difficult during this inflationary period, and we remain committed to minimizing increases while ensuring the delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable water to our customers. We are developing a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) sheet about the rate increases that you will find on our website soon. You can also review our previous rate increase discussions by viewing the board meeting recordings provided on our website. These discussions provide additional background on how the proposed increases on the Proposition 218 notice were calculated.

We urge our customers to keep a water-conscious mindset and encourage you to take advantage of some of our water-saving tools and resources. We continue to offer rebates for residential and commercial customers for water conservation fixtures and appliances as well as rebates on WaterWise Landscape upgrades. You may e-mail conservation@ cvwd.net for additional information.

You can also monitor your water use by signing up for a free EyeOnWater account at eyeonwater.com/signup and set text and e-mail leak alerts to prevent water waste. For more information about other efforts underway for your water and other district updates, please visit our website cvwd.net, follow us on twitter @ CarpWater, or Carpinteria Valley Water District on Facebook and Nextdoor.

Robert McDonald is the general manager of the Carpinteria Valley Water District. For District updates, please visit cvwd.net, follow the district on twitter @CarpWater, or Carpinteria Valley Water District on Facebook and Nextdoor.

Outdoor dining is good for businesses

My husband and I truly enjoy the temporary – and hopefully permanent – outdoor dining options on Linden that were added due to the pandemic. The small number of parking spaces that are lost due to the addition of outdoor dining spaces is a small sacrifice for a nice way to enjoy a meal outdoors.

Covid or no covid, we are so happy to take a stroll over to a local restaurant and enjoy dining outside. Like many people, we like to people watch, and I’m thinking that it can only help to bring more customers downtown. We shop at local retail stores more as well, as we like to take a walk after a meal.

This also contributes to a more vibrant and thriving downtown Carpinteria. More people outside just makes the whole downtown look like it’s hopping, and it makes us want to join in the fun. Case in point: Just look at the outdoor restaurants on Carpinteria Avenue. These outdoor restaurants are always packed with people. People like being outside when they visit our beach town. We support our local businesses and think that these outdoor dining areas can only help our sweet little beachside community.

Lisa Starr Santa Barbara

Bark for a dog park

My husband and I have lived in Carpinteria over 60 years and have always felt blessed to live here. But lately we have felt ostracized because we are dog owners who want a place to freely exercise our dogs off leash.

We are grateful for the effort the city and others have made in providing off-leash locations. Unfortunately, they were only temporary as people profusely complained, and we are told people take priority over dogs. Behind each dog is a person – often a tax-paying citizen who deserves a place to enjoy recreational activity with their “loved-ones” like other citizens of Carpinteria.

Our city provides for activities that I never take part in, but I think it’s great they’re available for others to enjoy. It makes for a diverse and happy community. I, like many others, enjoy exercising my dogs off leash, but everywhere I go in Carpinteria, it’s prohibited.

Dog parks are commonplace in countless cities, and I feel Carpinteria would benefit by following this popular trend. I understand a park for dogs needs to be situated where it won’t create a disturbance, which has proven to be challeng- ing, but I trust we can open our hearts and find a place suitable for our community.

The American Heart Association states in “5 Ways Pets Help with Stress and Mental Health” that “Evidence suggests that attachment to pets is good for human health and even helps build a better community.”

Members of C-Dog (Carpinteria Dog Owners Group) and those who desire to exercise their dogs off leash are the nicest people I have had the privilege to meet. They recognize dogs deserve to run free and know the joy it brings to the people who love them. Carpinteria, please help make this happen and build a better community.

Doreen Maulhardt Carpinteria

Gun safety won’t solve the mental health crisis

I am writing in response to “Commonsense gun safety measures are needed to reduce suicide rates” (CVN Vol. 29, No. 34).

If a person is suicidal and you hide all the guns from them, they are still going to feel suicidal, aren’t they? The job of a psychologist or a mental health therapist is to help their patients overcome feelings of distress and hopelessness. You can outlaw guns, knives, ropes, drugs, tall buildings and close all the bridges you want, but you wouldn’t really be addressing the heart of the problem.

One way to protect a suicidal person from harming himself or herself would be to confine them to a straitjacket and lock them in a cell. I’m sure you’d agree that isn’t always the best solution either. As much as we appreciate the intentions of lawmakers like Salud Carbajal and others, the litigation they propose – as compassionate as it appears – risks infringing on the constitutional rights of other American citizens who don’t want to harm anybody. Do you really believe that these measures are going to bring any relief to a person who is in pain and feels suicidal? You should ask them.

The purpose of this letter is not to stoke the controversy between gun rights and gun laws. Let’s face it, that is an issue that won’t be resolved in a million years. If nobody ever killed themselves again with a gun because guns were canceled or restricted, would you really feel you had succeeded as a therapist? You might feel consoled by the new statistics, but did you help them feel and get better? That is my point.

Alan Hurst Carpinteria