Affordable rates keep water flowing in Cabazon Water District

Big challenges/affordable rates

In these challenging economic times, water districts must keep examining their rates to assure that customers always receive a precious resource at an affordable price, said Wayne Spencer, a technical support specialist for the non-profit California Rural Water Association.

"Rates should be reviewed annually and adjustments made if necessary based on a district's own financial situation," Spencer said. "The worst thing is not to keep up. Water rates must be fair and reasonable so that districts can continue operating viable, responsible water systems."

Water experts recognize the unique challenges facing smaller agencies.

An article by Gary Pitzer in the May/June publication of Western Water, "Small Water Systems, Big Challenges," identified the issues that districts like Cabazon Water are facing everywhere.

"They are located in urban areas and in some of the most rural parts of the state, but they have at least one thing in common: they provide water service to a very small group of people. Most small water systems exist in obscurity--financed by shoestring budgets and operated by personnel who wear many hats."

Formed in 1954, the Cabazon Water District today serves about 1,000 customers spread across an area of five square miles.

Small hike/big dividends

A small, incremental rate increase spread over the next three to four years is necessary to improve water service and upgrade an aging water system made up of some pipelines that date to the 1940s--long before Cabazon Water was even formed, said General Manager Calvin Louie.

"It's crucial that we adjust the rates," Louie said. "We want to maintain our own local water district to serve the residents of Cabazon."

Any increase would only cost the average family about $3 or $4 a month extra, officials say. And it would come only after board members carefully review the needs of the district.

The board has requested a district rate study that should be ready in July. A staff survey of a dozen local water districts found that Cabazon Water ranks in the middle, with an average family paying about $35 a month for water.

Experts say rate comparisons between districts are difficult because many factors are involved and each agency operates differently. And the situation is tricky for small water districts like the one in Cabazon.

In one study, the Environmental Justice Coalition for Water found that small water districts spend as much as 8 to 10 times as much money to deliver a gallon of water than systems that serve more than 50,000 people.

In April, Spencer will hold a workshop where the board will discuss the rate situation and district finances. Later, the water board will consider holding a public hearing where residents will be able to discuss any proposed, new water rates. "The Cabazon Water District should be commended for being so proactive and addressing the issue of rates," Spencer said.

Looking ahead

A rate study will give the district a good picture of its finances and be helpful in planning future growth.

Like all public agencies, Cabazon Water faces some financial challenges during the current recession.

Water revenues are down about 20 percent because of foreclosures and vacant rental properties in Cabazon. Preventive and emergency repairs cost the district about $158,000 this year. Cabazon Water still has $750,000 in its reserves after selling water rights eight years ago to the Morongo Band of Mission Indians. Money from the reserves has been used in recent years for maintenance, repairs and some operating expenses.

"We don't want this to be a burden on people," Cash said. "By adjusting rates to keep up with operating costs, the Cabazon Water District has a bright future ahead. The district will be able to provide excellent service to the community as it has for more than a half century."

By R.D. Cash: Wouldn't it be something if we could go back in time?

A while ago, when I was walking up toward Hall's Grade, looking up at them mountains south of Cabazon, I begun thinking about all that logging that went on up there, and I done wished it was 1877 all over again.

Can you imagine being there back then and all of a sudden seeing all that hustle and bustle and hearing the noise? The banging and cracking, guys yelling and hollering at each other as them big pine trees hit the ground, the mules braying and spooked by it all--standing there hitched up to big old wagons loaded up with the limbs and everything taken off--ready for the next trip down the mountain?

And what about Hall's City, out there by the foot of the San Jacinto Mountains near the old sawmill about two miles south of where Interstate 10 is today. Can you picture the drinking and the dancing that went on in them two saloons and the tent city that sprung up in those days with all them men living there?

In the end, it was a big dream gone bust for Col. Hall. He discovered that hauling them logs from a deep valley tucked between the mountains separating Cabazon and San Jacinto weren't no easy task, cost too much by the time he turned them into railroad ties and sent 'em on a spur line from the sawmill out to where the railroad tracks are in Cabazon.

By now you're probably wondering why I'm writing this column for The Pipeline.

Well, I'm no historian, but I love this town. I try to be accurate as I can, but when people tell me stories, I could be off by a year or so. But the stuff I just told came from a book published in 1912 called History of Riverside County California by Elmer Wallace Holmes.

So I'm asking for you all to call up the water district or write or even stop by so we can share the history of Cabazon with the community. We're going to put pictures and newspaper clippings and other stuff up on the walls of our new headquarters.

You can drop by our office at 50256 Main St. Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or call 951-849-4442, and I'll get back to you. We'll copy anything you've got and give you back the originals.

But back to them mountains that rise up south of Cabazon. If you drive out that way and look up today, you can still see Hall's Grade scratched into those craggy hills--it's become a trail to nowhere--and imagine where Hall City's sawmill and saloons once stood more than 130 years ago.

There's only scrub brush there now--good for grazin' cattle after the recent rains. But if you listen real hard above the prop jobs flying overhead and the long, mournful whistle of trains rolling down the tracks, you can still hear the ghosts of dashed dreams echoing down them mountains.

Cabazon Tales will appear quarterly and is dedicated to the history of our community.
Band of water workers keep it flowing in Cabazon

Some are on-call day and night. Others spend hours at a walk-up window. A few get dirty in trenches, while others fight off bees, encounter gophers, and avoid snakes while reading water meters.

Here's a closer look at a handful of tireless, dedicated employees who keep things flowing in Cabazon.

Watching the water

Your water district operates with four part-time employees and a general manager on call most nights for emergencies. Like a close-knit family, they all pitch in and help each other when they can. The employees keep an eye out for the district at all times.

Les Magness, water technician I came to Cabazon 48 years ago as a one-year-old. While growing up, he learned about the importance of water early on by helping his dad install many of Cabazon's septic tanks.

"I'm always on patrol wherever I go," Magness, 49, says.

And nothing escapes his gaze--even if it's 3 a.m. and he's driving home soaked after helping crews fix a leak. He'll even stop and make sure that a construction water truck filling up at a hydrant has a permit for the water. Today, he can be rousted out of bed at anytime because he's listed on the Sheriff Department's contact list in the event of water emergencies.

Making his rounds

Meter reader Kevin Tucker copes with all kinds of pests and critters while getting a precise read-out. He encounters snakes, wasps, gophers, and aggressive dogs as he walks up and down streets carrying a long stick that he uses to flip open lids and take a reading.

Gophers can quickly fill up a hole with dirt and make people think their meter hasn't been read. But Tucker takes it all in stride as he reads 200 meters a day.

"I'm just like the post office --- rain, sleet, snow or hail, I've got to read the meters," he says.

Tucker, 22, hopes to turn his talent and skill as a graphic artist into a full-time career one day.

He's already received kudos drawing the logo for Cabazon Water's newsletter called The Pipeline. Tucker also sketched a design of two dinosaurs catching a big wave--a tip of the hat to Cabazon's legendary, freeway-close landmarks. The drawing was used on a promotional shirt for water district employees and board members.

Friendly voice

Dora Orantes, a customer accounts representative, is the face people see at the payment window and the friendly voice they hear over the phone at the district. Every month, about 600 people chat with her at the glass window.

"Most of them, I already know their names and where they live, their street address," Orantes, says. "People say, `You're friendly' or they're glad I can speak to them in Spanish."

Orantes takes a route sheet with close to 1,000 meter readings a month and inputs the five-, six-, or seven-digit numbers into the water district's computer system.

She sorts the bills into three piles before heading to the post office: one for Cabazon, one for Beaumont/Cherry Valley/Banning and a third stack for out of town addresses. In her spare time, Orantes, 36, tidies up as the office's janitor and reads an occasional meter.

"Everybody pitches in, so we can get the work done," she says.

Task master

Debbie Carney, administrative assistant, keeps the office running. Her list of duties is longer than many shopping lists.

"I'm pretty organized," she says. "It's a real challenge. Everyone wears a lot of different hats."

Carney, 55, helped lay out the water district's new headquarters, which will be financed with county redevelopment money. She got quotes on buying a new service vehicle. She handles accounts payable, worker's compensation, human resources, time cards and payroll, takes board meeting minutes, handles agenda packets for board members and recently surveyed a half-dozen local water districts for a rate study.

Keeping an eye out

Foreman Jess Carranco, 67, keeps a vigil on a series of 30-foot-tall water tanks so they don't overflow. Unlike larger districts, Cabazon Water can't afford computerized telemetry devices that automatically keep track of water levels.

"If I'm driving around at night, I'll do `visuals' and shine a flashlight at the scale on the outside of a tank," Carranco says. "As weights in the tank come up, it's all registered outside on the tank."

Carranco, a longtime heavy equipment operator, still drives a tractor and fixes pipeline leaks. He works at saving the district money by handling as many jobs as possible without calling in outside contractors. He's remains modest about his efforts.

"Jack of all trades, master of none," Carranco jokes.

It's all in a day's work at the Cabazon Water District

Payments are accepted and processed, staff meetings keep the district running smoothly, and district workers check tank levels, read meters and keep a lookout for facilities. It's all part of our devotion to public service here in Cabazon.

--Employees of the Cabazon Water District

Improving the system

In a continuing effort to serve customers and improve facilities, the Cabazon Water District is applying for about $7 million in stimulus money under California's economic recovery program.

The district plans the following upgrades if the California Department of Public Health, Division of Drinking Water and Environmental Management approves the funds:

• Four and half miles of new, larger pipelines for better water service and enhanced fire protection.
• A new pumping plant to replace an old well.
• New back-up emergency water supplies
• High-tech security cameras for guarding district facilities
• A computer system that automatically checks water levels in tanks and frees up employees for other duties.

Cabazon Water's pre-application has been accepted. Now, the district will be competing in the small districts category with other agencies in California, said general manager Calvin Louie.

Quick glance

Here's a breakdown of the requested funds:
• $5.3 million to replace old, undersized pipelines that serve about half of Cabazon in the Southeast Pressure Zone. In all, 29,900 feet of new pipeline would be installed along major stretches of Adele, Maxine, Date, Esperanza and Ella avenues--in addition to other streets.
• $1.1 million for a new well in the Southeast Pressure Zone to replace a low- producing well that no longer operates. Water to the area now comes from wells in two other pressure zones.
• $325,000 to create an emergency, backup supply of water in the Well # 2 area, by connecting to water lines owned by the neighboring Morongo Band of Mission Indians.
• $125,000 to provide emergency standby water north of the freeway.
• $225,000 for video cameras that would protect the district's facilities by tilting, panning and detecting motion and using thermal imaging to spot whether the movement is an animal, a person or a vehicle.
The package also includes a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system that would automatically monitor tank water levels by installing sensors and instruments inside them.

"The stimulus money would take the district to the next level," Louie said.