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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1960-04-06; Municipal Water District; MinutesMEETING OF WATER CUSTOMERS OF CARLSBAD MUNICIPAL WATER DISTRICT HELD APRIL 6, 1960 AT 7:OO P.M. IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY OF WSBAD, 2960 PI0 PIC0 DRIVE, CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: I The meeting was called to order by President Kelly at 7:20 P.M. President Kelly stated this meeting was called to try and explain what the water sisuation is. He said it was a little difficult to adjust matters of water delivery, who should get what and who causes what difficulties, He advised the water consumers that we are approaching the time when the second barrel will come through and there will be plenty of water. But for the next 5 or 6 months we are going to have a storage problem. The meeting was then turned over to the District Engineer. The Engineer said the nature of our problem is that a wholesaling agency is required to take water at a uniform rate of flow. A valve is opened at a certain locality to deliver a certain amount of water. The valve is then locked in place and we cannot change the rate of flow for a period of 24 hours, and during week-ends up to 72 hours. We have to make some provision for utilizing water that we have delivered to us in that fashion, since the water is used during daylight hours and not used during night hours. He stated we have in the system a relatively small amount of storage. The develop- ment of the agricultural land to the South has been so rapid it has gotten ahead of the District with the result we do not have in our system at the present time, sufficient reservoir capacity. The City of Carlsbad has storage that enables them to take a rate of flow on a uniform basis, so they do not contribue to our problem. With our other consumers, our agriculture consumers, the operation last year for example, was certainly difficult here in this District, and the demands were not nearly as high as they will be this year. The Engineer stated this was the nature of our problem. There are different ways you can obviously solve this problem. One way is to build adequate storage to be able to handle the constant flow at night and place that water back in the system the following day. That alternative, you might say, is under way at the present time but it is not possible to construct that type of storage in time for this coming season. I Another alternative is to set the rate of flow from the aqueduct at the rate needed to meet the maximum demands in the day time and dispose of surplus water at night time by some means. Other alternatives in order to make effective use of the water, water consumers would either have to construct the necessary reservoirs to irrigate through the day and fill at night; or go on a 24 hour irrigation schedule, but this is quite unsatis- factory; or you would use the water during the day, then the would would run out on the ground during the night. Still another alternative would be for the District to set the flow we have to take at a way we can regulate, then tell our consumers "this is all we have to go around", We might offer a program to our consumers: First, those consumers who could set up own water schedule and take water on a uniform rate of flow, would be entitled to water at their usual rate. They would not be contributing to our problem. Second, that if an individual consumer felt that he was not in a position to take his water on a uniform rate of flow and continued to take water on deman, there would be cer- tain additional costs the district would have to levy for that kind of service. We would have two rates - The consumer who could qualify and take water at a uniform rate of flow; and the consumer who would take water on a deman basis would pay a higher rate. Discussion followed with the consumers. The Engineer stated the purpose of the meeting was to present the problem to the consumers, The water rate which he has recommended to the Board for those consumers who cannot take water at a uniform rate of flow would be .20c per 100 CU. ft . Mr. Brown of fonto Farms asked the Engineer what we were going to do with this water and he replied we are going to put- it either in existing basins or in Calavera. We are gQing to try to avoid dumping it into a canyon. I . I* The question was asked wj-ty the District didn't utilize Calavera for this excess storge this summer. The engineer replied this had been explored, and to rejuvenate Calavera would cost too much and the District doesn't have the money. A pumping station would have to be built, would have to filter, etc. The Engineer continued saying the solution is nOt alone in the disposing of the water but there would be additional costs involved. A certain amount of policing would have to be done. The meters do not indicate whether water is taken at a uniform rate or not. In order to determine if taken at a uniform flow or not would mean having sufficent staff to get: around and check. 1 Lyle Bonn asked the Board whey this storage problem hadn't been solved. He said this was an 18 mo. old problem, and due to the situation they were going to lose tenants. President Kelly replied that three bond issues were held to form the District. There was a great deal of opposition. It was the Board's feeling if they tried to saddle the District with another it simply would not go. Would have to have a bond issue of around $500,000.00 - $600,000.00 to provide adequate storage, and the question is would it go. The Engineer pointed out, in answer to Lyle Bonn's question why hadn't something been done in 18 months, there actually had been a great deal done in that time. As President Kelly pointed out, before there was a Carlsbad Municipal Water District, the lands did not have water at all. In order to get water to these lands it was necessary €or this District to go to the voters three times to get the pipelines. Agriculture has proceeded more rapidly than was expected and the District had hoped to be in a better position. The water demand this year will come very closely to the ultimate demand. Mr. Bonn asked if there was any assurance there would be a solution by next year. The Engineer replied the Board was actively working on the solution of the problem by the construction of a larger reservoir, which naturally wouldn't be for this summer. Mr. Bonn said right now people are getting for the land, but are not going to stick their neck out for $80.00 water and some of the farmers don't have the space like Mr. Brown to construct their own reservoir. Carroll Kelly pointed out that in Improvement District #Z the land owners voted $900,000.00 worth of bonds of which $350,000.00 were sold leaving a balance of $550,000.00 bonds authorized but not sold. There are still a lot of property owners be used. The engineer stated it was possible the conditions might actually turn out not to be as extremed as anticipated. President Kelly stated the District would not have the farmers pay for this surplus, unless a surplus actually exists. After further discussion it was decided the Board would draft notices and send to $the water consumers, giving their solution and setting their policy to handle the situation. The meeting adjourned at 9:05 f .M. I who have had no water brought to their land at all. Why couldn't some of this money I