Looking at 75 Years of Service

75 years ago, seven private water companies consolidated with the vision of providing better service to the community collectively. This year, Crescenta Valley Water District (CVWD) (the District) is celebrating 75 years of providing safe, reliable water and wastewater services to La Crescenta, Montrose and part of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge. 

In 1950, the infrastructure was new. Groundwater was plentiful in underground aquifers and imported water supplies from the Sierra Nevada (State Water Project) and the Colorado River were abundant and affordable. There were vastly fewer known groundwater contaminants and many fewer associated regulations. Climate patterns were significantly different, with more consistent expectations for rainfall and fewer severe droughts and fewer and less-intense natural disasters like wildfire. The business of water was more about “maintenance” with an attitude of “out of sight, out of mind.” 

Today, many of the pipelines, wells, reservoirs and pumps built and installed in the 1950s-1970s are reaching the end of their useful life. Groundwater contaminants such as nitrates and PFAS have been identified and climate change has created long and severe drought cycles while accelerating the frequency of wildfires, such as last year’s. Meanwhile, technological advancements create security issues on one hand while creating workforce development opportunities on the other. You have likely seen media coverage regarding all these issues, from the pervasiveness of PFAS compounds to the advent of artificial intelligence to a recent, widely circulated, report by the United Nations regarding “global water bankruptcy.” 

The work of the last 75 years has been necessary and good, but the next 75 years will need to reflect significantly different realities than in the past. Because water is a life-giving resource, and because the District is the community’s steward of this resource, the appropriate duty of care is to look and plan 10, 20, 40-plus years into the future. Your team of utility professionals is already well under way with immediate and long-term planning. The following are a few areas where the District is several steps ahead, including demonstrating leadership among the state’s water agencies: 

• Replacing infrastructure with in-house resources – Pipelines in good condition are essential for ensuring water is always available for your use. Maintaining these pipes is extremely costly and replacement costs, as with all other costs, have increased significantly. Utilizing in-house crews for pipeline replacement is rare these days. We have shown that it is possible and we are saving 50% and more compared to hiring external contractors. The savings from this initiative will help lessen rate increases and the savings can be invested in other important efforts such as wildfire mitigation.
• Ensuring top water quality – While the District does not create groundwater contaminants, the position of the District is to treat your water not only to regulatory standards, which are some of the most stringent in the world, but to consider how to remove contaminants proactively. CVWD is nearing the completion of a pilot study for utilizing the latest technology for removing PFAS from water. The vision is also to identify the best technology for removing future contaminants for extended cost effectiveness. The District has secured outside funding and is also seeking state funding to supplement rates collected from customers.
• Emphasis on public safety – During last year’s wildfires, the District deployed mobile reservoirs called HeloPods to serve firefighting helicopters. LA County Fire Dept. considered these mobile dip tanks to be game changers in stopping the advance of the Eaton Fire and saving JPL. This underscored the fact that certain things, like water and fire, know no boundaries. The District is a leading voice in wildfire mitigation, currently sponsoring legislation in Sacramento, requesting state funding for innovative advances and seeking partnerships with local neighboring agencies to implement those innovative solutions.
• Seeking sources of water supply – With water increasingly scarce and costly, CVWD actively seeks alternative and more affordable sources of water supply. A stormwater capture project stopping water from flowing to the ocean was constructed last year in partnership with the non-profit Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (Rosemont Preserve) and LA County Flood Control. We are planning two to three additional projects this year. We are exploring underground sources of water mentioned in historical archives and developing plans for new wells.
• Investment in future workforce – Ultimately all of this is driven by talented professionals. Water and wastewater are highly specialized trades. CVWD recently established a partnership with Glendale Community College (GCC) and Glendale Water & Power to support GCC in developing a utility workforce development program to invest in our community’s resources and future professionals at the same time.

We are pleased to partner with the CV Chamber to commemorate our anniversary at the annual Hometown Country Fair at CV Park on April 25. You can see us there and you can also catch us at the Montrose Library on May 20 for our ongoing Community Office Hours. Thank you to those who joined us for a productive discussion at the Montrose Library on Jan. 21.

In closing, please join me in welcoming Efrain Davalos and John Hernandez, both bringing outside experience to our Operations & Maintenance team, Anareli Murillo, who serves developers and engineering projects as project coordinator, and Elena Chamorro, who supports the team with budgeting, analysis and presentation of many of the above-mentioned efforts as assistant director of Finance and Administration.

Thank you as always for reading and continuing the dialogue.