Reviewing Our Commitment

Last week we had the pleasure of hosting Senator Sasha Pérez (SD-25). We shared with Senator Pérez some of the District’s ongoing efforts to innovate, partner and save on costs. For example, we talked about how the District is proactively looking to remove currently known and future contaminants beyond federal and state regulatory standards because we believe that exceeding standards aligns with our mission of providing safe, reliable water. This starts with PFAS, for which the District is running a pilot program to determine the treatment method that strikes the optimum balance between stewardship of the water we deliver to you and cost-effectiveness. PFAS are endocrine-disrupting chemicals used in many products and present in the environment. [These chemicals can interfere with your hormones, thyroid, immune system, reproductive health and more.] We shared our work on wildfire mitigation and emergency preparedness, identifying partners and collaborative plans through the region, county and state. We showed Sen. Pérez our first stormwater project at the top of Rosemont Avenue, a partnership with the non-profit Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, preventing water from flowing out to the ocean while capturing water that is several multiples more affordable than purchasing water from the Eastern Sierra and the Colorado River. We talked about how the District has developed a legislative advocacy program to partner with elected officials from Sacramento and Washington, D.C. to provide funding for critical infrastructure. The District also recently met with Assemblymember Nick Schultz (AD-44) and Congressmember Judy Chu (CA-28) and we are looking forward to a coordinated effort to bring dollars to the community while informing policy and legislation with the upcoming legislative session in Sacramento.

In other news, you may recall that the District completed a pilot program last year to evaluate whether an in-house pipeline program to provide cost savings would be possible. In a world of many uncontrollable factors, such as drought, the cost of purchased water, increasing energy costs and protecting you by tackling water quality issues such as PFAS, pipeline replacement was one of the areas we identified where we might be able to control our costs. The pilot program was successful demonstrating significant savings (greater than 50%) compared to contractor costs. The District’s board of directors approved a dedicated program that began in July, which is the beginning of the fiscal year that runs from July 1 to June 30. We are about a quarter of the way through Fiscal Year 2025-26, and our first project at Upper Terrace is complete, representing more pipeline replacement in three months than in the past many years, and at a significantly lower cost. The next project on Henrietta Avenue is set to break ground the week of Nov. 3 and is anticipated to go through early February 2026. 

We continue extended outreach regarding the recent implementation of “budget-based” rates and monthly rather than bi-monthly billing. Customer service staff are directly contacting every household in the community to ensure your understanding. 

In closing, please join me in welcoming Monique Burke and Rene Caneva who have joined on an interim basis to provide direct outreach to every customer. Also joining us is Dennis Nguyen, Capital Improvement Projects Program manager, who makes sure that projects are completed to specifications in terms of cost, timeline and work quality. Finally, we have Zlatina Georgieva, senior accountant, who ensures all costs are captured and accounted for appropriately.

Thank you as always for reading and continuing the dialogue.