By Don Zdeba The subject of my columns has always focused on water-related issues. However, as I began to write this, the Governor announced a large part of our state would be subjected to another shutdown order that could last through the holidays impacting an array of activities in areas facing critical care shortages. Eleven… Continue Reading “2020 – A Year Like No Other”
By Don Zdeba The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (“Authority”) has taken actions recently with regards to fees that will affect customers of the Indian Wells Valley Water District (“District”). These are pass-through fees implemented by the Authority. Though they will appear on your water bill, the money collected goes to the Authority and not… Continue Reading “Impact of IWVGA Fees on District Customers”
By Don Zdeba There is a quote attributed to renowned management theorist Peter Drucker to the effect that “what gets measured gets managed.” That is the foundation of the automated metering infrastructure (AMI) project Indian Wells Valley Water District has recently completed and the companion WaterSmart® customer platform being rolled out this month. By now,… Continue Reading “Water Wise with WaterSmart”
January 3, 2020 There has been some misinformation pertaining to the proposed water use targets set by Senate Bill 606 (Hertzberg) and Assembly Bill 1668 (Friedman). The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) has issued a news release addressing some of the incorrect information. Click here to read the post.
By Don Zdeba “It’s always something” are words Gilda Radner made famous with her character of Roseanne Roseannadanna on Saturday Night Live in the late 70’s. The same can be said for the regulatory world when it comes to water in California. While the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, or “SGMA”, has been the hot topic… Continue Reading “It’s Always Something”
By Don Zdeba “I Feel the Earth Move” is a song written and recorded by Carole King. Carole felt it move for a different reason (“I feel my heart start to trembling whenever you’re around”) than we recently did. It has been over two months since our community “felt the earth move” from the significant… Continue Reading “I Feel the Earth Move”
By Don Zdeba July 1st begins a new fiscal year for Indian Wells Valley Water District making this a perfect opportunity to provide an update on happenings within the District. There are a number of projects, both ongoing and new to mention. First, though, I wish to acknowledge the District has once again received the… Continue Reading “Happy New (Fiscal) Year”
By Don Zdeba Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.” Alice: “I don’t much care where –” Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” The saying “down the rabbit hole” refers… Continue Reading “Going Down the Rabbit Hole”
By Don Zdeba Playing off the title of the Academy Award winning film, “The Shape of Water,” I would like to take this opportunity to share with you the shape of the Water District. The Board of Directors of Indian Wells Valley Water District, at the December 10th meeting, approved a new rate structure resulting… Continue Reading “The Shape of (the) Water (District)”
By Don Zdeba At its July 19th meeting, the Board of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) voted to approve Ordinance 02-18 establishing a groundwater extraction fee of $30 per acre-foot along with the rules, regulations and procedures for imposing the fee. This followed the required initial reading of the Ordinance at the June… Continue Reading “IWVGA Fee Impacts IWVWD Customers”