Monday Musings

It is last day of January and winter has finally returned.  Good thing too because on Saturday as I was doing some yard work, I noticed that my roses were starting to get new leaves on them.  Probably thought it was spring.  It seems every year the plants come out too early and then get snowed on.   Here at the water district we have 3 apple trees and had no apples last year due to the late May snow that came and froze out all the blossoms.  Mountain gardening is a challenge for sure and it seems many of the plants are easily confused when it comes to the seasons.  One would think they would acclimate, but many of them never seem to.  I guess this another reason why planting natives is such a good idea.

Since it is only January, I fear we are a long way from spring.  But one never knows either.  As I think back over the years, Easter always comes to mind because my daughters always participated in various Easter Egg Hunts around the hill and you just never knew if the weather is going to be conducive to this type of an outdoor activity or not.  On more than one occasion, they hunted for eggs in the snow.  They never minded though because they always said the snow made it easier to find the eggs.  All they had to do was look for the holes in the snow where the volunteers had dropped the eggs.  When it snowed, the challenge of actually having to look for the eggs was replaced with trying to pick them up out of the snow with mittens on!!!  This proved quite hilarious for us observers, although I doubt the children thought it was humorous.  But no matter the weather, they always had a grand time.

Unfortunately, my daughters' egg hunting days are over as time moves on and they grow up.  My  garden now replaces the egg hunts in my thoughts each spring.    Instead of worrying about whether or not to dress the children in snow suits or frilly dresses, I now ponder whether or not I should go out and cover a particular plant or tree to protect it from the frost or is it too early to put in the tomatoes?   But as always, Mother Nature has the last word and it is proving difficult to out guess her, no matter how long I live here.  In the meantime, I will just sit back and enjoy the weather and hope we continue to have a wet winter.

Finally Friday

This is the last Friday in January. Monday, the boys will be out reading meters. January has been a rough month fraught with leaks. Several customers had substantial leaks and many more had smaller leaks. Once the meters are read and the bills prepared, Becky will be able to tell if anyone else has a leak that has not yet been discovered. If she sees a substantial jump in water usage, she will notify the property owner. We try to be alert to leaks at all times, however, it is ultimately the property owner's responsibility to find and fix leaks that are on their side of the meter.

I know we sound like a broken record here, but we have to keep saying this over and over again because many homeowners do not heed this warning.

The single most important thing you can do when you leave your mountain home is turn the water off at your customer shut off valve.

If the water is shut off at the customer valve, then you will avoid frozen and broken pipes or leaks. If you develop a leak while you are away from your home, an awful lot of water can pass through your meter before you ever find out about it. This can cause a lot of damage if it is inside your house. Not all leaks are detectible either. If they are underground or inside your home, we cannot always spot them and have no way of knowing there is a leak until the meters are read.

If you do not know where your customer shut off valve is or how to shut off your water, please give us a call at 951-659-2675 and we would be happy to come out and help you. Just call during regular business hours of Monday thru Friday from 9 until 4 and we will send Jerry J. or Jeremy out as soon as possible.  We are here to help and we hope you will contact us if you are unsure of how or where to turn your water off.

If you are off the hill and would like us to go out and check your home, we can do so.  There is a $15 fee for this service, however, if you are unsure if you turned your water off and cannot get back up on the hill to check for yourself, having us do it for you is the safest way to go.  That way you will know your water is off and you wont' have to worry about leaks developing while you are away.  It is like the old adage, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. 

Billing

Next week we will be sending out the first bills of the New Year. There seems to be some confusion about this, so I am going to try to clear up some misconceptions.

Bills go out every other month on the even months. The billing months for the year are as follows:

February, April, June, August, October and December.

The bills go out on or about the 1st of these months. They are due on the 25th of the month they are received. If a payment is not received by the 25th, a reminder letter will be sent out. We cannot single out people and not send the letter. The billing program is set up to send letters to each account that has not been paid and it would be too time consuming to pick and choose who gets them. If your account is outstanding, no matter the reason, you will receive a letter. This is just a reminder that your bill has not been paid. This is a courtesy that we provide to our customers just so they are aware that the due date has come and gone and we have not received their payment.

If you feel you are going to be late in paying, please give Becky a call at 951-659-2675 or email her at Becky@pcwd.org. Let her know what is going on and when you might be able to pay. She is always happy to work with you on your bill.

If you do not pay it by the 10th of the following month, a $15 late fee will be accessed to your account. Many people get upset by this, but by the time the 10th rolls around, it has been about 6 weeks since the bills were sent out and we are approaching the next billing period. The best way to avoid this charge, is to send in your payment in a timely manner. If this isn't possible, please call us at 951-659-2675.

If you do not receive your bill in the mail, this does not mean you do not have to pay it. You are responsible for the amount due regardless of the efficiency or lack there of, of the United States Postal Service. We are changing from postcard type bills to bills in a business sized envelope, in hopes of resolving the problem of misplaced postcard bills. However, once the bills leave our office, we have no control over what happens to them as they go thorough the postal system. We often hear, "I never got my bill" as a reason for not paying. If you do not get your bill, please give us a call, email us or stop by and we can let you know the status of your account and the amount due, if any. This approach will save you from having a late fee added to your account.

If you are a renter, it is up to you and your landlord to work out an arrangement to pay the water bill. The District does not get involved in working out agreements between a homeowner and a tenant. If you are renting out your property, please be sure to let your tenant know who is responsible for paying the water bill. If your renter will be paying, please inform them of the total due in a timely manner so they have adequate time to come in and pay the bill.

Please remember that you are responsible for all the water that runs through your meter. There seems to be a misconception that if you have a leak, you do not have to pay for the water that was lost in the leak. This is not true. If it ran through your meter, you are responsible to pay for it, regardless of the reason it was used. Our Board of Directors sets the policy on this and we, as water district employees, have to follow said policy. If you disagree with this, the best course of action is to write a letter to the Board of Directors and they can put it on the agenda for review. We do realize that a leak can cause an unexpected hardship with a large water bill, so we are, in certain instances, able to work with you should you be faced with this dilemma. Again, call us and talk to us about it and we will be happy to help you as best we can.

Our office is now open from 9 to 4 with no closure for lunch on most days, so feel free to stop on by!

You can pay your bill by check, cash or credit card. If you choose to use a credit card you can do it in person or over the phone. There is a $2.50 convenience fee charged by the company that processes our credit card payments. Stop by and say hi, we love seeing our customers.

Other Blogs

As promised, I am posting a link to another water blog. Some are more serious than others, some are global and some will be dealing only with California or the western states. It is your choice if you wish to read them or not. Water is an extremely large topic and there are a variety of blogs and websites out there discussing the subject if one takes the time to do a little searching.

Water Crunch

Our blog here at PCWD, is meant to be a local blog to keep our customers informed of what is happening at the district and sometimes around Pine Cove. It is not meant to be a serious commentary on the status of the water supply of the world. Obviously, if you live in Pine Cove, you are concerned with the water issues of Pine Cove, which we will discuss here. However, as with everything these days, our world is now global and being aware of water situations in other states and countries isn't a bad thing.

Water, or the lack there of, will have a great impact on the world in the future, so it could be pertinent to keep abreast of what is going on. Obviously Pine Cove does not face the same water issues as other places. We are perhaps, better off than some and maybe not as well off as others. We do need to be careful with our water use and it is our job here at the District to keep everyone informed of what our water situation is so that each person in the District is aware of what is happening.

It is always a good idea to come to our monthly board meetings as they are a great source of information. They are open to the public and held at 10 am on the second Wednesday of each month. If you are unable to attend, the minutes can always be found here at our website. Being informed will help our customers plan water usage and conserve water when possible. By reading about what is going on world wide, it makes a person realize how incredibly lucky we are here in Pine Cove to be able to turn on a faucet and get such wonderful tasting, fresh, clean water. Hopefully we will keep this in mind when choosing how to use our water.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these other blogs

Meter Reading

Next Monday, January 31st, the boys, Jerry J. and Jeremy, will be out and about reading meters. If you have a leak that has not yet been detected, this should alert us to it. As usual, Becky will call any customer who has an unusal increase in their water consumption. We have been diligently looking for leaks all month long, but sometimes they are not visible or even outside. Once the meter is read, then we can see how much water was used at each household and notify those who we feel might have a leak.

For those who are not full time residents here, now might be a good time to come up and check on your mountain home. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, the snow has melted and you could get a good look around your property. If you haven't turned your water off at your customer valve, now would be the perfect time to do it.

Monday Musings

Welcome to the last week of January 2011. Time is whizzing on by as per usual. Before you know it, spring will be here. All this nice weather isn't helping either as it is really giving me a whopping case of spring fever. I am trying to control my gardening urges as I know winter is not over and I would be fool hardy to even thing about starting to planting things right now. So I console myself with cleaning out the beds, removing fallen branches and needles and planning what I want to do in the garden this spring. It will be hard to go back to winter after several weeks of such nice, mild weather, but I know we aren't done just yet.

If you really can't resist the urge to get out there plant something, bare root trees can be planted during the winter, however, I do not fancy having to go out and water them in the cold, so I stick to fall or spring for my tree planting. But, if you are brave and don't mind doing a little winter watering, you can go ahead and plant a tree right now. Just be mindful that if you do and we do not receive a generous amount of snow or rain, you will have to go out and water that tree in the cold!

At my house, this creates a problem because I have disconnected my hose to prevent my pipes from freezing. Of course, I could always hook it back up, however, the snow from my metal roof slides off right in front of the hose and it doesn't take long until I have a 4 foot high mountain of snow there. I also do not want to be caught with my hose hooked up during a storm and have to scale that mountain to try to disconnect it after it has frozen. So no hose would mean toting buckets of water out into the yard and frankly, it just doesn't seem worth the effort when I can just wait a few more weeks and not have to deal with the snow and cold in the garden. Once I think the worst is over, then I will do some tree planting.

It is easy to forget that even though the weather isn't hot, that sometimes our trees and plants need watered during the winter. A lot depends on how much snow and rain we get and how good your soil is and how well you have mulched. Now is a good time to do that since the snow is gone and the daytime temps are pretty nice. Just remember to water around late morning or early afternoon so the water has a chance to soak in before any freezing could occur. And remember to disconnect your hose when you are done. Covering you outside faucet is a really good idea as well.

Try to avoid planting trees during the heat of the summer. This is probably the worst time to plant, as they will need an excessive amount of water just to stay alive. If you are like me and don't want to brave doing it in the cold, then just opt for spring or fall planting. While you will still have to water, it won't be as frequently since the temperatures won't be as hot. If you plant in the fall, which is really the best time in my opinion, then it isn't long before the snow and the rain helps you along and you don't have to do so much work. Just be sure to check on them and make sure they are getting enough water and supplement them if they need it.

With a little care, we can help our trees make it through the winter months, nice and health. Healthy trees are better able to fight off diseases and make it through the long, dry summer. Now is also a good time to add some compost to the soil and put on a layer of mulch if you haven't already done so. We still have FREE MULCH just for the taking, so stop buy and pick some up. It will slowly decompose and enrich the soil by making a lovely compost and you won't have to do a thing. Mother Nature will take care of it for you. What could be easier?

New Billing Look

It is almost that time again. We will probably be reading meters on Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st. You will be receiving your bills during the first week in February. They will have a new look this time. Instead of the postcard bills that we normally send out, we will be sending paper bills in envelopes. Hopefully this will end the "I never got my bill" problem that we hear about each time we do a billing. Apparently, they get stuck in magazines or get lost quite a bit. So in order to solve this problem, we are switching to a paper bill placed inside a business sized envelope.

We wanted everyone to be aware of the new style so you don't accidentally throw them away. They will also say "Billing Enclosed" on the front so they won't be mistaken for some sort of junk mail. We hope this will solve an ongoing problem and make it easier for those whose bills are getting waylaid in the mail.

Second Reward

We have had another person turn in a leak and will receive a $25 gift certificate to one of the local restaurants! We are grateful to have customers who are so vigilant and are reporting leaks when they see them.

For more details go to the Pine Cove Water District website and get all the details.

Thursday Thoughts

Wow, can you believe this weather? It looks like it is going to stay this way at least until next week. The snow has melted and this is giving us a nice break between storms. It is wonderful to be able to get out into the sunshine and fresh air, take the dog for a walk, clean up the yard a little bit, sweep off the driveway and just generally clean up the mess that the snow and rain creates.

Since I am from Pennsylvania originally, I am very familiar with winter weather. The thing I find the most depressing about winter back there, was the length of time that you had to be indoors. It just seemed to go on and on and on without much of a break between storms. The sun seemed to go on a permanent vacation. I find that here in Pine Cove, we are lucky enough to get some breaks between storms, which is really uplifting for the spirits.

I very vividly remember the last winter I spent in PA, which was the winter of 85-86. My husband had already moved to California and so I was now solely responsible for all the snow removal.

It quickly became apparent that I was not going to be able to keep up. We had no snow blower, nor could I afford to hire someone to do it. By the time I would arrive home from work at 6 pm, it was dark, cold and frozen. We had two cars at the time and I realized that keeping one shoveled out would be about all I could manage. So by the end of January, the second car was buried and not to be seen again until spring. I had no idea if this would damage the car or not, but at that point, I didn't really care. Luckily, once all the snow melted away, it started right up on the first try after being buried for about 4 months.

Naturally, it had to be a bad winter that year with hardly any breaks between storms. It seemed I would no sooner get my driveway all nice and cleared and within a day or two another storm came through and I was back to square 1. When I think back on that time now, I don't know how I managed. I guess the fact that I was in my 20's and not my 50's probably helped a lot. But I made it through and come May, spring arrived and I joined my husband here in California.

Many people have asked us why we left snow just to come and live in more snow. What they don't realize is that while our winters here can be rough, they are not nearly as bad as what they get on the east coast or in the mid west. We seem to be blessed with these breaks in the weather that allow for several weeks of nice, calm weather with no snow to deal with. We get to enjoy some milder temps, some sunshine and some down time with no shoveling. By the time the storms return to the hill, we will all be ready for them, having had a respite and time to renew ourselves just a little bit. The next storm will be a welcome change and it will allow us to retreat back indoors, snuggled up by the fire with a hot cup of tea, a book or a movie and just watch as the falling snow magically transforms Pine Cove into a winter wonderland once again.

4,000 Views!

We're back! Hope you had a great Martin Luther King Day. The weather this weekend has been absolutely spectacular. If this past weekend doesn't give you spring fever, then nothing will. It certainly doesn't feel like January out there. Most of the snow has melted and the sun has been shining. Quite the contrast to the 6 straight days of rain we had back in December. The swings in the weather are just amazing.

When I left the office on Friday afternoon, we had over 3900 hits to the blog and I was hoping we would hit the 4000 mark by the time I got back this morning. I was right. We have now had 4,073 hits to the blog! Wow, that is outstanding. We are very hopeful that this blog provides much needed information and perhaps a little entertainment and enlightenment to those viewing it. Please check it often to see what is happening here at the water district and around Pine Cove.

As always, I appreciate input from those reading here. If there is a topic you would like to see discussed, let me know. You can always email me at pcwd2675@yahoo.com and let me know what is on your mind. We try to keep things on the light side here with what is relevant to Pine Cove, green living, conservation, both inside and outside, and gardening. Much of the water use here on the hill revolves around those topics and so we try to provide information that is relative to those issues.

And don't forget to send your pictures. We love pictures here at the water district and are interested in what is happening around Pine Cove. Our goal in this new year is to get more pictures up on the blog. Is there something you are intersted in seeing from the water district? Let me know and I will try to get a picture of it posted. I posted some very pretty shots that were taken from the Rocky Point tank site, included a picture of the weather station.

We also wanted to thank everyone with their help with the recent leaks. We sent out an email to those who have left email addresses with us, to notify everyone of the high water usage that was occuring and to alert them that there were leaks somewhere. While some people took the email the wrong way and sent back messages that really had nothing to do with the leak situation, most took it seriously and many of you contacted us to check on your mountain home. It is like the old saying, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

It is very important that we stay vigilant. Our water is precious and to see thousands of gallons of it wasted due to water not being turned off is such a shame. Lets try to prevent these types of situations in the future. And we hope that if we are ever in the position to send out an email alert again, that it will be taken seriously.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO TURN YOUR WATER OFF AT YOUR CUSTOMER VALVE WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR MOUNTAIN HOME.

Office Hours

We will be closed on Monday, January 17th in observance of Martin Luther King Day. We will resume regular office hours on Tuesday.

And remember, we are now open during lunch! That's right folks. Our office hours are now 9 to 4 each day with no lunch time closing.

End of week

We made it through another week! The weather has been superb, which makes life much easier, however, we still want everyone to be vigilant about turning their water off when they leave their mountain home. The past two weeks have been a whirlwind with temperatures freezing and then thawing, which led to several leaks around the Pine Cove area. Two were very substantial leaks and were found by Pine Cove water district employees. The "boys", Jerry & Jeremy, spent quite a bit of time out and about checking part-time homes for leaks.

Many part-timers called or emailed us in response to our email and had us go check their homes. We are very pleased with the response we received because this is the first time we have sent out a bulk email like this. We are hoping this becomes an effective way to communicate when we have a situation such as we did the past two weeks. If you have not given us your email address and would like to do so, please email Becky at Becky@pcwd.org or you can call us at the office. Our number is 951-659-2675 and you can talk to either Becky or Vicki and we will be happy to add you to our email list. We feel this was a very effective and efficient way to contact our customers to let them know there was a problem.

We cannot emphasize this enough. Please turn off your water at your customer valve when you leave your mountain home. This single act takes just a couple of minutes and can save you from a world of problems. Why not take this simple step and prevent a problem before it occurs? It is important to remember that customers are responsible for all the water that runs through their meter, no matter the reason.

Board Meeting Today

Just a quick post to remind everyone that there is a board meeting this morning. It starts at 10 a.m. and everyone is welcome to attend. Hope to see you there.

2 Leaks Found

We found two very big leaks. One yesterday at an unoccupied cabin and one this morning at an unoccupied house that is for sale. These two leaks make up a large part of the excessive water demand we have been experiencing since last week, however, there are probably still more leaks out there.

Jerry J. and Jeremy are out and about trying to find any leaks they can. If you are off the hill, please call a neighbor to check and make sure your water is turned off at your customer valve. Or you can call us and we can go out and turn it off for you for $15. As pipes begin to thaw this week after last weeks colder temps, it is prime time for leaks to appear.

What many people don't understand is that the customer is responsible for all the water that goes through their meter, even if the reason is a leak, a frozen pipe or a burst pipe. This can add up to some very large water bills. That is why we so strongly recommend over and over again, that you turn your water off when you leave your mountain home. It saves a homeowner from diaster.

If a pipe leaks or breaks inside your home, you not only have to pay for a large amount of water, but for all the damage done to the home as well. If your water is turned off, all of these scenarios are eliminated and you can rest assured that your mountain home is safe from possible water leaks and damage. It only takes a few minutes to walk outside and turn it off. The peace of mind is certainly worth a few minutes of your time.

We will continue our search for leaks and we hope all homeowners will check their properties as well or give us a call at 951-659-2675. Prevention is the best policy when it comes to water leaks.

FIRST REWARD!

Great News! We have had someone turn in a leak over the weekend! He wins a gift certificate to one of our local restaurants. We appreciate his keen eye. So that is one more leak stopped. Remember if you spot a leak, call us! You can reach us at 951-659-2675 Monday thru Friday from 9 until 4.

After hours you can call the emergency number at 951-294-8282. It is important that we find these leaks and get them stopped. While several have been found, there are still more out there. So if you spot a leak, call and let us know and lunch will be on us!

Monday Musings

Monday again. How fast they seem to come around. While the weekend wasn't all that warm, it was nice to have a break from the snow and rain. This week is calling for fairly clear weather. I am personally hoping that the snow we have gets to melt off before we get more. We are off to a good start with moisture. I hope it continues through the rest of the winter. However, I am hoping that we do have a nice spring this year as I don't prefer snow in May like we had last year. Unfortunately, the weather rarely seems to take my wishes into consideration.

Once the holidays are over and we get into January, it is hard not to start to look forward to the nicer weather here on the hill and planning for the garden. We still have free bark chips that make excellent mulch if you are in need of mulch. It is an excellent way to help your trees and plants retain moisture. It also slowly decomposes, adding important nutrient rich compost to your soil and you don't have to do a thing. So stop on by and pick some up

Board Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that there is a board meeting on Wednesday, January 12, 2011. It starts at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. The agenda will be posted on our website pcwd.org by 4 p.m. this afternoon. The minutes from past board meetings are also on the website. Hope to see you there.

Water is Back On!

The leak is fixed and the water is back on! If you have any problems, let us know by calling the office at 951-659-2675. Thank you.

Water Turned Off!

The water will be off until approximately 11 a.m. in the vicinty of Lakeview, Scenic Dr. and Eagles Nest. This is due to a leak being repaired. The boys are working as quickly as possibly to get this repaired and turn the water back on. If you have any further questions, please call us at 951-659-2675. Thank you for your patience and support with this matter.

REWARD BEING OFFERED!

The water loss continues, which means there are still leaks out there. So we are offering a reward for anyone who finds and reports a leak to the Pine Cove Water District. Natural springs are not included. If you see a leak, call us immediately at 951-659-2675 and let Becky, Vicki or Jerry know where it is. We are offing a $25 gift certificate to a local restaurant as a reward. Click on the image to inlarge it. We appreciate your help!

Today's weather

Here is what the weather is doing at 9:17 am today. Click on the image for a larger view.

Sustainable Thursday

Since we just made it through the holiday season, it got me thinking about how much waste is created with the Christmas holiday alone. A lot of wrapping paper is not able to be recycled and when you think about how much of it is used, that is a lot a paper in the landfill. I looked at my fake tree and wondered how much energy was used to manufacture it. True you can use them year after year, but eventually they do start to look worse for the wear and then what do you do with them? Why is it at Christmas time, we forget all about living sustainably?

Being guilty of this crime, my family and I decided to take some action. We are donating our artifical tree to a thrift shop so someone can get several more years of use out of it, and from now on, we will be purchasing a living Christmas tree! While it will cost more to do this each year, we feel it will be money well invested in the environment.

It will also create some family memories and traditions because we can go together as a family to choose the tree and then we will plant each year's tree in our yard. This will be a wonderful way to add trees to our landscaping and will give us a year round memory of each holiday season. If we don't have room to plant the tree, we will donate it to the Heavenly Horse Haven in Anza. They have 28 acres and are in need of trees to create shady areas for the animals. Either way, it is a win win situation. No trees will be cut down and we won't be using a throw away tree for our holiday celebrations.

Next week I will talk about how green your gift wrapping and gift giving! How do you green your holidays? Let me know and I will share your ideas with everyone else.

Today's weather

We are working to get the weather station live on the blog and website. In the meantime, we can post a picture of it. Here it is.

Board Meeting

The first board meeting of the new year will be held next Wednesday, January 12, 2011. It starts at 10 am. Hope to see you there.

Urgent Alert!!!!

PINE COVE WATER DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING AN UNUSUALLY HUGE DEMAND FOR WATER.


This is most likey due to someone's water not being shut off and a possible leak or broken pipe.

Last month's water production averaged 42 GPM for the month, and this was during the holidays

Monday's(1-3-11)production was averaging 95 GPM & is rising.

What's causing this huge demand on our water? Customers who leave their water on when they leave the hill. They are not turning their water off at their customer valve, which is located next to our water meter.

Many nights in the last week, temperatures have been below 20 degrees and pipes freeze, then thaw and then leak water or even break. It is possible someone has a leak and does not know it. We are trying to find out where it is and get it stopped.

Contact your neighbors or friends to check your house & property if you are off the hill, or contact us here at the District office during regular business hours and for a fee of $15.00, we will send out on of our field employee's to make sure your water is off and that no water is flowing. We will notify you if we find a problem.

REMEMBER: ALL WATER THAT GOES THROUGH YOUR METER IS BILLED TO YOU AND YOU ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT.

We are sending out emails to those who have provided us with email addresses. If you have not done so and would like to be added to our email list, please contact Becky at becky@pcwd.org and let her know you would like to be added.

If you think you might have left your customer valve on when you left the hill, please call us at 951-659-2675 so we can go and check for you.

Remember that when you leave your mountain home, the single most important thing you can do is to turn your water OFF at your customer valve.

Pine Cove Pictures

Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet from the Rocky Point tank site.

Pine cones hanging off a tree at the Rocky point tank site.

Pine Cove Pictures

Yesterday was the perfect day to get out and takes some pictures around Pine Cove. The snow was beautiful and the sky was a brillant blue. Here is what I found around the district.

This is the view at the Rocky Point tank site. Just gorgeous!

Weather Station

URGENT ALERT!!!

PINE COVE WATER DISTRICT IS CURRENTLY EXPERIENCING AN UNUSUALLY HUGE DEMAND FOR WATER.


Last month's production: 42GPM average for the month

Yesterday's (1-3-11)production: 95 GPM & rising

What's causing this huge demand on our water? Customers who leave their water on. They are not turning their water off at their customer valve, which is located next to our water meter.

Many nights in the last week, temperatures have been below 20 degrees and pipes freeze, then thaw and then leak water.

Contact your neighbors or friends to check out your house & property if you are off the hill, or contact us here at the District office during regular business hours and for a fee of $15.00, we will send out on of our field employee's to make sure your water is off and that no water is flowing. We will notify you if we find a problem.

REMEMBER: ALL WATER THAT GOES THROUGH YOUR METER IS BILLED TO YOU AND YOU ARE 100% RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYMENT.

We are sending out emails to those who have provided us with email addresses. If you have not done so and would like to be added to our email list, please contact Becky at becky@pcwd.org and let her know you would like to be added.

Lost Dog

Ok folks, we need your help. This little guy is lost and would like to be reunited with his humans. He is a Jack Russel Terrier.

He is white with brown around his eye. He is at ARF today. If you know this dog or own him, call ARF at 659-1122. After today he will be at Elaine Hogan's house. You can still call ARF to claim him. He was found in Pine Cove in the snow. Let's help this little guy find his way home!

Blue Bird Houses

Our coffers have been re-stocked with blue bird houses. Many were disappointed last year when we ran out. There was a great reponse to them and they went very quickly. So now is your chance to beat the spring rush and get yours now. How much do they cost you ask? Nothing. They are absolutely FREE!!! It doesn't get better than that in my opinion.

The boys, Jerry and Jeremy, are making them out of old fence boards that would have otherwise been discarded. Way to recycle guys. And the birds reap the rewards. The blue birds of Pine Cove are some of the luckiest birds around.

Tuesday Talk

Since it is the New Year, I decided to make the resolution of trying to post each day that I am here at work. That will be no easy feat because sometimes, matters at hand that have deadlines and so forth, take presidence. But I am going to try.

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that someone sent me a wonderful list of other water blogs and I promised to post links to them when I can. So here is this weeks. It is called The Water Cooler, California's First Official Water Blog. While there are things on here that pertain to the central coast or nortern CA, there is lots that deals with So Cal and it is all interesting and informative.

Go here to read it. I hope you enjoy it.

Customer Corner

Here are a few pictures a customer sent in. Thanks so much. Please feel free to email me your pictures from around Pine Cove and I will be glad to post them for all the world to see. Let me know in your email if you want your name mentioned or not. Thanks to today's contributors. These are beautiful shots.

Remember to check out the webcam from the link on the sidebar as well. Come on, don't be shy, send in your pictures and show them off. Thanks.

Monday Musings

Hello everyone! Hope you all made it to the new year warm, safe, dry, happy and healthy. With the holidays over, it is back to business as usual. It is easy to get spoiled during the holidays with all the time off, good food and festivities. But I guess all good things must come to an end. So here we are back at our desks renewed and refreshed, and rarin' to go Hope you are all feeling renewed as we start 2011.

As you can all see, we got more snow! It started yesterday afternoon and was coming down pretty good this morning. Did anyone feel the earthquake this morning? According to Cal Tech, it was a 3.4 magnitude that hit at 3:38 am this morning and was centered 5 miles north of Hemet. I just felt one large jolt that woke me up! Nice way to start the day. Luckily it was over quickly and I went right back to sleep. Becky and Jerry never even felt it.

As for the weather, it isn't too terribly cold out, so getting out there and walking is doable. Highway 243 was pretty clear when I came into work and Marion Ridge was plowed. You might want to check the road conditions if you have to drive any distance though. There is a link on the left side of this blog where you can go and check that out!

This is the fun kind of snow. Good for making snowballs and snow men. It is nice and soft and sticks together really well. So, if you are up for a little fun in the snow, enjoy! It is really beautiful out there today.