More Frequently Asked Questions

OK, I know it is Wednesday, but since I had to take Monday off, I am a day late on all my postings.  So let's get back to our Frequently Asked Questions.

Q.  Are we still in a drought and in a conservation stage?

A.  We are no longer in Stage I conservation because we currently do not meet the criteria set forth by the board of directions.  It is difficult to say if we are still in a drought.  Water levels are up everywhere.  Area lakes are full and natural springs are popping up everywhere.  So it "looks" like the drought is perhaps over or at least easing up.  However, we are never out of the woods when it comes to water.  Conserving water should be a way of life for everyone because the less we use today, means the more we will have for tomorrow.

Q.  I am renting out my cabin.  Why won't you put the water bill in the renter's name?

A.  All water accounts are put in the name of the property owner.  When it comes to rentals, people move in and out and often times do not leave a forwarding address.  Some have left without paying the water bill and the property owner does not want to pay the water bill for their tenant.  That left us holding the bag.  We provided water service, but received no payment.   So, due to a few bad apples, we had to change our policy and we can now only put a water bill in the owner's name.  It is up to the owner to work out a payment agreement with the renter and decide who will pay the bill. If the owner doesn't send the bill to the renter, they are welcome to stop in and we will be happy to give them the information they need to pay the bill.

Q.  Where does our water come from anyway?

A.  Our water comes from a series of ground wells.   We are not connected to the Colorado River or any other water source.  We provide water to Pine Cove residents from Pine Cove wells.  That is why conservation is so important.  There is not an infinite supply of ground water and during times of drought when we continue to remove it without it being replenished, levels can get low.  Hence the 3 Conservation Stages.  Wells are currently rising due to all the moisture we received this past winter, so that means the aquifer is being replenished.  That is a good thing.

Q.  Why is there a $2.50 fee to pay with a credit card?

A.  In order to provide this service without incurring the costs of having a merchant account, we use a company that processes credit card purchases for us for a fee of $2.50.  Pine Cove Water District does not get a single cent of that money.  It goes directly to the credit card processor.  If we were to establish a merchant account, we would be charged a percent of each purchase as well as other fees.  We felt it was best not to take on this type of debt at this time.

Q.  Are you ever going to have automatic payments?

A.  We don't know.  At this time, our billing program is not online, which we think is very smart.  In order to have automatic payments, we would have to put it online and then worry about internet security.  As it stands now, no one can hack into our computer and steal any one's information.  We think this is a good thing!

Well I think that is enough for this week.  I know enquiring minds want to know, so we are here to answer.  If you think of any questions that I have not addressed, please feel free to drop me an email at pcwd2675@yahoo.com  and I will be happy to address them.

Monday Musings

Well it is a good thing we got our gardening talk in last week as we are about to get some more snow and rain this week.   I knew it was too early to be spring, but it was fun to talk about gardening projects for a few days anyway.  Hopefully we will get a lot more snow and rain before winter is officially over.  While the bad weather does get tiresome, it is necessary.  Drought is a fact of life here in southern California, and the snow and rain provide us with much needed moisture to get through the dry summers.  Forecasters are sticking to their La Nina predictions,  so we really have to be grateful for whatever rain and snow we do happen to get over the next couple of months. 

Unfortunately, a few nice days or weeks right in the middle of winter, always serves to remind us what we are missing.  For some reason, once the holiday season is over, I tire of winter.  I try not to complain about the weather because it is an exercise in futility.  We can't change it, so why complain about it?  But it is human nature I suppose, to complain when Mother Nature makes being outdoors unpleasant.  So I try to tell myself, come summer, I will be glad we had this weather. 

Winter is hard work though.  Summer is so much easier.  No coats, boots, hats, gloves, scarves or umbrellas are necessary. And all of that is just to go out and clean off the car!    If you are lucky enough to have a garage or car port, count your blessings!  For those of us who have to park our cars alfresco, there is the cleaning off of the car ritual that must take place prior to actually leaving to go anywhere.  It's not like summer when you can just grab your keys and go.  Instead of looking at the snow and thinking how much work it will be to shovel it, I am trying to look at it and think that it is recharging the water wells.  That way it doesn't seem so bad. 

Well water levels are one of the many subjects discussed at our board meetings.  If you want to know what is going on drought wise with the wells,  please feel free to attend one of our monthly board meetings.  Many people aren't familiar with the water district or how or where we get the water from.  The board meetings are very informative and keep everyone up to date on what is happening here at the water district. 

You can also read the minutes from past board meetings on our website ate http://www.pcwd.org/.