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Community Corner

Altadena Residents Asked to Conserve Water During Plant Shutdown

F.E. Weymouth plant, which services Foothill Municipal Water District companies, will shut down March 18-27.

Water users in Altadena, La Crescenta, La Canada Flintridge, Pasadena, and elsewhere in the area are being asked to conserve water from March 18 through March 28 while a local water treatment facility is shut down for repairs.

Water companies from La Crescenta to Claremont depend on imported water from the Colorado River and San Joaquin/Sacramento deltas to supplement the groundwater supply in the area.  The imported water requires treatment, and the facility that treats the water for the strip of communities along the San Gabriel foothills is the F.E. Weymouth Treatment Plant in La Verne.

The facility will be shut down for 10 days from Friday, March 18, at 8 a.m. through Sunday, March 28, for both routine maintenance and seismic retrofitting.  During the duration of the shutdown, water will be drawn from reservoirs, which are being filled in anticipation.  Consumers in the area serviced by Weymouth are being asked to conserve water at varying levels.

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Bob Muir, press office manager of the Metropolitan Water District (MWD), said that the five treatment plants run by the MWD are regularly shut down for maintenance, but most shutdowns only require two to seven days.

“We do shutdowns routinely, annually, in the late winter and early spring,” Muir said. “It could be more regular in the future.”

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It’s because of the seismic work that Weymouth will be closed for 10 days and require greater conservation measures. The MWD and Foothill Municipal Water District are trying to get the word out so consumers will be prepared to conserve water to avoid any disruption of service.

“Consumers can certainly do things to mitigate by practicing commonplace indoor conservation.”  Measures suggested are running only full loads in washing machines and dishwashers, five to 10 minute showers and not leaving the water running when shaving, brushing teeth or hand washing dishes.

Outside conservation measures include

  • Turn off sprinkler systems
  • Stop watering landscapes
  • Do not put in new plantings because they require daily watering
  • Take vehicles to commercial car washes instead of washing them by hand
  • Do not fill swimming pools or spas until April
  • Use a broom instead of a hose clean walks and driveways

Muir advised that the best place to get information is the local water company.  These are the communities that are affected, the measures they are requesting customers take, and contact information. Areas with no restrictions have sufficient groundwater supplies

Crescenta Valley Water District (La Crescenta, Montrose, portions of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge)
Restrictions: no irrigation, voluntary indoor conservation
Suggestions: water landscape deeply prior to shutdown, do not plant turf during shutdown
Contact: Christy Scott, (818) 284-5815

Kinneloa Irrigation District (Kinneloa area, Dove Creek, Pasadena Glen, Hastings Heights)
Restrictions: none
Contact: Mel Mathews, (626) 797-6295

La Cañada Irrigation District (portions of La Cañada Flintridge)
Restrictions: no irrigation, reduce all water use as much as possible
Contact: (818) 790-6749

Las Flores Water Company (portions of Altadena)
Restrictions: no irrigation
Suggestions: water landscape deeply prior to shutdown, do not plant turf during shutdown
Contact: Donna Powell, (626) 797-1138

Lincoln Avenue Water Company (portions of Altadena)
Restrictions: voluntary outdoor conservation
Contact: (626) 798-9101

Mesa Crest Water Company (portions of La Cañada Flintridge)
Restrictions: no irrigation, washing cars and driveways prohibited
Suggestions: water landscape deeply prior to shutdown, do not plant turf during shutdown
Contact: Tim Flynn, (818) 790-2071

Rubio Cañon Land and Water Association (portions of Altadena)
Restrictions: none
Contact: (626) 797-0509

Valley Water Supply (portions of La Cañada Flintridge)
Restrictions: no irrigation, voluntary indoor conservation
Contact: (818) 790-5516

Nina Jazmadarian, general manager of Foothill Municipal Water District (FMWD) said earlier this week that the City of Pasadena would be doing work around the Rose Bowl replacing aging valves, and that they might issue a Stage 4 alert.  Late Tuesday evening, Erdman, Pasadena’s public information officer, announced in an email that the city will “enforce a total ban on outdoor watering with very few exceptions until pipeline deliveries resume.”

Muir added, “A lot of the water supply infrastructure is decades old.”

Muir also urged people to sustain conservation through the fall and that the area continues to face challenges, in part due to the “environmental collapse” of the San Joaquin/Sacramento River delta that supplies one-third of Southern California’s water.  “The recent rains leave the perception that water supply issues have gone away.  That’s not the case,” he said.  “Local water providers must be resourceful.”

Lincoln Avenue Water is practicing that resourcefulness by saving rights to water it sells.  Jazmadarian explained, “Lincoln has groundwater that is put through treatment to remove perchlorates.  There are zero levels now.  They don’t have enough rights to supply the population, but they have tried to save enough rights to cover the shutdown time.”

She shared a bit of trivia regarding Altadena’s Mountain View Cemetery.  The cemetery has its own groundwater supply, and uses Lincoln Avenue only for potable water.

The Weymouth plant has been in operation since 1941.  The last time it was shut down was in 2007, and it is scheduled to be shut down again in about four years to finish ozonation upgrades.

When asked if the upcoming work would increase water rates, Muir responded, “This isn’t a driver for any increases we see in the future.”  Ozonation, which is expensive, will affect the price, Muir said, as well as cost of power and reliability of supply.  “There are water transfers from other parts of the nation due to the delta,” he said, and added, “If people were to look at their monthly water expense, water is less than other utilities.”

Jazmadarian and Muir promised to send updates if the shutdown is shorter or longer than expected. 

“We have a history of finishing work earlier,” Muir smiled.  “But we don’t want to count on that.”

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