From Floyd Wicks and Tobe Plough
In the October 18 Montecito Journal, the article entitled “Say No to State Water” was intriguing. The voters in Santa Barbara County already cast their “yes” vote in 1991, by better than a 2:1 margin. Whether or not DWR (California Department of Water Resources) quantified how much water it sends to the southern part of the state, our communities of Montecito and Summerland would have been in dire straits without the connection to the State Water Project. The Montecito Water District (MWD) had not filed a state-mandated “Urban Water Management Plan” since 2005; way before the drought started. The appointed incumbent, Dick Shaikewitz, stated that the then district manager was “too busy” to update the plan. (After we were elected to the Montecito Water District Board in the fall of 2016, an updated Urban Water Management Plan was filed in mid-2017.)
Many people do not realize that during the height of the recent drought, 85 percent of the water delivered to Montecito and Summerland came from the MWD’s connection to the State’s Coastal Branch Aqueduct. Without this connection, our communities would have barely had enough water for sanitary purposes and cooking. The district had no plan to deal with such a drought as this one, now in its eighth year.
The Water Security Team has the answers for the needs of the communities of Montecito and Summerland and they will indeed deliver on their promises. And by the way Carolee [Krieger], the idea that the Water Security Team want to privatize the water and sanitary districts is a scare tactic that the good people of Montecito and Summerland have seen through. Sorry to hear that you’re not supporting the Water Security Team. It is our privilege to fully endorse the team for their efforts and determination to do what’s right for our communities.
To the voters of Montecito and Summerland: please vote for the following team members:
For Montecito Water District:
Ken Coates
Cori Hayman
Brian Goebel
For Montecito Sanitary District:
Woody Barrett
Dana Newquist
Floyd Wicks and Tobe Plough are MWD board members.
