The La Habra Heights County Water District:

History, Assets, and Responsibilities

by Ron Phillips and Roland vom Dorp

Our Water Legacy

The original developers of our community established the La Habra Heights Mutual Water Company in 1919 in order to bring water to the area. At that time the Heights was being developed into parcels of five acres or more with homes nestled in avocado and citrus groves. Property owners in this new subdivision became shareholders in the Mutual Water Company. This meant that landowners in La Habra Heights owned the water rights to the area. When land changed hands, the water rights were sold along with the property.

The source of water was a natural gravel reservoir below the San Gabriel River, located on a 40-acre tract near what is now the 605 Freeway and Whittier Blvd. In the early decades of this century, variations in the ground level of this water were rare, and the water itself was of exceptionally good quality. The task of the Mutual Water Company was to build an infrastructure of pipes and pumping stations to bring these water resources to their owners in the Heights.

By the late 1960s and early 1970s, this infrastructure had almost completely deteriorated. The Mutual Water Company was unable to raise the capital to make essential improvements in the system. In 1974, residents began to study the possibility of forming a Special District for the purpose of rebuilding their infrastructure. The creation of the La Habra Heights County Water District was authorized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on July 15, 1976. It was approved at the ballot box by the residents on November 2, 1976, two years and five days prior to incorporation.

The transition from the "Mutual" to the Water District was a complicated process of asset transfer requiring much work and forethought on the part of Heights residents. It was completed by 1979, and the Water District then began to rebuild the system. In the June 1978 election, a bond issue in the amount of $4.9 million was approved by residents for the purpose of raising capital for the reconstruction.

Water transport lines originally built out of redwood had to be replaced by pipes. Meters that could correctly identify actual water usage had to be installed. At one point in the 1970s, for example, it was determined that 2_ times more water was flowing into the system than the billings reflected. The loss was due to massive leaks for which no one user could be held financially responsible, but which created huge financial losses for the Company. Contamination in the antiquated delivery system was also a serious problem. According to the April 1977 issue of Heights Life, La Habra Heights occupied the No. 1 position on the State Health Department's list of communities with a water system hazardous to the health of its users.

At the same time that our water infrastructure was being rebuilt, massive changes were occurring in the water system of southern California in general. The partial cementing of the lower San Gabriel River bed meant that its underground aquifers (where ground water is stored) suffered from a lack of natural water replacement. A series of droughts in the late 1970s and early 1980s exacerbated this condition. In 1959, the Central Basin Water Management District started infusing our aquifers with imported water purchased from the Metropolitan Water District, which draws its supplies from the Colorado River and from northern California.

In the 1980s, the La Habra Heights Water District began to buy additional water directly from the Metropolitan Water District. This provided a back-up arrangement when needed for supplying water to the Heights. The "tie-in" to the MWD system illustrates how La Habra Heights is part of a water infrastructure reaching far beyond the borders of the City.

Southern California's water resources are so limited and fragile that any one city or water district cannot determine its source and usage levels independently of other communities. Burgeoning populations in the western states have overtaxed the water supply. No longer can a district simply buy more water when population or usage increases. Furthermore, the threat of drought-induced depletion of ground water basins could result in rationing. Conservation and use of alternatives such as recycled and reclaimed water will become increasingly important under these conditions.

How Our Water Cost Is Calculated

In the 1970s, the Heights was becoming increasingly residential and less agricultural. Special rates for grove growers by law were discontinued after the formation of the Water District. Henceforth the water bill was divided into two parts: a fixed rate according to the size of the diameter of the water line, and an actual usage rate.

The size of the line determines the fixed "readiness-to-serve" charge. Current rates are $25.96 per month for a meter on a line measuring 5/8" to 3/4". The larger the line (and the meter), the higher the rate. A six-inch meter, for instance, has a rate of $526.00 per month. Money collected from these fixed rate charges is placed by the Water District in its reserves to be used for future capital improvements and contingencies.

The October 1978 Heights Life reported that the fixed rate would be increased by 74% to offset the Water District's huge income loss from the passage of Proposition 13. Projected income to the Water District (which came from an assessment based on property values) dropped from a pre-Prop 13 level of $320,000 to $93,000. Tax revenues eliminated by this measure thus had to be made up for by increased fees to residents.

The actual usage rate is determined by the zone of the Water District in which the resident draws water. Water pumped to higher elevations is more expensive. Current usage rates are $1.08 per 100 cubic feet for the "lower zone" and $1.24 per 100 cubic feet for the "higher zone." Call the Water District Office (697-6769) if you cannot figure out from your bill which zone you live in.

In addition to paying our water bill each month, we also pay for water service on our property tax bills. There are four charges in this category. The La Habra Heights County Water District bond assessment rate fluctuates annually. In 1994 it was 5.6515% of our general property tax levy; in 1991 it was 6.5108%. There is also an MWD bond assessment figured at 0.89% of our tax levy. In addition to these fees, there is an MWD "WSC-13" direct assessment. This money is used for construction and maintenance of the Colorado River Aqueduct and the California State Water Project that brings us water from northern California. Finally, there is a per-parcel fee of $10.70 that helps finance recycled water as an alternate resource in southern California.

How the Water District Operates

Like the City with its elected Council and an appointed City Manager, our County Water District has an elected Board of Directors that appoints a General Manager. Members of the Board meet regularly to deliberate on issues and expenditures contemplated by the Water District. After reviewing reports prepared for them by Water District staff (similar to the City Council and Planning Commission staff reports prepared for their meetings), the Board directs the General Manager to implement their decisions. Capital outlays are generally handled through a bidding system. In addition to the General Manager, the District has nine full-time employees.

Two of the major issues for the Water District in the coming years will be water quality and conservation. Water quality nationwide has become a hot-button issue and we are no exception. As a simple measure of the escalating importance of quality, eight years ago the District spent only $800 on water quality tests. Last year the bill was closer to $15,000.

Complicating our water quality situation is the fact that our water comes from several sources, including the State Water Project, the Central Basin wells, and the Colorado River. The MWD water can be more corrosive and turbid than San Gabriel River well water. Water quality also is altered by concentration and duration in our system. The District therefore is constantly switching sources through a complex system of purchase and storage so as to provide residents with an acceptable level of water quality at the least expensive rate.

Because the Water District established a tie-in to MWD resources in the early 1980s, it has been guaranteed the right to purchase MWD water in the future at a favorable rate. In order to maintain our option to purchase cost-effectively in times of need, the District is obligated to use some MWD water each year. Our District decides how to utilize our resources at any given time based on price, quality, and availability. The Water District Quality Reports over the last five years indicate that the percentage of water drawn from the MWD has increased from 27.6% in 1990 to 74.7% in 1994. The District sometimes sells our well water from the San Gabriel River bed to other communities in order to offset the cost of MWD water.

Outgoing General Manager Jim Frei notes that there are some major projects facing the District, for example, a new well in the San Gabriel River well-field in addition to the conversion of a 1.2 million gallon reservoir into a 5.8 million gallon facility. The community also has five zones of inadequate fire-flow capability. About 50 homes and hundreds of acres of vegetation are affected. Our fire tankers may have adequate capacity for most structure fires, but a hydrant network and adequate water pressure are critical for control of brush fires. Unfortunately, the Water District has no plans to upgrade these "red-lined" areas to further protect the Heights from brush fires.

New General Manager Hired

Anthony Zampiello, who was formerly Water Superintendent for the City of Glendora, replaced Jim Frei as General Manager at the beginning of November. In Glendora, Mr. Zampiello supervised a staff of 23 and was responsible for approximately 12,000 water hook-ups. By contrast, our Water District serves only 1,500 hook-ups, but our new General Manager will have expanded administrative and financial obligations as compared to his duties in Glendora. We wish him well in his