Water and its relation to our community's other resources is the topic of this edition of the Sentinel.
When the City incorporated in 1978, two issues were paramount in the minds of residents: fire and police protection, and General Plan/zoning enforcement. The issue of water had been more or less resolved with the formation of the La Habra Heights County Water District in 1976. Recently, the deterioration of our roads has become an additional issue. But all of these questions water use, fire safety, and land use are linked to each other and all affect our property values.
The Water District was created because there were pressing problems of inadequate infrastructure (system leakage, repair expenses, reservoir deterioration) that required urgent attention. (See pages 4-5 for the history of the Water District and its predecessor, the Mutual Water Company). The resolution of these problems could not wait for incorporation, even though the "movement" towards incorporation was well underway in 1976. As a result, we now have a Water Board which is independent of City government. The linkage between fire safety, land use, and water is therefore controlled by two different entities. Yet we need to keep in mind that all of these resources are interdependent, all contribute to the maintenance of our property values, and ultimately they are all financed by the same source: the residents of La Habra Heights.
How does this interdependency work? Land use clearly establishes the basis for our property values. In the overcrowded Los Angeles Basin, privacy, seclusion, and open space with distant views are significant capital assets. Landscaping enhances the feeling of seclusion and quietness that we all enjoy, but our beautifully vegetated homes and yards must in turn be protected against fire. In order to ensure this protection, we need to have adequate water supplies in all areas of the City something that is currently not provided uniformly throughout the Heights and not included in the long-range plans of the Water District.
A second way in which land use and water are linked is the obvious fact that land cannot be developed unless water hook-ups are provided. Here the Water District determines how water shall be made available to those wishing to build. Cooperative work must be done between developers and the Water District. What kind of citizen oversight is appropriate for this process?
The third area of interdependency among water, land use, and fire concerns the "economy of scale" in our City's infrastructure. We want to see the impact of our tax dollars maximized. The best example of this link is found in the current discussion about our roads. When the Water District needs to open a road surface for pipeline repair, the road is patched according to Water District standards with Water District money, that is, with residents' money paid to the Water District. If the road in question happens to need repair in several parts, it might be a better use of our dollars if the entire repair project were carried out according to one integrated community program.
Because La Habra Heights is a small city, it seems reasonable and cost-effective to coordinate decision-making as much as possible. Here are some examples to think about:
The successful functioning of the Fire Department is obviously linked to its access to water pressure and its ability to traverse our roads safely and efficiently.
The maintenance of road conditions depends on good drainage patterns alongside our roads.
The City's Engineering staff needs to see that drainage problems are neither created nor exacerbated by the City when it authorizes building and grading.
In the further development of our hills, homes need to be provided with adequate water both for firefighting and for landscaping.
Vegetation, which enhances our property values, needs to be kept away from road edges. We must prevent roadside deterioration so that safe passage can be assured for residents and safety vehicles alike. Roads must be able to act as effective fire breaks.
An awareness of the multidimensional use of our land, water, and fire
prevention resources will ultimately allow us to make better decisions about
our community's future and to maintain our natural capital assets.