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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPipeline 04 - Fall 2018T H E O TAY WA TER DISTRICT • P R OUDLY SERVING E A ST C OUNT Y A ND TH E S OUTH B AY SINC E 1956 A NE W SLET TER FOR CUSTOMERS OF THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT FALL 2018 FOLLOW OTAY WATER ON... / SIGA AL DISTRITO DE AGUA DE OTAY EN... OTAY WATER DISTRICT – Board of Directors The Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:30 p.m. in the Board meeting room. The public is encouraged to attend at 2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard, Spring Valley, CA. President Tim Smith, Division 1 tsmith@otaywater.gov Vice President Mitch Thompson, Division 2 mthompson@otaywater.gov Treasurer Mark Robak, Division 5 mrobak@otaywater.gov Board Member Gary Croucher, Division 3 gcroucher@otaywater.gov Board Member Hector Gastelum, Division 4 hector@otaywater.gov Dedicated to Community Service FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT CALL (619) 670-2222 OR GO TO OTAYWATER.GOV The Pipeline Newsletter is published quartely by the Otay Water District and can also be found online at otaywater.gov. Copywright ©2018 Otay Water District. All rights reserved. Don’t Forget to Check Your Water Pressure Regulator! Does your faucet leak or toilet run constantly? Do the pipes in your home rattle or bang? A faulty water pressure regulator can be the cause! Even in newer homes, pressure regulators can wear out and fail. The quality of your pressure regulator dictates the years of service to expect. Regulators may last as little as one year or as long as 20 years or more. To ensure proper water pressure (40-65 PSI) in your home, it is your responsibility to maintain a working pressure regulator. When plumbing work is being done around your home, ask your licensed plumber to check your water pressure and regulator. A properly working residential regulator should never allow pressures above 75 PSI. Otay Water District Celebrates Water Professionals Week to Recognize Employees’ Dedication to Customers and Showcase Water-Related Careers The Otay Water District joined other water agencies throughout San Diego County and the state to celebrate the second annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week by highlighting the important role of water industry professionals and local public water agencies in ensuring safe and reliable water, wastewater, and recycled water service. Water agencies throughout California highlighted the week of Oct. 6-14, as a way of showing their appreciation of staff’s commitment to serving their communities. Water professionals play a key role in providing valuable water and wastewater services. The week was also an opportunity to showcase careers in the water industry, which includes engineers, systems operators, planners, construction and maintenance crews, information technology specialists, accountants, administrative professionals, public affairs teams, customer service representatives, managers, and more. “Water Professionals Appreciation Week provides the water industry with a great opportunity to reach out to our community and establish connections between the detailed and dedicated work we do at the District, how that preserves our customers’ quality of life, and the exciting career opportunities in the industry,” said District General Manager Mark Watton. The District employs 137 water professionals. Through the use of technology and efficiencies, the District has reduced its headcount by 25 percent from 175 since 2007. Although it has reduced its headcount, the District has seen an increase in population of its service area, resulting in an increase in customers served per each full-time employee from 301 to 409, since 2007. As a result, District staff is more efficient and innovative, working smarter to continue providing exceptional water and wastewater service to its customers, and to manage the District’s resources in a transparent and fiscally responsible manner. The District and its staff dedicate their work to the following values: customers, excellence, integrity, employees, teamwork, and innovation. Recent labor studies estimate that 60,000 people work in the state’s water industry and it needs roughly 6,000 new employees each year due to turnover and retirements. Water Professionals Appreciation Week was established in 2017 by Senate Concurrent Resolution 80. For details on Water Professionals Appreciation Week and programs related to rewarding career opportunities in the water industry, visit otaywater.gov. El Distrito de Agua de Otay celebra la Semana de los Profesionales del Agua para reconocer a sus empleados por su excelente vocación de servicio al cliente y destacar las profesiones relacionadas con el agua El Distrito de Agua de Otay se unió a otras agencias de agua en el condado de San Diego y el estado para celebrar la segunda Semana Anual de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua para destacar el papel que desempeñan tanto los profesionales de esta industria como las agencias públicas locales para garantizar agua segura y confiable, servicios de alcantarillado, y agua reciclada. Del 6 al 14 de octubre, las agencias de agua en California reconocieron al personal por su excelente vocación de servicio al cliente. Los profesionales del agua juegan un papel muy importante para proveer servicios valiosos de agua y alcantarillado. Esta semana fue una excelente oportunidad para presentar las diferentes carreras que existen en la industria del agua incluyendo ingenieros, operadores de sistemas, planificadores, grupos de construcción y mantenimiento, especialistas en tecnología de la información, contadores, profesionales administrativos, especialistas en relaciones públicas, representantes de servicio al cliente, gerentes y más. “La Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua proporciona a la industria del agua la oportunidad de acercarse a la comunidad; crear conexiones entre el trabajo minucioso y dedicado que hacemos en el distrito para conservar la calidad de vida de nuestros clientes; y presentar excelentes oportunidades y carreras en la industria”, mencionó Mark Watton, gerente general del distrito. A través del uso de tecnologías y procesos, el distrito ha reducido su personal en un 25 por ciento, es decir, de 175 empleados en 2007 a 137 en 2018. Aunque ha reducido su personal, el distrito ha tenido un aumento de población en su área de servicio, lo cual ha incrementado el número de clientes que atiende un empleado de tiempo completo, es decir, de 301 a 409 desde 2007. Como resultado, el personal del distrito es más eficiente e innovador; trabaja de una manera más inteligente para seguir proporcionando servicios excepcionales de agua y alcantarillado a sus clientes; y administra los recursos del distrito de manera transparente y responsable desde el punto de vista fiscal. El distrito y su personal dedican su trabajo con los siguientes valores: clientes, excelencia, integridad, empleados, trabajo en equipo e innovación. Estudios recientes sobre el empleo estiman que 60,000 personas trabajan en la industria del agua estatal, sin embargo, se requieren aproximadamente 6,000 empleos cada año debido a rotación de personal y jubilaciones. La Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua se estableció en 2017 a través de la Resolución Concurrente del Senado Número 80. Para más información acerca de la Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua y programas relacionados, así como las excelentes oportunidades en la industria del agua, por favor visite otaywater.gov. ¡No olvide revisar regulador de presión de agua en su hogar! ¿El grifo de su casa gotea o el inodoro deja correr agua continuamente? ¿Las tuberías en su casa se sacuden o golpean? ¡Un regulador de presión de agua defectuoso podría ser la causa! Hasta en las casas más nuevas, los reguladores de presión se pueden desgastar y eventualmente fallar. La calidad de su regulador de presión determina los años de servicio que usted obtendrá. Los reguladores pueden durar entre uno y veinte años o más. Para garantizar una presión de agua (40-65 PSI) adecuada en su hogar es necesario que usted mantenga su regulador de presión en funcionamiento. Si realiza algún trabajo de plomería en su hogar, pídale a su plomero certificado que revise la presión de agua. Un regulador residencial en perfecto estado no debe permitir presiones superiores a 75 PSI. DISTRICT EMPLOYEES AT WORK Utility Worker II Meter Maintenance Worker II GIS Technician Customer Service Representative IIUtility Crew Leader &Sr. Utility Worker/Equipment Operator EMPLEADOS DEL DISTRITO EN EL TRABAJO Utility Worker IIMeter Maintenance Worker IIGIS TechnicianCustomer Service Representative IIUtility Crew Leader &Sr. Utility Worker/Equipment Operator Nan Sterman is a garden expert, author, designer, and educator. Nan leads international garden tours, is the author of several books, and hosts the show A Growing Passion on KPBS TV, www.waterwisegardener.com Evergreen hedges are among the many impressive features of European gardens. Classic English, French, and Italian gardens feature tall shrubs, tightly clipped and trained to divide gardens into individual themed garden rooms. Few people realize that those hedges serve multiple purposes, such as a windbreak, protecting sensitive plants from cold. They even keep out hungry critters. Here, evergreen hedges are more edging plants, green backgrounds, or devices to hide cars on noisy streets or the neighbors’ trash cans. Hedges are high maintenance. They are typically big shrubs, planted too close together, so they require constant pruning and generous water to look good. That is not a winning strategy for most home gardeners. Instead, use screening plants, which are evergreen shrubs planted in loose groupings and spaced to accommodate to their natural dimensions. Beautiful, water-wise options include pincushions (Leucospermum) that are Protea family plants from South Africa. Softball-sized flowers that look like giant pincushions compliment their green or gray leaves. Most pincushions flower early each year, and in shades of red, yellow, orange, and pink. Typically, pincushions grow between four to six feet tall and eight feet wide or wider. So three ‘Veldfire’ pincushion plants, for example, can cover a space 24 feet long! Check each variety for its dimensions. Important: Do not fertilize pincushions. If you are fertilizing the bed where they grow, avoid using phosphorus-containing fertilizers (look for middle letter “P” on the fertilizer label). Pincushions evolved in soils that have less phosphorus than ours have, so fertilizers with phosphorus will kill them. Another option is Grevillea, Australian shrubs in the Protea family, which are available in every size, from low growing groundcovers to tall trees. Most Grevillea sold in nurseries have narrow leaves and some leaves are more sculpted; others more needle-like. For screening, try Grevillea ‘Long John’ which grows at least 15 feet tall by 15 feet wide and has spider-shaped flowers the color of watermelon. Grevillea ‘Red Hooks’ has toothbrush shaped burgundy flowers and grows eight to 12 feet tall and wide, while Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream,’ has orange and yellow cone-shaped flowers covering six foot tall by eight foot wide shrubs. Phosphorus fertilizers kill Grevillea as well. Coast Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa and its hybrids) make nice background shrubs and are adaptable to many garden applications. Coast Rosemary’s common name comes from rosemary-like green, needle-like leaves and small flowers. But the two are entirely different plants from entirely different areas. Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean and Coast Rosemary is native to Australia. Westringia ‘Wynyabbie Gem’ is one of the largest coast Rosemaries, which at six to eight feet tall and wide, makes an excellent screening plant. Westringia ‘Blue Gem’ grows four to six feet tall by three to four feet wide with tiny lavender blue flowers, while Westringia fruticosa grows four to six feet tall by six to 12 feet wide and blooms white. You can easily hide a chain link fence behind a few Westringia. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a native California shrub common on hillsides, which easily reach 10 or 12 feet tall and wide. They have thick, leathery, deep green leaves that densely cover branches. In spring, their small white flowers do not attract much attention, but by winter, the flowers turn into bright red berries much beloved by birds. To California’s early developers, the berries were a reminder of holly, which is how Hollywood got its name. Myrtle (Myrtus communis) is a classic Mediterranean hedge shrub in Europe. Since few of us grow formal gardens, we grow myrtle as a screen. Myrtle grows eight to 12 feet tall and wide. It has small, triangular, deep green leaves (there are green and cream variegated leaf varieties, too). Myrtle’s flowers are hardly noticeable but have a nice perfume. Its crushed leaves release a spicy fragrance. For the fastest growing and most vigorous plants, always plant the smallest possible size. Choose one gallons over five gallons, five gallons over 15 gallons. Do not plant any of these from containers larger than 15 gallons. Design your plan with plants grouped in odd numbers; three of a kind, five of a kind, etc. Do not mix up different kinds of shrubs or alternate them. Groupings of the same plant are much more effective and much more pleasing to the eye. Space plants just shy of their maximum width, then let them grow to their natural sizes. That is the key to creating an effective, low maintenance screen for your water-wise garden. Nan StermanWaterwise GardenerProtect Your Home by ‘Firescaping’ Your Landscape Wildfire in San Diego County is a big threat during the fall months. It is important to consider the design, plant selection, and preventative maintenance of your landscape to help protect your home from wildfires. Simple fire safety and prevention strategies include: CREATE A DEFENSIBLE SPACE: • Keep 100 feet of defensible space around structures. • Maintain lawns or groundcovers on slopes to suppress fires. • Use wide-brick or paver pathways to divide your landscape and prevent fire from spreading across the garden. CLEAN UP PLANTS AND TREES: • Plant shrub groupings at least 18 feet from one another. • Trim the lower limbs of trees to at least 15 feet off the ground. • Thin trees so that the crowns are separated by at least 10 feet. • Prune dead branches from trees. • Remove dead leaves, branches, and pinecones from yard, roof, and gutters. CHOOSE PLANTS WISELY: • Select low-maintenance groundcovers and low- growing plants. • Do not plant evergreen trees and shrubs such as pines, junipers, and cedars. • Plant deciduous trees (trees that lose their foliage in the fall and grow new leaves in the spring such as oak, maple, and elm) that do not produce much wood. • Avoid planting high-resin or low-moisture plants. • Choose plants with high- moisture content such as succulents and cactus. For a list of plants that resist ignition, visit waternewsnetwork.com/call-on-these-five-firefighting-plants. Protect Your Pipes, Can the Grease! When fats, oils, and grease (FOG) solidify, they stick to the wastewater pipes and eventually cause expensive and dangerous backups inside your home or yard. Common sources of FOG: • Meat Fats • Dairy Products • Food Scraps • Cooking Oils • Baked Goods • Sauces • Dressings • Sandwich Spreads • Gravies • Marinades • Dairy Products • Shortening • Lard • Butter Margarine Dispose of FOG the correct way! Here is how: Once cool, but still liquid, pour the oil or grease into an empty jar or can. Place the container in the refrigerator or freezer. Once the jar or can is full, discard it into your household garbage or take it to a local recycle center. Visit edcodisposal.com to find a location near you. To learn more about FOG and how to dispose of it, visit youtube.com/OtayWaterDistrict. For class information, visit thegarden.org Garden Yoga Monday, Dec. 10, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Enjoy mat poses, chair exercises, meditation, and smiles in every yoga class at The Garden. After the class, tour the nearly six acres of displays that showcase water conservation through a series of beautiful themed gardens. Register at thegarden.org. Members: $5; Nonmembers: $10 Garden Bathing Saturday, Jan. 12, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Join Lynn “Doc” Nelson, Ph.D. for a relaxing tour of The Garden through the science of mind, body, and plants. Two chances to tour, select one, space is limited. Register at thegarden.org. Members: free; Nonmembers: $10 All About Worms Compost Workshop Saturday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Learn how easy it is to compost food waste with worms! The FREE vermi-composting class will teach an environmentally-friendly way to turn food waste into rich fertilizer for garden beds. Register online at solanacenter.org or call (760) 436-7986 ext. 700. Free Docent-Led ToursFirst Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. Be inspired to create a water-wise landscape of your own while enjoying an informative walk through The Garden with a docent tour guide. Visit thegarden.org for special themed tours. Professional Landscape Design Consultations The Garden offers 45-minute landscape consul-tations for residents looking to make changes to their landscape with water-wise plants. Call (619) 660-0614 ext. 10 to schedule. Cost: $60 for members; $75 for nonmembers. Ms. Smarty-Plants School Tours and Assembly Program Become a Ms. Smarty-Plants Earth Hero. Join Ms. Smarty-Plants as she takes you on a magical, fun, and interactive journey through plant adaptations, the water cycle, conserva-tion, and more. To book an educational tour of The Garden or a school assembly program, call (619) 660-0615 ext. 16. UPCOMING EVENTS ONGOING EVENTS Shrubs for Screens Help us save our most precious resource. Customers can report water waste online or by phone at any time of the day. Use your phone, tablet, or desktop to fill out a water waste report at otaywater.gov/report- water-waste or call our 24-hour line at (619) 670-2207. You can also download the District’s “Make Every Drop Count” mobile application via Android or Apple to report water waste. Thank you for doing your part to use water efficiently! Stop Water Waste!ReportIt. Trees spaced to reduce fire spread Lower tree limbs removed to reduce "fire ladder" Space plants and shrubsto prevent fire from spreading 30’ Trees trimmedat least 10’ from chimney 70’ (or to property line) Go Paperless, Pay Your Utility Bill Online Save paper, water, and time by signing up to receive your bill online. The District’s BillPay service allows you to view and print your bill 24/7. You can also make automatic or one-time payments, receive email notifications, turn on or off paper billing, and view multiple Otay accounts with one username and password. To sign up, visit otaywater.gov and click on the “PAY BILL ONLINE” button. Graphic: San Diego County Fire Authority Nan Sterman is a garden expert, author, designer, and educator. Nan leads international garden tours, is the author of several books, and hosts the show A Growing Passion on KPBS TV, www.waterwisegardener.com Evergreen hedges are among the many impressive features of European gardens. Classic English, French, and Italian gardens feature tall shrubs, tightly clipped and trained to divide gardens into individual themed garden rooms. Few people realize that those hedges serve multiple purposes, such as a windbreak, protecting sensitive plants from cold. They even keep out hungry critters. Here, evergreen hedges are more edging plants, green backgrounds, or devices to hide cars on noisy streets or the neighbors’ trash cans. Hedges are high maintenance. They are typically big shrubs, planted too close together, so they require constant pruning and generous water to look good. That is not a winning strategy for most home gardeners. Instead, use screening plants, which are evergreen shrubs planted in loose groupings and spaced to accommodate to their natural dimensions. Beautiful, water-wise options include pincushions (Leucospermum) that are Protea family plants from South Africa. Softball-sized flowers that look like giant pincushions compliment their green or gray leaves. Most pincushions flower early each year, and in shades of red, yellow, orange, and pink. Typically, pincushions grow between four to six feet tall and eight feet wide or wider. So three ‘Veldfire’ pincushion plants, for example, can cover a space 24 feet long! Check each variety for its dimensions. Important: Do not fertilize pincushions. If you are fertilizing the bed where they grow, avoid using phosphorus-containing fertilizers (look for middle letter “P” on the fertilizer label). Pincushions evolved in soils that have less phosphorus than ours have, so fertilizers with phosphorus will kill them. Another option is Grevillea, Australian shrubs in the Protea family, which are available in every size, from low growing groundcovers to tall trees. Most Grevillea sold in nurseries have narrow leaves and some leaves are more sculpted; others more needle-like. For screening, try Grevillea ‘Long John’ which grows at least 15 feet tall by 15 feet wide and has spider-shaped flowers the color of watermelon. Grevillea ‘Red Hooks’ has toothbrush shaped burgundy flowers and grows eight to 12 feet tall and wide, while Grevillea ‘Peaches and Cream,’ has orange and yellow cone-shaped flowers covering six foot tall by eight foot wide shrubs. Phosphorus fertilizers kill Grevillea as well. Coast Rosemary (Westringia fruticosa and its hybrids) make nice background shrubs and are adaptable to many garden applications. Coast Rosemary’s common name comes from rosemary-like green, needle-like leaves and small flowers. But the two are entirely different plants from entirely different areas. Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean and Coast Rosemary is native to Australia. Westringia ‘Wynyabbie Gem’ is one of the largest coast Rosemaries, which at six to eight feet tall and wide, makes an excellent screening plant. Westringia ‘Blue Gem’ grows four to six feet tall by three to four feet wide with tiny lavender blue flowers, while Westringia fruticosa grows four to six feet tall by six to 12 feet wide and blooms white. You can easily hide a chain link fence behind a few Westringia. Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is a native California shrub common on hillsides, which easily reach 10 or 12 feet tall and wide. They have thick, leathery, deep green leaves that densely cover branches. In spring, their small white flowers do not attract much attention, but by winter, the flowers turn into bright red berries much beloved by birds. To California’s early developers, the berries were a reminder of holly, which is how Hollywood got its name. Myrtle (Myrtus communis) is a classic Mediterranean hedge shrub in Europe. Since few of us grow formal gardens, we grow myrtle as a screen. Myrtle grows eight to 12 feet tall and wide. It has small, triangular, deep green leaves (there are green and cream variegated leaf varieties, too). Myrtle’s flowers are hardly noticeable but have a nice perfume. Its crushed leaves release a spicy fragrance. For the fastest growing and most vigorous plants, always plant the smallest possible size. Choose one gallons over five gallons, five gallons over 15 gallons. Do not plant any of these from containers larger than 15 gallons. Design your plan with plants grouped in odd numbers; three of a kind, five of a kind, etc. Do not mix up different kinds of shrubs or alternate them. Groupings of the same plant are much more effective and much more pleasing to the eye. Space plants just shy of their maximum width, then let them grow to their natural sizes. That is the key to creating an effective, low maintenance screen for your water-wise garden. Nan StermanWaterwise GardenerProtect Your Home by ‘Firescaping’ Your Landscape Wildfire in San Diego County is a big threat during the fall months. It is important to consider the design, plant selection, and preventative maintenance of your landscape to help protect your home from wildfires. Simple fire safety and prevention strategies include: CREATE A DEFENSIBLE SPACE: • Keep 100 feet of defensible space around structures. • Maintain lawns or groundcovers on slopes to suppress fires. • Use wide-brick or paver pathways to divide your landscape and prevent fire from spreading across the garden. CLEAN UP PLANTS AND TREES: • Plant shrub groupings at least 18 feet from one another. • Trim the lower limbs of trees to at least 15 feet off the ground. • Thin trees so that the crowns are separated by at least 10 feet. • Prune dead branches from trees. • Remove dead leaves, branches, and pinecones from yard, roof, and gutters. CHOOSE PLANTS WISELY: • Select low-maintenance groundcovers and low- growing plants. • Do not plant evergreen trees and shrubs such as pines, junipers, and cedars. • Plant deciduous trees (trees that lose their foliage in the fall and grow new leaves in the spring such as oak, maple, and elm) that do not produce much wood. • Avoid planting high-resin or low-moisture plants. • Choose plants with high- moisture content such as succulents and cactus. For a list of plants that resist ignition, visit waternewsnetwork.com/call-on-these-five-firefighting-plants. Protect Your Pipes, Can the Grease! When fats, oils, and grease (FOG) solidify, they stick to the wastewater pipes and eventually cause expensive and dangerous backups inside your home or yard. Common sources of FOG: • Meat Fats • Dairy Products • Food Scraps • Cooking Oils • Baked Goods • Sauces • Dressings • Sandwich Spreads • Gravies • Marinades • Dairy Products • Shortening • Lard • Butter Margarine Dispose of FOG the correct way! Here is how: Once cool, but still liquid, pour the oil or grease into an empty jar or can. Place the container in the refrigerator or freezer. Once the jar or can is full, discard it into your household garbage or take it to a local recycle center. Visit edcodisposal.com to find a location near you. To learn more about FOG and how to dispose of it, visit youtube.com/OtayWaterDistrict. For class information, visit thegarden.org Garden Yoga Monday, Dec. 10, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. Enjoy mat poses, chair exercises, meditation, and smiles in every yoga class at The Garden. After the class, tour the nearly six acres of displays that showcase water conservation through a series of beautiful themed gardens. Register at thegarden.org. Members: $5; Nonmembers: $10 Garden Bathing Saturday, Jan. 12, 9:30 – 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 13, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Join Lynn “Doc” Nelson, Ph.D. for a relaxing tour of The Garden through the science of mind, body, and plants. Two chances to tour, select one, space is limited. Register at thegarden.org. Members: free; Nonmembers: $10 All About Worms Compost Workshop Saturday, Feb. 2, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Learn how easy it is to compost food waste with worms! The FREE vermi-composting class will teach an environmentally-friendly way to turn food waste into rich fertilizer for garden beds. Register online at solanacenter.org or call (760) 436-7986 ext. 700. Free Docent-Led ToursFirst Saturday of the month, 10 a.m. Be inspired to create a water-wise landscape of your own while enjoying an informative walk through The Garden with a docent tour guide. Visit thegarden.org for special themed tours. Professional Landscape Design Consultations The Garden offers 45-minute landscape consul-tations for residents looking to make changes to their landscape with water-wise plants. Call (619) 660-0614 ext. 10 to schedule. Cost: $60 for members; $75 for nonmembers. Ms. Smarty-Plants School Tours and Assembly Program Become a Ms. Smarty-Plants Earth Hero. Join Ms. Smarty-Plants as she takes you on a magical, fun, and interactive journey through plant adaptations, the water cycle, conserva-tion, and more. To book an educational tour of The Garden or a school assembly program, call (619) 660-0615 ext. 16. UPCOMING EVENTS ONGOING EVENTS Shrubs for Screens Help us save our most precious resource. Customers can report water waste online or by phone at any time of the day. Use your phone, tablet, or desktop to fill out a water waste report at otaywater.gov/report- water-waste or call our 24-hour line at (619) 670-2207. You can also download the District’s “Make Every Drop Count” mobile application via Android or Apple to report water waste. Thank you for doing your part to use water efficiently! Stop Water Waste!ReportIt. Trees spaced to reduce fire spread Lower tree limbs removed to reduce "fire ladder" Space plants and shrubsto prevent fire from spreading 30’ Trees trimmedat least 10’ from chimney 70’ (or to property line) Go Paperless, Pay Your Utility Bill Online Save paper, water, and time by signing up to receive your bill online. The District’s BillPay service allows you to view and print your bill 24/7. You can also make automatic or one-time payments, receive email notifications, turn on or off paper billing, and view multiple Otay accounts with one username and password. To sign up, visit otaywater.gov and click on the “PAY BILL ONLINE” button. Graphic: San Diego County Fire Authority T H E O TAY WATER DISTRICT • P R OUDLY SERVING E A ST C OUNT Y A ND TH E S OUTH B A Y SINC E 1956 A NE WSLET TE R FOR CUSTOMER S OF T HE OTAY WATER DISTRICT FALL 2018 FOLLOW OTAY WATER ON... / SIGA AL DISTRITO DE AGUA DE OTAY EN... OTAY WATER DISTRICT – Board of Directors The Board of Directors meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 3:30 p.m. in the Board meeting room. The public is encouraged to attend at 2554 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard, Spring Valley, CA. President Tim Smith, Division 1 tsmith@otaywater.gov Vice President Mitch Thompson, Division 2 mthompson@otaywater.gov Treasurer Mark Robak, Division 5 mrobak@otaywater.gov Board Member Gary Croucher, Division 3 gcroucher@otaywater.gov Board Member Hector Gastelum, Division 4 hector@otaywater.gov Dedicated to Community Service FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OTAY WATER DISTRICT CALL (619) 670-2222 OR GO TO OTAYWATER.GOV The Pipeline Newsletter is published quartely by the Otay Water District and can also be found online at otaywater.gov. Copywright ©2018 Otay Water District. All rights reserved. Don’t Forget to Check Your Water Pressure Regulator! Does your faucet leak or toilet run constantly? Do the pipes in your home rattle or bang? A faulty water pressure regulator can be the cause! Even in newer homes, pressure regulators can wear out and fail. The quality of your pressure regulator dictates the years of service to expect. Regulators may last as little as one year or as long as 20 years or more. To ensure proper water pressure (40-65 PSI) in your home, it is your responsibility to maintain a working pressure regulator. When plumbing work is being done around your home, ask your licensed plumber to check your water pressure and regulator. A properly working residential regulator should never allow pressures above 75 PSI. Otay Water District Celebrates Water Professionals Week to Recognize Employees’ Dedication to Customers and Showcase Water-Related Careers The Otay Water District joined other water agencies throughout San Diego County and the state to celebrate the second annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week by highlighting the important role of water industry professionals and local public water agencies in ensuring safe and reliable water, wastewater, and recycled water service. Water agencies throughout California highlighted the week of Oct. 6-14, as a way of showing their appreciation of staff’s commitment to serving their communities. Water professionals play a key role in providing valuable water and wastewater services. The week was also an opportunity to showcase careers in the water industry, which includes engineers, systems operators, planners, construction and maintenance crews, information technology specialists, accountants, administrative professionals, public affairs teams, customer service representatives, managers, and more. “Water Professionals Appreciation Week provides the water industry with a great opportunity to reach out to our community and establish connections between the detailed and dedicated work we do at the District, how that preserves our customers’ quality of life, and the exciting career opportunities in the industry,” said District General Manager Mark Watton. The District employs 137 water professionals. Through the use of technology and efficiencies, the District has reduced its headcount by 25 percent from 175 since 2007. Although it has reduced its headcount, the District has seen an increase in population of its service area, resulting in an increase in customers served per each full-time employee from 301 to 409, since 2007. As a result, District staff is more efficient and innovative, working smarter to continue providing exceptional water and wastewater service to its customers, and to manage the District’s resources in a transparent and fiscally responsible manner. The District and its staff dedicate their work to the following values: customers, excellence, integrity, employees, teamwork, and innovation. Recent labor studies estimate that 60,000 people work in the state’s water industry and it needs roughly 6,000 new employees each year due to turnover and retirements. Water Professionals Appreciation Week was established in 2017 by Senate Concurrent Resolution 80. For details on Water Professionals Appreciation Week and programs related to rewarding career opportunities in the water industry, visit otaywater.gov. El Distrito de Agua de Otay celebra la Semana de los Profesionales del Agua para reconocer a sus empleados por su excelente vocación de servicio al cliente y destacar las profesiones relacionadas con el agua El Distrito de Agua de Otay se unió a otras agencias de agua en el condado de San Diego y el estado para celebrar la segunda Semana Anual de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua para destacar el papel que desempeñan tanto los profesionales de esta industria como las agencias públicas locales para garantizar agua segura y confiable, servicios de alcantarillado, y agua reciclada. Del 6 al 14 de octubre, las agencias de agua en California reconocieron al personal por su excelente vocación de servicio al cliente. Los profesionales del agua juegan un papel muy importante para proveer servicios valiosos de agua y alcantarillado. Esta semana fue una excelente oportunidad para presentar las diferentes carreras que existen en la industria del agua incluyendo ingenieros, operadores de sistemas, planificadores, grupos de construcción y mantenimiento, especialistas en tecnología de la información, contadores, profesionales administrativos, especialistas en relaciones públicas, representantes de servicio al cliente, gerentes y más. “La Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua proporciona a la industria del agua la oportunidad de acercarse a la comunidad; crear conexiones entre el trabajo minucioso y dedicado que hacemos en el distrito para conservar la calidad de vida de nuestros clientes; y presentar excelentes oportunidades y carreras en la industria”, mencionó Mark Watton, gerente general del distrito. A través del uso de tecnologías y procesos, el distrito ha reducido su personal en un 25 por ciento, es decir, de 175 empleados en 2007 a 137 en 2018. Aunque ha reducido su personal, el distrito ha tenido un aumento de población en su área de servicio, lo cual ha incrementado el número de clientes que atiende un empleado de tiempo completo, es decir, de 301 a 409 desde 2007. Como resultado, el personal del distrito es más eficiente e innovador; trabaja de una manera más inteligente para seguir proporcionando servicios excepcionales de agua y alcantarillado a sus clientes; y administra los recursos del distrito de manera transparente y responsable desde el punto de vista fiscal. El distrito y su personal dedican su trabajo con los siguientes valores: clientes, excelencia, integridad, empleados, trabajo en equipo e innovación. Estudios recientes sobre el empleo estiman que 60,000 personas trabajan en la industria del agua estatal, sin embargo, se requieren aproximadamente 6,000 empleos cada año debido a rotación de personal y jubilaciones. La Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua se estableció en 2017 a través de la Resolución Concurrente del Senado Número 80. Para más información acerca de la Semana de Apreciación de los Profesionales del Agua y programas relacionados, así como las excelentes oportunidades en la industria del agua, por favor visite otaywater.gov. ¡No olvide revisar regulador de presión de agua en su hogar! ¿El grifo de su casa gotea o el inodoro deja correr agua continuamente? ¿Las tuberías en su casa se sacuden o golpean? ¡Un regulador de presión de agua defectuoso podría ser la causa! Hasta en las casas más nuevas, los reguladores de presión se pueden desgastar y eventualmente fallar. La calidad de su regulador de presión determina los años de servicio que usted obtendrá. Los reguladores pueden durar entre uno y veinte años o más. Para garantizar una presión de agua (40-65 PSI) adecuada en su hogar es necesario que usted mantenga su regulador de presión en funcionamiento. Si realiza algún trabajo de plomería en su hogar, pídale a su plomero certificado que revise la presión de agua. Un regulador residencial en perfecto estado no debe permitir presiones superiores a 75 PSI. DISTRICT EMPLOYEES AT WORK Utility Worker II Meter Maintenance Worker II GIS Technician Customer Service Representative IIUtility Crew Leader &Sr. Utility Worker/Equipment Operator EMPLEADOS DEL DISTRITO EN EL TRABAJO Utility Worker II Meter Maintenance Worker II GIS Technician Customer Service Representative IIUtility Crew Leader &Sr. Utility Worker/Equipment Operator