I question whether Idyllwild Water District is truly serving, as well as accommodating, its customers.
For the past six years, it has attempted to gain access to a well it drilled on Pine Crest private property — property that foreclosed after the well was drilled. Why IWD did not obtain an easement before it drilled is unknown because the current manager’s hiring followed the drilling so he doesn’t know.
Is this an important well to the district? Not really. To determine if a well will be a good water source before drilling is a roll of the dice in fractures, a little more assured in alluvial soil, both what we have up here, but still no guarantee.
In times of drought as we’ve had for four years, is it even possible to drill a high-producing well up here where precipitation collects in granite alluvial soil or fractures underground instead of acquifers? Yes, it is.
Since IWD’s refusal to sell “will-serve letters” over the past few years, two private property owners chose to drill their own wells, one off N. Circle and one off Village Center. Both wells appear to produce sufficient water that even half of production is more than enough to serve those properties, even for one of them, the brewpub, that requires a lot of water.
It just seems so obvious that rather than refusing will-serve letters (strictly conservation), the water district with the fewest water resources on the Hill, would work with property owners to buy high-producing wells in exchange for a will-serve letter.
Why isn’t IWD actively seeking new water sources such as these two wells for the community’s use and working with property owners who seek to build on their lots vs. just adamantly refusing will-serve letters?
Becky Clark
Editor
