Earlier this month, some Pacific Crest Trail hikers were concerned aboutthe possibility of norovirus infecting other hikers going north. Whilesome posted their fears on Facebook, others contacted the Town Crier.One wrote that the outbreak was between Idyllwild and Big Bear Lake. No evidence of a norovirus outbreak in Riverside County or locally hasbeen identified. “Public…
Financial issues, primarily the draft fiscal year 2024-25 budget,dominated the May 16 meeting of the Fern Valley Water District’s Boardof Directors. The major budget item was about the District’s unfunded liability forretirement through the California Employers’ Pension Plan Trust Fund.Other items included the warrants, the General Manager’s Report, andwater consumption’s effect on District revenue. Draft…
The regular meeting of Idyllwild Water District’s board of directorsincluded revelations regarding two aspects of IWD’s operations: waterloss and personnel. Interim General Manager Curt Sauer told the boardand public that the former GM’s figures for water loss were“fabricated,” and the second half of the meeting was a hearing duringwhich former Chief Water Operator Joseph Reyes…
The Fern Valley Water District (FVWD) Planning Committee, composed ofBoard Chair Jon Brown and Director Kevin Scott, met May 9 to develop thecapital improvement plan (CIP) for the draft fiscal year (FY) 2024-25budget. This will be submitted to both the Budget Committee May 13 andto the board of directors at its regular meeting May 16….
Pine Cove Water District’s May 8 meeting focused largely on the draftbudget, as the financial year draws to a close. The new budget totalsonly about 2% more than last year, well below the rate of inflation,currently around 3.5%. General Manager Jeremy Potter reported that the district’s static wellrose 4.4 feet to 74.5 feet, and is…
Last week, the state’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) announcedthat the state’s groundwater supplies were improving. Although moregroundwater is needed, the rain year 2023, which was October 2022through September 2023, resulted in significant increases in the state’sgroundwater inventory. Many of California’s urban areas rely on surface water, such as theColorado River project transferring water to…
The Idyllwild Water District (IWD) directors held a special meetingWednesday May 1, to discuss the status of the waste water treatmentplant (WWTP) replacement project. The firm doing the initial engineeringwas expected to join the meeting by Zoom, but did not, instead providinga six-page memo which did little to answer the board’s question. Thememo projected that…
Cal Fire’s Southern Operations Unit issued its latest Wildfire Outlooklast week. From now through early summer, wildfire conditions are likelyto remain lower than normal. However, as the Pacific weather conditionscontinue to shift from El Niño toward a La Niña pattern, the chances oflarge wildfires begin to increase. Both live fuel moisture and dead fuel moisture…
On Saturday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a proclamation designating May 5through May 11 as Wildfire Preparedness Week. The theme of preparednessweek is partnership. In the proclamation, Newsom said, “CAL FIRE has also made significantprogress on fuels reduction and mitigation, with more than 105,500 acresof fuels treatment last year. Fuels reduction projects are vital toslowing and…
