Archive for Community

Stage I Water Conservation

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On Wednesday, March 12, 2014, our board of directors declared a water emergency at a public hearing.  Due to the current drought and the lack of winter snow and rain, they felt the time has come to move back into a conservation stage.  Stage I takes effect as of April 1st.

As most of you will remember from the last time we were in Stage I, this is voluntary compliance.  Customers are asked to conserve, whenever possible, the amount of water used for domestic and business purposes.  Fix leaking pipes, faucets and toilets.  Refrain from washing down or hosing off sidewalks and driveways.  Do not sprinkle unplanted areas for dust control.  Utilize the free compost and woodchips we provide to our customers to minimize watering in the garden.

In Stage I, water prices do not increase until the 4th tier of 18,000 to 24,000 gallons. Any increases will appear in the June bills.

As past experience has shown us, the residents of Pine Cove do a wonderful job of conserving water and we have no doubt that they will once again step up to the plate and do what they can to save as much water as possible.  We will be monitoring this situation very closely and will keep our customers informed on any new developments, good or bad.

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Posted in: Around the District, Board Members, Community, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Water Conservation

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More Space Saving Ideas

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Here on the hill, gardening is challenging for many reasons.  A short growing season, water restrictions and poor soil, micro climates and shade are just some of the issues we contend with.  As gardeners, we are forced to come up with clever ways to overcome these challenges.  Each gardener is different and has different wants and needs for his or her garden, so each person must customize solutions to fit their particular gardening needs.

One challenge many gardeners everywhere face, is space.  Or lack thereof.  This is why container gardening and raised bed gardens are so wonderful.  They allow us to garden without acres of land to till or to fit a garden into a spot that would be unsuitable for a traditional garden.   Everything from flowers to fruits and veggies to herbs, can be grown in containers or raised beds.

But now you want to branch out, literally, and grow some fruit trees.  A typical 1/4 acre lot can only hold so many trees and if your property is like mine, putting in a bunch of fruit trees would eliminate most of the usable space in my yard.  However, if the thought of walking outside and picking the perfect apples for a pie or a big, juicy peach is something you covet, then why not think about espalier?

espalier 2Beautiful!  So neat and tidy.

Espalier is the art of pruning and training trees and their  branches to be on one plane.  It is usually done against a fence or  a wall, however, by installing posts and wires, you can espalier a fruit tree just about anywhere in your yard or garden.  It is an excellent way to add fruit trees to your garden or homestead without taking up valuable real estate.

espalier 4Posts and wires for espalier trees.

Plus the fruit is extremely easy to pick as compared to normal fruit trees.  If you have ever attempted to pick the apples from the top of a tall apple tree, you will know what I mean and will appreciate being able to pick fruit easily and without a ladder, from an espaliered tree.

espalier 1Much easier to pick apples from trees that are espaliered.  Give it a try.  I will be doing this in my garden!

espalier 3

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Posted in: Around the District, Community, Customer Infomation, Edible Landscaping, From the Office, gardening, Homesteading, The Garden

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Customer Pics

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I always encourage our customers to send me pictures from around their yards showing what is happening here in Pine Cove.  Sue Hrbek and Wayne Olson sent me these pictures of a blue bird making use of the blue bird house they got from us last year.

Blue Bird house 4

Blue Bird house 5

Blue Bird house 3

Blue Bird house 2

Blue Bird house 1

This a good time to remind everyone with a blue bird house that now is a great time to clean them out so they are ready to go for this years birds.  They may be nesting earlier than normal this year do to the unseasonably warm weather.  So let’s be ready for them.

If you do not have a blue bird house of your own, stop by the water district office during regular business hours and we will give you one for FREE!  That’s right.  We are giving away free blue bird houses.  They are made from recycled wood right in the district workshop by the boys, Jerry and Jeremy.  Pick yours up today.

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Posted in: Animals, Around the District, Community, From the Office

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Weather Coming

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Some wet weather is finally coming our way.  By the looks of the weather forecast, we should get some rain or snow by the end of this week.  It doesn’t look like much so far, but when it comes to predicting the weather, one never really knows for sure.  Let’s all hope we get more moisture than is predicted as we need it desperately.  This winter has been practically non-existent so far and while these mild and sunny days are certainly enjoyable, they are doing nothing for our water situation.

Conserving water whenever possible is also an important part of our water situation.  Luckily, Pine Covers are very aware, concerned and educated about our water supply and as a result, they are very good about conserving water as much as possible.  If you  aren’t sure how you can reduce your water usage,  we have many water conservation tips here on the blog and on our website at pcwd.org that are useful for conserving water both inside the house as well as outside.

And don’t forget  to turn your water off at your customer valve anytime you leave you mountain home.  This is the best way to prevent damage from a leak when you are not at your mountain home. We also have water conservation kits here at the office.  Stop in and pick one up for your home!

inclement-weather-md

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Posted in: Community, Conservation, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Frozen Pipes, Water Conservation, Weather

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Leak Reward

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Just a quick reminder about our Leak Reward Program.  Anyone who spots a leak and reports it to the water district, will earn a $25 gift certificate to their restaurant of choice here on the hill.

It has to be a valid leak, not a spring or something we already know about.  And it can’t be something like your toilet is leaking.  This has been a very successful program and we hope you will keep your eyes and ears peeled when you are out and about in Pine Cove.

Reward Flyer

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Posted in: Community, Conservation, Customer Infomation, From the Office

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Finally a Storm!

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A storm finally moved in at the end of last week and according to the weather station up at the Rocky Point tank site, we received .43 inches of rain.  That is almost half an inch!  While we need much more rain and snow than this to pull us out of this drought, it is better than nothing and we will take it.

We are hoping that February and March turn out to be much wetter than January was.  However, since we don’t have a crystal ball here at the water district, we cannot predict what will happen weather wise.  What we can be sure of however, is the fact that the residents of Pine Cove have been and will continue to conserve as much water as possible.  For this we are very grateful.  When times get tough, Pine Covers really step up to the plate and do what needs to be done to get through the tough times.  We know this, because we have seen you in action.

Water conservation is an integral part of living on the hill.  We are solely dependent on our ground wells here in Pine Cove and have no back up sources of water.  We take great care to pump water from different wells throughout our district so as not to deplete any one particular area too much.  Keeping water loss and use to a minimum, will enable us to continue to provide clean, potable water to everyone here in Pine Cove.  So remember, conserve water regardless of whether or not we are in a drought.  Conserving water when we are not in a drought is like putting money in the bank for a rainy day.  Or in the case of a drought, for a sunny day.  Keep up the good work Pine Covers!

Remember to turn off your water at your customer valve anytime you leave your mountain home.

 

rain06

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Posted in: Community, Conservation, Customer Infomation, Customer Valve, From the Office, Water Conservation, Weather

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Still no Snow…

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This morning is very overcast, so I checked the weather forecast in the hope that rain or snow was expected to arrive, but alas, I see no rain or snow in the immediate forecast.  Here is what is predicted for the next week.

Today, mostly cloudy, with a high near 53. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

  • Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. East wind around 5 mph.
  • Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. East wind around 5 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
  • Saturday: Night Mostly clear, with a low around 41. West wind around 5 mph becoming north in the evening.
  • Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 56. West wind around 5 mph.
  • Sunday: Night Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
  • Monday: Sunny, with a high near 58.
  • Monday: Night Mostly clear, with a low around 44.
  • Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 60.
  • Tuesday: Night Mostly clear, with a low around 47.
  • Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 63.
  • Wednesday: Night Mostly clear, with a low around 48.
  • Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60.

While this weather is certainly enjoyable and makes for easy winter living, it is not helpful in easing our drought conditions.  We are hoping that rain and snow fall in February and March will make up for the extremely dry January, but if they do not, we will be considering going back into Stage 1 Conservation.  Stage 1 is voluntary compliance.  Customers are asked to conserve, when possible, the amount of water used to that amount necessary for domestic and business purposes.  Hopefully, everyone who lives in Pine Cove is already doing these things.

Fix leaky plumbing, prevent irrigation runoff, refrain from washing down sidewalks, driveways and parking areas and avoid sprinkling unplanted areas for dust control.  Customers will be encouraged to utilize wood chips to mulch around all plants and trees in order to minimize outside watering.  An added bonus is that the wood chips you mulch with will gradually compost and feed your plants and trees and improve the soil, thereby enabling it to retain water better.

We will be monitoring the water situation very closely and will take whatever measures we deem necessary in order to continue to provide water to the customers of Pine Cove.  Getting in the habit of conserving as much water as possible will ensure that we all will have what we need down the road.  We all have our part to play and we hope we can count on you to play your part!

Wood Chips

Wood chips provided free of charge to Pine Cove Water District customers.

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Posted in: Community, Compost, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Garden, Pine Cove Water District, Weather, Wood chips

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Board Meeting

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Our first board meeting of 2014 is fast approaching.  It is on Wednesday, January 8, 2014 at 10 a.m. sharp.  As per usual, our board meetings are always held on the second Wednesday of every month.  The public is always welcome to attend and we would encourage everyone to attend a meeting when they are able.  They are very informative.

The meetings are held in the board room here at the water district office, which is located at 24917 Marion Ridge Road.  Just follow the sidewalk by the newspaper shelter straight back and enter through the door on your right.  That will bring you right into the boardroom.  If you have any questions prior to the meeting on how to find us, just give us a call at 951-659-2675 and either Becky or Vicki will be happy to give you directions to the office.

Hope to see you there!

board meeting audience

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Posted in: Board Meetings, Community, Customer Infomation, From the Office

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Belated Happy New Year

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Sorry for the delayed New Year’s greeting, but I have been under the weather.  So better late than never.  Everyone here at the Pine Cove Water District hopes that all of our customers had a wonderful holiday season and will have a happy, healthy and blessed 2014.  May all your dreams come true!

Happy New Year to Everyone!

champagne_toast_on_new_years_clipar

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Posted in: Community, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Holidays

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Holiday Hours

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Christmas is almost upon us!  We will be open normal business hours on Monday and Tuesday, December 23 & 24th.  We will be closed on Christmas Day and the day after, December 25 & 26th.  We will resume normal business hours on Friday, December 27th.  Our normal business hours are from 9 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

We do have someone on call 24 hours a day, should a water emergency occur.  That number is 951-294-8282, but remember, this number is for emergencies only.

Everyone here at the Pine Cove Water District wishes all of our customers a very merry holiday season and a new year overflowing with blessings!

Jerry Holldber, Becky Smith, Vicki Jakubac, Jerry Johnson., Jeremy Potter, Stitch the dog & Gracie the cat

lantern

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Posted in: Community, Customer Infomation, From the Office, Holidays

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