Pine Cove Water District would like to wish everyone a very happy holiday season. This week the office will be closed in observance of Christmas Eve and Christmas day on Thursday and Friday. If you would like to make a payment while we are closed you can do so online through our webpage or drop it though the office door slot. If you have a water emergency like a burst pipe or leak please call the on call emergency line (951) 294-8282
May your holidays be filled with love and laughter!
Please note that there will be NO voting at the Pine Cove Water District this year. While we apologize for the inconvenience, we want to make sure you know you have multiple days to be able to safely vote in Idyllwild.
Don’t rely on the postal mail this late in the game. Bring your ballot to your county clerk by hand or vote in person.
There is currently an official drop box at the Idyllwild Library through 8pm on Election Day as well as early voting services starting Saturday 10/31/2020 through Election Day.
You can utilize the FREE Shuttle Service through Forest Folk. Check their webpage for more information, their Facebook page or call them at 951-426-9688 on the day you need a ride.
I’ve also heard rumor that Douglas Fresh with Pearl Car Service is offering FREE rides to the library in order to be able to vote. He can be contacted by phone/text at 951-223-5812, on their webpage, or Facebook page.
The following information is taken from vote411.org. You can also get information from voteinfo.net.
Early Voting Site and Drop Box
Idyllwild County Library Meeting Room 54401 Village Center Drive Idyllwild, CA 92549
EARLY VOTE SITE DATES: 10/31/2020 to 11/02/2020 EARLY VOTE SITE HOURS: Oct 31 – Nov 2: 9am – 5pm; Election Day: 7am – 8pm EARLY VOTE/SITE VOTER SERVICES: early vote
DROP OFF LOCATION HOURS: Oct 5 – Nov 2; Mon – Fri: 10am – 3pm; Election Day: 7am – 8pm DROP OFF LOCATION DATES: 10/05/2020 to 11/03/2020 DROP OFF LOCATION VOTER SERVICES: drop off
Once you’ve voted, you can track your ballot by going to Where’sMyBallot?.
The Pine Cove Water District office will be closed on Monday, September 7th in honor of Labor Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, September 8th at 9 a.m. If you have a water emergency, there will be someone on call. You can call the office and listen to the recorded message or call 951-294-8282, which is our emergency number. Remember, this number is for true water emergencies only. Please wait until Tuesday to call about an other water issues. Our normal business hours will continue Tuesday through Friday, from 9 am until 4 pm. Happy Labor Day!!!
Labor Day: What it Means
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families.
The American Red Cross regularly puts out safety precautions and as this coming weekend is going to be another hot one, there are additional precautions to consider.
Stay hydrated with water
If traveling; check on road conditions, buckle up, slow down, and don’t drink and drive
Designate a driver who won’t drink or plan on staying where you are celebrating
Carry a Disaster Supply Kit
Don’t let your vehicle’s gas tank get too low
Check with weather alerts before doing any bbqing or campfires
Grills should only be used outdoors
Wear loose-fitting, lightweight, light-colored clothing. Avoid dark colors because they absorb the sun’s rays
Have outdoor activities and games at a time when it’s not so hot
Apply sunscreen before you head out in the sun and reapply as necessary
When the beautiful fall leaves turn and the air becomes crisp is a good time to think about how to prepare for the coming cold months. It is important to make sure your home is ready for the coming winter. Winter can cause cause costly bills. Heating costs can double if your windows are poorly insulated or if the heating system is out-of-date. Plumbing can break or burst creating extensive damage to your home and high water bills. To prevent damage, it is just as important to winterize your home even if it will be vacant for long periods of time. Making proper precautions to ensure your home is prepared for winter can save you time, money and a lot of unnecessary hassle.
Learn how to properly shut off your water valve (in case a pipe bursts) and turn your water off every time you leave your mountain home.
Insulate pipes with insulation and wrap any exposed pipes.
Clean your gutters; make sure water can flow freely through your gutters to avoid icicles and ice dams.
Change your ceiling fans clockwise to force hot air at the ceiling towards the floor.
Replacing the filters in your forced heating unit improves the efficiency of your unit.
Window insulation film can help keep heat from escaping out your windows.
Winterize your home to extend the life of your fuel supply by insulating walls and attics, caulking and weather-stripping doors and windows, and installing storm windows or covering windows with plastic.
The simple act of installing a storm door can increase energy efficiency by 45%, by sealing drafts and reducing air flow
Placing a rolled towel at the bottom of your exterior door or a draft guard prevents heat from leaking out.
Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected every year. Your chimney doesn’t necessarily need to be swept every single year, but it does need an annual inspection. Wood stoves, however, should be swept more often.
Trim tree branches near your windows, roof, or parking areas before the weight of winter ice and snow can cause them to snap.
Inspect your home for any openings where animals could use to get inside. Make sure your fireplace flue or damper is closed, as bats, birds and squirrels are known to get inside this way.
Winterize your house, barn, shed or any other structure that may provide shelter for your family, neighbors, livestock or equipment.
Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk, as more people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary safety precautions.
It is wise to communicate with a trusted friend or neighbor if you plan to be gone for a prolonged period of time and make sure they have your contact information. Taking these steps can help protect your home from theft, water damage, and heating or electrical system issues while you are away.
Early this year we experienced extreme low temperatures and lots of snow. Pine Cove lost of over a million gallons of water in February and March this year. This loss was a result of many leaks around the District and caused by freezing temperatures. PCWD always recommends turning your water off at the street customer valve to prevent any water disasters or leaks. Conserving water whenever possible is important to this District. Pine Covers are very aware and are cautious 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.
The butterfly season is almost over and most of the Monarch Butterflies have emerged and will be heading south to mexico for the winter. Watching these majestic creatures over these past few months has been astonishing and we have learned a great deal through this experience.
It all started with a little bit of Milkweed and from there we stared seeing daily visits from Monarchs in our garden. Monarchs need Milkweed for their survival. The butterflies are attracted to the plant’s specific nectar. The life cycle for a Monarch from egg to butterfly is about 30 days. They lay their eggs on the leaves of the Milkweed and the eggs hatch after about three or four days. A tiny little caterpillar hatches and consumes the leftover egg as its first meal. The tiny caterpillar eats Milkweed for about two weeks and after weeks of caterpillars munching on Milkweed there was almost no leaves left of the plant. Caterpillars grows so rapidly that it sheds its skin five times and consumes its shed skin each time. When the caterpillar has fully grown it crawls off (traveling up to 30 feet away) to find the perfect spot to form a chrysalis. Once the caterpillar has chose a spot to transform it creates a small sticky disc to hang itself from and there it will sit for about a day in the shape of a J. Then the caterpillar is ready to begin transforming it starts to wiggle and squirm until the caterpillar’s skin is shed and a chrysalis emerges surrounding it body. The transformation or pupa stage takes about 10-14 days as the caterpillar is becoming a beautiful Monarch Butterfly. Once the butterfly’s transformation is complete it emerges with its wings all crinkled and wrinkled and has to hang upside down for a few hours while its wings dry and straighten out. When the wings have straightened and strengthened the butterfly is ready for some nourishment from flower nectar so it can brave the long adventure south to Mexico.
There are many predators, treacheries and possible sickness that the Monarchs have to endure and overcome. If you are interested in helping the Monarchs on their journey next year plant a Milkweed garden but don’t forget to pick up some free compost first.
We have been releasing Monarch Butterflies all week. Most of them look great but there are the few sad ones that emerge with some deformities like bent or shriveled wings. Below you can see three examples of chrysalis and the one on the far right will not make it to becoming a butterfly but the one on the left looks like it will emerge any minute and you can even see the beautifully formed orange wings. The green one in front looks healthy.
Three Chrysalis the new green one, about to hatch is black and one that has gone bad
Are you interested in hassle free bill paying? Pine Cove Water District has you covered. The end of credit processing fees, worrying about payment due dates, writing and mailing checks, setting up bill pay with your bank and say good bye to late fees. We now offer ACH automatic payments free of charge that are directly linked to your checking or savings account. Water bills are generated the beginning of every even month and you will still receive a statement of your records that says DRAFT BILL. Payment for your account will be automatically deducted on the 1st of every odd month. (depending on weekends and holidays payment may be after the first) Many have signed up for ACH and we have received overwhelming positive feedback.
Are you ready to sign up for ACH Automatic Payments for your Bimonthly Water bill? Contact us at the office by phone, email or fax. A link for the ACH payment form is also located on our website in the payment section.
PCWD would like to wish a Happy Mother’s Day to all the customers and a special thanks to all the wonderful Mother’s. We hope everyone enjoys celebrating their mother or the gift of being a mother.
A Mother is like a flower, each one is beautiful and unique in their own special way!
Just an added reminder…. If your are planning on traveling on the SR-74 from Hemet to Mountain Center be advised of the new pilot car hours. 4am-8am and then again 6pm-12am.
PCWD offers free water efficiency kit to all our residents! The Water saving kits will continuously assist you in your efforts to conserve our precious water .
Kit includes:
-High-Efficiency Showerhead, saves money by using up to 75% less water than
traditional showerheads.
-Dual Spray Swivel Aerator, offers a 360 degree swivel and has two spray
options.
-TWO Bubble Spray Bathroom Faucet Aerators, designed to accommodate most bathroom
sink faucets.
-Leak Detector Dye Tablets Kit, used to identify leaks in toilet tanks.
-Flow Meter Bag, helps determine the flow of showerheads and faucet aerators.
-Water Conservation wheel is a great educational tool that contains valuable
water saving procedures. -Installation Instructions for easy home installation.
If you are interested in one of these efficiency kits for your home stop by get one or as many as you need for your mountain home.
We also have some ice cream here for our customers to cool down with while the weather heats up. Just some of the many ways we like to show our appreciation to our Pine Cove community.
The intense storm that brought great damage to our mountain roads and highways on Valentine’s Day and left the community and tourist with only one rout option off the mountain. Today, We are so excited to see that Caltrans announced an update on the accessibility via State Route 74 from Hemet.
Starting this Easter weekend, Saturday April 20th the SR-74 from Hemet to Mountain Center will be reopening with limited access.Pilot car escort access on the SR-74 is will be available Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st between the hours of 6 a.m. and midnight in both directions. These hours of operation for the pilot car will only be for this coming holiday weekend and another limited schedule will be in effect starting Monday April 22.
As of Monday April 22nd, driving the SR-74 (Mountain Center to Hemet) will be available with limited access by pilot car seven days a week. The Pilot car access will only be available from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. and then 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. daily. This will be the continuing work and pilot car schedule until additional work is completed which will eventually open full access with flagging on the SR-74 until the completion of the project.
Be advised that with the limited access opening of SR-74 there are some Conditions that must be followed during the escort process. Per Caltrans announcement:
Down bound motorists (coming from Mountain Center) on SR-74 for the 5:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. escort must be in line by 7:45 a.m. or they will not be permitted in the escort process.
The speed limit will be 25 miles per hour during the escort.
Motorists will not be permitted to stop or pull over during the escort.
Motorists will not be permitted to pass other vehicles during the escort.
The construction zone on SR 74 between Mountain Center and Borco will be a “DOUBLE FINE ZONE”.
Sections of SR-74 will have uneven, unpaved roadbed with narrow passage. Be advised that dirt, sand, rock and mud will exist on the SR-74. Low profile vehicles are not recommended.
No drone, video or photos will be permitted while you are using the escorts.
Motorists must follow all commands given by the pilot workers, contractor employees, flaggers, Caltrans crews and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).
The escorts can be canceled at any time due to safety concerns for the traveling public such as slope issues, rock fall, roadbed concerns and motorists not following traffic laws or escort provisions.
Travelers will experience delays for the limited access on SR-74. All agencies involved in this massive project are committed to keeping the public safe while traveling on SR-74. The contractor will continue to work 24/7 on SR-74 to continue to expedite repairs in preparation for full access.
SR-243 is open to motorists from Idyllwild to Lake Fulmor. SR 243 remains closed from Banning to Idyllwild until further notice to the public.
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