Wednesday Water Round-Up for 12/20

Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District has canceled the regular meeting of the board of directors today (Dec. 20, 2023). However, in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. At the Joshua Basin Water District directors recognize the district’s sixtieth anniversary. Then getting down to business the board will receive the 2022/2023 audited financial reports, followed by the election of a new board president and vice-president. The new officers…

Cadiz wins use of pipeline, but not for water

The Bureau of Land Management last Friday approved the assignment of an existing right-of-way grant held for a natural gas pipeline to Cadiz Real Estate, LLC as part of a change of ownership. You may recall that Cadiz is the multi-million dollar development firm that has had its eyes focused on sending billions of gallons of ancient aquifer water from under the San Bernardino Mountains to thirsty communities in Orange County. The reassignment of the right of way includes an unused 71-mile…

Flamingo 640 Glamping Resort on San Bernardino County BOS meeting agenda Tuesday (12/19)

The very last item among the many to be considered at tomorrow’s (December 19, 2023) 10 o’clock meeting of county supervisors in San Bernardino, is a public hearing on Flamingo Heights 640, the controversial glamping resort proposed along pristine Pipes Wash on the east of State Route 247. The proposed development comes before the board of supervisors on appeal after the planning commission failed to bring it to a vote last March. Tomorrow, the developer, RoBott Land Company, will appeal the…

Yucca Valley Hi-Desert Water District board meets today (12/13)

Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District board of directors meets today (Dec. 13, 2023) for a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. The focus of today’s special meeting at the Hi-Desert Water District will be Phase 2 and 3 of the sewage treatment plant. With the plant and Phase 1 now complete, the general manager is seeking board approval to enter into an Owner's Representative Professional Services Agreement which will provide the district with necessary project management assistance to construct…

Water quality update at Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency meeting tonight

At tonight’s (Dec. 12, 2023) 6 p.m. meeting of the Bighorn-Desert View Water Agency’s board, the agenda is light but important. Near the top of tonight’s meeting, directors will hear a water quality update with a focus on aptly named “forever chemicals.” A discussion will follow this informational presentation. The only action item on tonight’s agenda is the expected board authorization for staff use of credit cards and the setting of guidelines for use of those cards. The public is welcome to…

Wednesday Water Round-Up for 12/6

Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District board of directors meets today (Dec. 6, 2023) at 4 p.m. While down the highway in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. The focus of today’s meeting at the Hi-Desert Water District will be the election of a new board president, vice president, and secretary. Following the vote, the new officers will take the oath of office and immediately assume their new positions. Also tonight, directors will approve,…

SB County BOS meeting to go over Wonder Valley, Pipes Canyon and Pioneertown road projects

County supervisors are expected to declare a 2012 John Deere Motor Grader valued between $80,000 and $110,000, as surplus and send it to auction. Proceeds of the sale will go to the Wonder Valley Operating Fund to help pay for a new road grader. In other business, supervisors will consider giving up the county’s right-of-way on Matilla Road and others in the Pipes Canyon area about 12 miles west of Pioneertown that are blocked by the mountainous terrain along the easterly side of the San…

Tires and other bulky waste cleanup event this Saturday in Landers

It may first appear as a single tire — or more often in stacks of two, three or four tires — hastily dumped along rural roads and private properties in the dead of night. When law-abiding folks replace tires, they leave the old ones with the tire shop for a small fee, usually a couple dollars. The Landers landfill accepts tires for about $5.25 each, but a great number of car and truck tires are illegally discarded in our communities. This Saturday, December 2, County Code Enforcement and the…

Wednesday Water Round-Up for 11/15

Yucca Valley’s Hi-Desert Water District board of directors meets today (Nov. 15, 2023) at 4 p.m. While down the highway in Joshua Tree, the Joshua Basin Water District’s regular meeting begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. The lone focus at today’s meeting at the Hi-Desert Water District is a strategic planning workshop to gather input from all relevant sources in order to develop the district’s strategic goals and priorities for the next five years. The meeting takes place at the district office on the…

JBWD’s Low-Income Household Water Assistance (LIHWAP) canceled

The Joshua Basin Water District’s popular Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, or LIHWAP, was abruptly canceled yesterday. Joshua Basin Water District management learned late yesterday that program funding, which has been funneled through the county, has been exhausted and applications can no longer be considered. The district’s planned Low Income Household Water Assistance Program scheduled for tomorrow (Nov. 16, 2023) has also been canceled. Low-income ratepayers in the Joshua Basin…