SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2014

THE HORN IS BACK!

VOLUME 8 NO. 39

CITY TO BEGIN USING ADDITIVES 
TO REDUCE �BROWN� WATER

....And no one is happier about it than 
this man!

 Since Sierra Madre began 
importing water, residents 
have had an ongoing problem 
with brown, rust colored 
water. This continues to occur 
in various parts of the city.

 The �brown water� has been 
reported in homes with 
galvanized pipes as well as 
those with copper pipes. The 
cause has been deemed to 
be the rust that is released 
by the interaction of the 
imported water on the city�s 
water delivery system. It is 
now believed to be generated 
as the water travels through 
the city�s worn infrastructure. 
This was not a problem prior 
to the importation of water, 
as Sierra Madre well water 
contained no chemicals that 
would trigger such a reaction.

In an effort to resolve this 
problem (corrosion control), 
review the City�s existing 
nitrification action plan, and 
other water concerns, Dr. 
Helene Baribeau of Baribeau 
Environmental Engineering 
was awarded a professional 
services contract in June to 
study the situation and see 
what could be done. (http://
mtnviewsnews.com/v08/htm/
n25/index.htm)

 Last month Dr. Baribeau 
completed an Interim 
Corrosion Control Plan and 
it was presented to the city 
council on September 9th 
by Public Works Director 
Bruce Inman. The plan 
calls for the infusion of Zinc 
Orthophosphate into the 
water system before it leaves 
for distribution to households. 
By doing so, it is hoped that a 
liner will form in the pipes 
preventing corrosion that is 
then transported to individual 
households. The council 
approved moving forward 
with the recommendations 
contained in the plan 
contingent upon LA County 
Health Department approval. 

 Inman confirmed in a 
telephone interview on Friday 
that there are still many old 
steel pipes in the city�s system 
that do rust. This is not 
the case with cement pipes 
and may be the reason that 
some areas of the town aren�t 
experiencing discolored water.

 He also explained that the 
orthophosphate will �overtime 
form a microscopic coating to 
keep rust from being released. 
Discoloration from corrosion 
is not a problem unique to 
Sierra Madre. Other cities, 
use orthophosphate for that 
very reason, said Inman.

 Approval has been received 
from the county to use the 
chemicals as described in Dr. 
Baribeau�s plan. During the 
council meeting, she appeared 
via Skype to assist Inman with 
the presentation.

 The chemically enhanced 
water will begin distribution 
on Monday. As for health 
concerns, Inman says the 
amount of orthophosphate 
being used will do no harm, 
nor distort the taste of the 
water when ingested.

 S. Henderson/MVNews

SIERRA MADRE POLICE 
TAKING BACK UNWANTED 
PRESCRIPTION DRUGS 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27th


There are so many 
historic icons in Sierra 
Madre and the Sierra 
Madre Emergency Horn 
is certainly one of them. 
Currently housed in the 
Montecito parking lot at 
the corner of Baldwin 
Ave. and Montecito 
Ave., it is touted as 
being the most effective 
�warning� system there 
is. That is, of course, 
according to old timers 
like former Mayor 
George Maurer and his 
coffee crew.

 A very loud horn, 
when functioning, it 
will alert the entire city 
that something is very 
wrong. When power is 
out, and all else fails, the horn can get the job done.

 This seemingly magical device is actually, according to 
James Carlson of the city of Sierra Madre, �..a radio frequency 
controlled signal originally used for alerting volunteer members 
of the Department to the existence and location of a fire. The horn 
was previously used as a secondary alerting system, as required by 
the NFPA and ISO. With the ability to be heard over the entirety of 
the 3.2 square miles of the City of Sierra Madre, the horn has faced 
some controversy since its original installation in 1915 due to the 
volume and frequency of the alerts.

 Over the course of the horn�s nearly 100 year history, the horn 
was tested daily at 12:00 noon in accordance with NFPA 3-1.5.2.2 
requiring all outside devices, radio, telephone, or other means for 
alerting volunteer and off-duty fire fighters to be tested once a day. 
This practice was briefly discontinued in 1999, however, following 
community support for the tradition (lead in part by Sierra Madre 
City College�s sale of t-shirts reading �Save Our Horn� Blow Me 
Daily�) testing was once again reinstated until late in the 2000s. 
In 2008 the Kiwanis Club with former Mayor George Maurer 
leading the charge, approached City Council with the intention to 
reactivate the horn after a period of disuse. The horn has recently 
been repaired, and it is intended that the horn will be used as an 
emergency notification system in the event of disaster.�

 On Wednesday, October 1st at 2:00 pm. The Horn will be 
officially tested. It is a very effective emergency alert because 
it is so loud there is no section of the city in which it cannot be 
heard. Its� reinstatement is intended to interface with the city�s 
Emergency Radio Station, 1630AM in the event of a disaster. 
When residents hear the horn, they will know to turn to the 
station or SMTV3 for further instructions. 

 Thank you George for your persistence in getting this valuable 
tool emergency warning system back in action!

[SIERRA MADRE, CA] � On 
September 27 from 10 a.m. to 
2 p.m. the Sierra Madre Police 
Department and the Drug 
Enforcement Administration 
(DEA) will give the public its 
ninth opportunity in four years 
to prevent pill abuse and theft by 
ridding their homes of potentially 
dangerous expired, unused, and 
unwanted prescription drugs. 
Bring your pills for disposal to the 
Police Department Lobby at 242 
W. Sierra Madre Blvd. (The DEA 
cannot accept liquids or needles or 
sharps, only pills or patches.) The 
service is free and anonymous, no 
questions asked.

 Last April, Americans turned in 
390 tons (over 780,000 pounds) of 
prescription drugs at nearly 6,100 
sites operated by the DEA and more 
than 4,400 of its state and local law 
enforcement partners. When those 
results are combined with what was 
collected in its eight previous Take 
Back events, DEA and its partners 
have taken in over 4.1 million 
pounds�more than 2,100 tons�of 
pills. 

 This initiative addresses a vital 
public safety and public health issue. 
Medicines that languish in home 
cabinets are highly susceptible to 
diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates 
of prescription drug abuse in the 
U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the 
number of accidental poisonings 
and overdoses due to these drugs. 
Studies show that a majority of 
abused prescription drugs are 
obtained from family and friends, 
including from the home medicine 
cabinet. In addition, Americans 
are now advised that their usual 
methods for disposing of unused 
medicines�flushing them down 
the toilet or throwing them in the 
trash�both pose potential safety 
and health hazards. 

 DEA is in the process of 
approving new regulations that 
implement the Safe and Responsible 
Drug Disposal Act of 2010, which 
amends the Controlled Substances 
Act to allow an �ultimate user� 
(that is, a patient or their family 
member or pet owner) of controlled 
substance medications to dispose of 
them by delivering them to entities 
authorized by the Attorney General 
to accept them. The Act also allows 
the Attorney General to authorize 
long term care facilities to dispose 
of their residents� controlled 
substances in certain instances.

Former Sierra Madre Mayor and 
SMFD Volunteer, George Maurer

EVERY DROP COUNTS! 

Residents need to be aware of the new restrictions 
on watering. 

 Even-numbered addresses are limited to landscape irrigation on 
Mondays and Thursdays. Odd-numbered addresses and addresses 
ending in fractions are limited to landscape irrigation on Tuesdays 
and Fridays. 

 If you would like to report water waste you can now do so on 
the City�s website or by emailing water@cityofsierramadre.com. 

 Please describe how water is being wasted, include the location, 
and a photo if available. We will then send a courtesy notice to the 
property so the issue can be fixed. 

 You can also send an Email to water@cityofsierramadre.com 
OR use the form on the city�s website: www.cityofsierramadre.
com 

Why do water systems add 
phosphate to drinking water? 
What are the health effects 
of drinking water containing 
phosphates?

 The Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA) has issued 
a report on the toxicology of 
inorganic phosphates as food 
ingredients. The FDA considers 
phosphates as a food additive to 
be �generally recognized as safe.� 
This report is available at: www.
elsevier.com/locate/foodchemtox. 

Inside this week: 

WALKING SIERRA MADRE�The Social Side By Deanne Davis


�Scarecrows, corn rows, pumpkins on the vine,

Leaves curl, wind swirls�Fall is right on time!�

 Tuesday, 6:00 a.m. � 63 degrees. Perfect weather 
to walk Sierra Madre. Walking partner, John, in 
his USC ball cap, me in my hole-y tennies, set off to 
see what�s going on downtown. Lots! Wow! The 
Scarecrow Festival is taking hold all over Sierra 
Madre. If you don�t do anything else this week, go 
look at the one in the window at Leonora Moss. It�s 
made out of plant pots of various sizes, assorted 
plants and moss, and it�s enormous! They�ve also got 
some fabulous jeweled spiders that I don�t think I can 
live without. Take a look!

 St. Rita�s has student scarecrows in their front 
patio, complete with a student desk 
and a poster announcing their Harvest 
Festival coming up in less than a month! 
Creative Arts Group�s scarecrow is 
busily working away at a potter�s wheel 
and if you haven�t seen Lew Watanabe�s 
beautiful sculpture-fountain piece, 
�Antiquity� in front of their building, 
take time to stop and enjoy a moment 
or two of peace. 

 Webb-Martin Realtors has a super 
scarecrow in their window, Sierra Juice 
has been invaded by an enormous 
spider on their umbrella and the guys 
at Haynes & Oakley, Architects at the 
corner of Sierra Madre 
Blvd. and Lima have a 
terrific scarecrow display 
on the east side of their 
parking lot. Check it out, 
it�s funny! You�re down 
there anyway, so admire 
the windows at Arnold�s 
Hardware. 

 Neighbor Lisa Cardella 
(Ixora Florist) has a 
pumpkin-headed, 
fashionably dressed 
scarecrow in front of her 
house and one of our 
neighbors on the south 
side of Grandview, east 
of Auburn, has one, too! 
Scarecrow competition is 
heating up, folks, and it�s 
such fun to see these guys 
all around town.

 Something exciting is going on at the 
former Yellow Bus on Baldwin, the inside 
has been peeled down to foundation 
stuff! The Kensington is starting to 
look like a really beautiful place, isn�t 
it! Lot of stuff to put in our calendars, 
too: The Wine, Rhythm & Brews Walk 
is October 4th , where we walk all over 
town and see what our local merchants 
are doing; the 3rd Annual Fall Family 
Festival at Bethany Christian School is 
October 11th; Zugo�s Caf� is doing crepes 
and Belgian waffles on Saturdays and Sundays till 
4:00 p.m., yum! Sorry to see the Center for Wellness 
around the corner from Starbucks has gone. None of 
us like to see empty storefronts.

 Tuesday, 8:00 a.m. � a bit hotter and the town 
is controlled chaos with parents bringing their 
backpack laden sweeties to all our local schools. The 
highlight of our day is seeing all those excited little 
people running to meet the day. Hope your day is 
filled with excitement and wonder, too. Don�t forget 
to watch for scarecrows!

 Dear Walking Sierra Madre Readers, I have a really 
neat book out! �A Tablespoon of Love, A Tablespoon 
of Laughter� is available on Amazon.com; or at 
https://www.createspace.com/4561071

CALENDAR Pg. 2

SIERRA MADRE NEWS

Remembering Ed Clare Pg. 3

PASADENA/ALTADENA

New City Council Rules Pg. 4

ARCADIA NEWS 

MONROVIA/DUARTE 

 Pg. 5

EDUCATION & YOUTH

 Pg. 6


FOOD & DRINK

 Pg. 7

BEST FRIENDS

 Pg. 8

HEALTHY LIFESTYLES

 Pg. 9

THE GOOD LIFE

Rich Johnson is back! Pg. 10

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

 Pg. 11

St. Rita�s Student Scarecrows

SECTION B 

AROUND SGV Pg. B1

THE WORLD AROUND US

 Pg. B2

 BUSINESS NEWS Pg. B3

 OPINION Pg. B4

 LEGAL NOTICES Pg. B5

Creative Arts Potter Scarecrow