SIERRA MADRE EDITION

 SATURDAY, AUGUST 18, 2018 

VOLUME 12 NO. 33

RED WATER, EXTREME HEAT....SIERRA MADRE WATER QUESTIONS ANSWERED

 Earlier this week, many residents in the Southwest quadrant of Sierra Madre turned on their 
faucets on to see that disturbing rust colored water coming out. Needless to say, the panic level rose 
and calls started coming in to the Mountain Views News. 

 Fortunately, the worst fears were not the case. The city’s water has not reverted to that horrible 
situation in 2013 that plagued the town when it became necessary to pump water from outside 
sources because of the drought. Instead, the situation this week was temporary. 

 We reached out to Sierra Madre's Department of Public Works Director, Chris Cimino and our 
Utilities Director, Jose Reynoso and they gave us the following information:

 Q: Why was our water discolored:

A: This past Thursday our valve crew exercised 24 valves in one area of our system. To aid in 
clearing mainlines we flushed several additional hydrants capturing the water in our water tender 
then spread that water into our recharge basins to allow it to recharge the aquifer. 

 The red, yellow or brown water some of our residents experienced was due to our valve exercising 
program. We have just under 1,200 valves in our water system. Each of these valves can isolate 
water to a block in the City. It’s important to have operational valves as they can minimize water 
outages in the event of a major leak. 

 Our goal is to exercise at least 50% of these valves each year. Exercising a valve involves closing 
and opening the valve to make sure it is operational. The operator logs the number of turns and 
the torque needed to operate the valve. In addition any valve that is not operational is logged and 
scheduled for replacement. 

 During the process of exercising a valve any iron deposits that have built up on the valve come 
dislodged and appear as color in the water. Typically an operator will exercise a cluster of 4 valves 
then go to the nearest hydrant to flush out any discoloration that occurred in the process. If a 
resident opens a water fixture during the valve exercising process it is possible they can draw water 
with iron deposits into their house. This water will appear red, yellow or brown. Typically a few 
minutes of flushing the fixture will remedy the situation. 

 Residents are encouraged to contact the Water Department any time they experience red water. 

Q: What is the status of our wells/groundwater levels?

A: Many of our residents are unaware we can no longer meet the communities water needs with 
our local groundwater supply alone. The lack of natural recharge from precipitation over the past 7 years 
has depleted our local groundwater source. Our aquifer is an adjudicated basin which means when 
ground water levels are safe, Sierra Madre can extract 1,764 Acre Feet* per year from the basin. When 
groundwater levels are low, there is a clause in our adjudication that puts a pumping restriction on our 
rights and reduces them to 940 Acre feet per year. This occurs when groundwater levels drop below 500 
feet above mean sea level. As of today our ground water level is at 364’ above sea level. 

Q: Are we still importing water?

A: We are currently operating under the 500’ rule restriction. Water levels in the aquifer need to gain 
136 feet for Sierra Madre to be able to once again produce our full allocation. The reality is this may 
never happen and we will likely need to import 50% or more or our demand each and every year. 

 To meet the needs of the community and make up the difference between our rights and demand we 
purchase imported water from the San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. Water imported from 
the District is placed in our recharge basins at the City Yard. Water is allowed to naturally percolate 
into the ground where it eventually reaches our groundwater supply. Each year the City of Sierra 
Madre imports as much water as needed to make up the difference between our pumping rights and 
our demand. This can vary from 1,200 to 2,500 acre feet per year. Imported water originates in either 
Northern California and is conveyed via the California Aqueduct or is diverted from the Colorado 
River. Either way imported water has a long journey to make it to Sierra Madre. 

 Water Department staff monitors and tracks groundwater levels very closely. This year’s rainfall was a 
below average and groundwater levels did not recover very much over the Spring. As a result we began 
importing water a month early to get ahead of our peak season. Spreading imported water a month early 
allowed us to put 300 AF in the ground and slow the expected drop caused by peak summer demand. 

 This July felt like one of the hottest ever. In July we produced 2,525,345 gallons more than we did last 
year (7.75 AF). Historically August and September are our biggest production months. MVNEWS


SIERRA MADRE NEWS BRIEFS


As we prepare to welcome the 
new school year, let's not forget 
traffic safety at all our local 
schools.

 

1.Obey posted speed limits. Be
aware of reduced speeds in school 
zones. Speeding can be a major 
factor in pedestrian accidents, 
and traveling too fast can prevent 
you from recognizing children 
near your vehicle.

 

2.Be alert for children on sidewalks, 
in crosswalks, darting between 
cars, crossing behind your 
vehicle and otherwise being present 
in places you expect to see 
and don’t expect to see them.



3.Stop for school buses when
you are supposed to. If you come 
upon a school bus with flashing 
red lights and an extended “stop” 
sign, stop your vehicle.

 

4.Include more time in your
commute or anytime you are 
driving somewhere. Traffic is 
likely to increase, or you may find 
normal traffic times shift, as the 
school year begins.

 

5.Work to eliminate driving distractions. 
Turn your cell phone to 
silent and place it out of sight. 

COMMISSION 
VACANCIES 

 - Senior Community 
Commission 

 - Energy, Environment, 
and Natural Resources 
Commission

 - Community Services

JOB OPENINGS WITH 
THE CITY OF SIERRA 
MADRE



Paramedic PT

Category: EMS



Finance Director

Category: Accounting and 
Finance



Customer Services Representative 
P/T

Category: Customer Service

If you are interested in filling 
any one of these vacancies go to 
www.cityofsierramadre.com to 
download an application. 

Please return completed application's 
to City Hall


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com