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Todd Spitzer, who was unable to attend the meeting, but has an in- terest in the sewer system because it lies within his district. Both the East Orange County
Water District (EOCWD) and Irvine
Whether the Area 7 sewer sys-
tem will be operated and main- tained by a small, local water district with ties to the commu- nity, a larger, more experienced company, or remain in the hands of the county sanitation depart- ment remains in question, as the agency that will make the deci- sion postponed its August hearing on the subject until September. The Local Area Formation Commission (LAFCO) has over- sight responsibilities for changes in Orange County governmental infrastructure and boundaries. It is up to that seven-member commission to determine which agency is best suited to take on the 7,777-acre Area 7 with 17,378 sewer connections in unincorpo- rated North Tustin and El Mode- na. The August postponement came at the request of Supervisor
Ranch Water District
(IRWD) have filed applications with LAFCO to assume respon- sibility for the system currently overseen by the OC Sanitation District. The county wants to rid itself of small local sewer sys- tems like Area 7 so it may con- centrate on the larger, regional network. The sanitation board voted last year to offer the system to the EOCWD because Area 7 closely mirrors that agency’s ser- vice footprint.
Piping hot EOCWD was enthusiastic
about taking it on, conducted a full inspection of the system and started the LAFCO paperwork process as the sole contender for Area 7. OC sanitation had at- tempted to hand off the sewer system several years earlier, of- fering it to such local water dis- tricts as the City of Orange, Irvine Ranch and Tustin. At that time,
Foothills Sentry
no agency had the resources to accept it. However, the East Or- ange County Water District want- ed it and has since stockpiled $25 million in reserves to handle any immediate fixes that the system requires. The Irvine Ranch Water Dis-
trict is also interested in Area 7, and filed a last-minute applica- tion with LAFCO, asserting that its size and sewer line experience make it the best candidate for the job.
East Orange is indeed a much
smaller agency than IRWD, which is exactly what, Board President Bill Vanderwerff says, the Area 7 community wants. “It’s all about local control,” he explains. “People know me, they know where I live. If they have a problem or a concern, they can find me.” EOCWD General Manager
Lisa Ohlund elaborates. “A larger company gets many calls every day and may not respond to an issue unless a number of people bring it up,” she says. “To us, one call is
important. One unhappy 17871 Santiago Blvd. #228 Villa Park, CA 92861
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customer is too many.” EO- CWD’s claim that local ties are important to Area 7 customers is bolstered by stated support from Tustin, the Foothill Communities Association and the City of Or- ange.
Local motion Orange Mayor Tita Smith at-
tended the Aug. 12 LAFCO meet- ing to reiterate her city’s prefer- ence for EOCWD. “I encourage you to transfer Area 7 to EO- CWD,” she said. “Segments of
it are in Orange and as a county sanitation board member, I voted to transfer it to East Orange [wa- ter district]. Our city sent you a letter exclusively supporting East Orange. Its experience and com- mitment to the area are good and strong.” Smith also applauded the district’s fiscal plan, conser- vative governance and service history, while emphasizing the city’s desire to maintain local control. “They are neighbors,” she said of the district. IRWD, too, has neighbors, and
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Fate of local sewer system postponed Golden State sinks in court
Unhappy Golden State Water customers in North Tustin were heartened by the California Su- preme Court’s decision not to hear the private utility’s appeal in a lawsuit against the City of Ojai. Ojai voters passed a ballot mea-
is strongly supported by com- munity leaders in Orange Park Acres. OPA sold its community- owned water system to IRWD in 2008 and has been happy with the outcome. IRWD has improved and updated OPA’s piping and pumps, provided timely customer support and lowered rates. It now promises to lower rates
for Area 7 customers by some 50 percent. “That,” says Vander- werff,” amounts to 20 cents a day per household.” EOCWD is offering a 10 percent rate cut, which it believes is the prudent course in the near term. Its an- nual operating cost, predicted to be $748,795, is actually less than IRWD’s $755,000. Even so, LAFCO may deter-
mine that the sewer lines are bet- ter off staying with county sani- tation. It will decide what’s best for the area and the region, basing its decision on an extensive—404 pages -- municipal service re- view. The next LAFCO meeting is scheduled for Sept. 9 at 8 a.m. in the boardroom at OCTA head- quarters, 600 S. Main St., Orange.
sure in 2014, authorizing funding to buy out the water system oper- ated by Golden State. The water company sued the city and lost its case in superior court. It ap- pealed to the appellate court and lost there as well. GSW’s final re- course was an appeal to the Cali- fornia Supreme Court. That court accepts only about 10 percent of the cases brought to it, and did not take on Golden State’s appeal. North Tustin water customers
who also want to rid themselves of the high-priced utility have been following efforts to oust Golden State in Ojai and the City of Claremont, which also passed a bond measure to fund a buyout. Ojai is now free to take the next
step to acquire the water system. It must first file for eminent do- main, wherein a judge will decide if the city’s Casitas Water District has a legal right to the system. If the court agrees with voters and compels GSW to sell the water system, a judge will then deter- mine its fair market value. North Tustin’s spadework to re-
place Golden State with a reliable, cost-competitive local agency is far behind that of Ojai and Clare- mont. But as those cities inch clos- er to their goal, the potential for Cowan Heights, Lemon Heights and Rocking Horse Ridge to do the same gains some momentum.
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