While organizing and backing up my LDPCSD files I came across a number of issues that were evidently overlooked and/or forgotten in light of the complete destruction of our administration office by arson on February 27th, 2012.
One of these was the fact our district employees were actively and SUCCESSFULLY locating and shutting off many illegal connections (not being billed for the water consumed). Whether criminal charges for utility theft were actually filed and pursued is unknown.
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On Wednesday, February 8th, 2012 at approximately 1030hrs I received call from IGM Dan Tynan regarding several illegal connections discovered by employees Jose and Justin. Five of these were described as follows:
North of the T intersection of Gusanillo Way x Granite Springs Road. Unimproved property. Bath tub with float device to keep tub filled for cattle (apparently not used for some time) Barrel lock installed.
Granite Springs west of Tulipan possibly Lot # 1742, improved property. Bypass of meter with garden hose and sprayer attachment on ground. Barrel lock installed.
Llanura Court, unimproved property. New AMR meter with .02 consumption but with an adapter connection on the other side of the yoke. Barrel lock installed.
Pepito Court, unimproved property. Apparently a meter had been removed – still blue tagged, yet another connection to receive water attached on the other side of yoke. Barrel lock installed.
Pepito Drive, unimproved property. Two concrete meter boxes. Illegal connections to both tied to a buried ½” drip irrigation line. Old meter. Both connections had barrel locks installed.
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I also found a number of information requests I submitted to the office that specifically dealt with the Outside Merced Irrigation District Place of Use issue and how FACTS clearly contradicted what was BEING PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC by special interests pushing further OUTSIDE POU WATER SERVICE. Requests that were NEVER ANSWERED and also abandoned in the wake of the administration office destruction and resulting confusion. Perhaps these questions and discoveries were getting too close to the actual water loss truth?
Then only a few years later when the District had managed to purchase and install a new admin office and save over one million dollars in cash – (with the assistance of a Proposition 218 which raised rates for the far majority of innocent <<<MR WECs>>> MERCED RIVER WATER ENTITLED CUSTOMERS of the subdivision) PETE KAMPA was suddenly brought back to the LDPCSD through an unethical closed recruitment process orchestrated by sitting board directors to continue KAMPA’s LAFCO annexation plan of further SPECIAL BENEFIT GROUNDWATER SUBSTITUTED SERVICE for more properties OUTSIDE POU using PUBLIC FUNDS FOR CONSTRUCTION OF THE NECESSARY GROUNDWATER WELLS. (Heck, even a proposed 900 acre residential subdivision (approved by LAFCO in 1995 when Kampa was here the first time) was actively concealed from the public until only a few months BEFORE KAMPA’s 2014 RETURN!)
What was one of the first things KAMPA did when he returned? Abolished the traditional WATER REPORT which included very important water use and loss statistics for public review in the agenda packet. Why?
Obviously the above noted 2012 utility thefts represent only a small fraction of our decades of massive water loss (treated and raw water) but I trust the point is clear….even that effort was quickly halted and remained virtually inactive until a state investigation in 2016-2017 resulting in the September 26th, 2017 NOTICE OF VIOLATION by the STATE WATER BOARD for outside POU water service in violation of water license 11395.
Must get back to work outside in preparation for a likely brutal summer!
My best to you and yours, Lew
