MAP DISPLAYED ON THE NEW LDPCSD WEBSITE
IS, ONCE AGAIN, EXTREMELY MISLEADING
[NOTE: The CUSTOMER SURVEY RESULTS from months ago still have not been posted for customers to easily view. The new website has a link to the Customer Survey form, however, you must supply personal information to create a member account to use the link. I read the privacy notice and don’t feel comfortable supplying that additional information at this time, besides, I don’t believe a customer should be required to provide such information (that can later be used for other unknown purposes) just to see the results of this old survey – IF THOSE RESULTS ARE EVEN CONTAINED UNDER THAT LINK. It would be frustrating to furnish personal information to access the link only to discover the results were not there. Once your 411 is out there – its out there! No return policies. lol]
KAMPA ONCE AGAIN INTENTIONALLY FAILS TO INCLUDE AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT LIMITATION: THE MERCED IRRIGATION DISTRICT WATER LICENSE 11395 PLACE OF USE BOUNDARY which identifies where Merced River water (pumped from Lake McClure) can legally be used. The LDPCSD has always operated under License 11395 and properties served OUTSIDE the L11395 Place of Use MUST BE FURNISHED AN ALTERNATE SOURCE OF WATER which in the LDPCSD’s case means providing ground water pumped from extremely expensive ground wells that were recently constructed, developed and maintained with public government funds to maintain water service during emergency drought situations. Many questions still remain, including, Why should the 99% of legal MERCED RIVER WATER USING CUSTOMERS OF THE SUBDIVISION pay for A SPECIAL BENEFIT GROUND WATER SUBSTITUTION PROGRAM OUTSIDE THE LEGAL PLACE OF USE UNDER 11395 for land developers not entitled to our lake water? Why don’t these outside Place of Use properties drill and develop their own ground water wells with their own funds instead of forcing legal water users in the subdivision to subsidize private land development projects? (Please do not forget providing water is only the first step as there will always be a substantial amount of money required for administrative compliance reporting, maintenance, monitoring, repair and eventual replacement.) Besides, currently there is not even enough ground well water production to meet the subdivision’s peak water demand during these continued drought conditions – why sell what we have developed with public funds to private land developers OUTSIDE THE LEGAL PLACE OF USE? The LDPCSD is a nonprofit PUBLIC AGENCY operating with public funds so why is KAMPA & KOMPANY determined to expand water service even further outside the legal use area of 11395 for private real estate and land development interests yet having the 99% legal MERCED RIVER WATER USERS pay for this special benefit? How can public funds be misdirected in such a way?
WHY IS THIS VERY IMPORTANT 35+ YEAR WATER LICENSE PLACE OF USE BOUNDARY NOT CLEARLY ILLUSTRATED ON KAMPA’S NEW WEBSITE SERVICE MAP SO THOSE VIEWING COULD HAVE AN ACCURATE AND FACTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE WATER SERVICE LIMITATIONS OF THE LDPCSD?
While the primary infrastructure of our SURFACE WATER TREATMENT PLANT FOR MERCED RIVER WATER has been allowed to deteriorate, KAMPA & KOMPANY have focused district attention and funding on issues supportive of further expanding outside Place of Use water service with ground water. Please remember that is exactly what Kampa was doing in Lake Don Pedro in the 1990s (he clearly was aware of restrictions even then) and has only resumed that special interest benefit effort since his LDPCSD Director orchestrated selective/closed recruitment process appointed him GM in October of 2014.
Our SWTP has been intentionally neglected for decades and even the extremely serious continuing results of that neglect are currently ignored as irrelevant. Heck, last meeting Pete Kampa acknowledged the district has the ability to calculate the loss, but is apparently unconcerned with identifying exactly how much water we pump from the lake that never makes it to the treatment plant! Since PETE KAMPA became GM, that water loss (or “SHRINK” as customer/former director Wes Barton refers to it) is just dismissed and ignored while KAMPA & KOMPANY repeatedly pat themselves on the back and advertise their great district succes. (Which clearly advances his ultimate goal of even further outside MID Place of Use water service.) I was not the only audience member who was shocked by this information – especially during a state wide prolonged drought with water use restrictions and monetary fines for enforcement. Doesn’t the California Constitution say something about “maximum beneficial use” and prevention of “waste”?
WHAT? KAMPA STOPPED TRACKING THIS WATER LOSS?
THAT’s RIGHT.
KAMPA & KOMPANY are only concerned with the water that makes it to the treatment plant – where the water goes prior to that is immaterial to his plan.
Remember all that water gushing out of the Barrett Cove Ravine leak in those videos that simply flowed back to Lake McClure from where it was originally pumped? Kampa & Kompany are unconcerned with that wasted water but customers still pay for that wasted pumping – and have for decades! Kampa has the ability to determine exactly how much water is being lost, but is unconcerned and refuses to do so. How can Kampa keep a straight face when attempting to compare ground well and lake water production costs with such horrible water losses?
Is all of that unaccounted for water truly just lost to leaks? Or do such leaks conveniently camouflage other unaccounted for lost water between the lake and treatment plant? Gosh, where could it be going? What transmission infrastructure diversions could have been planned and/or started in the 1960s? Heck, customers can not get straight answers to current questions – how will almost four decades of water secrets be publicly exposed without serious “outside” investigation? But who cares about missing water that doesn’t exist in paper reports?
[VIDEO BELOW] SUCH WATER LOSS HAS NOT BEEN MONITORED/REPORTED BY THE DISTRICT SINCE GM KAMPA/KAMPA COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS llc, ASSUMED MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES. WHY?
At the last meeting I confirmed that KAMPA has been looking at a proposed short cut for the over two mile 18″ diameter raw water line path from the lake to the treatment plant which loses much water – but can anyone guess what that shortcut would entail?
Crossing property owned by an individual who has been attempting to obtain LDPCSD water for decades to develop a private 900-1,000 acre subdivision – gosh, what a coincidence. When asked, Kampa stated he had done no more research on the concept than looking at it like I had on Google Earth maps. He denied “boots on the ground”. His boots? That may be true, but what about other contractors or consultants researching on his behalf?
A long time ago I proffered the possibility of “legitimate government entities” being involved with such duplicity and betrayal of the legal MERCED RIVER WATER CUSTOMERS OF THE LDPCSD – and that far-out possibility sure hasn’t been refuted with any assistance in stopping Kampa’s 20 year old pursuit of building a water empire with public funds for use by private land development interests.
Who is looking out for the legal customers who are to be saddled with the financial responsibility of such water service expansion beyond the permitted areas in the water license? How can a County LAFCo, armed with the incorrect information ANY PROPERTY COULD RECEIVE MERCED RIVER WATER from the LDPCSD, order another public agency (the LDPCSD) to provide expensive ground water substitution for properties outside the Place of Use under the water license, and legally have the innocent legal 99% MERCED RIVER WATER USERS pay for such developments for perpetuity? Will subdivision customers get a portion of the anticipated profits for supplying such ground water for private development? What about the next severe water shortage? When many more properties are provided our emergency ground water? SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG HERE.
Do not forget all this nonsense when KAMPA & KOMPANY eventually asks, pleads, begs and/or demands more of our money in a PROP 218 rate/fee INCREASE to fund their betrayal.
The reality is: one does not have to look towards cities like Sacramento or Washington DC for evidence of serious corruption –
we have been swimming in it for decades here in Lake Don Pedro – and it is not too difficult to understand the who, what, where, when and whys, because it has been the same old story since the beginning —-
FOLLOW THE MONEY!
Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Fourth of July – I pray we are as FREE TOMORROW as we are TODAY!
My best to you and yours, Lew
