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Montecito Association
members trekked to the Montecito Water District’s Bella Vista
Water Treatment Facility to learn more about the history and
current operations of the District.
Catherine Lee,
Executive Director of the Montecito Association stated that
the purpose of the Association is to preserve our semi-rural
area and to introduce residents to their neighbors.
As much as 80% of
Montecito's water use is for landscaping.
In semi-arid Montecito, the District provides adequate water
for all needs, but water is too precious to waste.
Using water thrifty plants,
drip irrigation, mulching and other techniques can create
beautiful landscaping that doesn't waste water.
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Lack of Water In 1920s
District Board
President Jan Abel provided a history lesson about the
District. "Prior to the formation of the Montecito Water
District, people sometimes had to move out of their homes for
part of the year because of lack of water. In 1921, residents
voted 182 to 11 to form the District."
Now the District
provides about 1.5 billion gallons of water per year to about
17,750 people in Montecito and Summerland through 4,350
service connections.
District staff guided
the hikers through the Treatment Plant, which resembles a
Mediterranean home rather than a water works. It was
intentionally built low and given a tiled roof. Neighbors even
were given the opportunity to choose the building’s colors to
blend with the area.
A
History of Water Management
Maria Herold,
historian for the Association, said, "Montecito’s history is
the history of water management."
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