1055 Ventura Ave.Oak View, CA 93022

805-649-2251www.casitaswater.org

Your Board in ActionBill Hicks,Division IJames W. Word,Division IIPete Kaiser,Division IIIMary Bergen,Division IVRuss Baggerly,Division V

The Casitas Board ofDirectors is scheduled to meetat 3:00 p.m. in the board roomlocated in the main office at1055 Ventura Ave., Oak View,on the 2ndand 4th Wednesdayof every month.

Winter 2014

Historic Drought Strains Local Water Supplies

Join the Casitas Municipal WaterDistrict Facebook page to get thelatest updates on water conserva-

tion and the Lake Casitas Recreation Area at:www.facebook.com/fbsitecasitasmunicipalwaterdistrict.

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The Casitas Speakers Bureau provides an opportunity for customers and the community to learnmore about water issues in the Western Ventura County area. Please contact Ron Merckling, WaterConservation and Public Affairs Manager, 805-649-2251, extension 118, to invite a speaker to yournext community group or organizational meeting. Please visit the new and improved Water Wise Gardening in Ventura County website at www.ventura.watersavingplants.com.

The State of California, VenturaCounty, and the Ventura RiverWatershed, begin 2014 in the gripof one of the driest recorded rainperiods in history. Governor JerryBrown declared a drought emer-gency on January 17, 2014, callingon every Californian to reducetheir water usage by 20%. Thelack of rain recently has left LakeCasitas at less than sixty percentcapacity, its lowest point in morethan two decades. Without any sig-nificant additional rainfall this year,it is expected to decline to 50 per-cent capacity, a critical point atwhich Casitas will implement addi-tional water conservation measuresand actions to encourage lesswater use. Casitas is presently re-

viewing and revising these meas-ures, and will provide additional in-formation in the near future.

As the current drought contin-ues, there is greater demand onLake Casitas’ water supply. LakeCasitas was built in the 1950s to bea back-up water supply to localgroundwater supplies. Many ofCasitas’ resale agencies and agricul-tural customers that traditionallyuse groundwater supplies havestarted to use more of Casitas’water as their own groundwatersupplies have diminished. “Whenthe Ventura River Project was builtby the Bureau of Reclamation in1959, it was intended that LakeCasitas would be a supplemental

water supply during extendeddrought conditions, as localgroundwater sources depleted,”said Steve Wickstrum, generalmanager for the Casitas MunicipalWater District.

Casitas encourages constituentsthroughout the district to use theirwater wisely through an activewater conservation campaign thatoffers workshops, rebates for highwater efficiency devices, and freeagricultural, residential, and busi-ness water surveys.

Casitas’ district boundaries en-compass a population of approxi-mately 70,000 residents, 5,800acres of agriculture, and a widevariety of commercial and indus-trial businesses that are served bymore than eight different publicand private water providers. Thearea relies solely on local surfacewater and groundwater supplies.Unlike most of SouthernCalifornia, there is no importationof State Water into the district’sboundaries.

Anyone interested in findingout more information about incen-tives and programs is encouragedto visit Casitas’ website at www.casitaswater.org or to callRon Merckling at 805-649-2251Extension 118.

Lake Casitas is currently at 60% of full. Above is the Santa Ana boat ramp.

Free Landscape ClassesPlease join us for one of our free Saturday morning classes to learn more about how you can save water

and money.

• Convert Your Turf – from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, February 22, 2014. This workshop will providetraining on how to remove turf and what aesthetic alternatives are available to replace your lawn.

• Design with Native Gardens – from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 17, 2014. This workshop willexplore how to design beautiful landscapes with native plants.

• Rainwater Capture/Graywater Workshop – from 9:00 a.m. to noon on Saturday, August 16, 2014.This workshop is sure to answer all of your questions related to rainwater and graywater systems. Youwill learn how to install your own systems according to permit standards in Ventura County.

Please RSVP early at rmerckling@casitaswater.com or 805-649-2251 Extension 118.

Workshops will be held at Oak View Park & Resource Center (formerly the Oak View ElementarySchool) located at 555 Mahoney Avenue. Attendees are encouraged to park in the parking lots instead ofthe street.

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Emergency Measures ImplementedDue to Quagga Mussel Threat

Lake Casitas RecreationArea responded to theDecember 2013 discoveryof invasive Quagga musselsat Lake Piru by implement-ing emergency actions toinclude subjecting all newvessels wishing to use LakeCasitas to a mandatory 35day quarantine period.

The Casitas MunicipalWater District Board onJanuary 22, 2014 took ad-ditional action by callingon the California NaturalResources Agency to acton its authority to plan forthe control or eradicationof invasive mussels from Lake Piru. Lake Piru is thefirst lake in Southern California to get invasive mus-sels from a source, likely recreational boats, otherthan the Colorado River aqueduct. It is feared thatany further spread of invasive mussels in VenturaCounty will result significant environmental and eco-nomic impacts.

Invasive mussels repro-duce rapidly and attachthemselves to hard sur-faces. This creates mainte-nance problems related tokeeping water intake struc-tures operational. Invasivemussels cause additionaldamage to fisheries, water-shed, and water quality be-cause they are filter feedersthat filter out food supplyfor most fish in a waterbody and allow for morefavorable conditions for dis-ruptive algal blooms. Theonly known eradicationmethods include drying outa lake or in the case of a

smaller water body with chemical treatment, optionsthat would be difficult to implement at Lake Casitas.

Anyone interested in having their boat inspected atLake Casitas, required before the 35 day quarantineperiod begins, is encouraged to make an appointmentwith the main gate at 805-649-2233 Extension 103.

Lifeguards Needed!The Lake Casitas

Recreation Area is nowaccepting applications online forpart-time lifeguards this summer to work at theCasitas Water Adventure. Applications can bedownloaded at www.casitaswater.org under theemployment tab. Applications can be mailed orturned in by hand to the front entrance of theLake Casitas Recreation Area at 11311 Santa AnaRoad, Ventura, California 93010, from now untilthe end of May.

Casitas to Offer FreeAgricultural IrrigationEvaluations and Rebate

Programs

Casitas aims to further increase agricultural wateruse efficiency by offering a couple of additional pro-grams to assist agricultural growers.

One program provides rebates to Casitas’ agricul-tural customers up to $650 per customer on equip-ment that will assist them to improve their irrigationefficiency. All eligible customers will first receive an ir-rigation evaluation by the Ventura County ResourceConservation District, which are currently offered atno cost.

The second program will fund free irrigation evalu-ations on hobby farms with less than two acres ofplanted crops, and provide rebates for water use effi-ciency equipment up to $125 per customer.

Funds for these programs are limited. Irrigationevaluations and rebates will be provided on a firstcome first served basis. For additional information onhow to participate, and on eligibility requirements andprogram terms and conditions, customers are urgedto contact Ron Merckling at rmerckling@casitaswa-ter.com or 805-649-2251 Extension 118 or to VenturaResource Conservation District directly atinfo@vcrcd.org or 805-764-5130.

Water efficient agricultural irrigation lines.Photo courtesy of Hunter Industries.

How Can I Reduce MyWater Use by 20%?

• Stop over watering plants, which causes them tohave shallow roots, and trains them to want morewater. Plants need to be more independent, whichrequires they receive less watering days butdeeper soaks so roots grow further down into thesoil.

• If you have a struggling tropical plant, consider replacing it with a drought tolerant plant that willthrive in its place. Or even better, plant a nativeplant that will benefit local butterflies, birds, andbees.

• Reduce or eliminate lawn areas.

• Mulch your landscape to help increase water re-tention in your soil. Mulch is any substance thatprovides cover over your landscape such as woodchips or rocks.

• Irrigate your landscape during early morning hoursbefore wind and sunlight can evaporate most ofyour irrigation water.

• Maintain your irrigation system by checking it oncea month! All irrigation systems need regular main-tenance to remain efficient. Drip systems requireconstant maintenance to repair lines chewed bycritters, emitters clogged by hard water, and emit-ters blown off by high water pressure. Even bub-blers and spray valves can be damaged by lawnmowers and trimmers, children and cars, and sunlight.

• Install high efficiency toilets, washing machines,showerheads, and faucet aerators.

• Operate clothes washers and dishwashers with fullloads.

• Do not let faucets run while brushing teeth andshaving.

• Call Casitas at 805-649-2251 Extension 118 toschedule a free home water saving survey.

Visit the following websites to find out more infor-mation: Casitaswater.org or Ventura.watersaving-plants.com

Quagga sign post at Lake Casitas Recreation Area entrance gate.