Nov. 19 Public Meeting on Proposed Update to
County of Ventura’s Well Ordinance.

Photo courtesy of Smitty Smith

The public is invited to a workshop on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 to review the draft language in a proposed update to the County’s Water Well Ordinance No. 4184.

The meeting will be held from 2:00-4:00 pm in the Hall of Administration’s Multipurpose Room (go up the escalator, turn left, walk to end), at the Ventura County Government Center, 800 S. Victoria Avenue, Ventura.

Here is a meeting invitation which explains more about the purpose of the update, and here is the proposed revised ordinance.

More Asian Citrus Psyllid Found in Watershed:
The Time to Remove Neglected Citrus Trees is Now!
The following alert is from grower Emily Ayala.

There has been a third Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) find in the Saddle Mountain area.

Nobody in Ojai wants more insecticides, but please remember that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is terribly true in this case: stop the psyllid now and a whole lot of insecticide use will be prevented.

As initial finds of ACP are made, prompt spot treatment will minimize the overall amount of insecticide used. If ACP becomes established, the citrus orchards of Ojai will disappear as tiny, small and medium farms pencil out the rate of return with the extra costs of psyllid treatment.

Practice safe citrus: be supportive of state and county officials as they inspect and treat for the psyllid. Do not move citrus leaves or trees (even within Ojai). Do not graft your own trees. Inspect your citrus for signs of the insect and disease. 

If you suspect you have the insect or disease DO NOT MOVE THEM, or even bring them to a grower to identify; you may be spreading the insects. Speak with your neighbors and landscape helpers about this threat. Remind folks coming from other areas not to bring orchard citrus, citrus leaves or citrus plants back to Ojai with them. See www.californiacitrusthreat.org for how to identify the pest and disease.

If you have citrus trees you are no longer taking care of, please cut them down and grind leaf material on site. In addition to being a fire hazard, neglected and abandoned citrus trees can potentially provide habitat for the ACP and the disease it can carry. There are numerous plots of poorly cared for citrus throughout the Ojai Valley. The time to remove neglected citrus trees is now. It may be a hard decision, but taking action now is something your neighbors and the state’s $2 billion citrus industry will thank you for.

As this insect moves further into our county the local agricultural commissioner has the ability to declare neglected citrus trees to be a nuisance and take action to remove them. It would be best to clean up poorly cared for citrus now. Any citrus tree with any green on it can be a host for ACP, including those with just a few green sprouts near the trunk. As we head into the rainy season you may find that citrus trees you thought were completely dead grow shoots from the underground root system.

Here is the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner’s website on the topic, with contact information. 
Photos courtesy of the Citrus Research Board.

WCVC Steering Committee Representative Nominations
As I explained in my November 6 email, it is time to elect two representatives, and one alternate, to represent our watershed on the Watersheds Coalition of Ventura County (WCVC) Steering Committee. So far, we’ve got three nominations: Karen Waln with Ventura Water/City of Ventura, Brian Stark with Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, and Russ Baggerly with Casitas Municipal Water District. If anyone else would like to be considered, please let me know as soon as possible. We’ll make our selections at the November 20 Watershed Council meeting.

Water: Take 1 Film Contest Community Reception
Ventura Water is pleased to invite all community members to attend this year’s Water: Take 1 special presentation on November 20, 2014 from 6 pm – 8 pm at the Crowne Plaza Ventura Beach Hotel.

The event is free with RSVP

The reception’s theme of “Leading by Example” highlights local companies and organizations that have:

• Implemented sustainable water practices and policies for themselves and their clients
• Upgraded their private and public spaces with a focus on water conservation, and
• Otherwise demonstrated not only an acute awareness of the challenges facing our water supply, but have taken bold steps towards solutions.

These companies and organizations are paving the way for increased recognition and participation on the corporate as well as personal level to achieve water sustainability.

Ventura Water presents Water: Take 1, an Online Short Film Contest, to bring awareness to the issues surrounding our water future to a global audience. 

Nov. 20 Watershed Council Meeting (Group Photo Day!)
The next meeting of the Ventura River Watershed Council will be on Thursday, November 20, 2014, from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm, in the Topping Room of the Foster Library, 651 E. Main Street.

An important agenda item will be the Council’s consideration for approval of Parts 1 & 2 of the Ventura River Watershed Management Plan. We’ll also elect new WCVC Steering Committee representatives; take a new group photo; get a report on preliminary work towards establishing a local groundwater sustainability agency; and start strategizing on the final round of Proposition 84 grant funding. 

Here is the agenda.