Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District

In December of 1920, the district purchased the holding of the Beaumont Land and Water Company and the San Gorgonio Land and Water Company. In the early 1970s, the Beaumont Irrigation District was changed to the Beaumont-Cherry Valley Water District. This water district obtains all of its revenue from user fees and investment income. It does not receive any tax-based revenue. It has no outstanding debts or bonds and enjoys a healthy financial position with more than $1.7 million in reserves. In 1984, the Board of Directors approved the installation of a computerized telemetry system to control all of the district’s twenty-one wells and seven reservoirs. The wells produce 23.3 million gallons of water per day delivered to approximately 6,000 service connections. The district’s present service area covers about seven square miles, most of which is in Riverside County. The district’s sphere of influence for the future planning area encompasses about forty square miles. The district is presently administered by an interim general manager assisted by a part time consulting engineer. Both report directly to the board that consists of five members elected to four-year staggered terms. Findings 1.The directors are paid a stipend, travel reimbursement and per diem for any event attended. According to Resolution 99-1, paragraph 5(c), Board of Directors prior approval is not required for "attendance at conferences, workshops, educational opportunities, or other functions related to the water industry, public administration, or other public agency issues." This leads to attendance at events that may be of questionable value. 2.Resolution 98-4, paragraph 2, limits mileage reimbursement for use of personal vehicles for district-related travel to no more than the cost of air fare plus related costs (i.e., transportation to and from the airport and airport parking) except for travel within California, Nevada and Arizona. 3.Written guidelines or procedures for the Board of Director’s personnel and finance committees do not exist. This leads to uncertainty of the function of the committees and their responsibilities. 4.The lack of decisive action by the Board of Directors, the deviation from the agenda item under discussion, and the failure to follow established parliamentary procedures has contributed to a morale problem with the office and field personnel. 5.The Upper Edgar Canyon Reservoir, as it exists today, does not protect the quality of the water being stored at this location. This reservoir was constructed before 1920 and is of such a state that it is not economically feasible to repair. 6.The current office computer and information system software is not keeping up with the needs of the district in the area of accounting programs and the general ledger processing and handling. This also applies to the water sales and billing computer system. Funding for this is currently in place. 7.The computerized telemetry control system that controls the district’s wells and reservoirs is not Y2K compliant.