Arrowhead Water Used Illegally, State Says

A Lake Arrowhead water district has illegally pumped millions of gallons from the lake to its 7,500 customers over the last three decades, harming recreation as well as water rights holders on the Mojave River, a state board announced this week.

The State Water Resources Control Board found that the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District does not have municipal water rights, despite having siphoned water from the lake since 1978.

Local residents and one water district board member had filed complaints to the state board about the district’s practice after years of drought sank Lake Arrowhead’s water level, drying up boating and business.

The district, in San Bernardino County and overseen by five elected board members, was fined $182,500 and ordered to submit a plan on how it would stop withdrawing water. It must also stop taking new service requests.

The district plans to appeal to the same board spokeswoman April Blakey said. Noting that the district gets nearly all of its water from the lake, she said, “There’s no other agency in the state that I’m aware of that’s been asked to replace 100% of their water supply.”

After the complaints were filed in 2003, the state board’s research found that the district took at least $12.5 million worth of water from the lake from 2002 to 2004, mainly for drinking and irrigation in the Lake Arrowhead area.

Last year, the district tapped about 1,900 acre-feet of water from the lake, which holds about 47,000 acre-feet. An acre-foot can supply the water needs of about two families for a year. Though the district has a few groundwater wells, Lake Arrowhead is its main supplier.

“One acre-foot is too much; they’re not allowed to take any,” said Liz Kanter, spokeswoman for the state water board.

The state suggested pumping water from an alternate supply into the lake to replace the diverted water.

Blakey said the decision could result in the doubling or tripling of water rates.

Marvin Shaw, the district’s general manager, called the state board’s decision “an unfair waste of resources.”

Said Ted Heyck, the district board member who filed a complaint: “My dock was sitting on the beach, my boat was being destroyed and the lake looked terrible.” He was elected to the board in 2003, eight months after filing his complaint.

“The district took the position that the lake had no recreational value,” he said.