SEPTEMBER /OCTOBER 2004

A Fresh Idea

High-Tech Home Gardening

New Meters Are Fast And Accurate

More Power to Us!

Call Center Hours to Change

Etcetera...Etcetera

Noticias en Breve

A Fresh Idea

A LANDMARK PACT signed this spring will give Pasadena a more reliable supply of water for at least the next three decades.

Metropolitan Water District, from which we buy about 60% of our city water, recently signed a contract with farmers in the Palo Verde Irrigation District. Through the agreement, farmers in Riverside and Imperial counties have pledged to rotate their crop land in and out of production, selling the extra irrigation water to MWD. All totaled, the new supply could reach up to 111,000 acre feet, or enough to serve more than 55,000 typical Southern California households, every year.

This is a big relief. MWD’s normal water sources, including reservoirs along the Colorado River, are dangerously low due to a serious drought that has hit western states for the last five years. The arrangement also works out well for the farmers, who will receive payments equal to or more than they would make by growing crops. What’s more, 70% of the region’s land will stay busy producing vegetables, fruit and the other crops we depend on. Through new agreements like this, PWP and MWD will continue to work hard to ensure us reliable water for decades to come.

High-Tech Home Gardening

Photo courtesy of: Norman's Nursery Hybrid White Rockrose.

PASADENA WATER AND POWER has a limited number of interactive CD-ROMs to help residential customers plan their water-saving gardens without getting their hands dirty! The free Southern California Heritage Gardening Guide CDs explore more than 100 gardens and 1,000 beautiful native plants. If you have a favorite color, you’ll find several native plants to match. Worried that the plants may get too big when they mature? You can search for plants based on their size. If you’re having a hard time getting plants to grow on a steep hillside, you’ll find plant choices suitable for any location. 


Ready to go high-tech with your garden? Just call the PWP AnswerLine at 744-6970 to request the CD-ROM or visit: www.bewaterwise.com for an online version.

New Meters Are Fast And Accurate

NEW HIGH-TECH electric meters have been rolled out citywide, delighting customers and meter readers. During a pilot program in 2002, Pasadena Water and Power tested Automatic Meter Read meters (or AMRs) in hard-to-reach spots. The AMR meters send out a radio signal that automatically zaps billing data to the handheld devices our meter readers carry on their routes. 

AMRs make it much easier for our crews to get accurate reads without worrying about locked gates, unfriendly dogs, winding apartment complexes and other access issues. PWP customers love AMRs because they cut down on billing errors and a Solid State Digital readout makes it much easier to track daily electric usage – there are no moving parts or dials to read. What’s more, our meter readers don’t need to enter customers’ back yards as often.

More than 3,000 AMR meters have been installed so far and they are the standard new and replacement meters for homes, apartments and condo complexes citywide. Watch for water meter improvements starting next year!

More Power to Us!

AS THEY SAY, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Pasadena Water and Power has secured another earth-friendly source of energy by signing a 20-year pact with the Ameresco Landfill Gas to Energy project. Set to open in 2006, this innovative project will convert landfill gas to electricity.

How will this help Pasadena? PWP pledged last year to build a strong portfolio of clean “green power” to meet at least 10% of Pasadena’s energy needs by 2010. Unlike power produced using fossil fuels, green power is generated by clean, limitless sources such as wind, solar energy and biomass. PWP now buys wind energy from the High Winds project in Solano County and hydroelectric power from Azusa Hydro and Hoover Dam. 

The new Ameresco plant, to be built and operated at Valencia’s Chiquita Canyon Landfill, will capture methane, carbon dioxide and other gases that are naturally generated when trash decomposes. This is an efficient way to cut emissions and it will give Pasadena a reliable source of fixed-price energy for at least two decades.

If you’d like to join PWP’s efforts to protect the environment, you can switch to green power for an additional energy charge of just 2.5¢ per kilowatt hour. It’s available to all PWP electric customers. For more information, visit www.PWPweb.com (click on Your Power) or call the PWP AnswerLine at 744-6970

Call Center Hours to Change

BEGINNING SEPT. 4, the hours of operation for the PWP Call Center will change. Customer service representatives will be available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Call Center will be closed Saturday and Sunday. For account information outside of regular business hours, including your current balance, to request a payment extension or to make a payment by credit card, visit www.PWPweb.com (click on Your Home) or use our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system at 744-4005 (you must have your account number and PIN to use these options). 

To pay in person, go to the Municipal Services office at 280 Ramona St. (off Garfield Avenue between Walnut and Holly streets) Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m