Water district celebrates 50th anniversary

WENDY PIERRO/Acorn Newspapers REELING INTHE YEARS—Joan Slimocosky of Monte Nido, left, and Calabasas resident Kathie Renger look at a timeline display at the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District's 50th anniversary event at the Agoura Hills-Calabasas Community Center on Oct. 11. The Las Virgenes Municipal Water District's 50th anniversary celebration at the Agoura/Calabasas Community Center Oct. 11 provided a nostalgic look at the water distribution business and the role that the commodity will play in the future.

Water district administrators and directors presented a video of the district's history, and unveiled a timeline that shows the history of the region along with the history of local water service. The timeline is currently on display at the district headquarters on Las Virgenes Road in Calabasas.

In 1955, several residents, including Agoura Postmaster Robert Boyd, formed a committee to study water issues in the region, which periodically faced severe drought conditions much like today.

By 1958, voters had approved the formation of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District, whose first headquarters were in a tiny farmhouse on Las Virgenes Road.

By the time the water district was established, California had formed the Department of Water Resources (1956). In 1960 the state water project was launched.

The Los Angeles Fire Station was the district's first customer in 1962. At the time, the district was busy laying pipeline from Chatsworth to Calabasas to connect with the Calleguas/Las Virgenes feeder.

The community was on the brink of a housing boom in 1963 when Daniel Ludwig purchased the 12,800-acre Albertson Ranch, which later became the planned community of Westlake Village.

Meanwhile, the water district was ramping up their efforts to establish the Joint Powers Authority with Triunfo Sanitation District. By 1964, the JPA was formed to fund and build the Tapia Water Reclamation plant.

"The future may well see the emergence of an open market as water becomes a more valued commodity," the timeline said. "More importantly, we anticipate a shift in how water is valued. We will no longer be able to take this life-giving resource for granted."

—Stephanie Bertholdo