By Patric Hedlund

Perhaps it is overstating the case to say that Lake of the Woods is living on borrowed time. But after its main well went dry in 2012, the town became a national poster child for the impact of California’s drought. Four urgent attempts to find water ended with deep, expensive holes that yielded little more than dry powder. Now the continuing quest to find a sustainable water supply, aided by almost a million dollars in state emergency grants, rests largely on one man’s shoulders.

State grants

The Lake of the Woods Mutual Water Company (LOWMWC) was allocated $250,000 in emergency state aid to truck in water last year. Supply tanks were kept filled so residents could have clean drinking water and protection in the case of…(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions in this story:

Bakersfield Civil Engineer, Dee Jaspar has been hired by both Lake of the Woods and the Frazier Park water companies to seek new water sources.

Robert Stowell, President of the Lake of the Woods Mutual Water Company Board, spoke little at the pre-planning committee meeting on December 19. In the past he said he has no alternatives now but to follow the path being charted by FPPUD and Dee Jaspar.

Civil Engineer Dee Jaspar, LAFCO Director Rebecca Moore
Rafael Molina, Jr. and Bob Stowell at the December 19 meeting.

Above, In 2013 Ken Schmidt, Ph.D. was Outstanding Alumnus of the Year at Fresno State’s College of Science and Mathematics. He is also Civil Engineer Dee Jaspar’s ‘go to guy’ for assessing water resources in Kern County. But Lake of the Woods is being asked to place an all-or-nothing $500,000 bet on Schmidt’s guess about a new well, and on his assessment of new water resources for Frazier Park and LOW.

In 2009 Kenneth Hurst, Ph.D. a geologist with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and president of the ETUSD School Board, challenged Schmidt’s assumptions about Mountain Community water availability before the Kern County Planning Commission.

At the Dec.19 meeting, (l-r) Dee Jaspar, LAFCO’S Rebecca Moore, FPPUD director-elect Frank Durso and consultant David Warner of Self-Help Enterprises

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Frazier Park
Frazier Park Market
Frazier Park Post Office
Don’s Liquor Market
Caveman Cavey’s Pizza
Frazier Park Pharmacy
Alpine Lumber & Hardware
La Sierra Mexican Restaurant
Factory Direct Appliances
Ace Hardware / Frazier Park Lumber
Falcon’s Nest Restaurant
Big John’s Restaurant
Tecuya Feed
Coffee Cantina

Lebec
Sam’s Liquor Market
Flying J Denny’s entrance
Shell Gas Station
Chevron Gas Station
Los Pinos Mexican Restaurant
Clinica Sierra Vista
Lebec Post Office
Ridge Route Antiques

Lake of the Woods
Midway Market
Mountain View Market
Mike’s Pizza Co.

Pinon Pines
At the mailboxes

Pine Mountain Community
Pine Mountain Post Office
Pine Mountain General Store
Bear Claw Bakery
Mommy’s Roadhouse Restaurant
Pine Mountain Pizza Co.
Cafe Silva Bella
Pine Mountain Clubhouse (Bistro entrance)

Gorman
Carl’s Jr.
Gorman Plaza Market

West Antelope Valley
Antelope Acres Market
Wee Ville Market
Fairmont Market

This is part of the December 26, 2014 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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