A BRIEF HISTORY OF THOMAS MOUNTAIN MUTUAL WATER ASSOCIATION
                                                                by
                                                         Russ Neher

This blog is my attempt to record the  history of the  Garner Valley community popularly known as Thomas Mountain Village. The Village has about 50 houses all serviced by the Thomas Mountain Mutual Water Company, TMMWC which is, by default, the unofficial community "go to"organization.

Thomas Mountain Subdivision (only in recent years called Thomas Mountain Village) was officially established on April 1938 per the accompanying Riverside County document. The parties transferring ownership were the McKibben and Decker families. During a visit with Margaret Wellman Jaenke at the Anza Museum early in 2016 she stated that the intertwined Arnaiz, Contreras, Hamilton and Wellman families who had homesteaded the subdivision property, and much more in the Anza and Garner Valleys in the late 1800s, sold the subdivision property to John Mckibben in 1928. John Mckibben owned and operated a store and tavern in the building now occupied by the real estate company. A Winter scene of the store from 1939 is below.

I recall the store still in operation as late as 1949 or 1950.

The following may be of historical interest and is a combination my memories and a review of records. It is largely chronological with interesting items thrown in such as the costs associated with various purchases and repairs.  A dollar doesn’t go as far as it used to. Thus we have a history that pretty much covers the development of our water system as it exists today.  There is no doubt more to be told but records apparently no longer exist and memories are fading.

My father, Howard Neher, purchased the lot now known as 35180 Barbara Lee Drive in 1948.  Since Howard was a plumbing contractor in Indio and understood water systems and the economics of water consumption, it was natural that he soon became heavily involved with the Water Association.  He first joined the Board in February 1951 and served until about 1985.  Many of the decisions regarding the system during that time were made at his urging.

A Mr. Don Stevenson was caretaker of the “pumping plant” at a salary of $30 per month.  His duties included hand starting the 5 hp Briggs and Stratton pump engine whenever the water level in the two elevated tanks fell to a low level.  Of course if he were absent any available resident performed the duty.  He also purchased gasoline and ensured the engine’s tank was full.

Water rates between 1949 and 1954 varied at a flat rate between $25 and $30 per year.
There was a perennial shortage of water largely because it was basically “free”. Howard pushed for installation of water meters in 1949 to encourage conservation. Due to resistance of long time residents, most of whom were retirees barely scraping by, and accustomed to the flat fee, meters were not installed until about 1956 when $707.20 was paid to Hershey Mfg. Co. for 25 meters.  I understand the water shortage was abated.

1953 was a financially catastrophic year.  Total repairs and purchases amounted to $3480 vs. receipts of only $1244.  The Association borrowed $900 from the bank. The pumping plant was converted to electricity in September 1955 as soon as the Anza Coop lines arrived.  Electricity also made a second and larger well feasible.

In August 1956 residents voted to assess themselves $150 and $50 for a new well and larger storage respectively.  The lower water lot was purchased in 1963.  The new well was drilled in June 1965 at a cost of $3460 plus $2171 for the pump and installation. The pump apparently was replaced under partial warranty in 1968 for $793.

The old original steel water mains (ostensibly used oil well tubing installed by the subdivision developer) were suffering frequent failures by the 1960s.  Installation of new water mains commenced in July 1967 and continued at least into July 1971 and possibly, after a two year break, into 1975. The extended installation duration reflects the use of voluntary part time labor. By this time Howard had retired from the plumbing business and had become an Indio City fireman. He thus had lots of time to use his Ford Ferguson tractor with backhoe attachment to dig all the street trenches. (See box below). It has long been rumored that he dug all the trenches by hand but I believe actually only parts the trench in congested areas where the tractor couldn’t operate between the Hwy 74 and Donna May lots.  That is probably why that main is only two feet deep.  Of course many owners contributed whatever time they could during the several years of installation.  Seems like there was more community participation back then. Total cost was about $8200 but the mains should last a long time.

There were originally two water storage tanks, one redwood and the other corrugated steel, elevated on towers maybe twelve feet above ground.  They were maintenance nightmares; the steel forever leaking and the redwood leaking and subject to woodpecker assaults. They were dismantled and replaced with the existing pair of steel tanks in the mid 1960s.  I helped dismantle the old tanks but cannot recall when.

Residents of the upper lots had long complained of too little water pressure.  In 1971, with pressure mounting (bad pun) the decision was made to install a pressure system to replace the simple all gravity system. The system was completed by the end of the year and involved: running a dedicated 2 inch PVC line from the lower well to the storage tanks, purchasing and installing the pressure tank, pump and associated plumbing and valves, building the pump house, purchasing and installing electrical controls, and purchasing the air compressor.  Total cost was $5300. The pressure system is probably the weak link in our system because of its relative complexity.  If it fails we will still have water (at diminished pressure) until repairs are made. This paragraph was written in 2011 and as suggested, after 40 plus years of service the old pressure system was faltering.

In 2012 a completely new pressure system using latest "big city" design concepts was installed. At about the same time The pump and tubing in the lower well were replaced . We can look forward to another 40 years of trouble free service.

                       

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The view is looking South in front of Fred Visser's house.  It is dated May 1971 showing my Dad, Howard, on his tractor trenching for the new water mains.  Some landmarks are still distinguishable: The small 3 foot pine tree next to the guy on the right is now 20 ft tall and the rocks and cactus are still there.  The non native spruce? is now huge and the forked pine in the background is still there.  Chain link fences have been added.  The large pine on the left used to stand in the middle of Barbara Lee Drive just before Courtesy Drive and created a roundabout of sorts.  The tree was removed when the roads were paved.

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