Valley Center Municipal Water District (“VCMWD”) is committed to protecting the privacy of the individuals accessing and using the District’s website and the online account system, collectively referred to as the “website”. This Privacy Statement discloses VCMWD’s privacy practices and how we collect and use the information you supply when you interact with the VCMWD website. By accessing and using the website, you acknowledge the Valley Center Municipal Water District Privacy Statement and accept the policies and practices described in this document.

System Security

The computer systems (“systems”) that host and control the VCMWD website are monitored to ensure proper operation and to verify the functioning of applicable security features. Individuals using the systems expressly consent to such monitoring. Unauthorized attempts to modify any information stored on this system, to defeat or circumvent security features, or to utilize the systems for other than their intended purposes are prohibited and may result in criminal prosecution and denial of access to the systems. All transfers of personally identifiable information on our website are secured by the industry standard Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol. Despite such security measure, no technology is fail-proof, and it is possible, although remotely so, for an unauthorized person to gain access to the website and/or the systems. Accordingly, users providing personally identifiable information through the website do so at their own risk.

Collection and Use of Information

Valley Center Municipal Water District may collect the following information during your visit to our website. If you interact with the website by browsing and downloading information, we may track information to analyze its performance and usage and to administer the website. Examples of information we may track include:

• Your Internet Protocol (IP) address
• The type of web browser you use
• Date and time you accessed information on our website
• Pages and files you viewed and downloaded
• The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the external web page that referred you to our website

We may also use “cookies” to enhance your browsing experience. A cookie is a small data file that is written to your hard drive when you visit a page in our website. A cookie file can contain information, such as a user identification that the website uses to track the pages you have visited.

If you are using the online account access features on our website, we will collect personally identifiable information to establish your online account. You are required to provide your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and account number information. You will also be required to create a user name and password. Access to the online account will be granted after successful e-mail address verification. This information is collected and used in connection with the management of your water account. If you make an account payment online, VCMWD will collect but not store any bank or credit card account information in the computer systems that host and control the VCMWD website. Online payment transactions are provided to you by the financial institutions that you access through the online payment section, and VCMWD cannot ensure your privacy with these financial institutions. Accordingly, VCMWD assumes no responsibility for the actions or inactions of the financial institutions, and individuals making online payments through the financial institutions do so at their own risk.

Public Disclosure

We will protect personally identifiable information by collecting only information necessary to deliver our services. All information that may be collected by this website may become a public record that may be subject to inspection and copying by the public, unless an exemption in law exists. Customer identity and account information is generally exempt from disclosure by VCMWD regulations, the Federal Privacy Act of 1974, and the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act of 2003. We will only share your information with third parties as necessary to provide you with account access and online payment services, or as otherwise required by law.

Limitation of Liability

Valley Center Municipal Water District makes no claims, promises, or guarantees about the absolute accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of VCMWD website and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in the contents of the website. No warranty of any kind, implied, expressed, or arising by law, including but not limited to the warranties of non-infringement of third party rights, title, merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and freedom from computer malware, is given with respect to the contents of the website or its hyperlinks to other Internet resources. Reference in the website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute any endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Valley Center Municipal Water District, or its employees, agents, or individual board members.

While we try to update the website on a timely basis, changes to the information contained herein may have been made since the contents were posted. In case of discrepancies, the official adopted Ordinances, rules and regulations of VCMWD will prevail.

VCMWD is not responsible for damages that may result from inability to access this website.

Disclaimer

The Valley Center Municipal Water District website has links to other external websites that are provided to you as a convenience. These may include links to websites operated by other government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and private businesses. When you follow the link to an external website, you are no longer on the VCMWD website, in which case this Privacy Statement will not apply and you will be subject to the privacy policy of that website.

Changes to the Privacy Statement

The General Manager may modify this Privacy Statement as needed in order to protect the privacy of individuals using the VCMWD website and to satisfy the needs of VCMWD. Changes may be made periodically and will be posted on the VCMWD website. The most current version of this policy will always be available at www.valleycenterwater.org/privacy.

If you have any questions about our privacy policy, please contact us or send your comments to:

• Attn: Customer Service
  Valley Center Municipal Water District
  29300 Valley Center Rd
  Valley Center, CA 92082
• Phone: (760) 735-4500
• Email: vcwater@vcwmd.org

Updated: June 21, 2010