Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 30, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
WATER SUPPLIER:
Many seek change in water supplier; Bay Point residents bemoan rate increase proposed by Golden State Water Co., argue that product is of poor quality - Contra Costa Times
FIRE CONDITIONS:
Drought may take fireworks out of Fourth of July - LA Daily News
WATER SUPPLIER:
Many seek change in water supplier; Bay Point residents bemoan rate increase proposed by Golden State Water Co., argue that product is of poor quality
Contra Costa Times – 5/30/07
By Laurie Philips, staff writer
Upset that the community's private water supplier continues to want to charge more for a resource many people say they are afraid to drink, some Bay Point residents and local leaders are wondering whether it makes sense for some other entity to be their provider.
A third of the 18 people who spoke at last week's Public Utilities Commission hearing -- for a proposed rate increase of 14.6 percent over three years, with a 15 percent decrease for those who qualify -- called on local officials to explore whether a service provider other than Golden State Water Co. would be a better option for the community.
"We have seen cosmetic repairs, but given the past increase and the lack of quality improvement it would seem unwise to hand over even more profit to their for-profit board of directors," said Steve Hoagland, a Bay Point resident and chairman of the community's municipal advisory council.
"I would propose instead the local government use its power of eminent domain and take control of the pipeline and pass the control onto a local elected and controlled body so our local community is taken into consideration."
His comments were met with loud clapping and echoed by several other speakers, including fellow resident and Councilman Attila Gabor, who presented the judge presiding over the hearing with 66 signatures of people he said oppose the rate proposal; resident Patricia Sousa, who said she wanted a new service provider to be sought; and resident Carmen Montufar, who said she wanted Bay Point to "get a better provider."
The comments surprised Paul Schubert,
"Nobody has expressed dissatisfaction with us in quite a while," he said. "It's distressing to us when there are pockets of the community that are displeased with us for one reason or another."
Residents have asked that the company hold off on raising rates at all -- given that about a third of the community lives in poverty -- or, if it opts for an increase, to do more to lower the level of trihalomethanes in the water. The chlorination byproducts potentially cause some cancers and an increased risk of miscarriage during the first trimester of pregnancy.
Bay Point residents pay the most of any community in Central or East Contra Costa for water that contains the highest level of trihalomethanes among communities in those regions.
Water rates in Bay Point are higher than those of neighboring communities, company officials have said, because the company's approximately 5,000 customers there must bear all facilities and operating costs. Bay Point is the only community in the Contra Costa Water District served by a private, investor-owned supplier.
Schubert said the company already has completed projects that maintain and lower trihalomethane levels -- such as installing pipeline to help move water faster through the system and replacing smaller, older water mains with new ones -- and had proposed three more projects over the next three years that would help. A division of the PUC deemed those future projects unnecessary; the company and the commission will work out their differences before a judge issues a decision in October about a new rate.
"We take any question or concern to heart, and we try to address any concern the public has," Schubert said. "We've been in Bay Point since the 1960s, and we plan on being there forever." He said the company has no interest in being acquired.
Amid similar concerns about quality and rates, the Contra Costa Water District about 13 years ago came close to taking over
"This is a water quality issue, and I think of the rates, the major question is why should we pay those high rates and not have that quality?" he asked. Water quality should be there, he said, before the company asks for an increase.
Schubert said the company will continue to meet all water-quality regulations.
"We want to exceed our customers' expectations," he said, "and I think we've come a long way." #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_6019443
FIRE CONDITIONS:
Drought may take fireworks out of Fourth of July
LA Daily News – 5/29/07
By Dana Bartholomew, staff writer
Cancel the Fourth of July - at least the spectacular fireworks displays.
Record low rainfall and tinder-dry brush have caused the city of
Extreme drought conditions make it simply too dangerous to stage a fireworks show from the slopes of the
If conditions worsen,
"Big disappointment, huge disappointment, I love fireworks," said
Southern California is on course for its driest year on record, with 3.21 inches of rain for downtown
Normal rainfall to date is 15.06 inches.
As a result, hillside brush moisture is well below even critical levels. Two unseasonal wildfires this spring torched more than 1,000 acres in
The grass-covered Verdugos, soaring 2,400 feet above
"Too dangerous, too dry, with no recovery in sight," he said. "That vegetation canopy up there is dead kindling."
As many as 23 fireworks shows are slated for across
But if factors that threaten wildfires worsen - including heat, wind and brush conditions -
Planned fireworks shows at Hansen Dam and Dodger Stadium are both located in fire-prone areas.
"I have put the word out that any public displays of fireworks might be subject to cancellation ... if conditions get any worse," said Los Angeles Fire Marshall Jimmy Hill, deputy chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department and head of the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Public Safety.
"This is probably one of the most critical seasons I've experienced - and it's been ongoing."
In the event fireworks will be fired, Hill said that 5-inch shells - the biggest bangs at 500 feet - will be eliminated. Only 4-inch shells, capable of soaring to lower altitudes, will be permitted. In addition, fire engines will be posted at each fireworks display.
While some
In
"Even if they were shot sideways, the shells wouldn't hit the mountains," he said. "We won't endanger the surrounding area."
In
"It will be held - the show will go on," said Terry Marvin of the Rotary Club of Simi Valley, host of an extravaganza now in its 37th year. "It's huge; the whole community comes together. It's more than just fireworks." #
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