Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 23, 2007
4. Water Quality
MERCURY CONTAMINATION:
Vallejo mines under state investigation for mercury - Vallejo Times Herald
NEW TREATMENT PLANT:
Colfax awards $7.9 million contract for new wastewater treatment plant - Auburn Journal
SALINITY ISSUES:
Soft water a sewer plant issue in
MERCURY CONTAMINATION:
By Matthias Gafni, staff writer
As a state water board announced tighter restrictions on mercury limits in
Tucked away in the mountains of north
Three months ago, as the state water board prepared to tighten its mercury limits for San Francisco Bay, officials began re-examining the Bay Area's mines, including St. John's and Hasting's mines in north Vallejo.
Scientists have determined humans consuming fish laden with mercury face health hazards. Signs along the Carquinez and
Pollution washed out of old mines is thought to be the biggest source of mercury in the Bay, scientists say.
To attack that problem, Oakland-based San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board is planning measures to clean up or prevent movement of mercury-laden sediment that flows from an old mine in the hills above
The New Almaden Mine, the world's second largest mercury producer, served most of the fevered Gold Rush towns in the Sierra. And now, the bay receives contamination from the mine, as well as from the Sierra run-off, which still carries remnants from the gold mining days.
"It's a double whammy," said Diane Whyte, the water board's assistant executive director.
"We have a comprehensive strategy for reducing mercury sources for the whole region and one of the key parts is to do an update on part of the mines program," she said.
Her agency inspected
"Nothing at this time show any big problems there," Whyte said.
"We saw nothing to warrant immediate action. There are still unresolved questions. We have to follow up on where the material has gone and any influence on
According to the Solano County Historical Society, there's also the Brownlie Mine in that area, but no officials had heard of it or found any scientific documentation.
The watershed of
Whyte said
She cautions, however, that most of the Bay Area's lakes have high mercury levels due to naturally occurring levels of the metal, and the two local lakes have lower levels than the worst offenders.
"There's always some naturally occurring erosion in the soils.
Researching the
"We've been using Google Earth and just walking the area," laughs Whyte.
As part of the
But the mines aren't even the most dangerous site, it's the processing points, Whyte said. Cinnabar ore is extracted, crushed and ground, the heavier portions are baked, the vapors captured and the cooled liquid yields mercury. It's at those furnace and processing points where the biggest pollutant danger lies, she said.
Sejal Choksi, director of programs for the San Francisco Baykeeper, an environmental group, said she's satisfied the state board, under the new plan, would identify all the mines that could potentially leak mercury into the bay or watershed. They also will assess those mines and the surrounding sediment, she said, to determine whether they need to be cleaned up.
"We've been assured that there are no significant problems with the environment that the community should be aware of," Choksi said. #
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/fastsearchresults/ci_6442902
NEW TREATMENT PLANT:
Colfax awards $7.9 million contract for new wastewater treatment plant
Auburn Journal – 7/22/07
By Michael Althouse, Gold Country News Service
COLFAX - After more than a year of work, meetings and hearings, the Colfax City Council has finally awarded a contract to build a new wastewater treatment plant. Construction should be completed in late 2008.
Reconvening from an adjournment of last week's City Council meeting, the Colfax City Council met Tuesday in a special meeting to award a $7.9 million contract for constructing the new wastewater treatment plant.
The contract was awarded to general engineering contractor C.W. Roen in a 4-0 vote. Councilman Joshua Alpine was not present.
C.W. Roen was the lowest of four bids received by the city to construct the new plant.
Although the council did meet Tuesday in closed session to discuss "anticipated litigation," no mention was made during the public session of the status of a potential lawsuit from Allan and Nancy Edwards and the Environmental Law Foundation regarding alleged pollution generated from the current plant. (The lawsuit has been reported in the Colfax Record June 28 and July 5.)
The council also approved a separate $631,910 contract with Eco:Logic for construction management services.
The special meeting was held over from last week because final written notification from the State Water Resources Control Board approving the final plans and specifications had not yet arrived.
Bids received from the four contractors would have expired before the council had time to act at the next regularly scheduled Colfax City Council meeting on July 24.
According to Colfax City Manager Joan Philippe, the letter arrived about an hour before the 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting.
"We have been waiting for quite some time to get from the State Water Resources Board Division of Financial Assistance the final plans and specifications approval letter, which we received at about 10 minutes to five today, in order to be able to legally award the bid for this project," Philippe said. Although agreeing that the contract should be awarded, resident Ted Back had questions regarding some of the design changes and the costs associated. Back was one of two public members present.
"I know you're going to award the bid and I'm not saying not to; it needs to be done," Back said. "But these questions need to be answered. We're talking about a lot of money."
Philippe assured Back that she would follow up on his questions.
Although a groundbreaking ceremony has not yet been scheduled, Colfax City Engineer Tom Leland said it should be in August.
"It would be lucky if we got there by the end of the month," Leland said. "It will probably be the first week in August."
Colfax Mayor Sharon Gieras expressed relief with the vote result.
"Yes, thank you," she said.
Councilman Jim Albright was equally elated.
"Let's get this baby going," he said.
According to its Web site, C.W. Roen Construction Company is a general engineering contractor located in
Eco:Logic is an environmental consulting firm specializing exclusively in the lifecycle of municipal water and wastewater infrastructure, according to its Web site. Michael Althouse can be reached at Michaela@goldcountrymedia.com, or comment at auburnjournal.com. #
http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2007/07/23/news/top_stories/03plant23.txt?pg=1
SALINITY ISSUES:
Soft water a sewer plant issue in
Woodland Daily Democrat – 7/21/07
By Melissa Murphy, staff writer
Nobody disputes the need to reduce salinity levels in water treated at
Whether residential use of water softeners is causing the problem, is another matter.
A citizens advisory committee, formed to help the city find a solution to its wastewater woes, will ask the City Council on Tuesday to approve a study that would look at what impact, if any, a ban on future installation of water softeners in the city might have.
Under state law, a community can enact laws to ban such softeners, but must first conduct a study that proves that prohibiting them will help the city comply with waste discharge requirements and water reclamation requirements, according to a staff report to the council.
An effort to raise sewer rates to fund an expansion at the plant was overturned by voters last November. Since then, the Wastewater Project Committee, an appointed group of citizens, has been looking at various options for improving the city's plight.
One point they've agreed on is that whatever long-term solution is reached, it will require citizen involvement.
"It is clear that the community will have to engage in efforts to address the matter as part of its overall wastewater treatment and disposal strategy," the staff report states.
The idea of banning future installation of water softeners came up several months ago and staff asked the city attorney's office to research the legal issues.
While it may be possible to ban future installations, dealing with the use of existing softeners won't be so easy.
Existing water softener regulation would require incentives and education programs to help people understand the environmental consequences of continued disposal of high volumes of salt into the waste system. The current units cannot be required to be removed because they were legally installed.
In other action Tuesday, the council will decide if it should commit $300,000 of redevelopment agency funds as leverage for a grant application to the State Department of Housing. The $300,000 would be used in conjunction with the $800,000 in grant funds city officials are hoping to get from the state for a First-Time Home buyer program.
The grant application is due Aug. 15, when the state will rate the applications and award funds by February 2008.
The City Council meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Council Chamber,
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/search//ci_6432483
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