Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 31, 2007
4. Water Quality
BEACH RUNOFF ISSUES:
Owners want their beach; Water board has ordered rock barrier be replaced - San Diego Union Tribune
WASTEWATER:
Editorial: Steam ahead; Sending more wastewater to Geysers is good in short term - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
BEACH RUNOFF ISSUES:
Owners want their beach; Water board has ordered rock barrier be replaced
By Janine Zuniga, staff writer
The property owners have appealed the Regional Water Quality Control Board's order requiring them to immediately replace the rocks, concrete and debris that was used to stabilize the shoreline with clean rocks. The owners prefer the sandy beach they found when the debris was removed last year.
“We've created this safe, environmentally friendly, wonderful place for people and we would hate to see this covered by rocks,” said Bill Dickerson, a
Officials from local, state and federal agencies say the Dickersons and their next-door neighbors, Larry and Penelope Gunning of Scottsdale, Ariz., didn't get government approval before creating the 162-foot-long beach. The owners' contractor also built a concrete-block wall without permits, a portion of which
Authorities discovered their makeshift mini beach in June 2006. In October, the regional water board ordered the neighbors to remove the wall and stabilize the shoreline. The deadline to do so was July 2.
Frank Melbourn, an investigator for the water board, said the agency postponed that deadline because it believed the owners were waiting for a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers allowing them to replace the rocks.
Dickerson said he is waiting for the corps permit, but also appealing the regional board's decision to the State Water Resources Control Board. He said he would like to keep the beach open for public use.
Dickerson said many people have enjoyed the beach since the rocks and debris were removed.
“People come here and swim and walk their dogs,” he said. “Someone set up an umbrella on the beach the other day. It was packed on the Fourth of July.”
The issue began more than two years ago after the Dickersons' contractor received approval from the port, the corps and water board to replace the riprap on their bayfront with clean rocks. The riprap – a mix of rock, concrete, asphalt and pieces of lumber – was dangerously sharp and filled with litter, Dickerson said. The riprap was removed and the wall built. Dickerson's contractor did similar work for the Gunnings, at
Port officials worry that the absence of riprap will destabilize the shoreline and harm eelgrass, a type of sea grass that grows in beds on marine floors.
Dickerson disagrees. A biologist contracted to observe and monitor the eelgrass recorded normal seasonal fluctuations, he said.
Dickerson differs with other rulings from the water board about the wall as well. Dickerson said his measurements show the wall is not 7 inches on state land as authorities have said. He also said the structure is a retaining wall that will support the underground portion of a home he is building. It was never intended as a sea wall, he said.
“Were mistakes made?” Dickerson said. “Yes. Let's rectify it. If they want us to cut the 7 inches off, then we'll do it. If they want us to put the rocks back on, then we will. But we're still going to appeal and try to get the beach back.”
He said more than 200 residents have signed a petition in support of keeping the beach. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070731/news_1m31riprap.html
WASTEWATER:
Editorial: Steam ahead; Sending more wastewater to Geysers is good in short term
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 7/31/07
Here are a few of the reasons why
The water will help create clean, green energy.
The amount of wastewater released into the Laguna de
The existing $250 million pipeline has the capacity to hold the proposed 50 percent increase.
Calpine would pay the city $300,000 annually to help offset pumping costs.
Given these benefits, the Board of Public Utilities and the City Council should move forward with the proposed new contract. In the long-term, however, the city needs to consider the high value of waste water as a substitute for potable water.
As
To that end, the city should continue talks with north county grape growers who want to siphon off some of the water being sent to The Geysers. By using wastewater to irrigate vineyards, farmers would no longer need to pump fresh water from wells near the
In addition, the city should pursue plans to irrigate urban landscapes with wastewater. It is critical that public spaces remain green as more Santa Rosans remove lawns out of economic necessity or with assistance from the "Cash for Grass" program.
Dramatically expanding the amount of wastewater used for irrigation presents financial and political challenges. Reservoirs and piping systems are expensive to build, and critics are concerned about both growth implications and the trace chemicals left in the water after treatment.
The final benefit of a new contract with The Geysers: It gives the city breathing room to address these issues, while working towards a future in which wastewater would replace potable water for many uses.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070731/NEWS/707310322/1043/OPINION01
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