Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
November 9, 2007
4. Water Quality
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
Wastewater plan raises concerns in Rio Dell - Eureka Times Standard
URBAN WATER QUALITY ISSUES:
Two experts call water at business center safe - San Diego Union Tribune
DEASLINATION PROVIDES BETTER WATER QUALITY:
Guest Column: Desalination plant will help preserve Agua Hedionda Lagoon -
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
Wastewater plan raises concerns in Rio Dell
By Jessie Faulkner, staff writer
Public Works Director Jim Hale said he was pleased to see the crowd at Tuesday's meeting.
Residents had the opportunity to comment on the draft environmental impact report for the Rio Dell Wastewater Rescue Project -- a multi-year planning effort with the preferred alternatives of building a wastewater treatment plant and a storage pond on the former Eel River Sawmills property and leasing agricultural land in Metropolitan for disposal of treated wastewater through irrigation.
Other alternatives in the draft EIR include a storage pond in Metropolitan and a new wastewater treatment facility at the current site in Rio Dell; a new wastewater treatment facility plant at the existing site with a storage pond within the Pacific Lumber Co.'s tree farm; and a storage pond and wastewater treatment facility in Metropolitan.
The city is pursuing a new system for treating and dispersing treated wastewater to comply with state requirements. Currently, the city is under a May 2003 North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board cease-and-desist order placing restrictions on additional hook-ups and requiring a schedule for bringing the system into compliance.
The cease-and-desist order came after disinfected secondary treated wastewater was found outside of the city's summer-only percolation ponds near the
Rebecca Crow, a Winzler & Kelly engineer working on the project, said some of the concerns may arise from misconceptions about the treated wastewater.
”It's very highly treated,” she said.
Hale agreed, adding that the treated wastewater is cleaner than the water in the
But, Hale said that city officials heard the concerns about fish habitat, land values and public health -- all of which will be addressed in the final environmental impact report.
”I felt that the concerns of landowners and audience members that were here Tuesday were well put and professional in manner,” Hale said. “I know that the council and the staff alike appreciated the input. We will be reviewing all their concerns and any other written responses received from the public. Further information will be incorporated into the final EIR in regard to their concerns.”
If the city ultimately pursues construction of a new wastewater treatment plant and the irrigation of leased land with treated wastewater, the expected pricetag is between $15 and $17 million. An estimated $500,000 has been spent, including staff time, on planning for this and earlier projects. If all goes as planned, the project will be complete by November 2010.
While the city may have to borrow money for the project's completion, there's also the possibility of future funding through the North Coast Integrated Regional Waste Management Plan -- the mechanism for distributing funds from state Proposition 84 approved by voters in 2006 that authorized the sale of bonds for, in part, safe drinking water projects.
The option of irrigating with treated wastewater is not new -- several areas use that method during late spring and summer, including the McKinleyville Community Services District and Shelter Cove Resort Improvement District, which uses treated wastewater for the community's golf course.
Rio Dell City Manager Nancy Flemming said she understands the community's concerns about the Metropolitan land and that she feels the same way.
”We will do everything we can to protect it,” she said. “Everybody's working hard on this. It's a very big project.” #
http://www.times-standard.com//ci_7413831?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
URBAN WATER QUALITY ISSUES:
Two experts call water at business center safe
By Anne Kruger, staff writer
The district released letters from water-quality and infectious-disease experts as it begins processing legal claims filed by many of the 17 stores at the
“It is extremely unlikely that any of the tenants that consumed normal amounts of this water, or washed, bathed or brushed teeth, would have any long-term ill effects,” wrote Gonzalo R. Ballon-Landa, a
On. Aug. 17, district officials discovered that a recycled-water line for the center had mistakenly been hooked to a meter for drinking water. The center had been getting recycled water, or treated sewage, since it opened two years before. The problem worsened last spring, when Otay began pumping 100 percent recycled water through the pipes instead of a 4-to-1 mix it had been using.
The problem was corrected, but two food-related businesses that said they were hurt by the bad publicity have since announced closures. Dream Dinners, a meal-preparation service, closed Oct. 26, and the Candy Bouquet, a gift store, is closing Nov. 21.
Amy Wise, co-owner of the Candy Bouquet, scoffed at the experts' reports.
“We've all been sick,” she said. “They can say all they want to; there's no way anyone can tell me recycled sewer water is as safe as drinking water.”
The water district hired Malcolm Pirnie, an environmental consulting firm, to analyze test results of water from the recycled pipeline leading to the
“Nothing in these water quality results is of any concern to drinking water safety from a water quality perspective,” Vice President Michael McGuire said in his letter to the district.
The Otay Water District has received 78 claims from employees and customers of 11 businesses at the center, said General Manager Mark Watton. He said the district hopes to settle a majority of the claims seeking compensation before lawsuits are filed.
“If they're reasonable and straightforward claims, we want to treat it in a fair and expeditious manner,” Watton said.
At its meeting this week, the Otay board approved a claim of almost $11,000 to compensate customers of Dream Dinners, and another claim of $7,500 from a dance studio at the center. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071109/news_1m9fenton.html
DEASLINATION PROVIDES BETTER WATER QUALITY:
Guest Column: Desalination plant will help preserve Agua Hedionda Lagoon
By Eric Munoz, president of Agua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation
The discussion surrounding the proposed
In Spanish, Agua Hedionda literally means “stinking water.” This was an accurate description of the stagnant wetlands before the Encina Power Station was commissioned in 1952. For over 50 years, the operators of the power plant have regularly maintained the lagoon and dredged an opening to the ocean to sustain a source of seawater to cool the plant's generators.
As a result, today the 388-acre Agua Hedionda Lagoon is a man-made, shallow coastal embayment teeming with marine life and an array of recreational and educational activities, including environmental research. The lagoon supports a thriving marine ecosystem and is home to the Hubbs-SeaWorld fish hatchery, the Carlsbad Aquafarm, YMCA Camp, a commercial boating operation, private residences including a small-craft marina, an ecological preserve run by the California Department of Fish and Game, and the Lagoon Foundation's Discovery Center.
The seawater-cooled power plant is expected to be decommissioned in the coming years, leaving the lagoon without an entity responsible for its long-term maintenance. Locating the new seawater desalination plant next to the Encina Power Station solves this problem by introducing a new lagoon steward.
Seawater desalination opponents have suggested that the desalination facility will negatively impact the lagoon's water quality and marine life. Clearly, the
The operators of the desalination plant will assume responsibility as the Agua Hedionda Lagoon's steward, providing long-term maintenance and dredging, once the power plant is decommissioned in the future. In addition, they also have made a financial commitment to restore 37 acres of wetlands habitat and will be dedicating over 15 acres of lagoon and oceanfront land for public access and recreation, and for the expansion of the Hubbs-SeaWorld fish hatchery.
The commitment by the plant's operators to expand the lagoon's public boundaries, sustain a clean and healthy watershed and dredge a permanent opening to the
The lagoon is not the only beneficiary of the desalination plant, so is the oceanfront.
Once built, the desalination plant will ensure the continued stewardship of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon and the surrounding watershed, and will guarantee for many years to come that Carlsbad and San Diego County residents and visitors will be able to enjoy the benefits of this clean lagoon and its surrounding beaches. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071108/news_lz1e8munoz.html
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