Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
November 14, 2007
4. Water Quality
Proposal to mix Lake Arrowhead with recycled wastewater resurfaces - Riverside Press Enterprise
SEWER REQUIREMENTS:
Dixon seeks time to meet sewage order - Vacaville Reporter
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
NIMBY isn't the issue, residents say - Eureka Times Standard
DRINKING WATER:
Walton’s choppy waters; YC meeting was hard to swallow - Marysville Appeal Democrat
LOS OSOS:
Editorial: Osos suit’s a shame — but no surprise; Opinion of The Tribune Even before victory was declared in the vote to levy a sewer tax, some property owners were considering a legal challenge to the election - San Luis Obispo Tribune
Proposal to mix
Riverside Press
By Duane W. Gang, staff writer
The water utility that serves
The Lake Arrowhead Community Services District sent letters last week to two state agencies seeking information on requirements needed to gain approval for the plan.
If successful,
The mountain community has long struggled with ways to meet the demand for drinking and irrigation water and protect
To meet a growing demand, the utility studied new water sources, including storing recycled water in the lake, called indirect potable reuse.
"We have done a demonstration and proved we could produce a water of better quality, in all respects, than the water actually stored in
"Now, all we have to do is convince the people it would be a worthwhile thing."
UCLA conducted a recycled water test program in the mid 1990s at
In a Nov. 8 letter to the state Regional Water Quality Control Board in Victorville, district engineer Ryan Gross said the plan calls for about 1,300 acre feet of water, or about 1.5 million gallons per day, to be stored in the lake. It would enter
The utility would move the recycled water into the lake after it is treated to levels that meet or exceed all drinking water standards, Gross wrote.
Wagner said any move to put recycled water into the lake could still be a decade away.
But opposition is likely to surface. In 2005, it became a major issue in elections for the utility's board. Wagner said public perception is the biggest obstacle to overcome.
Ted Heyck, the board president who lost his bid for re-election this month, said he sees water quality and legal problems with the plan.
"It is the biggest hoodwink you have ever seen," he said.
Heyck said he doesn't believe the utility will be able to get permission.
"The state has not permitted anybody to put water into the lake. It has only allowed people to take water from the lake," Heyck said.
Heyck has long criticized the utility and filed the complaint with the State Water Resources Control Board that led to a 2005 order limiting the draw from the lake to 1,566 acre feet of water per year.
It is unclear whether adding water to the lake would allow the utility to withdraw more than the state order allows.
Wagner said he believes the state order applies to water coming into the lake naturally. If recycled water is added, the utility could take more from the lake, Wagner said.
In addition, recycled water could be used to maintain the lake's level, he said.
Wagner said the water quality control board and state Department of Public Health would have to sign off on the plan.
Already, the utility is spending about $12 million to set up a system to recycle water for irrigation. A plan to treat water to a higher quality and store it in the lake could cost another $8 million, Wagner said. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_water14.a20f1b.html
SEWER REQUIREMENTS:
By Melissa Murphy, staff writer
A time extension to complete state mandated water quality requirements is just one request the Dixon City Council is making of the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Tuesday night, the council discussed two letters the citizens' Wastewater Committee drafted to be sent to Pamela Creedon, executive officer of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board - Central Valley Region.
The first letter is a response to a letter sent by Creedon that asked 12 specific questions. The second letter is a formal request for a revised cease-and-desist order.
Specifically, Mayor Mary Ann Courville will sign a letter that asks, among other things, for a four-year period from date of issuance of the proposed revised cease-and-desist order to implement programs and projects to meet the interim effluent limits at the wastewater plant.
"These are very well-written and detailed," Courville said. "I'm happy to put my name on it."
City Manager
The council and the committee still are evaluating a need for a third letter asking the state to author legislation that would help cities control the use of salt-based water softeners that dump salt into the wastewater.
A possibility according to City Engineer Royce Cunningham are the salt-based water softeners.
The problem is that although the city has the option of prohibiting future salt-based water softeners, it doesn't have the power to eliminate existing ones, Cunningham explained.
For several years,
Last year, the citizens of
In other action, the council directed staff on its choice of who would temporarily fill the position of City Manager upon Salmons retirement.
Salmons' last day is Friday. #
http://www.thereporter.com//ci_7459270?IADID=Search-www.thereporter.com-www.thereporter.com
WASTEWATER ISSUES:
NIMBY isn't the issue, residents say
By Jessie Faulkner, staff writer
METROPOLITAN -- Roseann and Roland Potter are quick to affirm that their opposition to the city of
The city's preferred alternative, outlined in a lengthy draft environmental impact report, advocates construction of a new wastewater treatment facility and storage pond on the former Eel River Sawmills site and irrigation dispersal of the treated wastewater across the highway in the Metropolitan area.
Instead, longtime residents of the unincorporated community sandwiched between U.S. Highway 101 and the
That includes repercussions to their neighborhoods, wildlife and the young, organically-raised livestock that graze on the pasture land that may be irrigated with treated wastewater if the Rio Dell officials proceed with their preferred alternative for righting the city's sewer system woes.
What particularly perplexes the couple -- Roland Potter is a certified public accountant and Roseann Potter is a licensed public health nurse -- is the city's abandonment of what they view as a more logical and less harmful alternative: Palco's Scotia tree farm.
One of the main concerns for the Potters and their neighbors along the one-lane asphalt road that separates wide-open pastures is drinking water.
”There's six drinking water wells on this road,” Roseann Potter said. “It could potentially affect the drinking water of everyone on the road.”
With the public comment period on the city's draft environmental impact report set to close Monday, the Potters are hoping that others come forward quickly and the city extends the comment period.
One of Roland Potter's concerns is the as-of-yet unknown toxics that may be discovered both in biosolids and treated wastewater. Couple that with the proven contamination of the Eel River Sawmills site and the problem is magnified, they said.
Roseann Potter also raised concerns about viruses, that she said the federal Environmental Protection Agency has found can escape from secondary 23 treated wastewater -- the level of treatment proposed by the city.
According to the WaterReuse Association, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing beneficial uses of water resources, disinfected secondary-23 recycled water may not be used on food crops, parks, playgrounds, school yards and residential landscaping in
However, the city's draft EIR states that there are no potential agricultural resources impacts associated with the preferred alternative and no mitigation is proposed.
”Irrigating Metropolitan agricultural land with treated effluent will support the agricultural use of the land and would be consistent with the existing land use and zoning for this site,” the draft EIR states.
Michelle Scilacci, who with her husband owns and operates a 500-head jersey dairy on
John Renner, who pastures his dairy heifers -- young cattle that are not yet milking -- on the Potters' property is also concerned about the health of his stock. His 100 to 125 heifers, both Holsteins and
The city sought permission earlier to walk the Potter land and were denied, Roseann Potter said. Neither the Scilaccis nor the Potters have been approached about leasing property to the city of
For Roseann Potter, one of the primary issues is food quality. In this case, the dairy cattle eating what could be tainted grass.
And then there's the possible impact on the raptor population. What happens to the raptors who feed on the mice and moles that have been burrowing into the land where the irrigation takes place?, she asked. And then there's the potential impact on the
”How many e-coli outbreaks is it going to take before people say this isn't good,” she asked.
One thing is clear -- the Potters are committed to resisting the city's efforts.
”We're not going to give up,” she said. #
http://www.times-standard.com//ci_7457580?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
DRINKING WATER:
Walton’s choppy waters; YC meeting was hard to swallow
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 11/14/07
By John Dickey, staff writer
Arsenic in drinking water is known to be harmful, with health effects that include a thick skin.
Yuba City City Council members on the Southwest Walton Water Issue Ad-Hoc Committee may need to drink up.
Walton water issues and costs to fix them could prove contentious if Tuesday’s meeting was any indication.
About 50 residents and Councilmen Rory Ramirez and Kash Gill spent two hours debating who should sit at the table and hash out water issues with the two council members who comprise the ad-hoc committee.
By the end of the meeting, picking the people who will get a table seat was left to Ramirez. He planned to narrow the list of names by drawing some out of a hat.
After that, Ramirez, Gill and residents can start talking about water – and try and ease what one woman described as the “fear factor” that was brought on when residents were asked at meetings to decide – soon – how they wanted to pay to fix the area’s arsenic concentrations in its drinking water.
“I’m here to work on your suspiciousness,” said Ramirez.
Elaine Miles said the fear factor stems from a contentious annexation that brought residents into the city years ago. Then the water issues came up and the city devised solutions before getting residents’ input, and without looking at all the possibilities, said Miles, an
Some 3,000 households face costs to either fix the former Hillcrest Water Co. facilities, which draw water from wells, or connect with a city water plant that pipes water from the
City officials say they are under a mandate to get the arsenic out of Walton-area water after wells serving the residents showed arsenic concentrations of more than 10 parts per billion, then fell below the limits. One well had to be taken out of service.
While arsenic is known as an insecticide and rodent-killer, it’s not so useful in drinking water. Long-term exposure can lead to a greater incident of various types of cancers. The Bush administration set new standards last year that reduced arsenic limits in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion.
Residents want the city to re-examine the costs of fixing the arsenic problem. They have also brought up broader concerns such as the city’s plans to provide adequate water for a growing population.
“I think they’re hoping for information, and they want a fair and just decision made on how it affects our water, and what we’re going to pay for it,” said Suzanne Connelly, an
The next meeting set for Thursday could narrow down the issues that the committee and residents will discuss.
The committee’s goal is to devise a recommendation to be voted on by the full City Council on how to deal with the Walton water. #
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/water_56500___article.html/city_residents.html
LOS OSOS:
Editorial: Osos suit’s a shame — but no surprise; Opinion of The Tribune Even before victory was declared in the vote to levy a sewer tax, some property owners were considering a legal challenge to the election
San Luis Obispo
Given the contentious history of the Los Osos sewer project, it’s no surprise that the landslide passage of the sewer tax would be marred by the threat of a lawsuit. That predictability doesn’t make it any less regrettable that a small minority would attempt to thwart the will of the majority, however.
The figures speak for themselves: Nearly 80 percent of votes were cast in favor of the tax. That’s a remarkable show of support, and it’s frustrating and disappointing that a handful of opponents would consider derailing that with a lawsuit.
But here’s the unfortunate reality: Even before the results were in, some property owners were considering a legal challenge to the election.
Among their objections: Los Osos property owners outside the boundaries of the so-called prohibition zone weren’t included in the voting. That means they won’t be required to hook up to the sewer—nor will they have to help pay for it—yet they still will reap many of its benefits, including improved water quality.
It’s understandable that Los Osos residents would want to spread the cost of the sewer over as many households as possible.
Facing a debt of as much as $25,000 per residence, plus monthly sewer charges, isn’t easy, especially when residents a short distance away don’t have to pay a dime.
Keep in mind, though, that the majority of property owners are sharing the burden; county officials estimate that about 85 percent of the properties in the Los Osos area are within the prohibition zone.
And while it may now seem like ancient history — the prohibition zone boundaries were drafted in 1983 — it’s worth noting that those lines weren’t arbitrarily drawn but were based on measurable criteria, including:
• Results of ground water testing;
• Lot sizes (larger lots have less potential for problems; for that reason, some areas with large lots were left out of the zone); and
• Depth to ground water (the deeper the ground water table, the less chance of pollution).
About 25 years after the prohibition zone boundaries were drawn, Los Osos is finally in a position to put the sewer issue to rest.
A lawsuit filed at this juncture would only serve to further divide the community and run up legal bills. We urge all residents of Los Osos to close a chapter of history that’s gone on far too long and allow the election results to stand uncontested. #
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/editorial/story/192490.html
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