A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
February 14, 2008
3. Watersheds
AMERICAN RIVER ISSUES:
Supervisors OK homes on bluff above parkway; Board rejects preservationists' claim project violates aesthetic standards of scenic area - Sacramento Bee
RESTORATION PROJECT:
Malibu Lagoon restoration project underway; Phase I of the project, which includes a redesigned parking lot to capture, treat and infiltrate almost 4 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, is expected to be completed next month - Malibu Times
Watershed protections proposed; Urbanization has increased erosion, pollution, activists say - Inside Bay Area
NESTLE WATER-BOTTLING PLANT EIR RE-INTRODUCED:
Nestle proposes reopening bottling plant EIR process - Redding Record Searchlight
LA RIVER TOUR:
L.A. mayor tours restored Lower Owens River; Antonio Villaraigosa touts the city's diverting water back to the waterway, which had been sucked dry by the aqueduct in 1913 - Los Angeles Times
DELTA ECOSYSTEMS:
Guest Column: Smelt key to a thriving ecosystem - The
AMERICAN RIVER ISSUES:
Supervisors OK homes on bluff above parkway; Board rejects preservationists' claim project violates aesthetic standards of scenic area
Sacramento
By Ed Fletcher, staff writer
The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors has rejected local preservationists' attempt to block a proposal to erect two blufftop homes along the
Its 4-1 decision Wednesday allows the homes to be built 35 feet from the bluff rather than the standard 70-feet guideline.
More than 40 parkway activists – bikers, kayakers, runners and birders – asked the board to keep the area free from development during a hearing that lasted more than 4 1/2 hours.
Preservationists and parkway enthusiasts had cast the debate over the homes as a fight to protect the open-space integrity of the 23-mile recreation area and nature preserve.
"The
But attorney Tim Taron said his client, Tim Lien, had proved it was safe to build the homes 35 feet from the bluff, as required, and was doing enough to hide the new homes from public view.
"This is a project that is permitted by your code," Taron said.
Supervisor Don Nottoli was the lone dissenting vote Wednesday. He sided with the staff recommendation that the homes be pushed back to 50 feet from the bluff – even though the 0.89 acre parcel wouldn't be large enough to accommodate the shift without modifying the homes' size.
The county had previously approved homes at the site within the gated Riverwood community in 2000 and again in 2004. The Save the American River Association sued to block that project and paid $5,000 to force Wednesday's hearing.
The initial project included three homes using modern designs. The current project calls for two earth-toned craftsman-style homes and includes plans for more tree plantings, new drainage requirements, and new watering rules.
The project replaces an existing single-story, 5,700-square-foot home with a single story house and a two-story house. The two-story house would be 5,800 square feet and 28 feet high. The single story would be 4,800 square feet.
Supervisor Susan Peters, whose district includes the
"This is a better project than the one approved in 2004," Peters said. "I'm saddened that SARA does not see this project as a win for the parkway."
Wednesday's debate hinged on whether a 70-foot setback was a requirement or a suggestion. Rules governing building in the area require proponents to perform a detailed study on the stability of the soil if they want to build closer to the bluff.
After reading an exhaustive report on the issue, the board concluded is was safe to build there. The only other major question was whether the developer was doing enough to obstruct the homes' view from the parkway. On that point, the board also concluded the project met the mark.
Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan said she wants the county to do a better job ensuring that existing homes along the river abide by the rules – a point SARA raised – but added that this wasn't the project on which the association should be drawing a line in the sand.
Warren Truitt, SARA's president, conceded the point, adding that the larger goals were to push existing property owners to do a better job blending in with the habitat and to send a message to future developers.
During his testimony, Truitt took the supervisors on a digital tour of the parkway, with pictures of turtles, deer, birds, leaves turning colors and a rainbow. Then, he turned his attention to homes that he claimed aren't living by rules requiring that they have earth-tones and are screened by trees and brush.
He showed pictures of a pink home, a yellow home, homes with few trees at all, a home with an illegal grass lawn, and several photographs where the natural bluff has been covered with cement to prevent erosion.
Several board members said they want the county to do better at enforcing the rules and Truitt said they'll be back to hold them to it.
The developer Tim Lien, whose company RDN Construction owns the property, said he hopes the fight is over.
"I'm pleased to have been approved and am hopeful this is the end of the road," Lien said.
He said the plan was for his brother to occupy one home and his parents to live in the other. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/711296.html
RESTORATION PROJECT:
Malibu Lagoon restoration project underway; Phase I of the project, which includes a redesigned parking lot to capture, treat and infiltrate almost 4 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, is expected to be completed next month
By Melonie Magruder, special to the Times
Phase I of the Malibu Lagoon Habitat Enhancement project, a project planned by Heal the Bay and the California Department of Parks and Recreation through a California State Coastal Conservancy grant, is almost complete, with Phase II expected to be finished sometime next year. The City of
"Our plan is to get rid of nonnative plantings and stagnant 'dead zones' in the lagoon and create a greater natural balance through native species and better tidal flushing," Heal the Bay Executive Director Mark Gold said. "We're in Phase 1 of a two-phase project. As soon as the environmental review is complete, we can start on the physical restoration of the lagoon. Probably by 2009."
Malibu Lagoon empties into the ocean at
Winter rains frequently breach the lagoon embankments, spilling fertilizer nutrients and other pollutants into the bay, contributing to Surfrider's consistent listing as one of the most polluted beaches in
During the 1950s and '60s, Malibu Lagoon, situated where the Malibu Creek watershed flows into the Pacific, was used as a dumpsite for fill material by Caltrans. By the late '70s, the area was so full that baseball fields were constructed steps from the beach. (The fields have since been moved to
"I played there myself when I was a kid," said. "But when you think of local beaches now, restoration of the lagoon is critical from the standpoint of enhancing animal habitat as well as improving water quality."
The first step in the restoration process is a redesigned parking lot, now set to slope storm water away from the lagoon to drain toward Pacific Coast Highway, with permeable pavement and vegetated swales (open channels) designed to filter and "percolate" runoff with levels of crushed shale. When completed, the parking lot will be able to capture, treat and infiltrate almost 4 inches of rain in a 24-hour period.
Water circulation will be promoted by reconfiguring the west side of the lagoon to promote maximum tidal circulation and, eventually, the east side will be re-graded to restore salt marsh hydrology and create nesting islands for the endangered least terns and snowy plovers, the small sea birds that chase retreating waves on quick feet to capture exposed crustaceans.
Mark Abramson, the Watershed Program director with Santa Monica Baykeeper, is gratified to see the project come to fruition.
"I've been with this for 10 years now," he said. "Phase one gets us off the ground and eventually, surrounding lands will be donated to keep the lagoon area free from development. In the future, I can see the whole project hooking up with
Abramson said Phase I is complete with the opening of the newly designed parking lot set for next month.
"We've reduced the parking lot footprint by almost an acre," he said. "And we're building a special overlook area at the edge of the parking lot that can be used for science classes studying fish and birds."
Heal the Bay played an administrative role in the planning of the project and once it was approved the state contracted the Resources Conservation District of the
Abramson is enthusiastic about the entire project design, saying, "It shows you what can be done with a little bit of creativity. This plan works, it's cost-effective and we protect this vital habitat."
According to Heal the Bay,
"We might not be able to fully define the importance of every single organism within an ecosystem like wetlands or rainforests," Cathleen Garcia, advocate for the environmental education institute Earthwatch, said. "But once you start to lose the diversity of such a system, once you lose just one of those organisms, the rest of the system will follow like dominoes falling."
Gold said improved conditions along the Malibu Creek watershed should ameliorate fresh water flowing into the bay.
"Tapia is not discharging into the creek from April to October anymore and there won't be any further development in Ahmanson Ranch, since it's now designated open space," he said. "
Abramson touted another feature of the project: "Surfers will be happy. We've added a shower in the parking lot. The water will be caught by the bioswales and used to water plantings in the summer.” #
http://www.malibutimes.com/articles/2008/02/13/news/news5.txt
Watershed protections proposed; Urbanization has increased erosion, pollution, activists say
Inside Bay Area – 2/14/08
By Shaun Bishop, MediaNews staff
Stronger measures must be taken to prevent development from polluting
The county will hold a series of meetings over the next three months to gather the public's thoughts about what rules should be enacted to guard streams in unincorporated areas.
Conservationists say urbanization around the county's 34 watersheds has caused a cascade of problems, from the spread of invasive species to an increase in erosion and sedimentation in water.
More than 80 percent of the pollution the county contributes to
"The pollution is getting to be just out of control," said Sam Herzberg, senior planner in the county parks department.
"What we're proposing is something that just doesn't make things worse."
Planners hope to have the new regulations ready for a Board of Supervisors vote by July.
The effort comes as federal and state agencies, including the California Environmental Protection Agency, pass to local governments new guidelines for protecting creeks and streams.
Preserving that habitat could be a life-or-death matter for threatened or endangered species that live throughout local waterways, including the Coho salmon, steelhead trout, tiger salamander and red-legged frog.
While the Coastside has some restrictions, such as a requirement that development must be 50 feet from the edge of riparian vegetation, the county's unincorporated inland areas have nosuch limits. Cities are responsible for the watersheds that run through their jurisdictions.
In addition to creating a "buffer zone" against building around streams, the county hopes to restrict building on slopes.
Under a draft ordinance, developers would need special permits to grade hillsides with slopes of more than 10 percent.
Building would not be allowed on slopes with grades of 50 percent or steeper, though planners may allow exceptions for specific circumstances.
The issue of building on hillsides was raised years ago after Cypress Semiconductor CEO T.J. Rodgers proposed creating vineyards on steep slopes near La Honda.
Residents worried that Rodgers' plan to grow grapes on a 16-acre hillside would dump eroded soil and pesticides into Woodhams Creek, from which La Honda gets 85 percent of its drinking water.
La Honda resident Dave Schorr, a former board member of the homeowners group, praised the county's initial work on the watershed issue and said residents would be eager to give their input.
Planning Commissioner Gail Slocum said she hopes the informational meetings would make residents think about what they can do to help resolve watershed problems.
"In terms of the things that are hurting the salmon and all of that, it really has to do a lot more with the day-to-day behavior" of residents, Slocum said.
The schedule and locations for the community meetings have not yet been set. For more information, visit http://www.co.sanmateo.ca.us/ourwatersheds. #
NESTLE WATER-BOTTLING PLANT EIR RE-INTRODUCED:
Nestle proposes reopening bottling plant EIR process
Redding Record Searchlight – 2/14/08
John Keenan, Special to the Record Searchlight
MCCLOUD -- An overflow audience in the multipurpose room of
"Feedback from the community has led us to ask that the EIR process be instituted once more to provide more scientific information on stream flow and water quality evaluations," said Dave Palais, local Nestle project manager.
Palais was one of several speakers who presented new information regarding the proposed bottling complex.
Nestle also declared it will limit the amount of water used annually to 1,600 acre feet, which amounts to 520 million gallons. There are no proposed groundwater wells in the new plans.
"We feel what's good for Nestle, will be good for McCloud," Palais said. "We are looking for additional public input from the community regarding our proposed project."
To that end, the McCloud Watershed Council distributed survey sheets at the meeting, asking the public for their comments regarding Nestle's plans. Comments will be collected through February and the results will be distributed to the public in March.
Water rights attorney David B. Mooney of
"What this means," Mooney said, "is if final agreements between Nestle and the services district are at odds, it will be up to the district to resolve those differences, not the county, before a final agreement is reached."
The value of the water itself was part of the presentation made by Kristin Lee, co-author of the ECONorthwest report commissioned by the McCloud Watershed Council.
The contract now calls for Nestle to pay $183 per acre foot to the McCloud Community Services District, compared to an earlier proposed rate of $26 per acre foot.
"This compares to the $2,183 per acre-foot Nestle is currently paying for water at its Pure Mountain Spring plant," Lee said. "Population growth, climate change and other competing uses, industrial and environmental, will only increase in value McCloud's most viable asset, spring water."
"There could be real value to the town for this project," said Darlene Mathis, owner of the McCloud Mercantile building, "but I wonder about the impact it will have on the overall quality of life here in town." #
http://www.redding.com/news/2008/feb/14/nestle-proposes-reopening/
LA RIVER TOUR:
L.A. mayor tours restored Lower Owens River; Antonio Villaraigosa touts the city's diverting water back to the waterway, which had been sucked dry by the aqueduct in 1913
By Louis Sahagun, staff writer
Under cloudy skies, local elected officials and environmentalists floated close behind Villaraigosa as he and a guide paddled their canoe through the tule-lined channel that began flowing again in 2006 as part of what is widely considered the most ambitious river restoration effort attempted in the West.
The 62-mile-long river was left nearly dry in 1913 when its water was redirected into the Los Angeles Aqueduct to help
It took the group about 40 minutes to complete the trip about 1:30 p.m. and disembark near a helicopter, which whisked Villaraigosa back to
"This is a great opportunity to see and feel this restored habitat, which we had desecrated for 100 years," Villaraigosa said after stepping out of his canoe. "I feel gratified."
Before setting out on the river, Villaraigosa turned a valve at the aqueduct intake, releasing a pulse of water into the Lower Owens that biologists expect will artificially replicate a seasonal flood.
"Starting today, every year the Lower Owens will flow to the same rhythms as Mother Nature," Villaraigosa said. "In spring, the riverbanks will flood, nourishing seeds to begin the cycle of life for a new year in the largest river restoration project in
He mistakenly described the renewed river system as suddenly teeming with "countless trout," according to biologists at the event, who pointed out later that the Lower Owens is a warm-water fishery more hospitable to bass and catfish. #
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-owens14feb14,1,6520219.story
DELTA ECOSYSTEMS:
Guest Column: Smelt key to a thriving ecosystem
The
By Ann Thomas, senior political science and environmental science double major
Why should you care if a six centimeter-long fish in the Delta is now listed as threatened under the Federal Endangered Species Act?
Well, your drinking water could depend on it.
The Delta smelt, a fish species endemic to the
The livelihood of fishermen and the economy of the Delta are dependent upon its health and, therefore, upon the health of this fish.
The smelt's declining population can be attributed to the large water pumps near the San Joaquin Rivers. These straw-like mechanisms suck water from the Delta up and over hills and southbound to the water-thirsty agricultural industries and residents of
The pumps are so strong that they actually change the direction of the river's current, negatively impacting the smelt.
The immense amount of fresh water diverted from the Delta also means that the salinity of the water changes. When fresh water is pumped out of the Delta, salty water from the
If you are still not convinced that you should care about the fate of these small fish, here are some more reasons.
First, the demise of these fish is representative of the impact of the water conflict in
Pumping the majority of
Also, we at
So what can we do to act as stewards of an environment which we directly impact on a daily basis?
On a small-scale level, we can conserve the Delta's resources by rethinking and altering our lifestyle choices. We can use less water, take shorter showers, use low-flush toilets, let it mellow when it's yellow (yes, I'm referring to that lame riddle you learned in fifth grade outdoor camp), etc.
There are also large-scale initiatives, like implementing efficient irrigation systems or recycled water programs in cities and counties that will help protect the Delta ecosystem.
We must reduce our water consumption out of necessity, respect for the environment and so that water conflicts in
Unfortunately, it is not students and professors like you and me that will have the most impact in changing our habits.
It is the highly consumptive agricultural industries that often only pay a flat monthly rate for their water bills, giving them little incentive to reduce their usage, which have the most impact on the Delta. To address this, the local, state and federal governments need to pass legislation mandating more efficient water use and monitoring. As active, educated and conscientious citizens, we must support public policy bills that advocate sustainable use of our water resources.
Not only does the fate of the Delta smelt depend on our actions to conserve water, but the millions of others in California that depend on this precious resource. It is our duty to critically analyze the allocation of water throughout
We need to change the way we think about water and focus on the impact of our daily actions on the environment and surrounding communities that sustain us. #
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