Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 4, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Rio Linda-Elverta water district has weathered mud-slinging, lawsuits and a probe into employee misconduct
The
Russian River
The
Valley County
The
Don't blame fish for drought
The
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rio Linda-Elverta water district has weathered mud-slinging, lawsuits and a probe into employee misconduct
The Sacramento
By Robert Lewis
For decades the Rio Linda-Elverta Community Water District has been the center of political life for the two unincorporated communities in the northwest corner of
Residents of the working-class area faithfully pack the small meeting room at the old train depot monthly to play their part in the democratic process and help run their water district.
But memories are long in Rio Linda-Elverta, and a passion for civic duty sometimes degenerates into squabbling and outright hostility.
"As long as I've been on the Board of Supervisors, there's been some controversy the water board is engaged in," said Roger Dickinson, a
Culminating a particularly contentious decade, the district has struggled financially, received a state compliance order for unsafe water pressure and been the target of three lawsuits in the past six months.
"I have never believed people can govern themselves and being in Rio Linda has done nothing to change that belief," said Clifford "Dee" Dillon, the former general manager at the center of much of the recent controversy.
The Rio Linda-Elverta water district controls 61 miles of pipes and 11 wells – nine of which work – pumping water for 4,600 customers. The district has some of the lowest water rates in the region. It also has an aging infrastructure.
The median age of the district's 11 wells is 30 years. Chlorine is kept in an unlocked shed that the new general manager, Gilbert Tafoya, describes as a "huge security concern."
The district's five-member board is elected, and the current board ran largely on a platform vowing not to raise rates.
At the center of that movement has been Mary Harris, a local hairdresser and owner of Mary's Hair Salon. The salon, which she runs out of her home, is a virtual town hall where people come to talk politics and all things Rio Linda.
Harris entered the fray almost a decade ago. She was styling a board member's hair in late 2000 when he casually mentioned water rates might be doubling.
Harris decided to get involved and was elected to the board in 2002 running on a platform of what she termed "accountability." She said she was running against a "good old boys" network.
Around the same time, former Sacramento Bee editorial writer Tom Philp was working on a Pulitzer Prize-winning series on water districts, some of which were run as small fiefdoms where resources went to the benefit of district managers and other staff.
Harris claimed the Rio Linda district was run in such a manner – that money that should have gone for the system was used to pay salaries and benefits.
General manager files suit
In October 2006, Dillon became the district's general manager. Early on, Dillon said, he determined the district needed to improve its infrastructure and dig more wells.
Harris and her supporters opposed the rate hike Dillon proposed in order to pay for the improvements.
In 2007, Dillon said, he did an analysis and found the water system had half the capacity it should and, as a result, periods of low water pressure. He asked the board's permission to turn the data in to the state. The board unanimously approved, Dillon said.
In November 2007, the state Department of Public Health issued a compliance order against the Rio Linda-Elverta water district for dangerously low pressure that could lead to water contamination.
The state requires systems to maintain water pressure at 20 pounds per square inch and Rio Linda's dropped as low as eight psi, according to figures Dillon provided the state. Low pressure can allow pathogens to build up and "create a health risk to consumers," the order states.
The state ordered Rio Linda-Elverta to figure out how much more water the district needed and begin the process of adding that "source capacity," in addition to other requirements, such as better record keeping and testing.
The order intensified the fighting on the board and within the community. One group said the district could get away with a cheaper storage tank as a solution, while another camp said a major rate hike was necessary to dig multiple new wells.
Last November's election changed the power dynamic on the board. The so-called "good old boys" were out, and the community elected an all-female board in line with Harris.
Days after the election, on Nov. 7, Dillon filed a lawsuit against the district, Harris and newly elected board member Vivien Spicer Johnson. Dillon claimed Harris slandered and libeled him through accusations of "malfeasance, misfeasance and dishonesty," his complaint says.
In December – after the election but before the new board was sworn in – Dillon's supporters on the outgoing board settled the lawsuit and terminated him as general manager. Former board member Bob Blanchard, who voted for the termination, said he feared the new board would try to fire Dillon without severance pay.
Harris and her supporters say his case had no merit. They saw the move as a backroom deal where Dillon was allowed to escape the oversight of the new board and given a parting payday.
The settlement added three months to Dillon's severance package, giving him nine months total. The district is paying Dillon about $9,000 monthly, plus almost $1,500 for health insurance and $2,000 into the retirement system. The settlement also gave him a lump sum of about $27,500.
On top of that, Dillon filed for unemployment benefits, according to documents provided by the current leadership. The district is fighting that claim.
'Basically, we are bankrupt'
When the new members joined incumbent Harris, they took over a district hemorrhaging money.
In an e-mail from Elizabeth Myers, the district's administrative supervisor, to Dillon dated Dec. 1, 2008, she wrote, "Basically, we are bankrupt."
The district, which has an operating budget of about $2 million, has a $400,000 deficit this year and is looking at a similar loss next fiscal year, current general manager Tafoya said.
After the new board took over, it hired a consultant for $30,000 to re-check water pressure figures and meet the compliance order requirements.
The resulting report showed the system did have problems.
Now, the new board, which had vigorously opposed a rate hike, has authorized three new wells and is looking to approve a surcharge to pay for the principal and interest on about $7.5 million in bonds.
Harris says there is a difference between the rate increase she opposed and the surcharge. She said the rate increase would have gone into the general fund and could have been used for anything, including salaries, while the surcharge can only go for specific capital projects.
The new water board approved the surcharge at a meeting in February. Only this time, former board member Blanchard – who had pushed for a rate increase when he was in charge – filed a lawsuit to stop the surcharge.
Blanchard's court filing claims the board didn't follow legal procedures in notifying the public and holding a proper public hearing.
The board stopped billing for the surcharge, issued a 45-day notice of intent to impose the surcharge and will vote again on the measure this month.
Meanwhile, after the new board took over, it began looking into possible employee misconduct. It hired a law firm, which in turn hired a private investigator.
Dennis Joyce, a retired FBI agent who now works as a private investigator out of Folsom, said his probe found that employees had stolen money, including proceeds from recycling salvaged materials such as old water meters, according to a letter he sent Tafoya. Joyce found the district lost almost $2,500 as a result of missing recyclables and other irregularities, the letter said.
Tafoya has given the results of that probe to local law enforcement authorities for further investigation.
While years of turmoil aren't likely to end quickly or quietly, there is some hope for the future.
Tafoya, hired in December, has worked in state government for more than 28 years, including most recently as a manager with the state Department of Transportation. He has streamlined finances and said he is trying to build consensus for projects by stripping the emotion and years of hard feelings out of the discussion and appealing to people through practical business arguments.
Will it work?
The only guarantee is a lot of people in Rio Linda and Elverta will be watching.
"This is an area where the people take part in the democratic process," Tafoya said. #
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1829526.html
Russian River
The
By Robert Digitale
Low flows in the
The state Water Resources Control Board is holding a hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the board’s
The order was issued as part of the board’s approval of a request by the Sonoma County Water Agency to reduce summertime flows in the
The order is being challenged by the Water Agency’s major customers, the cities and districts from
“We’ll be lucky if we get through mid-June,” said Lollie Mercer, owner of River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe Trips in Healdsburg. The business, formerly Trowbridge Canoes, has operated on the river for half a century.
Mercer, who has owned the company for three years, said she is preparing to cut her staff by half this summer and may move her operation far down river or even to other streams. Upwards of 20,000 customers ride her kayaks and canoes each year, she said, and many spend dollars at the county’s motels, restaurants and shops.
Business people, farmers and city water officials are awaiting the outcome of Wednesday’s state Water Resources Control Board meeting on
The hearing comes as the region suffers through another year of too little rain and too little water stored behind
To hold back enough lake water for municipal use and a fall salmon run, state water officials last month agreed to
Depending on spring rainfall and other factors, the flow in the river above Dry Creek near Healdsburg will range between 25 and 75 cubic feet per second by July, said Brad Sherwood of the county Water Agency.
The lower flow amount hasn’t occurred since the drought year of 1977. Even the larger number results in too low a flow for canoes in that stretch of river, Mercer said. She said she needs roughly 120 cfs above Healdsburg.
Canoeing and kayaking still may be possible below Dry Creek where water from
Business people near Guerneville voiced concern that a shrunken river will exacerbate what already may be a difficult year for tourism.
“It’s coming at a horrible time,” said Lynn Crescione, owner of Creekside Inn and Resort.
River business people also questioned whether they are suffering at the expense of other water users in the county. They voiced support for maximum conservation efforts in order to keep more water in the river.
“I do think we’re getting the short straw,” said Margaret Kennett, president of the Russian River Chamber of Commerce.
Low flows could keep tourists away from Guerneville and points downriver, Kennett said, and “wipe businesses out, considering what the economy is anyway.”
But Sherwood said the state order “shares the pain” between agriculture, urban users and river recreation. He said the county is working to win state permission to store more water behind
The state water board ordered the county’s Water Agency to cut consumption of
Officials from affected cities and water districts have protested that order. They maintain the conservation limit instead should be set at 20 percent, and the state should drop a ban on irrigating commercial turf this summer.
Business people like Mercer fear that an increasing demand for water, including from farm wells near the river, could mean less water available for recreation and tourism.
“When you start dismissing a small industry,” Mercer said, “it’s not long before it’s gone.”#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090503/news/905039937
Valley County
The
By Tania Chatila
Water users in Irwindale,
Valley County Water District is proposing rate hikes for residential and commercial customers to help offset the rising cost of water, and to help pay for $18 million in improvements to district equipment.
Current fixed charges for residential customers with a 5/8-inch pipe will rise from $13.20 to $15.20, and from $6.60 to $8.75 for commercial or industrial customers with the same meter size.
Thereafter, usage charges will also increase between about 14 and 15 percent depending on how much water is used.
The district hasn't raised its fees since 2003, said Brian Dickinson general manager of the Valley County Water District.
"Our expenses have gone up probably 26 percent to 30 percent since (then),"
The district is in the middle of a rolling 5-year plan to replace pipelines and repair reservoirs, pumps and electrical panels,
In a letter to customers, district officials also blamed rate increases on the state's water shortage, and said new fees would "promote increased water conservation."
Water companies across the
But Dave Todd, land and water use program manager from the California Department of Water Resources, said there is no way to tell if there is a connection.
Even with the increases,
He did not anticipate another rate hike next year.
A public hearing about the increases is set for 5:30 p.m. June 8 at the Irwindale City Council chambers,
http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/news/ci_12286787
Don't blame fish for drought
The
Editorial by David Little
We are in a drought, pure and simple. Unfortunately, it's not just a lack of water that plagues our state. It's a lack of ideas, too — an intellectual drought and a leadership drought.
The last Sierra snow survey of the season on Thursday showed a snowpack that's about two-thirds of normal.
In the meantime, some people are blaming the drought on environmental regulations. Strangely, they aren't conspiracy theorists out on the fringe. They are congressmen.
Republican Tom McClintock, whose district includes Oroville, was quoted in the Sacramento Bee as saying he doesn't believe there's a water shortage. He just thinks too much water is dedicated to fish and the delta ecosystem.
"Don't forget we have the most water-rich region in the state," McClintock was quoted as saying. "And yet our communities are in ... drought alerts, not because of a shortage of water, but because of water that the environmental regulations allow us to use."
McClintock said: "The question comes down to a very simple choice between people and fish."
That sounds just like a politician from Southern California, which is exactly what McClintock is even though he represents
I expect more from local Congressman Wally Herger, a longtime north valley rancher now living in
McClintock, Herger and their Republican allies can complain all they want about the delta smelt, the liberal courts and whatever other scapegoat they want to find. They just end up sounding ridiculous.
Please, pick your battles. Blaming fish for a lack of water isn't one they're likely to win — especially in these parts.
Most of us are smart enough to realize the bigger problem is building cities in the desert. You can't keep allowing population booms in places like the
The "people vs. fish" argument may get some sympathy because delta smelt aren't even a game fish. You can't fish for them, you can't eat them, and most people can't tell a smelt from a pikeminnow.
But the decline of the smelt is indicative of worse to come — the proverbial canary in a coal mine. Smelt are the endangered species, but salmon, steelhead and sturgeon populations are all headed in that same direction if we don't get the delta problems figured out soon.
That's where politicians come in.
We need leadership. We need decisiveness. Instead, we get finger pointers. Republicans blame fish and environmentalists. Democrats refuse to consider new reservoirs, even off-stream reservoirs. They claim the solution is simply to conserve more.
Both claim they're right and the other side is wrong. They criticize one another in press reports more than they talk face to face. So nothing gets done.
There are a slew of possibilities: Off-stream reservoirs, home-building moratoriums unless a water source is identified, desalination plants on the coast, better fish screens and levees, rebates for water savers ... but it's worth remembering that none of those will do the trick by itself.
This much I'm certain of: Working on the problem is more productive than complaining about it. #
http://www.chicoer.com/opinion/ci_12283180
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
No comments:
Post a Comment