Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 18, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Attorney: Water leaks caused La Jolla landslide
North County Times
City increases water, sewer rates despite protests
North County Times
Water district's work-in-progress building has myriad methods of maximizing efficiency of resources
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Temecula water park up for a vote
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Excavators remove a relic of Camp Meeker's past
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Council to address water issue
Sonora Union Democrat
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Attorney: Water leaks caused La Jolla landslide
North County Times-8/17/09
A landslide that damaged dozens of La Jolla homes was caused by water leaking into the soil, a homeowners' attorney said Monday, but a lawyer representing the city of San Diego said shifting earth was to blame.
Sixty-five homeowners in Mount Soledad filed a lawsuit against the city, claiming three water leaks contributed to the massive landslide along Soledad Mountain Road on Oct. 3, 2007.
Three houses had to be demolished, and Mount Soledad Road was closed for a year after the slide.
"The water content (in the soil) was high," plaintiffs' lead attorney Craig McClellan said outside court after delivering his opening statement in the non-jury case.
McClellan said the house of one affected homeowner was flooded when the landslide came crashing down toward his residence.
But attorney Douglas M. Butz, representing the city, told Judge Ronald Styn that the landslide was dry and there was no evidence of water seepage while the event was taking place.
The leaks in question were repaired quickly in the summer of 2007, Butz said.
"There wasn't enough water to trigger this landslide," the attorney said in his opening statement.
Butz said the slide was the result of long-term "creeping" of the land and the softening of a rupture/slide that was repaired in 1967.
If Styn finds the city liable after a three-week trial, a damages phase would follow in November to determine what damages should be awarded to each homeowner.#
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_8474ba28-d931-5ca5-aaa4-fe934a4890e5.html
City increases water, sewer rates despite protests
North County Times-8/17/09
By David Garrick
Despite objections from coin-operated laundries and residents, Escondido officials will hike water rates by 8 percent on Sept. 1 and increase sewer rates by 5 percent on Jan. 1.
The higher rates, which city officials blamed on the California drought and infrastructure problems at Escondido's sewer treatment plant, will increase the monthly bill for a typical family by $3.28.
But excessive users could face much larger increases because of penalties under a conservation policy implemented in February, city officials said.
Meanwhile, the city has agreed to help reduce greenhouse gases by allowing the methane emitted from its sewer treatment plant to be converted into natural gas as part of a pilot project with San Diego Gas & Electric. If the project is successful, it could be adopted across the state, city officials said.
Also, the city is slated to receive $3.25 million in federal stimulus money to replace thousands of feet of water pipe in the Alexander area, a roughly 4-square-mile zone centered at Felicita Road and Citracado Parkway. The project would create a few dozen jobs for the city.
Before City Council members adopted the water and sewer rate hikes last week, they expressed frustration.
But they explained to angry residents and business owners that they were simply passing on rate hikes from the County Water Authority and the Metropolitan Water District, which provide about 70 percent of the city's water. The other 30 percent comes from the Lake Wohlford reservoir.
Mayor Lori Holt Pfeiler said it was important to note that the city was only passing on about half of the rate hikes by the water agencies, explaining that the county recently raised rates by 15.4 percent and that Metropolitan officials approved a 17.5 percent hike.
Residents still complained about confusing bills, unfair treatment and some unintended consequences of the city's conservation policies.
Vivian Doering from the Escondido Woman's Club said being classified as a restaurant has spiked monthly bills at the club from $61 to $235 in just three months.
Roseanne Lindsay, a resident of the elaborately landscaped Hidden Trails neighborhood, said residents are confused by the new city penalties for excessive water use.
Bernard Rubin, who operates a coin laundry in the Vons Plaza at Felicita Avenue and Centre City Parkway, said city policies regarding laundry facilities were unfair and misguided.
He contends that such businesses do not increase water usage because their customers are using less water at home by washing their clothes elsewhere. Rubin also explained that commercial washers are far more efficient that most home washers, meaning that coin laundries actually help the city conserve water.
And Dan Moriarty, who lives in a mobile-home park, said the thousands of Escondido residents living in such parks have no incentive to conserve because they pay a flat fee for water instead getting a bill based on usage.
The council also increased water rates for agricultural users, which make up only 224 of the city's 26,000 water customers. But they use about 34 percent of the water. Agricultural rates will go up 8 percent in February.#
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/escondido/article_a6e99e68-e0d0-59dd-9436-d3ffb05c1217.html?print1
Water district's work-in-progress building has myriad methods of maximizing efficiency of resources
Riverside Press-Enterprise-8/17/09
By Janet Zimmerman
An Inland water district aiming to make its new offices ultra water thrifty went much further, turning it into a demonstration building to showcase the latest techniques for energy efficiency and use of sustainable materials.
The soon-to-be-completed Frontier Project by the Cucamonga Valley Water District includes a "green" roof with plants on top, a cooling tower and solar chimneys for natural ventilation, cisterns to collect rainwater, and outside shade from recycled redwood once used at a local winery.
"We wanted to put in anything and everything, to show there are a lot of options," said Kristeen Ramirez, spokeswoman for the Rancho Cucamonga utility. "There seems to be this notion that to go green you have to have a lot of money. But there's so many things people can do," including compact fluorescent light bulbs, energy-efficient appliances, solar power and water-thrifty toilets.
The $14 million Frontier Project goes well beyond what most people are doing at home, however. Fund-raising generated more than $9 million, and the rest is covered by ratepayers.
Construction is scheduled to finish early next month, and the grand opening is set for Nov. 7, Ramirez said.
The Frontier Project Foundation, a nonprofit that includes the district's board members and several other people, sought input from 25 to 30 industry experts who suggested ways to make the building most efficient. Their ideas go right down to the way the 14,000-square-foot building is oriented on the lot.
Construction on the Cucamonga Valley Water District's Frontier Project is to end early next month, with a grand opening in early November.
Among the features:
The building's entire northeast wall is made of glass to maximize natural light. There are few windows on the south and west, to reduce passive heating from the afternoon sun. The walls are made of Styrofoam forms filled with poured concrete for insulation.
The $14 million project included some $9 million generated through fundraising.
Though the building will contain traditional heating and air-conditioning systems, ventilation will come largely from two solar chimneys on each end and a cooling tower in the middle to circulate air through the space using natural convection.
The cooling tower harnesses air from the prevailing winds and cools it with water misters. The cool air is drawn into the space as air from the solar chimneys is heated and forced outside.
This planter box is part of an energy efficient roof system to include plants that reduce heat gain and solar panels expected to generate up to 30 percent of the building's power.
A section of roof will be covered with native plants to reduce heat gain; it also will capture rainwater that will be channeled to an underground cistern. Green roofs, which include several layers of waterproofing and a root barrier, can reduce heating and cooling costs by 10 to 30 percent, according to Rand Engineering and Architecture in New York.
Rooftop photovoltaic panels will provide about 30 percent of the energy needed to power the building. Other parts of the roof will be covered with a bright white membrane, known as a cool roof, to reflect the sun.
A large public meeting space and offices for 15 water district workers will have furniture and carpet with a high recycled-material content. The interior décor will include renewable materials such as bamboo.
A solar shading terrace on the outside of the building will be made from 30-foot-tall wine vats donated by the J. Filippi Winery in Rancho Cucamonga.
A demonstration kitchen will showcase the latest energy- and water-saving appliances.
The district will seek platinum certification for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, which sets standards for environmentally sustainable building through the U.S. Green Building Council, said Jo Lynne Russo-Pereyra, vice president of the Frontier Project Foundation. Such a distinction can provide some tax benefits.
"When we started down this path, we did a market assessment to see if there are other projects like this. There's nothing that's LEED platinum and demonstration, where the public can see and feel products," she said.#
http://www.pe.com/rss/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_frontier18.38a644a.html#
Temecula water park up for a vote
Riverside Press-Enterprise-8/17/09
By Jeff Horseman
Plans for southwest Riverside County's first water recreation park are on the Temecula Planning Commission's Wednesday night agenda. But affordable housing planned for an adjacent parcel will not be built.
The five-member commission will consider a conditional use permit and a plan to subdivide property that would create a parcel for Splash Canyon Temecula, a 19.7-acre facility with a wave pool, slides, a snack bar and other amenities.
Proposed by an Aliso Viejo developer, the water park was originally sought for an Ynez Road site. But Clearwater Waterpark Development eventually shifted its focus to the corner of Diaz Road and Dendy Parkway, in an office/industrial area west of Interstate 15..
Story continues below
At one time, the city wanted to put a multi-college campus on that land. That plan fell through in 2007.
City officials had been in talks with RC Hobbs Co. of Orange about building affordable housing on 10 acres next to the park. But Richardson said the economics couldn't be worked out.
What's more, the state's taking of Temecula redevelopment funds -- $4.3 million this year, $1 million next year -- dried up funding for the housing, City Planner Patrick Richardson said.
The agency will now look to sell the 10-acre parcel, he said, adding Hobbs was a "great firm" and the city could do business with it in the future.
Splash Canyon Temecula would be open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to a city staff report. The park would have 15 full-time and 300 seasonal employees, ranch/western-style architecture and more than 450 parking spaces. Average daily attendance is estimated at 2,000 people.
The highest building at the park would be just less than 40 feet. Park-goers would enter and exit the park at two points off Dendy Parkway.
Wednesday's meeting starts at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 43200 Business Park Drive.#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/temecula/stories/PE_News_Local_N_waterpark18.44aaec5.html
Excavators remove a relic of Camp Meeker's past
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/17/09
By Robert Digitale
The yellow excavator was rapping like a woodpecker against the old dam, pounding through concrete and signaling the end of an era for the village that Melvin Cyrus “Boss” Meeker laid out in the redwoods a century ago.
Camp Meeker, a village in western Sonoma County, is removing the last trace of a once-popular swimming hole that for the past decade has remained unused in order to minimize harm to endangered salmon and steelhead.
The dam, which could create a sizeable swimming hole with water over 10 feet deep, will vanish. An adjacent section of Dutch Bill Creek, which flows north into the Russian River near Monte Rio, will be restored. And a new steel footbridge over the creek will replace the narrow walkway that sat atop the dam.
“It’s sad to see it go, but I know it’s the right thing,” said Louise Patterson, a Camp Meeker resident for more than four decades.
Patterson, standing beside the village post office, expressed gratitude for the many summer days that her family spent at the swimming hole, the place her children first learned to swim. But she said in recent times it has become clear that “dams are not good for fish.”
The Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District of Occidental and the Camp Meeker Recreation and Park District are partners in a $1 million project to remove the dam and restore the creek. To improve the passage of fish, the project also will add a series of low concrete baffles in a large rectangular culvert under Market Street, a main entryway to the hillside community.
The work will be financed by grants from seven agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fisheries service, state Fish and Game, state Coastal Conservancy and the county of Sonoma.
The aim is to provide a pleasant and natural place where people can get close to the creek.
“It would let people begin to see what this area looked like before we were there,” said Gary Helfrich, a member of the recreation and park district board.
The dam was built in the 1950s, said Helfrich. It replaced downstream swimming holes that likely were used in the days when a narrow-gauge railroad still brought Bay Area residents to summer homes there on such San Francisco-sounding streets as Van Ness, Mission and Montgomery.
With the new dam, Camp Meeker’s volunteer firefighters each spring would insert thick wooden flashboards to block its center opening, thereby backing up the creek water.
But in 1996 the federal government listed the region’s coho salmon as a threatened species, followed the next year by steelhead.
Eventually state fish and game officials required the owners of the region’s summer dams to conduct environmental impact reports to investigate the dam’s impact on fish. For Camp Meeker, Helfrich said, the cost of the report likely would have exceeded the park district’s annual budget.
“It began to be really clear for us that the world had changed,” he said. Never again were the flashboards set into the dam.
But in an era when creeks are no longer dammed, officials began to hear about grants that might be available for stream restoration and for a new footbridge. Eventually the park district teamed up with the resource conservation district, which was putting together a project on the nearby Market Street culvert.
Steven Chatham, president of Prunuske Chatham of Sebastopol, a contractor that specializes in restoration projects, estimated that for the project his workers will haul out 20 truckloads of demolished concrete — about 200 tons.
The work also will require removing about 1,500 tons of soil built up behind the dam, plus bringing in about 1,600 tons of rock. That rock will provide step-up pools below the culvert to help fish more easily swim upstream, as well as providing an area behind the dam for people to walk up and sit next to the creek.
The design and the work will be tested, Chatham said.
“Water is very unforgiving,” he said. “If you don’t get it right . . . it will tear apart what you’ve done.”
Lisa Hulette, executive director of the resource conservation district, said the project will remove the last known fish barriers along the creek. When completed, she hopes “people feel proud to show it off.”#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090817/ARTICLES/908179925
Council to address water issue
Sonora Union Democrat-8/17/09
By Michael Kay
Awarding a contract for the city’s wastewater treatment plant, suspending $10.65 in water rate fees and debating laying off a police officer top the agenda for Tuesday’s Angels Camp City Council meeting.
The council also will consider approving a partnership to help local artists sell more art and sponsorship of a county economic forum, as well as hear a report on the city’s finances.
Pacific Mechanical Corp. is the leading candidate to build the city’s controversial and long-debated wastewater treatment plant after submitting the lowest bid of three bidders at $1,972,800.
Council approval also is sought for a plan to use surplus funds in a mandatory water-specific reserve account to relieve rate payers of a $10.65 monthly fee.
The Museum Commission has proposed partnering with the Calaveras County Arts Council to show and sell artwork at the Calaveras County Museum on a trial basis for 2009. Sales tax would be kept separately from museum purchases.
The Chamber of Commerce is requesting $1,000 for its second annual Economic Forum at Ironstone Vineyards.
The Sierra Business Council is contributing $2,000 and Calaveras County has also promised funding.
The public portion of the meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Angels Camp Fire House, 1404 E. Highway 4.#
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009081797567/News/Local-News/Council-to-address-water-issue
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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 California.
No comments:
Post a Comment