Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 24, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
$2.08 million in Folsom Lake dike repairs poised to begin
Sacramento Bee
Jurupa services district plans vote on watering restrictions
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Waves' relentless march at Gleason Beach
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Taking back the beach
Residents, Open Space District team up to buy riverfront parcel plagued by parties, transients
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
7 seek vacant seat on water district board
Marin Independent Journal
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$2.08 million in Folsom Lake dike repairs poised to begin
Sacramento Bee -8/23/09
Work to improve two Folsom Lake dikes in the Granite Bay area is scheduled to begin in September.
A $2.08 million contract was awarded earlier this month to Alpine Diversified of Lemoore.
The work is part of a multiyear construction program to make required safety modifications at Folsom Dam and Reservoir. Improvements will be made to Dikes 4 and 6, two earthen embankments on the north shore of Folsom Lake, near the intersection of Auburn-Folsom and Eureka roads.
The work will include partial removal of the downstream face of both dikes to add features such as drains to control internal erosion, according to a Bureau of Reclamation news release.
Construction activities will begin in September and will include site preparation, posting signs directing the public to established trail detours, developing contractor use areas and installing a contractor access off Auburn-Folsom Road.
Construction work on the two dikes is expected to be completed late next summer.#
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2132021.html?mi_rss=Our%2520Region
Jurupa services district plans vote on watering restrictions
Riverside Press-Enterprise-8/22/09
By Sandra Stokley
Residents in the Eastvale and Jurupa areas will be barred from hosing down driveways and patios and watering yards between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. under a water conservation ordinance going before the Jurupa Community Services District board of directors Monday night.
If the ordinance is approved, the community services district will become the latest in a growing number of Inland water agencies to adopt measures aimed at getting customers to cut use because of California's drought..
"We are in a water crisis in California," said Eldon Horst, general manager of the community services district. "All water agencies need to have this type of ordinance in place."
The district has an estimated 25,000 water connections in the unincorporated Riverside County communities of Eastvale, Pedley, Glen Avon, Sunnyslope and parts of Mira Loma.
If the ordinance is adopted, it will take effect immediately.
The proposed ordinance lays out four levels of drought conditions, with Level 1 outlining a series of voluntary use restrictions to achieve up to a 10 percent water reduction.
But even at Level 1, "unreasonable uses of water" are barred. Those uses include hosing down driveways or sidewalks, failing to repair a leak or watering in the heat of the day when the water evaporates more quickly.
Levels 2, 3 and 4 would impose mandatory restrictions such as limiting lawn and landscape watering to three days per week, barring the use of ornamental fountains and requiring residents to take their cars and vehicles to commercial car washes, which often use recycled water.
Violations of water restrictions set out in levels 2, 3 and 4 are subject to civil, administrative and even criminal penalties, according to the ordinance.
The proposed ordinance is raising concerns, particularly among residents living in the older, more rural sections of Jurupa where larger lots allow the keeping of horses, goats and other livestock.
"I have two horses, and each horse drinks about 20 gallons of water per day," said Ellen Kleinbeck, who has lived in Pedley for 18 years.
Kleinbeck said she already conserves water by taking shorter showers, watering her lawn in the early morning twice a week and sweeping her driveway and patio.
"I'm already making a concerted effort to save water," Kleinbeck said. "Where are they going to set my standard at if I'm already conserving?"
"I have the same question myself," said Kathryn Bogart, president of the district's board of directors. "I've been conserving for a long time and I don't think I can cut back more."
Bogart said she has installed artificial turf in her backyard, waters her lawn in the early morning three days a week and has low-flow toilets and shower heads.
Horst said those are all valid concerns that will be addressed during the first year if the ordinance is adopted Monday. He said the first year will be devoted to educating customers about the importance of conserving water, urging voluntary compliance and learning what works best to get that compliance.
"We have a learning experience to undertake as an agency," Horst said. "We should be able to devise a system that is equitable.
"We don't want to be punitive with our customers," he said.#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_W_wconserve23.46aa89b.html
Waves' relentless march at Gleason Beach
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/22/09
By Bob Norberg
The cliffside strip of Gleason Beach homes is dwindling, with two more houses being undermined by the unrelenting power of an ocean that has already claimed eight others.
Six years ago, there were 21 homes, million-dollar sentinels on the bluff with a Pacific Ocean view limited only by the curvature of the earth, the senses buffeted by coastal winds and the sounds of surf.
“It's spectacular, it's a beautiful spot — it was my favorite place on the whole planet,” said Martin McNair of Richmond.
“In the wintertime when the storms come through, it is thrilling to be there,” said Donald Barrick of Redwood City.
The McNair and Barrick homes, however, are among the 13 that are left. The two were tagged last winter as unsafe and neither owner plans to continue efforts to save them.
“I am just doing nothing,” said McNair, who has owned the home for 25 years.
Barrick said he had several proposals that would have bought his property more time, but he has given up trying to get through the state and local planning process.
“We are taking a helluva of a loss on the house,” said Barrick, who paid $1 million for it four years ago. “We've invested over $200,000 in trying to save it so far.”
Gleason Beach is halfway between Bodega Bay and Jenner, with a towering bluff where the homes were built side-by-side beginning in the 1930s.
They are distinctive in their designs, some the gray colors of coastal brush, others Cape Coddish or modernistic.
And they once had back yards that were as wide as a football field and stairs that led to a private beach below, clearly visible in aerial photographs taken in the early 1970s.
The back yards are now gone, and the stairs that remain lead directly into the surf.
Two of the 13 remaining homes are for sale. While they may have once fetched $1 million or more, they are priced at $550,000 and $699,000 because of questions of erosion.
"We are not geologists nor soils engineers," said Malcolm Sibbernsen, an agent with Herth Realty in Guerne-ville who represents a home next to the McNair house. "We urge them to contact the county permit department if they're interested in the property to find an expert in the field."
Most of the damage has occurred in the past decade. Efforts to save the homes by rebuilding sea and retaining walls and driving in new pilings have had minimal success, said Dave Hardy, a Sonoma County planner.
"The most southerly ones are probably OK; they are sitting on solid rock and perhaps a different formation," Hardy said. "There is more beach and more protection just from the sand and the offshore rock outcroppings, the ocean rock stacks."
Hardy said he goes to Gleason Beach almost monthly, taking pictures of the sea walls, cliffs and homes to document the progression of the erosion.
So far, only the McNair and Barrick homes have been tagged, but there are signs that other sea walls may be crumbling as well.
McNair said the weather phenomenon known as El Niño started the whole thing, combining with seepage from the open space across the highway. "My house was built in the 1930s; it is a situation that has occurred up and down the coast," he said.
Seven of the 21 original homes have already been demolished and one was moved inland, leaving a gap on the bluff marked by sunken asphalt carports, barren building pads and tilting concrete piers.
"Our cabin began to disintegrate and was eventually torn down," said Susan Saum of Davis, who is still distraught over the loss. "We lost it at the end of 2003 -- it was declared uninhabitable."
Experts say some of the sea walls erected to help shield the homes show signs of crumbling, and even Highway 1 may be threatened.
The cliff face "is still eroding," said Eric Olsburg of Brunsing Associates of Windsor, an engineer who has studied the area for more than a decade. "As the beach continued to degrade, they had to build additional walls and the walls got bigger and higher. Now the beach is all gone and the waves are hitting the retaining walls. You can't fight the ocean in that way."
The McNair home has been boarded up since November.
"We have invested a lot of money in it already," McNair said. "In my opinion the hill has stabilized, but eventually the ocean will get them all."
-- You can reach Staff Writer Bob Norberg at 521-5206 or bob.norberg@pressdemocrat.com.
Two of the 13 remaining homes are for sale. While they may have once fetched $1 million or more, they are priced at $550,000 and $699,000 because of questions of erosion.
“We are not geologists nor soils engineers,” said Malcolm Sibbernsen, an agent with Herth Realty in Guerne-ville who represents a home next to the McNair house. “We urge them to contact the county permit department if they're interested in the property to find an expert in the field.”
Most of the damage has occurred in the past decade. Efforts to save the homes by rebuilding sea and retaining walls and driving in new pilings have had minimal success, said Dave Hardy, a Sonoma County planner.
“The most southerly ones are probably OK; they are sitting on solid rock and perhaps a different formation,” Hardy said. “There is more beach and more protection just from the sand and the offshore rock outcroppings, the ocean rock stacks.”
Hardy said he goes to Gleason Beach almost monthly, taking pictures of the sea walls, cliffs and homes to document the progression of the erosion.
So far, only the McNair and Barrick homes have been tagged, but there are signs that other sea walls may be crumbling as well.
McNair said the weather phenomenon known as El Niño started the whole thing, combining with seepage from the open space across the highway. “My house was built in the 1930s; it is a situation that has occurred up and down the coast,” he said.
Seven of the 21 original homes have already been demolished and one was moved inland, leaving a gap on the bluff marked by sunken asphalt carports, barren building pads and tilting concrete piers.
“Our cabin began to disintegrate and was eventually torn down,” said Susan Saum of Davis, who is still distraught over the loss. “We lost it at the end of 2003 — it was declared uninhabitable.”
Experts say some of the sea walls erected to help shield the homes show signs of crumbling, and even Highway 1 may be threatened.
The cliff face “is still eroding,” said Eric Olsburg of Brunsing Associates of Windsor, an engineer who has studied the area for more than a decade. “As the beach continued to degrade, they had to build additional walls and the walls got bigger and higher. Now the beach is all gone and the waves are hitting the retaining walls. You can't fight the ocean in that way.”
The McNair home has been boarded up since November.
“We have invested a lot of money in it already,” McNair said. “In my opinion the hill has stabilized, but eventually the ocean will get them all.”#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090822/articles/908229944#
Taking back the beach
Residents, Open Space District team up to buy riverfront parcel plagued by parties, transients
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/21/09
By Bleys W. Rose
Fed up with drinking parties and homeless encampments on Patterson Point beach, a sliver of land perched on a bend of the Russian River, a group of Monte Rio residents is buying the troublesome 1.8-acre site.
“There have been late-night teen drinking parties and homeless people living down there,” said Rich Holmer, president of Friends of Villa Grande. “We think we can control that by limiting the hours of access.”
What is unusual about the $210,000 deal is that the group, about 90 households comprising Friends of Villa Grande, has formed a partnership with the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District to acquire the tiny beachfront property at Villa Grande, a neighborhood a mile downstream from downtown Monte Rio.
It is only the second time that a non-profit agency has been the beneficiary of a matching grant from the Open Space District.
Villa Grande has raised about $70,000 to buy the site and is getting another $140,000 from the district for a conservation easement under which the group agrees to preserve the site and refrain from developing it.
The goal of acquisition is to both provide public access and, at the same time, allow the Villa Grande group some measure of control over the property.
In deference to opponents, there won't be a parking lot nearby. The Villa Grande group plans to improve existing trails and erect signs that include directions to the beach and notification that use is limited to daylight hours.
Some in Monte Rio fear that creation of a park will attract more unwanted visitors to the Villa Grande community, which began in the 1900s as a collection of vacation homes along a narrow-gauge railway. None, however, spoke in opposition at a hearing last week before county supervisors.
Since the 1950s, the property has been owned by the Torr family, which has long been prominent in river-area real estate and civic affairs.
“Of course, this is a cost benefit for the Open Space District, but for me, it is about protecting public access,” said west county Supervisor Efren Carrillo.
Supervisor Shirlee Zane also questioned how the county would monitor public use.
“If we restore the habitat and people are attracted to the spot, how do you ensure that low-intensity use continues?” Zane said.
Open Space District program manager Misti Arias responded that county officials will visit the site periodically.
“It is limited to low-impact use and if there are violations, we will follow through with the owners,” Arias said.
With the county grant secured, the land transfer is expected to close in mid-September.
The Villa Grande group plans to work with Circuit Rider Productions to remove invasive plants such as blackberry and English ivy and replace them with native vegetation. A 100-yard path provides access to the beach and passes a grove of redwood trees.
Roberto Esteeves, a Friends of Villa Grande board member who lives across the street, said, “we think of this as a preservation project because we need to strike a balance between restoring the land and allowing public access.”#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090821/articles/908219890
7 seek vacant seat on water district board
Marin Independent Journal-8/23/09
Mark Prado
Seven people have stepped forward to apply for the vacant seat on the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors as the debate on desalination heats up.
The seat is empty due to the July 9 death of Alex Forman, who was board chairman. He represented Division 2, which includes much of San Rafael.
The district board will begin interviewing candidates on Wednesday, then interview finalists Sept. 2, before selecting the new board member at that meeting.
"These are board meetings, so the process is open to the public," said Libby Pischel, water district spokeswoman.
Here are the seven applicants, along with some of their application statements:
- Adam Davis, president of Solano Partners inc., who works with land owners for the conservation and restoration of environmental features on their properties. He said his work experiences have given him a "perspective and set of experiences that would be useful to MMWD and the county." Resident of Division 2: 20 years.
- Glenn Dombeck, principal of Ascend Innovations Inc., who has experience in water treatment engineering and business management. He said he could "serve as a bridge between Division 2 ratepayers and (the) MMWD to connect concerns for safe and reliable water supply to district policy." Resident of Division 2: five years.
- Jonathan Frieman, co-founder of Post Carbon Marin, who is applying for the seat because of the "critical and urgent role that water plays in the well-being of our community."
Resident of Division 2: 15 years.
- Larry Minikes, president of the Tamalpais Conservation Club and Bay Area Trails Council and principal of A/V Stim LLC, USA Interactive, an electronic consumer products firm. He would focus on providing the public with clean drinking water "in the most cost-efficient manner that enhances and protects MMWD's good environmental practices." Resident of Division 2: 25 years.
- Armando Quintero, director of development, Sierra Nevada Research Institute, which supplies research on environmental issues. "How do we work together to assure a sustainable and healthy future for generations to come? Water is vital." Resident of Division 2: 14 years.
- Roger Roberts, retired, past president of the Marin Conservation League. Roberts wants to "promote viable solutions for the long-term sustainability of MMWD's water supply and demand management on a balanced, cost-effective and financially sound basis." Resident of Division 2: 28 years.
- Martha Walter, co-founder and chairwoman of the Crissy Field Dog Group. "Water issues, whether it is the protection of, conservation of, or maintaining high water quality for human consumption or to protect and maintain biological species, are the most pressing and imperative issues of our time." Resident of Division 2: five years.
Board member Jack Gibson said he was impressed with the number and qualifications of the candidates, adding that there will be no litmus test on the desalination issue.
"I will not ask that question," he said. "We need someone who is a team player. They don't always have to agree, but we have to function."
Whoever is selected will hold the seat until November 2010, at which time that board member will have to win re-election on the ballot for a two-year term to retain the seat. That will mean there will be four seats open on the five-seat board in the November 2010 election.
The new director will join the board at a critical time, when the future of Marin's water supply could be determined. The board is wrestling with a $105 million, 5-million-gallon-a-day desalination plant that could protect the county if it is faced with a drought; it just approved a preliminary go-ahead on that project last week.
Some members of the community are pushing the district toward conservation to meet needs, although the board maintains it has one of the most aggressive water-saving plans in the state.
Forman died at age 62 after a long battle with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was first diagnosed in May 2005.
INTERVIEWS
The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors will interview candidates for a board seat when it meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday, 220 Nellen Ave. in Corte Madera.#
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_13191322
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