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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Bill PresentationLate2 09/14/2009~~~f~n Yl SONC)~t~A ~~ ~, ~ ~ ~, ~~' :~~~ T E k ~~~~ '; I,, ,,; ~ ~_,~ September 11, 2009 Water Agency Director Expresses Conce Elected Board from Acting Sonoma County Water Agency - 09-11-09 on LeeaL.Nlaneuver to Prevent Water Conservation Practitioner Certification Exam AWWA - 09 10-09 Theft of water a maior~concern in Potter Vatley Ukiah Daily Journal - 09-11-09 by Tiffany. Revelle Water Wonders: Water Education Programs for the. 2Q09-10 School Year Marin Municipal Water District - 09-10-09 by Robin McKi.ltop The Greening of Paint, Reuters - 09-09-09 by Dave Dempsey Water investment outlook still murky Reuters - 09-11-09 by Mary Milliken Google plans new mirror for cheaper solar power Reuters - 09-08-09 by Poomima Gupta s Out Alternative usinessWire - 09-10-09 ~ Solution with Subterranean Solar Harvard Business Review,and Yale e360 Hype Space Solar. Why? World .Changing - 09'-08-09 by Marty Noffert, Professor `Emeritus of Physics .Bechtel to build solar plants for BrightSource San Francisco Examiner - 09-09-09 by David R. Baker sF,~I ~~00,~ Water Agency Director Expresses Concerns on~Lega( Maneuver'to Prevent Elected ,.Board from :Acting Sonoma. County Water Agency - 09-11-09 Santa Rosa; CA =- Sonoma County Water Agency Board of Directors expressed ,deep concerns about an unprecedented action filed Thursday~~by the City of Santa Rosa. The. city .has filed a lawsuit against the Water Agency opposing a staff recommendation to stop work on an environmental document for along-term water supply project. The city also plans to ask a judge on Monday fora temporary restraining order to Prevent SCWA's elected Board of Directors from discussing the staff's recommendation at its Tuesday meeting. "I'm disappointed that members of the-City Council would `undermine their commitment to environmental sustainability by voting to file ths'lawsuit, which seeks to.force the Agency to pursue. ageneration-old~water supply strategy of building bigger pipes and filling- them with as much water as possible, no matter the consequences to fish, the environment, and the ratepayers,." said $hirlee Zane, .a member of the SCWA board of directors. '"I have personally offered to meet.. with the Santa Rosa City Council to resolve our differences on this issue." On August 25, SCWA staff recommended-that the Water,Supply and'Transmission Project, wi h=estimated costs of more ,than $604 million, be set .aside in order to focus limited .resources on a federally mandated 1:5=year fisheries recovery plate. Implementation of National Marine Fisheries' Russian River Biological Opinion wilt cost an estimated $100 million. and will :allow SCWA.to meet existing water demands. 1n addition:, staff recommended that the agency- pursue 12 long-term water supply strategies in° order to ensure that the future needs of its water contractors (which include the City of Santa Rosa:) will be met: The 12 strategies were. the subject of a public meeting in early April and have, been. presented to the city counci.Cs or boards of directors of all the water. cont"ractors (with the exception of the Petaluma City Council, where the item is slated #or discussion on Monday; September 14). At the request of the water. contractors, the board delayed making a decision on the staff recommendations on August 25 and rescheduled the item fo.r its September 15 meeting. "The. City of Santa Rosa had three weeks to meet with us to discuss its concerns: Instead, at the last. minute, it's asked 'the. court to intervene;" Zane said. "I've. never heard of a City trying. to keep another publicly-elected board from even meeting to discuss a critical regional issue. Our Board should have the opportunity to debate and decide this important water supply question.," Among other requirements, fhe Biological Opinion mandates that by September 24, 2009., SCVJA,ask the Stafie'Water Resources Control Board to,change its water rights. permit, known as'Decision 1610. The Biological Opinion calls for lower summertime-flows in the Russian River anal in Dry Creek. in order to provide. better habitat for threatened coho salmon and steelhead. In 1999, SCWA filed an application with the. state board to increase its c"urrent diversions from the Russian River from 75,000 acre feet a year (AFY) 0 101,000 AFY. The state board has :not acted .upon this .application. The resolution the Board of Directors is .slated to consider on Tuesday would allow SCWA's chief engineer and water rights attorneys to potentially revise the 1999 application. ".We are asking our board for the f exibility to ensure that our current application is consistent with both the Biological Opinion and ahe-community's future water demands," said .Para Jeane, Deputy Engineer of Operations'for SCWA. "As a water' . supplier, we have~a duty to-look at the entire region to ensure that we can .meet current and future water needs in a way that 'is economically viable and protects the environment and the salmon species." ~ . Sonoma Counfy Water.A'gency provides, water~supply, f(ood.prot;ection and sanitation services for portions of `Sonoma and Marin counties. Visif us on the Web. at www. sonomacountywater. orQ. .