About Cambria

From the Marin Voice about a week ago:

THE PEOPLE have spoken, and they want a say in whether to build a $400 million desalination plant in Marin.

The Coalition for the Public’s Right to Vote on Desalination has collected over 17,000 signatures in support of their initiative, which would require that the Marin Municipal Water District get a public vote before expending funds on a costly and questionable desalination plant.

The county Registrar of Voters is currently certifying the signatures, and if there are enough valid signatures, the measure will be on the November ballot.

Environmental and fiscal groups are united in support of this effort. The initiative was supported by the Marin Republicans and the Marin Democrats, as well as by the Surfrider Foundation and the Marin United Taxpayers Association.

Although the MMWD board members have voted unanimously to support the desal plant, they now have a chance to change course. They can issue a resolution stating that, before they start the building process and incur any further debt towards a desalination plant, they will put it to a public vote.

They can also vote to restart the Citizens Advisory Committee they have…

Read the full article here.

Or an article from the Contra Costa Times here.

Or the AP story in the San Francisco Chronicle here.

From an article by DANIEL LOPEZ, staff writer in a recent edition of the Monterey County Herald:

A guide to assist in planning and operating future seawater desalination plants beside the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was released Monday.

The 20-page document prepared by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Marine Fisheries Service addresses some of the most common project concerns, including site selection, construction and operational impacts, plant discharges and intake systems.

The final draft was published after three years of work with the California Coastal Commission, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and several other state and local entities.

“The guidelines are designed to protect the sanctuary’s unique and sensitive environment, while also addressing the practical challenges surrounding water supply along the Central Coast,” said Paul Michel, sanctuary superintendent.

The sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of coastline — from Rocky Point in Marin County to Cambria — and encompasses more than 6,000 square miles of ocean.

Read the rest of the news story by clicking here.

Read the report by clicking image

Water is the hub of Cambria issues. Essential for living things, possessing qualities unique to itself, water is a critical part of the complex systems all over the planet. Tonight’s event will be at Rabobank from 6-8pm. It is billed as an educational and informational evening for Cambrians that will cover a number of topics related to alternative water sources. With so much to know about  the complexity of water management (assuring a reliable supply) and education in short supply, this may become the first of many such events. Tonight’s agenda includes talks from experts on clean water & conservation, greywater systems, storage ponds, and water supply. See the flyer below.

See you there!

At this Tuesday’s Cambria Healthcare District meeting (Jan 26, 2010,   6:30pm, Rabobank), Administrator Melendy will present estimated cost provided by San Luis Ambulance Service to provide 2 paramedic ambulances to the Cambria area. Administrator Melendy will recommend that the CCHD members of the ad hoc committee be instructed to study the information and present recommendations to the full board as to the direction to proceed.Most of you will remember a similar presentation at the CCSD provided by CalFire. This is part of the ongoing struggles to locate the ambulances at the CCSD fire station.

Also on the agenda is a  presentation on the 2010-2011 Fiscal Year Budget – Administrator Melendy will provide the Trustees with preliminary information regarding the budget preparation. The CCHD gets its funding through our property taxes and by charging those folks (or their insurance) they transport.
6. Action Items
A. Monterey County Contract – Administrator Melendy will present the Trustees with a proposed contract with American Medical Response (AMR) to provide ambulance coverage to the Monterey County South Valley Zone.

Download the complete agenda here.

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This interesting idea appeared in an article in the Press-Democrat in Northern California:

At its November 10, 2009 meeting, the Arroyo Grande City Council enacted an interim moratorium on new water meters. After 45 days, the council will hear from staff more about the issues and expect to extend the moratorium at least 6 months. According to staff reports, Arroyo Grande citizens used 99% of their total water entitlement in 2008 and the aquifer is threatened with seawater intrusion. They’ve instituted mandatory conservation and are talking to other communities to ensure they have contingencies in place if they run out of water.

The AG moratorium is not the same as Cambria’s. The moratorium instituted by the Cambria Community Services District relies on Water Code section 350 of California law. Arroyo Grande’s moratorium is based on an entirely different law (section 65858), which allows for an immediate moratorium on new building. Specifically, the law states a city can adopt

an urgency measure an interim ordinance prohibiting any uses that may be in conflict with a contemplated general plan, specific plan, or zoning proposal that the legislative body, planning commission or the planning department is considering or studying or intends to study within a reasonable time. That urgency measure shall require a four-fifths vote of the legislative body for adoption. The interim ordinance shall be of no further force and effect 45 days from its date of adoption. After notice pursuant to Section 65090 and public hearing, the legislative body may extend the interim ordinance for 10 months and 15 days and subsequently extend the interim ordinance for one year. Any extension shall also require a four-fifths vote for adoption. Not more than two extensions may be adopted.

This is a finite moratorium with a defined and limited length meant to address development that conflicts with the plans for the community. The City of Arroyo Grande has authority over land use and building permits as well as development of a general plan, specific plans and zoning. Cambria’s land use authority, with authority over development, general and specific plans is the County Government.

Fortunately for Arroyo Grande, it  is in the process of updating their housing element and the conservation element of their general plans. Otherwise they might be subject to a moratorium of unknown and undefined length, like Cambria.

A press release from the AG city manager is included below.

Due to issues related to Arroyo Grande’s water supply, at the November 10, 2009 meeting, the Arroyo Grande City Council unanimously adopted an Interim Urgency Ordinance establishing a 45-day moratorium on the approval of development projects. The City is in the process of updating the Conservation Element of its General Plan. The moratorium will enable the City to address water supply issues and tasks necessary to complete the update.
The purpose of the moratorium is to provide the City the time necessary to:
• Develop a short-term plan to address potential seawater intrusion in the groundwater supply;
• Develop updated long-term water supply and demand projections taking into account projects that have submitted applications and those already approved and not yet constructed;
• Establish requirements on new development to mitigate water usage;
• Make decisions regarding future water supply alternatives;
• Incorporate comprehensive water supply strategies into the Conservation Element; and
• Obtain public input regarding these decisions.
The City anticipates the need to extend the moratorium for a period of up to six months in order to complete these tasks.
The City’s water supply has been an ongoing serious concern and issue. Mandatory conservation measures and a comprehensive incentive program have been in place since 2008 when the City utilized 99% of its water supply. While conservation efforts have been effective, concerns remain regarding the City’s ability to meet future water demand with existing resources. These concerns have been heightened recently by groundwater test results that indicate the potential for seawater intrusion. If left unchecked, seawater intrusion could threaten the region’s groundwater supply, which provides over a third of the City’s overall water supply.
The moratorium applies to all new development project applications that will require a new water service connection. Projects that have already received approvals or those with applications that have been accepted for processing and deemed complete are exempt. Projects that will utilize an existing water meeting are also not impacted by the moratorium. During the moratorium period, other project applications will be accepted and processed, but not approved.
According to City Manager Steven Adams, “The groundwater test results are very preliminary. We encourage everyone to avoid overreacting, but we also must take the situation seriously. The moratorium enables the City to effectively develop water supply strategies without having to respond to a moving target with regard to additional demand. We expect it to be completed in a
timely manner. However, there are no easy solutions. Whether we can rely solely on conservation efforts or rate adjustments become necessary to fund water supply projects,  residents will be impacted and need to be involved in this issue. Whether or not the test results are confirmed, the seawater intrusion findings highlight how vulnerable our water supply is given the lack of adequate excess resources that are available to the City.”

Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is pursuing desalination as a supplemental supply for their customers. As in Cambria, there is vigorous debate over whether that is an appropriate solution for Marin.  In August,  James Fryer, Environmental Scientist and author of Sustaining Our Water Future wrote a paper entitled Water Supply Reliability and Catastrophic Planning Considerations that Cambrians may find interesting and familiar.

Fryer writes

There is a clear lack of consensus on the need to move forward with further effort and investment in developing a desalination facility. Continued investment in desalination with the present lack of consensus  will result in further conflict with a large portion of ratepayers which will create a diversion from focusing resources on viable water supply reliability and infrastructure improvements that have widespread consensus.

Fryer suggests the MMWD Board and a specially formed Citizen’s Advisory Council  work on resolving some specific policy issues:

What is the future water supply deficit and what future growth projections are reasonable for MMWD and NMWD?

Should carbon footprint reduction be used to offset large new energy uses or the existing footprint?

Is the $1,631/af marginal cost use in the MMWD conservation master plan a valid comparison point for conservation planning compared to the $2,900 to $4,400 marginal cost of desalination?

What is the definition of conservation first? Does this really mean simultaneous with desalination?

What is basis of a potential decision to move forward with desalination despite compelling evidence it is not needed?

These issues have significant bearing on water supply reliability planning and each should be specifically addressed before moving forward with a decision on desalination….

But an important question remains, what if Marin experiences a 3+ year severe drought event that far exceeds any drought event on record or detected in the 400 year tree ring analysis of local weather conditions? Is this a potential catastrophic event the MMWD Board should be considering and is it justified to approve a major capital investment of hundreds of millions of dollars for a desalination facility only needed for this type of unprecedented event?

The rest of the paper looks at planning for several different catastrophic events, including  comparison of a full range of relevant possibilities. This would enable the MMWD Board to allocate limited financial resources to preparing for the most likely events, instead of laying out huge sums chasing solutions for events extremely unlikely or completely unprecedented.

In Fryer’s words:

“First, it is important to briefly define and examine each type of catastrophic event. Then the individual events should be ranked for each category of risk and impact. Finally, the four types of catastrophic events should be ranked against each other.”

Read the full paper by downloading it here.

Let’s remember we are not alone in the world. We can learn from other communities – and should.

Since at least the 1950s,  the USGS has done a survey of water use in the U.S. The most recent one was recently released. The report includes some striking numbers and trends in use that might seem counter-intuitive, given that our population growth isn’t slowing down at all. The Pacific Institute, a well-known California-based nonpartisan research institute that works to advance environmental protection, economic development, and social equity reviewed the data and has issued their commentary on the report.

A more straight forward read for the “average joe”, in my opinion, was posted by Gretchen Weber on the website of  KQED, the San Francisco PBS station.  The article starts:

Despite the addition of 81 million people over the period, Americans were using less water in 2005 than they were in 1975.

And goes on:

The per-capita decrease of 30% since 2000, down to 1383 gallons per person per day, is a level not seen since the 1950s.  Of course this doesn’t mean that each person in the United States is using more than a thousand gallons per day at home–that number is somewhere between 54 (if you live in Maine) and 190 (if you live in Nevada).  The USGS number is derived from dividing total water withdrawals by total population.  In 2005, the total withdrawal was 410 billion gallons per day (5% less than in the peak year, 1980) and the total population was approximately 310 million.

You’ve seen the banner for 350 in the sidebar of this site for a couple of months now. If you haven’t clicked on it yet to check it out, please take the time to do that today. I am proud to be a part of the Cambria Climate Action Group. We are a loosely organized collection of folks determined to make a positive difference in how we live on this planet. Getting involved and educated on issues related to climate change is not for the feint of heart.  Over the last few months, I’ve gotten quite an education. It’s a lot of uncertainty about how bad it could get and whether anything humans do can reverse the upward trend of global temperature and the problems that is causing.  In my opinion, ignorance is bliss and the more I learn, the easier it is for me to understand why people would deny its happening – it’s really quite scary.  The radical changes we will have to make to keep our climate somewhat stable are going to be difficult. But doing nothing will be worse. The Cambria Climate Action Group, in conjunction with 350.org and over 2,700 other communities will be making our voices heard on October 24 – and you are invited.

About 350.org

»» 350.org is an international campaign dedicated to creating an equitable global climate treaty that lowers carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million.
»» 350 is the number that leading scientists say is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide—measured in “parts per million” in our atmosphere. [For more on the science of 350 visit 350.org/science]
»» Although current levels are already at 390, if we put a high enough price on carbon that we stop using so much, while also ensuring poor countries a fair chance to develop, we will be able to reverse course, develop a clean energy economy and prevent serious, long-term damage.

About October 24

»» Six weeks from now, governments will be convening in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in order to create a new climate treaty. The International Day of Climate Action on October 24th is the best chance we’ll have to influence the treaty before
negotiating positions solidify.
»» On October 24th communities will gather at thousands of places around the world—from the Taj Mahal to the Great Barrier Reef—to draw attention to the need for a dramatic international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and set us on a rapid path to 350.
»» 2767 events have been organized for October 24 in 158 countries (as of noon on October 15). We are proving to the world that not only is 350 possible, but it is also what people all over the world demand.

You are Invited!

Please pack a picnic lunch and join us for an afternoon picnic in Shamel Park, on the beach in Cambria, from noon to four p.m. on Saturday, October 24th to bring attention to global climate change and what we can do individually and collectively to make change for the better—not worse.
Our event is one of over 2496 events in at least 157 countries to make that most important number visible to everyone. Each event will gather for a big group photo that somehow depicts 350, the most important number on earth. A year ago, our greatest climatologist—NASA’s James Hansen—and his team produced a landmark series of studies. They showed that if we let the amount of carbon in the atmosphere top 350 parts per million, we can’t have a planet “similar to the one on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted.”

We will be taking a photo of the group at 2:00 p.m. to share with the other thousands of groups around the world celebrating the day and show on the big screen in Times Square, so if you can only be there for a part of the afternoon, then do try to be there then. We want the world to see that we care and are committed to doing things differently now. By the end of the day, we will be part of a powerful visual petition linking together the entire planet that we can deliver to the media and world leaders. When the world’s leaders meet in Copenhagen in December to reach agreement on a new climate treaty, we need them to go farther than they’ve planned to go: we need to make sure they’ll pay attention to the latest science and put forward a plan that gets us back to safety.

This is even more important than changing your light bulb—this is your chance to help change the way the whole world operates. It’s a great chance to take a stand—maybe the last great chance, given what the scientists tell us about the momentum of climate change.

Live music of Jill Knight, Sleepy Guitar Johnson and My Javelina will make Shamel Park sound great during the event.

Brownies, cookies and other sweets will be for sale for $1 each.

All day long we will raffle off many excellent prizes. Raffle tickets are $3 each or 2 for $5. And everyone who comes to the event will get one ticket – just for coming and enjoying the day. In the spirit of change, we aim to make the event high fun, low impact.  If you leave your car at home, (reducing the impact of the event by walking, biking, skateboarding, etc)  you will earn up to 5 free tickets. The Cambria Trolley runs by Shamel Park hourly.  Schedules  are posted at all stops  and  the ride will cost you $.50 each way.

Raffle prizes include:

• Local artist Sally Seago is donating a “green themed” artwork
• Local author Loren Carey is donating an autographed copy of his novel: The Custer Conspiracy.
• Local massage therapist Cat Rhyne — who specializes in deep tissue and Reiki massage — has donated a message.
• Personal trainer Lori Rosenlind (Cambria Life Fitness for Women) has donated two one-hour private sessions.
• Three prizes from Cambria’s Pacific Hair and Bath: A haircut and weave by April; a haircut and blow dry from April; a men’s or women’s haircut and blow dry by Shari.
• A small solar battery charger.
• Three 4-foot tall bamboo plants.
• A one night stay at any Moonstone Hotel property (good for up to one year, subject to availability. )
• A full set of signed books from renowned Cambria author Catherine Ryan Hyde. The set will include first editions of all twelve of the author’s published novels, including four hard-to-find, out-of-print titles, a now-unavailable hardcover edition of Pay It Forward, and her newest adult title, When I Found You, which is currently only available in the UK.

350 Monterey pine seedlings will become part of the solution in Cambria. Adopt a tree (or several) and work with Greenspace-the Cambria Land Trust and Friends of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve to plant these trees to replenish our unique forest.

There will also be many people at the event with information about local agriculture, transit and other local products we can use to live well and reduce our impact.

Visit www.Cambria350.org for more detailed information. Or call 805-924-1154.

Words for thought: If people think nature is their friend, then they sure don’t need an enemy. -Kurt Vonnegut

Organized by Cambria Climate Action Group. All money raised will be used to offset event costs. Any money leftover will be donated to 350.org. Have an idea, donation or want to promote your sustainable, climate-friendly, local business or product at the event? Call us or send an email to cambriamaven@gmail.com

In 1996, Cambria had a desalination plant all designed, permitted and ready to break ground. The election that year tossed out the pro-desal  Board and the new Board halted the project. Now, thirteen years later, we’re still working toward the permits required to do testing to find an appropriate location. One obvious effect of all the delays is the ongoing fear of running out of water. Another is the  list of property owners unable to build. Neither of these effects is healthy for the community, especially considering the disastrous effects of seawater intrusion and the ongoing financial liabilities of lawsuits. But Cambria’s long journey toward adding desalinated water to our supply has presented two possible benefits – the technology has improved immensely and the costs to produce potable water have been cut drastically.

The 1996 desalination plant would have had an open water intake, much more harmful to the environment than the proposed underground intake of the current project. Membrane technology improvements and energy recapturing processes have reduced the amount of energy required. If Cambria’s desalination project does ever get off the ground, these improvements will hopefully be incorporated.

These are some of the better articles from the last year on the new developments in desalination:

From Forbes.com

A better desalination membrane.

A revolutionary device with one moving part is making desalination cheaper.

From Auganomics.com

DXV Water Technologies New Method of desalination

From Aquafornia.com

New desalination process could generate electricity

Energy Recovery reduces desalination’s overall costs in Mexico

Centriforce files patent on new desalination system that is less complicated than RO and uses much less energy

CNFO delivers fresh, desalinated water at lower cost

From other sources

Salt is found to ‘stretch,’ with possible effect on desal

Engineered Osmosis: Revolutionizing Saltwater Desalination

Water Purification for the Masses?

Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute on Desalination