"Save Serene Lakes" update for April 2009:
Note: Tell friends to go to www.saveserenelakes.org and sign up for these monthly email updates.
News: (for a complete news timeline see "news timeline")
- The State Water Quality Control Board Staff has recommended against giving DSPUD dilution credits. If the Board adopts the staff recommendations in its hearing on April 24th, then DSPUD will not be able to discharge effluent into the South Yuba River at a relaxed quality level. DSPUD had argued that the river would dilute the effluent enough to satisfy Federal and State pollution levels. Some upgrades to the plant will be required to meet the requirements. It is unclear whether the upgrades can be relatively inexpensive "fixes", or would require expensive replacement of equipment. The State Water quality Control website has the staff recommendations.
- The State Water Quality Control Board will consider approving the new discharge permit on Friday the 24th in Rancho Cordova.
- DSPUD and SLCWD held a joint meeting to explore how to upgrade the sewage treatment plant to meet the new discharge quality levels. Eco:Logic, DSPUD's consultant, has been asked to look at what can be done to make the existing plant (without expanding its capacity) meet the new requirements, and then to look at the cost to expand the capacity of the plant.
- If inexpensive fixes can not be found, Eco:Logic has projected the cost to upgrade the plant to be ten to twenty million dollars.
- SLCWD's consultant, Waterworks, reported at the SLCWD board meeting that there is potential to fix the DSPUD treatment plant without requiring expensive upgrades to the plant.
- Royal Gorge spent $30,218 on lobbyists in 2008 and SLPOA spent $35,920 (source: the Sacramento Bee)
Upcoming Events:
- May 8: Friday 5 PM, SLCWD Water district offices. The water board meeting for May.
- April 24: The State Water Quality Control Board will consider DSPUD's discharge permit in Rancho Cordova. Details can be found in the Notice of Public Hearing.
Recent Publications: (for links to these and other publications see "articles")
Current County Status:
- Crystal Jacobsen of Placer County Planning says they still have not heard anything from Royal Gorge- a silence of over eight months.
Quotes of the month:
"God did not create the Sierra Nevada as a lot-and-block subdivision"
-Andrea Mead Lawrence
Read this tribute to Andrea Mead Lawrence, the renowned Sierra Nevada environmentalist, who died on March 31st.
Web Sites of Interest:
www.SaveOurSummit.org
www.savedonnersummit.org
www.sierrawatch.org
www.syrcl.org
www.saveserenelakes.org
www.saveVanNordenMeadow.org
www.savethesummit.com
www.saveroyalgorge.org
www.pissdsociety.com
www.Slpoa.com
www.sldsca.org
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