"Save Serene Lakes" update for December 2008:
Note: Tell friends to go to www.saveserenelakes.org and sign up for these monthly email updates.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!
New Holiday Special: A Donner Summit Christmas Carol
News: (for a complete news timeline see "news timeline")
- A Sierra Sun article, Donner Summit District Considering Eminent Domain, reports on SLCWD's plans to acquire the lake bottom and dam parcels from Royal Gorge LLC. The water district is waiting for an appraisal of the lake bottom parcel as the first step in an eminent domain process. Apparently it is difficult to appraise land that is under water, has no tax value and cannot be developed or used. See also: Letter to SLCWD (ten reasons for eminent domain)
- An email is circulating, supposedly from a friend of one of the Royal Gorge developers, which claims that the developers are ready to abandon their original plans. The email threatens that if the developers do not get to build 600-700 units, then they will close the cross country ski operation, "quarter" their parcels into twenty 160 acre "ranchettes," fence the land, and sell the ranchettes. For more information see www.savedonnersummit.org and www.savethesummit.com/db3/00232/savethesummit.com/_download/eartotheground.html
- Placer County Planning has still not heard anything from the Royal Gorge developers, making it 5 months of silence. In reference to the email claiming the developers may "quarter" their parcels, Crystal Jacobsen of the planning department, said "quartering" rather than subdividing, is much simpler, has fewer rules, and can be easily done as long as the quartering does not violate the lands' zoning. She also mentioned that the developers have not asked her about quartering their lands.
- The state water quality control board has fined DSPUD $49,000 for the algae growth in the South Yuba last spring and for ongoing nitrate limit violations. The fine and violation notices are here: r5-2008-0626_cov.pdf and r5-2008-0626_enf.pdf. Any DSPUD plant expansion is likely to be on hold until the nitrate problem is fixed.
Upcoming Events:
- January 9: Friday 5 PM, SLCWD Water district offices. The January SLCWD board meeting.
Recent Publications: (for links to these and other publications see "articles")
Current Placer County Status:
- No changes to report. Royal Gorge has not contacted the County for over five months.
Quotes of the month:
"Development's just another word for nothing left to lose" -apologies to Kris Kristofferson
"The nation behaves well if it treats the natural resources as assets which it must turn over to the next generation increased, and not impaired, in value." -Theodore Roosevelt
Web Sites of Interest:
www.SaveOurSummit.org
www.Slpoa.com
www.sldsca.org
www.sierrawatch.org
www.syrcl.org
www.saveserenelakes.org
www.saveVanNordenMeadow.org
www.savethesummit.com
www.savedonnersummit.org
www.saveroyalgorge.org
www.pissdsociety.com
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