"Save Serene Lakes" update for March 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")

• CalTrans work on Hwy-80 is slated to restart at the end of March, including nighttime closures with detours onto Hwy-20. Here's an Auburn Journal article on the work. The CalTrans website is www.getacross80.com. Recorded information is available at 1-877-362-8080.
• Assemblyman Dave Jones reintroduces last year's fire safety bill as AB666. Mr. Jones office appreciated your letter writing efforts last year which helped get the bill to the Governor's desk. Their office will let us know if similar letters will be needed this year.
• The Serene Lakes "Community" Forum on the SLPOA website is now restricted to "members only" access and is no longer available as a public source of discussion, information and commentary. People are encouraged to use the forum on www.savedonnersummit.org to discuss issues relating to Donner Summit. For news about Royal Gorge plans, continue to visit SaveSereneLakes.org, SaveDonnerSummit.org, and SaveOurSummit.org. For information about environmental groups' efforts to protect Donner Summit see SierraWatch.org and SYRCL.org.
• The State Water Quality Control Board has received many comments on DSPUD's proposed discharge permit. Most comments asked the board to not approve any dilution credits until a meter has been installed to measure the flow of the South Yuba River at the discharge location. Comments also asked the board to have DSPUD start land spraying earlier when it is possible. The water board has the comments posted here: DSPUD Comments
• Northstar Mountain Properties LLC has agreed to a $2.75M fine stemming from water quality violations during the construction of the Northstar Resort Community. See this YubaNet.com article for details. Similar pollution during resort construction might be of concern to Serene Lakes if Royal Gorge is allowed to subdivide their lands.
• The SLCWD Board meeting featured a talk by Jason Rainey of the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) on their efforts to preserve the South Yuba, discussing their position on the tentative permit for DSPUD to continue to discharge treated effluent into the South Yuba. 
• The board also reported that they are preparing to petition the State Water Rights Control Board to add "direct diversion" to their permit so they can legally draw water from the lakes during the spring snow melt season.
• Acquiring the lakes using eminent domain is still on hold waiting appraisals and the Lake Level Management Resolution is on hold waiting legal review.
• Moonshine Ink ran an article lamenting all of the restaurants closing in the Truckee area. Not good news for resort developers like Royal Gorge.
• The president's message in the SLPOA newsletter indicates that he has been meeting and negotiating with Royal Gorge LLC in an apparent attempt to keep Royal Gorge from going bankrupt or selling cheaply. His message can be found here: slpoa-pres-message-2-09.pdf. There were many expressions of concern on the SLPOA forum about the inappropriateness of negotiations with the developer at this time, and questioning why SLPOA would want to save Royal Gorge from bankruptcy. All of the forum entries have disappeared.

Upcoming Events:

• April 10: Friday 5 PM, SLCWD Water district offices. 
• April 23 or 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")

• None

Current County Status:

• Crystal Jacobsen of Placer County Planning says they still have not heard anything from Royal Gorge- a silence of over seven months. She did mention that Valen Brost has met with the County to discuss his "Majesty Suites" project across from the Sugar Bowl Gondola, but has not submitted anything yet.
• Nevada County reports that the Shatterhand Project to rebuild the Soda Springs Store is on hold as incomplete. The owner's representative has told the county that they are interested in making some revisions to the project.

Quotes of the month:

A GRACE FOR A GOLDEN STATE

Torrey pine,

cliff perched.

chilled ranks

of wet-suited surfers.

Coastal route,

chapparal islands.

dreams of kelp bed 

otters.

Monterey cypress,

wave burnished stone,

Anno Nuevo,

seals.

Arroyos,

upthrust mountains,

canyons,

redwoods.

Rivers running with dreams

of past salmon,

future salmon,

life affirmed.

Sierra

deep snow sleeping,

spring awakens

a golden state.

for all this thankfulness.

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

*****************************************************************

This is the monthly update service of www.saveserenelakes.org. To sign up for this update service, visit www.saveserenelakes.org and look for the "Updates" section in the left hand column.

To cancel your update emails, reply with CANCEL in the subject line.