"Save Serene Lakes" update for September 2008:

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News: (for a complete news timeline see "news timeline")

Crystal Jacobson, lead planner for Placer County, reports that Royal Gorge has been silent for the past two months, has not contacted her office, nor sent them anything.
The fire safety bill AB2447 by Assembly member Dave Jones (Sacramento) was finally passed by the California Legislature and sent to the Governor's desk for signature. This legislation requires that developers' plans for subdivisions must meet fire safety criteria before they can be approved. Please write letters to Governor Schwarzenegger requesting that he sign the bill into law. See AB2447 Letter Request for details. Assemblyman Jones wants to thank everyone who contacted Senators and Assembly Members to voice their support for AB2447 and wants to thank you in advance for writing to the Governor.
Candidate statements for the SLCWD board of directors election in November are now available at www.savedonnersummit.org/SLCWD-election.htm
The SLCWD board voted to approve a contract with an eminent domain lawyer to handle the lake bottom purchase. Mike Livak of Royal Gorge strongly objected to the district's eminent domain procedure, as he claims the lake bottom is a "valuable" asset for Royal Gorge.
The SLCWD board reported on a State Water Board inspection conducted on September 2nd regarding the complaint filed last May by a lakeside homeowner (A copy of the complaint is here: SWRCB_Complaint_May08) The inspection found no merit in the complaint, but concerns were raised by the State representatives that the district's water permit only allows storing water, and does not allow "direct diversion" which would preclude the district's current practice of drawing water during spring or summer runoff. This concern may adversely effect the district's permit extension application, and may require the district to expend funds on additional water rights.
The SLCWD board presented a fire protection plan for the district which emphasizes that "thinning and limbing" is needed throughout the area, with suggestions to thin around Soda Springs road to make it safer (to prevent its closure by fire), to ask property owners to thin their lots, and to ask Royal Gorge and the USFS to "thin and limb" defensible space zones in the surrounding forests to act as fire breaks. It was also suggested that the whole forest east of the lakes needs immediate "thin and limb" work in order to protect the watershed. Mike Livak of Royal Gorge did not comment at the meeting, but he has previously offered the unsatisfactory explanation that they are waiting for the County to approve their plans before thinning, a stance that unnecessarily leaves the whole area, including their own lands, more exposed to catastrophic wildfires for the foreseeable future.
CDM, Royal Gorge's water consultants, monitored the spring runoff over the dam this year. The study concludes that a little more than 3,500 AF of water spilled over the dam from January through July. Their report is available as: CDM Final Monitoring Report July 2008. The water district has questioned the calibration of the CDM data which shows the water as being 2" above the dam level during January, February and March, whereas their measurements during the same period showed the water level to be around a half inch above the dam. Royal Gorge refused to make the raw data available for analysis.
DSPUD had Eco-Logic, their engineering consultants, send a response to the Regional Water Quality Control Board regarding the algae complaint last June. Their response can be read here: Donner Summit NOV Report. Rather than examine how the algae bloom might have occurred, the district regarded the algae bloom as an extraordinary unexplained occurrence and the South Yuba will be monitored to see if it happens again. Also, rather than examining ways to reduce the nitrate, ammonia and phosphate levels in the discharge to meet federal requirements (which may prevent new algae blooms), the district suggests that dilution in the South Yuba River is adequate to meet applicable health standards. The algae in their clarification tanks were not addressed.
The Serene Lakes/Donner Summit Conservation Association (SLDSCA) hosted an excellent presentation by USGS hydrologist Chris Farrar on groundwater hydrology in the Donner Summit area. The presentation notes should be available soon on www.SLDSCA.org
Bob Belden of Truckee Fire, and Kevin Whitlock, a professional Forester, spoke at the SLPOA annual meeting. Both emphasized the importance of making homes, lots and the surrounding forests fire safe. Mr. Belden mentioned that seemingly innocent things, such as a pile of pine needles on your deck or steps, or storing combustible materials under them, are enough to burn down an otherwise fire safe home. Mr. Whitlock spoke of the importance of maintaining the forests around Serene Lakes, suggesting that concerned homeowners should contact Royal Gorge and the Forest Service to request that they properly maintain their forest property. He also mentioned that Oregon and Washington have co-generation power plants and wood pellet manufacturing operations that pay for the forest maintenance in those states and California should follow their lead.
In a cost cutting move, Royal Gorge has mailed letters to season pass holders saying that, except for during holiday periods, the resort will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the upcoming season.

Upcoming Events:

September 23: Tuesday 6:15PM,DSPUD Office. The DSPUD Board will discuss asking Placer County's LAFCO to give them powers to provide recreational facilities. See NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING for details
October 10: Friday 5 PM, SLCWD Water district offices. The October SLCWD board meeting.
October 25: Sugar Bowl 9AM-12:30PM. A climate change in the Sierra workshop sponsored by DSAA, SLPOA, Sierra Watch, Sierra Club and PCWA. See the event announcement for details

Recent Publications: (for links to these and other publications see "articles")

The following articles have been published:

Development at Donner, the Yuba, and You

(The Union, September 19)

An Open Letter to Governor Schwarzenegger to Save Lives, Property, and Taxpayer Dollars from California’s Fires

(CaliforniaProgressReport.com, September 18)

U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a California suit by the Natural Resources Defense Council

(LA Times, September 19)

A fall issue of the Donner Summit Clarion will be available soon.

Current Placer County Status:

No changes to report. Royal Gorge has not contacted the County for over two months.

Quotes of the month:

"Every time I've compromised, I've lost. When I held firm I won. The problem with too many environmentalists today is that they are trying to write the compromise instead of letting those we pay to compromise do it. They think they get power by taking people to lunch or being taken to lunch, when in reality they are only being taken." -David R. Brower

"Only until all mankind lives in harmony with nature can we truly decree ourselves to be an intelligent species." -Genelle Haldane

"Wildfires are not natural disasters, says Tim Duane, an associate professor of planning at UC Berkeley. They are natural processes that become disasters because of human decisions. . . . Why was the subdivision there? Why was it spread out the way it was?" -LA Times

"The gross heathenism of civilization has generally destroyed nature, and poetry, and all that is spiritual." -John Muir

Web Sites of Interest:

www.SaveOurSummit.org

www.saveserenelakes.org

www.saveVanNordenMeadow.org

www.savethesummit.com

www.savedonnersummit.org

www.saveroyalgorge.org

www.pissdsociety.com

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