Ross Valley’s controversial flood fee was hiked 3 percent
Tuesday, helping pay for a public relations campaign smoothing
the waters for projects that will turn key park areas into flood
retention basins.
California’s worsening drought and mandatory new state water
rules are prompting Bay Area water agencies to beef up their
conservation staffs — the employees sometimes called “water
cops.”
Healdsburg Mayor Jim Wood is a dentist who believes in the
effectiveness of fluoridated water in combating tooth decay. But
he won’t be writing the argument against a November ballot
measure to remove fluoride from the city’s water.
From the San Jose Mercury News, in a commentary by Richard
Santos:
In the midst of exceptional drought conditions, a new, locally
controlled, drought-proof water source for Silicon Valley could
not have come at a better time. The Santa Clara Valley Water
District, in partnership with the cities of San Jose and Santa
Clara, is celebrating the completion of the Silicon Valley
Advanced Water Purification Center.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, in a commentary by Jerry
Cadagan and Mondy Lariz:
San Francisco taxpayers and water ratepayers once again have been
fleeced of millions of dollars as a result of mismanagement at
the city’s once highly regarded Lake Merced.
When the San Francisco 49ers’ stadium opens next month in Santa
Clara, almost all of it will be new except for one thing: the
water used to irrigate the field and flush the toilets.
After 12 consecutive years of rate increases, water district
directors will meet Thursday to consider another hike for
customers, including extra penalties for heavy water users.
With no end to the extreme dry weather in sight, Marin water
officials are waiting to see whether state leaders will make the
move to allow local authorities to slap water wasters with
unprecedented fines of up to $500 a day.
This newspaper will host a free public forum, entitled “Dry
Times: An in-depth discussion about Bay Area water issues,”
scheduled for 6:30 p.m. July 17 at the Lucie Stern Community
Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. …
Joining the discussion will be: Jim Fiedler, Santa Clara Valley
Water District chief operating officer; Arthur R.
The long-closed Francisco Reservoir on Russian Hill is a step
closer to becoming a city park after the San Francisco Public
Utilities Commission approved a land transfer Tuesday.
A group of San Francisco Bay Area cities, counties and water
agencies has joined forces for what is being billed as one of the
largest single government purchases of all-electric vehicles in
the country.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, in C.W. Nevius’ column:
Gleneagles, the quirky, challenging, everyman’s golf course in
one of San Francisco’s roughest neighborhoods, is having trouble
making ends meet. … However, the latest blow, a major
increase in water rates, has course operator Tom Hsieh wondering
if the effort is worth it.
Drew Mathers doesn’t carry a badge or a gun, but he’s still a
detective — one who spends his days snooping through the
bathrooms and backyards of Silicon Valley. … He’s on the
hunt for water waste.
The Marin Municipal Water District has released its 2014 annual
water quality report, which shows the agency’s water surpasses
all state and federal health regulations.
[Jim] Walker and construction crews building a new 220-foot-high
dam at Calaveras Reservoir in the remote canyons east of Milpitas
have been digging up a prehistoric treasure trove: the teeth of
an extinct hippopotamus-like creature called a Desmostylus,
clams, barnacles and the giant teeth from a 40-foot-long shark –
and what could turn out to be an entire whale skeleton.
The most radical “green” features of the City of San Jose’s new
Environmental Innovation Center are concealed behind two doors
marked “Women” and “Men.” There, plopped between the other
conventional stalls, are two “composting toilets,” the first ever
installed in a California office building.
A wildfire burning in a remote area of northern Napa County west
of Lake Berryessa was only 30 percent contained Wednesday morning
as firefighters prepared for a full day on the fire lines.
Pole Mountain towers 2,204 feet over the ocean between Jenner and
Cazadero, the highest peak along the Sonoma coast. … On Monday,
private owners sold a 238-acre parcel, which includes the peak,
to the Sonoma Land Trust, ensuring preservation and public
access.
