Thursday, January 15, 2015
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
SURFRIDER FOUNDATION CELEBRATES 300 COASTAL VICTORIES
http://www.surfrider.org/press-center/entry/surfrider-foundation-celebrates-300-coastal-victories
JANUARY 13 2015
SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., January 14, 2014—Today, the Surfrider Foundation celebrates achieving 300 coastal victories. Since it was founded more than 30 years ago, Surfrider has evolved into one of the largest non-profit organizations dedicated the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches. Now boasting a powerful network of passionate volunteers and activists in 85 chapters around the country, and a handful of international affiliates, the Foundation is bigger and stronger than ever.
Beginning in 2006, Surfrider started counting its coastal victories; defining a victory as a decision made in favor of the coastal and ocean environment that results in a positive conservation outcome.
“Each coastal victory stands for increased protection of our ocean, waves and beaches,” says Surfrider Foundation’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Chad Nelsen. “These victories are attributed to the hard work and long hours put in by our passionate and dedicated team of volunteer activists with the support of our staff.”
Surfrider victories are typically produced by campaigns, which begin in coastal communities where our activists witness firsthand the threats and issues affecting their special coastal place. Issues include pollution and water contamination, irresponsible coastal development, coastal erosion, loss of beach access and threats to healthy oceans. While Surfrider is currently involved in more than a hundred active campaigns at the local, state and national level, the size and impact of each varies and can endure for years.
When a campaign yields a victory, it doesn’t mean the campaign is over or the work by Surfrider ends. In fact, constant pressure needs to be endlessly applied. Take, for example, a few of the 36 victories from 2014:
Private property owners, developers and even sea level rise are constantly challenging the right of beach access for the public.
In September (2014), Surfrider won two huge legal battles against billionaire venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, Vinod Khosla. In a landmark litigation decision, the San Mateo Superior Court required Khosla to open the gates on his property to Martin’s Beach until he obtains a coastal permit. Surfrider also championed state legislation to activate the State Lands Commission to negotiate with Vinod Khosla regarding a sustainable access solution to Martin’s Beach. While the gates remain partially closed, and Khosla may challenge this issue for several years, Surfrider will not stop fighting. Surfrider also achieved an access victory at Rose Nulman Park in Rhode Island and is working on other brewing access campaigns in Ditch Plains in New York and Goose Rocks Beach in Maine.
Surfrider is very focused on preserving the coasts by addressing marine pollution, especially that of single-use plastic, expanded polystyrene foam and cigarette butts.
Plastic creates toxic pollution at just about every stage of its existence, from manufacture, to use, to disposal—making it the most prevalent type of marine litter worldwide. In 2014, Surfrider chapters helped pass several single-use plastic bag bans, including the first statewide ban in California. With the ink barely dried on the California bag ban law, the plastic bag industry pledged to drag it onto the state ballot in 2016. Surfrider quickly became part of the CA vs. Big Plastic coalition, and is working to counter this industry effort. Chapters in Hawaii, Texas, Washington D.C., Massachusetts and Maine also achieved bag ban victories, while others are working vigorously on bans in Connecticut, North Carolina and Florida.
Polystyrene comes in various forms, including what is most commonly referred to as Styrofoam (which is expanded polystyrene or EPS foam). EPS does not biodegrade, instead it breaks apart into smaller pieces, littering beaches and mistaken for food by animals and marine life. In 2014, the Washington D.C. Surfrider chapter helped ban expanded polystyrene foam in Washington D.C., while the Hawaii Oahu Surfrider Chapter is continuing work on passing Bill 40 to ban EPS foam food service containers on Oahu.
Considering cigarette butts are the number one littered item in the world, Surfrider focuses on creating smoke-free beaches. Last year alone, chapters in Maui, Oregon and California led the charge to make our state parks, beaches and cities smoke-free or free of butts.
Nelsen looks forward to an exciting new year of growth and opportunity, “Given the increasing seriousness of looming environmental issues such as climate change, offshore oil drilling and sea level rise, in 2015 we will remain focused tackling the many issues affecting our coasts from the local to national scale.”
For a complete list of Surfrider programs, campaigns and victories, please visit surfrider.org/campaigns.
About Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s ocean, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains more than 250,000 supporters, activists and members worldwide. For more information, visit surfrider.org.
For the latest news, happenings, photos and videos, follow @surfrider on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Media: Katie Ferguson, 949-212-3335, kferguson@surfrider.org.
Malibu approves sewage treatment plant
http://www.latimes.com/local/westside/la-me-0114-malibu-sewer-20150114-story.html
By MARTHA GROVES JANUARY 13, 2015, 9:03 PM
Taking a long-anticipated step to reduce coastal pollution, the Malibu City Council has voted to approve construction of a wastewater treatment plant in the Civic Center area.
The project's roughly $40-million first phase, which is expected to be operating by June 2017, would provide sewage treatment for nearly 50 property owners, including the city itself. Others include the Los Angeles County public library and fire station, the Malibu Colony Plaza shopping center and the Malibu Country Mart.
"We commend the City Council for taking this important step to improve the water quality in Malibu Lagoon and the Malibu groundwater basin," said Samuel Unger, executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Water quality officials have long criticized Malibu for what they perceived to be its slow pace of addressing water pollution in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach. In 2009, the water board approved a prohibition on septic systems in the city's core.
Most commercial and residential properties in Malibu use septic systems. The agency said pollutants leaching from aging, overtaxed systems caused much of the ongoing water quality problems.
City Manager Jim Thorsen said Malibu would seek a low-interest state loan, to be guaranteed by the affected property owners, and form an assessment district to cover the costs of building and operating the plant. If the district is approved, property owners would be assessed amounts ranging from $4,000 a year to as much as $500,000 a year.
The membrane bioreactor plant would be located just north of Pacific Coast Highway along Civic Center Way, according to a map on the city's website. The plant would initially be capable of treating about 190,000 gallons a day to a level that would allow the water to be reused in Legacy Park, the city's highly praised storm water treatment zone, and elsewhere.
The second phase, which would begin to incorporate some residential properties, would bring the level to 360,000 gallons. The regional water board has said that phase must be online by late 2022. A third phase would raise the total to 500,000 gallons a day in 2025.
Dozens of people spoke for and against the project at the council meeting Monday night. Many residents have expressed concern that installing sewers would unleash a wave of development. The five council members voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report just before 11 p.m.
"It was the outcome we hoped for," said Sarah Sikich, vice president of Heal the Bay, an environmental advocacy group.
The project is expected to get other necessary approvals and permits in coming months from the regional water board and the California Coastal Commission.
"This is a landmark step," Sikich said, "to move from local permitting to state permitting and from concept to implementation."
martha.groves@latimes.com
Twitter: @MarthaGroves
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
By MARTHA GROVES JANUARY 13, 2015, 9:03 PM
Taking a long-anticipated step to reduce coastal pollution, the Malibu City Council has voted to approve construction of a wastewater treatment plant in the Civic Center area.
The project's roughly $40-million first phase, which is expected to be operating by June 2017, would provide sewage treatment for nearly 50 property owners, including the city itself. Others include the Los Angeles County public library and fire station, the Malibu Colony Plaza shopping center and the Malibu Country Mart.
"We commend the City Council for taking this important step to improve the water quality in Malibu Lagoon and the Malibu groundwater basin," said Samuel Unger, executive director of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board.
Water quality officials have long criticized Malibu for what they perceived to be its slow pace of addressing water pollution in Malibu Creek, Malibu Lagoon and Surfrider Beach. In 2009, the water board approved a prohibition on septic systems in the city's core.
Most commercial and residential properties in Malibu use septic systems. The agency said pollutants leaching from aging, overtaxed systems caused much of the ongoing water quality problems.
City Manager Jim Thorsen said Malibu would seek a low-interest state loan, to be guaranteed by the affected property owners, and form an assessment district to cover the costs of building and operating the plant. If the district is approved, property owners would be assessed amounts ranging from $4,000 a year to as much as $500,000 a year.
The membrane bioreactor plant would be located just north of Pacific Coast Highway along Civic Center Way, according to a map on the city's website. The plant would initially be capable of treating about 190,000 gallons a day to a level that would allow the water to be reused in Legacy Park, the city's highly praised storm water treatment zone, and elsewhere.
The second phase, which would begin to incorporate some residential properties, would bring the level to 360,000 gallons. The regional water board has said that phase must be online by late 2022. A third phase would raise the total to 500,000 gallons a day in 2025.
Dozens of people spoke for and against the project at the council meeting Monday night. Many residents have expressed concern that installing sewers would unleash a wave of development. The five council members voted unanimously to approve the environmental impact report just before 11 p.m.
"It was the outcome we hoped for," said Sarah Sikich, vice president of Heal the Bay, an environmental advocacy group.
The project is expected to get other necessary approvals and permits in coming months from the regional water board and the California Coastal Commission.
"This is a landmark step," Sikich said, "to move from local permitting to state permitting and from concept to implementation."
martha.groves@latimes.com
Twitter: @MarthaGroves
Copyright © 2015, Los Angeles Times
Friday, January 9, 2015
Could O.C. get drinking water from the sea? Huntington Beach desalination plant gets a boost
2015-01-09 00:09:03
The Orange County Water District, which manages the groundwater basin in north and central county, gave a much-needed boost this week to a proposed desalination plant in Huntington Beach by agreeing to purchase its water.
At nearly $2,000 per acre-foot, desalinated water costs about twice as much as water imported from Northern California. Until this week, the steep price tag for what Poseidon Water calls a drought-proof water supply has failed to attract water agencies.
But Wednesday night, the Orange County Water District, which sells water to local retail agencies, said it was interested in buying all of the 56,000 acre-feet of drinking water the plant would produce.
The negotiations come after 15 years of planning, but before Poseidon has lined up all the permits necessary to actually break ground on the facility. Poseidon needs one more permit from the California Coastal Commission and must complete a multiphase technical study to get it.
Additionally, it’s not certain whether Poseidon will have to re-apply for its other permits once the state releases new rules governing desalination operations statewide in the fall.
“It doesn’t look like the way this thing is designed will comply with those standards,” said Joe Geever, an environmental consultant for Surfrider Foundation and expert on coastal permitting. “You’re talking about a contract for a project that is speculative at best.”
Poseidon, however, heralded the contract negotiations as a critical step in securing a drought-proof water supply for Orange County. The contract may come back for a final vote as soon as March.
“We look forward to these formal discussions with OCWD,” Poseidon Vice President Scott Maloni said.
The contract between OCWD and Poseidon would govern how much OCWD would pay for the desalinated water and who would foot the bill for the likely changes that are projected to cost $892 million.
Poseidon struck a similar deal with the San Diego County Water Authority for the 48,000 acre-feet of water it expects to produce per year at its Carlsbad desalination facility late this year.
A deal with OCWD would be a coup for Poseidon, which has had trouble finding buyers for the desalinated water, according to Irvine Ranch Water District General Manager Paul Cook.
Years of negotiations between Poseidon and the Municipal Water District of Orange County – a water wholesaler – and its member agencies fell through about 18 months ago.
“The Poseidon guys said, ‘This isn’t going to work. We need to find a buyer.’ And then they started working with OCWD,” Cook said.
So far, OCWD has turned out to be friendlier partner. Nine of the 10 OCWD board members voted Wednesday to advance the negotiations for Poseidon’s desalinated water.
Cook said he worries about the uncalculated costs of the Poseidon project, as well as price hikes – costs he expects would be passed on to customers. He said his agency doesn’t need the extra water, and he doesn’t believe his customers should have to pay extra.
Cook also questioned whether the OCWD has legal authority to act as the middleman between Poseidon and the retail water agencies.
“There’s a lot more questions that go along with it, and not least of all: Who really wants this water?” Cook said. “We’re not interested in paying for a project we don’t derive any benefit from.”
The water will shore up the groundwater basin, OCWD General Manager Mike Markus said.
Contact the writer: aorlowski@ocregister.com
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