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Is there really a drought?
October 27th, 2009 Categories: Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO- I have written in blog about my feelings towards water and its importance to our future. I am in full support of the new desalination plant that will be built in Carlsbad and would 
have no problem allowing the city of San Diego to hook me up to the toilet to tap network that has been proposed for years.
Now I know this will not sit well with many and I understand and respect that. However if this you, you need to take action now as our county supervisors are keenly aware that housing provides a huge portion of the economic fuel the San Diego economy needs to keep going and they are willing to sacrifice a lot for the money. In order to increase revenues, we need more homes for more property tax dollars and more construction also brings additional revenue through permits, taxes and fees. Reminds me of the Guns N Roses lyric;
I used to do a little, but a little wouldn’t do it, So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin’ to get a little better, Said a little better than before- Axl Rose
This week the county planning commission voted to put dollars ahead of natural resources and potential nature related disasters(since most wildfires are caused by us, I won’t call them a natural disaster here).
In a 5-2 vote, the commission voted to recommend the rezoning of 2300+ acres of chaparral covered hillsides off the I-15 near Lawrence Welk’s resort. This zoning change does not allow an increased density change of a few percent, but a change in excess of 750%!!!
Yes with the collective wisdom of 5 commission members, they approved RECOMMENDING a zoning change to the county master plan that would allow the construction of up to 2700 homes from 345. The project would also include commercial areas and graciously parks and 
fire station. This recommendation will go to the county board of supervisors who will have deciding vote.
Water attorney Wes Peltzer spoke against Merriam Mountains at a recent planning commission meeting. He says California is in a crisis and can’t afford water for more homes.
"Which do you need more? Do you need more houses and another commercial development, or do you need water?" Peltzer said- CBS8.com
I spoke with Bob Fry, board member of the Deer Springs Fire district, and he informed me that the predicted water usage of the development upon completion would be 1.3 million gallons a day. Additionally, he was told in a separate meeting that they will not be recycling their waste water or using grey water as building a treatment facility and the additional infrastructure “does not pencil out”. Because of the rural nature of the area, the local treatment facility would not be able to treat the increase of wastewater, so the waste water would be piped to a facility in Carlsbad adding an additional 500,000 gallons of sewage flowing into the Pacific from the facilities outfall pipe.
On the topic of wildfire, a condition placed on the approval is for the developer to create an 
evacuation plan with the help of the local fire district. In my conversation with Mr. Fry we discussed what all of this meant to the fire district. The first thing one needs to understand in this will increase the number of residence in the fire district that takes care of these remote areas from 12,000 to approximately 20,000. When I hear about a evacuation all I can picture is the folks trying to get out of New Orleans. Having ridden extensively through this area on bike rides, many of these existing roads would be backed with 100 cars on them as they are single lane and wind and weave their way through the back country.
I know growth is inevitable, but this is far from managed growth and is actually contrary to the approved county master plan. As opposing commissioner Peder Norby said;
“Why have a General Plan if we approve projects like this?”- San Diego Union Tribune, October 24,2009
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San Diego looking for drought solutions
June 5th, 2008 Categories: Real Estate News, San Diego County Community News, San Diego county Real Estate News
SAN DIEGO– “Cutbacks panic landscapers; sales at nurseries dive As dead lawns and fallow fields replace yellow ribbons as a sign of patriotism in this parched state, local nurseries and growers are bewailing the departure of more than one kind of green. Sales to area landscapers are down to “basically nothing,” at one major wholesale nursery, a trend repeated at other outlets.”-San Diego Business Journal, March 1991, Bradley Filkes
So goes the opening of an article in the San Diego Business Journal in their March 1991 member paper. The yellow ribbons were from the Desert Storm under the first President Bush and we were in a drought. Funny thing history.
But not too worry as a solution was found in 2003!!!
“Despite the recently signed Colorado River water transfer deal that would guarantee San Diego County enough water for the next 75 years, city and county water officials, landscape architects, grounds superintendents, 
property managers, builders, business owners, and even entrepreneurs are getting more involved in water conservation.” -San Diego Business Journal 10/27/2003.
Oh really?!!!
On Wednesday Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger formally declared a statewide drought and while rationing has not yet begun, it does look large. 
Currently Carlsbad is in the process of building a desalinization plant on the site of the Encinas power plant and I believe this is an excellent idea. The problem is, we can not just continue to farm new sources of water, we need to be more resourceful with the water already in service.
Many communities have already started using reclaimed water for irrigation and in fact can produce more than they are currently able to distribute. The problems currently holding back this resource are financial. With the current stresses facing municipal budgets it may be a while before they can 
get the infrastructure in place to better distribute this water. Additionally, another source of funding for these improvements, development, is out the window right now and growth, well that is just an add stress on the fresh water supply.
This brings to toilet to tap as I have written about before. Yes I know, public perception is against this, but I will be the first in line to take a nice big drink. I trust the technology.
Lastly, the City of San Diego has a conservation website on ways to help save 20 gallons a day, the 20Gallon Challenge. Additionally they are 
offering incentives on everything from toilets to artificial turf.
Much like how $4+ gallon gas has boosted scooter sales, been the death nail of the SUV and slowed cars down on the freeway to increase fuel mileage, what is it going to take to change our attitudes about our water supply?
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Earth Day for the triathlete
April 22nd, 2008 Categories: San Diego County Triathlon Race Reports, Triathlon Club of San Diego Race Reports
SAN DIEGO– Today after my swim I had a ‘light bulb’ moment. Since today 
is Earth Day, I should write an entry based on things we can do or use to be more earth friendly. Unfortunately, it’s a little too late to research that post, but what caused the light to come on? A swim chamois.
I wish I could say that I thought this through, but see I always forget to bring a towel. Additionally I ride when I can to the pool so I prefer to travel light. These two reasons led me to buy the chamois and it’s been great. I can wring it out, throw it in its container and leave it in my bag. No smell, no forgetting a towel. Today though, the eco benefit presented itself.
According to SDGE, the average household does 400 loads of laundry a year. Another source states that the average washer uses 40 gallon of water. Now without counting the energy used to heat the water used in the washing machine, the energy use of the dryer and the soap, I figure I am saving about 2300 gallons of water and if you read my blog you know water is a big concern of mine. This is based on 1 load a week of towels I would use if not using the chamois. Again there would be additional savings of electricty, natural gas and chemicals which is a cleaner environment and more money in your pocket.
If you have any enviro friendly suggestions that pertain to the active lifestyle please post them in the commment section.
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San Diego city council takes action supported by local realtor
December 7th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News
Last month I published the first of a series of articles based on water and our region. In the article I spoke of the importance of exploring, trusting and implementing the technology of reclaiming water for drinking.
Well this week the San Diego City Council over turned the mayor’s veto, 5 to 3, to finance the start of the project. This project and the council’s vote is supported by both environmental groups as well as business groups.
‘Representatives from businesses, environmental groups, a leading taxpayer group and a scientific society urged the council to move ahead into what is essentially a new study phase for water recycling. Several of them pointed to Orange County, where agencies tout their massive plant designed to inject heavily treated wastewater into the aquifer system.’ San Diego Union 12/4/2007, Mike Lee and Jennifer Vigil
The Mayor is on record as stating,”more effective and less costly ways exist to satisfy San Diego’s thirst.”. Yet there has never been an explanation of what those are.
In early 2003 we reached a compact with the Imperial Irrigation district that furloughed fields and paid to implement new watering practices in the agriculture district. What this did was allow us to buy their surplus allotted water that was now being saved.
In early September, the Coachella Valley Water District, the San Diego County Water Authority,the Imperial Irrigation District and the Metropolitan Water District signed the deal and submitted it to the California Assembly. It easily passed and two days later went to the Senate where it was also passed and sent on to the Governor’s office to be signed. Problems surfaced, however, when the Imperial Valley agency attempted to add a sentence to the agreement which said that the federal government will never again try to reduce its allocation from the Colorado River in exchange for dropping a federal lawsuit against the Department of the Interior and signing the deal. Governor Davis signed the
package on Sept. 29. Imperial Valley approved the pact by a 3-2 vote on Sept. 10th. Reluctant Imperial Valley farmers agreed to idle their winter crops to set in motion the plan to transfer thousands of acre-feet of water to San Diego and the Salton Sea beginning Dec. 1. -Prepared by the staff of the IGS Library. For more info go here
Another project that local government is working on is to cement line the American canal to prevent ground water seepage. The biggest problem, there are actually many, is that they still involve the water ALREADY coming out of the Colorado river. This does nothing to tap in to a NEW source of water.
Stay tuned for more article. Here is the whole SD Union story.
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Water more valuable than oil
November 18th, 2007 Categories: Real Estate News
“Oh father, we acknowledge our wastefulness,”.
As of this writing, the city of Atlanta, Georgia and it’s 5 million citizens have 64 days worth of water left. So bad has the problem become that the Governor, Sonny Perdue, led a prayer vigil on the steps of the capital asking for forgiveness for wastefulness and begging for a storm. “We have come together, very simply, for one reason and one reason only: To very reverently and respectfully pray up a storm.”
Carlsbad-The California Coastal Commission recently approved a permit for the construction of a desalination plant in Carlsbad adjacent to the Encina power plant. While unpopular with some environmental group, they have to know this will be a losing battle. The best strategy here is to make nice and become part of the process. I believe Surfrider Foundation is doing exactly that.
Surfrider Foundation has come out stating they are not opposed to desalination plants, but have issues with this particular system.
“Desalination is a hot topic with the current drought we face and less imported water available next year. Please remember that Surfirder is not against desalination in general, we just demand that it is done properly with the best technology available along with limited or no environmental impact. That is where the proposed desal plant in Carlsbad to be run by Poseidon Resources Corp. falls short. This project would be the largest and most damaging ocean desalination facility in the western hemisphere and should not move forward if we want to improve the health of our coastal areas and ocean water quality.”
They also refer to this same position stating “it does not utilize the “best technology available”, but I can not find anywhere where they educate the reader as to the what better technology being used is. They do have a great article on this topic and I strongly agree with a couple, but not limited to, these excerpts.
If the water produced from desal is used to reduce our reliance on imported water and more water then ends up being retained in water source areas to help sustain the environment there, then desal may produce a net environmental benefit. If, on the other hand, the water not taken from these rivers is diverted to other users and the river doesn’t benefit, desal may not result in a net environmental benefit. And if the desal plant fuels new growth along the coast rather than just replacing imported water, it may contribute to environmental degradation. This question of whether water is for “replacement” or “new source” is at the heart of the question of
“growth inducement.”
To me this is a no brainer. The new water should replace a source and the source should benefit. However, I will admit here and now, that I would be smoking crack if I thought this really will be the case. First, more building will take place because the thought that the Pacific Ocean is huge and we can always build another plant will permeate the governmental minds. Additionally the water coming out of the Colorado for our region will just finally go to Nevada to irrigate lawns in Las Vegas. Nevada has never taken their full allotment because we, Californians, were using it.
As with any social choice, the determination to implement desalination facilities should be compared with other alternatives. Some of the possible alternatives include improved water conservation and greater implementation of wastewater reclamation.
I know we are all probably aware of the purple landscape sprinkler and irrigation boxes that signify reclaimed water used to irrigate landscaping, but I am talking toilet to tap here. We have the technology to turn all those flushes back in to the very water that will create the next flush. Sound disgusting? Not to me. I will gladly trust the technology that transfuses blood in time of medical necessity and I will galdly trust the technology to help me save the San Diego region I love.
Believe it or not, this was first reported on by CNN in April of 1997.
If all goes according to plan, by the year 2001, the city’s sewage water will be treated and recycled right into the
drinking tap. “This project is the first of its kind in California,” said Ken Weinberg of the San Diego Water Authority. “We are taking reclaimed water, which is essentially treated waste water, and bringing it back to the point where it is suitable for drinking.”
Imagine how far along we would be if we could have just gotten that first of the morning flush out of our collective heads.
Estimates for the average daily water consumption per person in the US to be 80–100 gallons with the largest use on toilet flushing and bathing/hygiene. There will come a time when we will have to use this technology and the sooner the better.
Over the coming weeks, I will visit this discussion with more specific information, some ways to help conserve water and offers to consumers in the way of rebates to help with your conservation.
If it wasn’t for water, southern California would just be a desert.
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