Paul Perkovic is Board President of the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD), however this article reflects his individual views and does not indicate a position of the District.

Coastside County Water District (CCWD) is at the limits of its ability to serve the needs of its current customers and may have serious problems meeting the demands of planned growth in its service area, even if there is no drought in the foreseeable future.

CCWD’s water sources

This chart summarizes the current situation as described by CCWD in a Water Supply Strategic Planning Workshop on Thursday, June 26. CCWD serves water users in Half Moon Bay and El Granada. Moss Beach and Montara are served by the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD). Growth in water demand from 2000 to 2007 has required CCWD to supply 20% more water for its customers, as shown by the yellow line.

CCWD buys 82% of its water from the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), shown by the green line. SFPUC water comes from Pilarcitos Lake and the Crystal Springs Reservoir, which is fed from the Hetch Hetchy dam near Yosemite, via a complex system of reservoirs, pump stations, and pipelines.

CCWD’s local supply comes from wells near Pilarcitos Creek, which runs through Half Moon Bay, plus wells near and surface diversion from Denniston Creek, just north of El Granada. CCWD’s production is shown by the blue line.

CCWD’s contract with SFPUC allows it to purchase up to 800 million gallons per year, shown by the solid red line. The dashed red line represents CCWD’s drought scenario supply, at 620 million gallons per year.

This planning scenario anticipates a significant cutback in water from SFPUC (all member agencies would share in this cutback during a severe drought) combined with the historic low yield from local sources.

What is CCWD’s drought plan?

Comparing the source and quantity of water supplied by CCWD in 2000 and 2007 shows:

• Total water supplied by CCWD is up 20% over just 7 years
• Local water production has plummeted 36% since 2000
• The amount of water purchased from SFPUC is up 47%, nearly to the limit
• CCWD’s dependence on SFPUC water rose from 67% to 82% of total supply

These trends are simply not sustainable, even for a few more years. CCWD appears to be on the brink of a water supply disaster, which the current drought situation only magnifies:

• CCWD used 96% of its available SFPUC water in 2007
• CCWD has already sold connections that could add 20% more customers
• Current demand is 50% higher than drought scenario supplies
• CCWD would have to increase its local production by nearly 5% to increase its water supply by 1%.

CCWD has a drought scenario based on expected cutbacks in SFPUC water during a severe drought and the historical low yield from local sources. That planning scenario expects CCWD to have only 620 million gallons available – to meet current use of 931.68 million gallons. In other words, CCWD customers already use 50% more water than CCWD expects to have available in a severe drought.

El Granada Principal Melinda Fore has accepted the position of Coordinator of Categorical Programs and Accountability for the San Mateo County Office of Education, effective July 1, 2008. Fore, who has held her current post since August, 2003, followed in the footsteps of now-Cunha Intermediate School Principal Mike Andrews. Prior to joining the Cabrillo USD management team, Fore served as Reading Recovery Specialist for the San Mateo-Foster City Elementary District.

"It’s a big loss for the District," Cabrillo Unified School District Superintendent Rob Gaskill noted. "Melinda is a strong instructional leader and a very caring school principal. I never worried about programs and practices at El Granada under her watch." During the past five years, El Granada has consistently met the Federal Average Yearly Progress (AYP) goals established by No Child Left Behind legislation. On the State of California’s Academic Performance Index, El Granada scores rose thirty points during that same period of time. Last year, the ocean-side school was one of only 461 out of 6,000 Title I schools in the state to receive the coveted Academic Achievement Award.

Join your San Mateo County Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and the Live 105 Action Team for a Post-Fourth of July Beach Clean-up!

This Saturday July 5th from 10 a.m. until Noon, at Montara State Beach.  Look for the Surfrider table in the parking lot just north of what used to be the Outrigger/Charthouse restaurant by the stairs that lead down to the beach. 

We will have gloves, bags, Surfrider goodies and free Radiohead CDs (while supplies last) courtesy of LIVE 105 and Capitol Records.

From the California State Parks website: Dogs are permitted provided they are controlled with a leash of no more than six feet at all times.  Please, NO beach fires are allowed.  Please refrain from removing shells, driftwood, and other natural beach features.  Fireworks are prohibited.

For more info, catch a wave at Surfrider San Mateo, email: [email protected] , or call Surfer Spud at 415-402-6788.

CORRECTION: The County Times article, and an earlier version of this story described the Tunnel site as Montara Mountain. It’s actually San Pedro Mountain.

The Devil’s Slide Tunnel project has uncovered a lot less water than expected, dashing hopes for the time being that it would be able to increase the water supply in Montara and Moss Beach, reports Julia Scott in the County Times.

According to a recent assessment by Devil’s Slide tunnel project manager Skip Sowko, the largest volume of water discovered so far at about a quarter of the way into the tunnels is 7.92 gallons per minute (or 30 liters per minute). A typical person in the shower uses six gallons of water per minute.

"It’s a pleasant surprise because it would be difficult for us if it were on the higher end," Sowko said.

The state Department of Transportation pumps all the water it finds into storage tanks. The silt and clay must be removed before the water is discharged into the ocean.

It is still possible, and even likely, that work crews will discover a higher volume of water as they bore northward through the mountain toward Pacifica, where less-pervious rock surfaces may spill more water when cracked open, according to Sowko.

The North Coast County Water District, serving Pacifica, has jurisdiction over roughly two-thirds of Montara Mountain, and therefore two-thirds of its water. At 1,000 feet in, the boring machines have already left Montara’s territory.

Coastside County Water District held an extremely informative special meeting to conduct a Water Supply Workshop yesterday, Thursday, June 26, 2008. At the conclusion of the meeting, I offered the following extemporaneous remarks:

Good afternoon.

This has been a very, very informative meeting, and I’d like to congratulate Dave Dickson and your staff in putting this together. I’ve worked with Dave many years ago when he was Manager of Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside and I served on the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside Board.

For those of you who don’t know, my name is Paul Perkovic and I’m currently President of the Montara Water and Sanitary District Board.

Our District, like yours, faces a number of challenges. Our District, like yours, has been working diligently, to try to resolve those challenges. Our District, like yours, has the goal of trying to meet the needs of the community that we serve with safe, relatively low cost water, given the history of the private company from which we took over the District, in an environmentally sensitive way, and in particular, planning for future emergencies such as droughts. Our District, like yours, serves extremely high quality water, with occasional exceedences and citations.

It serves no one’s interest to harp on shortcomings of either district. It serves no one’s interest to misrepresent the accomplishments of either district. It serves no one’s interest to attack individual board members on political issues that have nothing to do with their service as water directors.

I came to this meeting because I thought we would be looking at regional water needs. Regional water needs are something we would need to consider if we do consolidate. It is unfortunate that some of the Board members, on both sides, have engaged in public displays of hostility towards each other, which are poisoning the atmosphere for working together.

I met with Ev Ascher shortly after I was elected [President of MWSD], and I pledged that we would cease and desist. However, it has been resumed again. I would wish that your board members, and your board member’s supporters, specifically Brian and Terry, be called off; we will do the same. Let us work together to solve the water problems of our communities.

Thank you.

I am posting this so that Jim Larimer, in a more calm environment, might think about the consequences of his continued war on MWSD, which he resumed immediately after returning home from this meeting.

Our communities deserve better.

Mary Streshly, who currently serves as Assistant Principal, Curriculum and Instruction at Lowell High School in the San Francisco Unified School District, was appointed by the Cabrillo Unified School District Board of Education Thursday evening following a selection process that included a comprehensive file review and two rounds of interviews marked by strong school community involvement.

Considering the condition of our air quality with the thousands of fires all around us, how many are concerned with our community allowing fireworks to add to this pollution. Personal fireworks are already illegal, but our Coastside community fireworks display contributes to the problem.

We are now in "moderate quality" air, and many of the fires are predicted to continue for literally months. Our environment is already in a huge mess as a result of all chemicals

The elderly, those w/asthma and other health conditions are being advised to stay indoors as much as possible. My horse developerd colic last year as a result of the Coastside fireworks display. And I have heard of others angry that their domestic pets suffer. It would be great if someone with a creative mind could come up with a new idea of how to celebrate the 4th.

The pretty lights and the loud noises are for the kids, and they could be entertained in new ways that protect our environment and don’t make it worse.

Susan Webb

Paul Perkovic is Board President of the Montara Water and Sanitary District (MWSD), however this article reflects his individual views and does not indicate a position of the District.

There has been discussion in the community about whether MWSD should use water from the Devil’s Slide project. This article summarizes what is being said, what is known, and what can be concluded. It is not intended to advocate for any particular solution, just to present facts and background information.

Summary

• Far less Devil’s Slide Tunnel water is available than claimed
• Its reliability is not yet proven
• Construction costs could be $175,000 per acre-foot or more for pipelines and treatment
• Proven alternatives can be built at approximately $10,000 per acre-foot
• Recycling water may provide new water, cost savings and environmental benefits for Montara / Moss Beach citizens
• MWSD’s new Alta Vista Well may solve much of the existing water supply deficit

What is being claimed

Jim Larimer, an elected Director of the Coastside County Water District (CCWD), writes on TalkAbout, "Ask MWSD why they did not attempt to get the 1,000 gallons per minute of water that is coming out the Tunnel Project?" in one of his postings.

Charlie Gardner, an elected Member of the Governing Board of Cabrillo Unified School District, echoed that same question here on Coastsider, asking: "The tunnel project my company is currently constructing has enough water coming out of the mountain to relieve the moratorium. What has MWSD done to make that available?"

What are some of the facts?

Charlie Gardner provided prompt, informative answers to the questions I posed. It is remarkable what can happen when we work together towards solutions, rather than attacking each other. Jim Larimer, on the other hand, continues to defend his recklessly irresponsible claim of 1,000 gallons per minute, and refuses to answer any questions about his own district.

Charlie Gardner is a civil engineering construction Project Manager with Kiewit Pacific Company, which is building the tunnel, so he may have access to relatively reliable information.

Mr. Gardner reports that the "current yield of dewatering from the tunnel is in the range of 25-50 gallons per minute." That is a far cry from the 1000 gallons per minute being tossed around on TalkAbout as "truth" by Jim Larimer.

A yield of 25 to 50 gallons per minute (gpm) is equivalent to about 40 to 80 acre-feet of water, a common measure in the water utility industry.

Construction cost estimates

Mr. Gardner suggested very rough cost estimates of $1 million for a treatment plant to bring this water up to public drinking water standards, $3 million for a pipeline, and $3 million for other costs. This gives a total estimate of $7 million, or a capital cost of $87,500 to $175,000 per acre-foot, if we accept Mr. Gardner’s estimates as realistic.

I sincerely thank Mr. Gardner for his answers and spirit of cooperation. It confirms that the MWSD Board already has better options in hand, namely, desalination, which has a capital cost of approximately $10,000 per acre-foot, or water reclamation and recycling, which is currently being pursued as a regional solution to water needs by Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside.

These are all future projects that would be paid for entirely by new development, not existing customers, after MWSD has brought the antiquated Citizens Utilities system up to contemporary water system design standards as promised in the Measure V campaign in 2001. The community committed, by an 80.66% vote, to the direction undertaken by the MWSD Board.

Better, cheaper water sources available to MWSD

Desalination is reliable, drought-proof, and has a predictable and dependable yield. A desalination plant can be built in modules, as capacity is needed. Desalination is generally viewed as a high-cost water source with potential environmental problems. However, as illustrated by a quick "back of the envelope" type sanity check calculation, it is far less costly than potential water, of unknown reliability and quality, from the Devil’s Slide Tunnel.

Recycling is another future water supply option. Like desalination, it is reliable and drought-proof. Major obstacles to use of recycled water include cost of treatment to meet needs of the floriculture industry and public perception of "toilet to tap" in some communities (locally, for example, Redwood City).

MWSD also has the new Alta Vista Well as an additional water source. Reliable yield and permitting issues are still being worked out with the Coastal Commission.

For those who base their decisions on facts, I hope this will put the issue of water from the Devil’s Slide Tunnel as a solution to MWSD’s water shortage problems to rest. It is not an economically viable solution.

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