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KUSP LandWatch
News
Week of May 24, 2004 to May 28, 2004
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KUSP LandWatch
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KUSP provided a brief Land Use Report on KUSP Radio from January 2003 to May 2016. Archives of past transcripts are available here.
Week of May 24, 2004 to May 28, 2004
The following Land Use Reports have been presented on KUSP Radio by Gary Patton, Executive Director of LandWatch Monterey County. The opinions expressed by Mr. Patton are not necessarily those of KUSP Radio, nor of any of its sponsors.
Monday,
May 24, 2004 – Hydrostratigraphic Analysis
Water and land use are intimately related, and in Monterey County,
the Monterey County Water Resources Agency plays an important role.
Most recently, the Agency has received local approval to finance
what they call the “Salinas Valley Water Project.” This
is a major public works project that involves the construction of
a new “rubber dam” on the Salinas River, to capture water
near the coast, and to place it into the groundwater system there,
to resist the seawater intrusion that is such a threat to local
water supplies.
The main goal of the Salinas Valley Water Project has always been described as an effort to stop seawater intrusion, and to recharge the Salinas River Basin. Recently, however, the General Manager of the Agency has started saying that the Project will also produce a lot of new water for development projects, and went so far as to appear at a recent Board of Supervisors hearing in support of a luxury homes subdivision in the Prunedale Area, where chronic water overdraft is drying up local wells. Don’t worry, he said, my project will fix the problem.
The world of water is filled with complexities, both legal and technical. This afternoon, the Water Resources Agency will consider a “hydrostratigraphic analysis” of the Northern Salinas Valley. One effort may be to try to prove that what the Agency Manager told the Board of Supervisors is actually true. For more information, check the KUSP website.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County Water Resources Agency Website
http://www.mcwra.co.monterey.ca.us/MCWRA Agenda, May 24th
http://www.mcwra.co.monterey.ca.us/BOD/BOD/AgendaCurrent_n.htmSalinas Valley Water Project
http://www.mcwra.co.monterey.ca.us/welcome_svwp_n.htmContact the District at: 831-755-4860
Tuesday,
May 25, 2004 – Stunning Reversal on the GPU
Last Monday, I passed along a rumor that the Monterey County Board
of Supervisors might delay action on the General Plan Update. The
process has taken almost five years, so far, and has cost county
taxpayers about $5 million dollars.
My rumor was right. Last Tuesday, instead of setting the General Plan Update for a series of public hearings, as recommended by County staff, Board Members Edith Johnsen, Fernando Armenta and Butch Lindley voted, essentially, to scrap the process, and to do something completely different. Supervisors Potter and Calcagno voted against that motion. In one of the most brutal editorial statements I’ve ever read, the Salinas Californian said “this is not leadership, it’s cowardice.”
The General Plan Update is controversial. Large landowners have been opposing the draft Plan because it would limit their ability to develop their lands in a continuing pattern of suburban sprawl. The environmental and economic analyses done on the Plan demonstrate that stopping suburban sprawl is critically important from both an environmental and fiscal perspective. The Board majority, however, apparently wants a Plan that satisfies the development aspirations of the landowners. But they obviously don’t have the courage just to say that, and to vote that kind of Plan into existence. Today, the so-called “alternatives” they asked for will be a major topic on the Board’s agenda.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Monterey County Board of Supervisors Agenda
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/cttb/agenda.htmGeneral Plan Website
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/1999 Existing Conditions Report
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/reports/Existing%20
Conditions/Web%20Page%20Conditions%20Report.pdfDecember 2001 Draft GPU
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/reports/GPU%
20Public%20Review%20Draft/Whole%20Document.pdfApril 2003 GPU Draft #2
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/reports/0403/index.htmlJanuary 2004 GPU Draft #3
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/reports/0104/index.htmlEconomic Impact Report
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/news/
ADE%20Econ%20Report%20022704.pdfPlanning Commission Recommendation
http://www.co.monterey.ca.us/gpu/news/
PC%20Recom.GPU.Final%20w-Resol.4.28.pdf
Wednesday,
May 26, 2004 – Green Building Practices
Tomorrow, there is a community planning forum that may be of interest
to local builders and contractors, among other listeners to this
Land Use Report. The Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments,
or AMBAG, has created a separate non-profit organization called
“Regional Analysis & Planning Services,” or RAPS.
Last week, RAPS held a forum on regional desalination options. Tomorrow,
RAPS has scheduled a community workshop on “Mainstreaming Green
Building Practices.”
If you’d like more information on the workshop tomorrow, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Salinas Community Center, then click on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org. You can take the opportunity, while you’re there, to check out the KUSP Auction, which starts June 5th. And, you can send me an email with your comments and suggestions, too!
As growth and development occur, it’s vital that our local communities use what are often called “best practices.” Well-designed, higher density projects save land, and provide for more affordability. Better grading and erosion control techniques help protect riparian and marine resources. And the use of “Green Building” techniques helps lower long term energy use, and recycles and reuses materials that would otherwise be wasted. The workshop tomorrow should be worthwhile!
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
AMBAG Website
http://www.ambag.orgRAPS Website
http://www.ambag.org/rapsmtgschedule.html#ProposedAgenda for Green Building Practices Forum
http://www.ambag.org/events/archive/2004communityforum.pdf
Thursday,
May 27, 2004 – The “Best Practices” Movement
“Best practices” is a phrase increasingly used to describe
a positive approach to environmental protection. The “best
practices” movement identifies specific techniques that have
been proven to be feasible and effective in real life situations,
and then seeks to make these “best practices” the “standard”
to be achieved with respect to the activity in question. Instead
of fighting about whether we should prohibit various activities
that might damage the environment, the “best practices”
movement makes a more “gentle” demand that we simply do
the best we possibly can. In other words, the movement seeks to
make “best practices” a kind of regulatory “bottom
line.”
This “best practices” approach may “under protect” the environment in certain circumstances, where what’s really needed is a decision simply “not to do that anymore.” In other cases, however, raising the standard of our conduct to “best practices” can vastly reduce environmental impacts.
Check the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org to get connected to a database, which claims to contain over 1600 “best practices” from 140 countries, and to “demonstrate practical ways in which public, private and civil society sectors are working together to improve governance, eradicate poverty, provide housing, land and basic services, protect the environment, and support economic development.”
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Best Practices Database
http://www.bestpractices.org/
Friday,
May 28, 2004 – Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution
On July 8th, in Watsonville, the Regional Water Quality Control
Board will hold a hearing and take testimony on a proposed waiver
for discharges from irrigated agriculture. At issue is an important
discussion about what sort of agricultural practices should be required
of local farmers.
The Ocean Conservancy, which has an office in Santa Cruz, is urging a rigorous program to reduce agricultural runoff. Specifically, the Ocean Conservancy would like to see a requirement that all farmers implement best management practices to prevent polluted runoff from leaving the farm.
Besides this, the Ocean Conservancy is urging the Regional Board to require farmers to participate in appropriate water quality education. This will ensure they receive necessary technical assistance to develop effective farm plans and to identify best management practices. There’s also a need to monitor agricultural pollutants in water, including pesticides and nutrients, to ensure that pollution prevention efforts are effective. According to the Ocean Conservancy, a reasonable fee system should be established, so that adequate staff will be available to administer the new program.
Agricultural “best practices” on land could make a big difference in the quality of water in our Bay. You can find out how to contact the Ocean Conservancy by clicking on the Land Use Report link at www.kusp.org.
For KUSP, this is Gary Patton.
More Information:
Ocean Conservancy Website
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/dynamic/home/home.htmPacific Region Website
http://www.oceanconservancy.org/dynamic/
aboutUs/offices/pacific/pacific.htmLocal Office – Contact: Kaitilin Gaffney at: Telephone - (831) 425-1363; Email: kgaffney@psinet.com
Archives of past transcripts are available here
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