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Desert Local News - Desert Local News Print at Home Edition 11 March 26 - Index

LOCAL NEWS
DHS WATER WAR CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
Statements were made by water
district Directors alluding to Sentinel’s
awkward “direct contact with Directors”
and “It’s a waste of money to
have staff not doing this,” said Wright.
When the vote was called, Wright
joined with board president Randy
Duncan and Gibson and voted no to
the proposal for an ad hoc negotiating
team.
The power plant operator’s proposal
recently fell out of favor with
the water agency when concerns were
raised about over-drafting the water
basin. At one time it was also suggested
that our hot-water aquifer be
tapped. That proposal met with objections
from the Hoteliers Association,
the city of Desert Hot Springs and even
the power plant operators themselves
who found the high mineral content of
the hot water unusable.
Sentinel went back to the drawing
boards to figure a way to get the water
they need. That search took them back
to the same source of water but another
water company (Las Angeles Department
of Water and Power) to get it.
Sentinel is now proposing to draw
little water from the Little Morongo
sub-basin for its power plant. It will
then purchase water from the Sacramento
River that is destined for distant
Central Valley farmers. However, instead
of actually taking that water, the
company will get credits. The credits
will then be traded for Colorado River
water that flows through a nearby aqueduct.
To maintain ground water levels in
the sub-basin, Colorado River water
will be put back into the ground.
The water the power plant needs
is used in steam turbines that generate
electricity. The company will draw
between 550 and 1100 acre feet that
will be lost to the atmosphere. Several
proposals have been discussed about
using waste water to irrigate two golf
courses in the area as a kind of trade
off for using up the good water from
underground.
“More water will be put underground
than is pumped out.” said Sentinel
consultant Chris Helm. “It’s
generous, amounting to 108 percent
more water recharged to the water basin.”
Helm is a principle consultant to
Sentinel with a Studio City office.
Water Board President Randy Duncan
(from DHS) said, “This concerns
us. Our water quality water in the underground
aquifer has to be protected.
We’ve won numerous awards for the
best tasting municipal water in the
world. We don’t want it polluted.”
“What’s proposed is mixing your
‘dirty’ water with our clean water and
we’re supposed to agree to that? And
now you come at us with a proposal
giving us a lot less money than what
you first offered. How am I supposed
to support that?” asked Furbee at the
Water Board meeting last month.
“The water district is already recharging
our aquifer with Colorado
River water out along Worsley Road,”
comments Alden Wallum, Water District
General Manager.
“I’m not sure what the water district
wants,” says Michael Shepherd,
another Sentinel consultant. “We’ve
gone over this and over this and I’ve
no idea what’s holding this up.” The
Shepherd Group (www.theshepherdgroup.com)
is a high powered Indian
Wells public relations company.
Negotiations between the water
district and CPV Sentinel are at a stalemate.
The power plant has less than a
year to come up with a workable solution
before appearing for approval by
the California Energy Commission,
the ultimate decision maker whose decisions
may be irrevocable.
Electrical demand is up and this
plant is designed to go on-line during
peak energy emergencies to avoid
blackouts. Rising electrical costs and
growing populations are creating the
need for additional electric power the
plant will generate. Wind power is not
enough.
Wright said, “Campaign contributions
by the power plant company to
several board members in the last election
created sides.” Receiving November
election support by signs, mailings
and public relations were John Brown,
John Furbee, and Mary Gibson.
Long time board member Gibson
(from DHS) said, “In the election I
never gave them permission to use
my name for all those signs and mailings.
I’ve been around long enough to
do the right thing. I’m independent and
no one buys my vote.”
It will cost more money to
flush your toilet!
Staff Writer
DHS: Water rates are going up and
its because of the economy. It’s also going
to cost more to flush a toilet as the
Mission Springs Water District voted
Monday to increase rates for both
water and sewer. However, its not going
to be too painful.
Primarily due to the rising cost of
electricity used to pump water from
district wells, the Water District Board
of Directors reluctantly decided to
increase rates by 9%. Rising labor and
insurance costs also had to be passed
along to consumers.
Rate increases by the water district
have been few and have not followed
the report recommending keeping
ahead of rising costs. The cost to
consumers to supply “the best tasting
water in the world” is the lowest in the
Coachella Valley and will remain so.
“It’s something I don’t like but we
have to do it,” said director John Furbee
who joined Director John Brown in
recommending a slightly lesser increase
that might have saved the average consumer
about one dollar per month.
The rate increase was discussed at
Publisher Max Liebermann
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7
public meetings over several months.
Over 13,000 notices were sent out to
bill payers as required by law. The
matter has been posted on the district
website. There were only eleven replies
in opposition. No one from the public
spoke at the Water Board meeting for or
against.
Arden Wallum, General Manager
said of the rate increase, “it is a necessity.
If we wait another year the water
district will be in trouble. Our electric
bill alone is up 30% and Edison is
proposing another increase. We have
a fiduciary responsibility to keep the
district fiscally solvent”
Even small spa and hotel owners
were non-plussed. Judy Bowman, Hoteliers
President said, “I’ve looked at our
water bill and the rate increase might
add as much as $10 a month to our
bills. Something like that doesn’t make
me alarmed.”
Board President Randy Duncan
agreed with Mr. Wallum that it was a
difficult but necessary decision, called
for the question and the final vote
passed.
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Desert Hot Springs, CA 92240