Civinomics gives you the chance to have a voice.

by | Nov 17, 2014

 

There is still a water shortage in Santa Cruz, Civinomics posted the alternatives on their website.

The rain on Thursday, about a half inch was refreshing. The storm passed through slowly, meaning more precipitation could soak in, less run-off.  

This is the week that the Water Supply Advisory Committee meets, on Wednesday and Friday. Hopefully the committee will focus on advancing the promising water supply alternatives.  

As this community works to understand the viable alternatives for increasing Santa Cruz ‘s water supply, the Civinomics website is very useful.

As this community works to understand the viable alternatives for increasing Santa Cruz’s water supply, Civinomics has helped move the ball forward.
They’ve summarized the 9 proposals listed in our film, Water for Santa Cruz County and made it possible to rate and comment on each of these. The summaries are listed below and if you click on the links you’ll see that the authors have provided another level of detail. Some of them are very well explained.

Civinomics is informally extending the voting period, so that you can register pro and con options and write comments. This is a very useful tool.

If for some reason you can’t see the pictures and summaries below, click this link.civ.io/water9



 































terryMcKinneyProposals by Terry McKinney,  Production Superintendent, Santa Cruz Water Department




ranneyCollectors


Ranney Collectors – Supply


Ranney collectors are essentially shallow wells built in a creek or river bed. Capturing water with a Ranney collector would add another tool for managing the lagoon and create a new water supply. Possible sites to target would be Baldwin Creek, Wilder Creek, Moore Creek, and the San Lorenzo River Lagoon. 5 to 8 million gallons of water per day (mgd) per collector. Estimated Cost: $2.5M per collector


Rate and comment





redundantCapacity


Membrane Filtration Plant for San Lorenzo River Water – Supply


Graham Hill Water Treatment Plant cannot process highly turbid water, therefore the plant switches over to Loch Lomond Reservoir to treat water during rain events. This lowers the amount of water available during the summer. If a membrane filtration plant was installed near the San Lorenzo River, this new plant could treat the highly turbid water and greatly reduce the need for Loch Lomond water. In addition, the Felton Diversion Pump Station could be better utilized for pumping water to the lake. We anticipate over 200 million gallons of new water supply with this option. Estimated Cost: $39M


Rate and comment













Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 12.19.24 PMProposal by Jerry Paul, Systems Engineer




lochquifer


The Lochquifer Alternative – Storage


This proposal would use the Santa Margarita and Purisma Aquifers as water storage by diverting up to 6,000 acre feet (1.9 billion gallons) per year of San Lorenzo River and Zayante Creek winter flows. The treated water would first be pumped to Loch Lomond before being dispensed to the aquifers for longterm storage. The vast recharged aquifers would provide robust long-term drought protection to all mid-County, enhance fish habitat, and stay immune to saline incursion. Estimated Cost:$52M


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Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 12.50.00 PMProposal by JoeBen Bevirt, Local Entrepreneur, Founder of Joby Energy and four other successful startups in the last 10 years




quarries


Build Reservoirs in North Coast Quarries – Storage


Reusing the Liddell and San Vicente limestone quarries as water reservoirs could be a cost effective, environmentally responsible, and aesthetically attractive way to store 3.6 billion gallons and double the water storage capacity of the City of Santa Cruz. Estimated Cost: $44M


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Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 1.07.31 PMProposal by Bill Smallman, Civil Engineer, Director for the Lompico Water District




regionalWater


The Regional Water Auhtority Plan – Policy


This plan would create the Santa Cruz County Water District. It would function identically to the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which is responsible for ground water and wholesale of raw and recycled water to the other water agencies (retailers) in the county of Santa Clara. While it would not produce water directly, this proposal would make it easier for the 6 existing water agencies in Santa Cruz County to work together on large projects such as recycled water and aquifer recharge. Particularly it would enable the construction of a water sharing utility corridor along the Rail Trail.Estimated Cost: NA – Consolidation of services would require staff time but eliminate redundant positions and lead to greater efficiencies in the long term.


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Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 1.37.08 PMProposals by Paul Gratz, Longtime Santa Cruz resident, community organizer and co-author of the City’s Measure P “The Right to Vote on Desalination” Charter Amendment




golfCourses


Use Available Recycled Water to Irrigate Santa Cruz Golf Courses– Recycled Water 


Utilize excess recycled water from the Scotts Valley tertiary wastewater treatment plant to provide year round irrigation for both of Santa Cruz’s golf courses. Currently, surplus water is discharged through the ocean outfall at the City’s Regional Wastewater Treatment Facility. Scotts Valley plant management is actively seeking potential regional customers for its approved and affordably priced recycled water. Pasatiempo’s annual water demand is approximately 30-45 million gallons and the DeLaveaga Golf Course along with the adjacent park use ranges from 40-55 million gallons. Total usage between both golf courses: 100 million gallons. Estimated Cost: TBD – further study is needed to determine the cost of a pipeline to distribute the recycled water to these golf courses.


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watershed


Fund Watershed Restoration – Policy


The City should conduct a cost/benefit analysis of funding storm water infiltration projects in groundwater recharge zones. This would include both: 1. Investing in “low-impact development”, that is, renovation of streets, parking lots, etc. to allow storm water to recharge the groundwater. 2. Employ youth (and others) to restore old logging roads, repair riparian zones, and partner with schools to do restoration work. Estimated Cost: TBD – Requires further study


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Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 2.11.52 PMProposal by Dana Ripley, Principal at Ripley Pacific Company, two decades experience in developing water supply and water reuse plans




RCGE


Recycled Water / North Coast Groundwater Exchange – Recycled Water


This option includes two separate construction projects. The first is a 4-5 million gallon per day tertiary wastewater treatment plant, and associated facilities to deliver that water to North Coast farmers for irrigation purposes. In all years, the farmers would use reclaimed water rather than groundwater to irrigate their fields. In return, the City would get access to the groundwater supplies currently being used by the farmers. The second City construction project would involve the wells and associated facilities necessary to extract this groundwater. Based on limited information, the 2003 IWP assumes an annual yield from this source of 700 million gallons. Estimated Cost: $50M


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Screen Shot 2014-11-09 at 8.13.52 PMProposal by Sustainable Water Coalition of Santa Cruz, Our Supporters