A Gonzo Account
of the
BWD’s ad hoc Committee to Study Groundwater Preservation Matters
(aka ad hoc Committee on New Development/ Preservation)
Meeting on
14 December 2005
Despite the BWD Board’s refusal to provide either agendas or minutes for ad hoc and sub-committee meetings – apparently on the theory that if you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there – the chair (Mr. Mendenhall) nonetheless deigned to pass out an agenda at the beginning of this meeting. There were two items on it:
Mr. Dickinson inquired as to why his request to place creation of implementation mechanisms for the purchase and fallow program to be funded by the groundwater mitigation policy on the agenda, which was submitted in writing to the BWD General Manager on 18 November 2005, had not been honored. Mr. Mendenhall responded that it had not "Because I (Mr. Mendenhall) put together the agenda." Well, that explained a lot.
After that thoughtful, detailed, and helpful explanation Mr. Mendenhall asked for and Mr. Dickinson provide a printed copy of his letter of 18 Nov. After glancing at the letter Mr. Mendenhall implied that Mr. Dickinson had lied when he said he had sent the letter "about three weeks ago." Mr. Dickinson took umbrage, and there ensued a tête á tête between Messers Dickinson and Mendenhall regarding how computers work and prescribed mechanisms for submitting items to be placed on ad hoc committee agendas (submitted in writing to the BWD General Manager).
The group then turned its attention to item 1 above. This concerns a written proposal from David Taussig & Associates, Inc., to "provide financial consulting services to assist the Borrego Water District in the creation of a district-wide standby charge and/or the formation of an Assessment District to fund groundwater recharge improvements or services" that had been "referred" to the ad hoc by the BWD Board at its last meeting. Most of those in attendance were seeing this four page document for the first time; so, after allowing a full two minutes for everyone to read, analyze, and frame questions about this fairly dense and technical document, the chair opened discussion. The results were predictable. Notwithstanding the fact that few knew or understood what was in the proposal, there were many comments, suggestions, opinions, and questions (but no answers).
Finally, Mr. Dickinson recommended that a member of David Taussig & Associates, Inc. be invited to meet with the ad hoc or the BWD Board to flesh out the proposal and answer questions that had been raised in the discussion, but not answered. The suggestion was ignored. Mr. Smiley then suggested that a survey be conducted to determine the sense of the community regarding "creation of a district-wide standby charge and/or the formation of an Assessment District to fund groundwater recharge improvements or services." His suggestion was likewise ignored.
The discussion continued for a short time with no focus until the chair spontaneously decided to move on. There was no decision taken in re item 1. Thanks to lack of leadership from the chair, the committee did not decide to do anything, or not to do anything, or what the next step might be in dealing with this important issue, or even if they would revisit it. They simply left it in limbo and wandered off. No wonder the Board is so adamantly opposed to any paper trail.
Having avoided doing anything constructive about item 1, the chair moved on to item two of the agenda. For the Nth time (where (N-(N-1))= ENOUGH ALREADY!), Jim Engelke presented essentially the same "unformation" regarding capturing water from Coyote Creek to recharge the Borrego Valley aquifer. The only difference between this and previous presentations was that he had with him a consulting hydrologist to provide some of the details that members of the ad hoc committee and the BWD Board have repeatedly demanded. The timing was unfortunate, however, as Tim Ross, an engineering geologist with the California Department of Water Resources who is knowledgeable about and has a computer model of the hydrology of the valley had just submitted an article to the Borrego Sun showing that the yield of the euphemistically named "Community Benefit Project" would be only about one third of the amount projected by Engelke, et. al., thereby calling into question the economic viability of the project.
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Aside: It is worthy of note that the Borrego Sun solicited Mr. Ross’s article and comments from several other water experts (see: “Aquifer recharge: Its potential and limitations for Borrego valley,” Borrego Sun, 15 Dec. 2005, p.8 ff.). Their comments ranged from flat-out rejection of the recharge proposal to lukewarm about its prospects. Much credit is due the Borrego Sun for taking this initiative. The BWD could and should have done the same thing and avoided many repetitious presentations and meaningless discussions; but they did not. We can only hope that Engelke, et. al. will now cease and desist from wasting the BWD Board’s time until they have good, solid science and engineering to substantiate their fanciful schemes. |
At the end of the meeting there was a brief discussion of Lane Sharman’s proposal for a Borrego Water Exchange modeled after the Chicago Carbon Exchange. This is a promising idea for a free market solution to the overdraft and Mr. Sharman is an articulate spokesman for it. Stay tuned.
Meeting adjourned with no action nor any sudden, spontaneous, or inspired insights.
Regrettably submitted,
Your humble scribe
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Upcoming Meetings
According to the BWD Office on 16 December 2005
The following meetings are all held at the BWD Office beginning at 9:00 a.m.
11 Jan. ad hoc committee on new development/preservation
12 Jan. ad hoc committee on Groundwater Management
18 Jan. sub-committee on tiered water rates of the ad hoc committee on
conservation
TBA ad hoc committee on conservation