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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 12131988 - WC.1 J To: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Water Committee Contra Costa DATE: December 5, 1988 Coup SUBJECT: dater-Related Issues SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION 6. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Direct staff to review and monitor the EIR and other infor- mation as it becomes available for the Port of Oakland dredging project and to place this item on the Water Committee' s January agenda. 2 . Authorize letters signed by all Board members to be sent to specific water agencies and districts around the Bay Area encouraging them to participate in Los Vaqueros Reservoir project and to the counties where the districts and agencies are located, encouraging those Boards of Supervisors to do the same. 3 . Authorize Supervisor Sunne Wright McPeak to represent the Board of Supervisors at meetings with other counties and agencies regarding the Bay-Delta hearings. 4. Authorize letter, signed by the Chair, to be sent to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board indi- cating the County' s position on the San Luis Drain. FINANCIAL IMPACT None. REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION/BACKGROUND 1 . The Port of Oakland dredging project is being undertaken to allow the Port of Oakland to handle new larger container ships. Original plans called for disposal of dredged material in an area of the Bay near Alcatraz Island. How- ever, an ocean option was considered because of limited capacity at the Alcatraz site. The alternate site is located off the coast 'near Half Moon Bay in San Mateo County. Local fisherman protested the . dumping of dredge materials at this location and later a San Mateo County CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: _ RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE �C?C��/��'•^' ,v�',n(/A( // A�_ SIGNATUREISSupe,ry 's.or Tom Torlakson Supervisor Sunne Wright McPeak ACTION OF BOARD ON December 13, 1982 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER Supervisor Powers voted No on Recommendation No. 2, commenting that he did not know enough about which reservoir which water district should use to enable him to take a position on it. VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE X UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: I on Recom.#2 AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: Orig. Dept. Community Devel. ATTESTED December 13, 1988 PHIL BATCHELOR. CLERK OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR { BY DEPUTY M382/7-83 v ,L 2 Superior Court ruled that the port could no longer dispose of the dredged materials in the ocean, unless it received permission from the Coastal Commission which would take several months to obtain. A new alternative was developed involving the use of upland island disposal in the Delta. Port officials note that the dredging project is vital to the port and region' s economic livelihood. Preliminary tests indicate that the dredge materials are safe for disposal. The final test results are being compiled and a report is to be submitted to the Port of Oakland this week. The Port will meet with the Regional Water Quality Control Board on December 8, 1988, to discuss the issue of disposing the dredged material on Delta Islands. A draft EIR for the project will be available for review around December 22nd of this year. The Port of Oakland is the lead agency and hearings regarding the EIR are to be scheduled sometime in January. The Water Committee feels it is important to monitor the timetable and activities of this project and review any documents, including the EIR, that may be of importance with regard to the dredging project. The Water Committee noted the importance of knowing the outcome of the dredged material test results. If all environmental and health concerns could be addressed this alternative may be a viable means for disposing of dredged materials from the Bay and providing needed materials to improve and maintain Delta levees. The Committee indicated support for maintaining Delta levees to protect water quality in the Delta. 2 . Following a discussion with Contra Costa Water District officials, the Water Committee felt it was appropriate for the County to send a letter, signed by all Board members encouraging all interested agencies to consider participa- tion in the Los Vaqueros reservoir project. The Committee recommended that the following agencies receive letters: East Bay Municipal Utility District, Solano County Water Agency, Santa Clara Valley Water District, Alameda County Water Agency, Alameda County Zone 7 , and the City and County of San Francisco. The Committee listed several reasons for this action, those being lower project costs, increased emergency supply, the need to provide better drinking water quality, and a means for better managing Delta water quality. The Water Committee also felt that a letter should be sent to the Board of Supervisors of each County in which the above listed agencies are located, asking them to send letters to each water agency encouraging their participa- tion. 3 . The State Water Resources Control Board has completed Phase I of the Bay-Delta hearings and has released a draft of the Bay-Delta standards. As part of Phase II of the Bay-Delta hearings, the State Water Resources Control Board was scheduled to hold hearings beginning in January on the draft plan; however, they have been postponed until March to allow more time for concerned agencies and organizations to review the draft standards. The Water Committee felt that Super- visor Sunne Wright McPeak should be authorized by the Board to meet with various groups, organizations and agencies in order to discuss concerns regarding the Bay-Delta standards. The Committee was also informed that the Committee for Water Policy Consensus is co-sponsoring a conference on January 7, 1989, regarding the recently-released draft Bay-Delta standards. 3. 4. on November 8, 1988, the Board of Supervisors referred to the Water Committee an item regarding the re-activation of a San Luis Drain proposal. Staff reported to the Committee that the proposal was strictly a policy statement in the amendments document to the Basin Plan of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Following discussion of this item, the Water Committee felt that no Committee should be formed at this time to address this issue. Based on information presented, the Committee felt that no action would be taken by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board to reactivate the San Luis Drain. However, it was felt that it would be important for the Board of Super- visors to submit a letter to the Central Valley Regional Board outlining Contra Costa County' s concerns regarding any reactivation `or attempt to reactivate the San Luis Drain and its adverse impacts on the Delta environment and water quality. HEB:EW:jal jl2 .wa.bo