Big Coastal Commission Hearing

Desalination: This Thursday November 15th the California Coastal Commission will discuss the proposed desalination project at the Sheraton in Mission Valley: 1433 Camino Del Rio South, San Diego 92108. The meeting is open to the public and we strongly encourage as many people as possible from Carlsbad and all over the county to attend to show your opposition to the proposed project because it does not utilize the "best technology available" and will have adverse affects on marine life and the environment. Please show up between 9:30 and 10am, that is when we expect the issue to be heard. Arrive earlier if you would like to speak. Wear your Surfrider t-shirt or we will have some extras for you.

Desalination is a hot topic with the current drought we face and less imported water available next year. Please remember that Surfirder is not against desalination in general, we just demand that it is done properly with the best technology available along with limited or no environmental impact. That is where the proposed desal plant in Carlsbad to be run by Poseidon Resources Corp. falls short.

This project would be the largest and most damaging ocean desalination facility in the western hemisphere and should not move forward if we want to improve the health of our coastal areas and ocean water quality. The project is also very energy intensive and those concerns must be addressed properly.

Right now conservation is critical so check out the 20 Gallon Challenge and Surfrider's Ocean Friendly Gardens and spread the word.

If you can't make it to the meeting, be sure to click here for more info on ocean desalination and to send a letter to the Coastal Commission. The California Coastal Commission in partnership with coastal cities and counties, plans and regulates the use of land and water in the coastal zone. The Coastal Commission was set up to enforce the California Coastal Act of 1976 and to "Protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations." Sorry for some recycled info from the last email, but this is important.
Water Contact Closure In Ocean Beach and for South County Beaches.

This Just In From the County Department of Environmental Health: An estimated 5,000 gallon sewage spill was reported Tuesday afternoon at the UCSD Hillcrest Medical Center on Dickinson Street. The spill, which was caused by a root blockage of a private sewer main line, started at 10:30 AM and was contained at 5:00 PM. The spill entered a storm drain which flows into a canyon north toward the San Diego River. Signs warning of sewage contaminated water are being posted at the San Diego River outlet at Dog Beach in Ocean Beach . Signs will remain in place until field measurements indicate the ocean water is safe for recreational use. For more information on the sewage spill, please call University California San Diego at 858-534-0363. Sewage spills have significantly decreased over the past 10 years in the City of San Diego but we should not be happy until there are zero countywide.

The County Department of Environmental Health also issued a water contact closure today for the ocean shoreline from the U.S. / Mexico border to the south end of Seacoast Drive. This stretch of shoreline, which includes the Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge and Border Field State Park, is closed to water contact due to sewage contaminated runoff from the Tijuana River. Tijuana River flows began entering the U.S. and the Tijuana Estuary on Sunday evening, November 11th, following rainfall in the Tijuana watershed. Signs warning of sewage contaminated water will remain in place at the south end of Seacoast Drive until field measurements indicate the ocean water is safe for recreational use.