by The Editors on February 29, 2008
Barbara Henry writes in the North County Times:
Day by day, a bit more muck and sand slides into Batiquitos Lagoon.
To the east, San Marcos Creek pushes mud in. To the west, ocean waves shove piles of sand toward the lagoon’s mouth. And, from all sides, murky rainwater pours in during storms.
Biologists who study the south Carlsbad lagoon and nature lovers who run the lagoon protection group say they’re worried about how quickly the sand and muck pile is accumulating, and whether that means a massive dredging operation will soon be required.
Earlier this month, the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation won a nearly $75,000 grant from Carlsbad to study the topic.
“Right now, we don’t really know how bad the situation is,” said Keith Merkel, one of the owners of a consulting company that has been doing bird and fish research at the lagoon.
Planning to make a plan. Ah, government.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on February 16, 2008
From The San DIego Union-Tribune:
About three dozen protesters defied a morning downpour Thursday to demonstrate against construction of a Wal-Mart in central Carlsbad.
The group waved signs encouraging motorists to honk if they opposed the giant retailer’s intentions to build on the northwest corner of El Camino Real and College Boulevard.
Rob Abbott, a leader of the group opposing a Wal-Mart, said the reasons for the opposition are many.
“I think the real reason we’re opposed is it doesn’t fit the makeup of Carlsbad,” said Abbott, who lives in Terraces at Sunny Creek, across College Boulevard from Wal-Mart’s property.
Give ’em hell, Rob. And let us know when the next protest is.
[Link: San Diego Union-Tribune and North County Times]
by The Editors on February 5, 2008
Mark Massara, the director of the Sierra Club’s coastal programs has written an editorial for the North County Times in which he outlines exactly why Poseidon Resources‘ proposal to construct the largest private desalination project is one of the worst things that could happen to our lagoon.
Poseidon intends to draw more than 300 million gallons a day of ocean water in an attempt to make 50 million gallons a day of fresh water for sale and profit. Limited analysis by Poseidon indicates they’ll destroy 11 billion marine organisms a year. That’s 16 million fish larvae a day!
Poseidon’s own self-serving disingenuous analysis admits they will kill approximately 1 million garibaldi fish per day! The brightly colored, much adored garibaldi is the California state fish, and any killing of garibaldi, even one, is strictly prohibited by California law.
There is more at stake than fish. Follow the link for the rest of Massara’s article.
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on January 25, 2008
We didn’t make it to the “energy workshop” hosted by the State Energy Commission yesterday, so we’re going to depend on the intrepid North County Times reporter Barbara Henry’s coverage instead. She says there were “some 30” people (the Union-Tribune said 60) in the audience during the five-and-a-half hour long session. Five and a half hours? Good lord.
The city of Carlsbad wants an air quality monitoring device installed at the Encina Power Station, so that neighbors can see what a recently proposed addition to the facility could produce. . . . City officials also are asking for temporary “story poles” —- sticks used by developers to show a proposed building’s height —- to be placed where the power plant’s owners want to put two rapid-fire, “peaker” power plants.
[Link: North County Times and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on January 15, 2008
According to a story in the North County Times (are we quoting them too much these days?) the Surfrider Foundation and the Planning and Conservation League filed lawsuits on Monday January 14, 2008 claiming that “The California Coastal Commission acted illegally when it granted a permit to the proposed $300 million plant despite acknowledging that commissioners needed more information.”
Surfrider representatives say the desalination plant would hurt marine life and Agua Hedionda Lagoon, where the plant would be located, and that Poseidon hasn’t proved otherwise. . . . “The substantive issue of whether they can even mitigate (the harm) is still out there,” said Marco Gonzalez, the lawyer representing the environmental groups.
Of course, Poseidon officials are denying this:
Poseidon Vice President Peter MacLaggan said that over the course of eight years of study, the company has proved the plant will not harm the environment. . . . He said the company is simply working out details with the Coastal Commission and that the suit was without merit. . . . “They’re challenging eight years of environmental research and study by pre-eminent scientists in this field from Scripps that has been reviewed by the various permitting agencies, who all came to the same conclusion — move forward,” MacLaggan said.
We’re happy to see someone standing up to industrialization of the Carlsbadistan environment.
[Link: North County TImes and San Diego Union-Tribune]
by The Editors on January 5, 2008
The bluffs between Carlsbadistan’s sidewalk up top and the sea wall below may be getting a make-over according to a Barbara Henry story in the North County Times.
Responding to requests from Tamarack Beach residents and the city’s beach preservation committee, a superintendent for North County’s coastal state parks said this week that he was organizing a community planting event for Earth Day in April. . . . His “No. 1 priority,” Superintendent Brian Ketterer said, would be beautifying the eroded stretch of coastal bluffs between Pine and Tamarack avenues.
Hopefully, Brian’s idea of “beautify” is the same as ours. Then again, if we all help on Earth Day, then we can make it exactly what we want (one way or another).
[Link: North County Times]
by The Editors on January 1, 2008
A sewer line that was blocked by tree roots caused 350-gallons of sewage to bust out through a manhole on Hoover street.
Signs warning of sewage-contaminated water will remain posted at the boat dock and recreational area near Snug Harbor/Cal Watersports until sample results indicate the ocean waters are safe.
But we’re pretty sure 350 gallons of poo won’t stop any wakeboarders. They are just that committed.
[Link: The North County Times]
by The Editors on December 17, 2007
Birders from Carlsbad are invited to join the Buena Vista Chapter of the Audubon Society as they perform their annual Christmas Bird Count on Saturday, December 22.
The Christmas Bird Count is part research and part fun. Participants will be amassing important data on bird distribution in our area while trying to beat last year’s total of 181 different species. After a full morning of birding, we’ll all gather at the Nature Center to trade stories, tally up our numbers, and enjoy a bowl of Annette’s famous chili.
If this sounds like a great was to spend the Saturday before Christmas, then by all means call the Nature Center (760-439-2473), or e-mail Terry (thunefeld@gmail.com) for more info.
[Link: Buena Vista Audubon]
by The Editors on December 16, 2007
by The Editors on November 24, 2007
The 65-year-old dam at Lake Calavera that nearly flooded the mobile home park at the Rancho Carlsbad Golf Course in January of 2005, and has “failed inspections by the state Division of Safety of Dams,” is getting a needed upgrade according to a story in the San Diego Union Tribune.
“Although they won’t have it all done by the start of the rainy season, we’re very pleased the city has finally gotten around to putting in the controls and controlling the level of the lake,” said Bill Arnold, president of Rancho Carlsbad’s homeowners association. . . “In 2005 the lake was already full, we got a couple inches of rain and had a near disaster,” Arnold said.
The total cost of the upgrades are being estimated at $6.1 million.
[Link: San Diego Union Tribune]
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