Page B-12
FEBRUARY 20, 2014
Fallbrook/Bonsall Village News TheVillageNews.com
Home & Garden New Dombeya wallichii trees on South Mission Road FALLBROOK – Residents are likely to notice the three, newlyplanted Dombeya wallichii trees in bloom along South Mission Road. The plump pink clusters of fragrant pink balls that dangle beneath large velvety leaves are a new addition to the South Mission medians, courtesy of the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, and the hard work of resident Pat McDougal. The trees, whose flowers resemble a hydrangea blossom, are a native of Madagascar and East Africa, and grow well in Fallbrook’s USDA Zone 9 and 10 climates. This beautiful tree, also known as the Tropical Hydrangea or P i n k B a l l Tr e e , c a n g r o w to approximately 20 feet, yet responds well to pruning to keep to an easily-managed size. The three trees were added to the medians to replace a number of oak trees, which had recently succumbed to damage caused by the Oak Borer Beetle. This beetle and larvae are damaging oak trees throughout the region. The Dombeya trees love full sun, and will tolerate a mix of soil types, making it an ideal pick for Fallbrook’s medians. Pat McDougal started the Dombeya wallichii trees from cuttings from one of her own trees, and nursed them along for the past
that be yummy!” The Mission medians are one of the many landscape and beautification projects initiated and maintained by the Fallbrook Beautification Alliance, a non-profit volunteer organization whose funding comes from private donation,
sponsorships and proceeds from their annual July 4 celebration held at the Grand Tradition. Learn more about the FBA, and ways to become a sponsor of the Mission medians or other FBA projects, at www.fallbrookbeautification.org.
Standing next to newly-planted Dombeya wallichii trees in the South Mission median are Pat McDougal, left, and Andres Oliveros, right. two years. She transplanted them two weeks ago with the assistance of Andres Oliveros, who manages the crew that maintains the mile long Mission Median flower beds. Oliveros and his crew are out on the medians every Sunday, weeding, pruning and replanting, and sometimes even cleaning up after accidents that damage plants and irrigation. The blooms of the
Dombeya hang from a foot long stem and are 5-6” in diameter, positioned beneath its heart shaped leaves. “You can prune this tree as you want to, to keep its size in check,” said McDougal, “which is why I chose this tree for the median. It has been reported that the blooms have a smell like birthday cake or cake batter, wow, now wouldn’t
The pink blossoms of the Dombeya tree are a colorful addition to South Mission Road in Fallbrook. \
Courtesy photos
CWA master plan public comments being reviewed Joe Naiman Village News Correspondent The update of the San Diego C o u n t y Wa t e r A u t h o r i t y ’s (SDCWA) master plan is now in the phase of review and response to public comments. The update was released for public review Nov. 22, 2013. The public comment period ended Jan. 16 and included a Jan. 9 public hearing. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires SDCWA staff to review and respond to each comment. The CWA staff will submit a proposed final update to the CWA board, which is expected to consider the updated plan for adoption at the CWA’s March 27 board meeting. The CWA’s first Regional Water Facilities Master Plan was completed in 2002, and the CWA board certified a Program
Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) in November 2003. The purpose of the master plan update is to develop a cost-effective and reliable plan for new infrastructure capable of meeting member agency demands through the year 2035. The update is intended to guide future CWA investments for capital improvements. Potential facilities identified in the update will be evaluated against projected regional demands and local supply development, water resources management, water conservation, and asset management needs. The master plan update process includes data collection, assessment of the current Capital Improvement Program (CIP), assessment of aqueduct system operations and capabilities, development of new facility and supply alternatives, and selection of preferred alternatives. CWA staff has been working with a
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technical advisory committee of member agency staff and general managers to develop, evaluate, and refine the alternatives. The process will then determine when a particular facility would be needed. The CWA will assess baseline system performance before investing in new projects. “That really leads to resizing or rescoping projects,” CWA water resources director Ken Weinberg said. “We think we can be deferring about $600 million in CIP expenditures.” T h e C WA’s f u t u r e n e e d s include storage and conveyance as well as supply. Conveyance capacity is needed during peak delivery periods. The CWA’s storage projects allow additional conveyance capacity to transport water to the various reservoirs during low demand years. “If we need to do something we will be in a position to do something,” Weinberg said. Pipelines 3 and 5 are expected to have capacity constraints by 2025, necessitating the extension of Pipeline 6 from Temecula to the CWA’s Twin Oaks Diversion Structure if not additional local supply or a Colorado River conveyance system which would transport Imperial County supplies directly into the CWA’s aqueduct system at the San Vicente Reservoir between Lakeside and Ramona. The Colorado River conveyance system would be evaluated against extending Pipeline 6, and the Camp Pendleton desalination plant will also be part of that evaluation of alternatives. The preliminary plan analysis indicates that Pipeline 6 would have a capacity of 500 cubic feet per second (cfs). That could also allow for a switchover of the CWA’s existing five San Diego Aqueduct pipelines from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s Lake Skinner facility in Temecula. Pipelines 1, 2, and 4 currently convey treated water to CWA turnouts while Pipelines 3 and 5 carry untreated water from Lake Skinner through the San Diego Aqueduct system. Switching Pipeline 3 to treated water and Pipeline 4 to untreated water would add 200 cfs to untreated water conveyance capacity. A desalination facility project includes conveyance pipeline as well as the facility itself. The CWA expects the Carlsbad desalination project to be serving the area by 2016, and that pipeline system will relieve demand on the CWA’s Twin Oaks Treatment Plant and allow for a redistribution of water from Twin Oaks through the Valley Center Pipeline, thus reducing the amount of treated water needed from MWD. The Camp Pendleton desalination project portion of the update evaluates a potential new supply developed in 50 million gallons per day (mgd) increments
with a capacity of 50 to 150 mgd. The Camp Pendleton conveyance capacity would range from 77 to 232 cfs. At its ultimate 150 mgd capacity the project has a construction cost estimate of $2.32 to $2.90 billion with conveyance costs of $350 to 360 million and annual operation and maintenance costs of $174 to $200 million. Excluding capital recovery costs of $1,030 to $1,260 per acre-foot, the annual operating cost for a 150 mgd facility would be $1,190 per acre-foot. The 2014 rate for untreated water from MWD is $890 per acre-foot while MWD’s 2013 rate was $847 per acre-foot. The Colorado River conveyance facility would have a capacity of 400 cfs. In October 2003, the Quantification Settlement Agreement which included a water conservation and transfer agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District and a canal lining agreement for the AllAmerican and Coachella canals was approved. The CWA will be able to obtain up to 280,200 acre-feet per year of Colorado River supplies through the QSA. The water is currently “wheeled” through MWD’s aqueduct system, and MWD charges a wheeling rate for that supply. The two preferred alignment alternatives are a tunnel alignment with a more northerly route consisting of 41 miles of tunnel, 12 miles of open channel canals, and 30 miles of pipeline, and a pipeline alignment with a southerly alignment and 81 miles of pipeline and 11 miles of tunnel. The conveyance facility would also have pump stations, power generating facilities, pressure control facilities, electric transmission lines, and electrical substations, and water treatment facilities may also be included. The tunnel alignment alternative for the Colorado River conveyance facility has an estimated capital cost of $1.98 billion with an annual operating cost of $71 million. The pipeline alignment has a $2.30 billion estimated capital cost and a $132 million annual operating cost. The tunnel alignment cost per acre-foot of $713 consists of $460 for capital recovery and $253 for annual operations. The per acre-foot $1,006 pipeline alignment cost covers $535 for capital recovery and $470 for operations. The subsurface tunnel alternative has a higher risk for construction impacts due to unknown geologic conditions, a l t h o u g h t h e u n d e rg r o u n d alignment has less risk for land acquisition, environmental impacts, and public acceptance. The preliminary design, agency coordination, environmental compliance, detailed design, and construction phases would total 12 to 17 years for the tunnel alignment and 10 to 14 years for the pipeline alignment.
The updates, including potential deferrals of long-term projects to beyond 2025, would increase the total CIP project budget from $2.961 billion to between $2.344 and $2.434 billion. That amount includes $3.5 to $4.5 million for feasibility evaluations of the longterm Camp Pendleton desalination and Colorado River conveyance projects. The Pipeline 6 extension, the Camp Pendleton desalination plant, and the Colorado River conveyance system all have timeframes of beyond 2035. Implementation of one of those projects is expected to render the other two options unnecessary. The CWA’s infrastructure which is planned regardless of whether Pipeline 6, the Camp Pendleton desalination plant, or the Colorado River conveyance system will be built includes the North County Emergency Storage Program (ESP) pump station at Red Mountain. The ESP pump station and the conversion of Pipelines 3 and 4 are considered near-term or mid-term projects which will be implemented prior to 2025. The ESP pump station has an estimated cost of $21.6 million. The Pipeline 3/4 conversion, including the MWD portion, is expected to cost approximately $220 million. The Pipeline 3/4 conversion may also require an alternate location for the pump station. “I don’t know that that’s going to work any more if we pursue the pipeline conversion,” Weinberg said. “If we go ahead with this Pipeline 3/4 conversion it does have an impact on this pump station.” The master plan update will also study hydroelectric energy generation opportunities. Fifteen potential hydroelectric generation locations have been identified, including the pipeline segments at the northernmost portion of the San Diego Aqueduct. Excess aqueduct pressure during low-flow demand periods could be used for energy recovery. The PEIR covers alternatives and regional effects and thus will reduce the scope of work for the Environmental Impact Report of individual projects in the master plan. The PEIR will be a supplemental addendum to the PEIR approved in 2003; under CEQA if only minor additions or changes are necessary to make the previous EIR adequate for the updated project a supplemental EIR may be used. The CWA’s July 25 board meeting approved the list of proposed projects to be analyzed in the supplemental PEIR while directing CWA staff to complete the initial draft of the master plan update and distribute it to CWA member agencies for comment. “It has been a long process,” Weinberg said. To comment on this story online, visit www.thevillagenews.com.