HOPE - Helping Our Peninsula's Environment
Box 1495, Carmel, CA 93921 wceln@juno.com
831/624-6500
Thursday, February 28, 2002
Water Board
Re: Pebble Beach Company Water Grabbing
& Wasting
Because of Sunday's letter on this
subject, we would like to clear a few things up.
FICTITIOUS WATER RIGHTS
The Pebble Beach Company 360
acre foot water "entitlement" was created from thin
air.
There is no dispute that all water
rights must be adjudicated (decided by a State Water
Board Judge) and that the PBC Water District Water
"entitlement" was never adjudicated.
This means the Water District gave
away water rights to PBC that it didn't own. It's not
unlike making counterfeit money.
PBC must recognize they do not own
valid rights to 360 acre feet of water.
TREAT ALL RECYCLED WATER OR JUST
GREENS?
Why should we build and pay for
a $21 million dollar treatment plant so PBC golf course
greens can glow even greener? Especially when two thirds
of the recycled water doesn't need any extra treatment
because it doesn't go on the greens.
Building it and paying for it is
totally Pebble Beach company's responsibility.
Pebble Beach Company has two
alternative options
- Use a salt tolerant grass,
and
- Use small onsite treatment systems
to treat only the small amount of recycled water
needed just by the greens
We strongly suggest Pebble Beach
Company must -
- Recognize they won no valid rights
to 360 acre feet of water.
- Change over to drought tolerant
and salt tolerant grasses.
- Wholly pay for the extra water
treatment their greens want (not need),
WATER CONSERVATION IGNORED
By the way - what water
conservation methods are all PBC's golf courses
using?
- Does PBC compact their soil? (No.
Compacting alone has reduced water use by as much as
49%
- Do PBC golf courses get watered
only when needed - or on a clock schedule? (Hint:
Spanish Bay and PBC operate on a clock causing shallow
rooting and increases water need.)
- Does PBC water deeply and
infrequently to save water? (No.)
- Did PBC lower their mowing height
to save water? (No?)
- Does PBC use dull moving blades to
save water? (Not on purpose.)
- Did PBC reduce fertilizer to save
water? (No?)
All these methods significantly reduce
water use according to the US Golf
Association.
Why do responsible Peninsula residents
have to suffer through droughts and rationing and Carmel
river's steelhead and endangered frogs needlessly die while
as the river dries up every year - when every day Pebble
Beach Company wastes huge amounts of water - enough to help
everyone - and they can't lift a single finger to help
out?
Sincerely,
/ss/
David Dilworth, Acting Secretary
624-6500
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