By John Perry, San Juan Capistrano
Only four months into the new fiscal year, the city has been forced to adjust the budgeted output of the Groundwater Recovery Plant from 4,545 acre feet for fiscal year 2012-2013 to 4,000 acre feet because of lower than expected water production.
The reduction in the GWRP output will have serious budget implications that will cost the city $668,715 in lost revenue and unbudgeted expenditures during the fiscal year. First, the city will lose the Metropolitan Water District subsidy of $250 per a.f. for the 545 a.f. that the GWRP will not produce. This amounts to a reduction of $136,250 in budgeted revenue. Second, the city will have to purchase an additional 545 a.f. of imported water from the MWD at a cost of $977 per a.f. which will impact the budget with an additional expense of $532,465. The total impact to the 2012-2013 budget will be $668,715.
So, who will have to pay for this miscalculation? It will be you, the taxpayer through your water rates. I am sure the City Treasurer will push some funding around to cover the shortfall so no one will notice. Unless you take time to read the entire multitude of incomprehensible financial reports presented in the council agenda, you would never know the difference.
At the Utilities Commission meeting of November 13, 2012, Keith Van Der Maaten, director of the Utilities Department, stated, “the GWRP production loss was caused by the failure of the greensand filtration system.” He went on to say that the filters need to be rebuilt again before the output can be increased.
For eight of the nine years the GWRP has been in operation we have heard the same story over and over again: “As soon as we get this problem solved, the plant will produce over 5 million gallons per day.” As soon as one problem is fixed another pops up. Maintenance costs continue to skyrocket while the GWRP continues to underperform, so we have to import more MWD water to meet the city’s needs.
It all costs money—our money. The city has none because the Utility Department still has a multimillion-dollar deficit.
It just goes to show that anything which involves rock or unconsolidated formations buried underground where they cannot be seen (i.e., geology) is probably only 70% predictable at best, even with the advanced imaging, downhole logging, data analysis and modelling systems available nowadays. This allows much room for error, and too much reliance is placed on the results of numerical models: inadequate and uncertain data in = erroneous model predictions out.
This is why I will run again for council in 2014. As a geologist, I understand that our aquifer system is flawed. Our water system should be decommissioned. I have said it for several years now ever since I arrived in SJC.
I want to put some science on the council to make some good decisions. I just paid $100 this month for water. Succulents planted, grass removed, limited showers, only a 2 person household….and our bill was this much?
The people making these poor decisions should not be reelected. I will fight for all of us.