Brentwood Press - Index

Brentwood Press - AntiochPress_08.22.08 - Index

august 22, 2008 commUnItY brentwoodpress.com | 13A
Concerns from page 12A
rections that we need to do these tidal
marsh projects because the pumps are
having impacts to Delta smelt and other
species and we need to improve the ecosystem.
Tidal marsh restoration is kind
of the best hope for ecosystem improvement.
“But you’re right: the mercury is an
issue. It’s like so many things in life. It’s
like you get one thing and have to give
up something else.”
There are three separate parcels –
once belonging to the Emerson, Gilbert
and Burroughs families – that will be
converted to marshland one at a time.
Councilwoman Carol Rios asked
Quickert, “As you’re doing the project
and find there is a problem with methyl
mercury, how would you correct it?
Once you breach, there’s no going back?
If you found it really is a problem, how
would you deal with that?
“We will do a phased approach,” replied
Quickert. “If we breach one parcel
and there’s a problem, we would probably
do something different with the
other parcels. But you’re right: once it’s
breached, you can’t do a whole lot.”
Nix is also concerned about saltier
water pouring into the Delta when the
levee is breached, “which would, of
course, impact our water intake.”
Quickert responded, “Right, because
you’re opening up a whole new
volume that will essentially, to use a
really crass term, suck water from the
Bay, because that’s the larger volume of
water. I’ve worked with an engineer at
DWR that has done a lot of this kind of
modeling. What his modeling has shown
is that at this location, it should not have
an appreciable increase in salinity.
“We have studies that show the numbers.
It actually decreases the salinity at
some tidal stations. It increases it like a
hundredth of a part per thousand. So it’s
negligible. So we are not expecting that
to be an appreciable effect, but it’s one of
the things we will be monitoring.”
There will also be an increase in carbon
in the water when the nutrients in
the marsh break down. “That will be an
issue that we will monitor prior to doing
the restoration and after the restoration
is done to manage the amount of carbon
that’s going in the water,” said Quickert.
An environmental impact report
scheduled to be released in the next
month or two will provide more detail
on the potential impacts of the project
and the mitigation measures that could
be taken to minimize those impacts.
In order to create an appropriate
land level for the marsh, about a halfmillion
cubic yards of dirt that have been
irrigated with secondary effluent from
the Ironhouse Sanitary District will be
hauled across Marsh Creek to the Dutch
Slough project area.
The Burroughs parcel on the east
will probably be converted last to
marshland, if at all, because a levee
would need to be built along Jersey Island
Road to prevent flooding of the
road and the planned developments to
the east. DWR currently does not have
the several million dollars it will take to
build that levee.
supporting special Kids Foundation
The Special Kids Foundation is
looking for local support for its entry
into the American Express Member’s
Project Contest.
The Foundation’s project is a facility
that will serve the needs of special
needs children from all over East
County. The facility, which is being
developed in partnership by the Foundation,
the Delta Family YMCA and
SMF Construction, will be located
next to the YMCA on O’Hara Avenue
in Oakley, and is expected to cost
$750,000.
According to its Web site, the
American Express Member’s Project is
an “online initiative that enables Cardmembers
to submit, discuss and vote
on projects to make a positive impact
in the world that American Express
will fund with $2.5 million.”
If you’d like to lend support to getting
this new program for special-needs
families up and running right here in
our community, here’s how to help
– for free:
Go to www.spkids.org and follow
the link on the home page to the American
Express site. From there, if you are
an American Express cardholder, log
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