San Benito County water circle Customers could be billed for the cost of reopening the San Justo Reservoir, Duane Stroup, US Department of Interior deputy area director of the Bureau of Reclamation, said at the April 13th meeting of the San Benito county board of directors.
The San Justo Reservoir was closed for recreational activities in 2008 when zebra mussels were discovered. The reservoir is owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and is operated by the water district for agricultural purposes.
The Bureau of Reclamation created an amortization plan in 2019 that includes two years of reservoir treatment and three years of monitoring. The treatment process includes withdrawing the reservoir, treating it with potassium, flushing and refilling, and treating the water for 45 days, according to a presentation by Graciela Rodriguez, a county analyst.
Stroup said zebra mussel eradication would cost an estimated $ 5 million. Depending on the funds used for the project, the office may need to amortize the cost.
“Anything that reclamation does, or almost anything that reclamation does, is refundable,” Stroup said. “That means that those who benefit from the action have to pay for the action. So when we receive money and then spend it on various campaigns, we collect these costs from the water users. “
Stroup made it clear that if the Bureau of Reclamation had to amortize the costs, customers of the San Benito County Water District would ultimately pay for the project.
Supervisor Bob Tiffany said the community was frustrated that the reservoir was closing. And now to learn that not only is fundraising a problem, but that water district customers are expected to pay for it, adds to the frustration.
Regarding fundraising, Phil Deppert, district director of Congressman Jimmy Panetta, said Panetta had added a language to the budget for fiscal year 2021 stating that San Justo Reservoir is eligible to raise funds from the water conservation and delivery account to compete. He added that the process of distributing funds was ongoing.
“I can’t tell you when these decisions will be made, but I can tell you it will be relatively soon,” said Deppert. “And as soon as we get an answer as to whether this money will end up in the water protection and delivery account or not, I can come back with the board and bring everyone up to date.”
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki asked the Bureau of Reclamation and Panetta’s office to find a way to fund the project.
“In terms of recreation, this is a nightmare for the community,” said Kosmicki, adding that he would like to have discussions about using the reservoir area for recreational activities such as hiking.
Water District Assistant Engineer Garrett Haertel said, as he did in a presentation to regulators in 2019, that in addition to treating the reservoir, the entire system needs to be treated, “because of the interconnection of the two and how, if you don’t do it ”. To fix the problem in one, it can fix the other again. The project has to deal with all of these relevant institutions. “
San Benito County Administrative Officer Ray Espinosa asked Deppert and Stroup if funding was the only obstacle to the implementation of the amortization plan. Stroup said California permits still need to be obtained to use the chemicals in the reservoir. However, since they have expired, the focus is initially on securing funding. Deppert also said there was nothing the county could do to speed up the process.
“The funding meeting is taking place right between the headquarters of the office and our DC office,” said Deppert.
In an effort to get funding for the project, Panetta sent a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Brenda Burman on December 28, requesting $ 5 million to implement the final amortization plan for the Provide for the zebra mussel eradication project of the San Justo Reservoir.
In his letter, Panetta states that zebra mussel eradication would benefit San Benito County and California, both economically and environmentally. In addition, the Bureau of Reclamation would benefit from a better understanding of how “to combat the spread of other major and diverse types of infestation in our nation’s water systems”.
Burman responded on Jan. 12 that the BOR’s spending plan was under development.
“We will thoroughly and fully examine the San Justo Zebra Clam Eradication Project.”
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