Monday Morning Musings
La Niña Event to Affect Eastern Pacific Region Climatology
For many months, those monitoring SST (Sea Surface Tempertaure) anomolies have been speculating that the winter 2007/2008 season would be marked by a dip in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the hallmark feature of what is commonly referred to as a "La Niña" condition.
Below is a chart that displays SST anomolies ~ the deviation from average temperatures across the Pacific:
As can be seen in the image generated on October 4th above, there exists a long and wide band of cooler than normal water (by as much as 5 degrees Centigrade) located along the equator. No question about it, La Niña is here. Typically this pattern results in dryer and calmer than normal weather patterns, but that is not always the case. Just last winter we had the opposite condition - El Nino - which is practically synonymous with huge surf, and we all know what happened there. Look for colder normal water temps (break out those 4/3 full suits), and let's all pray that this is one of those "atypical" La Niña years...
Tomorrow's Septic-to-Sewer Hearing & Demonstration
At this time tomorrow, activists on both sides of the issue will be preparing for a face-off at the Carpinteria City Hall. We've heard from proponents on this issue, and invite those who oppose this initiative to speak up and be heard. There are many who are saying to themselves "Why would anyone oppose the sewer project"? Arguments ranging from the high cost to the assertion that there is no evidence or proof that such an action would actually help improve the water quality at Rincon have been raised. Admittedly, I am not a biologist. However, it is hard for me to believe that converting from septic tanks to sewers would have no benefit. Not long ago (Winter of 2004/05) when we had torrential rains, there were many days at Rincon when the stench of raw sewage permeated the air, and the water was ugly as hell. Bricks -- the type that are used in the construction of septic tanks -- were strewn upon the beach. Personally, I would much prefer to deal with effluent in the more modern and conventional way. Sure, offshore sewage outfalls have their own unique issues, and are far from a perfect solution. But at least the sewage is filtered and treated before making its way into the sea. By the time it reaches the shore it has been substantially dilluted, much more so than sewage that has leeched its way through the cobblestone of Rincon Point and into the water.
There is the issue of cost, that's for sure. Should the homeowners be burdened with footing the bill for the conversion? A question that keeps running through my mind is, imagine what good we could do, environmentally speaking, with the 10 billion dollar per month budget that George W. Bush is dumping in Iraq?
The reason why this hot-contested issue has been brewing for close to 9 years is because there is no clear and definitive answer, only questions. Personally, I feel that the time for action is now. Intuitively speaking, it's the right thing to do. Sitting back and doing nothing is a mistake.
Again, to be fair, I invite opponents to this measure to submit their arguments for posting here.
See you tomorrow at Carpinteria City Hall.
For many months, those monitoring SST (Sea Surface Tempertaure) anomolies have been speculating that the winter 2007/2008 season would be marked by a dip in the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the hallmark feature of what is commonly referred to as a "La Niña" condition.
Below is a chart that displays SST anomolies ~ the deviation from average temperatures across the Pacific:
As can be seen in the image generated on October 4th above, there exists a long and wide band of cooler than normal water (by as much as 5 degrees Centigrade) located along the equator. No question about it, La Niña is here. Typically this pattern results in dryer and calmer than normal weather patterns, but that is not always the case. Just last winter we had the opposite condition - El Nino - which is practically synonymous with huge surf, and we all know what happened there. Look for colder normal water temps (break out those 4/3 full suits), and let's all pray that this is one of those "atypical" La Niña years...
Tomorrow's Septic-to-Sewer Hearing & Demonstration
At this time tomorrow, activists on both sides of the issue will be preparing for a face-off at the Carpinteria City Hall. We've heard from proponents on this issue, and invite those who oppose this initiative to speak up and be heard. There are many who are saying to themselves "Why would anyone oppose the sewer project"? Arguments ranging from the high cost to the assertion that there is no evidence or proof that such an action would actually help improve the water quality at Rincon have been raised. Admittedly, I am not a biologist. However, it is hard for me to believe that converting from septic tanks to sewers would have no benefit. Not long ago (Winter of 2004/05) when we had torrential rains, there were many days at Rincon when the stench of raw sewage permeated the air, and the water was ugly as hell. Bricks -- the type that are used in the construction of septic tanks -- were strewn upon the beach. Personally, I would much prefer to deal with effluent in the more modern and conventional way. Sure, offshore sewage outfalls have their own unique issues, and are far from a perfect solution. But at least the sewage is filtered and treated before making its way into the sea. By the time it reaches the shore it has been substantially dilluted, much more so than sewage that has leeched its way through the cobblestone of Rincon Point and into the water.
There is the issue of cost, that's for sure. Should the homeowners be burdened with footing the bill for the conversion? A question that keeps running through my mind is, imagine what good we could do, environmentally speaking, with the 10 billion dollar per month budget that George W. Bush is dumping in Iraq?
The reason why this hot-contested issue has been brewing for close to 9 years is because there is no clear and definitive answer, only questions. Personally, I feel that the time for action is now. Intuitively speaking, it's the right thing to do. Sitting back and doing nothing is a mistake.
Again, to be fair, I invite opponents to this measure to submit their arguments for posting here.
See you tomorrow at Carpinteria City Hall.
"...when we had torrential rains, there were many days at Rincon when the stench of raw sewage permeated the air, and the water was ugly as hell. Bricks -- the type that are used in the construction of septic tanks -- were strewn upon the beach."
During torrential rains, about twelve square miles of watershed drain directly into Rincon Creek, carrying months' worth of animal waste with it. Even if the Point had no houses at all, you'd be nuts to go in the water. The septic systems are not near the creek banks, so the bricks you're seeing are coming from a different source.
The proposed sewer system is a Rube-Goldberg-esque contraption of pressure lines, grinder pumps, pump stations, and a 2-mile, 180-vertical-foot rise to the central facility. Considering how fragile the current city infrastructure is (electrical power goes out at Rincon routinely), the sewer can only be a worse accident waiting to happen. And at over $88,000 per homeowner, the burden is squarely on the sewer proponents to demonstrate that it will do any good at all, which they have never done. East Beach, Hammond's Beach, Leadbetter Beach, and Carpinteria State Beach (and Carpinteria Creek, but not Rincon Creek) are on the state's 303(d) impaired list, and all of those beaches are on sewer systems. I tried to find out when the last sewer incident happened at Solimar Beach (their system is similar to the one proposed), only to discover that raw sewage is backing up into one of their private homes right now. (They requested I not reveal which home.) I apologize for the long post, but I feel rather strongly about this.
Sincerely,
-Ben Weiss, Rincon resident
http://www.benweiss.com/pages/blog.html