HomeMy WebLinkAboutPublic Comment Recyled Water Elsinore.
City Manager Yates and engineers also cite the loss of recycled water to
evaporation before it reaches Lake Elsinore as a big problem. That's nonsense
for two reasons. First, the recycled water is already directly conveyed to the
navigable lakebed of Lake Elsinore as defined by the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers. Secondly, the volume of alleged evaporative loss of recycled water
during its short flow through the Downtown is insignificant compared to the
9,000 gallons per minute lost every minute of the year, on average, from Lake
Elsinore itself. One-third of all supplemental water added to the Lake will be
lost to annual evaporation. The benefits of having flowing water in the
Riverwalk channel is worth the relatively insignificant loss to evaporation.
The City of Lake Elsinore was forced to close the lake recently due to Harmful
Algal Blooms and have issued an ongoing Public Health Advisory against body
contact. Developing a healthy aquatic ecosystem is key to restoring Lake
Elsinore and promoting the proliferation of zooplankton is the foundation for
reducing algae blooms and supporting a robust sport fishery.
The City of Lake Elsinore is now proposing to kill the major source of
beneficial zooplankton to Lake Elsinore by shutting off the water to the
Downtown Riverwalk. What the bureaucrats don't know is that the Riverwalk
Channel is the source for almost all the reproduction of large bodied
zooplankton that are a benefit to Lake Elsinore. As the lake-level drops the salt
content increases. Although the beneficial zooplankton can live under the
higher salt concentration, they cannot reproduce. The freshwater and vegetation
in the Downtown Riverwalk channel is an ideal environment to produce
millions of beneficial zooplankton to replenish the Lake. The City's proposal to
kill this source of beneficial zooplankton is foolish and counter-productive to
restoring Lake Elsinore.
I would think that at least the City and EVMWD would realize the potential for
this resource, especially since the community pays $1,400,000 per year for this
recycled water. Using the recycled water for multiple benefits of Lake
supplementation, aesthetic, riparian habitat and economic development is the
best and highest use for this resource to convey water to the Lake.
Sending recycled water down a buried drain pipe and away from the multiple
benefits associated with an improved Downtown Riverwalk is a foolish
solution to the easily solvable problem of excess growth of cattails. This
recycled water is bought and paid for by the community at the tune of$1.4-
million per year, so it should serve multiple benefits wherever possible. If the
City Council approves this preposterous project, it will forever undermine the
vision for the Downtown Riverwalk.
Pat Kilroy, 25 year resident
Retired Director of Lake Elsinore Aquatic Resources Department