Buses are available to tonight's Gregory Canyon Landfill hearing in Fallbrook.

START: Sierra Club San Diego Office: 8304 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. (parking lot is
available) starting at 4:15pm.
Stop 2: La Costa Park and Ride (located east of I-5 and on the north side of La Costa
Avenue in Carlsbad) map location.
Stop 3: The Oceanside Park and ride, which is just west of the I-5 at 128 Moreno and
Vista Way (map here).

Why is opposing the project this important to Surfrider Foundation San Diego County Chapter? The proposed 300-acre Gregory Canyon Landfill would be built on the banks of the San Luis Rey River, threatening a major drinking water source for thousands of people. Local agencies, elected officials, environmental groups and Native Americans agree that these essential water supplies must be protected and preserved at all costs.

The County of San Diego is deciding whether to approve a key permit that the landfill needs in order to operate. We need to make sure the County gets the message that placing a garbage dump on the banks of a river makes no sense. The bottom line is that garbage and water just don't mix.

Tonight, 6:30. Fallbrook Community Library.

I-5 Widening Comments Due, Today

If you want to comment on the draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement underlying I-5 widening project in north coastal county, San Diego, today is your last chance. Not familiar with the plan? Take a look here. You don't have to be a lawyer, a scientist or a policy wonk to make a comment or ask a question or to tell them what you think. Did you know that they have to answer your questions? Ask away! I suggest e-mail or online since comments have to be in by 5:00 today. Doooooo it!

Email at I-5_NCC_EIR_EIS@dot.ca.gov; the District’s webpage www.dot.ca.gov.dist11; on www.keepsandiegomoving.com/I-5-Corridor/I-5-intro.aspx; and standard mail to Shay Lynn Harrison 4050 Taylor Street, MS-242 San Diego, CA 92110.

Southern California One Step Away from a Network of Marine Protected Areas.

Last week, over 700 surfers, students, divers, business owners, and elected officials turned out in record numbers to the Fish and Game Commission hearing.   This hearing was the last Fish and Game meeting before the Commission officially adopts a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in December.  Here’s a great article about the meeting.  

Just a handful of Surfrider representatives (Bill Hickman, Joe Geever and Julia Chunn) amongst the hundreds of people who attended  the meeting. 

At the hearing, Surfrider representatives and local volunteers spoke in favor of implementing a strong network of MPAs and adopting the Integrated Preferred Alterative map (which the Commission has chosen to go forward under the State environmental review process; via the California Environmental Quality Act).   After 2 years of planning, thousands of letters, and hundreds of hours of public meetings, the Fish and Game Commission will finally implement a network of MPAs at the Dec 15^th meeting.  Don’t miss your opportunity to attend the last hearing and speak in favor of Marine Protected Areas, AND witness the Commission make its historic decision.  

If you are interested in attending this hearing (in Santa Barbara, please contact Stefanie at: Ssekich@surfrider.org). 

ACOE is Trashing Mission Beach

Media Contact: Bill Hickman 619-804-6264 or bill@surfriderSD.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Trashes Mission Beach with Dredging Project. Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter calls for cleanup and more testing.

San Diego, October 20, 2010 – Often it’s the tourists that trash Mission Beach, now an Army Corps of Engineers project is adding to it. Mission Beach residents and beach-goers have been shocked by debris left behind by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractor, Manson Construction (headquartered in Seattle, WA). Right now a top concern is beach safety as many sharp objects are turning up.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) through their contractor are in the middle of a dredging project in Mission Bay to make it safer for boat traffic. The name of the approximate $5.3 million project is “Mission Bay Dredging and Beach Nourishment”. As the name of the project implies, material that is dredged up from Mission Bay is being pumped up the beach through large pipes to various sections of Mission Beach.

Unfortunately, the material being dredged up has included an abundance of debris with apparently no attempt to clean it up. “Beaches should be barefoot friendly but right now we are advising everyone to watch their step on Mission Beach near the dredge and fill project. When I walked the tideline on Tuesday I found armfuls of debris, everything from outdated soda and beer cans to old fishing gear to degraded lobster traps wrapped with wire to leftover caution tape from the project. At first glance it did not look bad but once I got on the beach I was pretty shocked.”, said Surfrider Foundation San Diego Chapter Coordinator Bill Hickman. Photos can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfridersandiego/sets/72157625202042496/

The trash (which includes beer cans, sharp metal objects, discarded fishing material and more) is being pumped out right at the water line, allowed to drain, and is then graded into the existing sand. There is no apparent effort by the ACOE or Manson Construction to screen their dredge material to make sure that they are only depositing “clean, beach quality sand”, as their own construction sign indicates.

Multiple residents and beach-goers have been appalled to see old trash and debris being deposited on their local beaches and are concerned about its long term health, environmental, and financial impacts to the surrounding community and businesses.

“Surfrider is calling on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to stop trashing our beaches and to clean up the mess that they’ve already made. In addition they need to increase testing of the water and sand near the outfall to make sure it’s up to health standards.”, said Hickman.

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