DONNER SUMMIT AREA ASSOCIATION'S PREPOSTEROUS WASTEWATER TROJAN HORSE

I've been reading through the introductory materials handed out at the DSAA "prosperity summit", which, after 2 or 3 reads, I'm thinking should be renamed the "preposterity summit", as it's absolutely preposterous that, given the strong anti-growth feelings evinced by last year's Summit-wide survey, DSAA, with help of Sierra Business Council, and the folks they hired to run the meeting, Regional Planning Partners, are trying to shove a Trojan Horse, specifically Royal Gorge LLC's pet wastewater Trojan Horse, through as something the entire Donner Summit wants or needs. 

A case in point: Last year Royal Gorge LLC hired Carollo Engineers to carry out an evaluation of what they would need for their 950 plus unit development, and what sort of upgrades would be needed at DSPUD to accommodate that proposed development. Carollo detailed 4 options, all related to Royal Gorge LLC's plans. Many of us attended the presentation Carollo made at Royal Gorge LLC's behest at SLCWD's monthly board meeting. 

In the hands of DSAA/SBC/ Regional Planning Partners, this study becomes disassociated with Royal Gorge LLC, and instead becomes a study detailing what Soda Springs/Donner Summit supposedly desperately needs-- and, by the way, upgrades and added capacity are not the same thing. DSPUD clearly needs to clean up what it's dumping in the South Yuba, but that doesn't mean DSPUD should expand the plant, and then dump yet more effluent. At some point, the South Yuba River, if it is not to be relegated the status of permanent sewer, has a limit to how much effluent can be sluiced into it from Donner Summit. There are many downstream users who feel that limit has been long passed.

Here's what DSAA/SBC/Regional Planning Partners have to say : 

"Word is out that additional building permits are not granted because the wastewater treatment plant that serves Soda Springs must be upgraded before it can offer added capacity. A 2007 engineering study prepared by Carollo Engineers evaluates four alternatives for improved and expanded wastewater treatment and effluent disposal. Estimated costs range between between $40.6 million and $42.1 million." 

Pages later, DSAA/SBC/ Regional Planning Partners goes on to worry the Soda Springs community with this scare tactic: 

Wastewater Management 

It is not likely that the small Soda Springs Community would ever be able to come up with the estimated $40+ million to improve its wastewater treatment system. If the community is interested in improving its prospects for utilities services, it will have to consider joining forces with other sources of funding. 

Funding Requirements 

Planning for the future will require funds. Implementing projects to build the plan will call for investors..... 

Sources of Funding 

For the time being, the community may rely on Economic Development Grants. Lacking those, it may have to find a "sponsor" of shared interest." 

Let me guess- would that sponsor possibly be Royal Gorge LLC? 

One can draw several conclusions here, and none of them reflect particularly well on DSAA, SBC, or Regional Planning Partners. They must have understood that they were presenting Royal Gorge LLC's study to stand for something for which it was not developed. The materials produced by Carollo are readily available on several websites, Carollo made presentations to interested parties last winter at both DSPUD and SLCWD board meetings, and Carollo (a very professional organization) made it very clear that they were working on behalf of Royal Gorge. There is no excuse for taking a study directed at Royal Gorge's needs, and saying it applies to Soda Springs. And, please do remember that cleaning up DSPUD's sewage treatment process, so that the river is not polluted, and Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board doesn't issue yet another Notice of Violation for ammonia, nitrates, and general scunge, is not the same as expanding the plant to accommodate development by Royal Gorge, or Sugar Bowl, or DSAA's latest developer du jour, Valen Brost with his condo-hotel he wishes to carve into the hillside across from Sugar Bowl's Gondola. 

What rationale can DSAA, who hosted this charette (I'm beginning to think charade might be a more descriptive term) have for doing this? 

Soon, we're going to be treated to glowing reports of the prosperity, or perhaps "preposterity" summit. If this is an example of the data presented to participants, it sounds like they may have unwittingly spent a lovely Saturday afternoon pounding nails into a Wastewater Trojan Horse, which instead of being foisted on the Summit by Royal Gorge LLC, or some other developer, is being shepherded in by Donner Summit Area Association and Sierra Business Council.