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Squaw Valley Water Supply Assessment: More Questions Than Answers?

10488243_591284270991099_8945020928252653781_nThe Water Supply Assessment for the Village At Squaw Valley Specific Plan has been released by the Squaw Valley Public Services District. The document is intended to determine what amount of water will be needed to support the development that has been proposed by Squaw Valley and KSL. There’s been a lot of conjecture thrown about since we started covering the Village development story over the last year. During that time, there were a couple of different issues that had been raised by the Squaw Valley Public Services District:

• There was a limited ability of the aquifer within Olympic Valley to support new construction. At one point it was suggested that as few as 100 new homes could be built without an additional source of water.

• Olympic Valley needs a “backup source” of water, just in case something happened to the aquifer within Olympic Valley. Although other sources are under story, the most likely solution was the “8 Mile Pipe”, which proposed bringing water from Martis Valley.

It has caught the attention of many of UnofficialAlpine.com’s readers that maybe there was a connection between the need for the “8 Mile Pipe” and KSL’s proposal for roughly 1700 more units within Olympic Valley. The WSA has been highly anticipated, as it was expected to clarify the need for additional water within Olympic Valley. The study, conducted by a group of independent engineers, concludes that there is an adequate supply of water within the Olympic Valley aquifer to support the proposed development. Here’s a summary of the findings:

“The Olympic Valley Ground water Basin has sufficient supply to meet the needs of the Project, in addition to the existing and planned future uses in the Olympic Valley over the next 25 years in normal, single, and multiple dry years. The Basin is not currently in overdraft and is not projected to be overdrafted with the future demand. The Model projects the 2040 demand can be met with an adequate margin of safety even during single and multiple dry years. However, any additional demands above those projected for 2040 would need to be reevaluated using the specific demand schedule and proposed water supply system at the time that such development is proposed.” – Water Supply Assessment for the Village At Squaw Valley Specific Plan

That seems to be a fairly significant turn around from what we have heard in the past from SVPSD. It certainly calls into question the immediate need for the “8 Mile Pipe” project. The proposal to pipe water from Martis Valley to Olympic Valley along the Highway 89 corridor would be astoundingly expensive, in terms of pure financial costs, and in the disruption due to construction along the West River St and Highway 89 route.

Sierra Watch has also been keeping a close eye on the development of the Village At Squaw Valley. Sierra Watch released a statement this week questioning the validity of the WSA. Here’s a small part of the release:

“For years, officials have been telling us that the existing water supplies in Squaw Valley do not provide a secure and adequate source of water for existing customers, let alone new development. We either have water or we don’t, but we can’t have it both ways.” – Peter Van Zant, Field Director for Sierra Watch

Sierra Watch has engaged it’s own independent hydrologists to review the science behind the latest WSA in an attempt to understand the sudden availability of water. Here’s a copy of the statement release by Tom Mooers, Executive Director of Sierra Watch: Release Water Report for Squaw Development

The first public hearing on the WSA will be on Tuesday, June 24th at the regularly scheduled board meeting of the SVPSD. The public hearing is scheduled for 1:00 pm 12:00 pm at the SVPSD offices on the west end of the fire station on Squaw Valley Road. The complete WSA report is available here (it’s a very large download).

21 thoughts on “Squaw Valley Water Supply Assessment: More Questions Than Answers?”

  1. The draft WSA presentation will be a timed item, starting at 12 noon, June 24, at the SVPSD community meeting room. (not 1pm as reported). You can link to the agenda. Regular business meeting starts at 0830 but the WSA will be heard at noon.

    For your information:
    The Squaw Valley Public Service District’s website has been updated to include materials for the upcoming June Board Meeting Agenda.
    The June Board Meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at 8:30 AM in the Community Room located at 305 Squaw Valley Road.
    Direct Link: http://www.svpsd.org/Agenda.asp

    Tom Campbell

  2. Thanks for the heads up, Mark. I had been checking periodically, but hadn’t looked lately. Going to take a hard look at it.

    In terms of the change in the estimated safe yield of the aquifer from past estimates, just so you know, that is not at all uncommon. A former client managed an aquifer in Riverside County that had the estimated safe yield change by something like 10,000 acre-feet between various studies done over a twenty year period. Technology changes, different monitoring wells are used, more or fewer monitoring wells are used, etc., which can change the numbers fairly dramatically.

  3. Skipper!!

    Is it true the island Chief’s pals paid $22,000 for a month’s activism from Kings Beach?

    That is a lot of activism – but where’s the busloads of hairy unwashed natives?. Only 3 people tried to “Occupy IOV” and they botched that. Goodness, where do they get 2nd class protesters? The same place they get executives I s’pose: Craigslist

    If anyone needs it, I have some paint and white sheets for banners.proclaiming “GO BACK TO SQUAW VALLEY, IOV”.

    I’ll even donate the bus fare from Squaw to Hidden Loop Lane.

    So sod off IOV. Go back to your side of the Island

  4. Placer's $697,000 of marketing budget

    There’s a hole lot of ‘grant’ money that goes here, and there, and back again. It’s like watching “peanut shuffle’. Under which shell is the peanut? Has anyone got figures?

    1. Boy did I stand in the wrong line at the Job Fair!

      I should’da stood in line for the Non-jobs that pay this big monthly Non-money.

      For $22,000 for a month I could do a great non-job:- my mom’ll give me a great reference too!

      1. What’s the exchange rate for US non-money into this Sov-iette non money?

        In all seriousness, Sov is a farce. Of the 80 businesses that reputedly support KSL, not one turned up for the free Appreciation Day: and it was a powder day. Similarly, of the 5000 base camp visitors who reputedly liked Plan #1, most murmured as they left Base Camp. Who thinks a community activist on $22,000-per month? – and junk mail will achieve anything?

  5. Why are SOV wasting money on more flyers?

    I mean, if I was comp’ed a pass (way less than the $22,000 paid for activism), I’d “Occupy IOV” and tell Fred to ‘Go Home’ 🙂

  6. $7,500 for Posting and Printing

    Whoa, that’s big money to run off a few fliers that ‘ask’ the same questions they asked in April. Can’t they get the answers from websites like everyone else ?

  7. Thurston Howell III

    I have so much Non-Money, I’m a bejillionaire!

    But, Lovey, how much Non-Money are the non-burgers on their Island?

  8. Hi

    I was reading TDT today about the water. What’s odd to me is:

    In January, KSL said they had loads of water but Mike Geary was qouted in the press as saying there’s only enough water for 100 extra homes. Now he says there’s enough to the year 2040. Huh???

    When the water was down by 22% in winter, things were ‘dire. Now we read that the water can go down by 33% and still be ok. Huh?

    KSL needs extra wells at ‘its end’ near the SOV Valley Lodge. We hear that maybe the Lodge is talking with KSL about future things. Hmm.

    When KSL’s poo pipes exploded, didn’t the SVPSD want lodging for workers in any new development? I mean I’d want a apartment I could use when the poo pipes blow up occassionally, wouldn’t you.

    Something confuses me.

  9. Wasn’t someone testing for water near the Stables and near the Resort on Sq Creek Road too, ie as well as at the other end of the valley?

    That article about the Bay Club article talks about buying a destination resort in Tahoe. Where would you buy a resort if you played a game of Tahoe Monopoly?

  10. FoSV's survey on the wet amenity

    I really like the iov nextdoorneighbor internet notification service. Please congratulate IOV for that excellent initiative, and for links to unofficialalpine’s updates.

    https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MacAmenities don’t forget to have your say via this survey

    Btw, Sov’s Pov is unfathomable. Why don’t SoV for instance say how the wet amenity will operate from the local pov, eg what are the admission prices?

    do I pay admission as an adult to sit and watch the grandkids to make sure a flying skier or a kayaker doesn’t hit toddlers, that sort of thing

    For all we know it’ll be charged like Jay Peak: ie $200 a day for an average family for a bit of a swim.

    SoV are nutz to keep us in the dark while asking us to support sov’s pov.

    Keep up the sleuthing, unofficialalpine.

  11. Writes RGJ Media:

    “On Sunday, the RGJ Editorial Board wrote that it shouldn’t be necessary to remind anyone who’s lived in Reno for any length of time that the area is prone to droughts, but it is.

    As the RGJ’s Jeff Delong reported in a series on the current three-year-old drought this past week, it is as bad today as it’s been in recent memory. For the first time in about 20 years, residents will be asked later this summer to cut back on their water use by at least 10 percent. http://on.rgj.com/VA7fkP

    What do you think is the easiest and most effective way for people to conserve water this summer? Do you think most people will do their part to conserve water?”

    Where does Squaw’s water flow? and what was that cross-border water deal all about?

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