Dear Friends and Neighbors of the Channel Islands Harbor:
The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board HEARING is on Thursday, Sept. 13th. CINC is holding a “Prep Meeting” the week before on Thursday, Sept. 6th. This is the hearing where the community can speak to the commissioners who will then VOTE to allow the power plant to complete the closure permit. The LARWQB has already sent a position paper “Final Facts” that doesn’t address the unintended consequence of the power plant closure as it relates to the deteriorating harbor water quality. We have asked the Commissioners (who are appointed by the Governor) to require an alternative solution(s) from GenOn (formerly NRG).
Sadly total ecological system of our harbor is taking the full force of this change in the water’s flow since the early 1950’s. Today the City of Oxnard can simply monitor the oxygen situation and install a few aeration pumps. Oxnard’s Press Release on August 23rd warns: “Low oxygen levels can cause fish to die off in the water. We are looking for boaters who are willing to volunteer their time remove dead fish from the waters, should this happen due to low oxygen levels.”
Our beautiful harbor is in trouble when Oxnard has to prepare boaters to clean up millions of pounds of “fish kill”. Our harbor community did our best to communicate clearly our concerns to the LARWQB by letters and emails.
NEXT STEPS: It is time to focus our requests to the commissioners IN PERSON. We need you to attend our CINC “Prep Meeting” if you intend to speak to the commissioners. Like other civic speaking sessions they are limited to 3 minutes and maybe less if there are a lot of speakers. We will be more effective IF we plan and practice together, so join us!
PREP MEETING
Thursday, Sept. 6th, @ 6pm – Oxnard Library on “A” Street, Meeting Room B
LARWQB Hearing -Attend with your neighbors and be there early!
Thursday MORNING – Sept. 13th starts at 9am
Ventura County Government Center Hearing Room, 800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura
Share with your neighbors –
Attachments: from the LARWQB Final Fact Sheet Issued August 2018 and the Press Release City of Oxnard August 23 2018
Our harbor deserves our stewardship,
Audrey Keller
Chair, Channel Islands Neighborhood Council
(818) 292-0447