Applications for the State Water Resources Control Board’s Storm Water Grants are due Tuesday at 5 pm, and it seems like everybody and their brother is hustling to get their projects in line for funding. Me included.
Lost Opportunity
Here’s a pair of maps. The first one shows a 27-acre area tributary to a ravine. The second roughs out the location where a bioretention facility might go. The facility would intercept runoff—infiltrating some of it, evaporating a bit more, and treating the remainder before letting it seep toward the creek downstream. The project was… Continue reading Lost Opportunity
Do the Minimum
It was 1991, maybe early 1992. I left my office at the sewage treatment plant and drove down to City Hall. In the City Manager’s office, I had 10 minutes of his time to explain the new stormwater regulations. Yes, under the Clean Water Act, permits would now cover rainwater runoff from roofs, streets, and… Continue reading Do the Minimum
Whimsy
One the best things about my new purchase is going to be figuring out why I bought it. It’s a very impractical machine. To begin with, it has only one gear (flip-flop fixie/freewheel, for those in the know). The parts are not particularly high-quality. This is a “large” frame from Republic Bicycles, but it feels… Continue reading Whimsy
What I’m Working On
Writing and updating the Contra Costa Clean Water Program Stormwater C.3 Guidebook, 6th Edition. The 6th Edition includes implementation of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Municipal Regional Permit requirements to infiltrate, evapotranspirate or harvest/reuse runoff from new development sites. Stormwater Control Plan Template to go with the Guidebook Participation with the… Continue reading What I’m Working On
Google Bomb
My blog is back just in time to congratulate Mr. Santorum on his near-victory in Iowa.
Home for Lunch
My new lunchtime habit is to hop on my bike and ride the 8 blocks or so home. There, I can do a little yoga, wash up the breakfast dishes, and still make it back to the office in an hour or so. Or maybe a little more. And OK, I’ve done it twice, but… Continue reading Home for Lunch
Rosy Outlook for 2012
2011 was a hella good year, when I stop to think about it. I did a lot of things right and a few things wrong, and by that accounting I’m happy to be in the black. Most of the wrong things had to do with not taking care of myself physically. I didn’t do enough… Continue reading Rosy Outlook for 2012
New Beginnings
America, the land of second chances. About four years ago, the web service Blogger (owned by Google) stopped supporting blogs hosted anywhere except on their own site. Around the same time, I got divorced and —for some time during and after —lost my blogging voice. I’d start to write, and the words on the screen… Continue reading New Beginnings