Monthly Archives: August 2010

Redwood Shores Lagoon Sewage Notice

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The City is working with the San Mateo County Environmental Health Department and its consultants on options for treating the sewage in the lagoon in an environmentally-friendly manner. It’s known that sunlight will cause natural degradation of the sewage and it will dilute. Human fecal material is not harmful to the wildlife in the lagoon. This is not a situation involving any airborne elements.

Update: Redwood City Sewage Spill August 27

The broken sewer pipeline in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City has been repaired and reconnected, and is in operation. Testing has taken place and the pipeline is stable. City crews will continue to monitor the pipeline and pump system to ensure that it is operating properly.

Overview:

  • Revised estimated quantity of discharge: 48,000 gallons
  • Water testing of the lagoon continues to show high levels of E.coli
  • The City maintaining its advisory for residents to avoid any contact with the lagoon water
  • The City is working with County Environmental Health and specialized consultants on remediation plan for lagoon water
  • Cleanup of impacted garages and site is largely complete

Detail:

The City must notify the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB) within two hours of becoming aware of a sewage spill into the bay. Within three working days of the initial notification, the City must provide an updated report with current data.

Upon becoming aware of the sewer line failure in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City last Wednesday afternoon, the City immediately complied with the two-hour notification requirement. The City also notified the Office of Emergency Services and San Mateo County Environmental Health Services.

In that initial notification we provided a preliminary estimate of the number of gallons believed to be involved in the spill. At that time, the City estimated that 300 gallons per minute were being released and that the discharge could be stopped within 20 — 30 minutes. Staff calculated that this would result in an estimated discharge of about 5,000 gallons. Upon further investigation, staff anticipated that this number was likely to increase significantly as the discharge continued well beyond the initial expected stop time. The initial work was focused on what staff expected would be a valve failure; however, upon excavation (which took several hours) it was discovered this was a pipeline break resulting in a far greater amount of discharge. This increase in discharge took place since exposure and excavation of a pipeline is a much more extensive and time consuming repair than for a valve.

On Monday August 30, City staff filed an uncertified initial report to the California Integrated Water Quality System (the State Water Resources Board) with a calculated discharge amount of 48,000 gallons.

Testing of the lagoon water at various locations within the main lagoon shows high levels of coliform bacteria including E.coli. The City continues to strongly advise the community to avoid any contact with the lagoon water ? do not swim, boat, kayak, or otherwise touch the water, and do not let pets have any contact with the water.ÿ This advisory is in place indefinitely, and Redwood Shores residents will be informed as soon as it’s determined the lagoon water has returned to a normal condition.

The City is working with the San Mateo County Environmental Health Department, the Water Quality Control Board and the City’s consultants on options to improve lagoon water quality in an environmentally-friendly manner. Although sunlight and other natural processes will cause natural degradation of some elements of the sewage, the city is actively evaluating alternative methods to accelerate lagoon water quality improvement. It is not known when implementation of lagoon cleanup measures will take place.

Implementation of lagoon cleanup measures is expected to begin by the middle of this week. This is not a situation involving any airborne elements. The city is monitoring for impacts on fish and water fowl, and has found no evidence of any injury to animals in the lagoon. We continue to monitor lagoon conditions daily while we work to restore water quality.

Cleanup of the six residential garages is largely complete. Final cleanup and restoration of the parking area and the site of the pipeline failure will take place this week.

Redwood Shores’ 40th Anniversary

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The Redwood Shores Community Association will be turning 40 this year. We are in the process of putting a celebration together that everybody in the Shores community is invited to.

The committee is in the process of putting together the history of how this great community came to be. We will have on display information about the Shores from its start in the early ’60s. There will be photos showing how the area was developed showing some of the fond memories of the past like when Marine World was a part of our community and a great neighbor.

Those of us that can remember sitting in our back yards listening to the dolphins and whales to who remembers when there was only one road in and out of the Shores. Or better yet there was a time when we did not have a grocery store — anyone remember Byrnes Market?

The Shores is built out and now the RSCA works to keep it a great community. We’re proud how our community has developed, and we want to celebrate 40 years of progress and accomplishments.

Please mark your calendar for the event, to be held Sunday October 17, 2-5PM at the new Redwood Shores School. More details will be coming in the Pilot and our website ( www.rsca.org ). Please plan on attending bring your family.

If you have any memorabilia you might want to share please contact us at . We are also looking for groups who might want to participate with the activities during the celebration — contact us for more information.

— Sue Nix, Celebration Chairperson

Redwood Shores Lagoon Sewage Spill

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Updated September 8, 2010

The San Mateo County Environmental Health Department has deemed the water suitable for human contact. Water testing shows that there is no longer any danger of contamination from the sewage discharge on August 25th or fuel or oil from the small plane crash on September 2nd.

Redwood City is removing its advisary concerning contact with water in the Redwood Shores lagoon, and citizens can resume recreational use of the water. The city apologies for any inconveniences that these unfortunate events have caused, and thanks you for your understanding.

 

Update from September 2, 2010

General Overview: 

  • On 9/1/10 lagoon water was treated with bactericide (GreenClean Pro) – use of this material is approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board
  • Latest water test results will be available late Thursday/early Friday
  • The City is maintaining its advisory for residents to avoid any contact with the lagoon water – however, the City’s goal is to work with County Environmental Health to remove the water advisory by this weekend.
  • Lagoon water dissolved oxygen level is at normal
  • Revised estimated quantity of discharge: 48,000 gallons (unchanged since last update).
  • Cleanup of impacted garages and site is nearing completion.

Detail:

The City must notify the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB) within two hours of becoming aware of a sewage spill into the bay. Within three working days of the initial notification, the City must provide an updated report with current data.

Upon becoming aware of the sewer line failure in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City last Wednesday afternoon, the City immediately complied with the two-hour notification requirement. The City also notified the Office of Emergency Services and San Mateo County Environmental Health Services. 

In that initial notification we provided a preliminary estimate of the number of gallons believed to be involved in the spill. At that time, the City estimated that 300 gallons per minute were being released and that the discharge could be stopped within 20 – 30 minutes. Staff calculated that this would result in an estimated discharge of about 5,000 gallons. Upon further investigation, staff anticipated that this number was likely to increase significantly as the discharge continued well beyond the initial expected stop time. The initial work was focused on what staff expected would be a valve failure; however, upon excavation (which took several hours) it was discovered this was a pipeline break resulting in a far greater amount of discharge. This increase in discharge took place since exposure and excavation of a pipeline is a much more extensive and time consuming repair than for a valve. 

On Monday August 30, City staff filed an uncertified initial report to the California Integrated Water Quality System (the State Water Resources Board) with a calculated discharge amount of 48,000 gallons. 

Testing of the lagoon water at various locations within the main lagoon showed high levels of coliform bacteria including E.coli. The City advises the community to avoid any contact with the lagoon water – do not swim, boat, kayak, or otherwise touch the water, and do not let pets have any contact with the water.  This advisory is in place indefinitely, and Redwood Shores residents will be informed as soon as it’s determined the lagoon water has returned to a normal condition. 

The City is working with the San Mateo County Environmental Health Department, the Water Quality Control Board and the City’s consultants on options to improve lagoon water quality in an environmentally-friendly manner. Although sunlight and other natural processes will cause natural degradation of some elements of the sewage, the city is actively evaluating alternative methods to accelerate lagoon water quality improvement. 

On 9/1/10 lagoon water was treated with bactericide (GreenClean Pro). The use of this material is approved by the Regional Water Quality Control Board. The latest water test results will be available late Thursday/early Friday. The lagoon water dissolved oxygen level is at normal, which is a positive indicator. The City’s goal is to work with County Environmental Health to remove the water advisory by this weekend 

This is not a situation involving any airborne elements. The city is monitoring for impacts on fish and water fowl, and has found no evidence of any injury to animals in the lagoon. We continue to monitor lagoon conditions daily while we work to restore water quality.
 
Cleanup of the six residential garages is complete. Final cleanup and restoration of the parking area and the site of the pipeline failure is in process. 

 

Update from August 27, 2010 

The broken sewer pipeline in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City has been repaired and reconnected, and is in operation. Testing has taken place and the pipeline is stable. City crews will continue to monitor the pipeline and pump system to ensure that it is operating properly. The repair was largely completed Thursday night (September 26) at approximately 10 pm. 

Crews will be working over the weekend and into next week to clean up the affected garages where raw sewage spilled from the broken pipeline, and to restore the parking area and landscaping affected by the pipeline failure and repair work. 

The City has no further information at this time on the total quantity of sewage that was released, pending analysis of the pump station records. The original quantity of 5,000 gallons, as reported to the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB), was an initial estimate only due to their requirement that a spill notification must be made within two hours of the spill, including a preliminary estimate. It’s expected that the actual quantity will be significantly higher. 

As expected, initial testing of the lagoon water shows high levels of coliform bacteria including E.coli. The City strongly advises the community to avoid any contact with the lagoon water – do not swim, boat, kayak, or otherwise touch the water, and do not let pets have any contact with the water.  This advisory is in place indefinitely. The City will notify Redwood Shores resident as soon as it’s determined the lagoon water has returned to a normal condition. 

The City is working with the San Mateo County Environmental Health Department and its consultants on options for treating the sewage in the lagoon in an environmentally-friendly manner. It’s known that sunlight will cause natural degradation of the sewage and it will dilute. This is not a situation involving any airborne elements.

The contamination remains contained within the lagoon, and the city is working with remediation experts and in consultation with the Water Quality Control Board to explore environmentally safe options for how best to address the contamination. 

 

Previous news release/background: 

Wednesday, August 25 at around 3 pm a sewer force main (pressurized pipeline) ruptured in the area of Davit Lane and Anchor Circle in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood City. The pressure of the line caused the asphalt to buckle, and raw sewage was dispersed onto the surface. The material entered six nearby garages, and an uncertain amount went into the adjacent Redwood Shores lagoon. 

Residents are advised to avoid any contact with the lagoon water until further notice – no swimming, boating, kayaking, or touching the water. Warning signs have been posted at beaches. 

There are a series of valves, gates, and pumps to control water flow between the lagoon and the bay; with those, the City is preventing th exchange of water between the lagoon and the bay at this time. 

Crews were on scene shortly after the failure and began work to identify and repair the break. Contractors were also brought on site, along with specialized cleanup crews. All appropriate regulatory agencies were notified. The City reported an estimated 5,000 gallons of sewage spilled into the lagoon, but that number is an estimate only and is subject to change once a more thorough analysis is performed. 

Last night Redwood City made automated phone calls to those residents in Redwood Shores who’s numbers are in the City’s CodeRED emergency notification system. Residents were advised that they should avoid any contact with the lagoon water until further notice. The information has also been posted on the City’s website and was covered by television media news crews. 

As of Thursday at noon, the pipeline had been excavated and the break uncovered, and pumping is continuing to allow crews to fully access the rupture for repair. In the meantime the sewage flow is continually being pumped into tanker trucks and transported to the nearby sewage treatment plant. Currently no further sewage is spilling into the lagoon or into nearby garages. 

At this time the City does not have an estimate of when the break will be fully repaired. The City will make additional automated phone calls to update the residents in Redwood Shores and remind them to avoid any contact with the lagoon water, and will notify residents when the water has returned to normal conditions. 

Redwood City residents wishing to register their phone number to be notified of emergencies in their areas can go to www.redwoodcity.org, pull down the “I want to…” menu and select “Register for Emergency Notification” 

www.redwoodcity.org/fire/disaster/code_red.html

Garbage/Recycling Pickup Delayed Due to Union Work Stoppage

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Redwood City garbage collection service provided by Allied Waste has been temporarily disrupted due to a 48-hour work stoppage by Teamsters, Local 350. The work stoppage is a result of on-going contract discussions between the union and Allied/Republic Services at the Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay.

While the issues there are not directly related to garbage/recycling collection here, Allied Waste’s staff at the San Carlos transfer station are engaging in a “sympathy” work stoppage. Therefore, curb-side collection services in Redwood City and other cities served by Allied are delayed.

Due to this work stoppage, Allied has informed the City that the pickup days this week have been rescheduled:

  • Customers who are scheduled for a Wednesday pickup will instead be serviced on Friday.
  • Customers who are scheduled for a Thursday pickup will instead be serviced on Saturday.
  • Customers who are scheduled for a Friday pickup will instead be serviced on Sunday.

Redwood City apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause. It’s our understanding that regular service is expected to resume next week.

Any questions about garbage/recycling service may be directed to Allied Waste of San Mateo County at 650-592-2411.

Sandpiper Spotlight: September 2010

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The new school year at Sandpiper is in full swing with 510 students enrolled at Sandpiper. Renewed energy and excitement were in the air as students met their new teachers and reconnected with their friends after the summer break. Everyone had an opportunity to mingle with old and new friends at an ice cream social sponsored by the PTA.

We are thrilled that — for the first time since 2005 – kindergarten classes have been reinstated at Sandpiper with 100 Redwood Shores kindergarteners! We also welcomed back many first through five grade students this year who previously attended Belmont schools because of the continued space limitations at Sandpiper.

The Sandpiper community extends a hearty welcome and best wishes for a successful first year to the new Redwood Shores Elementary School community. We look forward to collaborating with parents, teachers and staff at RWS Elementary — our sister neighborhood school here in the Shores. Thank you Redwood Shores taxpayers for making it possible for every Redwood Shores elementary student to attend a neighborhood school in Redwood Shores.

Sandpiper’s Green Team enthusiastically kicked off its activities to help our students be clean, green and ecofriendly as we continue to support the Cool the Earth program. Activities include Walking School Bus: also known as International Walk to School Day, where neighborhoods of children are encouraged to walk to school together, trashless lunches: encouraging reusable containers and drink bottles, Nike Re-Use-A-Shoe: collection bins for recycling of rubber soled athletic shoes, Ecophones: collection bins for iPods, digital cameras and video cameras, and empty ink jet cartridges.

Thanks to the Girl Scouts and Cubs Scouts for their hard work in planting beautiful flowers in over 25 planter boxes throughout the school campus. They are lovely and add a lot of color and charm to the school!

Finally, as Sandpiper encourages children to walk and bike to school whenever possible, we’d like to remind motorists to please be cautious at stop signs and crosswalks. Remember that our traffic laws provide that a pedestrian must be totally out of the crosswalk — safely on the curbside, before a motorist may drive through the crosswalk.

Wine Appreciation

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Varietal labeling — naming the wine after the primary grape from which it’s made — is so prevalent that you might think that all wines are labeled that way. Not so. When you shop at your favorite wine retailer and consider buying a wine from France, Spain, Italy, Germany, and other European countries, you will notice that the wine is not named after the primary grape. Rather, it is named after the region where it is produced. As such, it may, for example, indicate “Chablis” (France), or “Chianti” (Italy), or “Ribera del Duero” (Spain). This method is known as the appellation method, and the wines are labeled with the name of the geographical region from which it came, rather than the underlying grape(s) from which it is made.

How did that come about? The flash-card answer is it’s an outcome of history. The detailed answer is the European winegrowers discovered centuries ago, through trial and error, that each grape variety does its best in specific types of soils, exposures, and environments. Eventually, those in the wine industry and, more importantly, their worldwide customers came to accept and acknowledge that, for example, the best Chardonnay originated in France’s Burgundy region (Bourgogne) as did the best Pinot Noir. And when someone was offered a Bourgogne Rouge (Red Burgundy) he/she was confident it was a Pinot Noir from that Region. It was, to be sure, the Real Thing.

The French appellation system, on which other European countries based their own system, was created in 1935 to protect growers in the most famous winemaking regions against the illegal “knock offs” from unscrupulous producers in other regions. Its goal was to give wine buyers a guarantee of origin and authenticity. Please note, it does not guarantee quality. However, overall, that has been the result. Without delving into arcane details, the appellation controls the following very important items: the permitted grapes, the geographical boundaries, vineyard yields, alcohol levels, and certain vineyard and vinification practices.

But does this system have any real consequence for you? You might notice while doing your supermarket shopping that some jug wines still carry the appellation names “Chablis” and “Burgundy”. Do you think you’re getting the Real Thing? Likewise California sparkling wine producers, who label theirs as “Champagne,” would have you imagine that theirs is identical to the French model. Think so? Don’t care? Well, suppose you’re drinking a bottle of red wine that is labeled “Napa Zinfandel,” but somehow it just doesn’t taste as you remember. It’s a lot cheaper, and seemed like a great deal at the price, but as you struggle through the last few sips, you pick up the bottle and spot some very small print on the back label that states “Produced in Yugoslavia.” Obviously, it’s not the Real Thing.

— Tom Barras

From Lynn’s Kitchen

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Tomatoes, Tomatoes and more Tomatoes…

Don;t you just love summertime with all of the wonderfully fresh heirloom tomatoes in your garden or from the Farmer’s Market? I marvel at the many varieties and how different they taste. Rumor has it that tomatoes were first cultivated in Peru and transported to Mexico where the Aztecs prepared them with peppers and corn. And I’m certain that you know they are actually a fruit and not a vegetable!

Dad always grew the most wonderful delicious and juicy tomatoes in his garden in Connecticut. My brother and sisters would go to the nursery in the spring with him to select a variety of small plants, which we would carefully transplant in a special section of his garden. We were tasked with “guarding” them as they grew larger from those nasty fat green cutworms — he’d give us each a nickel or dime for each bug we plucked off the growing plants. (Of course, we had to save the bugs in a container to show him before collecting our loot.) On a hot steamy August day, my Mom and I would take a salt shaker and sit right down in the middle of the garden, eating tomatoes warmed by the sun and right off the vine, sprinkled with a little salt — summer heaven!

This tart is easy to make, and delicious. The fontina cheese, tomatoes and herbs blend nicely together for a very satisfying taste. You can serve the tart as an appetizer, or even for a light luncheon accompanied by a chilled butter lettuce salad.

TOMATO TART

  • 1 sheet frozen puff pastry
  • 4 tomatoes, sliced and dried between paper towels
  • 1 and 1/2 cups of shredded Fontina cheese
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (you can also use fresh basil)
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Prepare your ripe tomatoes by slicing into 1/4 inch slices. You want nice large round slices, so may wish to save the ends for your salad or snack on them while preparing this recipe! Place sliced tomatoes on double layer of paper towels, and cover with another layer of paper towels, and pat to absorb the excess liquid.

Follow directions on package of frozen puff pastry, but do not defrost or let sit at room temperature too long. Roll the puff pastry out to about 9X13 inch rectangle. Slice about 1 inch of dough from each side. Place the large section of dough on parchment paper on a baking sheet, and put the small strips of dough on the edges of the large section of dough to make an edge / crust. Prepare the base of the tart by picking the dough with a fork being careful not to prick the edge / crust. Prepare the egg wash by beating the egg and water, and brush the egg mixture on the edges of the tart with a pastry brush.

Bake the tart dough for about 15 minutes or until the crust has puffed and is lightly golden. Don’t get it too dark, as you will continue to bake after adding the tomatoes — the idea is to brown the bottom of the tart. Remove the partially baked tart dough from the oven, and top with the shredded cheese, tomatoes (arrange them in a nice pattern), salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. Place the tart back into the oven for about 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp on the bottom. Slice and serve while still warm.

— Lynn Kathleen Adams

Veterans Memorial Senior Center August Activities

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The Veterans Memorial Senior Center, 1455 Madison Avenue, Redwood City, is providing the following activities that are open to the public during the month of August.

  • Friday Movies for Everyone / 1:15PM (Unless Otherwise Announced) / Every Friday: Come to the Veterans Memorial Senior Center in September for a FREE feature movie in our state of the art movie theatre!
  • Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Free Lecture / Wednesday, August 25th, 11AM-Noon: The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is a nationwide network of experienced adults who contribute their time and talent to important programs that strengthen their communities. Come hear Deborah Owdem, Program Director for RSVP of San Mateo & Northern Santa Clara Counties speak about current opportunities, how they match volunteers with organization and the benefits awarded to RSVP volunteers.
  •  New & Improved Lunch Program / Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursday, @ Noon: Starting in July, Carroll’s Meats of Brisbane will be providing lunches Tuesday-Thursdays at the Veterans Memorial Senior Center. The Carroll family came to San Francisco in the early 1900’s and helped found “Butcher Town”. The lunch price will remain the same at $5, but the food will be cooked on site. Our current cook, Ruby, will still be making her famous soups and desserts. Lunch at the VMSC includes house made soup, cooked on site hot entre, yummy dessert along with milk or coffee all for just $5. It’s the best deal in town!

To learn more about the Redwood City Veterans Memorial Senior Center, call 780-7270.

The Therapist’s Corner

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The middle and high school years produce challenges unlike any other time of life. How many times have your daughter or your son come to you with questions such as “do you think I’m fat?” or “is this pimple on my face noticeable?” How we answer those questions is not a simple matter. They’re growing. Their bodies are changing. And it’s all very normal. Adolescence is a unique period of our lives when many issues begin to surface. As their bodies experience significant changes, it is likely that most kids will develop at least some concerns about body image. While we can’t protect our children from this, we can have some influence over how they deal with it. A good place to start is by being careful not to make negative appearance related comments about others and ourselves. Such comments even made in jest may impact our kids much more than is realized at the time.

There’s no question that we live in a society which is obsessed with physical appearance.

It’s impossible to go to a magazine stand, watch TV or go to the movies without being inundated with images of people looking “perfect.” Make-over type reality shows have further complicated this, and can contribute to feelings of inadequacy and the desire to radically change appearance. While many adults certainly struggle with this too, most of us will eventually come to recognize that people come in all shapes and sizes, and that appearance is only one part of what defines us. Some children and teens, however, may have a very different perspective and believe that part of being happy includes pursuing the perfect body. We need to be able to convey that we all have other, more important qualities. Being kind to others, a good student and a reliable friend are just a few traits which ultimately will provide more long term satisfaction in their lives.

It’s important to note that I’m referring to the normal worries that kids will have during a time of life which is often tumultuous. Of course, closer attention to the issue is vital if the child develops obvious medical issues (i.e., obesity and severe acne), psychological problems such as anorexia and bulimia, or if social and academic problems begin to surface as a result of too much worry over body image. Body dysmorphic disorder is another, though lesser known body image related problem which results in people obsessing over a part of their body they believe to be flawed in some way even though they typically look very normal to others. These all can develop into very serious problems and generally will require intervention by a medical and/or mental health professional.

As the old saying goes: kids will be kids. Worrying about their body is normal as they get older. Keep the lines of communication open. Encouraging healthy discussion about it when their young can help tremendously in avoiding more serious problems later in their lives.

— Scott M. Granet, LCSW

— Scott is a long-time resident of Redwood Shores, and is director of the OCD-BDD Clinic of Northern California in Redwood City. He would like to hear your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at