Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Committee
Click here to access the EENR Working Group page.
Background
This committee addresses a number of issues related to the environment including open space, water and air quality.
Open Space
|
Located in a valley just below the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, the San Gabriel Valley land is 50% zoned for institutional and open space use. However, most of that open space is included as part of the Angeles National Forest. The rest of the San Gabriel Valley is already 99% built out, leaving little room for new parks. With a state standard of 5 acres of open space for every 1,000 people, a doubling of the park acreage is required to meet this standard. It is imperative that communities in the San Gabriel Valley work together to focus on accommodating open space needs in a built-out urban environment. The San Gabriel & Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy (RMC), which the SGVCOG played a key role in helping to create, has worked with our local communities for open space and habitat preservation and development. In fact, since the COG worked with then State Senator Hilda Solis to create the RMC, almost $50 million in RMC funding over the last five years have gone to SGVCOG member cities to support various open space and habitat projects.
|
|
Check out current RMC projects in the San Gabriel Valley by clicking here.
Air Quality
As the San Gabriel Valley is located within South Coast Air Basin (one of the most polluted air basins in the nation), air quality within the region is of crucial importance to stakeholders within the Valley. In 2001, the maximum pollutant concentrations (ozone and particulate matter) exceeded federal standards by wide margins. The East San Gabriel Valley, in particular, had high ozone concentrations. The Basin’s severe air pollution problem is a consequence of the combination of emissions from the nation’s second largest urban area and meteorological conditions which are adverse to the dispersion of those emissions. The average wind speed for Los Angeles is the lowest of the nation’s ten largest urban areas. In addition, the summertime maximum mixing height (an index of how well pollutants can be dispersed vertically in the atmosphere) in Southern California averages the lowest in the U.S. The Southern California area is also an area with abundant sunshine, which drives the photochemical reactions which form pollutants such as ozone.
The San Gabriel Valley’s main source of water supply comes from its groundwater basin; in fact, 90% or 280,000 acre-feet of the Valley’s annual water supply come from the basin. The groundwater basin is 167 square miles of surface area, has more than 8 million acre-feet of water, and is pumped from about 200 wells. About 10% of the San Gabriel Valley’s water needs are met by “imported” surface water delivered directly to customers. This imported water also helps in replenishing the groundwater supply. There are three important groundwater basins. The Main San Gabriel Basin is the largest, and is separated from the Raymond Basin to the northwest by the Raymond Fault, which serves as a partial barrier to groundwater flow. The Puente Basin is a shallow basin that underlies the Puente Valley and is tributary to the Main San Gabriel Basin. These three basins are managed separately.
Water in the San Gabriel Valley is an integral component of its history, having been critical in developing the Valley’s agricultural economy. Later, following a postwar boom in industrial development and the release of toxic industrial chemicals into the groundwater system, a number of serious water quality issues surfaced. Significant concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were discovered in the Valley’s groundwater in the late 1970s and remain the main focus of current groundwater cleanup. Other water quality issues involve nitrates, perchlorate, and other emerging contaminants – all with serious public health consequences. Besides contamination, other water supply challenges include: groundwater storage opportunities, infrastructure to maintain water levels, use of recycled water, consumer water conservation, and storm water capture.
Organization
This committee consists of elected and appointed officials from member agencies. Staff members from the Rivers and Mountains Conservancy also serve as ex-officio members. Click here to download the EENR Committee Organizational Structure & Meeting Chart
Chair
|
Mary Ann Lutz
|
415 S. Ivy Ave.
Monrovia, CA 91016
Phone: (626) 932-5550
Mary Ann Lutz has served as Chair of the SGVCOG Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee since 2007. She was first elected to the Monrovia City Council in 2003. She has also served as Monrovia’s representative on the COG Governing Board since 2003. Ms. Lutz currently serves as the Chair of the Regional Water Quality Control Board on appointment by the Governor.
|
Vice-Chair
|
Sam Pedroza
|
207 Harvard Ave.
Claremont, CA 91711
Phone: 909 399-5441
Sam has served on the SGVCOG Governing Board since 2007. He was first elected to the Claremont City Council in 2005. He recently served on the Claremont Community Services Commission, which he was appointed to in 2001. Sam is an Environmental Planner for the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, where his responsibilities include government relations, outreach and public relations. He is also a member of the San Gabriel Valley Public Affairs Network, the Joint Powers Agreement Board for the San Gabriel River Discovery Center, and a founding board member of Amigos de los Rios. Along with representing Claremont on the SGVCOG, Sam also serves as his city''s representative to the Claremont Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Six Basins Water Master Board, and the Southern California Association of Government..
|
Membership
There are currently five (5) member agencies that participate on the Energy, Environment and Natural Resources Committee. The member agencies and their representative on this committee are as follows:
| Member Agency |
Representative |
| Claremont |
Sam Pedroza |
| Monrovia |
Mary Ann Lutz |
| Rosemead |
Margaret Clark |
| San Dimas |
Denis Bertone |
| Sierra Madre |
Nancy Walsh |
Meeting Dates & Times
The fourth Wednesday of the month at 10:45 am at the City of Monrovia Corporate Yard Buildling.
Agendas & Minutes
Please click here for the current agenda.
|
Date
|
Minutes
|
| May 2011 |
Minutes |
| April 2011 |
No Meeting
|
|
March 2011
|
Minutes
|
| February 2011 |
Minutes |
| January 2011 |
Minutes |
| December 2010 |
|
| November 2010 |
No Meeting |
| October 2010 |
Minutes |
| September 2010 |
Minutes |
|
July 2010
|
|
| June 2010 |
No Meeting
|
|
May 2010
|
|
| April 2010 |
|
|
March 2010
|
|
|
February 2010
|
|
|
January 2010
|
No Meeting
|
|
December 2009
|
|
|
November 2009
|
No Meeting
|
|
October 2009
|
No Meeting
|
|
September 2009
|
|
|
August 2009
|
|
|
July 2009
|
No Meeting
|
|
June 2009
|
|
|
May 2009
|
|
HOT TOPICS
Model Ordinance Collection
Under the direction of the EENR Committee, staff has begun to develop a compendium of model environmental ordinances on a number of topics including: energy efficiency, solar energy, green buildings, water recycling and/or conservation, building materials, trees, recycling, solid waste, open space, and walkability/bikeability. Model ordinances, resolutions, and green city action plans are being collected from cities within the San Gabriel Valley, as well as other jurisdictions in Southern California and beyond for the purpose of facilitating cites'' efforts to adopt ordinances that protect our Valley''s critical natural resources.
Bulletin Board (for members only)
Staff Contacts for EENR Committee
