The California Grand Jurors’ Association has granted the Robert Geiss Excellence in Reporting Award for 2015 to the 2013-14 Santa Cruz County Grand Jury for its report, “Desalination and Alternatives: Water for a Thirsty County.”
The award was presented on November 2 at the association’s 34th annual conference held in Lafayette, California. Nell Griscom, foreperson of the 2013-14 Santa Cruz County Grand Jury, was at the conference to accept the award.
The Grand Jury examined the issues facing both the City of Santa Cruz Water Department and Soquel Creek Water District as they attempted to manage their local water supply problems. Much of Santa Cruz County receives its drinking water from underground aquifers. Wells pump water from the aquifers to be treated and sent to homes and businesses. Many of the aquifers in the coastal areas are already contaminated or in danger of contamination due to saltwater intrusion caused by over-pumping. One way to protect the aquifers is to develop a regional plan to halt the intrusion where it has already occurred and to protect those aquifers yet to be tainted.
The City of Santa Cruz Water Department and Soquel Creek Water District entered into a plan to do this through the construction of a regional seawater desalination plant. However, due to strong and vocal opposition from a number of residents, the Santa Cruz City Council put a halt to the project a year before a scheduled public vote.
The Grand Jury reviewed the plans for the regional desalination project as well as other alternatives being considered. Jurors conducted extensive research and spoke with multiple water agencies, experts and local opposition groups. The subsequent report discusses each of the options currently available and makes the technical details easily accessible to lay readers. The color maps make the report more readable and aid the reader in understanding the complex matters discussed. In the report, the Grand Jury recommends that both agencies secure a supplemental water supply and that the City of Santa Cruz strongly consider reviving the regional seawater desalination plant.
The California Grand Jurors’ Association is a statewide nonprofit organization of current and former grand jurors throughout the state. The association’s mission is “to promote, preserve and support the grand jury system through training, education and outreach.”
The Robert Geiss Excellence in Reporting Award recognizes a grand jury report that is of high quality and has a positive impact on the community, as well as increasing awareness of the California grand jury system.