Sale of Edison’s pipes stalled

More than a year after signing an offer sheet to purchase four giant

oil storage tanks and a network of pipelines from Southern California

Edison, Pacific Energy Partners says that the deal has taken longer

than they had hoped to complete.

The tanks, which sit in Southeast Huntington Beach near the Ascon

toxic waste dump, snake under city streets and along other

right-of-ways to the Seal Beach border.

State Administrative Law Judge Dean Evans has been reviewing the

deal since November. Once Evans approves it, the deal must go before

the state’s Public Utilities Commission.

“It’s going at their usual glacial pace,” said Irv Tool, president

and chief executive of Pacific Energy Partners, a public entity

formed by the Anschutz Corp.

In February 2002, Pacific Energy signed a deal to purchase the

pipelines and tanks from Edison for $158.2 million. The company was

formerly known as Pacific Terminals LLC.

Three large tanks, which can store 450,000 barrels or 18.9 million

gallons each, sit on Edison land directly south of the Ascon toxic

waste dump.

A smaller 26,000-gallon tank that sits across the flood channel

has been included in the deal.

Historically, Edison has used the tanks as long-term storage for

what is known as “feed stock,” partially refined crude oil that can

be sold in the off-season if supplies ever dip.

-- Paul Clinton

Water district predicts shortage in county by 2020

Unless solutions are found, there will be a water shortage by

2020, the Orange County Water District told the City Council at a

study session Monday.

The increasing demand for water, exacerbated by four years of

drought, has led to depleted groundwater resources, and district

officials are looking to make changes in their groundwater management

strategy.

With an expected growth of 300,000 to 700,000 people in Orange

County in the next 13 years, a water shortage is predicted by 2020,

said Virginia Grebbien, general manager of the Orange County Water

District.

“We need to find additional supplies for our future demand,”

Grebbien said.

Most of Orange County’s water supply comes from groundwater, but

since Orange County has become an arid desert, the water cycle can

not support the entire population, Grebbien said.

The Metropolitan Water Department also provides a major source of

supply for Huntington Beach.

Future changes could include raising existing reservoirs,

purification of sewer and ocean water, water transfers from farms to

cities and stepped up conservation policies.

Poseidon has proposed building a seawater desalination project in

Huntington Beach that would deliver 50 million drinkable gallons of

ocean water per day after removing the salt content.

The $240-million project could be completed by the end of 2005.

-- Jenny Marder

Plans approved for flood control improvement

The City Council has approved plans to mount a restoration project

that will widen a section of the Huntington Beach Channel to prevent

flooding.

The project will expand the section of the flood control channel

from Atlanta to Indianapolis Avenue to increase its water capacity.

Plans will be presented to Orange County Public Facilities and

Resources Department in early May. Construction, which county

officials predict will take 10 months, is set to begin in June.

The county has held community meetings over the past several

months with residents who live nearby to explain the project and

respond to concerns.

The work will be funded by the Orange County Flood Control

District.

Huntington Harbour cleanup and awareness day

The second annual Huntington Harbour Cleanup and Awareness Day

will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 5.

Volunteers should meet at the east end of Percy Pier at the Warner

Avenue bridge and Pacific Coast Highway.

The environmental event will also be an educational family event

with hands-on demonstrations and the opportunity to touch marine

life.

Scuba divers will bring up discarded items. Volunteers can clean

from the shore or from a boat or kayak. Kayak rentals from Malibu

Ocean Sports will be half price for volunteers with two-day notice.

There will also be pizza and T-shirts for the first 200

volunteers.

The event is sponsored by the city, Orange County Coastkeeper,

West Marine, Stuft Pizza, Pacific City and Posiedon. For more

information, call (949) 723-5424.

Historic Resources Board gets new members

The Historic Resources Board has appointed six new members and

added three seats.

The new members are Arline Howard, Orville Hanson, Cindy Morgan,

Diane Ryan, Michelle Soutner and Loretta Wolfe.

Howard will fill the seat of Linda Couey, who resigned. A seat was

also freed by Mary Jane Lewis, who was termed out.

The expansion was approved when board members decided that all the

applicants presented appropriate qualifications.

Each new candidate was interviewed and recommended by City Council

liaisons Jill Hardy and Dave Sullivan.

The Historic Resources Board provides information to the City

Council about the conservation and preservation of the city’s

historic resources.

Kohl’s offers scholarship awards

Huntington Beach residents are invited to nominate a young

volunteer for a $5,000 national college scholarship award offered by

Surf City’s new department store.

Kohl’s Department Store’s third annual Kids Who Care program will

offer more than $140,000 in national scholarships for children this

year.

The program, which recognizes youth for their service to the

community, will award 10 scholarships and recognize more than 900

young volunteers nationwide.

Two winners will be selected from Surf City. Winners will go on to

compete for a $1,000 regional scholarship, and regional winners will

qualify for one of the 10 national scholarships.

Kohl’s will also contribute $1,000 to a nonprofit organization on

behalf of each national winner.

Nomination forms will be available March 23 at the new Kohl’s

Department Store in the Bella Terra Mall, formerly Huntington Center.

They can also be obtained online at www.kohlscorporation.com.

Kids Who Care nominees must be between the ages of 6 and 18. The

deadline for entries is May 3.

Surf City goodwill ambassador selected

Huntington Beach resident Kristin Mella has been named a goodwill

ambassador to Japan for a the National Cherry Blossom Festival, a

nonprofit organization made up of business leaders, civic groups and

government officials.

Mella is a student at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of

Foreign Service. Her major is regional and comparative studies with

an emphasis on European-Asian relations.

Mella is one of six of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s

goodwill ambassadors. Ambassadors were selected based on educational

and professional accomplishments, and all have lived or studied in

Japan for at least 10 years.

Mella first traveled to Anjo, Japan as a youth ambassador for the

Huntington Beach Sister City Assn.

Mella hopes to pursue a career in international law with a

possible specialization in Sino-Japanese relations with the European

Union.

Seniors Outreach seeks volunteers

Seniors Outreach, the city’s senior volunteer program, is looking

for volunteers to deliver Easter meals. Seniors Outreach volunteers

help senior citizens in Huntington Beach by visiting, delivering

meals and providing transportation.

A Huntington Beach Girls Scout Troop donated 75 boxes of Girl

Scout cookies to Seniors Outreach, which were delivered with the

Meals to the Home Program. The Girl Scouts also donated 12 Styrofoam

ice chests intended to be placed outside so meals can be left when

the seniors are not at home.

There were 23 new volunteers who attended the latest “Connecting

with Seniors” class at Seniors Outreach. To volunteer, call the

Senior Outreach Center at (714) 960-2478.