Water surplus bubbles up from below

Last year’s record winter rains have refilled Huntington Beach’s groundwater basin, allowing city engineers to decrease the city’s dependence on imported water.

The move is part cost-savings and part necessity. Low-lying areas in Huntington Beach are experiencing unusually high groundwater levels, and some areas are seeing water bubble up to the surface, soaking gravel or grass.

Other areas are seeing the groundwater leak out of cracks in the street and spill down the storm drain.

“It’s good for the sake that our groundwater basin is full, but we now have a couple of areas where it is running into the street,� Utilities Director Howard Johnson said.

The hardest hit areas are those closest to sea level, including the homes behind the Shea property at Slater Avenue and Graham Street, north Huntington Beach near Goldenwest Street and McFadden Avenue, where Adams Avenue meets the Santa Ana River, and the Shipley Nature Center at Central Park.

“All the lakes at Central Park are full,� Johnson said.

To relieve some of the pressure, the city will rely solely on groundwater, hoping to pump down the levels of the underwater basin.

Usually at this time of year, the city imports water from Metropolitan Water District in an effort to allow the groundwater basin to refill.

If the high levels continue until the summer, the city might request permission from the Orange County Water District to pump beyond its annual quota of water.

“No one knows if it will really help or not, but it certainly can’t hurt,� Johnson said.

Bolsa Chica conservation area grows larger

A final slice of the Bolsa Chica has been sold to the state, bringing 15 more acres of the wetlands into conservation.

The Ocean View School District recently closed escrow on the sale of the landlocked property inside a parcel previously owned by Hearthside Homes. District officials first purchased the property in 1966, intending to build a school to serve 5,000 area homes to be built nearby.

State courts and the Coastal Commission would later throw out the development plan, greatly reducing the number of homes on the mesa.

“When we found out they were going to build less than 400 homes, it was clear that there wouldn’t be enough children to attend the school,� Ocean View school board trustee Barbara Boskovich said.

After a series of contentious hearings, the school board narrowly approved a plan in September 2004 to declare the property surplus and sell it to the state. Months before, Hearthside officials approved a deal with the California Wildlife Conservation Board to sell 102 acres of the lower bench for $65 million, with the money coming from Proposition 50, the 2002 voter initiative that raised money to purchase private lands for conservation. Working with Assemblyman Tom Harman, Boskovich and other members of the school board were able to secure Proposition 50 money for the Bolsa Chica.

The deal could also save the district some money for ownership of the site.

In 2003, the district paid close to $46,000 in fees to the state for owning the property without putting it to use.

Though declaring the land surplus allows the district to escape future payments, district officials now believe they have paid too much.

After checking the land’s assessed value with the Orange County Assessor, Mary Lou Beckman, the district’s chief financial officer said the district should have been charged about $9,500.

The district has paid more than $530,000 in fees since purchasing the property.

City tries to return money to residents

Is Brian Alexander out there?

Could someone tell him the city has his $33 and wants to give it back?

And Craig Frank too -- if any one sees him, could they let him know the city is holding 270 big ones that rightfully belong to him?

The city has about $85,000 in unclaimed money it’s trying to return.

Whether it’s outstanding paychecks, refunded water bills or an expenditure that was never recorded, the city is trying to return the funds to their rightful owners.

But they’d better hurry -- all residents and business have only until March 10 to claim their money.

“Once March 10 comes, they will become property of the city,� Treasurer Shari Freidenrich said. “The city will transfer any remaining funds into the general fund.�

To see if your name is on the list, visit the city’s website at www.ci.huntington-beach.ca.us and click on “unclaimed funds available.�

“Our goal is to do it every year,� Freidenrich said.

“As we pay people electronically, I would expect ... [the amount of unclaimed funds] to go down.�