Putah Creek Water Quality Issues

February 13, 1997

Julie Roth
Route 2, Box 2879
Davis, CA 95616

Dear Julie:

Recently, I received a March 11, 1997 letter from A.S. England of the University of California, Davis administration indicating that the UCD L. Vanderhoef administration has developed a Final EIR for the UC Davis Wastewater Treatment Plant Replacement Project. He also indicates that it will be necessary to go to a library on campus or in Davis to see how UCD responded to the detailed comments that I and others provided on the significant deficiencies in the draft EIR. These deficiencies included numerous technical errors, unreliable statements of regulatory requirements, failure to discuss important issues that should have been discussed in a full disclosure EIR, etc. I find UCDs approach for finalization of the EIR highly inappropriate and contrary to what is normally done with respect to handling comments on draft EIRs by project applicants. Normally, those who take time to comment on draft EIRs are provided with a copy of the complete Final EIR which includes the responses to comments.

Further, Mr. England indicates that the UCD L. Vanderhoef administration has decided to rush through the review of the Final EIR by the Regents where the Regents will consider approving the design and construction of the project "during or after" the last week of March 1997. This means that there is about a two-week period from when the first notice of the Final EIR is available until it is evidently going to be rubber-stamped by the Regents. The UCD L. Vanderhoef administration is attempting to severely restrict the public's ability to inform the Regents, regulatory agencies and others about the significant deficiencies in UCDs L. Vanderhoef administration's self-serving EIRs. Therefore, UCD in its typical self-serving approaches is merely going through the formality of filing EIRs without providing the public with the opportunity to properly review the Final EIR and comment on its appropriateness to the University Regents.

The citizens concerned with the Putah Creek water quality situation should file a formal protest with Governor Wilson, the Regents, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, Yolo and Solano Departments of Health and others as appropriate on this highly inappropriate approach being used by the L. Vanderhoef administration in the finalization of the EIR. The proper approach would be to provide at least two months time from the time that all of those who commented on the draft EIR are provided copies by the University. This situation is yet one more of the list of examples of the fundamentally corrupt approach that the UCD L. Vanderhoef administration is taking towards environmental protection.

If you or others have questions on these comments please contact me.

Sincerely yours,

Fred

G. Fred Lee, PhD, DEE

copy to:
Governor Wilson
University of California Regents
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
E. Schnabel
J. Bennett,br>Yolo and Solano Departments of Health
L. Vanderhoef

GFL:djc

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