ECOS comments on AKT Development request for LAFCo hearings

On March 29, 2024, ECOS submitted a letter to Folsom City Council regarding the request they’ve received from AKT development to initiate hearings before Sacramento LAFCO to approve sphere of influence designation for a substantial area of land south of the city’s current city limits (and extending well into El Dorado County).

Below is an excerpt from our letter.

…initiation of this process has significant implications for City residents as well as county,
regional and state policies and programs. Of particular interest is how a supply of water to accommodate the proposed development might be made available. Place of use restrictions on Folsom’s water rights will limit the availability of surface water use in the proposed development area.

…We also have concerns regarding the project’s traffic impacts and increases in emissions resulting from the project’s buildout. Under California state law the Sacramento Region must meet mandated targets for greenhouse gas reduction and air quality by 2030. The approval of a very large greenfield most certainly does not advance the long-term ability to meet these targets.

Click here to read the letter in full.

in distant photo of tree on landscape field

Protect Folsom Oaks — Immediate Action Needed

PG&E plans to remove (Clearcut) a number of mature Oak Trees in the powerline corridors next to walking and biking paths. Over 300 trees in all (Oaks and others) Work is scheduled to start on NOVEMBER 1. Many of these Oak Trees are in the Oak Avenue Parkway (The Bike Trail Corridor) between Natoma Street and Blue Ravine – leading to BT Collins Park. The Corridor also extends across portions of the City and into American River Canyon. Some trees are on Private Property, some on City Land and some on PG&E property. In July 2020 PG&E clearcut a number of mature oaks near St. Johns without any Notice to the City or the Public. It appears PG&E is ready to Clear Cut the rest of the Corridor. NOTE – the plan and documents provided by PG&E are not clear, so more information is needed by the City and the Public – Before Removal can Occur.

CITY COUNCIL MEETING – THIS TUESDAY OCTOBER 26 AT 6:00 pm. – City Council Chambers 50 Natoma Street – Folsom

Click here for more info.

Folsom, what are you doing?

By Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler, and Phillip Reese | July 18, 2021 | The Sacramento Bee

As ECOS has been trying to raise attention about for years, Folsom doesn’t have the water supply it needs to add as many residents as it is with new housing developments.

The increasingly dire situation has rekindled a simmering debate about one of the Sacramento area’s fastest-growing suburbs: Are Folsom’s lofty growth ambitions putting residents at risk of becoming water poor as climate change reduces the region’s already tight water supply?
Folsom has added roughly 9,000 residents in the last six years. And California’s latest drought arrives as the city is in the early stages of building a subdivision that some day will include 11,000 homes: Folsom Ranch south of Highway 50. State officials have already questioned the city’s ability to supply that development.

Click here to read the article in full (available to subscribers of the newspaper only).

Save Hinkle Creek

Preserving the Hinkle Creek Nature Area is vital to the success of the Hinkle Creek Center. The Hinkle Creek Center was built with a $740,000.00 public investment and a promise that the Hinkle Creek Center Nature Area would be preserved to interpret the natural, cultural and historical resources, and provide a recreational program space. Save Hinkle Creek is actively working with Folsom City to finally fulfill the mission and purpose of the Center with upcoming nature, history and cultural programs, as well as guided hikes. Cutting down the oak woodland would greatly diminish the many stories waiting to be brought to life and enjoyed by everyone. The trees are our past, present and future!

HOW YOU CAN HELP!
We need all lovers of trees, creeks, wildlife and history to come and speak up for Alternative #1, the no-dig, increased maintenance and monitoring alternative, which ensures that the existing sewer line is maintained to the highest degree while still preserving the Hinkle Creek Nature Area.

The Folsom City Council meeting is on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 p.m.
Located on 50 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630.

If you cannot attend the meeting, please contact the City Council members and simply state:
“I support Alternative #1, the no-dig, increased maintenance and monitoring alternative, to save the oak trees in the Hinkle Creek Nature Area. As far back as 1984 the value of this creek corridor was recognized by the Folsom City Parks and Recreation Commission along with the local neighborhood associations, and it remains just as important, if not more so today.”

For more detailed information on Hinkle Creek, please go to:
https://www.savehinklecreek.com/

SacRT to modernize light rail system, increase train frequency to Folsom

August 14, 2019
Emily Hamann
Sacramento Business Journal

“Sacramento Regional Transit District is in the beginning stages of a multiyear, multimillion-dollar project to upgrade its light rail system, which will include more frequent service to Folsom.
Most of SacRT’s current light rail cars are reaching the end of their useful life, and will start costing SacRT more money in maintenance and repair costs. So SacRT is upgrading to new low-floor cars. The doors on low-floor cars are level with the street, which eliminates the need for elevated platforms at light rail stops.
Most of the state funding for the project is directed toward upgrading the Folsom line, which is aimed at reducing traffic congested corridors. Some of the funding is also coming from the settlement of a lawsuit between Caltrans and the Environmental Council of Sacramento. The environmentalist group had sued Caltrans over a plan to add carpool lanes on Highway 50. As part of an out-of-court settlement, Caltrans agreed to pay $7 million toward improving the Gold Line, which parallels the freeway. “

Read the full article here.

Aerojet Superfund Site Community Workshop

June 24, 2019

The Environmental Council of Sacramento has been providing guidance for the cleanup of this Aerojet superfund site for several years now. There is a workshop about the cleanup happening on July 10, 2019 that the public is invited to attend.

EPA Community Workshop Aerojet Area 40 Operable Unit 10 Cleanup (click here for the Fact Sheet) – July 10, 2019 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM – Folsom Community Center – 52 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency invites you to participate in a workshop describing cleanup activities that will occur in August and September this year at Aerojet Area 40 OU-10, located east of and adjacent to Prairie City Road, south of Highway 50 and north of White Rock Road. The purpose of the meeting is to give a brief presentation on the cleanup, discuss the schedule and answer the public’s questions. In addition, there will a poster board session with subject matter expert available. If you have any questions, please contact Jackie Lane, Community Involvement Coordinator, at (415) 972-3236 or by email at lane[dot]jackie[at]epa[dot]gov.

Click here to access the Aerojet Area 40 Operable Unit 10 Remedial Action Plan.

Click here for past posts from us on the clean up of this property.