14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY november 23-29, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com Thousands of Monterey County residents can expect their mobile phones to be abuzz with emergency alert tests in the coming weeks, as the County of Monterey trials a new alert and warning system. The Department of Emergency Management will commence a series of alert tests across select areas of the county beginning Monday, Nov. 27, and continuing through Dec. 7. They are meant to test the effectiveness of a new alert and warning system from Genasys Inc., which would replace the county’s existing alert infrastructure provided by Everbridge Inc. The first areas to be tested will be in Moss Landing and at CSU Monterey Bay’s campus on Nov. 27, followed by areas of San Ardo and Carmel Valley on Tuesday, Nov. 28. The community of Pajaro will be next on Nov. 30, while last will be a part of the city of Monterey—south of North Fremont Street, between highways 68 and 218— on Thursday, Dec. 7. All of the tests will commence at 10am, and will disseminate information in both English and Spanish. The alerts will vary across the system’s capabilities, ranging from SMS text messages and desktop notifications to geo-targeted “Reverse 911” phone calls and pop-up wireless emergency alerts akin to AMBER alerts. Kelsey Scanlon, director of the Department of Emergency Management, says the tests are designed to span a range of population sizes and geographies, to help officials better understand how specifically they can target notifications—from evacuation zones spanning a few blocks to entire communities. “We’re curious about how granular we can get,” Scanlon notes. “We have the ability to alert the entire county, that’s a no-brainer. What I’m curious about is, if I wanted to alert the community of Pajaro and not the city of Watsonville, can we conceivably do that?” County officials say the move to a new alert system was motivated by Everbridge raising its pricing for its software, which currently costs around $90,000 annually. They note that the new Genasys system will cost no more than that and promises better functionality, including more seamless integration with the county’s online mapping system. The public is also invited to participate in surveys that will be embedded in the alerts, to help county officials better determine the new system’s effectiveness. To sign up, text MCTEST to 65513. For more information, visit alertmry.org/exercise. In the immediate aftermath of a sewage spill at Carmel Valley Ranch on Aug. 6 and then another on Aug. 16, California American Water officials were out on the scene right away, seeking to contain the overflow. Paperwork moves much slower. Months later, in response to a notice of violation issued on Oct. 26 by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Cal Am has filed a technical report explaining what the utility believes happened. “The overflow incidents occurred as a result of fats, oils, and grease (FOG) blockages in the collection line, causing untreated domestic wastewater (sewage) discharging into several nearby storm drains that lead to the Carmel Valley River,” according to Cal Am’s Nov. 15 response. “The effort to unblock the collection line during the first incident was not completely successful, resulting in the second spill.” According to the water board’s findings, “Due to the proximity of the storm drain to the manhole and the County [Environmental Health Bureau of the Monterey County Health Department]’s observation that sandbags were not effective in stopping the overflow from entering the storm drain, Central Coast Water Board staff assume that up to 1,200 gallons of sewage discharged to the storm drain.” Cal Am agrees that the first spill—in which an estimated 647 gallons of sewage were released— ended up almost entirely in a storm drain leading to the Carmel River. They say in the second incident, a berm was effective, so “very little was released to the Carmel River” and most of that leak was absorbed by the golf course. According to the company’s report, since the spills it has done additional cleaning; engaged in outreach on FOG management to Carmel Valley Ranch residents and the resort restaurant; and plans to conduct future sewer system maintenance in keeping with an updated plan. The water board will consider Cal Am’s report and may choose to issue fines of up to $10,000 for each spill. Keep Calm Residents will receive test alerts as the County trials a new emergency system. By Rey Mashayekhi news Search is On Salinas is searching for a new city manager and the Salinas City Council is asking for community input to learn what skills and qualifications residents are looking for. Survey deadline is 5pm Friday, Dec. 1. To complete the survey in English, visit tinyurl.com/SalinasCM; in Spanish, visit tinyurl.com/AMdeSalinas. Free. For more information, email sophiar@ ci.salinas.ca.us or call 758-7407. Shop local Forget Black Friday—Nov. 25 is Small Business Saturday, and local chambers of commerce and other business organizations are motivating residents to buy products at local businesses. Visit any small business near you as you start shopping for the holiday season. For more information in Monterey, call 655-8070 or visit oldmonterey.org. Giving back Get outside in a beautiful place, and help improve it for other recreational visitors. California State Parks hosts a volunteer day at Garrapata State Park. Activities include watering and planting, removing invasive species, picking up trash and more. 9am-noon Tuesday, Nov. 28. Free. Volunteer.Monterey@parks.ca.gov, sites.google.com/view/mdnrvp. Coffee with a cop This gathering invites members of the public to get to know Monterey police officers in a casual, non-confrontational setting. 9-11am Wednesday, Nov. 29. Starbucks, 316 Alvarado St., Monterey. Free. 646-3830, monterey.org. Young voices Future Leaders of America and UC Santa Barbara Center for Publicly Engaged Scholarship are conducting a study to learn from young people about the Central Coast and understand disparities in the region based on race and ethnicity in different areas including education, well-being and healthcare. For more information or to take the survey, visit bipocsurvey.com or email vrios@ucsb.edu. Survey is available in English and Spanish. Participants may win an iPad or cash prize of up to $100 for participation. Must be a Monterey County resident aged 14-26 to participate. Seeing the Future Soledad is updating its general plan, which will impact social, environmental and economic decisions in the city for the next 20-year period. A public engagement process is now underway with a survey. To complete the survey, visit bit. ly/3QSeGAC. Free. For more information, visit citysoledad.com or call 2235000. Clogged Drain As Water Board investigates two Carmel Valley sewage spills, Cal Am explains what went wrong. By Sara Rubin Should the tests prove successful, DEM Director Kelsey Scanlon says the county will likely switch to the new alert system by late December or early January. e-mail: publiccitizen@mcweekly.com TOOLBOX “We’re curious about how granular we can get.” Daniel Dreifuss
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