Supermoon Total Eclipse Sept. 27, 2015 coming across Hinds Pumping Plant, Photo by Al Ramirez
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT MET THIS WEEK
A weekly newsletter by and for Metropolitan employees
August 21, 2017
MacGyver-Style Deer Rescue
When
Fernando Garcia spotted a deer in the water of a steep canal during his routine inspection of the Hinds Pumping Plant on Aug. 16, the plant operator quickly assembled a rescue team.
Fashioning a lasso out of the cord from a life preserver, Dane Crawford, Joe Espino and Paul Shamowski (with Erin Monasmith there for moral support) took turns trying to rope the deer. At one point the doe went under water, exhausted from struggling, only to resurface to the teams' great relief. After many attempts, Dane landed the lasso around a leg. It took nearly an hour to hoist the 200-pound deer out of the 15-foot-steep canal. Once on land, the doe took a few moments to get her bearings and steady her wobbly legs. Then she trotted back to the desert, making the rescuers' day.
Southern Californians are making conservation a way of life. That ongoing commitment to using water wisely, combined with record rainfall, resulted in a big drop in Metropolitan's water sales for FY 2016/17.
So what does that mean for Metropolitan's budget overall?
The board report showed that revenues last year were about $143 million under budget, but the expenditures were also under budget - by $168.5 million - thanks in part to lower State Water Project costs.
At Metropolitan, conservation and solid fiscal management go hand in hand regardless of the weather.
Slow Jam with a Turtle Herder
His fruit jams win top honors at the California State Fair and his work as a principal environment specialist in MWD's Sacramento office have earned
Mike Melanson the title of 'Chief Turtle Herder' for protecting desert tortoises near the Colorado River Aqueduct.
Mike has been canning foods since college. His first State Fair competition in 2016 landed him top prize for his ancho chili red pepper jam. Of his seven entries this year, four captured first place or best of class honors. (Mission fig jam with crème de cassis is his personal favorite.) Mike also makes specialty pickles and brews his own beer.
At Met, his focus is on the environmental planning issues related to the CRA, as well as FERC and other regulatory issues associated with the State Water Project facilities at Lake Oroville.
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