Coachella Valley Water District Cancels SO Winter Nationals

[krazy karl]

email

I sent an email to my friend, John Snyder, who is the county's Agricultural Commissioner. I am a retired Ag Commissioner and one of our duties is to protect agriculture and the environment from invasive species. I asked if he could help us with this situation. I hadn't intended on participating in this event but I would be willing to be the inspector if that would help with getting approval for the race.

kk

[DeanFHobart]

Copy Of E-mail To Mr. Urbin

Dear Mr. Urbin,

Your web site home page has this slogan right on the top:

"Friendly smiles and courteous, professional service greet those who visit Coachella Valley Water District facilities."

I have raced boats for 50 years with APBA and have never seen such un-professional things.

Coming from Washington we have had plans made for months and had to change them due to your "Re-scheduling" the race already prior. Now cancellation.

The reasons for cancellation have obviously been there for months, if not longer. To cancel this major APBA event at this late notice is the most un-professional thing I have ever experienced.

You need to revise your web site slogan.

Sincerely,

DEAN HOBART

[14-H]

Letter

Steve Robbins, General Manager-Chief Engineer

Dear Mr. Robbins: I write to you with regard to the recent event the American Power Boat Association (APBA) had planned to hold on Lake Chuhilla next month. By way of introduction, I am the Stock Outboard Category Chairman for the APBA. The APBA is the United States National Authority for the Union of International Motorboating (UIM) which is the world organization reconginzed by the International Olympic Committee as the authority for power boat racing across the globe. The Stock Outboard Category is the largest category of racing in the APBA and we had planned to run the APBA's largest class, C Stock Hydro, as well as other Stock Outboard Classes at the event at your lake for the 2011 APBA Winternational Championships.

I wish to respond to the decision that was apparently recently-made not to allow power boat racing on this lake due to a perceived risk of infestation of the lake with Zebra and/or Quagga Muscles coming from our members' racing equipment. I can assure you that this concern is unwarranted.

Our members utilize specialized equipment made solely for racing purposes. In fact, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has granted the manufacturers of the engines for our category of racing special permits for the production and use of these engines solely for racing purposes. This means that none of our members' equipment is designed for pleasure use. This, in turn, means that our members' equipment is only placed in the water for the short period that the equipment is actually being used for racing. In fact, our racing boats and motors are stored on the beach when not being used even while the equipment is at the race site. Even in between heats of racing, the equipment is nearly always removed from the water for refuling and/or adjustment. I believe that this removal was even part of the re-fueling plan filed with your organization with regard to dealing with fuel spills by the conducting club, Southern California Outboard Association (SCOA). Thus, it is only when the equipment is actually being raced that the boat equipment is placed in the water. This is true for all of our events. Therefore, the time that the equipment is actually physically located in water is so short a duration, it is nearly impossible for one of these animals to attach itself to our members' equipment.

Thus, the risk of infestation of our members' equipment by these animals is virtually non-existant. The risk of infestation would be similar to the risk that a swimmer might pose of transfering these animals to a waterway. Since the equipment is never in the water long enough for the muscles to attach themselves to the equipment, the risk of transfer to another lake or water way is nearly non-existant.

I would ask that you reconsider the decision not to permit powerboat racing at your lake. As I am sure you are aware, this is a large event for our organization and we have many communities that bid for these events based upon the positive economic impact the event can have for a local community. In fact, based upon the information that has been received in the last 48 hours with regard to the decision made with regard to this event, I have already received three (3) requests to hold this event at other locations: one in Northern California, one in the State of Washington and one in the State of Georgia. While transfering the event to another location might be possible, it would be an extreme hardship for our organization to do this and for our members who have already made travel plans to attend the event in Southern California.

I would appreciate it if you would advise me directly of your final decision no later than the close of business tomorrow, February 11, so that our organization may make a decision with regard to where this event will be held. We will make this decision over the weekend.

Thank you for your kind consideration,

--
Edward W. Hearn, SO Category Chairman,
American Power Boat Association

cc: Gloria Urbin, Executive Director, APBA
Stock Outboard Racing Commission, APBA
Mr. Ernie Dawe, SCOA
Mr. Roger Carr, SCOA

[14-H]

Correspondence Etiquette

Please do not write these guys and tell them they are unprofessional, stupid, incompetent or other similar characterizations. You will not be helping our cause if you do that.

Just write them, tell them about what we do, why it would be impossible to get the muscles in their lake from our equipment and ask them to reconsider.

"You get more flies with honey than with vinegar." Walker is correct (there, I said it!).

[Boatracer4fun]

Great letter. Maybe it may work itself out after all being they stated they are having a round table to readress this afternoon.

....Just sucks some already canx flights and hotels etc etc etc

[14-H]

This is what I submitted:

From:
Patrick Gleason ( xxxxx@msn.com )

Subject:
Web Question - Conservation

Message:
As a person who WAS planning on coming to your community and spending over a thousand dollars in fuel, hotel accomodations for my family, meals and other expenses, I am extremely disappointed in the apparent capriciousness and abruptness you have exercised in cancelling the Stock Outboard Winternationals at Lake Cahuilla on March 12-13.

If you had any grasp over the reality of who we are and what we do, you would surely understand that our types of boats provide virtually NO EXPOSURE to risk of introducing the Zebra Mussel into Lake Cahuilla. And your seeming refusal to work with Ernie Dawe and the conducting club on this matter indicates either an appalling lack of understanding on your part, or a narrow-mindedness to refuse to bring an activity to your community which I am sure the Chamber of Commerce and local businesses would and should be concerned with.

Did I mention I'm pretty angry about this?

Patrick Gleason
Tacoma, WA

In my opinion, this letter is too accusatory.

Sorry, Pat, it's an opinion so, by definition, it cannot be wrong! Ed.

[14-H]

Dear Mr. Urbin,

Your web site home page has this slogan right on the top:

"Friendly smiles and courteous, professional service greet those who visit Coachella Valley Water District facilities."

I have raced boats for 50 years with APBA and have never seen such un-professional things.

Coming from Washington we have had plans made for months and had to change them due to your "Re-scheduling" the race already prior. Now cancellation.

The reasons for cancellation have obviously been there for months, if not longer. To cancel this major APBA event at this late notice is the most un-professional thing I have ever experienced.

You need to revise your web site slogan.

Sincerely,

DEAN HOBART

Also, too abrasive. Sorry, Dean.

We really need some other polite letters to go to these guys. Ed Hearn.

[AZ Outlaw]

Sure am learning a lot on these posts...thanks everyone for the efforts and input to save boat racing at Lake Cahuilla.

[Boatracer4fun]

E-mail

I will type something up during my lunch break.

[HydroKyle93R]

Here's what I had...

Mr Urban:

My name is Kyle Lewis, and I am a member of the American Power Boat Association (APBA) as well as a racer that was planning on attending the race on Lake Cahuilla on March 12-13, 2011. I am very displeased with your decision to cancel the event with due to a "potential" risk of Zebra Mussels into this lake, as well as other waterways. As a director of the lake, you surely are concerned with finances and will find that the cancellation of this event will no longer bring commerce to your city, let along the Lake's surrounding area or park.
With further research, you will find that participants within our sport are extremely careful when it comes to boat storage as well as usage. To address the Mussel issue, the risk of contamination is non-existent. All participants boats' are stored either in-doors or on a trailer. In either case, the environment these boats are stored is not conducive for living conditions for zebra mussels. Another detail about boat storage you should consider is that this is the first race of the season, not to mention a large event, and that most boats have either been in storage or have been refinished during the last six months, again proving that contamination of Mussels is not possible.
Many racers, including myself, have made travel arrangements to come to this area. Briefly, we have taken time off of work, prepared to spend money on fuel or plane tickets to get to Lake Cahuilla. I would estimate that between one hundred and two hundred racers, as well as their families and friends will be attending this event as well. Each of these individuals would have made hotel reservations, dined at local establishments, and purchased other commodities from local retailers. Personally, I have a budget of five hundred dollars for "at-race" expenses, and a good portion of this would have been spent in the ways previously mentioned. You can surely see the economic benefit your community would have had.
Another detail that has been discussed was the issue of fuel spills and therefore environmental harm. I assure you that APBA, Region as well as local Club regulations do not allow fueling over water, or for spilled fuel to be left to soak into the lake. As racers, we take pride in respecting the environment that we utilize. Personally, I fuel over absorbent pads that are properly disposed of and I take pride in making sure my boat/motor do not leak fuel or grease not only into the lake, but my boat (its a pain in the ass to clean...)
I hope you consider the impacts that your decision has had not only on us racers, but your community, as well. I would emplore you to make a more educated decision before you make an abrupt change of plans. Please consider what I have said and I hope that you can respond professionally and timely as this issue is of great importance.

Kyle Lewis
APBA Member #3553
Member Seattle Outboard Association
Environmental Activist

[blueskyracer]

Ed and Kyle very nice letters. Unfortunately I hate to say it but we have been thru it before and once these big groups make a decision like this the place is history. They will not admit that they made a hasty decision based on no facts.

Maybe approach them in 20 years and try again. I would start looking for a back up plan yesterday.

[sponsonhead]

Sorry, Pat, it's an opinion so, by definition, it cannot be wrong! Ed.

You stole the words from my mouth, Eddie!

R-19

[B Walker]

Reply to my e-mail from Steve Robbins

The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is supportive of local events
that support our local economy. However, our first priority is to
protect our existing $500,000,000 per year agricultural industry.

CVWD spends approximately $1.5 million annually on its quagga mussel
prevention program to protect the Coachella Canal, Lake Cahuilla (the
canal's terminal reservoir) and the 485-mile canal water distribution
system.

Due to the serious threat of quagga mussels, CVWD prohibits the use of
boats and other water vessels at Lake Cahuilla. The threat is
applicable to your water sport even with the limited amount of time the
powerboats are in contact with the water.

CVWD does allow exceptions for boats that are kept at Lake Cahuilla and
never touch another body of water. Allowing outside vessels the lake
onto would pose too great of a risk. We offered to allow the race to
proceed if Riverside County, who operates the recreational facilities at
the Lake, agrees to pay for a state-certified quagga inspector to
inspect the boats before admitting them to the lake and that the County
provide indemnification should an infestation occur. The County has
declined to provide the needed indemnification.

Unfortunately, the first notice we received from the County regarding
this event was Tuesday, February 8. This was not much time to work
through these difficult issues.

Even though we may not agree with each other, I hope you understand our
position.

Steve Robbins
General Manager-Chief Engineer
Coachella Valley Water District

[Boatracer4fun]

This is the response I got.......

The Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) is supportive of local events
that support our local economy. However, our first priority is to
protect our existing $500,000,000 per year agricultural industry.

CVWD spends approximately $1.5 million annually on its quagga mussel
prevention program to protect the Coachella Canal, Lake Cahuilla (the
canal's terminal reservoir) and the 485-mile canal water distribution
system.

Due to the serious threat of quagga mussels, CVWD prohibits the use of
boats and other water vessels at Lake Cahuilla. The threat is
applicable to your water sport even with the limited amount of time the
powerboats are in contact with the water.

CVWD does allow exceptions for boats that are kept at Lake Cahuilla and
never touch another body of water. Allowing outside vessels the lake
onto would pose too great of a risk. We offered to allow the race to
proceed if Riverside County, who operates the recreational facilities at
the Lake, agrees to pay for a state-certified quagga inspector to
inspect the boats before admitting them to the lake and that the County
provide indemnification should an infestation occur. The County has
declined to provide the needed indemnification.

Unfortunately, the first notice we received from the County regarding
this event was Tuesday, February 8. This was not much time to work
through these difficult issues.

Even though we may not agree with each other, I hope you understand our
position.

Steve Robbins
General Manager-Chief Engineer
Coachella Valley Water District

[AZ Outlaw]

Typical responce...we SCOA offered to pay to have an on site inspector, not the County.