Redwood Glen Executive Director
December 2015
The recent rains have been a Godsend to Redwood Glen and to most of Northern California. During the summer our hard working maintenance staff installed a few storm drains to help with the water flow and these rains have helped determine what needs to happen next. Please continue to pray for rain as we will all need a good amount of rainfall this winter to get California moving back to normal.
For Redwood Glen and our water needs, our plan to be water sufficient using well water did not work and we have had to move to "Plan B." Last year, we started off by re-testing the three wells on the property (drilled in the mid 1990's) of which none produced enough water in quantity or quality. We then went to a lower elevation to dig a well knowing that the lower the well, the greater the probability of more water. Such was not the case. The well drilled earlier this year produced about half of our needed water and the quality was such that it would have been prohibitive both financially and ecologically to filtrate for use.
So Plan B is to use surface water. Hoffman Creek, where the camp originally got its water back in 1958, surprisingly has enough current water flow to get the camp through the winter months, even after four years of drought conditions. If we get an El Niño this winter, as we are being told, it should also sustain us through the peak times of the summer. We are currently pulling in water from Hoffman Creek for irrigation, so we have part of our piping system already in place. And if there is another drought, Redwood Glen also has water rights to Pioneer Creek running near our property that has about the same flow rate as Hoffman Creek.
Every sign is telling us that Plan B is the correct solution. Our main obstacle now is the March 1, 2016 deadline when the County of San Mateo shuts off the supply of water to Redwood Glen. Pray that we will become independent by then or that the County will extend the deadline until we get our system up and running. Also, the cost of a filtration system is estimated to be $150,000 - $180,000. Pray that we will raise the funds that are needed to build a new water treatment facility.
Wyman Chin (pictured right), our "water czar" and a member of the Redwood Glen Board of Directors, is now working with engineers to determine what type of filtration systems we will need. We are waiting for bids from a few companies who build these systems. He is also working with the Resource Conservation District who has a grant proposal for Proposition 1 funding that possibly will help us with the storage tanks once the water becomes potable. He has been persistent in talking to county and state officials, water engineers, anyone who can help us in our quest for water. He has put in hundreds if not thousands of volunteer hours of work to make the camp water independent. We are thankful for his efforts.
Ever since this water crisis hit back in June of 2014, you, our friends and supporters, have come through with extra donations, prayers, bottles of water and help. To date we have received over $150,000 in cash donations to cover most of our water needs. Redwood Glen has also had an exceptional guest group year so we are covering our costs at the moment. The cost of a filtration system is estimated to be $150,000 - $180,000. We don't have the total cost of that yet in the bank, but we step out in faith knowing that the Lord will provide as he has done for the past 57 years. If you are interested in helping support our efforts, please consider making an online donation here.
Thank you for your prayers, your support, your ministry, and your love for Redwood Glen. We wouldn't still be here without you.To reach Larry Rice, Redwood Glen Executive Director, email him at exec@redwoodglen.com or call (650) 879-0320 ext. 13.