2009 Yolo-Solano Mower Exchange

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!
Phone-in Registration begins April 7 at 8:30 a.m.
First-come, first-served with limited supply available.

This is a great opportunity to do something good for the environment and get a great discount in the process.

The Yolo-Solano Air Quality Management District (YSAQMD), the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), the County of Solano and PG&E are sponsoring a mower exchange program for residents of Solano and Yolo counties that make it easy and convenient to recycle a polluting, gas-powered mower in exchange for more than $200 off a new, zero-emission, cordless and rechargeable mower. The event begins with phone registration on April 7. There are a limited number of mowers so it is on a first-call, first-served basis.

"Rechargeable mowers produce no on-site emissions, are lighter and quieter and easy to use," according to Mat Ehrhardt, executive director of the YSAQMD. "This year we will offer a choice of mowers. The 14" cut model is $189 and the 19" cut model is $289. Both are a great buy in this economy," added Ehrhardt.

In addition, the cordless and rechargeable mower INCLUDES three discharge options for your grass clippings: use the rear grass bag, the side discharge chute, or install the mulching plug to leave the nutrients on your lawn.

The exchange consists of three steps:

1. DIAL - On April 7, call the toll free number (800) 465-7894 beginning at 8:30 a.m. to reserve a mower and receive a voucher. (Calls will be taken until sold out or 5:00 p.m., whichever comes first.)
2. DROP OFF - Qualified residents drop off a gas-powered mower at a participating recycler.
3. DELIVER - Qualified residents arrange payment with the manufacturer and a new mower is delivered to their home.

Participants do not to have to wait in long lines at a single-day event or travel outside their county to take advantage of this offer. Instead, after residents call-in for a confirmed mower reservation, they are given ample time to drop-off their gas mower at a participating local recycler in either county. Participating drop-off sites for gas-mower recycling are: Allied Waste/Pacific Rim Recycling, Davis Waste Removal, Dixon Sanitary Service, Hay Road Landfill, Potrero Hills Landfill, Vacaville Sanitary Service, Vallejo Garbage Service and Yolo County Central Landfill.

For more details on the mower, visit www.neutonpower.com/ys. For details on the program, contact the YSAQMD at (530) 757-3650 or (800) 287-3650 or visit www.ysaqmd.org.

Suisun City Helps Host College Fair

If you know any high school students planning to enroll in college in the next couple of years, you should try to help them get to the upcoming Countywide College Fair.

The Suisun City Recreation & Community Services Department cooperated with other local cities to plan this free key event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 14 at the Fairfield Community Center, 1000 Kentucky St.

The Countywide College Faire will provide a comprehensive series of workshops for middle school and high school students. Workshops include SAT/ACT Test Prep, Cash for College, How to Write Application Essays, among others. Door prizes and refreshments also will be offered at the event.

College representatives from more than 50 schools will be on hand, too.

For more information, contact Kelly Davis at the Nelson Community Center at 707-421-7200.

Fuel Leak Cleanup in Progress

The Air Force has located and repaired a fuel line leak along Highway 12, and officials expect any residual fuel that escaped to be cleaned up this spring.

Air Force Lt. Col. Wade Lawrence gave the Suisun City Council an update on Tuesday regarding the status of the remediation resulting from the small fuel leak discovered in a Travis Air Force Base pipeline last week.

An AT&T subcontractor detected the odor of jet fuel in an underground utility vault along Highway 12 last week. The Suisun City Fire Department responded to the scene and verified the finding. Firefighters secured the area, and notified various officials, including Travis Air Force Base, Solano County and California Fish and Game.

Air Force personnel arrived on scene quickly and identified a small leak in a valve on a drain pipe attached to the pipeline, which is owned and operated by the Air Force. Travis engineers called a private environmental contractor to the scene to help contain and control seeping fuel. There was no risk to public health or safety, and the fuel did not compromise either the drinking water system or nearby sensitive environmental habitats.

A small amount of fuel was detected in the storm drain system along Lawler Ranch Parkway. Because this storm drain empties directly into the Suisun Marsh, extreme caution was used to control any possible migration of fuel into this sensitive environmental area. Lt. Col. Lawrence noted that no fuel was detected in the Marsh.

Environmental crews remained in the area 24 hours a day to remove all water from the storm drain system to ensure the protection of the Marsh.

A total of 175 gallons of fuel that leaked from the valve was collected and hauled away for disposal. Travis engineers plugged the valve to seal off any further leaks. The pipeline was pressured tested three times last Thursday. No leaks in the system were found. Environmental specialists continue to monitor test holes in the area for signs of fuel migrating through the soil.

Travis Air Force Base officials are working in cooperation with the Solano County Environmental Health Department to remove any fuel remaining in the soil as a result of this leak. Lt. Col. Lawrence expects all work at the site to be completed in May.