HIGH AND DRY… It’s a slippery read. But despite its watered-down working, the long-awaited report analyzing the potential environmental impacts of a new water supply project for the Monterey Peninsula says the North Marina desalination alternative – using seawater vertical wells instead of slant wells – is the environmentally-superior alternative. “Substituting vertical wells into the North Marina Project would eliminate the significant and unavoidable noise impact and add beneficial impacts to a local groundwater basin,” it says. “The North Marina Project with seawater vertical wells, therefore, is considered the environmentally-superior alternative under CEQA since it would possibly be slightly environmentally superior to Phase 1 of the Regional Project.” The EIR analyzes three projects: California American Water Company’s Coastal Water Project, anchored by a Moss Landing desalination facility; a desal plant in North Marina; and the Regional Water Supply Project, which includes a North Marina desal plant and other components. Read the entire draft EIR at www.cwp-eir.com/docs.html [JL]

GANGLAND SECURITY… Naval Postgraduate School faculty who normally study how to stamp out terrorist networks will now research strategies to prevent gang violence in Salinas. Under a partnership announced Feb. 2, NPS academics will work with the city of Salinas to address the root causes of the city’s violence. NPS Provost Leonard Ferrari said 10 to 15 faculty members will be collaborating with the city to come up with long-term violence prevention approaches. [ZS]

STYROFOAM BLOWS… After months of consideration, the City of Monterey finally adopted a ban on take-out polystyrene packaging, despite intense lobbying from the American Chemistry Council’s plastics division. The cities of Carmel-by-the-Sea and Pacific Grove have already adopted the ban, which was drafted by the regional waste district’s Litter Abatement Task Force. The Oldtown Monterey Farmers Market also forbids the foam. [KA]

OLDTOWN INSTITUTION TO CLOSE… Gadsby’s Music Company, which had a 73-year run training musicians and selling instruments in downtown Salinas, will close Feb. 28. Store owner Larry Tharp says he is closing the store at 219 Monterey Street for economic and personal health reasons. George Victor Gadsby originally opened the store in 1936. [ZS]