A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 25, 2007
2. Supply
County seeks river flow cut; Plan could affect farmers, recreation along Russian River during summer - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
WATER CONSERVATION IN THE BAY AREA:
EBMUD seeks to cut water usage; Pre-emptive measure aims for 15 percent reduction, as 2008 may be another dry year - Inside Bay Area
Water agency asks East Bay to conserve; 25% CUT SOUGHT FROM INDUSTRIAL USERS - San Jose Mercury News
Water shortage alert -- rationing is urged - San Francisco Chronicle
RED BLUFF DIVERSION DAM RELEASES:
Dam gates will drop early in Red Bluff; Official says emergency action required to meet irrigation needs in Tehama, Colusa - Redding Record Searchlight
IMPERIAL VALLEY ISSUES:
Imperial farmers under pressure to save water - California Farm Bureau Federation
County seeks river flow cut; Plan could affect farmers, recreation along
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 4/25/07
By Bleys W. Rose, staff writer
Facing threats of water shortages,
But the push to store more water would cut the amount of water available to farmers and could affect recreation along the river during the summer.
The county Water Agency’s request to the state Water Resources Control Board sets up a rerun of 2004 and 2002 when similar cuts touched off bitter debates among urban water users, environmentalists, river advocates and slow-growth activists.
Water Agency officials told county supervisors Tuesday that trimming river flow now would result in more water in
They said immediate action is necessary because little rain fell this winter and the state has cut how much water is allowed out of the
“We are starting the year at much lower levels than those bad years,” said Chris Murray, Water Agency engineer. “We could have 8,000 acre feet in
The agency will ask the state board for permission to cut the flow along the river south of
The state board is expected to hold hearings on the request in early summer.
Representatives of river businesses, particularly in the tourism industry, said their livelihoods would be harmed if river flow is cut so much that tourists are scared away.
Jim Maresca, representing the Russian River Advocates group, said area residents and businesses still were reeling from effects of the New Year’s weekend flood of 2006. In 2004, some of the loudest protests to reducing flows came from river businesses, such as canoe rentals and resorts.
“The lower
Bob Anderson, executive director of the United Winegrowers of Sonoma County, said vineyard operators that depend on Dry Creek are likely to support reduced flows if it means consistent supply during the summer.
“My sense is that maintaining flow to the big acquifer along the river is most important,” he said. “It is less of a river, but there is still a river.”
On a 4-0 vote, the supervisors voted to support the Water Agency’s pursuit of flow reductions. But they also said they want agency officials to start talks with PG&E about getting federal approval to increase water allowed out of the
Last February,
Supervisor Paul Kelley characterized the situation as partly “a regulatory-generated water shortage” that would leave “a mudflat in
Dick Butler, supervisor of the
The Water Agency provides water to 600,000 customers in northern
During Tuesday’s hearing before the Board of Supervisors, several activists in river, conservation and environmental groups called for more drastic action that they said should include mandatory conservation measures in urban areas.
They want agency officials to force cities to halt watering of lawns, which officials have identified as the major water waster.
“We felt slighted in 2004. There was very little water conservation even though there was a lot of talk about it,” said Don McEnhill of Russian River Keeper. “Mandatory water (conservation) plans should be called for.”
Agency officials have, so far, maintained that voluntary conservation should be adequate to avoid mandatory measures that would require officials in cities to order halts to lawn and garden watering, car washing and nonessential water use. Two weeks ago, they asked water users to cut use by 10 percent to 15 percent. #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070425/NEWS/70425001/1033/NEWS01
WATER CONSERVATION IN THE BAY AREA:
EBMUD seeks to cut water usage; Pre-emptive measure aims for 15 percent reduction, as 2008 may be another dry year
Inside Bay Area – 4/25/07
By Mike Taugher, MediaNews staff
It is the first time the East Bay Municipal Utility District's 1.3 million customers have been asked to ration in 15 years.
The move is intended to reduce the risk of more severe water rationing if next year is also dry.
"If we get average or above average (snow next year) then we'll be able to get into a normal water supply picture," said district general manager Dennis Diemer.
The voluntary rationing request, approved Tuesday by thedistrict's board of directors, comes two weeks after the San Francisco Public Utility District asked its 2 million customers to reduce water use by 10 percent.
Both water districts have their own water storage systems and are heavily dependent on winter snowpack around their reservoirs.
Statewide, the water supply picture is mixed. The Sierra snowpack is only about half of normal but most reservoirs are brimming because of a recent string of plentiful water years.
For the Oakland-based water district, the danger is that a second dry year could force more severe water cutbacks.
The biggest savings are expected to come from residential customers, who are being asked to water their yards and plants no more than three times a week and not during daylight hours.
Other conservation measures requested by the district include:
-Limiting car-washing at home, and instead using commercial car washes, which recycle water
-No watering outdoor plants on consecutive nights
-Finding and repairing leaky plumbing
-Adjusting sprinklers so they do not water hard surfaces like pavement or concrete
Large irrigators such as golf courses, cemeteries, parks and CalTrans will be asked to cut water use by 25 percent.
Businesses will be asked to use water more efficiently, but district officials say commercial and industrial water use is less discretionary and they do not expect to see as much savings in those sectors.
"We could ask Chevron to cut their water use in half, but that would be a big impact on them and the people that work there," said Mike Wallis, the district's operations and maintenance director.
"We wouldn't want to put Chevron out of business to save someone's lawn," he added.
The district expects to spend $400,000 to $600,000 on the conservation campaign, much of it for advertising on billboards, postcards and in movie theaters.
During the last major drought, between 1987 and 1992, the water district asked for voluntary rationing twice and imposed mandatory cuts of 15 percent to 25 percent three times.
In most of those years, water conservation exceeded the district's request.
But now, with many houses already outfitted with low-flush toilets and many residents already conserving water, it may prove more difficult to get a 15 percent cut in water use.
"I think there's going to be some feeling that they're already doing everything they can," said Katy Foulkes, a member of the district's board of directors.
As a precautionary measure for the future, the district is building a new intake on the
Diemer said that so far, this is the seventh driest year in the Mokelumne watershed in the 78 years the district has been keeping snowpack records. #
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search//ci_5745924
Water agency asks East Bay to conserve; 25% CUT SOUGHT FROM INDUSTRIAL USERS
By Julie Sevrens Lyons, staff writer
Hoping to avoid mandatory water rationing next year, directors of the East Bay Municipal Utilities District agreed Tuesday to ask their 1.3 million water users to conserve immediately - with large, industrial users being asked to cut their consumption by 25 percent.
The move comes on the heels of similar decisions in
The
The conservation efforts are being encouraged "until further notice."
"We can't predict what's going to happen next year. That's what it really comes down to," said agency spokesman Charles Hardy. An especially wet winter last year has left local reservoirs in decent shape, he said, and "if we knew next year was going to be average, then we wouldn't worry about it. But next year could be dry, and we want to go into it in the best position we can."
The agency will ask residential customers to water their lawns and gardens only three days a week - and never on consecutive days. Watering should be reserved for night or early morning hours, the agency says.
Large irrigators, such as golf courses, cemeteries and Caltrans, will be asked to cut their use by one-fourth. The district's 1,000 largest water users will also be notified and told to upgrade their plumbing and irrigation systems, check for leaks and cut back on their water use. And businesses that use water in their manufacturing processes will be asked to look for ways to recycle water.
The efforts are considered voluntary, but in other regions that isn't the case. City of Santa Cruz Water Department officials have made it against the law to water lawns in the middle of the day, effective May 1. And the 2.4 million customers of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission have been told that if they don't voluntarily conserve now, they could face mandatory rationing by this summer.
"We don't control Mother Nature," Hardy said. "We can't create the water. So we really do have to ask people to conserve." #
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_5745466
Water shortage alert -- rationing is urged
San Francisco Chronicle – 4/25/07
By Carolyn Jones, staff writer
After one of the driest winters in decades, an
The East Bay Municipal Utility District board declared a water shortage Tuesday and is urging its customers in
EBMUD reservoirs are expected to drop to 80 percent of capacity by Oct. 1, due to a dwindling snowpack in the Sierra and one of the driest seasons in the agency's 84-year history, according to EBMUD spokesman Charles Hardy.
The runoff from the snowpack this year is less than half the normal volume, he said.
The utility is asking residential customers to irrigate their yards only three days a week and only at night. Customers should also check their homes for leaks.
Nonresidential customers are being asked to cut their water use 25 percent by upgrading plumbing and irrigation systems, fixing leaks and curtailing unnecessary water use.
If the drought continues through 2008, the board may institute mandatory rationing.
The last time the district asked for voluntary rationing due to a drought was in 2001. This winter, the district asked customers who live north of Highway 24 and west of the
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/04/25/BAGLGPEUHL1.DTL
RED BLUFF DIVERSION DAM RELEASES:
Dam gates will drop early in Red Bluff; Official says emergency action required to meet irrigation needs in Tehama, Colusa
Redding Record Searchlight – 4/25/07
By Dylan Darling, staff writer
With no rain expected to fall soon, the gates of the Red Bluff diversion dam are going to drop early this year to boost irrigation supplies in Tehama and Colusa counties.
A pumping plant has been releasing 465 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water into the main irrigation canal since the start of the month, but it hasn't been able to keep up with demand, said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority.
"Demand can be 900 to 1,700 cfs," he said.
Sutton called the early dropping of the gates an "emergency dam closure." The diversion should put 1,000 to 1,300 cfs into the canal that feeds 18 water districts encompassing 160,000 acres in the two counties, he said.
"It's to provide water that we can't pump," said Paul Freeman, the dam's division chief for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The dam will be closed for one to 10 days between Sunday and May 8, according to the bureau. The closure will temporarily form Lake Red Bluff, a byproduct of the diversion, along the
But don't get attached to the lake just yet.
Federal regulations that protect salmon and green sturgeon in the river require the 18-foot steel gates to be raised again for five days before Lake Red Bluff is formed officially for the season May 15.
The gates and the popular recreation lake will then be in place until Sept. 15.
Although it's the site of the Nitro Nationals Drag Boat Festival -- which draw about 30,000 spectators each Memorial Day weekend -- the lake's days could be numbered.
The federal government has proposed shortening or eliminating Lake Red Bluff's existence, adding more pumps to supply the canal, and lessening the time the dam's gates are down each year or getting rid of the dam completely.
Red Bluff city officials have opposed the plan, saying pulling the dam could sink recreation at the lake and the boat races -- costing the city an estimated $4.2 million.
Sutton said city officials also need to account for the economic impact the water users have in Tehama and Colusa counties, which produce $100 million in crops each year.
This year's emergency dam closure underlines the need for a permanent solution that will provide more reliable water early in the growing season to the canal, he said.
"It's too much to keep gambling on," Sutton said. #
http://www.redding.com/news/2007/apr/25/dam-gates-will-drop-early-in-red-bluff/
IMPERIAL VALLEY ISSUES:
Imperial farmers under pressure to save water
By Kate Campbell, staff writer
The idea of saving water from farming operations and selling it to urban neighbors seems straightforward enough. But, farmers in the
They say the complexities of building and operating a major water conservation program that will ultimately yield 303,000 acre-feet a year of farm water for urban uses is daunting and costly. Hanging in the balance is the future of one of the nation's most fertile farming regions, with production valued at about $1.3 billion a year.
Progress is being made to sort it all out, but Imperial County Farm Bureau President Vince Brooke said, "It's an effort that sometimes leaves members of our farming community bitter about the whole thing. We're not too happy about the way the water transfer was forced on the community.
"There has got to be a better way for coastal areas with unchecked growth to get water," Brooke said. "We need to see desalination as a choice that looks better and better all the time. This is too wrenching and complicated. And the associated costs are horrendous."
The farmwater conservation effort by Imperial Irrigation District (IID), the nation's largest irrigation district, however, is not optional. It's required under the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), a hard-fought, multistate water pact that includes scaling back
For the
Signed in October 2003, the QSA also includes related agreements and exchange projects among the various agencies, the State of
Environmentalists and a few businesses on both sides of the border had objected to the $230 million concrete lining project because seepage from the huge canal has been replenishing the aquifer in the
The project's price tag is now nearly $297 million because of the court delay, according to the San Diego County Water Authority. The state of
"We are proceeding," Maureen Stapleton, the authority's general manager, told the media when the injunction was lifted. "This has been an extremely expensive delay on a very significant project for
The 75-year water transfer agreement between IID and
During recent workshops on IID's "definite plan," which will be presented to IID's directors for acceptance in coming weeks,
Brooke stressed that efforts to implement the requirements of the QSA have been a complicated "nightmare," especially because there currently are about 10 lawsuits pending related to the agreement, with about 20 already having been dismissed.
He said he's optimistic, however, that over time efficient systems will be put in place to make the farm-to-city water transfer go as smoothly as possible.
"In coming years, IID will need to find a way to come up with 303,000 acre feet of water per year to send to
In all, Brooke said in 2008 a total of about 50,000 acre feet will need to leave the Imperial Valley and be sent to
The district operates more than 3,000 miles of canals and drains that gives it the capacity to deliver more than 3.1 million acre-feet of IID's
The water comes with an added problem--every acre-foot brings more than one ton of salt along with it. Valley farmers have developed an ingenious system of underground tiles and drains to help leach the fields and carry the salty tailwater water to the
Because of these complexities, Brooke said water conservation recommendations will come in four parts, including necessary IID system improvements, such as more accurate metering at the farm gate; establishing a baseline for measuring conservation levels; seepage recovery from canal lining, starting with the East Highline Canal; and the engineering of on-farm irrigation systems and adoption of improved management practices.
The short-term solution, however, is implementation of an emergency fallowing plan that immediately frees up water for transfer, a interim measure farmers had been assured would not be used.
"There was no way to implement the QSA right off the bat with conserved water," Brooke explained. "The QSA contract didn't provide any up-front money for us to do that. And you can't revamp a 100-year-old irrigation system that serves 500,000 acres of irrigated cropland in an instant."
He said that's why another contract, called the "Revised Fourth Amendment" was adopted. It institutes a 15-year emergency fallowing program to create the first water for contract requirements.
"This too seems simple enough," Brooke said. "The Revised Fourth Amendment, however, also requires there be mitigation funds to remedy third-party impacts because of the fallowing.
"After three years of intense public debate and negotiation, mitigation funds for the first two years of the fallowing contracts are just starting to reach the community," he said. "Mitigation funds for the remaining years are presently in arbitration with San Diego County Water Authority."
For this water year, IID officials said nearly 300 fields were submitted for consideration in the district's emergency fallowing program, totaling more than 27,500 acres of farmland with a water conservation yield well in excess of IID's fallowed water requirement for the 2007-2008 fallowing program.
Due to this oversubcription, the district is offering contracts to eligible fields using a random selection system. District officials said that as contracts are declined, IID will offer additional fallowing contracts to fields based on their order from the random selection process until the program is fully contracted.
The first sets of fallowing contracts were sent to potential participants on March 12. In a prepared statement, the district said it anticipates completing the contracting process for the full number of fields by the end of April.
"Because the fallowing program is an emergency measure it's not a permanent solution. The longer-term hurdles are installing on-farm conservation measures and defining what can be done for IID system improvements," Brooke said. "Even with these considerable challenges, we're pretty much on schedule to get the plans and systems in place to manage the water transfer. But, don't get me wrong, we've still got some huge decisions ahead of us.
"We operate on a 24-hour system and constantly move the water around. As we set baselines for usage, we will have to decide if it's going to be based on actual crop requirements, historic use or by simple division of acres into acre feet. There's also a problem of fairness for farmers that have paid to improve their water conservation systems before the agreement was signed versus those who haven't installed the equipment yet," he said.
Yet another wrinkle that still needs to be ironed out is the future of the
Water researchers say more than 17 percent of the delivered irrigation water in the
The impact of the water transfer, increased on-farm conservation, reduced runoff from farms into the Salton Sea, along with regulations related to TMDLs, major construction projects, lingering lawsuits, are just some of the issues sparked by the QSA and the required water transfer.
Brooke said that although progress is being made in sorting it all out, it's an effort that often leaves members of Imperial's vibrant farming community uneasy.
"We're business people trying to make future decisions without knowing all the details," he said. #
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=807&ck=6E7B33FDEA3ADC80EBD648FFFB665BB8
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