[Water_news] 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS - 4/6/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

April 6, 2007

 

3. Watersheds

 

DELTA ISSUES:

Ruling creates water worries; Pump restrictions in Stockton case may set precedent - Vallejo Times Herald

 

AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY:

River parkway short on funding; Many of those polled by phone favor assessment district to maintain it - Sacramento Bee

 

UPDATED WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR AMERICAN RIVER WATERSHED CONFERENCE:

 

 

DELTA ISSUES:

Ruling creates water worries; Pump restrictions in Stockton case may set precedent

Vallejo Times Herald – 4/6/07

By Dan Judge, staff writer

 

An Alameda Superior Court judge's threat to shut down California State Water Project pumps near Stockton probably would not immediately affect Vallejo-area cities, but officials in Solano and Napa counties are worried about the decision's ripple effects.

 

Vallejo, Benicia, American Canyon, Napa, Vacaville and other cities depend on the North Bay Aqueduct for much of their water, and officials said Thursday that the judge's ruling could someday impact that supply.

 

"While we are not a party to the lawsuit, we are certainly going to be affected by it," Vallejo Water Superintendent Erik Nugteren said.

 

Last month, Judge Frank Roesch ruled that pumps sending drinking water to Central and Southern California must be turned off within 60 days unless the state complies with rules to protect endangered fish now being chewed up by the pumps.

 

Suit field in October

 

The Department of Water Resources was sued in October by the Water Enforcers, the legal branch of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. The fishing group said the agency never obtained the proper permits to kill certain fish while pumping water.

 

Roesch agreed, ruling that the water agency had failed to follow the Endangered Species Act permit process.

 

The state is expected to appeal the ruling.

 

Nugteren said the North Bay Aqueduct pump in Barker Slough that serves Solano and Napa counties has the same permitting issues, and if the state is forced to enact new rules in Stockton, it may have to do the same everywhere.

 

About two-thirds of Vallejo's water supply comes through the aqueduct, he said. The rest is from Lake Berryessa.

 

The neighboring cities of American Canyon and Benicia have a much greater dependency on the State Water Project. Both rely on the North Bay Aqueduct as their primary water supply.

 

American Canyon City Attorney Bill Ross said the Alameda court decision appears to have little impact locally because the pump is so far south.

 

It is unclear, however, whether the pump shutdown could affect other parts of the State Water Project's complex network of canals and bypasses, he said.

 

"There may be different water supply scenarios that could have an effect, and that's being studied by the engineers," Ross said.

 

In Benicia, Assistant Public Works Director Chris Tomasik said she expects no impact from the ruling, but the city is keeping tabs on the situation. "We are not worried about it, but we are certainly keeping a very close eye on it because it's a very huge concern to everyone in the water business in California," Tomasik said.

 

The Solano County Water Agency will hold a briefing on the matter on April 12, Nugteren said.

 

About 25 million Californians depend on the State Water Project for at least a portion of their water. #

http://www.timesheraldonline.com/todaysnews/ci_5608989

 

 

AMERICAN RIVER PARKWAY:

River parkway short on funding; Many of those polled by phone favor assessment district to maintain it

Sacramento Bee – 4/9/07

By Ed Fletcher, staff writer

 

The American River Parkway is often referred to as a "regional jewel." But are local property owners willing to pay a little extra to maintain its luster?

 

That's the question officials from Sacramento, Rancho Cordova and Sacramento County are teaming up to ask.

 

For years, parkway supporters have been pushing for more funding for the 23-mile recreation area along the Lower American River.

 

A phone survey that concluded early this week asked 600 property owners if they would be willing to pay an annual assessment of up to $30 to support the parkway.

 

Officials hope to have a vote by mail ballot of property owners by the end of the year, but many questions remain unanswered.

The survey results will help elected officials working with volunteer parkway supporters craft the proposed boundaries, set the annual assessment and determine how much money will be raised.

 

The data also will help decide what entity would collect and spend the extra funds.

 

" I'm very concerned about the funding for the parkway. (The parkway) is an important element in our quality of life," said Supervisor Susan Peters, one of six local elected officials who have been meeting to find new funding sources for the parkway.

 

 The group also is considering a new governance structure strengthening the city of Sacramento's role and giving Rancho Cordova a seat at the table.

 

Most involved with the polling seem to favor an assessment district that helps maintain the American River Parkway. But Supervisor Roger Dickinson says all county residents should be asked to help with open space land in the county and to support all county regional parks, including Dry Creek Parkway, just north of the former McClellan Air Force Base.

 

"To me, it doesn't make sense to have a nicely funded American River Parkway and a starving Dry Creek Parkway," Dickinson said. "It would have broader political appeal and be better from a policy standpoint."

 

Parkway activists are applauding the proposal."It's an opportunity for the community to show they really support the parkway," said Warren Truitt, president of the Save the American River Association.

 

Since the parkway opened in the late 1960s, Sacramento County has been responsible for its management and upkeep.

 

The drive to find a more stable funding source for the parkway pushed into high gear in late 2003 when former parks director Ron Suter, in the face of stiff budget cuts, recommended closing parts of the recreation area.

 

"With the cuts I'm looking at, I'm scrambling to keep things afloat," he told The Bee.

 

A financial needs study conducted in 2000 and updated in 2006 supports the idea that more funds are needed.

 

The study, conducted by the Dangermond Group, compared the county's parkway funding with its funding of other regional parks. It said the American River Parkway is $1.5 million short on annual operating funds -- to pay for rangers and other employees and day-to-day expenses.

 

It also found that the parkway doesn't have enough funding to purchase equipment, do maintenance, make capital improvements and acquire land. It found the parkway would need about $8.5 million of additional funding a year for the next 10 years to meet those needs.

 

The study looking at "best practices" recommended adding three park ranger positions, filling two positions taken from the Effie Yeaw Nature Center and buying a power boat for park rangers. It also identified miles of roads and acres of parking lots that need resurfacing.

 

Some of the parkway's budget woes have been hidden by volunteer efforts, Truitt said. Volunteers spend thousands of hours cleaning trails, planting trees and doing other upkeep.

 

Rancho Cordova City Councilwoman Linda Budge said Sacramento County has gone it alone for too long.

 

She said creating a larger role for the cities along the parkway, including Rancho Cordova, is part of the solution.

 

"Somebody has to do something if they want to keep the parkway open," Budge said. "We need the joint powers authority to make the parkway work."

 

She said the working group has looked far and wide for a funding and governance model that works.

 

Peters said any new money -- should property owners vote to create an assessment district -- would be in addition to existing funds. "We don't want to substitute one for the other," she said.

 

Activists said the additional revenue could help deal with illegal camping. Just weeks after officials completed work on the Two Rivers bike trail along the southern bank of the Lower American River, enthusiasts said they were shocked for find the area overrun by homeless encampments.

 

"The illegal campers there were outrageous," Truitt said.

 

The Save the American River Association joined forces with the American River Parkway Foundation and the American River Natural History Association to write Sacramento Mayor Heather Fargo and others pressing for action.

 

Parkway director Gary Kukkola said more rangers might help. "Lacking some regular uniformed presence," he said, "there will be some people who will just choose not to use it because they don't feel safe -- and that is unfortunate." #

http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/150380.html

 

 

UPDATED WEBSITE FOR AMERICAN RIVER WATERSHED CONFERENCE:

The correct website for the American River Watershed Conference is http://www.cce.csus.edu/conferences/arwc/07/index.htm.