A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 20, 2007
3. Watersheds
River price tag put at $500m; Lawmaker says the restoration cost creates a problem -
DELTA RULING:
Ruling Threatens SCV's Water - Santa Clarita Signal
Ruling stands - Tracy Press
Editorial: High stakes in Delta -
Editorial: Water pump solution - Contra Costa Times
Can sea's battle for billions be won?; Next step: Getting lawmakers to spend $6B - Desert Sun
Revitalization could raise $1 billion locally; Convincing lawmakers to commit billions to revitalization of sea is tall hurdle to clear - Desert Sun
Race against time to save shrinking Salton Sea; Lake expected to lose half its water supply within 10 years - Desert Sun
Major Southern California cities slurping up more - Desert Sun
Sea will need some private support, too, Bono says; Q & A with Rep. Mary Bono on the sea’s future - Desert Sun
Owens Lake similarities frightening, officials say - Desert Sun
From sea to dust bowl?;
Quality of life at stake; Officials: Region's future hinges on plan to shrink sea, create a habitat to keep lake from becoming dust bowl - Desert Sun
County, IID to meet on sea - Imperial Valley Press
Guest Column: Hybrid Answer; Preserve sea as a natural refuge and drainage reservoir for valley farmland - Riverside Press Enterprise
Guest Column: Make sure the restoration plan isn't too ambitious - Riverside Press
Guest Column: Support a phased approach to saving the sea - Riverside Press
Guest Column: A Dusty Catastrophe; Don't let the Salton Sea deteriorate into another toxic Owens Lake - Riverside Press Enterprise
Guest Column: Salton plight demands a regional solution - Riverside Press
MARIN WETLANDS:
Army engineers dig deep to restore wetlands; Project begins to pump what will eventually be 7 million cubic yards of sediment back onto Hamilton Field in rebirth - Contra Costa Times
MIDDLE CREEK RESTORATION:
Middle Creek bill passes - Lake County Record Bee
RESTORATION PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD:
Redwood Creek, Salt River projects authorized - Eureka Times Standard
River price tag put at $500m; Lawmaker says the restoration cost creates a problem
By Michael Doyle, Bee
A long-awaited study puts the federal government's cost of restoring the
One legislator is using the new Congressional Budget Office study in his attempts to derail the proposal to send more water down the river. The additional water would allow the return of long-depleted salmon populations.
"I think the costs are a lot higher than have been advertised, and that's a considerable problem for the bill," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. He has been critical of the restoration plan's possible effect on farmers if less water is available for irrigation.
The plan's supporters retort that the costs aren't unexpected. As they prepare for a May 2 Senate hearing, they will try to shave the cost estimates and identify the necessary offsetting savings.
"We've known for some time that we had a [budget] issue," Dan Dooley, an attorney for the Friant Water Users Authority, said Friday. "Until this report, we didn't have the specifics, but I'm confident we'll work through it."
The bill language itself only specifies $250 million in spending. The new cost estimate adds other required environmental spending, as well as the loss of federal tax revenue from California bonds that would be sold to help pay for the project as part of the state's share of funding.
Farmers and environmentalists differ over what the final total cost will be, with estimates ranging from between $600 million and $1.2 billion.
New rules in place under Democratic leadership require congressional spending to be balanced with additional revenues or with new savings. The
In coming weeks, river restoration supporters will confront the political challenge of identifying other programs to trim so that the
"Good luck," Nunes said. "Who are they going to cut?"
Introduced in the House by Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, the bill would fund improvements so more water could spill over Friant Dam, with salmon due to be introduced into the revived river before 2013. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein has introduced an identical bill in the Senate.
Currently, Friant Dam releases an average of 117,000 acre-feet of water annually, with farmers getting most of it. The river restoration plan calls for between 247,000 and 555,000 acre-feet of water to be released annually, depending on how much water is available.
The river legislation would help settle a lawsuit filed in 1988. Environmentalists charged in the suit that Friant Dam's construction and operation had dried up the once-thriving
If the legislation and settlement fail, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton in
Congress requires budget office estimates for all bills. The Congressional Budget Office study predicts the
Budget complications already caused one delay in the restoration effort this week. Thursday was supposed to be the day for a House subcommittee to mark up the legislation and approve it. Anticipating progress, Dooley flew out from
But the new budget questions thwarted those plans, forcing last-minute cancellation of the scheduled mark-up.
One solution, Friant Water Users Authority General Manager Rob Jacobsma added Friday, could be to "reconfigure some of the financing" of the river work. This could have the effect of lowering the overall federal cost, so that fewer politically sensitive cuts would be needed.
"We're still trying to figure it all out ourselves," Jacobsma said.
Congressional budget rules don't require the entire $500 million to be offset. Instead, the somewhat arcane rules require offsets for about $217 million of the total estimate. The smaller amount covers obligatory spending under the bill, and not projects that are simply authorized without guaranteed funding.
"I don't think the CBO score will prevent this bill from being passed," Radanovich's press secretary Spencer Pederson said. "It's something they're going to have to work through." #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/43412.html
DELTA RULING:
Ruling Threatens SCV's Water
Santa Clarita Signal – 4/21/07
By Katherine Geyer, staff writer
A Superior Court judge's ruling could soon shut down water pumps that are crucial to the delivery of state water to
A judge with the Alameda County Superior Court made a draft ruling on March 22 that the Department of Water Resources does not have the proper permits to pump water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the pumps are said to be endangering fish.
On Wednesday, the judge reaffirmed his decision and ordered the pumps to be shut down within 60 days, unless the department obtains the necessary permits.
The Department of Water Resources intends to appeal the decision, according to a statement released by the department.
"Keeping those pumps in operation is important to the state as a whole," said Dan Masnada, general manager of the Castaic Lake Water Agency. "Not just to Santa Clarita, but to 23 million people that get state water, along with 700,000 acres of farmland. It would be devastating to the economy of the state if those pumps were shut down."
The Santa Clarita Valley gets about half of its water from the State Water Project and half from the valley's groundwater supply.
"We are doing contingency planning in the event that the pumps are shut down, as far as how to utilize our groundwater resources, taking water out of our groundwater bank, and also taking deliveries of state water," he said.
There is still a lot of water south of the delta that the valley would be able to utilize, he said, but it would certainly reduce the amount of water available to the area. He said the valley's current allotment from the State Water Project is about 60 percent. If the pumps are shut down, it would be reduced to 30 percent.
"What that would mean is we would have to take some water out of storage and then also coordinate with purveyors about summer deliveries, where they would be pumping more groundwater this summer than would otherwise be the case," Masnada said.
He said that although the valley has not received much rain this year, the groundwater basins are still in good shape because of the heavy rains the valley experience last year and in 2005.
"Higher extractions out of the groundwater basin is reasonable as long as those extractions are reduced in the future and those average extractions are within the operating range of the aquifers," he said.
He said this ruling shows that the state should re-examine its delivery system and deliver water in a way that would bypass the delta and avoid regulations associated with fisheries.
He said a peripheral canal, which was defeated by voters in 1982, is an option that is once again being considered. The canal would be about 45 miles long and would bypass the delta.
"If it bypasses the delta, you don't impact the fish in the delta," he said. "If you can protect the fisheries, then water supply impacts are minimized."
Masnada said he is hopeful that the Department of Water Resources will be successful in taking actions that would preclude the pumps from being shut down.
"We have multiple sources of supply, and we've banked water over the last few years that would be part of our contingency planning to address what would turn out to be a judicial drought," he said. "Ideally, we'd like to use the banked water for real droughts in the future, not the one that's being driven by a court ruling." #
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=47803&format=html
Ruling stands
Tracy Press – 4/20/07
A judge reaffirmed an order that a
An
The state Department of Water Resources and some of the agencies that get water from the California Aqueduct challenged last month’s original ruling that the pumps must be shut down. The challengers stated that they had additional documentation that showed the state is doing all it can to protect Chinook salmon and Delta smelt from being killed by the pumps.
The fish are protected under the California Endangered Species Act, and the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance filed suit in December 2006 demanding that the state’s Department of Fish and Game and the Department of Water Resources come up with a plan to protect these fish from the massive pumps.
The court order issued Tuesday affirms an order from late March and restates the deadline the two agencies have — 60 days from the April 17 judgment — to come up with a protection plan or shut down the pumps, which send water to 25 million people.
Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow said in a statement that the water department plans to appeal the decision.
He added that the Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Game will come up with a statement by early May that would affirm that the agency has not violated either the state or federal endangered species laws by running the pumps. #
http://tracypress.com/content/view/8846/2/
Editorial: High stakes in Delta
The Endangered Species Act is like an alarm bell that sounds when an environment is in deep trouble, and it is ringing as never before in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Last week, an Alameda County Superior Court Judge ordered the State Water Project to shut down its Delta water pumps that supply
Both cases bring into focus the role of the Endangered Species Act in
The Delta, sick in so many ways, is akin to a television that has only a few knobs still functioning. Those knobs power state and federal pumps. But other key factors in the Delta defy adjustment by any dial in any control room. There are dozens of invasive species -- the Asian clam, for example -- that threaten the survival of the Delta species that belong in the estuary. And there are hundreds of miles of Delta levees that face increasing stress on both sides, as the islands behind the levees recede (farming oxidizes the soil) and as sea levels rise (a result of climate change).
The Endangered Species Act has come into play because the fish that live year-round in the Delta, such as shad and smelt, are dwindling to dangerously low numbers. That has led environmental groups to challenge the governments' scientific justification for pumping as much as 2 trillion gallons annually from the Delta.
The
But a judge can't order those Asian clams in the Delta to go back home. Or make it rain so the fish are happy. Nor can the Endangered Species Act on its own restore the Delta to health. All it can do is try to keep a species barely alive. The law doesn't allow a judge to order leaders from government, environmental groups, agriculture and cities to embrace some major changes that address all of their legitimate needs. But in the coming months, an open mind and a sense of urgency are what the Delta deserves. When judges start to control the knobs, everyone loses. #
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/158679.html
Editorial: Water pump solution
Contra Costa Times – 4/23/07
WHEN ALAMEDA COUNTY Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch ordered state water officials to comply with the California Endangered Species Act or shut down Delta pumps in 60 days, he meant it. On Wednesday, he finalized his order, and the clock is now ticking.
Shutting the Delta pumps would be a financial disaster and hardship for the 25 million Californians who rely on the State Water Project for water.
It's not just the Central Valley and
The Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves 200,000 people in southeastern
If the pumps were to be shut down for any length of time, there would be severe economic damage, costing the state economy hundreds of billions of dollars, according to water officials.
However, those officials are partly to blame for the impending crisis. Since July 2005, they have been aware of the fact that the water project lacks permits to kill fish under state law.
The California Department of Water Resources said it will appeal the ruling and warned again of an economic disaster.
In the meantime, water officials need to work with the state Department of Fish and Game to get permits to kill fish.
The water agency has asked Fish and Game to endorse the less-stringent federal endangered species fish-kill permits and grant a state permit. However, Fish and Game Director Ryan Broddrick said he could not issue such a permit because the federal permit has been deemed inadequate.
The state and federal permitting regulations concerning fish should have been fashioned in an environmentally responsible manner years ago. But that shortcoming must not be allowed to force state water officials to completely shut down the water supply of 25 million users.
In the long run, the federal fish-kill permit needs to be upgraded so that it is similar to the state permit requirements. In the short term, Fish and Game should consider issuing a temporary one- or two-year permit, allowing the state agency to continue pumping water out of the Delta, perhaps at a reduced volume.
A bureaucratic and legal hassle must not result in an economic calamity. Water issues can often erupt into pitched battles in which all of the sides lose.
We certainly hope that is not the case here. There is room for both reason to prevail so that everyone can win. #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/opinion/ci_5731323
Can sea's battle for billions be won?; Next step: Getting lawmakers to spend $6B
Desert Sun – 4/23/07
By Erica Solvig and Keith Matheny, staff writers
As final tweaks are made to the state's $6 billion plan to restore the
- How do you persuade state leaders, elected to look out for their own districts, to care about a remote body of water near the
- After 40 years of discussions about fixing the state's largest lake, will the Legislature even make a decision this time around?
- How can state and federal lawmakers be convinced to set aside billions of dollars to kick start construction on a restoration plan - and provide tens of millions every year to manage it?
State and local stakeholders are going to try to answer those questions in the coming months.
California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman in coming days will present his recommendation to manage a shrinking
It also proposes spending millions each year to manage dust from the dry part of the lake bed.
Though some state and federal money has been set aside in recent years for the sea's restoration plan, there's no plan on how specifically to fund this.
If left alone, the sea will die in the next decade, creating dust that could lead to massive air quality issues for the 
Even the strongest supporters of saving the sea admit it's going to be a tough sales pitch.
"Under the current budget conditions, I am concerned the cost is going to be a big stumbling block for us," said Kim Delfino, the
"We are working very hard to make sure people do understand that they cannot just turn their backs on the
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704230313
Revitalization could raise $1 billion locally; Convincing lawmakers to commit billions to revitalization of sea is tall hurdle to clear
Desert Sun – 4/23/07
By Erica Solvig and Keith Matheny, staff writers
Proponents of the Salton Sea's restoration are pounding the pavement in
The plan is costly: $6 billion in construction, paid over many years, and possibly upwards of $100 million a year to maintain.
"It's not a slam-dunk," Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson said.
"But you have to look at the other side. What will it cost them to mitigate the health effects, the medical bills and everything from a dead sea with toxic dust blowing in the wind?"
Proponents note that merely letting the sea shrivel up and controlling the resulting dust pollution is a nearly $1 billion job with tens of millions in annual costs.
The state's restoration plan, to be given to lawmakers in coming days, will dramatically reduce the size of the sea, transforming it to a much smaller lake and creating a dry lake bed and marshy habitat.
Lawmakers' "eyes get really big when they see the cost," Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Rick Daniels said.
"We can talk about cost and talk about timelines. Money availability is going to drive everything."
And that's going to be a difficult hurdle to jump, warned U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
"I would caution that a plan that relies on billions of dollars in federal contributions is unrealistic in these tough budget times," the
Lobbying machine
It took two years to convince directly affected residents in the Coachella and Imperial valleys that fixing the
Members of the La Quinta-based Salton Sea Authority held meeting after meeting - Daniels spoke at more than 100 of them - before gaining the support from cities, government agencies and other groups in the region.
The authority also hired a professional lobbying firm to help convince people restoration is worthwhile.
The agency also created a book, containing local resolutions supporting the sea's revitalization, to pass out to state decision-makers. Every lawmaker will get a copy, Daniels said.
All of this, and legislators still don't even have a final restoration plan in hand.
Next, backers will try to earn the support of everyone from union leaders - more than 2,500 jobs would be created to restore the sea - to outdoorsmen - an improved sea would create new hunting and fishing options - to environmentalists - the sea would create one of the largest bird habitats in the state.
The supporters hope that will encourage legislators from outside the area to save the sea.
"You hit everyone with the same message, but you emphasize different parts," Daniels said.
All agencies are needed
In Sacramento, just about everyone has been trying to get time with California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman, who will determine what sea restoration plan goes to lawmakers.
"The shorter list is who haven't we talked to," resources spokesman Sandy Cooney said.
"There isn't anybody we haven't talked to and we will continue it up until the 11th hour."
Though the plan could be changed after it's in the hands of lawmakers, Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia,
"I think the last thing needed is for the negotiation on a final plan to be dropped into the hands of the Legislature," she said.
State Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, a San Diego Democrat whose district includes parts of the Coachella and Imperial valleys, said she recognizes there is a high cost. But she said that funding could be set aside "over a long period of time."
"It sounds like a lot of money but you've got to remember it's over 30 or 40 years," she said.
Some money has been set aside for restoring the sea. But officials haven't figured out yet how much money will be needed and when.
The valley might have some advantages: U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a part-time Rancho Mirage resident, chairs the environment and public works committee, and Ducheny heads the state Senate's budget and fiscal review committee.
Richard Stapler, press secretary for state Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez, D-
"We really want the
This isn't just a state endeavor. Just last week, Chrisman was in
For many federal lawmakers not associated with Southern California, the
The toughest part is getting the project started, said Bono, R-Palm Springs. Once progress is evident, it's easier to fund.
"You've got to get your foot in the door," she said. "Now is the time to do that."
Strong local support for restoration hasn't equated to full endorsement of the state's plan.
When Chrisman presented his draft last month, a representative from the Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians said the tribe couldn't support it because it would leave a rim of exposed lake bed the state doesn't plan on maintaining.
Instead, it would fall to the property owner - a major one being the tribe - to make sure dust doesn't blow.
And the tribe wasn't the only group raising red flags.
Officials in
County Supervisor Gary Wyatt said Chrisman's draft puts a northern lake and its recreational and economic opportunities in
That's "unacceptable," he said.
Having both counties committed to a restoration plan is crucial because local funding will likely be necessary to implement any chosen plan, Daniels said.
Many stakeholders question why the plan hasn't included specifics on how much water will flow to the sea in years to come.
Imperial officials worry the state may have other ideas for some of the sea's water supply, including feeding thirsty, fast-growing cities such as
"We will not stand by and allow any future water transfers out of our valley," Wyatt said. "We cannot and will not accept a plan that will use less water than is available."
Plans need a lot of money
Though it's been years in the making, the state resources secretary's recommended fix for the
Should lawmakers approve the $6 billion plan, there's still the monumental task of securing state and federal funding.
Any changes could potentially make the fix even more expensive.
The state's proposal doesn't address economic development. But many locals see a revitalized
The growth may also help fund the sea's fixes, and through thousands more homes, commercial development and special tax-capturing districts, Daniels estimates $1 billion could be raised locally.
He hopes that would encourage lawmakers to add their shares.
But officials have yet to identify who will oversee the massive restoration. It could be a statewide group or an agency with local ties.
And even if approved today, experts anticipate it will take until 2078 to finish restoration.
Even locals are skeptical.
"They're not going to do anything," said Pat Johnson, a 70-year-old
The big dreams of the 1950s and '60s never materialized for the sea. Now officials talk about salvaging what they can.
As lawmakers consider what to do and if they can fund it, time remains the
Experts say the tiniest members of the aquatic food chain have already died. The varieties of fish that once thrived in the sea are now down largely to tilapia.
If the sea continues on its current path, it will stop supporting all of its bird and aquatic habitat within decades - becoming a literal dead sea.
Some worry lawmakers from outside the desert will see the
Locals such as Greg Smith, a real estate and insurance broker from Brawley, think decision-makers need to look at the big picture.
"Will we be able to fund it? Will we be alive to see the project completed? Who will it benefit?" he asks.
"There's some big thinking that has to happen."
Look at the elements
The draft recommendation that’s being finalized by the state’s resources secretary came after local, state and federal officials debated eight alternatives and two “no-action” plans.
Here are some of the elements included:
-
- The state’s draft calls for this lake to be no deeper than 12 meters and about 34,000 acres, which is smaller than Mono Lake (41,600 acres) but bigger than Lake Havasu (21,000 acres).
- Saline Habitat: These are large saltwater pools, about 1 to 2 feet deep, that attract birds and other wildlife. The U.S. Geological Survey is currently testing this concept in the south part of the
This is different than wetlands, which are dense with vegetation and are designed to maintain a constant water flow for filtering.
The state’s draft calls for 62,000 acres of saline habitat in the south part of the sea.
- Playa: This is the exposed lake bed. It will need to be wetted down — sprinklers or small ponds — or covered — using gravel or growing vegetation — so it doesn’t create a dust bowl. This will cost millions of dollars each year to manage.
The state’s draft calls for 109,000 acres of exposed playa.
Draft plan: What works?
When state officials unveiled a draft of a recommended restoration plan on March 27, it got mixed reviews from local stakeholders.
What local representatives say worked:
- The state included a recreation lake to the northern part of the existing
- Officials proposed saline habitat in the south part of the existing sea. The small pools would attract birds, including many that migrate there annually, and be a place for fishing.
- The draft shows the marine sea extending, almost like arms and about a mile wide down the shoreline to
What local representatives say didn’t work:
- The plan does not maintain the current shoreline, but instead creates a new shoreline about 2 feet lower cq in elevation, at 230 feet below sea level. That means that as the water recedes, the lakebed around the rim would be exposed and it would fall on property owners — mainly the Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla Indians — to make sure those miles of land isn’t blowing dust dust isn’t blown off of miles of land.
- Though the plan included a lake, officials felt the proposed 34,000 acres was too small. There’s also a push to create another, smaller sea in the south part because, under the current plan, residents in
- The draft did not have any saline habitat in the north part of the sea. But officials say such habitat is already under construction and should be included in the restoration plans.
- Expanding existing geothermal energy plants was not part of the proposal. But some locals say it’s vital to the future of
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704230309
Race against time to save shrinking Salton Sea;
Desert Sun – 4/22/07
By Keith Matheny, staff writer
BRAWLEY - As Al Kalin looks to the north and west, on the dusty horizon of his farm, he sees trouble.
"There are 17 million people on the other side of that hill that get more thirsty every day," he said, referring to the
And they are getting it. Imperial Irrigation District - which has rights to more Colorado River water than fast-growing
Less water will create a smaller sea with exposed lake bed that will likely spawn dust storms, worsening air quality in the Coachella and Imperial valleys.
Continued drought and global warming are depleting
The river's coveted water "is a resource that is absolutely being stretched to the breaking point," said Rick Daniels, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority, a group of
Imperial farmers' fight to hold on to their water is the
As water deals and greater efficiency leave local farms using less water, the state's largest lake will within a decade receive about half of the water that now flows into it.
The irrigation district is providing water to the sea to offset the water deal's impacts, but only through 2017. After that, overnight, the sea's annual replenishment will be cut by almost 49 billion gallons of water.
"Within five years (in 2022), the sea would be half the size," Daniels said.
It's against that looming deadline proponents race to save the
FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULD CARE
1. Colorado River water is not only vital to the
2. The fight for the West's most valuable resource - water - is intensifying. Continued drought and global warming are depleting
3. A 2003 water deal is sending water from the Imperial Irrigation District to
4. As water supplies become tighter, cities such as
5. Any future transfers of water out of the desert's agricultural area will have a direct impact on the
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704220337
Major Southern California cities slurping up more
Desert Sun – 4/22/07
By Keith Mahoney, staff writer
The Salton Sea is caught in the crossfire of a battle over the western
The river's water has for more than a century created a thriving agricultural area out of a desert in the Coachella and Imperial valleys. The
But the century-old sea - once more popular than
The
Surrounding areas have made a play for the water.
Local water officials have agreed to give up some of the
Farmers are leaving more fields unplanted, sending less runoff water into the lake.
Perhaps the biggest threat to the sea's long-term viability are fast-growing cities such as
More than 70 percent of
IID receives 10 times more Colorado River water than the entire state of
The river water is essentially divided on a first-come, first-serve basis and IID claimed the water before
Water will become more precious in Southwest
"If the Western states say we're putting too much water into the Salton Sea, they'll come in here and take it away from us," said Mike Morgan, a farmer in
A struggle between that agriculture and urban needs for a finite, dwindling water supply is already emerging.
"With about 80 percent of western
The federal Bureau of Reclamation manages the
To that concept, Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt has a terse reply: "Over our dead body.
"Water is our life; it is our future," Wyatt said.
Less water will flow to sea
Increasing demand for Colorado River water prompted a 2003 agreement resulting in the biggest agriculture-to-urban water transfer in
"If you're cooperating, better to have this deal in place than to be everybody's favorite target," he said.
That's less water feeding the already dying
"I don't think anybody wants to see us sell our water to the big cities," said Nicole Gilles, executive director of the Brawley Chamber of Commerce.
"I see it as a vicious circle. You give them a little bit and they just want more and more."
Pressure to give up water will grow
The IID's board of directors recently passed a resolution opposing any future water transfers from the district.
Many, however, feel that doesn't resolve the future of the water supply for the Imperial Valley and the
"Farmers are going to lose big-time water, one way or another," said Mark Bird, a sociology professor at
Current realities may ultimately trump century-old legal precedents, said William Anderson, an economics professor with
"Don't forget these (water) rights were developed back in the days when
"Political constituencies rise up out of those places, and it's in the political realm where these changes are made."
Greg Smith, a partner with Smith-Kandal Insurance and Real Estate in Brawley, said residents there are aware of what could happen.
"As much lip service as we give to these water rights and who owns the water at any given time, that can be changed with the stroke of a pen," he said.
Imperial farmer Al Kalin recalled when talk of a water transfer out of the
"He said, 'Mark my words; the water is going to flow toward the votes,'" Kalin said.
"Eventually that may happen. It scares me a great deal."
And it makes the
Water disparities exist
Adding tension to the water wars are discrepancies between what farmers and city-dwellers pay for
"Urban users are paying 20 times higher for the same water from the same river. That's not fair at all," said Mark Bird, a sociology professor at
The water price the farmers pay doesn't come close to reflecting the scarcity of the water, said William Anderson, an economics professor with
"These are water-intensive crops being grown with water that's priced as though they are in the Amazon jungle or something," he said.
But the river water's availability and affordability has helped turn the Imperial and Coachella valleys into one of California's most productive agricultural areas, counters Rick Daniels, director of the Salton Sea Authority.
"It's not like they are out there flopping around in (the water) in the streets," he said. "They are using it to grow crops that put food on our table; the cotton we use. It's being used to meet our basic needs."
The alternative, Imperial farmer Al Kalin said, is agriculture leaving the
"It depends on how much people want to pay for food - if they want to bring it in from foreign countries like they do now with the oil," he said.
Water deal brings major changes
In 2002, U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton gave
The history of life on the
The pact, called the Quantitative Settlement Agreement, or QSA, purported to end years of dispute and litigation and clarify
There’s irony in calling the QSA an agreement. At least nine lawsuits have resulted from it, involving farmers,
Hot for geothermal
Any plan to restore the
The relatively clean, renewable energy source uses groundwater heated by volcanic activity beneath the Earth’s surface to generate electricity. Cal Energy operates 10 geothermal power plants on the southeastern shore of the
But the potential exists to harness enough energy to supply 1.8 million residential customers, Cal Energy vice president of real estate assets Vincent Signorotti said.
“It is the crown jewel of domestic undeveloped geothermal resources,” he said. “There is no other field anywhere in the
Signorotti and others want state Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman to set aside areas around the sea with high geothermal potential, making sure no wildlife habitat or water covering is built into them.
“The geothermal resource is exactly where it is and we can’t move it. And if it’s covered with water, we can’t develop it,” Signorotti said.
The issue matters to
“It’s critically important,” Imperial County Supervisor Gary Wyatt said. #
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/NEWS0701/704220319/1006
Sea will need some private support, too, Bono says; Q & A with Rep. Mary Bono on the sea’s future
Desert Sun – 4/21/07
In anticipation of the state's Salton Sea restoration plan that is expected to come out later this month, The Desert Sun asked Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, her thoughts on the sea's future and how she can convince her colleagues in the House to support the lake.
How will you be able to convince skeptical colleagues in the Senate of the importance of saving the
Bono: I, along with my colleagues on the Congressional Salton Sea Task Force, especially my co-chair, Congressman Bob Filner, will continue and indeed expand our efforts to convince our colleagues in the House and Senate of the critical importance of establishing a plan of action that can save the
Saving the Sea is vitally important not only to the district I represent but also to the entire region. We must look at the impacts that will occur to residents and the environment from a "big picture" perspective; and educate Members of Congress of the potentially catastrophic impacts that could occur without a united effort by local, state and federal governments and organizations. Much of this work has been going on for years and a more focused effort is already underway to build consensus for a plan that will be both realistic and politically acceptable to all stakeholders.
(Last week, she organized) a meeting with California State Secretary of Resources, Mike Chrisman, with members of the California delegation so that he (could) explain the State's proposed Salton Sea Preferred Alternative. As mandated by law, the state was tasked with developing this proposal and will play a key role in its implementation.
We are very fortunate that several
Other
The best way to convince any skeptics of the need for action is to continue this effort of educating those who may not fully appreciate the unique role the
Finally, I am hopeful that Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi, a fellow Californian, will be supportive of the project and active in helping to move Congress forward on any legislative proposal that will help save the Sea. It is simply too important to the environment and surrounding communities not to act.
What's next on your
Bono: For years, I have worked diligently to make sure that funding has been authorized and appropriated to support the ongoing efforts to save the Sea. Most recently I, along with my colleague, Congressman John Mica, fought hard to make sure that language authorizing $26 million was included in the Water Resources Development Act of 2007.
Unfortunately, the committee has not included this project in the existing version of the bill that will go to the House floor shortly. It is troubling to me that Chairman Oberstar, despite the recent authorization of monies in the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, was simply unwilling to include this important provision for the
It is important to note that the legislative process will not be complete until the final bill is sent to the President for his signature.
I will continue to fight to ensure that the funding language we seek is included in this measure before it becomes law.
But, this effort is more than just a one-year process. I have been in continual contact with all stakeholders, especially the Salton Sea Authority, Secretary (Mike) Chrisman, and local residents to determine which additional components to this plan will require a federal role in the years to come.
We must recognize that for any plan to ultimately succeed it must be supported by all concerned and address the regional issues that affect not only the Sea but the lives of so many in the area. I am studying options that include a more comprehensive five-year plan to implement the restoration of the Sea in concert with the California State Legislature, along with a re-authorization of the Sonny Bono Memorial Salton Sea Restoration Act (P.L. 105-372).
Recent scientific studies have indicated both
Bono: The availability of water in our region and state is of constant concern. This precious resource is of critical value to all Californians but especially to those living in the desert region. Our farmers, residents, species, indeed, our entire desert ecosystem depend on water simply to exist.
While the future is difficult to predict, history has shown us that we cannot take our water supply for granted. Fortunately, we have very dedicated local water agencies that continually assess our needs and plan for the future.
The federal government's role is to assist our local water experts and provide them with the resources they need to keep costs affordable for consumers, promote water conservation whenever possible, and enact policies that increase efficiencies in use.
One such example is my legislation, H.R. 1725, which will help to save consumers' money while shifting water use methods to more effectively serve our communities in southwestern
We at the federal level have a responsibility to monitor our water supply sources and respond to any potential changes in supply that will impact not only the Salton Sea but the many families who call the
Doesn't that make Salton Sea preservation a more difficult sell?
Bono: It is my belief that our water needs in Southern California, combined with neighboring states, must be part of the dialogue regarding the future of the
Regional policies affecting our water supply may, in some cases, create concerns related to the inflows to the Sea and how that will be affected once the plan is implemented.
The increasing water needs in states like
The Quantitative Settlement Agreement, the largest agricultural-to-urban water transfer in
Bono: The Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) was unique in its magnitude and effectively addressed the needs of the region while, at the same time, protecting the
There is no doubt that the model that was utilized for the QSA may hold value for other efforts throughout the nation. However, it is important to recognize that different parts our nation will have different circumstances and needs.
In the QSA process, negotiations between providers and users who understood the specific needs of our region contributed to an outcome that best served the entire constituency.
Everyone, from local water districts to the State representatives to the Department of Interior, participated in a collaborative process that was inclusive and, therefore, ultimately successful. Only through similar negotiations will other parts of the country benefit when confronted with their own difficult and complex issues.
More than 70 percent of
Bono: The Imperial and
Increased demands combined with rapid regional growth, especially in
As this situation evolves, the Federal Government cannot move forward with any changes to water policy without consultation and input from the local stakeholders.
As the QSA demonstrated, when the fast-growing community of San Diego substantiated an increased need for water it entered into a dialogue with other regional agencies to negotiate a water exchange that satisfied the needs of all parties. If future water flow changes are properly negotiated then a federal regulatory or legislative action can occur, but, it should never be a "forced" solution.
Have you had a chance to review the
Bono: Yes, I have reviewed the proposed plan recently made public by the California Resources Agency. I believe that we should all applaud the many months of hard work put into the draft product and continue to assess what changes, if any, would strengthen this proposal.
Before the plan is finalized at the end of this month, it may go through some additional changes, but the general vision that has been presented is one that has received broad support.
I am especially pleased to see three important components that are contained in this proposal: a viable northern recreational lake, an exceptional habitat sector on the southern end that is substantial enough to preserve the delicate ecosystem of the Sea, and a complex but effective manner in which to deal with portions of the Sea that will become exposed as the Sea evolves.
The final part of the proposal is critical, ensuring that air quality concerns are met. As I have said for years, the impacts on the health and lifestyle of area residents must be considered as a key component of any plan involving the Sea's future.
Various stakeholders have suggested specific adjustments and some have expressed concerns to my office regarding this plan.
Some of the concerns mentioned include the size of the northern recreational lake, the need for an additional recreational lake in the southern portion of the Sea, and continued discussions over how best to provide cost-effective access to the water for the communities that surround the Sea.
That is why the next few weeks are such a crucial time. Now is the time to offer input to the State regarding the proposal, before it is sent to the State Legislature for action.
What is most important regarding this proposed plan is that while none of the individual stakeholders may have all of their desires met, the comprehensive model put forth by Secretary Chrisman and his agency will help ensure the viability of the Sea today and for future generations.
In these tough fiscal times, where is the money going to come from to save the
Bono: The single-most challenging aspect of this entire process for both the State and Federal governments is funding the restoration plan to save the Sea.
Clearly, everyone who has a stake in the future of the Sea must be expected to bear some of the cost.
It is my hope that those wishing to save the Sea will not look solely to the government for money. There is enormous economic development potential for the region if the Sea can be saved. The private sector can and should play a role in funding this effort.
With "pay-as-you-go" rules being instituted by government, and the general budgetary constraints and competing demands for federal and state dollars, the money must come from a number of sources.
Development of the areas surrounding the Sea should be considered as a potential revenue source, along with contributions from local governments and agencies.
In the end, we must remember that simply doing nothing also has a staggering cost. If all we do is plan to mitigate the air quality issues relating to a diminished Sea, we will be faced with approximately $1.5 billion in costs, with over $150 million needed annually for this effort; not to mention the potential health and quality of life impacts that would result. Surely, these are costs that no one wants to bear.
It has always been my hope that the necessary resources will be efficiently and effectively targeted on a plan that incorporates a realistic timeline, ensuring that State and Federal policymakers can better understand the long-term cost outlays and benefits of any proposal to save the Sea.
Only by taking such a comprehensive approach to solving this enormously complex issue can we bring hope to the residents of this region and also to the thousands of avian and other species that depend on the
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/NEWS0701/704210345
Desert Sun – 4/21/07
By Erica Solvig, staff writer
Candice DeHaven never had sneezing fits until she moved to Lone Pine, a small rural town just five miles from dry
Now it's not uncommon for her to break out in a "rapid-fire" convulsion that shakes her.
"It's like I'm having a seizure or something," the 22-year-old said.
Local officials fear that if nothing is done at the Salton Sea, it will become the next Owens, with
The lake - about a third the size of the
The move caused the lake to dry up, basically creating a dust bowl.
At its worst, winds whipped across it creating a thick wave of dust - and PM10 particles that lodge in the lungs - covering nearby towns such as Keeler and Lone Pine and sometimes blowing as far as Bishop, 60 miles away.
"It got into every building," said Mike Prather, who lives in the hills near the lake and is active with the Owens Valley Committee, a grassroots group dedicated to preserving the environment.
"You could chew the air."
The exposed lake bed looks like a popcorn ceiling. A grayish color, it squishes just slightly as people walk across it, almost like stepping on packing peanuts.
Under ideal circumstances, the surface would harden in the sun so it doesn't blow. But at Owens, much of the playa doesn't harden, so it breaks apart at the touch or with wind gusts and literally creates a cloud of health concerns.
Owens is the largest single source of particulate matter in the country, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
From 2000 to 2005, 78 of the worst 100 dust events in the country happened at
At times, PM10 levels registered at 20,000 micrograms per cubic meter. The federal standard is 150 micrograms, said Ted Schade, the area's air pollution control officer.
"There's probably 20 days a year when you just want to crawl inside and shut your windows," said Carla Scheidlinger, a dust mitigation researcher and president of the Owens Valley Committee.
Signs of improvement
Tired of decades of dust storms and the resulting health issues, the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District, around 2000, pressured
Now, the city has covered sections of the lake that caused the most dust with small ponds, salt grass and even gravel.
The idea is that if the playa is wet, or even covered, it won't be a dusty surface that's susceptible to the strong winds.
The efforts have improved the situation, but but haven't eliminated the problem.
The pollution control district and the city had to renegotiate their deal so more area could be covered.
Officials don't know exactly how much dust would come from the
"I see a number of parallels," he said. "They're not all the same everywhere. But nobody can say when the
Officials here will likely employ many of the same techniques being used at Owens to manage the playa. The
Since mitigation started at Owens, officials there have spent about a half-billion dollars. The size of the
"This is the magnitude of the problem you could be looking at," Scheidlinger said of the
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704210338
From sea to dust bowl?;
Desert Sun – 4/21/07
The state's largest lake is dying. Without intervention, it will dry up, creating a dust bowl spanning roughly the distance from Desert Hot Springs to Coachella.
"Basically you'd have a permanent brown cloud, 35 to 40 miles," Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Rick Daniels said of the dust storms a dry lake bed would create.
"We're in direct threat. It is the single biggest threat to what we have."
After two years of weighing the alternatives, state officials later this month will unveil an estimated $6 billion proposal that shrinks the sea, creates wildlife habitat and attempts to manage the lake bed that will be exposed.
They hope to avoid dust issues by keeping the ground wet or covered. But this will cost tens of millions - possibly more than a hundred million - dollars every year.
After the recommendation is made, state lawmakers have to approve the idea. And then the big battle - how to fund it - will be waged.
There's no major push opposing restoration of the sea that once attracted more visitors than
Even sea advocates admit it's an ambitious idea. Many people wonder why taxpayers should invest that much money to salvage a body of water.
The $6 billion needed for construction is enough to fund every major road project in the
And even if the plan is approved, experts can't say for certain if they can prevent the dust.
But if investments aren't made,
The walls of dust that would blow from a dry lake bed won't just be an annoyance. Studies predict it would increase the occurrence and severity of asthma, bronchitis and other diseases.
That dust, officials argue, will also hinder
"Do you really want to be out playing golf when the big dust storm hits?" asked Ted Schade, the air quality control officer for the area around the dry
And the smell will be the least of the worries. Officials say the sea's demise will make it nearly impossible for the
Research also indicates the sea will become too salty to sustain most of the aquatic food chain, so most of the already depleted fish stock will vanish. That will force the hundreds of thousands of birds on the Pacific Flyway to stop and nest elsewhere.
The alternative to not restoring the sea is "an environmental disaster," Riverside County Supervisor Roy Wilson said.
"Everybody would be impacted."
History of the sea
The basin now known as the Salton Sea was ancient
In a cycle that happened every 100 or so years, the area would take 20 years to fill and then 60 years to recede.
But that changed in 1905, when a levee break along the
The breach wasn’t fixed until 1907. By then, the
It’s a terminal lake and water only leaves by evaporation. And in the future, less water will be flowing into the sea, making it saltier each year.
Today the sea has a surface area of about 350 square miles.
What’s down below?
- Even after all the studies, officials still have questions about what awaits them at the bottom of the sea.
- As the water recedes, officials will have to determine how emissive the dust will be and what exactly is in that dust.
- Locals might also witness some archeological-type discoveries as the lake bed is exposed.
- Officials say almost 30 planes and possibly unexploded bombs are underwater, left over from Sandia National Laboratories’ testing base that was at the sea from 1946 to 1961.
- There’s also the old train engine that was supposedly caught on the tracks during the floods that created the
- And, if you believe the legend, there’s also a Spanish galleon filled with pearls and treasure that drifted in around 1615 to what was then
What you won’t find
- What locals shouldn’t expect to find is the rumored sea serpent.
After getting a number of calls about spotting the creature twisting in the sea, the Salton Sea Authority discovered what was making the slithering-like spiral was actually dust devils that were moving across the water’s surface.
“And that was the infamous serpent — 15 feet long,” authority analyst Dan Cain joked. #
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704210335
Quality of life at stake; Officials: Region's future hinges on plan to shrink sea, create a habitat to keep lake from becoming dust bowl
Desert Sun – 4/21/07
Leaving the Salton Sea to its own demise could cost the
"If the
"And that's not something we can afford. Nor does anyone want that."
Later this month, state officials will present a plan to shrink the sea and create a wildlife habitat to protect migrating birds and fish.
Without the fix, the sea will shrink anyway because a water deal is leaving less water to farms and agricultural runoff, the sea's primary source. But officials say the shrinkage will leave the lake bed exposed around the rim and create major dust issues.
The state's plan, costing more than $6 billion, would not only maintain a sea but also control the dust from any exposed playa, or lake bed.
But it's far from a sure thing. Even if state lawmakers approve Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman's recommendation, there needs to be years of studies to determine if what's on paper will work.
Plus local advocates have the monumental task of getting state and federal lawmakers to set aside the needed funding. While no one is advocating against the sea, per se, it's hard to say if there will be enough votes in favor of setting aside dollars for it.
Despite the battles ahead, restoration backers argue the region's future hinges on this plan. Otherwise, they say the
"People in the
"This place would be terrible."
Air quality could hit life-threatening levels
The
A small dust particle that lodges in the lungs, PM10 is linked to asthma, bronchitis and other lung diseases.
And as the sea shrinks, and the lake bed is exposed, experts predict the emissions will get worse.
"Unlike an oil spill or a levee breaking, the gradual, at times imperceptible accumulation of slights and damages and injuries to the sea will not be immediately apparent, though ultimately they too will be catastrophic," Pacific Institute researchers wrote in "Hazard: The Future of the Salton Sea with No Restoration Project."
"Eventually the problems at the
No one knows for certain how much dust - or PM10 - would gust off the dry lake bed. Restoration plans would require officials to keep the lake bed wet or covered so it doesn't blow.
But they still have to figure out what methods will work.
Even better-case scenarios predict it could be as bad or worse than
Though data shows the air quality has improved, there are still problems today. Most of the nation's worst dust storms since 2000 happened at
Even with the state's restoration proposal, there will be exposed lake bed. And millions will have to be spent, officials say, to prevent a repeat of Owens here.
Children and older adults are particularly vulnerable to the dust. In
"When you talk to families in
If nothing is done, and the dust particles increase, the lung problems can lead to other issues ranging from poorer athletic performance to a decreased life span.
"If people are concerned about preserving good health, they need to be concerned about the
"You'd really have a situation where people would be breathing air that in children would cause a decrease in lung function and probably smaller lungs. Even healthy adults, their lung function could be reduced.
"It's going to affect the breathing, the growth of your lungs, you're lung capacity and your families' health."
The dust that would come along with a shrinking sea also would threaten the 500,000 acres of farms that stretch across the eastern part of
Tourism industry at risk valleywide
In its heyday, the
Starting in the 1950s, boaters flocked to the area for racing, the salinity levels and low elevation making it an extremely fast body of water. And everyone from the Beach Boys to Bing Crosby enjoyed relaxing there.
That could be restored with a revitalized sea, Salton Sea Authority officials say.
Though the water levels now make launching a boat nearly impossible, officials estimate that the sea could draw at least 3 million visitors a year for boat racing, wind surfing, skiing and other recreation opportunities.
On the flip side, argue restoration backers, not fixing the sea could diminish the billion-dollar-a-year
"We have an international resort that is directly at risk if the sea is not restored," said Rick Daniels, executive director for the La Quinta-based Salton Sea Authority.
"We sell clean air and relaxation. If we get dust and odors, you can kiss this (tourism industry) goodbye."
Economic development: New businesses starting
Projections show the area around the
But many are hesitant to invest until they know what the sea will look like.
"They're a little slow but things are starting to get active down here again," said LaVon Jaksch, owner and broker of American Dreams Real Estate in
Though most of the development has been residential, some new businesses have started to pop up.
Marilyn Widd's is one of them.
A caterer by trade, Widd, along with her husband and brother, will break ground this fall on their Seascape Empanada Eatery, specializing in the stuffed pastry meals and desserts from across the globe. Though she admits the investment might be a risk, she argues "life is a risk."
"It's beautiful area, I do have faith," the mother of five grown children said. "They're not going to let the sea die. (Revitalization) may not happen right this second, but it will happen."
No master plan has been done for the area yet, but county officials hope to bring a mixed use of housing, businesses and even a resort to the area, said Colby Cataldi, deputy director for the county's Economic Development Agency.
Dollars have already been spent on a community center for
County officials haven't specified how much revenue could be brought in by development around the sea, which would be driven by the market and economy.
If a restoration plan is approved, it could bring 2,500 construction jobs to the area. Plus the economic development boom may a ripple effect on the region.
"The valley is much better off with a new, revitalized
Habitat would die off
Restoring the sea would also have an impact on millions of birds and fish.
The sea is part of the Pacific Flyway, a migratory route flown by hundreds of species of birds. About 400 species stop here to rest or mate before heading on to
But they would stop coming, experts predict, if the sea is left to its own demise. If no restoration steps are taken, the sea's salt levels will increase - killing off the basic levels of the aquatic food chain.
With no food, as many as 200 million fish could die and birds would find a home elsewhere. That, in turn, would also affect the numbers of people who come to the sea and the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge to check out the wildlife.
Just last November, they saw a boost in numbers after the sighting of a Ross's gull - extremely rare for this far south - drew hundreds of bird-watchers to the sea.
Duck-hunting also draws people from a wide area to the sea every year.
The habitat is worth saving, said Norm Niver, who has lived along the water for 30 years.
"People that come here and sit on my front porch and and look at the thousand white pelicans and the shore birds (will see) I have my own habitat," he said. "We have a need for it. It's an absolute paradise."
How the
"Salton" apparently comes from the salt-mining that occurred in the area as far back as 1815. Excursions were made to the area every year to mine for salt for
A flooding of the sink in the summer of 1891 left a body of water locals called
It's not an inaccurate name. A sea is generally defined as a large body of saltwater connected in some way to a larger ocean. But there are exceptions to this rule, commonly referred to as landlocked seas.
The Salton Sea, the Caspian Sea and the
http://www.thedesertsun.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704210336
County, IID to meet on sea
By Darren Simon, staff writer
With the future of the Salton Sea at stake,
The goal of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors and the Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors is to try to reach a consensus on what the sea’s future should be.
“It’s important for the
District to discuss the restoration of the
“We are probably more in agreement on issues than not,” she said.
The Monday meeting comes as the California Resources Agency has released its preliminary proposal for restoring the state’s largest lake, capping a year in which the state was considering as many as 10 sea restoration alternatives.
Two alternative proposals — now no longer thought to be under consideration — called for doing nothing to save the sea, which is dying under its own high salt content.
The Resources Agency has proposed building a dike that would create a large north lake and turn the southern half into a large, shallow saline habitat.
An arm of the north lake would extend south to
The saltiest water would be collected in ponds south of the dike, removing salt from the north lake.
The proposal, projected to cost $6 billion, has met with criticism from the Board of Supervisors because the plan does not include a south lake.
IID officials have been less vocal about the state proposal but come Tuesday the IID board will have its regularly scheduled board meeting, when it is expected to take a stand on the south lake issue.
“We’re trying to convince the IID to come our way and adopt our plan, which is the Salton Sea Authority’s plan,” Imperial County Supervisor Joe Maruca said. “Hopefully, we’ll come away with a consensus from the two boards.”
The Salton Sea Authority, of which both IID and the county are a part, proposed its own restoration alternative that included both a north and south lake. The two lakes were still to be among the largest in
But in light of the state proposal, Rick Daniels, SSA executive director, is proposing a compromise that calls for a 5,000-acre south lake — a relatively small body of water in comparison to the much larger proposed north lake.
Neither the county nor IID has had a chance to discuss his proposal.
The Salton Sea Authority itself, which is made up of members of both IID and the county supervisors, along with the Riverside County Board of Supervisors, the Coachella Valley Water District and the Torres Martinez Indians, is expected to discuss his compromise Thursday.
Officials have said it is important to reach a consensus on a plan if local governments are going to be able to convince the state to amend its plan to include a south lake.
“It’s time for the two boards to talk,”
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/04/22/news/news05.txt
Guest Column: Hybrid Answer; Preserve sea as a natural refuge and drainage reservoir for valley farmland
Riverside Press Enterprise
By Richard A. Daniels, executive director of the Salton Sea Authority
For more than 40 years, some of the world's best scientists; this country's most influential politicians; and countless others at the federal, state and local level have studied how to address the multiple problems of the
The Salton Sea Authority, composed of locally elected county, water district and tribal officials, has developed a comprehensive restoration plan that is a true hybrid. It incorporates the best aspects of other proposals while addressing the needs of the majority of all stakeholders to create a complete solution.
Our plan has been presented and discussed at more than 100 community meetings and is a product of the people who live and work in the region, including the
The local plan addresses both the problems and the promise of the sea. It is workable and fundable. It creates more than 100,000 acres of wildlife habitat, preserves the most shoreline, improves both air and water quality, and creates expanded recreational and economic opportunities.
This plan has broad support, which includes more than 50 organizations representing agricultural and urban water users; health care, tourism and industry; community-based groups; and local governments that have passed formal resolutions of support.
The Salton Sea Authority plan maintains the sea as an agricultural drainage resource for
Both deep and shallow water habitats will be preserved to maintain the sea as an integral part of the Pacific Flyway.
Recreational opportunities will be maximized with a marine lake in the north and smaller water bodies in the south. The fishery will be sustained in the plan, whereas other plans abandon it. Also, odor will be significantly reduced, an issue that is not addressed by the other plans.
Our plan preserves the microclimate in support of local agricultural land. Distinctively, it also includes a viable local funding component, using future development potential to fund restoration today.
Another major component of the Salton Sea Authority plan, and a critical distinguishing characteristic, is its prohibition of future water transfers. Other options the state is considering will facilitate water transfers, especially the Imperial Group plan, which cites future water transfers out of the basin as a stated goal. The two-valley region does not want to see more water transferred along with our future prosperity.
We stand united in our belief that the
The sea is still teeming with some 200 million fish and more than 400 species of birds. It remains one of the nation's top spots for wildlife diversity. But the sea's problems have nearly outstripped its promise.
The state's environmental impact report process has provided important focus and opportunities for restoration. Now is not the time for further delay, distraction or debilitating debate. It is time to act. #
Guest Column: Make sure the restoration plan isn't too ambitious
Riverside Press
By Jim Metropulos, Legislative representative for Sierra Club California and Bill Gaines, executive director of the California Outdoor Heritage Association
The Salton Sea Coalition formed during the debate to transfer water from the agricultural fields of the Imperial Valley to suburban coastal
After more than three years of advisory committee and technical committee meetings in addition to the mountain of environmental review documents and studies, California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman is poised to finalize a restoration plan and present it to the California Legislature. Chrisman has given the public a peek at what the final restoration plan is likely to look like.
In March, Chrisman unveiled a draft plan that:
Provides more than 60,000 acres of shallow wetland habitat -- including several thousands of acres of "early-start habitat" -- for migratory waterfowl and other water birds of the
Keeps most of the existing shoreline intact.
Allocates enough water to control dust emissions from the exposed lake bed.
Creates a large, 38,000-acre northern lake for the benefit of recreation, development and fish.
The general concepts laid out in the draft restoration plan should meet the expectations of most of the parties involved in this process. However, meeting the state's environmental and public-health standards, as well as the local recreational and economic desires, comes with a hefty price tag -- $6 billion. Two-thirds of the cost of this restoration plan ($4 billion) lies in the construction of the large northern lake.
With the likelihood that the state and federal government will need to pay at least $5 billion (with local governments hoping to contribute $1 billion) during the 30-year construction period, there is significant concern that the Legislature will balk at approving this plan. The hope of federal funding is even more tenuous.
To ask for more than what the state is currently proposing -- and thereby increase the cost -- is not a fiscally realistic option. As is, the interests working to restore the
The real question should not be how to make the plan bigger and more expensive; it should be how to make it a reality. In order to prevent an environmental and public-health disaster, the components of the restoration project essential to meeting the habitat, air and water-quality requirements set out by the Legislature in 2003 are the pieces that need to be designed, phased and operated immediately.
Thus, the Legislature should direct the state, or the new governing body created to implement this plan, to begin to construct the environmental components (e.g., shallow wetlands, air-quality monitoring and management, and water-quality projects) sooner rather than later, and then design and construct a northern lake dependent on sufficient water and sufficient funding.
The Salton Sea Coalition applauds Chrisman for putting forward an ambitious plan to restore the
Jim Metropulos is a legislative representative for Sierra Club
Guest Column: Support a phased approach to saving the sea
Riverside Press
By Michael Cohen, senior associate with the Pacific Institute and a member of the California Resources Agency's Salton Sea Advisory Committee
Like the Bay-Delta that currently commands
As it shrinks and its water quality declines, the sea's tremendous habitat value diminishes. The sea's shrinkage also exposes a vast, dusty lakebed, threatening human health in the Imperial and Coachella valleys. Although far removed from most legislators' priorities, the sea ultimately will prove impossible to ignore.
Mounting Crisis
The shrinking
Combined with the loss of wetlands and increasing pressure on scarce water supplies as drought tightens its grip, the loss of the sea's habitats could cause incalculable damage to bird populations throughout the West.
If
Conditions differ between the two lakes, but it is worth noting that the shrinking Salton Sea could expose almost three times the amount of land now being managed at
Ignoring the challenges now confronting the
Such action offers several benefits. It creates valuable habitat for birds, reduces dust emissions by covering exposed land and will offer valuable feedback for the restoration plan itself. Moreover, existing bond funds could be used to pay for it.
Practical Division
Rather than confront the massive challenge of
First, implementing early-start habitat will create real benefits on the ground, demonstrating
Second, the Legislature should support the restoration plan in concept to enable the resources agency to refine the plan's details and move forward. By breaking the restoration effort into achievable components,
Michael Cohen is a senior associate with the Pacific Institute and a member of the California Resources Agency’s
Guest Column: A Dusty Catastrophe; Don't let the Salton Sea deteriorate into another toxic Owens Lake
Riverside Press Enterprise
By Tim Krantz, chairman of environmental studies and director of the Salton Sea Database Program at University of Redlands
The Salton Sea is
One need only look at
The city of
Dust storms literally buried downwind communities such as Keeler. There were dunes lapping at docks where fishing boats had once launched. The fine, silty particles called "PM10," or particulate matter less than 10 microns in size, were picked up by the wind blowing across the dry lakebed, carrying dust as far away as
PM10 is so small that lungs cannot easily expel the tiny particles, contributing to respiratory disease and asthma, especially among the young and elderly.
Under the terms of the law allocating water resources to the lower
Enter the panoply of restoration alternatives vetted by the California Resources Agency. The eight alternatives, which propose holding water behind dams or rings or covering sediment with habitat evaporation ponds, would still expose vast acreages of lake bottom -- ranging from a low of 77,000 acres to as much as 131,000 acres.
At
At a cost of $100 million for the first phase of air-quality program implementation, not including the 40,000 acre-feet of water per year just to keep the dirt moist so it won't blow away, the Department of Water and Power has "treated" almost 20 square miles of lakebed. But the project has been plagued with problems.
It turns out that the areas that emit dust move, as layers of sand and silt are variously exposed in the lakebed. Multiply the
In any alternative, even the no-action alternative, dust control measures are estimated to cost hundreds of millions of dollars for construction costs, and tens of millions of dollars in annual operations and maintenance costs. #
Guest Column: Salton plight demands a regional solution
Riverside Press
By Mike Morgan, member of The Imperial Group, a collection of agricultural landowners and farmers in the Imperial Valley
Those of us who live and work in the Imperial Valley can't ignore the
Formed about a century ago, by accident, the
I am a member of the Imperial Group, an assemblage of agricultural landowners and farmers in the
These efforts include devising plans that, potentially, can solve the problems associated with the
The proposed solutions are estimated to cost billions of dollars. No matter how good these solutions may be, it is highly unlikely that such a large investment will be made to restore the
Another concern is that the proposed plans have focused specifically on the
Based on our concerns, we found several outstanding technical resources. We asked our team, which includes engineering and hydrology experts, to come up with what it considered the best approach to restore the
The plan is based on a series of circular lakes, channels and land forms. Berms would be formed using structural elements called "geo-tubes" (sausage-shaped sacks filled with sand and/or existing local soil), which have been successfully used around the world.
This Concentric Lakes Alternative meets many needs. It creates more than 200 miles of shoreline that is well-suited for wildlife habitat, public recreation and development. It doesn't rely on pumping water or powering a treatment facility. Furthermore, the plan supports the goals and programs of several environmental organizations, including Audubon of California.
This imaginative and environmentally friendly approach will support adequate water availability to meet the needs of agriculture. In addition, the plan will help deal with air pollution caused by blowing dust and sand.
The Concentric Lakes Alternative uses proven technology. It is a passive system that uses gravity as a power source. This substantially reduces the need for equipment powered by fossil fuels, both in the construction of the system and in its operation. The result is much lower operating costs. A careful analysis of the plan's implementation indicates that it will also cost much less to build than the other alternatives.
If the Concentric Lakes Alternative is implemented, we see the Salton Sea as a focal point of activity for
MARIN WETLANDS:
Army engineers dig deep to restore wetlands; Project begins to pump what will eventually be 7 million cubic yards of sediment back onto Hamilton Field in rebirth
Contra Costa Times – 4/23/07
By Mark Prado, staff writer
The first piece of a massive Marin wetland restoration project began last week when dredged material from Bel Marin Keys in
When completed, the project will contribute to the creation of one of the largest contiguous wetlands in the state, stretching from Marin to
The area will provide habitat for endangered and threatened species -- waterfowl and shorebirds migrating along the Pacific flyway, and migratory fish species such as coho salmon and steelhead trout.
But that is years off.
Now is the first, small foray into the project: pumping 160,000 cubic yards of sediment -- about enough to fill more than 10,000 dump trucks -- from silt-laden Bel Marin Keys onto the old military airfield.
Plans call for the airstrip to be submerged in dredged materials and Bay waters to recreate a wetland area destroyed when farmers diked lands more than a century ago. The military took over the land and used the airstrip until 1994, when the base closed.
Rather than simply breaching a levee and letting water in, this restoration will rely on ton upon ton of mud scooped from the bottom of the Bay to be pumped in to rebuild the wetland. The sediments are needed to raise the ground surface of the site to a level near sea level -- the elevation is now between five and six feet below sea level.
The 700-acre airfield will require nearly 7 million cubic yards of sediment.
"This is the largest wetland restoration of its type in the nation," said Tom Gansbury, project manager for the California State Coastal Conservancy. "It will be like having a giant garden hose shooting out dirty water onto the site, then keeping the mud and sand and sending the water back into the Bay."
The Army Corps of Engineers has constructed a pipeline from Bel Marin Keys to the
"This first dredge pump, some 160,000 cubic yards, is just a drop in bucket, but it ends up being a big asset for the Bel Marin community," said Jay Kinberger, project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers.
The work will help clear lagoons of silt and boost boating opportunities in Bel Marin Keys, officials said.
But the main goal of the project is to return the airfield to wetlands.
Ball fields, a polo field and even a skate park were bandied about as potential uses for the site in recent years. But a cadre of environmental groups and state agencies were determined to return the area to what it once was: a sprawling wetlands filled with a diverse menu of species and migrating waterfowl.
"One of the amazing aspects of this project is that the new residents of the Hamilton community can climb a hill near their homes, look out of the property and watch the Army Corps return the land back to the Bay," says Sam Schuchat, executive officer of the Coastal Conservancy.
The planned addition of an adjacent antenna field would provide for the restoration of 1,000 acres of tidal and seasonal wetlands at the airfield. The potential addition of an adjoining Bel Marin Keys parcel could expand the wetlands to 2,500 acres.
In all, the project could cost more than $200 million and could be completed between 2011 and 2013, officials said.
The federal and state governments are paying for the work. Dredge material should start pumping from the
The Coastal Conservancy will have to find material from somewhere else to finish the job, possibly from the
The corps has built a network of cells to contain the material coming onto the
"The project is finally turning the corner after decades of planning," said Caroline Warner, public outreach coordinator for the Novato-based Bay Area Joint Venture, which promotes wetland restoration. "This is the first of many steps. It's exciting." #
http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_5731340
MIDDLE CREEK RESTORATION:
Middle Creek bill passes
By Tiffany Revelle, staff writer
Usually passed every other year, the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) authorizes all of the public works projects for the Army Corps of Engineers, and it includes the Middle Creek Flood Damage Reduction and Ecosystem Restoration Project. Controversy over what should continue to be the responsibility of the Corps has kept the bill from passing over the past five years.
The bill passed the House of Representatives Wednesday by a vote of 394-25, according to a press release from Congressman Mike Thompson's office.
Its passage is one step forward after two apparent steps backward when the 109th Congress convened for elections in November. The House and Senate had each passed different versions of the bill last year, but failed to resolve their differences in the conference process that followed, according to Congressman Thompson's office.
Thompson was again instrumental in adding language to this legislation that will fund, design and construct the Middle Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project, according to a press release.
The water bill still needs to be authorized by the Senate, after which it will go back through the conference process to become a joint bill. Currently it needs to go to the Senate floor after being approved recently in the Senate Subcommittee on Environment and Public Works, chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer.
Anne Warden, a spokesperson with Thompson's office, said both the House and the Senate hope to have the bill on President Bush's desk by July 4. She said the bill would authorize about $14 billion in projects nationwide.
"Right now we just need to get this authorized so I can continue to pursue additional funds," said Lossius. He is pursuing state funding from Prop. 84 and 1E, passed in November. Currently, applications are being drafted for those funds by state water agencies, he said.
Lossius said he is simultaneously asking Senator Pat Wiggins' staff to support the effort with legislation that would require the state to provide assist in a portion of the county's match, which he said would probably be at least 50 percent.
Bordered by Highway 20 and Rodman Slough north of the Nice-Lucerne cutoff, the project area holds off
The project aims to relocate residents whose homes are at risk of flooding as they sit behind the substandard levees. "The most important thing is the public health and safety of those people behind those substandard levees, and that's why we'll continue to pursue state and funding to continue to purchase homes and property from willing sellers," said Lossius.
There are 18 homes in the project area, along with approximately 1,280 acres of agricultural land. Using state funding, Lossius the county has purchased seven of them to date, with two more in escrow. The value of that property, approximately $4 million, could go toward the county's non-federal match, said Lossius.
In addition to the relocation effort, the project would almost double
A press release from Congressman Thompson's office states that the project will restore 1,200 acres of wetlands and 500 acres of floodplain in the
Lossius added that the restoration of the wetlands could reduce the lake's total nutrient load, primarily phosphorous, by up to 40 percent.
In addition, the project involves raising the eastern portion of the Nice-Lucerne Cutoff to 100-year flood event standards, adding a bridge to allow water flow in the restored area, raising portions of Highway 20 that currently fall below the 100-year flood level, and reinforcing major power lines running east to west through the area, said Lossius.
"Restoring Middle Creek is a critical step toward enhancing the area's flood protection and improving the wetlands surrounding
http://www.record-bee.com/local/ci_5719717
RESTORATION PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD:
Redwood Creek,
The U.S. House of Representatives has authorized two projects in Orick and outside of
The Redwood Creek and
The bill now goes to the Senate, and Rep. Mike Thompson's office said the hope is to have it on the president's desk by July 4. Federal appropriation bills are hoped to be completed and sent to the president by the end of September.
”Protecting the community of Orick from flooding and improving Redwood Creek's aquatic habitat and fisheries are equally important priorities for Humboldt County,” said Thompson, a St. Helena Democrat. “This bill authorizes the Army Corps of Engineers to reassess any conflicts between these two priorities, so that we can move forward toward a solution.”
The authorization would give the corps authority to use existing funds to study the projects. #
http://www.times-standard.com/fastsearchresults/ci_5727253
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