Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 3, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
LEGAL ISSUES:
Casitas district loses ruling in U.S. lawsuit over water - Ventura County Star
WATER POLICY:
Column: Can latest water-policy ideas stifle our yawns? -
ALLUVIAL FLOOD ISSUES:
Editorial: At last, task force to study hillside hazard - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
TEACHING WATER CONSERVATION:
Emphasizing every last drop; Water conservation program teaches the importance of saving at school campuses - Stockton Record
LEGAL ISSUES:
Casitas district loses ruling in
Zeke Barlow, staff writer
The Casitas Municipal Water District lost a major battle in its fight to have the federal government reimburse it for the water it sends down a fish ladder for the endangered steelhead trout.
U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge Paul Wiese filed a summary judgment ruling Thursday stating the government has a right to take the water for regulatory use, countering the claim of the district's lawyer that the government took the water without just compensation.
"It's a huge disappointment and it's going to be a terrible loss for Casitas and for the people of the
But Richard Handley, who calls the suit a losing battle, said the decision should put an end to it.
The board learned of the decision Monday.
"We owe it to the ratepayers to cut out of this thing before it costs us another dime," Handley said. "We're just throwing good money after bad."
The board will probably vote this month on whether to appeal. However, since it voted to file the suit, Handley was elected to the board, replacing a member who supported the suit, making it unlikely the board will vote to appeal.
Roger Marzulla, the district's attorney, recommends appealing the decision.
"I'm afraid that Judge Wiese got this decision terribly wrong," Marzulla said.
Casitas built the more than $8 million fish ladder in 2005 so steelhead trout can get around the Robles Diversion, which sends water from the
It filed the lawsuit last year in hopes that it would be paid for the roughly 3,000 acre-feet of water it sends down the ladder annually.
Hicks said that without any federal reimbursement, a long drought could dramatically increase water rates. Years of little rain could mean
"To me, people come before fish," he said.
But board member Pete Kaiser called the decision "a reaffirmation of the Endangered Species Act."
The issue of compensation has been heated, with farmers claiming they will be forced out of business if water rates dramatically increase and environmentalists saying protection of the steelhead is paramount.
"It's like that old Mark Twain quote," said Handley. " ‘Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting.' " #
http://www1.venturacountystar.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_5460858,00.html
WATER POLICY:
Column: Can latest water-policy ideas stifle our yawns?
By Bill McEwen, Bee columnist
People tossing and turning at night might want to forsake prescription drugs or counting sheep and simply start boning up on
Our H2O wars have become like a tired movie shown on an endless loop.
The names might change, but the plot remains virtually the same: big promises, expensive studies, drawn-out lawsuits and political battles, and ultimately, citizen fatigue.
Toss in the fact that many of us take water for granted -- unless it's suddenly expensive or unavailable -- and you have the formula for a night's rest.
I bring this up because state leaders are talking about the
Voters, you might remember, rejected such a canal 25 years ago, in part because Northern Californians didn't want
The idea of increasing water storage on the
Now, Gov. Schwarzenegger proposes nearly $6 billion in bonds for water that include a large down payment on making Temperance Flat a reality -- if studies conclude the dam makes sense.
But even state Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Republican from
So why bother, especially in light of the fact the Democratic-controlled Legislature kept money for dams out of the huge infrastructure package approved by voters last year?
Cogdill says climate change and fears of water shortages might cause more people to support building dams again.
Moreover, he says the bond proposal represents a "holistic approach" to water management that also provides money for sustaining the Delta, underground storage and conservation incentives.
Dams are vital, he says, because studies show that as the climate warms, we will receive more rain and less of the slow-melting snowpack that now fills reservoirs. Dams offer both water storage and flood control.
"This is the best opportunity we've had to focus the minds of the voters" on the importance of dams, Cogdill said Monday in a meeting with The Bee's editorial board.
"If we go into a three- or four-year drought, the energy crisis [of 2000-01] will pale in comparison."
Many Democrats, however, say that dams don't deliver enough bang for the dollar. Siding with environmentalists, they prefer underground storage, better management of flood plains and increased conservation as the best ways to deal with climate change and
Cogdill's challenge is to get the bond proposal out of the Legislature and before the voters on the November 2008 ballot.
Whether that happens likely will hinge on wish-list trading between Democrats and Schwarzenegger.
"It all depends on how important the bill is to the governor," Cogdill says.
At the least, voters should have the opportunity to vote them up or down. Here's hoping they don't go to sleep. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/194/story/39475.html
ALLUVIAL FLOOD ISSUES:
Editorial: At last, task force to study hillside hazard
Better late than never, the Alluvial Fan Task Force finally looks to be getting under way with a deal that has the state partnering with Cal State San Bernardino's Water Resources Institute to study the risks of building on flood plains.
As more and more people move into foothill areas, where the fans, made up of sediment that flows off mountains into the canyons below, pose a particular danger, the advice expected from the task force is critical to residents' safety.
Its aim is to create a model ordinance for city councils and boards of supervisors across
The task force will be made up of about 15 people: scientists, consultants, flood control authorities, conservationists, planners, builders and elected officials.
Indeed, the task force has been so long in coming that the law creating it, signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in October 2004, expired Jan. 1. But its mission is so important that local Assemblyman Bill Emmerson, R-Rancho Cucamonga, is expected to file a new bill to continue the Legislature's backing.
Alluvial fans burst into the local mindset in 2003, when the Christmas Day flood, following the devastating Old Fire, swept down the denuded slopes above
And yet, flood-prone areas that developers once scrupulously avoided have become home to more and more people as population growth continues eastward. By 2020, developers are expected to have built homes on alluvial fans in
Clearly, in light of such dicey development, a voice of reason is needed to convince builders, and homeowners, of the magnified risks of living on the edge. #
http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinions/ci_5579993
TEACHING WATER CONSERVATION:
Emphasizing every last drop; Water conservation program teaches the importance of saving at school campuses
By Alex Breitler, staff writer
It's Kristin Coon's job to make them care.
Coon, a water conservation coordinator ("the water lady" for short), visited yet another giggly group of schoolchildren on Monday to tell them what she's told thousands of others: Save water.
These youngsters have never experienced a drought. That could change fast if
Regardless, educating them about the scarcity of water becomes critical as the population grows.
"The focus here is to give the kids the basic science behind the need to conserve," said Coon, whose work is funded by Stockton-area water providers and suppliers. "These kids could be on our city council someday. They need to be prepared."
But first, the basics. Coon wowed the class at St. Luke's
She told them how all the water on Earth is recycled over and over. Water bathed in by the dinosaurs might be the same water you drink before going to bed each night.
"Don't worry, they clean the water," a girl reassured her friend.
Students were given turns with handheld pumps, learning how water is moved and stored after it drains from the mountains.
"I think about water every day," said Natalie Gil. "I learned how we could use it in different ways."
Water-oriented learning programs have been offered in
Coon's programs reach nearly 30,000 students from kindergarten through eighth grade; if each saves a little more water from now on, the cost is worth it, Granberg said.
"We're getting a lot for our money," he said.
Back in the classroom, Coon wrapped up her talk by asking the kids to take simple steps - such as turning off the tap while brushing.
"That's what I do," one little boy piped up.
"Good for you," Coon replied.
She'll be back next year to check on him. #
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