Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 9, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
SACRAMENTO
Tree-laden levees flunk federal inspection; State seeks compromise to save riverside habitat - Sacramento
Fed rule threatening trees, shrubs on Calif. levees - Associated Press
Rule Threatens Trees Along
CLIMATE ISSUES:
GOP seizes climate issue; Logging, nuke plants can fight warming, lawmakers say - Sacramento Bee
CENTRAL VALLEY WATER SUPPLY:
Column: Water may nourish the Valley's economy -
West Sac eyes flood fees for some homes - Sacramento Bee
St. Helena flood project moves forward - Napa Valley Register
PLANNING FOR GROWTH:
Water Agency Ruling Secures Future Growth - Santa Clarita Signal
SACRAMENTO
Tree-laden levees flunk federal inspection; State seeks compromise to save riverside habitat
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser, staff writer
A national directive by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could devastate scenery and wildlife habitat in
A compromise is being negotiated, but unless the policy changes, tree-lined banks on 1,600 miles of levees in the Valley could be transformed into barren culverts within a year.
"It's hard to say how draconian these measures will be," said Gary Hobgood, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Game. "As it stands now,
The conflict highlights a difficult dance by federal and state officials who must weigh the need for no-frills flood control and
"Let's not forget we are a very proud city of trees. Now they're trying to take this away from us," said
At issue is a national Corps of Engineers policy now being applied in
But in
The issue first came to light in February 2007 when the corps released a national list of levees that failed maintenance standards. That review was ordered by Congress after deadly levee failures in
A revised list released Monday shows that 32 levee districts in
The list is likely to grow. Many Valley levee districts have yet to be evaluated against the national policy, including those in
Hobgood said riverside habitat is essential to a variety of wildlife, from providing nesting sites for birds to giving shelter and shade for fish in the rivers. The corps' maintenance manual for the
"We have coordinated with environmental agencies for a number of years now to incorporate vegetation in our flood control systems to provide shade and habitat for endangered species here in
Dana Cruikshank, a spokesman at the agency's headquarters in
"Mostly very small brush, very small trees in some circumstances, could remain," Cruikshank said, "but not anything beyond a very small tree. And of course there will be some spots where there would be no vegetation at all."
The corps' regional commander, Brig. Gen. John McMahon, said Friday that removing trees won't necessarily make levees safer, because rotting roots left behind could provide a path for seepage that could compromise the levee.
McMahon hopes to tailor the forthcoming standard to
"There's no doubt in my mind our headquarters would like one standard applied broadly across the full spectrum of levees," said McMahon. "I personally don't think that's the right tack to take in this situation. Not all vegetation on levees is bad."
Until the new standard is released, local corps officials are telling levee districts not to cut trees.
But time is running out: Local levee districts have three months to develop a plan to satisfy the corps, then nine months to carry it out.
If they fail to comply, districts will be ineligible for federal assistance to repair levees after a flood. Because most districts can't afford repairs on their own, the burden could fall on state and local taxpayers.
To make matters worse, local districts are squeezed by other rules that protect vegetation, said Mike Hardesty, president of the Central Valley Flood Control Association. If they remove all trees and shrubs, as the corps headquarters wants, they could face penalties from other state and federal agencies for destroying habitat.
The state Department of Water Resources next week will launch a routine spring inspection of
Jeremy Arrich, chief of Water Resources' flood project integrity and inspection branch, said the goal is to persuade the Corps of Engineers to consider natural resources in its maintenance policies. Without that consideration, he said, many of
The result could be an end to the gently shaded levees that have characterized the region for generations.
"Those beautiful trees, to me, are
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/150966.html
Fed rule threatening trees, shrubs on
Associated Press – 4/7/07
The policy requires levees to be cleared of all vegetation to preserve channel capacity and allow access for inspections and repairs.
It's based largely on conditions along the
| |
But levees were built close to the water in
Removing trees and shrubs from the
"Let's not forget we are a proud city of trees," said Gregory Kondos, a
Spokesman Dana Cruikshank said the corps is drafting a new national policy that would allow some small trees and shrubs to remain.
"Mostly very small brush, very small trees in some circumstances could remain, but not anything beyond a very small tree," he said. "And of course there will be some spots where there would be no vegetation at all."
Brig. Gen. John McMahon, a regional commander for the corps in
"There is no doubt in my mind our headquarters would like one standard applied broadly across the full spectrum of levees," he said. "I personally don't think that's the right tack to take in this situation. Not all vegetation on levees is bad."
McMahon thinks the new policy should allow trees to remain where levee strengthening is not an issue.
Local levee districts that fail to comply with the corps' policy would not be eligible for federal assistance to repair levees after a flood.
Mike Hardesty, president of the Central Valley Flood Control Association, said removing levee vegetation could get levee districts in trouble with other state and federal agencies for destroying habitat.
"It's hard to say how draconian these (vegetation removal) measures will be," said Gary Hobgood, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Game. "As it stands now,
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/04/08/news/state/16_26_344_7_07.txt
Rule Threatens Trees Along
CBS Channel 13 (
(AP) SACRAMENTO An Army Corps of Engineers policy is threatening trees and shrubs on 16-hundred miles of
The policy requires levees to be cleared of all vegetation to preserve channel capacity and allow access for inspections and repairs.
It's based largely on conditions along the
But levees were built close to the water in
Critics say removing trees and shrubs from the
A regional corps commander says he's trying to persuade national officials to allow trees to remain where levee repairs are not an issue. #
http://cbs13.com/local/local_story_097154303.html
CLIMATE ISSUES:
GOP seizes climate issue; Logging, nuke plants can fight warming, lawmakers say
Sacramento
By E.J. Schultz, staff writer
How popular is global warming as a political issue? So popular that even conservative state lawmakers are getting into the act, using the issue to sell everything from building dams and nuclear power plants to thinning forests.
The arguments are simple enough: Higher temperatures reduce mountain snowpack, so more dams are needed to capture winter precipitation that falls as rain.
Nuclear power plants produce few greenhouse gases, the leading cause of manmade warming.
Environmentalists, who are skeptical of the proposals, are peeved that the other side has stolen their issue.
"Clearly these legislators are just dressing up their existing legislation with a thin veneer of a pretended concern about global warming," said Bill Magavern, senior representative for Sierra Club
Republican lawmakers strongly opposed last year's landmark legislation -- Assembly Bill 32 -- to cut the state's greenhouse gases by 25 percent by 2020. They criticized the bill as a job-killer and a primitive attempt at placing local controls on a global problem.
Have they converted? Not necessarily, says Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, author of the nuclear bill.
"It's politics," he said. "If the (Democratic) leadership has said this is a problem ... then all I'm suggesting is maybe this is one of the solutions we should look at."
That Republicans are now talking about climate change shows how far it has come, said GOP strategist Dan Schnur.
"You can always tell that an issue has evolved when both parties start using it," he said. "They're not arguing about global warming anymore in the state Legislature. They're arguing about what issue it next influences."
Without the backing of environmentalists, the Republican proposals will likely face an uphill fight in the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
• DeVore's Assembly Bill 719 would lift a 31-year-old state ban on new nuclear power plants, clearing the way for a $4 billion plant proposed for
About 13 percent of the state's electricity supply comes from nuclear plants, including two in
Unlike plants that burn fossil fuels, nuclear plants emit few greenhouse gases. Such gases trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global warming, according to scientists.
Nuclear watchdog groups say nuclear plants are too expensive.
Yet the emergence of global warming as a hot issue has given nuclear supporters some momentum. A 2005 energy measure passed by Congress includes federal loan guarantees for nuclear plant financing. Even House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, has said nuclear power should at least be on the table.
• Senate Bill 59 by Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, contains Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan to put a $4 billion water bond on the 2008 ballot, including $2 billion for two dams -- one just above Friant Dam near
The state Department of Water Resources predicts warming will result in a loss of at least a quarter of the state's snowmelt runoff by 2050. This has led the department to recommend more surface storage to capture winter rain that today falls as snow.
Environmentalists, who prefer conservation and more groundwater storage, say the governor is misguided.
The proposed site at Friant sits at the base of some of the highest mountains in the state. So even with rising temperatures, there will be plenty of snowpack at those higher elevations, said Barry Nelson, a senior analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Also, research suggests global warming will cause more evaporation, meaning less runoff from the state's rivers and streams, Nelson said.
"You could be building a dam to capture water that won't be there in the future," he said.
• Cogdill's Senate Bill 572 would direct the state to consider emissions created by catastrophic wildfires as officials implement the new global warming law.
Cogdill is still finalizing the bill's details but said it could allow timber companies to cut down more trees without going through extensive and costly environmental reviews.
That would give loggers more of an incentive to clear the smaller brush that fuels forest fires, he said, and at the same time could help revive the region's long-struggling timber industry. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/151200.html
CENTRAL VALLEY WATER SUPPLY:
Column: Water may nourish the Valley's economy
By Bill McEwen, columnist
I have terrible news for people who wake up complaining about
After decades of missed hunches, high unemployment and low wages, we're on the verge of economic revolution.
This is a bold opinion that could bite me many times before I retire my keyboard -- but I don't think it will.
What's different about where our region and our economy are headed?
Instead of wasting money trying to lure companies here, we're investing in growing our own businesses.
This strategy not only is cost-effective, but the creation of home-grown publicly traded companies would transform
An example with big potential: businesses that move, manipulate and master water.
Water isn't sexy. But it's scarce. And it'll be in even shorter supply as countries such as
"Saving water" will become a universal mantra -- if it hasn't already -- and who better to show the world than the people of the
"There is no doubt that water is going to be the issue of the future and we're going to be instrumental in the industry," says Tim Stearns, director of the
"It may not grow as fast as
What is water technology?
It's splash parks, solar-water pumps and sensors that say when to apply water to crops. It's devices that purify, test for pollutants and solve waste-water treatment problems. It's flow meters, tanks and oil/water separators.
It would've been nice if we had honed in on our water expertise earlier and not tried to mimic everybody else. Credit goes to Doug Henton, founder of Silicon Valley-based Collaborative Economics, for waking us to the obvious several years ago.
"Doug came to speak at a breakfast, and everyone was expecting to have a nice conversation," Stearns says. "Instead, he said, 'You guys are in serious trouble. The economic model you have in place doesn't compute. But you've got something right here in your backyard, a technology with potential for growth.'
"He clearly had done his homework, and it resonated with a number of people in the community who said we have to do something about this."
Henton's frank words inspired the formation of the Fresno Area Collaborative Regional Initiative, which spawned the Regional Jobs Initiative. Politicians scoffed and skeptics yawned, but the team approach and focusing on business clusters is working.
There are 120 water-technology companies in the region, according to Craig Scharton, chief executive of the Central Valley Business Incubator, and they are leading -- along with energy-technology companies -- a new wave of innovation.
The marriage of water and energy is apt, Scharton says, because 20% of the energy consumed in
"Usually we'd say we are going to be the best, and we'd be copying somebody else," Scharton says. "This is something authentic.
The whole history of the Valley is water technology. We were already doing it, but nobody had linked them up before."
What, exactly, is linking?
"Joint marketing efforts, trade missions, sharing information about vendors and working with the Workforce Investment Board to develop an employee base," Scharton says. "None of that was happening before."
Five companies already are in the new $4 million Claude Laval Water and Energy Technology Incubator at
Another five are headquartered at the business incubator. Some of the technologies being pursued would save water and reduce air pollution -- a marriage with huge economic and health payoffs.
"In these two buildings are businesses that someday will be $100 million- and $200 million-a-year companies," Scharton says.
A private business incubator in
Creating these incubators required vision, lobbying and teamwork from leaders in private and public sectors.
Other people would be smart to get on this path to prosperity. The signposts are water, energy, technology, education and collaboration. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/194/story/40513.html
West Sac eyes flood fees for some homes
By Lakiesha McGhee, staff writer
The West Sacramento City Council will consider a proposed ordinance Wednesday requiring flood control fees for new developments that don't meet the city's flood safety standards.
The city wants to increase its flood protection standards to a 200-year level of flood protection. It would cost about $400 million, a
The new fees would raise $42 million for the work.
Another $42 million would come from a proposed new assessment on existing properties.
The bulk of the cost would be covered by state and federal sources.
"This is a major policy change," Mayor Christopher Cabaldon said last week. "But we have to continue economic activity. We can't shut down."
Cabaldon was responding to residents' fears that the city is putting more people at risk by allowing developers to build before achieving the higher level of flood protection.
The goal would be for levees to hold back huge storms with a 1 in 200 chance of occurring in any given year.
West Sacramento is surrounded on all sides by levees, protecting the city from the Sacramento River to the east and the
And the deepwater channel defines its western boundary and cuts across the middle of town.
Over the past two decades,
Since Hurricane Katrina, there is concern its levees may not meet new criteria set by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
City Flood Protection Manager Willard Chow said that without the ordinance, developers will be hard- pressed to demonstrate that they meet the city's regulations based on current federal criteria, state standards and local levee conditions.
"The ordinance allows more development to be feasible if it does not call for more development than allotted in the general plan," Chow said.
Some residents at the meeting questioned the strategy.
"How can you let building happen when you don't know the status of the levees?" asked resident Pat Flint.
She suggested the ordinance not be adopted until the council has infor-mation from the Federal Emergency Management Agency about new levee criteria.
Resident Dani Langford said that adding more development and people increases the risk. "We can't justify building because we need the money for our levees," Langford said.
Councilman Mark Johannessen said development and levee improvements will occur over time.
However, he expressed concern the city would be "double dipping" by charging developers an assessment for the land and an in lieu developer fee.
"We may be finding that we're becoming economically uncompetitive and not see the type of development we are expecting," he said.
Cabaldon said there is no viable alternative to get the level of safety needed for the community.
He added that a moratorium on building would impact all property values.
"The framework for the ordinance makes sense, but we will probably have debate over the amount of the developer fees," Cabaldon said.
The amount of the fee will be presented April 18 in a council workshop focused on geotechnical studies of the levees, Chow said.
A second reading of the ordinance also will be held April 18.
Key meetings and workshops
Meetings on flood protection are scheduled at the
• Wednesday: Council hearing on proposed ordinance for fees if developers don't meet
• April 17: Community workshop on emergency prepared- ness; 6:30 p.m.
• April 18: Council workshop on levee assessment work, in which the amount of the developer fee will be presented. Council has a second reading of the developer fee ordinance.
• May 15: Community workshop on an overall financing plan for levee improvements.
• Late May: Voters receive a weighted ballot by mail on new property assessments for greater flood protection. Assessments will be tied to the direct benefits to properties and vary based on parcel type, size and potential flood depths. Property owners will get one vote for each dollar assessed, with a majority required for passage.
• June 5: Open house to answer questions from property owners who have received their ballots.
• Contact information: on the Web: www.westsacfloodprotection.com; call (916) 617-4500. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/151669.html
By Jesse Duarte, staff writer
While funding questions surrounding St. Helena's flood control project remain unresolved, the city expects to have the necessary permits in hand by the end of May, allowing the first phase of construction to begin in late June or July.
Construction of the project is dependent upon the city receiving a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Before the permit can be issued, the Corps must receive opinion letters from a variety of regulatory agencies.
Most of those agencies have weighed in. The only holdouts are the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, which must comment on the project's effect on freshwater shrimp and steelhead, and the California Department of Fish & Game, which must formally concur with Fish & Wildlife's opinion.
"It boils down to what Fish & Wildlife will require us to do to take care of the shrimp and steelhead habitat," said City Manager Bert Johansson. "Then those requirements will get folded into the Corps' permit."
Johansson said he expects Fish & Wildlife and Fish & Game to have submitted the necessary documents to the Corps by April 15. The Corps' permit "should be right on their heels," he said.
To keep the project on schedule, the city needs that permit, along with the State Revolving Fund (SRF) loan that is contingent upon it, by the end of May.
Feds block state funds
The financial side of the picture is bleaker. The lack of Congressional legislation authorizing the project is blocking access to state subvention funds that could reimburse the city for 70 percent of its property acquisition costs.
To date, the city has spent almost $7.4 million in property acquisition, but has yet to purchase two major pieces of land: portions of the parcel west of Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park owned by Dennis Hunter; and the property within
The state subvention funds will become available when and if Congress passes the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which the city hopes will include language specifically authorizing its flood project.
Councilmember Eric Sklar said that in February, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) told him personally that WRDA would be passed by this summer, with authorization for
Last week, the House and Senate passed WRDA out of committee, paving the way for each body to vote on the bill. The bills would then proceed to a conference committee, where members of both bodies would prepare a reconciled version. Once that bill is approved, it would head to the President's desk for a signature. Late last year, WRDA died in the conference committee stage.
Federal opinion needed
The latest price tag for the project, including what the city has spent so far, is $31.6 million. As of January -- Johansson said the figure hasn't increased significantly since then -- $15 million had been spent or was tied up in existing contracts, leaving about $16.6 million needed to complete the project.
Even with Measure A funds and a FEMA planning grant factored in, the city is more than $14 million short of what it needs to construct the project. Most of that shortfall should be covered by a $12 million SRF loan, about half of which will be backed by Measure A funds.
The loan is contingent upon Fish & Wildlife's opinion of the project's impacts. Once that document is complete, a formal agreement can be negotiated with state revolving fund officials, Johansson said. The money won't be available until the Corps issues its permit.
To secure the loan, the city has pledged money from the General Fund to cover the $6.2 million not covered by Measure A, but Johansson said the General Fund won't be tapped until the city has secured the funds to replenish it.
The city is now investigating possible ways to come up with that $6.2 million, along with the $2,057,985 gap that remains even after the state loan is factored in.
Assessment possible
One possible way to close the gap is through an assessment over the three parcels that will receive flood protection:
Johansson said discussions have taken place with
The assessment would be on the
"We certainly don't want to pass on an amount that's unreasonable for the homeowners," Johansson said.
Johansson said discussions have also taken place with Hunter, but Hunts Grove is more complicated, as it is owned by EAH, a nonprofit affordable housing firm.
The city plans to retain an attorney with expertise in assessments, along with an engineer who can analyze the flood project's benefit to each parcel.
If an assessment is created, it would be the subject of public hearings in front of the city council.
First phase this year
The council is scheduled to approve the design for two phases of construction on April 24. Because of the budget shortfall, not all of the project can be built this year.
Using the roughly $8.5 million that's available today, Johansson said the city should be able to complete enough work this year to provide 100-year flood protection for the affected properties while not raising water surface elevations for properties upstream and downstream.
Next year's second-phase work would focus on bringing the project up to the standards required for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) certification. "We basically have this calendar year to figure out the money situation if we want to finish the work next year," Johansson said.
The city's current schedule calls for bids for the demolition of
The city hopes to receive construction bids by May 22, and award them June 26. #
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/04/09/news/local/iq_3900634.txt
PLANNING FOR GROWTH:
Water Agency Ruling Secures Future Growth
Santa Clarita Signal – 4/7/07
By Katherine Geyer, staff writer
The Castaic Lake Water Agency recently won a lawsuit that will allow the Santa Clarita Valley to receive enough water from the State Water Project to be able to meet demand for the area's projected growth over the next 15 to 20 years, a CLWA official said.
In 1999, CLWA initiated a contract that allowed for a transfer of an additional 13.4 billion gallons of water from the State Water Project from a water district in
"It means the water we've believed we have had the rights to since 1999 will continue to come," said CLWA General Manager Dan Masnada. "We retained the contract to that water and will be able to use it for the benefit of both existing users and future users."
He said that the valley's average state water supply is about 23.7 billion gallons. The current demand for state water is about 13 billion gallons per year. He said the need to increase the valley's water supply won't happen for another 15 to 20 years. He said increasing the amount will ultimately be determined by the level of growth in the valley.
"It's enough water to support a population of 429,000, and there's approximately 250,000 in the valley right now," he said.
CLWA is one of 29 contractors that use water from the State Water Project. Masnada said that CLWA is fortunate to have so many options for water in the Santa Clarita Valley.
"We're in good shape as far as water saved and will be able to take it out of storage if we do go into an extended dry period," he said.
"There are two groundwater aquifers, the state water supply, the
Although CLWA won the lawsuit, Masnada said the judge ordered CLWA to conduct an additional environmental review of the water transfer.
"It was a very exciting ruling for us," he said. "It wasn't perfect, but it preserves the water supply for us, and that's what it's all about." #
DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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