Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 24, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
LEGISLATION:
Latinos ally with governor on water - Stockton Record
Report on divers' deaths not yet released - Merced Sun Star
FOLSOM
Editorial: A break for Folsom?; Spillway project may not close popular point - Sacramento
LEGISLATION:
Latinos ally with governor on water
By Hank Shaw, Bureau Chief
Flanked by a squad of Latino mayors, comedian Paul Rodriguez - who grew up in
Schwarzenegger said building new dams, creating more underground storage and improving state conservation efforts are critical long-range projects that will protect the state's economy.
"We have to plan 20, 30, 50 years ahead," Schwarzenegger said. "We are short of water now; think about what it's going to be with global warming."
The bill covering the bond is scheduled for a hearing today in the Senate Natural Resources Committee. It is sponsored by state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, whose district includes part of
Rodriguez said the coalition was formed to lend its support to the larger effort and to highlight the fact that many Latinos live or die off the state's $37billion agricultural industry.
"We came to this country to make sure Caucasians had salad," said Rodriguez, who was born in
Many of the placards supporters carried read, "Agua es trabajo," meaning, "Water is work"; or, "Agua es el futuro," "Water is the future."
Cogdill's bill faces resistance from critics in the Legislature who view dam building as a questionable use of public money.
They note that all the good spots for dams are taken and that climate change will alter the flow of
"I hope they will let the bill go through and not strip it," Schwarzenegger said.
But if the bill does fail, Cogdill and the Association of California Water Agencies have said they will go to the initiative process.
It is unclear whether Schwarzenegger would campaign for such an initiative.
Details of the legislation, SB59, are at www.leginfo.ca.gov. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070424/A_NEWS/704240323
Report on divers' deaths not yet released
By Victor A. Patton, staff writer
A report containing the results of the California Highway Patrol's investigation into the February deaths of two Department of Water Resources divers will be released to the public in approximately two weeks, a CHP spokeswoman said Monday.
Sgt. Karen Barrows of the CHP's Central Division Office in
"We want to make sure it presents itself well before we release it," Barrows said.
The report will hopefully shed light upon what caused the Feb. 7 deaths of DWR divers Tim Crawford, 56, and Martin Alvarado, 44, during a routine inspection at the Dos Amigos Pumping Plant, which services a section of the California Aqueduct near Los Banos.
Barrows said she could not comment on the report's findings, but said it will contain a timeline of events leading up to the divers' deaths, in addition to an opinion about what occurred and a recommendation.
The report was written by a CHP officer with the CHP's Los Banos office and a CHP supervisor, Barrows said.
Although a preliminary autopsy report of the divers has also been completed, the Merced County Coroner's office is not releasing that information until the CHP report has been released, according to Deputy Paul Barile, sheriff's department spokesman.
Alvarado and Crawford died during what was supposed to be a 20-minute inspection of submerged metal grates that serve as a filter to prevent rocks, logs and other debris from being sucked into the plant's valves.
Many questions remain about the divers' deaths, particularly because CHP officials said they both still had air left in their tanks.
Some diving experts also said the scuba gear worn by Alvarado and Crawford was inadequate for the type of work they were doing.
The Associated Press reported in February that an internal DWR report found that Crawford and Alvarado may have unintentionally been swept toward one of the plant's operating pumps while attempting to clean the metal grates.
The report provided an account from a DWR dive tender who was attempting to follow the divers' movements from above water by watching two patterns of bubbles move across the aqueduct.
"He followed the bubbles while standing on the deck and noticed the bubbles move to the front of units two and then three," the report states, referring to the six pumps submerged below the canal. "Once the bubbles surfaced in front of unit four ... the dive tender noted the bubbles began to sweep towards unit five."
Unit five was the only pump scheduled to be operating while the divers were underwater -- and the divers were not supposed to be near it, according to the report.
When the divers failed to surface, the pump was shut off and another diver arrived to search for them. The bodies were found at the bottom of the aqueduct in front of the pump that had been running, the Associated Press reported.
The California Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also conducting an investigation into the divers' deaths, according to Dean Fryer, CAL/OSHA spokesman. Fryer did not say when the results of that investigation would be released
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/local/story/13515704p-14121660c.html
FOLSOM
Editorial: A break for Folsom?; Spillway project may not close popular point
Sacramento
It isn't in the Folsom city charter, but it might as well be: At all times, the city must have a major rift with the federal Bureau of Reclamation, or something is wrong with the world.
After all, friction is inevitable between the two governments because they exist side by side with very different missions. Folsom runs the city and tries to keep all of the locals happy. And the bureau manages Folsom Dam, which can mean construction projects and other unpleasantness that can interrupt life around the dam.
The decision by the bureau to close the road over the dam in 2001 (after the attacks of Sept. 11) created a traffic problem that will last until a replacement bridge is built. And an upcoming project to build a new spillway created another possible problem.
The construction for a while threatened to close a popular stretch of the lake's shoreline known as Folsom Point -- for perhaps as long as seven years. Folsom was outraged. Seven years?
And then something happened that doesn't follow the usual script. The bureau may have figured out a solution that minimizes the disruption. Peace in our time? Maybe.
Building this spillway, a key to increasing flood protection for the
This point, reachable by a single access road, attracts more than 100,000 visitors annually. Closing it down is no small consequence to the area.
The new idea is for construction trucks to avoid this access road, perhaps with a temporary bridge. Building this bypass may very well require temporary closures of the access road to Folsom Point, but that's better than a closure that lasts years on end.
Look for a final plan in the coming months that reduces the friction between the bureau and the city, but doesn't make everybody happy. That's probably impossible. A good-faith effort by the bureau is all that Folsom realists can hope for. #
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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