Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
May 1, 2007
1. Top Items -
Low snowpack heightens fears of new drought -
Water supply looks sufficient
But dryness prompts concern for next year -
Less snowpack not dire
A drier winter than usual won't pose immediate water concerns, managers say -
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Low snowpack heightens fears of new drought
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser - Bee Staff Writer
Automated monitors already show the snowpack's water content is only 29 percent of average. Today's field measurement is expected to confirm that -- perhaps producing even worse numbers.
The
Mark Svoboda, climatologist at the center, said 27 percent of the western
"All in all, the drought has got a strong foothold on the region," Svoboda said.
"Right now there's nothing in the cards saying it's going to be over until we reassess this time next year, at least in the case of
Despite the thin snowpack, the California Department of Water Resources predicts no water shortages this summer because reservoirs and groundwater basins are full from last winter, the fifth-wettest on record in
To confuse matters more, rain is expected Wednesday throughout Northern California, with up to a half-inch of precipitation possible in
The storm will be intermittent and unlikely to deter the dry outlook. Reservoirs will be drawn down this summer, and DWR is urging local water agencies to dust off drought plans in case next winter is dry.
The Sacramento Utilities Department is not yet calling for additional conservation measures. It does, however, urge customers to save water, and offers tips on its Web site, www.cityof sacramento.org/ utilities.
"From a snowpack perspective, we haven't seen the mountains this dry at this time of year since about 1989 or 1990," said Arthur Hinojosa, DWR chief hydrologist.
Some Bay Area water agencies have already urged customers to conserve voluntarily.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District expects a shortfall of 15,000 acre-feet by Oct. 1, after reservoirs are drawn down by summer demand.
Last week it asked its 1.3 million customers to water landscaping only three days a week, and only after dark. Large irrigators were asked to cut water use 25 percent.
Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager at DWR, said this is
One of the biggest consequences is low stream flows. Runoff into Folsom Lake from the
This could impact hydroelectric power generation, river recreation and wildlife habitat.
Years of conservation have made
But Hinojosa said recent environmental reforms require dam operators to release more water for fish and wildlife, meaning there may be less to bank behind dams for people.
Fire will be another threat. Wildfires have already increased in
"The public has got to take a role in this," said Michael Jarvis, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "We know it's going to be a busy fire season."
Fiona Hutton, spokeswoman for the State Water Contractors, which buys water from DWR for people and farms, said members are drafting conservation plans and hoping to maximize local supplies in case of shortages.
Complicating matters is a court ruling ordering DWR to halt water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the state's water supply hub. The ruling found the state did not have proper authority to kill fish at the pumps, imposing a June 17 deadline to comply.
DWR hopes to postpone the deadline. But Hutton said the case gives extra urgency to drought planning.
"There are so many puffs of smoke in that (Delta) system -- indicators of vulnerability -- that this has to be an issue that moves to the customer level," Hutton said.
"You're going to see greater calls for conservation as we move into the summer months."#
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/164011.html
Water supply looks sufficient
But dryness prompts concern for next year
By Don Thompson, Associated Press
SACRAMENTO — The Sierra snowpack is near its lowest level in almost two decades, but state water managers said Monday that they expect few immediate consequences for farmers and most California residents.
Summer water deliveries to orchards and farms are expected to be largely unaffected, because wetter years have created sufficient storage in reservoirs and groundwater basins.
But Department of Water Resources officials said the state is seeing unusually dry conditions in Northern and
"In the first year, we are always tightening up the system, so you are using less water," Modesto Irrigation District spokeswoman Maree Hawkins said. "It's the second year you worry about."
Hawkins said the central Sierra snowpack was at 40 percent of average for April 1.
Wendy Pinto, a spokeswoman for the Turlock Irrigation District, said the TID has cut back its water allotment to farmers this year in response.
The irrigation districts share the water stored at Don Pedro Reservoir. Flood control rules prevented the districts from filling the reservoir until April 27, Hawkins said. By then, the water level had peaked, she said.
"We haven't seen the mountains this dry this time of year since 1988, 1990," said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the state water department's hydrology branch.
The department is expecting to find the snowpack to be less than 30 percent of average when it completes its final snow survey of the season today.
Runoff into state reservoirs ranges from 67 percent of average at
In the short term, dry conditions mean more wildfires, poor grazing and reduced yields for nonirrigated crops such as winter wheat, Jones said.
Low runoff likely means poor river rafting and higher costs for hydroelectricity, Hinojosa said.
Costs could be affected in the
In dry years, more natural gas power is used, and rates may rise. The MID board approved a 4 percent residential rate hike for 2007, but reserved the right to raise the rate if needed. The
Pinto said she couldn't comment on how the snowpack could affect TID residential rates.#
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/13538495p-14142550c.html
Less snowpack not dire
A drier winter than usual won't pose immediate water concerns, managers say
Staff and wire reports
Meager snowpack levels this season won't immediately crimp
"We'll make it this year without rationing or punitive rates," said Florn Core, the city's water resources manager.
Snowpack levels will likely measure less than 30 percent of average, officials from the state Department of Water Resources said Monday morning, a day in advance of the season's final snow survey today.
The season's low numbers don't pose an immediate concern for most users because of two previous wet years, the water managers said.
Less snowpack means less runoff into rivers and reservoirs, a measure that in turn affects drinking supplies in cities and irrigation sources for farmers.
Runoff to the
Since
That infrastructure decreases impacts from a single dry year such as this one, the state officials said.
In
"We will be shorting those contracts this year," he said.
Farmers will pump groundwater or get supplies from other sources.
In Kernville, at least one rafting company expects an abbreviated season on the upper river.
"Shorter and sweeter," said Tom Moore, who co-owns Sierra South Paddle Sports with his sister, Marianne DeChant.
Below the Isabella Dam, he added, rafts will launch all summer.
"The lower river is dam controlled,"
"We haven't seen the mountains this dry this time of year since 1988, 1990," said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the state department's hydrology branch.
Resource officials urged water agencies to start planning in case a second or third dry year follows this one.
Dry conditions in the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada come during a continuing drought in the Rocky Mountains, the source for the
Dry conditions likely mean more wildfires this summer, said the state agency's Jones, along with poorer grazing and reduced yields for non-irrigated crops such as winter wheat.
It also could mean potential problems for rural water agencies that do not have access to deep underground aquifers, Jones said.#
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/131403.html
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