A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 7, 2007
2. Supply
INCREASING WATER SUPPLY:
Inland agencies eye water; Runoff, wastewater sought; environmentalists object - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Raising Coyote Dam revisited; $5 million study to evaluate cost-effectiveness, environmental impact -
STATEWIDE WATER SUPPLY ISSUES:
Water woes return; A combination of low spring rainfall levels and new regulations could cause drought conditions in Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties by fall - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
SIERRA SNOWPACK:
Dry year worries experts; Voluntary conservation encouraged -
Editorial: Maybe this isn't a drought, but act as if it were -
CONSERVATION:
Jurupa water agency prepares for hot, dry summer - Riverside Press Enterprise
INCREASING WATER SUPPLY:
Inland agencies eye water; Runoff, wastewater sought; environmentalists object
By Joe Nelson, staff writer
Inland water agencies asking for rights to billions of gallons of future water expected to collect in the
Closing arguments are set for Tuesday in
It's expected that as the
San Bernardino Municipal Water District and Western Municipal Water District of Riverside, for example, are hoping to divert water from the Seven Oaks Dam and
Representatives from the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, the Western Municipal Water District of Riverside County, the Chino Basin Watermaster and the Orange County Water District were among the agencies that submitted testimony last week.
Environmentalists also testified. They are concerned about the impact such water diversion would have on the various plant and wildlife species that thrive in the watershed that flows from
"One of the things we're concerned about is every endangered species along that river is in a state of collapse or is imperiled," said Adam Keats, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity in
An increase in diversions of water from the Santa Ana River would be detrimental to at least 10 federally and state-licensed threatened and endangered species, including the Santa Ana sucker fish, the San Bernardino kangaroo rat and migratory songbirds such as the western yellow-billed cuckoo, the southwestern willow flycatcher, and the Least Bell's vireo, according to testimony presented by Ileene Anderson, an ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity.
To address the threat to the kangaroo rat and two plant species - the Santa Ana River woollystar and the slender- horned spineflower - the Army Corps of Engineers is putting together a multiple-species habitat management plan, said Jay Field, spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers in Los Angeles.
That plan, he said, is still in the early stages. Options include directing and spreading the water into overbank areas that would provide the necessary hydrology for the plants and wildlife, much like controlled flooding.
In a policy statement submitted to the state board, Ontario Public Works Director Kenneth Jeske voiced his support for the Chino Basin Watermaster's plan to divert a portion of storm water out of concrete channels and back into recharge basins, which would increase the yield of the basin and improve groundwater quality.
Testimony began Wednesday before a hearing officer. The five-member state board should make a decision as to how the water is allocated by the end of the year. #
http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_5835217
STATEWIDE WATER SUPPLY ISSUES:
Water woes return; A combination of low spring rainfall levels and new regulations could cause drought conditions in
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 5/7/07
By Guy Kovner, staff writer
New rules and too little rain have transformed a
An unprecedented combination of scant rainfall and new water regulations wiped out Mother Nature's largess in 2006, when flooding did more than $300 million in damage but also pumped up water supplies.
Now, only one dry winter later, the call is out to conserve water from Tiburon to Ukiah as water managers scramble to balance the competing needs of those who drink, swim, irrigate and inhabit
What happened to the old rule of thumb that it took at least two rain-stingy seasons to add up to trouble at the water tap?
A one-two punch by nature and policymakers has left
With little hope for significant rainfall, worried water managers are appealing for relief from water flow rules that keep the
"This is now a regional problem," said Judy Hatch, Russian River Flood Control and Water Conservation Improvement District president. "I think it's everybody's problem."
Water managers called on the 750,000 residents of Sonoma, Mendocino and Marin counties last month to voluntarily cut water use by 10 percent to 15 percent, and will soon boost that request to 20 percent, said Chris Murray, chief of water resources planning for the Sonoma County Water Agency.
Residents, farmers and businesses from Tiburon to Ukiah, even rural homes on their own wells, should save every drop they can,
Sonoma County Supervisor Paul Kelley, whose district includes
In the absence of any regulations, both reservoirs would be full and water could flow freely to all who need it for survival, fun or profit.
Instead, water officials say they are engaged in a "balancing act," attempting to stretch a limited water supply to meet the competing needs of ranchers, city dwellers, recreational interests and fish.
The crux of the water crisis is
Approaching a naturally dry summer, the reservoir is about 70 percent full, with 66,700 acre-feet of water. At this time last year, after a wet winter,
Mother Nature was generous during the winter of 2005-06, dropping 55 inches of rain on Ukiah through May 5, well above the 30-year seasonal average of 37 inches. As of Saturday, Ukiah had just 22 inches of rain this season.
The Army Corps of Engineers keeps
Until this year,
But two things happened this season. A fish screen collapsed in the tunnel in December, reducing its water-carrying capacity, and in March new rules more than doubled a cutback in
The two factors curbed
Instead, the lake is already unseasonably low and is expected to shrink all summer long due to mandatory releases that maintain a recreational flow in the
Barring any changes in streamflow rules,
The Sonoma County Water Agency has asked permission to lower the river's summertime flow, a step that threatens tourism but would help sustain
Meanwhile,
But
The National Marine Fisheries Service, intent on restoring the river's steelhead and salmon populations, is pushing for a cap on Dry Creek flows, reducing the allowable volume by about 40 percent.
Dry Creek is a "rearing habitat" for the endangered fish, and the government recently determined that too much water is harmful,
A pipeline from
Kelley believes
The water agency is hoping to scale back the
Toward that end, he suggested, it's time to revive the 1970s drought-era slogan: "Shower with a friend." #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/NEWS/705060357/1033/NEWS01
Raising Coyote Dam revisited; $5 million study to evaluate cost-effectiveness, environmental impact
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 5/5/07
By Glenda Anderson, staff writer
While
Coyote Dam "is the long-term solution" to water shortages, said Mendocino County Supervisor Mike Delbar, a longtime advocate of increasing
The Army Corps of Engineers has launched a $5 million study to determine whether it's cost effective to raise Coyote Dam, potentially increasing
Officials began taking public comment on the study's environmental component during a meeting in Ukiah last week.
In addition to raising the dam, the Army Corps' study will consider several alternatives, including dredging sediment from the reservoir, allowing more water to be stored behind the dam and expanding the dam's flood spillway.
The feasibility study is the second evaluation of the project's worth since 2001. Depending on funding availability, it could be completed in three to five years, Doak said.
There are no estimates available on the cost of raising the dam or the other options. "We haven't even guessed," Doak said.
Constructed in 1959, Coyote Dam was authorized under the 1950 Flood Control Act to be raised 36 feet when there was a need for additional water.
But raising dams these days is no easy matter, Doak said, noting the trend now is toward removing them and increasing water supply through water conservation.
Raising Coyote Dam also could be hampered by seismic safety requirements, which have increased since the dam was built.
A seismic study will be conducted as part of the feasibility study, Doak said.
One of the first things the study will evaluate is whether the existing dam provides adequate protection from floods.
"To date, we haven't confirmed or been able to deny the existing structure is adequate," Doak said.
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070505/NEWS/705050399/1033/NEWS01
SIERRA SNOWPACK:
Dry year worries experts; Voluntary conservation encouraged
Grass Valley
By Dave Moller, staff writer
The current dry season in the Sierra is indicative of its unpredictability, but not necessarily a sign of impending drought - yet, experts said Friday.
This year's dryness hasn't caused great concern yet because the rainy season is not over, Sierra water experts said. Most reservoirs will be full and delivering to the majority of Californians this year, but those same experts fear what could happen if next year is as dry as the spring of 2007.
"Another year like this one and the water managers will be singing a different tune," said Kelly Redmond at the
On the Nevada Irrigation District watershed above the Yuba and Bear rivers, this year's snowpack water content on May 1 was 44 percent of normal according to NID Operations Supervisor and snow surveyor Sue Sindt. Low readings all spring have forced NID to store water, and the reservoirs were at 109 percent of normal capacity for May 1, Sindt said.
"We're doing our best to store every bit of it, but we don't expect Bowman and Jackson Meadows (reservoirs) to fill," Sindt said. "This year, the snow is melting sooner. It usually peaks at the end of May, and it's coming now."
NID will be able to make full deliveries to its domestic and untreated water users this year, Sindt said.
"But we're looking for voluntary conservation because any carryover we'll keep in storage for our customers for next year, especially if it's dry," Sindt said.
At the state snow range near
"
Looking at larger picture
Take, for instance, last year's ultra-wet spring weather in the Sierra compared to this year.
The state measures yearly precipitation from July 1 to June 30. According to state statistics, the Sierra had 42 million acre-feet of runoff water in the 2006 weather year. An acre-foot of water is one acre large, one foot deep.
A record of almost 53 million acre feet ran into the
Those fluctuations are typical of the Sierra, which makes it that much harder to see the overall picture,
"The question around here is, are we just in one of those spells, or something with more time involved with it indicative of climate change?"
To get better data on that, the state and the U.S. Forest Service are going to start tracking the snowline more precisely,
"It's difficult to say if the dry pattern is or is not a climate change,"
Predicting the Sierra is risky business at best, Gehrke said.
"We know it won't rain this summer, but as far as next year, nobody has a clue," Gehrke said. "The only caveat is when we're going into a strong El Niño (wet weather pattern), but that isn't happening." #
http://www.theunion.com/article/20070505/NEWS/105050148
Editorial: Maybe this isn't a drought, but act as if it were
It's official. The Sierra snowpack is the slimmest in nearly two decades. The final survey found the snowpack at 27 percent of normal. At one station that the California Department of Water Resources monitors at 6,800 feet in the Sierra, officials found no snow at all.
But think of it this way: By the time the government officially declares the weather situation to be in a drought,
It is understandable that water districts don't move into drought mode until necessary. There is always the chance that next rainy season will be a whopper and the reservoirs will be full to the brim. But there is also value in the public taking the dry weather very seriously and taking actions before being told to do so by the government.
Regardless of whether Californians live next to two rivers in
In the Capitol, the politicians tend to argue about water, particularly whether to build more reservoirs and who should pay for them. But conservation is something every single Californian can do on his or her own. This is a good time to examine those water habits. #
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/168098.html
CONSERVATION:
Jurupa water agency prepares for hot, dry summer
Riverside Press
By Sandra Stokley, staff writer
MIRA LOMA - Jurupa Community Services District is working to avoid a water shortage this summer like it experienced in 2005 due to mechanical problems.
The district has new and expanded water facilities and an education program that urges customers to voluntarily conserve, Eldon Horst, general manager, said last week.
"With solid planning and implementation, we're able to meet the anticipated needs of our fast-growing community," Horst said.
Horst's comments came the same week that board president Kenneth McLaughlin pressed the general manager for assurances that a water crisis was not on the horizon for what many believe will be a hot and dry summer.
"I don't want to have trouble come this summer," McLaughlin said at the April 23 board of directors meeting.
For months now, McLaughlin has pushed district officials for updates on water projects. "I don't want to have another incident like we had in the summer of 2005," he said.
During that summer, the district issued a voluntary conservation request and cut water supplies to homebuilders after a series of mishaps left the district scrambling to find enough water for its customers.
Board member R.M. "Cook" Barela, who sits on the district's water committee, said he is cautiously optimistic that the district will have adequate water supplies this summer.
"There is always a concern that we may not be able to meet the needs, but there are a lot of things we have done," he said.
Among the projects either already completed or underway:
A water purification plant, known as the Chino Desalter II, that treats about 10 million gallons of water per day.
An expansion of the district's water treatment plant that removes nitrates from drinking water.
A new water well that is expected to produce about 3,500 gallons of water per minute.
Last week, the district mailed out brochures, urging customers to conserve water by running only full loads in washing machines and dishwashers, taking shorter showers and turning the water off when they brush their teeth or shave.
"It's all about everyone taking care of their water," McLaughlin said. "We have to remember, we live in a desert area."
The new $52.5 million water purification plant, which began operating last August, will provide about 7,800 gallons of water per minute to the Jurupa district. It also will provide water to the cities of
The community services district is also expanding the capacity of its water treatment plant, which removes nitrates from drinking water through a process known as ion exchange.
Elevated levels of nitrates, which are a byproduct of the area's agricultural past, have been linked to a potentially fatal oxygen deficiency known as "blue baby syndrome" in infants younger than 6 months.
The plant currently treats an average of 6,600 gallons of water per minute. It will be able to treat 8,638 gallons per minute when the expansion is completed over the next few weeks, Horst said.
The community services district provides water, sewer and streetlight services to more than 22,500 households in a 48-square-mile unincorporated region of western
Communities served by the district include Glen Avon, Pedley, Sunnyslope, parts of Mira Loma and Eastvale.
The district is also developing a park system in the Eastvale area. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_R_enuf06.fea1b8.html
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