A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 18, 2007
2. Supply
WATER RECYCLING:
Southwestern Riverside County water officials push for recycling project - Riverside Press Enterprise
SIERRA ISSUES:
Creek concerns and aquifer angst; Squaw to adopt a new water plan, but some remain skeptical -
WATER RECYCLING:
Riverside Press
Ben Goad, staff writer
Amid record dry conditions, water officials from southwestern
The Rancho California Water District Recycled Water Reclamation Act, a bill introduced earlier this year by Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, would fund the estimated $103 million project.
By using recycled water instead of drawing from the region's treated water supply, the region's agriculture industry would free up enough water to meet the demands of as many as 70,000 households, said Brian Brady, general manager of the Rancho California Water District.
Brady was among several witnesses who testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and Power.
Though not a member of the subcommittee, Bono was invited to sit on the panel Thursday since she has championed the project.
"This water is critical to ensuring that our region has the necessary resources that are vital to sustaining both rapid population growth and open spaces," she said.
Inland Reps. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, Darrell Issa, R-Vista, and Ken Calvert, R-Corona, are co-sponsors of the bill.
Also testifying was Robert Quint, acting deputy commissioner of operations for the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that overseas all such projects.
Quint testified against the bill and three other bills involving recycled water programs, saying feasibility studies haven't yet been completed and that there isn't enough room in the agency's budget to approve every proposed water-recycling project.
But Brady, along with some members of the panel, pointed to the enduring drought in
Rainfall totals suggest the region is on pace for a record dry rain year and some climatologists believe that Southern California is less than halfway through a 25-year dry period.
"We saw less than 4 inches of rain," Brady said of the district, which includes Temecula and Murrieta. "The usual is 12 to 14 (inches)." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_B_water18.3e8b1df.html
SIERRA ISSUES:
Creek concerns and aquifer angst; Squaw to adopt a new water plan, but some remain skeptical
By Joanna Hartman, Sierra Sun
The Squaw Valley Public Service District hosted a final public meeting Wednesday on the valley’s soon-to-be groundwater management plan, and some residents are still concerned the plan doesn’t directly address the impact of aquifer pumping on the flow of Squaw Creek.
“We were asking for a creek interaction study quantifying the effects of pumping; ... [the groundwater management plan] wasn’t what we had asked for,” said Pam Rocca,
But district staff and board members are confident that the plan is a good one and just the first step in monitoring the valley’s long-standing water supply problems.
“[The plan] sets up a cooperative system where everyone can come to the table ... and it’s not a plan to answer all questions today, but to start the process,” said Derrik Williams, president of consulting firm HydroMetrics.
Why the plan
Following
The public service district began to formulate the plan one year ago and will likely adopt it at the next board meeting, Williams said.
A groundwater management plan will help ensure safe, reliable and affordable water supply, secure groundwater, protect the district’s ability to govern its own water supply and comply with state requirements in order to qualify for future funding opportunities, public service district manager Rick Lierman said in a previous interview.
“[The goal] is to develop a structure where all pumpers can come together and start managing the groundwater cooperatively,” said Williams.
The plan is essentially an agreement to set up a system for valley stakeholders to reach consensus in setting goals and objectives to maintain water supply, he said.
An advisory group composed of pumping well owners — including the public service district, Mutual Water Company, PlumpJack, Resort at Squaw Creek, Squaw Valley Ski Corp. and the Poulsen Corporation — will begin meeting to share data on water studies, said Williams.
The bottom line, Williams said, is the plan attempts to unify
Those who oppose
Like Rocca, a civil engineer, long-time Squaw Valley resident and “friend” of Squaw Creek, Carl Gustafson wants to see a creek interaction study addressed immediately.
“That creek’s going to dry up this summer ... and I don’t understand why you can’t make it better,” Gustafson told the board Wednesday.
Rocca said while the groundwater plan is very important, without addressing the correlation between the aquifer and the creek, it’s just not enough.
“We’re overdeveloped and we’re overdrafting the aquifer,” Rocca said. “Whatever it takes to preserve this valley, I’m determined to do it with my neighbors.”
But the board stands strong that the adoption and operation of this plan will lay the groundwork for future water studies and cooperation among various valley stakeholders.
“What we’re trying to do here is trying to put together a cooperative effort ... and I think it’s going to be a real positive asset for the community,” said board Director Dale Cox.
Board Director Eric Poulsen agrees.
“The idea with the groundwater management plan is to minimize the impacts of pumping and to work together, and that’s the direction we’re headed; ... It’s an important tool in the management of our basin,” he said.
What’s next
Williams will address the remaining public comments and prepare a final groundwater management plan document, which will be in the office or online with the Squaw Valley Public Service District.
Following the plan’s adoption the advisory group will begin to meet.
“To get them started talking about what they’d like to see implemented early and how they’d like to fund it,” Williams said. #
http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/SS/20070518/NEWS/70517016
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