Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 29, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
Grand jury finds gaping holes in emergency planning for dams -
San Mateo grand jury faults dam, levee plans; EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS LACKING IN AT-RISK AREAS - San Jose Mercury News
WATER BANKING FACILITY PROPOSED:
Angry Rosamond residents confront AVEK chief - Mojave Desert News
LEGISLATION:
Flood protection bills scale hurdle; Senate Committee moves bills authored by Wolk closer to legislation - Vacaville Reporter
Grand jury finds gaping holes in emergency planning for dams
San Francisco Chronicle – 6/29/07
By John Cote, staff writer
None of
The panel found inconsistent information on whether state personnel are inspecting dams regularly, noting that data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers indicate the county's highest-risk dams were last inspected in 2001.
"If you have a structure whose failure would cause high property damage and also have the potential for loss of life, you would like to have something like annual inspections," Stephan Freer, the grand jury foreman, said in an interview. "It's obvious from reading the report that this could certainly be better."
The dams cited in the report include the Lower Crystal Springs Dam and Pilarcitos Dam, both operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
PUC officials said state regulators inspect their dams annually, including the one at the Crystal Springs Reservoir along Interstate 280, and that emergency plans for the structures exist. The PUC regularly coordinates with the county and will share those plans, agency spokesman Tony Winnicker said.
"We will absolutely do that," he said. "We think that makes complete sense."
The grand jury also noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency considers at least four levees from
The panel recommended increased coordination between dam and levee owners and county emergency officials to form credible emergency plans.
Much of the 12-page report focuses on whether dam and levee operators have plans for responding to a catastrophe and communicating with county emergency officials.
While the Army Corps of Engineers indicates that operators of the 12 highest-risk dams do have emergency plans, none of those plans has been provided to the
"The lack of plans prepared by dam and levee operators poses a significant danger to those living in inundation zones," the grand jury said in a report. "The sharing of information about dams and levees ... is insufficient for emergency preparedness planning."
Some dam operators, including the PUC, have emergency plans and are in the process of providing them, said sheriff's Lt. John Quinlan, who heads the Office of Emergency Services. But some smaller dam owners do not have plans drawn up, he said.
"Most of our private dam owners don't even know they need an emergency action plan," he said.
"The Bay Area, and
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/06/29/BAGMIQO58G1.DTL&hw=water&sn=010&sc=220
San Mateo grand jury faults dam, levee plans; EMERGENCY PROTOCOLS LACKING IN AT-RISK AREAS
By Neil Gonzales, MediaNews
A number of the Peninsula's dams and levees that pose serious risks to residents lack plans that detail and coordinate emergency procedures in the event of a catastrophe, according to the
"There is a lack of data about the maintenance and structural integrity of the dams and levees within the county and a lack of adequate and regularly updated emergency action plans," the grand jury said Thursday.
The panel added that no such plan has been submitted to the
"This is a severe impediment to efforts by OES/HS to carry out their mandated warning responsibilities," the jury said.
According to its report, the jury found that 12 dams in the county "pose high or significant risk in the event of failure" based in part on a recent evaluation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The jury also said at least four levees between
"A failure of any one of these structures could threaten the lives of anywhere from a few people to thousands of county residents and destroy homes and businesses," the jury said.
Sheriff's Lt. John Quinlan,
"If they need help, I personally or this office will offer them a template to develop an emergency action plan," Quinlan said.
"We want this done. If you own something that's threatening, you do have a responsibility to control that threat."
Funding, however, could be an issue.
Quinlan said dam and levee operators may have to spend some money to bring in a consultant or other resources to develop a plan.
The county also may need to find funds to help in the effort, he said.
Supervisor Jerry Hill said there currently is no funding for that kind of planning.
"I think what needs to be done is to evaluate what the request is and look at the scope and magnitude of the issue . . . and see if funding is necessary," Hill said. "We don't want to over-plan."
Among the dams noted in the grand jury report are three operated by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission -
Commission spokeswoman Maureen Barry disputes some of the jury's findings.
"We do have action plans for each of our dams," she said.
Those plans, however, are not made readily accessible to the public because of security concerns, she said. "But they are on file."
However, the commission is willing to work with the county OES on issues raised in the grand jury's report, she said.
"I don't think that's a problem," she said. "If they feel they don't have enough information, they could ask us."
In its report, the grand jury recommends that OES get funding to work with agencies in the county "to acquire whatever information is necessary to assess risk and develop response plans for levee and dam emergencies."
The jury also encourages cities to cooperate with OES to develop such plans. The plans should be submitted to OES and updated annually, the jury said. #
http://www.mercurynews.com/localnewsheadlines/ci_6259399
WATER BANKING FACILITY PROPOSED:
Angry Rosamond residents confront AVEK chief
By Bill Deaver, staff writer
ROSAMOND - Concerned about a plan to build a water banking facility near their homes, angry Rosamond residents lashed-out at Antelope Valley/East Kern Water Agency (AVEK) general manager Russ Fuller at last Thursday’s Rosamond Municipal Advisory Council meeting.
Fuller, invited by RMAC chairman Dennis Shoffner to explain AVEK’s plans to build the water bank in the area of
Frequently repeating himself during the nearly two-hour peroration, Fuller made the case that the state is short of water and AVEK needs to “bank” the precious commodity by injecting it into local aquifers during the winter, when local water needs are low.
After sitting through Fuller’s lecture, complete with two flip-charts and interrupted by a short break, residents and Shoffner finally demanded that Fuller cut to the chase.
“We came here to hear about (the water banking) project,” said Randy Scott, a resident of the area near the banking site said. “You haven’t come up with any answers.”
Others, including Shoffner, joined-in. “You haven’t explained this project,” Shoffner told Fuller.
Others complained that they didn’t even hear about the project until four weeks ago when AVEK held a public ‘scoping meeting’.
Scott, retired planning director at nearby Edwards Air Force Base, said residents have questions about issues such as the effect on their septic tanks, dust, danger to aircraft from birds attracted by standing water, mosquitoes, and other potential problems.
Fuller never did respond directly to any of the questions.
Pumping complaints
Several of the residents complained about large farming operations in their neighborhood pumping water and potentially overdrafting their aquifer. Fuller said that a water adjudication case for the region is being considered by a judge would take care of that problem. He said the judge will appoint a “water master” who will work with a joint powers agreement that includes AVEK, the Palmdale Water District, and the Little Rock Creek Irrigation District. AVEK will make up about 85 percent of the JPA.
Fuller also said that the purpose of water banking is to increase the region’s water supply, which is in dire straights.
While all of those objecting to AVEK’s plans said they understand and support the concept of banking water, they said they are concerned about the site. Two AVEK board members, including Keith Dyas of Rosamond,
County involvement
Asked if
Oviatt said she expressed serious concerns about the project at the scoping meeting, and that Western Development, the firm developing the private water bank in the area, has agreed to several mitigation measures requested by the county for its project.
She explained that AVEK is preparing an environmental impact report, which Fuller said should be completed in about 60 days.
Oviatt said the agency must hold a public hearing on the EIR. Asked what the public can do if AVEK approves the proposal, Oviatt said the only option is a lawsuit.
Oviatt also asked Fuller how he expects homeowners to trust AVEK’s handling of the issue given the way they have handled it so far.
Shoffner promised that the RMAC will continue to track the issue. #
http://www.desertnews.com/mdn/story1.html
LEGISLATION:
Flood protection bills scale hurdle; Senate Committee moves bills authored by Wolk closer to legislation
Two bills to improve flood protection, introduced by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Solano, were approved this week by the state Senate Committee on Natural Resources.
The bills, AB 5 and 224, passed Tuesday by the committee, would promote smarter flood protection planning at both the state and local levels.
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AB 5, the flagship of Wolk's package of flood-protection legislation, requires the state to develop a comprehensive flood-protection plan for the central valley that includes flood protection standards and flood-plain mapping.
The bill also provides incentives for local communities that adopt the principles of the proposed state plan, giving these communities priority in receiving allocations of state funding, including current and future bond funds.
"Voters did not sign a blank check last November,' said Wolk. 'They approved almost $5 billion in bond funds, trusting that the state would use that money wisely to protect the thousands of Californians currently at risk of a catastrophic flood.'
Wolk said 'They expect us to solve the problem. They certainly did not expect us to make it worse by allowing more people to be put in harm's way.
But unless we do something about it, local governments in the deep floodplains of the
Wolk's AB 224 integrates the anticipated effects of climate change into all local and state water plans, including the California Water Plan and State Plan of Flood Control.
"The connection between climate change and our state's water resources is very real, and must be taken into account in our future water plans if we are to adapt to our changing environment," Wolk said.
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'AB 224, she said, 'will help California begin to address those risks by taking the very first step toward incorporating climate change information into California's existing water planning efforts."
AB 5 next will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
The bill is supported by a number of groups including the Planning and Conservation League, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Natural Resources Defense Council, California League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the River, the City of
AB 224, which will next be heard in the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality, is being sponsored by the Solano County Water Agency, Sonoma County Water Agency, Marin Municipal Water District, Planning and Conservation League, and Natural Resources Defense Council.
The bill's other supporters include the California Public Utilities Commission, Water ReUse Association, East Bay Municipal Utility District, and the California Association of Sanitation Agencies.
Other backers are City of
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