Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
June 7, 2007
1. Top Items
Delta backup plans mulled; If pump shutdown continues, more drastic action to allow water deliveries will be needed - Sacramento Bee
Can't get handle on pump restart; State says delta smelt hold key, water supply remains adequate - Modesto Bee
Editorial: Unified voice is needed;
Delta backup plans mulled; If pump shutdown continues, more drastic action to allow water deliveries will be needed
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser, staff writer
The state Department of Water Resources is weighing backup plans in case water export pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta remain idle more than 10 days, a prospect that looks increasingly likely.
The shutdown of pumps near
Local water agencies around
About 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland get a portion of their water from the state pumps.
"It all makes me nervous," said Bill Harrison, general manager of Oak Flat Water District near
The district draws irrigation water directly from the California Aqueduct south of the pumps. It has drawn down its share of that water by about a foot. Total water level in the canal, which averages 30 feet deep, has dropped about 5 feet.
Water users south of San Luis Reservoir continue to receive normal deliveries from that source. It is points between the reservoir and the pumps that are most at risk of shortages. That includes communities in the
"I don't think we can go past 10 (days) without causing big problems," said DWR Deputy Director Jerry Johns.
DWR spokeswoman Sue Sims said the agency is considering interim pumping scenarios if the crisis continues. Options include restarting the pumps temporarily to refill the initial stretch of the California Aqueduct and Bethany Reservoir, which also serves the Bay Area.
The latest surveys for the smelt indicate little progress in moving the fish downstream. They are still mostly gathered in the central Delta, near the confluence of the
Cool weather has kept water temperatures below 77 degrees, a trigger that encourages smelt to move downstream.
River outflows also have not been sufficient to push smelt downstream to their summer habitat in
Nearly four weeks ago, on May 14, a team of government fisheries biologists called the Delta Smelt Working Group urged water managers to change operations to ensure positive outflows in Middle and Old rivers, tributaries of the
In response, water agencies reduced pumping two weeks ago and removed diversion barriers in the channels. But Tina Swanson, a senior scientist at the Bay Institute, said positive flows were only achieved in the two channels as of Monday.
On Friday, Swanson and Peter Moyle, a UC Davis fisheries biologist, urged state and federal water officials to boost
Neither has been done.
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Jeff McCracken said Wednesday the gates that the bureau controls were closed, and there were no plans to meet Swanson's and Moyle's request.
Instead, McCracken said the bureau is buying additional water rights in order to increase
The goal is to neutralize ongoing exports at its own Delta pumps near
At 5 p.m. Wednesday, total
"The population status of this species is so dire now," said Swanson. "It is not just a question of minimizing our impact. We can't do anything that might kill these fish."
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Wednesday urged residents to cut water use 10 percent.
Next week, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, largest urban user of Delta water, is expected to ask board members to quadruple spending on a water conservation campaign, to $6 million.
"This is going to be a long year, and it's going to keep twisting and turning," said Jeff Kightlinger, MWD's general manager. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/209371.html
Can't get handle on pump restart; State says delta smelt hold key, water supply remains adequate
By Michael G. Mooney, staff writer
The waiting game between the state Department of Water Resources and endangered delta smelt continued Wednesday, a week after the agency shut down the Harvey O. Banks pump plant near
Michael Miller, a DWR spokesman, said it was not clear when pumping would resume.
"We're still looking for a biological opinion," Miller said, "and we continue watching water quality and water supply. It's hard to say when conditions might change."
The state wants to be sure that the smelt are moving toward
DWR officials shut down the Banks facility May 31 because too many smelt were being pulled into the water pumps and killed.
When the pumps first were turned off, state officials said they expected them to remain idle for seven to 10 days.
Last week, DWR director Lester Snow said scientists hoped changes in currents and temperature eventually would cause the smelt to move away.
While there are indications the smelt may be moving on, state officials said more research and evaluation were needed.
Despite the shutdown, officials said there have been no reports of water shortages or other problems.
Delta smelt, which are two to three inches long as adults, have been listed as a threatened species since 1993 by federal and state authorities.
The Banks plant is a vital cog in the State Water Project, helping move water to millions of residents in
San Joaquin delta water also is shipped to farmers throughout the
In all, the SWP supplies water to meet the domestic needs of 25 million Californians and irrigate 750,000 acres of farmland.
Snow said there would be enough water available, pooled in the
So far, that has proven to be the case.
"We're still in business," said Bill Harrison, general manager of the Oak Flat and Del Puerto districts in western
Weather lowers water demand
The pools are created by closing giant gates that normally control flows through aqueducts and canals.
"I think we have enough storage in the pools,"
Lower temperatures have lessened demand for irrigation over the last week,
But farmers served by Oak Flat already were in full conservation mode,
The Oak Flat Water District provides irrigation water to about 2,200 acres.
Several Bay Area water districts and agencies — Zone 7 Water Agency, Alameda County Water District and the Santa Clara Valley Water District — also are keeping a close eye on the pumping facility.
Combined, they deliver delta water to about 3 million people living in eastern and southern
"There have been no service restrictions at this point," she said. "But we're conditioned to water conservation over here, anyway. #
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/13663288p-14255615c.html
Editorial: Unified voice is needed;
Second of two parts
Every spring, the San Joaquin Council of Governments organizes a lobbying expedition to
The goal of the One Voice trip is to obtain federal funding for transportation projects. It's become a model of cooperation and unity.
It needs to be replicated.
There are too many contradictory theories and ideas regarding county water policy being voiced by interests as convoluted as the 1,000 meandering miles of Delta waterways.
It's unfortunate that those involved in using and maintaining
For too long, those most closely associated with life on the Delta have had little or no input in developing state water policies.
Internal conflicts in
Fifteen years ago, officials in
One result was the millions of dollars recently approved for levee repair - most of it north of
"They are organized," Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, recently told The Record's editorial board. "
The failure to develop a unified strategy has been costly.
The Delta is viewed by most state residents as a source of water moving from one place (the Sierra) to another (
Too few people recognize the Delta as the vital estuary it is. Too many
Hint: It's west of
The challenges of living so close to the Delta soon might become more obvious to thousands of unsuspecting property owners.
Flood-plain designations based on levee strength are being determined by federal authorities who later this year will make decisions that could require insurance costing homeowners more than $1,200 a year in some neighborhoods and communities.
If that occurs, awareness of the Delta and its impact will increase accordingly.
"There's got to be a regional approach," Cardoza said. "What happens now is I get 20 voices on every issue.
There are dozens of interests involved - environmental, recreational, agricultural and commercial - and even more agencies that seek authority over decision-making.
Some of those responsible for the small irrigation and reclamation districts don't want regional solutions or compromise answers.
Some water lawyers benefit from the continuing controversy and the absence of incentives for making any real progress.
Whether it's declining Delta smelt populations or deteriorating, 100-year-old levees, that approach is short-sighted and counterproductive.
The Delta's problems are significant and expensive, and they demand cooperation from everybody involved.
Whether it's Cardoza or members of the Board of Supervisors, someone needs to bring the county's water factions together.
It's time for one voice to speak for
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070607/A_OPINION01/706070307/-1/A_OPINION06
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