A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 11, 2007
2. Supply
County urged to reduce water usage; Mandatory measures could be enforced soon - Ventura County Star
Drinking water supply finally increased - North
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
Group suing Sonoma over tardiness of water plan - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
County urged to reduce water usage; Mandatory measures could be enforced soon
By Whitney Diaz, staff writer
Area water agencies are calling on residents and businesses to voluntarily cut back on their water usage because of the area's record dry year.
But water agency officials predict that mandatory measures to conserve could be enforced by the end of the summer.
"If we're not careful, the amount of water could deplete rapidly," said Steve Wickstrum, Casitas Municipal Water District general manager. "If we don't take care of it soon enough, we could end up with serious episodes of water shortages."
Almost two-thirds of the
Most water used outdoors
In areas like Ojai, where a drought was declared May 9, this year has been the driest since 1923, Bryant said.
The majority of local water is used outdoors. Water officials strongly advise the public not to water lawns and gardens between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. because water will simply evaporate in the heat.
"Watering during the middle of the day is probably the biggest waste of water," Bryant said.
Across the region, the demand for water has increased, and in some areas the seasonal demand has peaked earlier than usual because of the dry conditions.
"The June water demand was up since the same time in 2004, because it has been drier longer," Bryant said. "People don't realize how much water they're using."
Out-of-the-area supply
Much of central and eastern
There, officials are also encouraging consumers to conserve.
"If we did not have imported water supplies, we would be in an extremely severe drought," said Randal Orton, interim director of resource conservation and public outreach for the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District.
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the
"Colorado River conditions are at all-time lows, and with the recent dry winter months in northern
"There are extremely dry conditions, not just in
Water officials worry that when people turn on the tap and see running water, they assume it is an endless supply.
"(Water) is a natural resource that is limited in this arid climate," Wickstrum said. "Here in west
Storage increased
The amount of rainfall over
An increased storage capacity has improved the outlook in the east county.
"We feel at this point we're more than able to meet the demands for water because we increased water storage by a factor of 10 since the last drought," Bergh said.
But, officials warn, given the low reservoir levels statewide, conservation is key.
"If we have another very dry winter, we'll likely see many water cutbacks next year," said Jeff Reinhardt, of the Las Virgenes water district. "The water that we save this year may turn out to be the water that we need next year." #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/jul/11/county-urged-to-reduce-water-usage/
Drinking water supply finally increased
By Gig Conaughton, staff writer
SAN DIEGO -- Regional water officials said Tuesday that two years of work to expand Temecula's R.A. Skinner Water Treatment plant was completed late last week, increasing the facility's ability to churn out drinking water and easing a three-year peak-demand crunch for San Diego County residents.
But water officials also said the expansion won't eliminate the need for people to cut their water use, noting that while the plant now has more capacity,
"Yeah, there's a big 'but' here," San Diego County Water Authority spokesman Ken Weinberg said.
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Water officials throughout
The $75 million Skinner expansion project, part of an $400 million upgrade of the Metropolitan Water District treatment plant, does ease treated-water worries in San Diego County.
Since 2003, the Water Authority has urged county residents each summer to cut back water use or face the possibility of mandatory water cutbacks -- which have not materialized -- because the Skinner plant's ability to produce drinking water was being maxed out by peak demand on the hottest days.
Skinner is one of Metropolitan's five main water treatment plants and has long been the primary treatment plant serving San Diego County, delivering 50 percent of the county's total drinking water supply. Metropolitan is Southern California's main water supplier, supplying water for nearly 18 million people in six counties, including
Starting in 2002, Skinner's capacity to turn "raw" untreated water into drinking water started being challenged by the peak summer demand of the region's still-growing population.
Each summer since then, Water Authority leaders have warned that mandatory cuts were looming if local residents did not cut water use on the hottest summer days.
That ended late last week -- just days after the Water Authority issued a new warning urging conservation because Skinner was running at 106 percent of its capacity -- when Metropolitan completed the expansion work.
The completed project will increase Skinner's production capacity by next from 520 million gallons a day to 630 million gallons a day.
Metropolitan spokesman Bob Muir said the plant's expanded capability was being ramped up gradually, but that by Monday, its production had been boosted by 55 million gallons a day and Skinner was running at 72 percent of capacity.
Like Weinberg, Muir said Skinner's increased capacity doesn't mean the region is swimming in water, and that Metropolitan is also pushing people to cut water use.
"We're hoping they maintain prudent and moderate water use like they've been doing for the last four years," Muir said.
Weinberg said, meanwhile, that the water supply situation could change if
"I think it's important that people understand that we're still asking people to conserve 20 gallons a day," he said. "The difference is, this is not just a summertime problem. It's an all-year problem." #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/07/11/news/sandiego/5_02_197_10_07.txt\
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
Group suing
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 7/11/07
By Glenda Anderson, staff writer
A water advocacy group has sued the cities of Ukiah and
"It's very important for urban planners to think about their water resources. If they build houses without adequate water supplies, the water is taken from somewhere to the detriment of the environment," said Lisa Coffman, executive director of the California Water Impact Network.
The lawsuit, filed July 2, seeks a court order that would require the cities to update their water management plans, which were due in 2005.
Ukiah has been updating its plan for about a year, City Manager Candace Horsley said Tuesday.
The tardy report was delayed by the discovery that a federally ordered cutback in water diversion from the
Officials in
She said the report is awaiting a pending Sonoma County Water Agency evaluation of the reduction.
Ukiah City Attorney Dave Rapport said he told the water group that its update was in progress when they submitted a request for a copy.
"We were working diligently," he said. "I don't see any public benefit to the lawsuit."
The water impact group identifies itself as a nonprofit organization that pushes for conformity with state and local water use rules.
Coffman said it's important to make sure local governments are doing what they can to live within their means and that a water management plan is crucial.
"The law was to make them think about it," she said.
Horsley said that Ukiah does that already.
"We know exactly what our growth is and how many parcels we have," she said. "We've planned for all that." #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20070711/NEWS/707110384/1033/NEWS01
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