Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 24, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
GOVERNOR VISITS SAN DIEGO:
Schwarzenegger campaigns for more water - San Diego Union Tribune
SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT:
Editorial: Water board must stretch to find the best candidate -
Editorial: All-American deathtrap; Renovations to the
GOVERNOR VISITS SAN DIEGO:
Schwarzenegger campaigns for more water
By Michael Gardner, Copley News Service
Warnings of looming shortages are coming from several fronts: climate changes linked to global warming threaten to prolong a worrisome dry spell, the state's population continues to swell and it may take a third of
The backdrop for the governor's pitch will be a half-full Sweetwater Reservoir, which provides water to 177,000 residents of
The governor is expected to highlight innovative conservation programs and stress the importance of water to a region that is at the end of the pipeline – a note not lost on many who remember the 1987-1992 drought.
“We were really concerned we could have the water turned off on us at any time,” said Joe Panetta, president of Biocom, a coalition of 37 San Diego-area life sciences companies.
Panetta will tout the governor's proposals at the event.
“We have to look at this from a long-term perspective ... We cannot deal with this on a crisis basis,” he said. Water is just as important as energy, Panetta said.
“It's not about getting the roof fixed when it's raining,” he said. “How do you recruit and retain and grow companies if you cannot assure them of water?”
Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders are under mounting pressure to break years of stalemate on new statewide water projects or risk drying up flows that nourish the environment and the economy from
Yet, they remain far apart on crucial issues: where and whether to build reservoirs, a new canal to carry water through the delta and who should pay.
Senate Democrats, in releasing their own $5 billion bond plan, say they are hesitant to endorse new reservoirs, citing cost and environmental considerations. Instead, they favor awarding grants to regional priorities that encourage conservation, filling aquifers and expanding existing above-ground reservoirs, such as San Vicente in
Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata, D-Oakland, said he prefers to focus on projects that generally have public support “rather than re-living the water wars of the past over false choices like dams and canals.”
Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, challenges that thinking. He contends that Californians will accept environmentally sensitive facilities that could benefit people, business and wildlife.
“It can be done. It must be done,” Cogdill said.
The new round of water negotiations will start even before lawmakers and Schwarzenegger can settle on how to spend $918 million provided by voters last year in two separate water-related bond measures.
In
“It will be catastrophic,” he said. “That is why I am putting the spotlight on this very important issue. You have to understand, many, many of those important issues have been kind of brushed under the rug, for decades. Not just for years, but for decades.”
Moving water is just as much an issue as storing water. A federal judge in September is expected to determine just how much water the state can pump to
The governor is pitching a new delivery system to carry water through the delta, dredging up painful memories of the failed 1982 Peripheral Canal campaign that split the state and fostered years of north-south mistrust that still lingers.
Many Democrats and some environmental groups fear a new channel could lead to more urban demand and higher costs at the expense of fish and wildlife.
“That's the caboose on the train,” said a hesitant Lois Wolk, a Democratic assemblywoman from
But, just as many believe new thinking is needed – whether it's an artificial canal or managing existing rivers to be more fish-friendly.
Meanwhile, water officials across the state are imploring the governor and lawmakers to act.
The San Diego County Water Authority has endorsed the governor's bond proposal, citing the convergence of climate change, growth and drought. The dry spell along the
“This is the time to be moving forward,” said Fern Steiner, chairwoman of the water authority board.
The board has moved aggressively to increase local storage, including mapping plans for a massive, $552 million raising of San Vicente Dam. The board is “ready to roll” on a 54-foot addition, Steiner said, but is waiting to determine whether the state will provide some funding to stack another 63-feet of concrete, bringing the total expansion to 117 feet.
At that height, San Vicente would provide another 100,000 acre feet of storage – enough to serve 200,000 households a year. In addition, another 52,000 acre-feet could be held for emergencies.
Farther north, the tiny Delta Smelt has sent water managers across the state into near panic.
State and federal pumps, predators and pollution are being blamed for the fish's plummeting numbers. The smelt is considered an indicator of the overall health of the Sacramento Delta, which carries two-thirds of the state's drinking water to 25 million residents. Forty-percent of the
Environmentalists have petitioned to sharply curtail pump operations to protect the smelt. An earlier Alameda County Superior Court ruling slowed the pumps for nine days in June, dramatically cutting deliveries and forcing
Separately, a federal district court is looking at submissions on how state and federal agencies plan to protect smelt.
It's possible that the courts could force drastic reductions in deliveries to a broad range of users, from the Silicon Valley to
“We are in crisis mode,” said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. “I don't think that word is too strong.”
Quinn fears a court order, perhaps issued in September, could force the state's pumps near
“Let's fix the delta once and for all,” Schwarzenegger said. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20070723-1838-cnswater.html
SANTA CLARA VALLEY WATER DISTRICT:
Editorial: Water board must stretch to find the best candidate
The Santa Clara Valley Water District faces a looming crisis in water supply and an immediate crisis in public confidence: The hiring of an elected board member to a $184,000 staff position this summer has inspired a new level of public scrutiny.
That long-overdue attention should continue as the board chooses Greg Zlotnick's replacement for the last half of his four-year term from District 5, northern
But to make the best choice, the board has to stretch its horizons. It needs someone who will question the status quo, bring spending under greater scrutiny and provide expertise in areas the rest of the board lacks.
At this morning's meeting, members will discuss criteria for screening candidates. We'll add another topic: when to interview.
Most residents can't take off work to attend a 9:30 a.m. meeting. How about conducting those interviews in the evening?
Besides that nod to public participation, here are some things the board should aim for in replacing Zlotnick:
Technical expertise.
Zlotnick, an attorney, had amassed a vast store of knowledge about water policy. The district benefits from that level of expertise. Several applicants to replace him are engineers, which is an excellent qualification - if they're willing to spend the time to vet projects for cost effectiveness and speak up if things don't look right.
Budget expertise.
Unlike city councils, the water district does not attract scrutiny in proportion to its $300 million a year in spending. But some residents who do pay attention are convinced money flows too freely. To shore up the public's trust, the board would do well to add a member with a knack for numbers and a willingness to challenge spending decisions.
And here are some things to watch carefully:
A public record.
Applicants with experience in the public arena, whether as elected officials or members of interest groups, will be attractive on paper. But there's a difference between just holding office, or another position of power, and serving effectively. The applicants in this category will have a public track record. Check it out.
No conflicts of interest.
A number of applicants have building or real estate connections. The district does water-supply assessments and sets policies that can affect development potential. Although a board member would abstain in the face of a direct conflict, it's hard to imagine water district decisions not affecting this industry indirectly. The board should steer clear of these applicants.
Likewise, it should beware of environmentalists with a prejudice against development. Using the district as a barrier to growth could be as damaging as any pro-development influence or appearance.
We can't resist pointing out the most obviously conflicted applicant: Richard Roth, chief executive of the private San Jose Water Co., whose profits depend in part on rates charged by the water district - and on getting plenty of water to sell. Roth offers himself as a candidate if the board has trouble finding qualified applicants. Fortunately, that isn't a problem.
One thing about the water board should not change: its philosophy of protecting the natural environment and using water wisely, not just moving it around. But within that constraint, there's room for greater and better-informed public oversight. That's a commitment board members should make today. #
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_6449047
Editorial: All-American deathtrap; Renovations to the
IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE a less aptly named water project than the
The 82-mile canal carries water from the Colorado River to the
A study by state and federal public health officials concluded that steps should be built into the canal sides to avoid drownings of humans and large mammals, but the federal Bureau of Reclamation refuses to include them, saying they would cause structural instability and leakage. Meanwhile, the Imperial Irrigation District, which operates the canal, has refused to add even such basic safety measures as lifelines — cables with buoys that cross the canal, which people can grab to avoid being swept away. The district's bizarre justification is that adding lifelines would increase its liability, which is like saying you shouldn't throw a buoy to a drowning man because he might sue you if he survives. Other parts of the canal have lifelines to protect district workers.
It's hard to escape the conclusion that the water district's board is more concerned about illegal immigration than about human lives. Border security is a good thing, but crossing shouldn't be a death sentence. Even Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter of
The Bureau of Reclamation's sole concession to safety is to add ladders up the canal sides at 375-foot intervals. Past experience with such ladders has shown they aren't very effective. Unless more safety features are added, water officials will have more deaths on their consciences. #
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