A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 17, 2007
2. Supply
Soaking up lessons of last drought; It's been dry, and one city is mandating conservation, but water officials have spent years building reserves - Los Angeles Times
WATER CONSERVATION:
Planting the seeds of conservation; As Long Beach cracks down on water usage, residents seek to learn to garden with less - Los Angeles Times
Water conservation efforts paying off - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
WATER RECYCLING:
Water district considers recycled water requirement - North County Times
GROUNDWATER:
Want a water study? Dig deep; For funds, that is. Cache below Fresno Co. foothills can be probed with radar - Fresno Bee
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES:
Water dilemma in northeast; Residents at odds with city over plight - Bakersfield Californian
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
County water plan called good for area - LA Daily News
County looks to recycled water - Napa Valley Register
AG ISSUES:
Coombsville residents compete with vineyards for scarce water - Napa Valley Register
Guest Opinion: New reservoirs will not answer water challenges - Alameda Times Star
Letters to the Editor: Flood of woes will come with water cutbacks - Contra Costa Times
PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY:
Gravity-fed water pipeline to provide security, save money -
Soaking up lessons of last drought; It's been dry, and one city is mandating conservation, but water officials have spent years building reserves
By Hector Becerra, staff writer
Watering the lawn under the moonlight. The specter of "water police."
If the current water shortage is beginning to sound a lot like the great drought of 1990-91, grab a glass of water and chill.
Although
Officials say they learned from that drought and spent the ensuing years building up water reserve capacity. Despite the record dry conditions, the Metropolitan Water District has 14 times more reservoir and groundwater storage than it did in 1991, with many local reservoirs flush with water. This is giving the region a buffer against a reduction in supplies from Northern California and the
Moreover, the region has learned to conserve in dramatic fashion.
In 1991, the average household used 210 gallons of water a day. Today, thanks to low-flow toilets, new shower heads and changes in behavior, that number has declined to about 180 gallons, according to water officials.
In a sign that the conservation message is sinking in, the Metropolitan Water District said it delivers the same amount of water -- 2.1 million acre feet a year -- to
Water officials warn that more restrictions -- and possibly higher rates -- are on the way in the coming months. But they said this was not yet a crisis.
In fact, water officials and weather experts believe that further restrictions might result in enough savings to deal with the continued dryness and a recent court ruling that could yield a 30% reduction in water deliveries from
Moreover, they argue that mandatory water reduction is important because
"Never have so many people had water so cheap, so clean and so uninterrupted as
The drought of 1990-91 bore some similarities to today. There were record dry conditions that affected not just Southern California but the two areas where the region gets much of its imported water: the
In response, the state cut water deliveries to the region -- only the second time in history that had happened.
But there are also major differences between 1990-91 and today. Back then, water levels at state reservoirs were so low they were considered to be "essentially empty" -- creating a severe shortage of water for customers.
Today, the water supply is much more plentiful thanks to lessons learned from the drought.
"It taught us a lot," said Debra Man, chief operating officer and assistant general manager for the Metropolitan Water District, which delivers water to most of
More than $3 billion has been spent on increased water storage above and below ground. In 1999, water importers built the 260-million-gallon
The MWD had only 225,000 acre-feet stored in 1990. Today, the district has 2.7 million acre-feet in storage. An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons, enough to cover an acre 1 foot deep or supply two households for a year.
Also over the last decade, officials moved to diversify the water supply. The district signed an agreement with an agency in the
Man said a goal of the MWD is to reduce its reliance on water from the
Despite these improvements, regional water officials said they expect more mandatory water rationing because of the current drought and water problems.
U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger ordered protective measures for a tiny endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Delta smelt grow to about 3 inches and live about a year. A so-called indicator species that is a harbinger of ecological conditions in the delta, the smelt were declared threatened in 1993.
"This is a proactive step, and we're hoping other cities follow," said Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water Department. "Let's be prudent and tighten our belt as much as we can."
Over the years, more people have relied on devices such as low-flow toilets and shower heads, and municipal codes have been enacted to require new buildings to carry these devices. More water is recycled, and there has been a push for people to landscape with plants that do not require as much water.
But a lot more has to be done, experts say. Over the next half-century, according to a recent state projection,
The MWD is having to dip into its reserves because of the drought conditions, a concern because those are designed to be saved for an emergency, such as a major earthquake.
And though the region has depended on water from the north, there have been signs over the years that that reliance needs to be eased.
In 2003, the MWD lost its exclusive rights to surplus water from the Colorado River because
"We're living in a desert," said Patzert. "We should be using less water." #
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-water15sep15,0,3036488,full.story?coll=la-tot-topstories
WATER CONSERVATION:
Planting the seeds of conservation; As
By Deborah Schoch, staff writer
Ellen Keys knows about drought. She grew up during the Great Depression in
She paid closer attention than most
"We had signed up for a new sprinkler system and a new lawn, front and back," Keys said, "but I read three months ago where this water is getting awfully scarce, and I asked my husband, 'Do you think we should spend all this money?' "
So the couple canceled their order, and Keys, 83, signed up for a free class on low-water gardening held Saturday at Water Department headquarters. She began thinking of a new lawn design for her home near
Keys' instincts proved right.
Three days ago, the Water Department drew statewide attention by issuing the most stringent water-use restrictions of any city in the region. Water experts predict that other cities will soon follow suit. The most talked-about rule will forbid residents to water lawns, plants and gardens more than three times a week -- and even then, only between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m.
Water officials in this waterfront city of 461,000 already were doing research on desalination processes and mailing out notices in water bills, urging residents to curtail showers and change gardening habits. The new rules, which go into effect Friday, are not just short-term measures, they say.
"This is a permanent change, in terms of how we can use water," said Matthew Lyons, the Water Department's director of planning and conservation. "This isn't just about this winter. This is a whole new paradigm."
The approach was praised Saturday morning by Keys and other residents who attended the department's 3 1/2 -hour free gardening class.
"I think they should crack down," said Keys. "It looks pretty dire to me, this shortage of water, and if we get out of water, we can't live."
Most of the 30 students had signed up before Thursday's announcement, but some said they felt more of a sense of urgency because of the new rules.
Bob Spears came to learn about grasses that consume less water.
"I'm intending to move into more drought-tolerant plants," he said. "I see the necessity. It's not going to get any better."
Pat Robertson, 71, took detailed notes about drought-resistant trees and plants that would suit the wide brick planters in the frontyard of her home near Wardlow Park.
Robertson and her husband did away with their lawn 25 years ago to save on water and grass mowing. After she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2006, she hired a gardener who planted mostly annuals in the brick planters.
Now, the annuals are fading. After learning Tuesday that she is cancer-free, Robertson is gearing up to design a low-water "plant palette" that may include species that caught her attention at the Saturday class. She likes the looks of an Australian willow tree, as well as salvias.
The class was taught by Tim Wheeler, a horticulturist and consultant to the Metropolitan Water District, who has taught similar seminars in other cities. This year, he is noticing more focus on drought-tolerant gardening practices.
"Just generally across the board, there seems to be more interest," Wheeler said.
Local plant nurseries report more queries from customers.
At H&H Nursery in nearby
Some customers are taken aback, however, by what some call the "weedy" look of some native
Armstrong Garden Centers, which has a store in east
"I prefer to talk about a 'Mediterranean' palette,' " said Armstrong marketing manager Gary Jones.
He advises drought-conscious gardeners to consider gardening in containers and planting water-hungry species like hydrangeas close to the house, where they can be watered by hand when needed, rather than by wide-ranging sprinkler systems.
The Long Beach Water Department operates under its own charter, and policy is set directly by water commissioners rather than the City Council.
But the city is also taking steps to conserve water.
The city will soon require new developments such as the proposed Lennar condominium project near Seal Beach to conduct water-use assessments in preparing environmental reviews, Suzanne Frick, the city's planning and building director, said Friday.
The council has approved a separate policy that all new projects that have not received building permits must meet special conservation guidelines, Frick said.
Water-conscious gardening tips can be found at www.bewaterwise.com. The new
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water16sep16,1,879544.story?coll=la-headlines-california
Water conservation efforts paying off
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 9/17/07
By Clark Mason, staff writer
After replacing his lawn with synthetic turf, Tony Koepfle has seen his water bill drop dramatically.
The
"My main focus was to conserve on water and secondly, cut the maintenance cost of the lawn. That's what we accomplished," he said Friday.
As summer draws to a close, water officials say the combined efforts of people like Koepfle have helped
Use of the river for potable water has been restricted since July 1 by state authorities, who ordered a 15 percent reduction to save enough in
But conservation measures, along with cities relying more on their own well water, have allowed the amount diverted from the
With typical Indian summers on the
But they are pleased.
"That's a great number, really," said Pam Jeane, deputy director of operations for the Sonoma County Water Agency. "I thought it was going to be a real struggle because the first couple of weeks of July, the reductions in the diversions were quite low."
Other than three wells the agency operates, all of the water it delivers is pumped out of the
The most recent meter readings, which were taken at the end of August, show all of the prime contractors - the biggest cities in
Compared with August 2004,
As long as people continue to conserve and the weather cooperates, water officials are optimistic the state mandate will be met by the end of October.
"The contractors have stepped up and performed an excellent job," said Don Seymour, principal engineer with the Water Agency. "We will probably fairly easily meet the terms of 15 percent because of the bank we've built up."
The agency so far has saved 700 more acre-feet than required by the state. To put things in perspective, that represents about four days' worth of water supplied by the agency to its clients. The agency serves about 600,000 customers in
Typically, people are watering less, fixing leaking irrigation systems, even replacing their lawns with drought-tolerant vegetation.
In some instances, they take advantage of city incentives to take out their thirsty lawns.
Koepfle, for example, is being rewarded with a $250 check from the city for ripping up his lawn.
He recognizes his pricey artificial grass is not an option for everyone, unless they plan to occupy their home for years to come, as he does.
Koepfle spent $10,600 to replace his 572 square feet of turf with the waterless, green alternative. Already he's saved thousands of gallons of potable water.
Ironically, water officials say because households and businesses are cutting back on water use, rates may have to go up.
That's because the Water Agency and utilities they serve have operating costs and overhead that need to be covered. There are costs for maintenance, personnel, energy and capital improvements. But with less water being purchased, there is less revenue to cover those costs, so rates likely will increase.
Jeane said the water agency is expected to get $2 million to $2.5 million less in revenue this year because of the four-month reductions in its
Officials are uncertain how much rates may have to go up.
"This is definitely going to impact the operation of the Sonoma County Water Agency. They're doing budget revisions now," said Rohnert Park City Councilman Jake Mackenzie. "There will be an impact on next year's water rates. They will have to pass these costs to ratepayers." #
http://www.pressdemo.com/EarlyEdition/article_view.cfm?recordID=7522&publishdate=09/17/2007
WATER RECYCLING:
Water district considers recycled water requirement
By Nicole Sack, staff writer
TEMECULA -- The Rancho California Water District has proposed a way to free up more water for drinking, cooking and washing by requiring recycled water to be used on large landscaped areas such as city parks and school properties.
"Cities have a lot of parks to maintain and schools have play fields," said Tim Barr, resource planner for the water district.
"We're trying to look at every possible way to reduce dependence on imported water. Recent court actions and the drought that is impacting the
The current annual demand for potable water is approximately 80,000 acre-feet ---- 26 billion gallons ---- within the district's service area serving 120,000 customers. The demand is projected to grow to 112,000 acre-feet by 2030 and 142,000 acre-feet by 2050.
An acre-foot of water represents 325,851 gallons of water, the amount needed to cover an acre with one foot of water and roughly the amount of water consumed each year by a family of four.
By getting more consumers to use recycled water, it would reduce the demand on the drinking water supply.
The regulations being considered would require recycled water not for drinking to be used in landscaping on properties that use more than 10 acre feet of water each year. Water district representatives believe there are four agencies that would be most affected by the change because they have a number of sites that would qualify: the cities of Temecula and Murrieta as well as the
The water district considered the policy change Thursday, but postponed action after a Temecula city official asked for more information before the district adopts the new regulation. The board of directors voted 4-3 to postpone the item until its next meeting Oct. 11.
While there were no objections to the proposal at Thursday's meeting, there where questions about the details.
"We strongly support water conservation," said Temecula City Manager Shawn Nelson. "But at this point we don't know what the impact of this policy is going to be."
The city received a letter from the water district last week on the potential policy change. Nelson asked the water district to explain the details and outline how much retrofitting water lines would cost. He also suggested the district enter into individual agreements with the cities as well as the school districts.
"From our standpoint, we need to be in a position to fund this and know if this will be something we can incorporate into our five-year capital improvement budget," he said, requesting a meeting with the water district.
However, some board members wanted to move forward with the policy change and work out the details later.
"I think it is really important that we pass this (now)," said board member Ben Drake, who voted against the postponement. "The sooner that we can get the message out that the district is serious about conserving water, the better. At some point, we need to get moving on this."
Under the proposed policy, all requests for water service for new projects submitted to the district will be evaluated for potential nonpotable water use. Existing district customers that have an annual landscape water use of 10 acre feet per year or more on properties within 500 feet of a recycled-water pipeline would be required to retrofit their water lines to use the nonpotable water for their irrigation.
Those properties that did not comply within 180 days of the policy's passage would be charged the highest water rate ---- about $541 per acre foot. Recycled water costs approximately $220 per acre foot.
"As long as there is progress being made to comply, there shouldn't be an issue. We're not going to implement draconian penalties," said Perry Louck, the water district's director of planning. "It's not an all or nothing policy. This will be looked at site by site."
Barr said there are approximately 120 sites with the district that may be eligible to tap into the recycled water lines for landscaping purposes. However, there are about 20 separate sites that meet the threshold levels of water use under the proposed regulation.
Switching those properties to recycled water would free up 350 acre feet of water for other purposes besides outdoor watering, he said.
The district is in the process of identifying the specific sites that would be potentially affected by the policy change. Barr said he has been able to find the sites by comparing account numbers and the volume of water being used at those parcels. He has yet to convert the parcel numbers into actual locations.
"Right now we have just identified sites by the numbers," Barr said. "Once we enact the policy, we'll be able to work through the details."
He said the policy change probably would not affect residential customers. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/09/14/news/californian/4_02_089_13_07.txt
GROUNDWATER:
Want a water study? Dig deep; For funds, that is. Cache below Fresno Co. foothills can be probed with radar
By Marc Benjamin, staff writer
How much water is there below
Those questions have nagged
Now, scientists hope to find answers by creating a three-dimensional computer map of the water trapped in rock fissures and underground pools. All they need is money.
The project could cost $5 million and take as long as five years to complete, because it will need to examine how water flows underground and account for rainfall fluctuations, said John Suen of
So far no money has been raised. Many people agree, however, the study is crucial. When the complex computerized modeling is complete, it should detail how much water is available to support existing homes -- and if enough water remains for growth.
The Fresno County Board of Supervisors, Millerton Area Watershed Coalition, the Sierra Foothill Conservancy and the Sierra and Foothill Citizens Alliance all have endorsed the effort. The water institute will work with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the
"There is not a lot of water up there in those hills," said Fresno County Supervisor Phil Larson, who is on a countywide water advisory committee. "I think we will have better knowledge of what the water supply really is when the study is done."
The project's findings will allow county officials to guide growth to areas that have sustainable water supplies, said Auberry resident Gary Temple, president of the Sierra and Foothill Citizens Alliance.
"This will allow us to map rock fractures, their direction, depths and sizes, and accurately know the holding capacity in any given area," he said. "If some areas have less storage capacity, it would not be a smart place to add growth. ... This would provide good, hard data to develop some prudent policies, and if it works here, it could be used other places."
Water has been a concern in the county's foothill communities for years.
A 2005 consultant's study for
Faced with development requests and no clear answers,
A California Water Institute study completed last year provided some assurance that foothill residents weren't draining irreplaceable ground water. The study found the water being pumped from wells came from recent rainfall, not ancient glacial runoff.
The new study would apply technology more commonly used by oil companies searching for underground oil deposits. The same technology was employed at the
The technology never has been used to determine whether water is available for development, Suen said.
"It will be a wonderful project using technology that has been developed, tested and funded by the federal government," Suen said. "It's a great chance to make use of this technology that you and I have paid for with our tax dollars."
Since last year, scientists from Lawrence Berkeley have been in the Auberry area three or four times to evaluate potential project sites for the foothill water study, said Hu-Shu Wu, a Lawrence Berkeley staff scientist involved in the effort. Most recently, they were in the foothills this summer.
The project will require long-term monitoring of wells, laboratory studies, computer modeling, computer logging and pumping tests, he said.
"We hope we can do something to solve the local problem," Wu said.
A key tool in creating the map is ground-penetrating radar that will probe underground fissures, determining how much water they can hold and maybe even predicting how water travels through rock.
Armed with the radar and other data, scientists could then construct a three-dimensional computer model. Further analysis would include looking at how much water is used and how much is returned to the ground, Wu said.
The biggest challenge, though, is money. Wu said he does not know how the project will be financed.
"Everybody we talk to is really positive, but how we translate that into concrete funding still needs some work," Wu said.
He said that he hopes Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory can scrape together some funding to get the project started and prove its value. He said both the state and federal governments may be approached for money.
"We need to do some kind of work," Wu said. "We would like to start something."
In addition, he said, the results of the study could help address water supply issues in granite fractures all along the western slope of the Sierra.
John Kirk, a hydrogeologist with Provost & Pritchard, a
"We face the same questions whether we're in
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/140717.html
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES:
Water dilemma in northeast; Residents at odds with city over plight
Bakersfield
By Jenny Shearer, staff writer
Every day is like camping for Barbara Camps. She hauls the water she needs for her home, pets and livestock from a fire hydrant.
Pedro Espericueta shuts off the flow of water to his water truck after filling it with 2,500 gallons. The water will last him and his son about a week before he has to make the 1.5-mile trip to fill it again. It took 12 minutes to fill the tank.
And she's been doing it for 19 years. She's one of eight homeowners off
Camps and her neighbors want the city of
"I just feel like development is more important than the people who were here first," Camps said.
But officials with the city of
They're responsible for infrastructure, including street improvements, like any developer is.
"I can't put that (cost) on the backs of existing rate payers," said Tim Treloar,
Treloar said they need to form an association, hire an engineer to do a preliminary layout of the system and submit it to Cal Water, along with a $2,000 deposit. The company would then design a system, and the homeowners could hire a contractor to build it. The system could cost between $10,000 and $17,000 per home to build, Treloar said.
Resident Cindi Aseltine said landowners formed an association and hired an engineer in 2005, but the city also requested details such as where future roads would go, and that was more than what the engineer could provide.
"They want us to do what one of these brand new developments is doing and we can't," she said. "They want us to make everything big enough for future development right here where we are. We can't pay for the future people who are going to live here."
She'd rather the city install the missing infrastructure, and she'll gladly pay her share of the improvements.
Aseltine has lived in her home for 16 years.
"We all knew when we came out here there was water problems, but it was OK because it wasn't developed," she said. "Now we're completely surrounded. There's no excuse not to help us."
Homes are springing up nearby, and the City Council recently approved a 348-apartment complex behind Camps' property.
So it would be easy for the city to help the waterless residents now, Aseltine said.
Councilman Ken Weir, who represents the ward in which Camps lives, is hopeful that new development's proximity to their homes will substantially lower what residents would have to pay for infrastructure improvements.
"It's a work in process. We'll keep talking with them, and hopefully sometime in the near future, they'll be able to turn the tap water on in their house and it won't be such an issue," Weir said.
In the meantime, Camps and her neighbors will continue hauling water. Depending on how hot it is, Camps makes the slow one-mile trip in her trusty
She hooks a large green hose up to a silver hydrant and fills a 1,000-gallon storage tank that sits on a trailer attached to the truck. One recent day, heat from the metal tank radiated against Camps as she peered through its top hatch to check the water levels. The water smelled strongly of chlorine.
There's a meter near the tank, which tracks how much water she pumps from the hydrant. She pays Cal Water for the meter and however much water she takes every month.
Once home, she used a gas-powered engine to transfer the water to a 10,000 gallon storage tank that then feeds into the pipes throughout Camps' home.
"My whole life is based on this meter," she said of the pressure gauge on her big tank.
Florn Core, city water resources manager, said people who want to live in a rural setting "have to pay the costs to get the services ... it's just not going to be cheap. I feel for those folks, I understand what their plight is, but they have to step up to the plate to receive those services." #
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/238249.html
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
County water plan called good for area
LA Daily News – 9/16/07
By Karen Maeshiro, staff writer
Erecting seven 3 million-gallon water storage tanks will allow the region's waterworks district to provide water during temporary shortages or disruption in service.
"It gives us temporary storage so we won't be affected by various situations that could affect our supply," said Melinda Barrett, water conservation program manager. "It would mean we would be more able to provide water reliably in the face of temporary shortages or operational issues."
One such instance occurred during a weekend in June, when residents served by District 40 were warned that they might experience disruption in service because the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency was upgrading its Quartz Hill water treatment plant.
Customers helped by conserving water, 80 percent of which is used outdoors, by not watering lawns and turning timers back one minute, Barrett said.
AVEK plans to do more upgrade work in October, Barrett said.
District 40 serves residents and businesses in
The project to build more tanks and wells, which will cost up to $1.6 million, is timely because of last winter's record low rainfall, but Barrett said it has been in the works for some time.
"It's something that's been on everybody's mind," Barrett said. "The dry year just emphasized it."
The project calls for building the seven water storage tanks on
There are already three tanks at that location.
The district has 31 tanks with a total capacity of 50 million gallons.
Plans also call for building six wells and a 5,000-gallon-per-minute pump station at a cost not to exceed $1.1 million.
A
District 40 gets 60 percent of its water from AVEK, a water wholesaler, and 40 percent from groundwater. #
http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_6913289?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
County looks to recycled water
By Kevin Courtney, staff writer
Coombsville area residents could be voting on a solution to their ground water woes in early 2009.
Wells are failing in the Coombsville area because of a proliferation of new vineyards and residences in recent decades. The water table has fallen as much as 120 feet in a quarter century, the United States Geological Survey reported.
The county has hired a consultant to recommend the boundaries of an assessment district to pay for the extension of recycled water from south
County officials will be planning meetings with homeowners, vineyard owners and other water users in the Coombsville area to sound out who wants reclaimed water and would be willing to pay for it, he said.
“Some folks are having significant problems with their water supply,” Riesenberg said. The water table has dropped as much as 20 additional feet since the USGS study early in this decade, he said.
Extending recycled water from
There is a science to creating assessment district in which property owners pay according to their level of benefit, he said.
A majority of property owners would have to vote to create an assessment district, with votes weighted according to each property’s assessed value, Riesenberg said.
If the county can’t find support for self-assessment, then it will drop the project, Riesenberg said.
Because Silverado Resort is not interested in receiving reclaimed water, the northern boundary of any assessment district would likely be in the vicinity of
“We’re trying to put together a package that makes the most sense ... that seems to have the most support,” he said.
There is uncertainty whether bringing reclaimed water to Coombsville will result in the water table rebounding, Riesenberg said. “At the very least, you will slow the further decline in the ground water,” he said.
The water table is dropping throughout the area, but not all wells have been affected, Riesenberg said. Some wells near Silverado Resort show higher water levels today than in 1975, he said.
Riesenberg called the area around
Napa Sanitation District now delivers highly treated waste water to golf courses, vineyards and businesses near the
Plans to extend recycled water to
If Coombsville is going to be served, the line to
The estimated cost of this phase of the project would be $13 million, according to an earlier study.
If the pipes were to go no farther than
Proposed federal legislation would also use recycled water from Napa Sanitation District and
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/09/16/news/local/doc46ecaf060eaa2428092443.txt
AG ISSUES:
Coombsville residents compete with vineyards for scarce water
By Kevin Courtney, staff writer
The rainy season can’t come soon enough for Mike Townsend, a Coombsville resident whose landscaping is dying a slow death.
“My poor lilac,” said Townsend, stopping in front of a crisped bush that will not be pushing out sweet blooms next spring. Continuing his walk, he mourned “the little flowers — all the knick-knacky things — dead.”
This has been a cruel summer for Townsend. His 150-foot well is failing, forcing him to choose between toilet flushing, daily showers and garden watering.
Sacrifices have been made. His Mexican primroses are no more. Many a potted plant has given up the ghost.
These are tough times for Coombsville, where the water table has been dropping, often precipitously, in recent decades. Last year’s dry winter didn’t help things.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported in 2003 that water levels had dropped between 25 and 125 feet in many wells since 1975. Over the same period, the amount of ground water pumped from beneath east
The county now imposes controls on new wells, but the water situation has continued to worsen, said Mary Burgess who lives on
When she arrived in 1986, “I could water with three sprinklers all day long and never have a problem. Now I can’t water 20 minutes,” she said.
“I have no lawn now,” Burgess said. “I lost a rose patch. If you have guests you can’t do anything for two days so you can have water in the toilet.”
Coombsville never had super-abundant ground water, but conditions were far better than today, said Townsend, whose family has been in the area since the 1860s.
>From his backyard on
Townsend installed a 1,500-gallon cistern a few years ago to hold his well water. He didn’t realize how bad things would get. His well is now producing maybe 200 gallons week, he said.
Townsend has strung together four 100-foot hoses, a lifeline that he runs over to his sister’s house. Her well is producing better than his, he said.
He has investigated buying a tank-load of potable water. He was quoted $175 for 3,500 gallons.
Townsend would have bought a truckload, storing 1,500 gallons and spilling the rest in his backyard, but his driveway is too narrow and there is no spot for the tanker to turn around, he said.
His long-term solution is more expensive: Dig a new well for $30,000 or more. But the way the water table is dropping, what assurance is there that the new well wouldn’t also fail? he said.
The county is exploring the feasibility of bringing reclaimed wastewater from Napa Sanitation District to the Coombsville area to water vineyards and home landscaping.
It angers him, Townsend said, that so many acres of wine grapes have been planted in the area served by Milliken, Sarco and Tulocay creeks, depleting the aquifer underneath Coombsville.
Vineyard owners can afford to dig deep wells, but many longtime residents cannot, he said.
Asked what he thinks is the long-term water solution for Coombsville, Townsend answered with bitter humor. “Maybe the sharpshooter will save us,” he said, referring to the bug that carries a disease lethal to grapevines.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/09/15/news/local/doc46ec32114e263363581193.txt
Guest Opinion: New reservoirs will not answer water challenges
By Peter Gleick, and Co-founder of the Pacific Institute,
THE STATEMENT in the Oakland Tribune's Sept. 12 editorial, "Water cut to hit state's agriculture hardest," that "either the state builds large, new reservoirs, or it loses a significant portion of its agriculture" is not only a dangerously outdated approach, it is also wrong.
Building "at least a couple of major new reservoirs" and "enlarging older ones" is 20th century thinking that will not answer our water challenges.
Even if we could find acceptable, affordable sites for more reservoirs, it wouldn't solve our water problems. We've already dammed and flooded the state's most suitable sites, while we have failed to adequately address unfettered growth, myopic land-use planning, and rampant water waste.
We can have a healthy agricultural sector and a growing economy while using less water if we put real effort into improving efficiency and cutting wasteful use of water. In fact, Californians have already made efforts in the right direction, but we still use far more water today than is necessary.
In the Pacific Institute's 2005 analysis "California Water 2030: An Efficient Future," we found that the state as a whole could be using 20 percent less water than we did in 2000, with a growing population and economy and a vibrant agriculture sector.
Nearly all of this conservation can be achieved, notably, quicker and cheaper than building new dams.
The Aug. 31 court order will force
http://www.insidebayarea.com/opinion/tribune/ci_6910985
Letters to the Editor: Flood of woes will come with water cutbacks
Contra Costa Times – 9/16/07
By Mike Wade, executive director of California Farm Water Coalition
Your projection that agriculture will be the big loser as a result of reduced water supplies flowing from the Delta ("Water-cut challenge," Sept. 5) fails to provide a complete picture. A closer look at agriculture reveals the many lives will suffer because of this water cutback to save the Delta smelt.
More workers are employed in agriculture than any other single industry in our state. Many of these workers have families with small children. No water means no jobs for these families. The communities where these families shop for clothes and groceries will also experience a dramatic downturn in their economies.
Farmers have done their part to provide jobs and support these rural economies. Farmers in the
But that investment could be lost, along with the jobs that so many families depend upon. #
PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY:
Gravity-fed water pipeline to provide security, save money
By Alan Sheckter, staff writer
MAGALIA -- An excavator early Friday morning scooped up dirt, whirled around and deposited it near the
Construction of a new pipeline that will help better funnel water to the town of
Friday's work helped mark the start of a two-mile-long PID pipeline project that will give the district a gravity-fed, alternative way of getting water from
PID District Manager George Barber said the $2.2 million installation of the 36-inch pipe -- to be carried out by Livermore-based Mountain Cascade Inc. -- is useful in two profound ways.
First, it will provide another way of feeding water to
But Barber also said it will save money. The company plans to move about 80 percent of its water through the new pipeline.
Using the pipeline rather than operating the spillway is expected to save $60,000 to $80,000 per year, which represents a big chunk of the $120,000 in annual interest fees it will pay for a 2.8 percent, $2 million loan PID obtained from California Infrastructure Bank.
PID serves the entire town of
PID will host a public ridge water tour from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 27. To reserve spot on the free tour, call 877-4971. #
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_6902463
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