A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 21, 2007
2. Supply
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
Inland consensus elusive on water supply fix - Riverside Press Enterprise
Water experts discuss importance of conservation - Riverside Press Enterprise
PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED:
Pipeline Project Finally Finished - Santa Clarita Signal
WATER SUPPLY PLANNING:
Inland consensus elusive on water supply fix
Riverside Press
By Jim Miller, staff writer
"A hundred years from now, you might be glad you built the new reservoir,"
Assemblyman Todd Spitzer, R-Orange, takes a different view. He believes the state should build new dams as well as construct a canal around the fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make
"We're sending out excellent drinking-quality water underneath the
As California lawmakers begin a special session devoted to improving the state's water supply, Inland lawmakers and water officials have different views on what should be part of a possible multi-billion borrowing package on an upcoming ballot.
For years, water planners have been able to meet the water needs of the region's fast-growing population through projects like groundwater storage, recycling, and incentives to conserve.
But the number of people in
"Clearly each region of the state has its own priorities on what they want to achieve" in a special session, said Assemblyman Kevin Jeffries, R-Lake Elsinore, a former board member of Riverside County's Western Municipal Water District.
Jeffries pointed out that
"Either we move more water on friendly terms to
This week, Gov. Schwarzenegger unveiled a $9 billion proposal that includes money to create the Sites and Temperance Flat reservoirs in the Central Valley as well as money to expand a third reservoir east of San Francisco. The proposal does not set aside money for a canal.
In the Democrat-controlled Legislature, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has introduced a $5.4 billion measure that would fund programs to increase the water supply and pay for regional water projects, but which doesn't earmark funds for new dams or canals.
There isn't a lot of time for lawmakers to reach a deal. If they want the issue to be on the Feb. 5 presidential primary ballot, the printing deadline is the second week of October.
At the same time, lawmakers and Schwarzenegger also will be trying to reach agreement on health care, the focus of a different special session.
Heavy Borrowing
It's been less than a year since
It hasn't been enough, officials said.
"The fact is we need more money to make the kind of investments we need to make," said Celeste Cantu, general manager of the Santa Ana Water Project Authority, a regional water-planning agency that covers parts of
A serious hit on the water supply could come within weeks. A federal judge has ruled that the state has to cut its Delta pumping to protect a tiny endangered fish known as the Delta smelt.
The decision is expected to reduce Delta shipments to
Inland water officials say a priority of the special session needs to be improving the Delta to avoid such environmental problems as well as natural disasters.
"Right now our current structure is the worst possible way to deliver drinking water and the worst possible way to protect the ecosystem," said Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District.
Possible fixes include making levees safe from earthquakes and relocating the massive pumps that push water to
Kightlinger and others think the best solution would be to build a canal that would bypass the fragile Delta entirely.
"We've always said we would pay for the conveyance. Water payers have historically paid for their infrastructure through their water-user bills," Kightlinger said. He estimated that a canal would cost from $2.5 billion to $4 billion.
Haunting the proposal, though, is the 1982 ballot fight over a
Any similar proposal would be a tough sell with voters, Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, predicted this week.
As for adding new reservoirs, that seems to be a higher priority in places like the
"Building a dam north of the Tehachapis doesn't address our No. 1 problem, which is getting water through the Delta and to
But David J. Slawson, president of
The state should capture every bit of water it can, he said.
"There's too much potential that we're going to have reductions in supply from the Delta or the
"It's a waste to not allow the fresh water to be utilized." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_H_spsession21.3e431de.html
Gazette Newspapers (
By Kurt Helin, Editor
Pulling out a garden hose and washing off the sidewalk in front of a home or business is now forbidden in
Those are just two of the restrictions that go into place on Friday concerning water usage in
The step was needed because water storage levels in
“I’m persuaded by the severity of the drought and not the judge’s ruling,” said commissioner Thomas Allen.
What this means for water consumers is some mandatory restrictions on water usage. Those restrictions are:
• Limiting lawn watering to Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Any watering must be done between 6 p.m. and 7 a.m. and cannot last longer than 10 minutes
• People cannot wash down driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, patios or other outdoor areas with water from a hose.
However, businesses (and homeowners) can use pressurized machines such as a “water broom” to clean sidewalks and walkways in front of their establishment, so long as those machines are designed to reduce water usage.
• Restaurants can only serve water upon request. This is due less to the amount of water drank than the much larger amount of water used to wash the dirty glass.
• Overwatering lawns to the point there is runoff is illegal.
Catching violators of the watering program largely will be complaint-driven, said Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Water Department.
Early violations would generate a letter reminding homeowners of the restrictions and asking them to comply. However, upon a third notice they can be given a “water charge” fine.
The goal is not to be punitive but rather create a community spirit where people are encouraged to conserve, said Ryan J. Alsop, director of government and public affairs for Long Beach Water. The goal is to get out the message that everyone has to pitch in.
“We in this community can no longer tolerate certain types of water uses,” Alsop said during the Water Commission meeting.
“We can no longer tolerate wasting water.”
There is no doubt that
As of last week, the amount of potable water stored in California reservoirs for use by homes and farms fell to about 6 million acre feet, the lowest levels since the drought years of the early 1990s, the commission was told by Anatole Falagan, deputy general manager of business for Long Beach Water.
Last month, U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger ruled that the State Water Project was in violation of the federal endangered species acts because it is threatening the existence of the Delta smelt. The judge’s detailed ruling will limit how much water can be pumped out of the Sacramento Delta, the place that provides more than half of the water coming to Southern California, including 40% of the water used in
Because of the way the ruling is set up (and it won’t be in place formally until Oct. 22), nobody is sure how much water will be lost from the Delta, Wattier said.
However, in an average year he said it likely would mean a 30% reduction, or enough water for 2 million people for a year.
While officials are pushing conservation, the water situation in the Southland is still better than it was during the drought in the early 1990s, officials said. The Metropolitan Water District does have a lot of water in “ground storage” (including under
http://www.gazettes.com/water09202007.html
Water experts discuss importance of conservation
Riverside Press
By Dan Lee, staff writer
Celeste Cantu, general manager of the Santa Ana Water Project Authority, said the state is facing "the four horsemen of the apocalypse" -- climate change, a drought on the
"Any one of these challenges would be a challenge to water (supply) reliability. All four of them are what we're calling the 'perfect drought,' " Cantu said.
Cantu was one of four panelists who participated in the meeting at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium, sponsored by the Association of California Water Agencies. Huell Howser, host of the public TV series "California Gold," moderated the panel discussion, which was attended by about 150 people.
The panelists represented water distributors, business, government and the media.
The meeting comes after a winter with record-low rain and snowfall in
In addition, a federal judge has cut one-third of the water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a major source for the Inland area, to protect an endangered fish.
The judge's order could lead to mandatory conservation measures in some areas. Local water agencies also said they might drill new wells, increase water rates on high-volume customers or institute other measures encouraging conservation.
Part of the problem is that 50 percent to 70 percent of all domestic water use is for landscaping, Cantu said. On average, homeowners give their lawns almost twice as much water as they need to remain green, she said.
Planting trees and shrubs instead of grass would reduce water requirements by half, and planting drought-resistant or native plants would reduce water use even more, Cantu said.
Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley, another panelist, said the county has adopted standards requiring new housing tracts to have drought-resistant landscaping.
"By the end of next year, every city should follow the county's lead," Ashley said.
Lou Monville, vice president of O'Reilly Public Relations and another panelist, said conservation campaigns must convince consumers that they will save money.
"When you tell them how much they can save and what they can do for their children and future generations ... that's where you start," Monville said. "It's the pocketbook."
Joan Koerper, a downtown Riverside resident, came to the meeting after hearing on the radio that Howser would be there. She said she thought the meeting was excellent, but expressed concern that governmental officials aren't doing more to make the public more aware of the problem.
"I don't hear anything like, 'If we don't do this, this is the consequence,' " she said. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_water21.3e42a7f.html
PIPELINE CONSTRUCTION COMPLETED:
Pipeline Project Finally Finished
Santa Clarita Signal – 9/21/07
By Katherine Geyer, staff writer
After a series of delays and unexpected costs, the Castaic Lake Water Agency has finished work on the $50 million Sand Canyon Pipeline and Reservoir project that delivers state water to east valley residents, an official said Thursday.
Contractors completed the last bit of work on the project this week, said CLWA general manager Dan Masnada. The pipeline began delivering water to the Santa Clarita Valley's east side customers within the Newhall County Water District and Santa Clarita Water Division service areas on Aug. 14.
Residents in the area were already getting state water in addition to groundwater, Masnada said.
The new reservoir will hold 7 million gallons of water for an area where groundwater wells are the first to dry up in a drought year.
"This enhances our ability to get more state water over there and then also to deal with the growth on the east end of the valley," he said.
The project, which began in early 2005, was originally scheduled to be finished in February, but was delayed numerous times due to inclement weather and problems with the contractors.
Contractors spent months patching and repairing areas of the reservoir that showed potential for leaks, but those areas have been repaired, Masnada said. #
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=50755&format=html
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