A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 26, 2007
2. Supply
WATER SUPPLY AG ISSUES:
Farm Bureau backs governor's water proposal - California Farm Bureau Federation
Western Growers applauds Schwarzenegger on water issues - Western Farm Press
GUEST COLUMN: What's being done to combat water shortage woes in south county; Santa Margarita Water District encourages conservation, plans to build new reservoir - North County Times
BAY AREA WATER CONSERVATION:
Guest Column:
WATER SUPPLY AG ISSUES:
Farm Bureau backs governor's water proposal
By Dave Kranz, CFBF Communications/News Division
A confluence of forces--including political timing, fish populations, court rulings and the weather--has combined to focus
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called concurrent special sessions to discuss water supply and health-care reform, unveiled a $9 billion water development proposal last week that includes a $5.1 billion investment in surface-water storage.
The California Farm Bureau Federation board of directors voted to back the governor's water proposal, which includes investment in new water projects, saying
Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar said water stored in the reservoirs the governor proposes will benefit
"
In announcing his water package, Schwarzenegger said the need for investment in water facilities has grown as officials evaluate the impact of recent dry weather and of a federal court ruling on actions needed to benefit a protected fish. The Aug. 31 ruling on actions to aid the delta smelt could force state and federal projects to reduce water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by up to one third.
"Our water crisis has gotten worse with the dry conditions and the recent federal court action," Schwarzenegger said. "We need a comprehensive fix. I look forward to working and negotiating with my partners in the Legislature so we can approve a comprehensive upgrade to
State Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has introduced an alternative water plan focused on regional projects and ecosystem restoration.
The governor said he wants the Legislature to agree to a bond issue that could be placed before voters on the presidential primary ballot next February. To accomplish that, analysts said, a package would need to be finalized as early as the end of this week.
Mosebar said he welcomed the governor's leadership on water investment.
"We have a unique opportunity to pursue balanced water policies that benefit all Californians and we must seize that opportunity," he said.
Specifically, the $5.1 billion for surface storage in the governor's plan would pay for the state's share to develop three reservoirs: Sites Reservoir in
The governor's office called those "the most feasible projects to increase surface storage in the state" and said they are "strategically located to provide maximum benefit" for the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system.
Mosebar said the new surface reservoirs will bring significant value for urban and environmental uses. In addition, he said, "they will relieve pressure to fallow a lot of farmland during future droughts. We need to keep farmland producing affordable, locally grown food for our people, and to maintain our rural communities."
The governor's plan also includes:
· $500 million for groundwater storage projects;
· $600 million from earlier bond issues to relieve immediate pressure on the delta;
· $1.9 billion for delta restoration and water supply reliability;
· $1 billion in grants for conservation and regional water projects;
· $500 million in grants for specified watersheds throughout the state.
·
Environmentalists argue that
Schwarzenegger has also expressed willingness to consider new plans to move water through or around the delta. His proposed water bond does not contain money to build any sort of water-conveyance facility, but says any new surface reservoirs built with bond money "shall be operated in conjunction with delta conveyance improvements and other storage facilities" to benefit the overall water system.
Farmers in the delta express concerns that water conveyance plans could degrade water quality in the region.
Two related efforts, known as Delta Vision and the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan, aim to arrive at long-term solutions to delta problems. Recommendations from the Delta Vision task force are expected by the end of this year.
Mosebar noted that the California Farm Bureau has been represented in both the Delta Vision and BDCP processes, each of which has studied ways to convey water.
"In those discussions, and in negotiations with the governor and the Legislature, we will continue to advocate for delta farmers just as we do for all of our members," he said. "Any plan to convey water should strive to accommodate the needs of all family farmers, including those in the delta."
As the governor and legislators negotiate the water bond proposals, he said, "Farm Bureau will evaluate each of the specific proposals carefully, as they develop, and evaluate them based on Farm Bureau policy and the needs of our members."
Given the variety of forces now affecting water policy, Mosebar said, "it's especially important for Farm Bureau to speak as the leading voice for family farmers and ranchers." #
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=903&ck=AA169B49B583A2B5AF89203C2B78C67C
Western Growers applauds Schwarzenegger on water issues
Western Farm Press – 9/25/07
Western Growers’ leaders are applauding California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for proposing a comprehensive water infrastructure proposal focused on ensuring all Californians a safe, clean, and reliable water supply.
“
“The fresh produce industry is appreciative of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s vision and Sen. Dave Cogdill’s (R-Modesto) leadership in calling for action now to meet the growing water demands for all Californians,” Patricio said.
Previously this year, the California Senate rejected Cogdill’s SB 59, a comprehensive water infrastructure plan that the governor sponsored and Western Growers supported.
“The time for action is now. We don’t just need below ground storage, or just above ground storage; we need both, and we need proper conveyance measures to move that water from Northern to Southern California in a way that enhances the health of the Delta ecosystem,” Patricio said.
“Gov. Schwarzenegger recognizes this need. California Sen. Dianne Feinstein has expressed her belief that the governor is on the right track and now it is our hope that the Legislature will recognize the urgency to act now to protect the quality of our water supply for all Californians for generations to come.”
One of the keys to the governor’s plan is the restoration of the Delta. Western Growers believes restoring the Delta is essential to irrigating hundreds of thousands of acres of Central Valley farmland — keeping
Western Growers is an agricultural trade association whose members grow, pack and ship 90 percent of the fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in
http://westernfarmpress.com/news/092507-water-proposal/
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CONSERVATION ISSUES:
GUEST COLUMN: What's being done to combat water shortage woes in south county; Santa Margarita Water District encourages conservation, plans to build new reservoir
North County
By Charley Wilson, President, Santa Margarita Water District Board of Directors
This year is shaping up to be
Take, for instance, the fact that the Eastern Sierra snow pack, from which the
A few water agencies with limited reserves on hand have begun mandatory water restrictions reminiscent of the cutbacks of 1990-91. Others are expected to join suit in the coming months after news that a federal court will order state and federal suppliers to cut deliveries from the delta by up to 30 percent to protect an endangered fish.
Combine these troubles with the inconvenient truth that our state's water infrastructure needs to be prepared for
With practically no local groundwater supplies to draw from,
As president of SMWD's Board of Directors, I've often wondered why more hasn't been done on a regional level to prepare for our current situation and the prospect of future emergencies. Together with my colleagues at SMWD, I have worked tirelessly over the last decade to learn from lessons of the past and plan responsibly for what lies ahead so that our customers can bank on a dependable water supply.
We've known for some time that surface storage reserves are the most practical and reliable means of storing water for emergencies. Desalination is a worthy goal, but its expensive approval and operations requirements limit its viability as a near-term solution to our problems. Misdirected time and money have been spent to publicly promote desalination with no tangible results to date, and many join me in believing these efforts would have been better spent securing additional surface storage.
With few alternatives, SMWD has aggressively pursued additional supply reliability through surface storage infrastructure. As an outspoken regional leader in this regard, our 155,000 customers now benefit from 31 reservoirs and over 240 million gallons of storage, enough to supply district customers with clean, drinkable water for up to 10 days in the event of a regional disruption. These reserves can also be tapped when imported supplies are insufficient to meet demand, like during our current drought or in the event of temporary delta pump shutdowns.
Even with all this, it is clear more storage capacity is needed. We're now conducting the environmental and public review process needed to allow us to build south county's largest surface reservoir, one that will hold 236 million gallons – enough to supply drinking and cooking water for up to 162,000 families for two full weeks. Agreements are also in place with other south county districts to interconnect pipelines, allowing participating agencies to both borrow and share 12.9 million gallons of water with each other during emergencies and temporary supply reductions.
On a statewide level, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently called for special legislative sessions for further consideration of his comprehensive water funding package. The bill would provide funding to increase surface storage, complete delta improvements and promote conservation.
These solutions are still in the future, but there's something we all can do now. We all should be doing our part every day to conserve each and every drop we can.
The Santa Margarita Water District serves more than 150,000 residents and businesses in
http://www.ocregister.com/news/water-storage-delta-1851839-supply-surface
BAY AREA WATER CONSERVATION:
Guest Column:
By Stan Williams, general manager of the Santa Clara Valley Water District
The Santa Clara Valley Water District applauds the Mercury News for its vigorous advocacy of water conservation in an editorial last week. And we agree that more needs to be done. The district has been championing water conservation since the last major drought in the late 1980s. In fact, conservation efforts have reduced demand in
We also agree that improving the management of groundwater and increasing the use of recycled water should be encouraged.
In years when rain and snowfall were good, the water district stored water in our local groundwater basin and in groundwater banks outside the county. Indeed, these efforts have helped us manage the double impact of dry weather and the interruptions in supply through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta without resorting to mandatory water conservation.
The water district is committed to expanding the use of recycled water in partnership with the county and other cities, such as
Although agriculture constitutes a very small percentage of the county's water use, the district works very closely with the farming community to improve water-use efficiency. While
However, these measures alone cannot solve the crisis now confronting the state. Our analysis shows that these efforts will merely slow down and not stop the county's water demand, which is expected to rise by 18 percent by the year 2030, driven by 35 percent population growth. We need to do more to make up for the future disparity between supply and demand.
Add to this the uncertainties created by the crisis in the delta, which delivers almost half of the county's water supply. The latest court ruling to reduce pumping to help the delta smelt could cut the state's water supply through the delta by up to one-third or enough to serve 7 million to 10 million people a year.
The delta is "broken" in the sense that neither of its two most critical functions, as an ecosystem and as a vital part of the state's water supply conveyance, can be sustained. More than 23 million Californians and a major agricultural economy depend on the delta as a means to convey their water supply. The delta's structural problems require some type of a structural solution.
Climate change is another wild card that is expected to have a significant impact on our water resources. Increases in average air temperature are already decreasing the
Based upon our most recent analyses, climate change seriously challenges our future ability to provide a reliable water supply.
We need to address this challenge.
If a pipe in your house starts leaking, using less water cannot solve the problem. A hardware problem requires a hardware solution. It's important to adequately fund the necessary fixes. While we know there are no simple solutions, bond proposals introduced by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senate President pro Tem Don Perata offer options desperately needed. The water district is working closely with our legislators and the governor's office to help determine which solutions are the most effective and cost efficient.
The water district provides water and flood protection for
http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_7001707?nclick_check=1
The Ag Water Outlook for 2008 will begin at 2 p.m. and be repeated at 4 p.m. at the
The future of water supplies for
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California says the cuts are needed to stretch water supplies in the throes of a record dry year in
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20070926-9999-1mc26briefs.html
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