Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
September 28, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
WATER LEGISLATION:
Assembly Democrats talk water; Unlike the governor's plan, theirs would have localities bear most costs for dams - Sacramento Bee
EDITORIAL: Water-resource plan for state long overdue - Contra Costa Times
Editorial: Discretion is the better part of valor when it comes to proposals for a peripheral canal - Tracy Press
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Flood insurance aid may ease sting for homeowners; Levee issues put those in Lathrop especially at risk - Stockton Record
FUNDING ISSUES:
Water agency may dip into reserve fund; Delta court order could create $2 million shortfall -
Daniels leaves Salton Sea Authority for city manager post - Imperial Valley Press
FUNDING FOR RESTORATION PROJECT:
New park could enhance Marsh Creek; City files for state grant to fund area transformation along Marsh Creek that connects to park - Contra Costa Times
BIG
Work begins on floodplain project on Big Chico Creek - Chico Enterprise Record
WATER LEGISLATION:
Assembly Democrats talk water; Unlike the governor's plan, theirs would have localities bear most costs for dams
Sacramento
By E.J. Schultz, staff writer
With two competing water plans already on the table, Assembly Democrats weighed in Thursday with their own package of bills to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and increase water supplies.
The legislation includes few details at this point. But the bills reaffirm the reluctance of Democrats to use state money to pay for dams -- a major part of Gov. Schwarzenegger's $9 billion plan.
The governor's proposal, carried by Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, would authorize the state to pay for as much as half the cost of three dams for a total of $5.1 billion. The targeted sites include one east of
The legislation by Assembly Democrats states that local water users should carry "the strong majority" of water project costs.
Assembly Member John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, author of the bills, said the state has typically paid only a small fraction of the cost of new dams.
"If the governor's bond kept to that historic pattern, it would be almost $5 billion less than it is," he said.
Democrats have emphasized conservation, recycling and groundwater storage to boost water supplies.
But administration officials say that state payments for dams are justified because they would have statewide benefits, such as increased flood protection. Water officials also say the new dams would give them more flexibility to move water around the state.
The third plan, a $5 billion proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, would free local water agencies to spend $2 billion in state water supply money as they see fit -- on dams, groundwater storage or other initiatives. It also includes $2 billion for projects to repair the deteriorating Delta. The governor includes a similar amount in his plan for the Delta.
The goal of both parties is to get a bond measure on the Feb. 5 ballot. Lawmakers have until Oct. 16 to strike a deal.
"We really will have to work around the clock between now and (Oct. 16) to get it done," Laird said. "And we're willing to do it."
Hearings on all the proposals are tentatively scheduled for next week. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/403585.html
EDITORIAL: Water-resource plan for state long overdue
Contra Costa Times – 9/28/07
FOR TOO LONG,
Now the state is facing a huge challenge with a growing population, court-ordered reduction in water pumping, a threatened Delta environment, and the possibility of a drought. This is no time for delays and protracted political battles that lead to no results.
That is why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing a $9 billion bond measure to construct two new dams, expand the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, improve the Delta environment and pay for conservation. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has a less ambitious plan, but is willing to work with the governor. Perata, like Schwarzenegger, understands the urgency of the situation.
He said, "Now we have a gun muzzle at our temple; unless we take swift action for immediate relief, the court will effectively cut water as much as 60 percent to millions of
The governor wants to spend $5.1 billion to build two dams, one at Sites Reservoir in
Republicans in the Legislature are not likely to endorse any plan that does not include the two dams. Democrats are wary of building dams, but could be persuaded to support the idea if agricultural and regional interests come up with more money to help pay for the projects.
Certainly, the large agribusinesses in the
Greater water conservation, particularly by agriculture and underground storage, should be included in any long-range water plan. But there is no escaping the need for new reservoirs, which can provide water for environmental purposes as well as farms and urban users.
Those who argue that urban water conservation and underground storage preclude the need for new reservoirs are dead wrong, unless agriculture, which uses more than 80 percent of
The governor and Legislature are going to have to develop a long-term strategy for
Editorial: Discretion is the better part of valor when it comes to proposals for a peripheral canal
Tracy Press – 9/27/07
Just like 25 years ago, California’s top politicians and special interests are lining up behind the idea of a canal that would suck in pristine Sacramento River water, send it flowing through or around the Delta and pump it south to thirsty users.
Perhaps, like then, it will take a collection of oddball but fervent opponents to halt it. Only this time, some of the canal supporters are swaying one-time opponents in Contra Costa County and the south Delta to join them by offering a through-Delta canal with buttressed levees and a permanent gate at Five Points at the head of Old River, respectively.
The levees along the south fork of the
With the barrier,
Oh, happy days? No quite. The so-called through-Delta conveyance is just one of several options that are being formulated. It’s been on the table since 2000 when first proposed by the infamous Cal-Fed, state-federal, Bay-Delta water consortium that died after Congress eventually refused to fully fund it.
However, the through-Delta plan might be the best alternative, and the only hope to protect Delta interests, even if it tastes like castor oil. The other two options: a peripheral canal or a dual peripheral canal and through-Delta canal are potential landmines to the economic, environmental and recreational stability of the Delta.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed $9 billion water infrastructure bond doesn’t contain money for water conveyance.
However, $2.5 billion of Schwarzenegger’s proposed water bond would be promised for Delta restoration and improving fish habitat contingent on the acceptance of a canal.
The governor’s office and the Association of California Water Agencies already are campaigning heavily for the hearts and minds of Californians on the canal issue. Schwarzenegger’s assistants are countering the myths of the plan to send
That is enough for opponents of any canal to remain sentinels of any political con job. Before anyone at the state Capitol or elsewhere takes Schwarzenegger’s water storage and Delta restoration bond proposal seriously, let’s wait until December when a state blue-ribbon task force, which has been carefully weighing the Delta options, is to recommend a solution to California’s water crisis.
Then, the campaigning can begin. #
http://tracypress.com/content/view/11436/2244/
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Flood insurance aid may ease sting for homeowners; Levee issues put those in Lathrop especially at risk
By Hank Shaw, Capitol Bureau Chief
Anyone living in an area that falls into the legal definition of a flood plain - a place that has a 1-in-100 chance of flooding each year - once the new maps are released will be eligible for 50 percent off the cost of their flood insurance for the first five years, thanks to a provision sponsored by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Atwater.
Such insurance typically costs about $400 a year for every $100,000 of coverage.
The House passed the bill by a vote of 263-146 on Thursday. No Central Valley Republican voted for the bill, but Cardoza and Rep. Jerry McNerney, D-Pleasanton, voted in favor.
But Cardoza's measure could sink in the debate over the larger bill, which adds coverage of wind damage to the federal flood insurance program.
President Bush has vowed to veto the legislation because he argues that adding wind damage to the federally subsidized flood insurance program would eat into private insurers' business and open up taxpayers to billions of dollars in new liability when the existing flood insurance program is in financial trouble.
Private insurers stopped selling flood insurance long ago because it is too risky, so the federal government subsidizes coverage for property owners living in areas that the Federal Emergency Management Agency considers to be flood-prone. But recent hurricanes on the
One of the ways the government wants to use to climb out of that hole is to update the flood maps and require more property owners to pay into the flood-insurance pool; that way, when there is a flood - major ones happen in the
Cardoza says that's fine but said it is unfair to force communities to buy flood insurance at the same time it is requiring them to spend millions to upgrade deficient levees.
"While I agree that people should know whether they live in protected areas or not, FEMA's process has been flawed from the beginning, and my constituents stand to suffer as a result," he said on the House floor Thursday.
Parts of Stockton and Thornton could be affected, but Lathrop is particularly at risk.
State water officials have panned the levees around Lathrop, and they are expected to be decertified by the federal government as well. This could prove disastrous to those living in the Mossdale area, which is already being hammered by one of the highest foreclosure rates in the nation.
"We need to do everything possible to ensure people on the precipice remain in their homes," Cardoza said. "Saddling these people with more expenses when they can least afford it is counterproductive and contrary to our shared goal of promoting homeownership."
The bill now heads to the Senate. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070928/A_NEWS/709280322
FUNDING ISSUES:
Water agency may dip into reserve fund; Delta court order could create $2 million shortfall
Inside Bay Area – 9/28/07
By Meera Pal, staff writer
Faced with a potential $2 million loss in revenue as a result of a court-ordered reduction in Delta water pumping, the
The rest of the shortfall will be made up by a special 0.4 percent Delta surcharge on wholesale water rates, which already were proposed to increase to 8 percent next year.
Because Zone 7 — which delivers water to 200,000 customers in
But encouraging conservation will result in millions of dollars less going toward its operations costs, said Zone 7 spokesperson Boni Brewer.
Despite the court-ordered reduction, the agency still has enough stored groundwater and other emergency drought supplies to meet projected demands next year.
To make up for the expected revenue loss, the Zone 7 finance committee is recommending that the board of directors take money from the agency's long-established $5 million reserve fund, typically used to help stabilize rates during times of drought, as well as add the surcharge to water rates.
The board is scheduled to consider both of the finance committee's recommendations at its Oct. 17 meeting. General Manager Jill Duerig said the agency could adjust the Delta surcharge based on rainfall levels during the winter and whether the Delta issue requires continued and future water-supply reductions.
State water officials have estimated that the court-ordered reduction to protect the endangered Delta smelt could result in reducing water deliveries out of the Delta by 1 million acre-feet, or enough for 2 million households.
Water deliveries will be reduced for a year while state and federal agencies complete a long-term plan to protect the endangered Delta smelt.
Coupled with the Delta cutbacks, Zone 7 is also looking at lower water sales next year due to a slowdown in new development and reduced demand. The finance committee is recommending the agency contribute $5.5 million instead of $6.3 million from water-rate revenues toward capital improvements.
Duerig added that Zone 7 is also exploring ways to reduce its operational costs. #
Daniels leaves
By Jonathan Dale, staff writer
SALTON SEA — Salton Sea Authority Executive Director Rick Daniels has accepted the position of city manager for Desert Hot Springs in Coachella Valley, and he is already making the transition.
“They offered me the job last Tuesday,” Daniels said. “It’s been tremendous.
“This is a city that has a great future in front of it,” he said. “There are incredible growth opportunities.”
Daniels will be leaving a group that is on the verge of redefining its goals for restoring the
The Salton Sea Authority board will be meeting Thursday morning to discuss its restructuring, which will account for Daniels’ decision to leave the SSA and work for Desert Hot Springs.
“They want to decide a couple different things,” Daniels said. “It’s time to remission the Salton Sea Authority, because it was always the mission to develop a plan and implement it.
“It’s clear now from the legislation and the direction by the secretary of resources that there is going to be a locally based agency that will implement the plan; that will finish the construction and operation of the plan,” he said.
That local agency will not be the Salton Sea Authority in its current form, but will be similar to the SSA in its capacity, Daniels said.
“It will be a new agency created that is locally based, but it won’t be the Salton Sea Authority,” he said. “I think the obvious things the authority does very well is participating as a local advocate and securing funds for the project.”
Daniels said that while he will now be stationed north of the sea, he will still be pushing for its restoration, including making suggestions to continue securing additional funds through the 2008 water bond, of which there will be $8-9 billion for the restoration of
“I made great friends in and around the
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2007/09/28/news/news02.txt
FUNDING FOR RESTORATION PROJECT:
New park could enhance Marsh Creek; City files for state grant to fund area transformation along Marsh Creek that connects to park
Contra Costa Times – 9/28/07
By Paula King, staff writer
OAKLEY -- Local leaders and residents are working together to transform a stretch of Marsh Creek and a future adjoining park into a natural amenity for the area.
The Contra Costa County Flood Control District, Marsh Creek enthusiasts and the city are seeking grant funding from the California River Parkways Grant Program. This week, the Oakley City Council voted to file an application for this state money.
The common goal is to provide a more natural connection to the creek in this area. The upcoming nine-acre
"This is a unique chance to make
According to Romick, this community park planned for the southwest corner of
Oakley resident Nina Salgado lives a block from the future park and the creek. She was at Monday's meeting to support the plans, and said that many people want to see this proposal come to fruition.
Salgado and other creek lovers said that this park will offer something different than other existing neighborhood and community parks in Oakley.
"It is nice to see that you have all this wildlife still in Oakley," she said. "Even if it is just to go out there and have a Zen moment."
At a meeting earlier this year, the Friends of Marsh Creek Watershed advocated for a shady, creekside park there. The local creek group also called for this joint-use project between the various agencies.
Several creek volunteers showed up at this week's meeting to tell the council that there are plenty of people willing to help make this project a reality. If the grant funding comes through, the project would make the creek's channel less steep and wider.
Currently, the creek is a deep channel that is utilized to transport water to the river. In its staff report, the city said these improvements would make the creek safer, more aesthetically pleasing and more of an amenity.
The flood control district owns and maintains the creek. In a letter to the city, Deputy Chief Engineer Mitch Avalon stated that the district supports expanding the channel and restoring its riparian corridor there.
"We see this as an opportunity to enhance the habitat value of Marsh Creek while providing an amenity to nearby residents and trail users," Avalon wrote. "This project provides a unique opportunity to both expand the channel and restore riparian vegetation along a significant section of Marsh Creek in the heart of Oakley."
The district has been using chemical mowing to maintain the channel area economically. The district and city are trying to work out ways to cover the increased future costs to maintain it.
More shade trees would also be added along the trail.
Lindemuth has been monitoring the health of the creek for several years with his students and witnessed its deterioration.
Through class studies, they have found that the creek is unable to sustain animal life and would like to improve its condition.
"We can make this environment better," Lindemuth said. #
BIG
Work begins on floodplain project on Big Chico Creek
After a delay of seven years, work began Thursday on a floodplain project on Big Chico Creek where
The work is not expected to impede traffic on
The creek has cut deep into its bed, prompting erosion that this project should be able to avert.
After the new floodplain is created, native trees and vegetation will be planted to help stabilize the bank.
Coordinating the state-funded project is stream expert Roger Cole of Forest Ranch and Streaminders, a local stream advocacy group. The creek "is subject to bank erosion. The water's banging against the bank here. We're trying to give it some room," Cole said about the project.
The project took so long to start because Cole's grant money was tied up in a statewide discussion about prevailing wages and paying volunteers. #
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