A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 1, 2007
2. Supply
CALIFORNIA AG ISSUES:
Growers Prepare for Life With Less Water - Voice of
Column: Water dearth could have ripple effect -
Letters to the Editor: California farmers aren't the water hogs - Vacaville Reporter
Column: San Joaquin is ground zero in water wars -
LAKE
Lake Elsinore drinking in recycled water - Riverside Press Enterprise
WATER CONSERVATION:
City water diet paying off - Ukiah Daily Journal
Water-conservation appeals sink in – but slowly -
Brea looks to save water; A threat of losing 30 percent of the county's water supply has the city pushing for a water conservation effort - Orange County Register
WATER RECYCLING:
Water recycling debate brewing once more; A primer on techniques for rebuilding reserves - San Diego Union Tribune
CALIFORNIA AG ISSUES:
Growers Prepare for Life With Less Water
Voice of
By Rob Davis, staff writer
Monday, Oct. 1, 2007 | If the endangered delta smelt is the bellwether of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta's ecological health, San Diego County growers play the same role for the region's water supply.
With the threat of large cuts looming for water users across the region, thousands of avocado and citrus growers will take the first hit in January. They'll have their supplies trimmed 30 percent, as the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District -- the major supplier of
The growers participate in a special pricing program with the water district. They get a discounted water rate -- as much as 44 percent less -- in exchange for agreeing to take the first cuts. Since the program began in 1994, growers have escaped the downside. No cutbacks have occurred; they've reaped only benefits. The California Avocado Commission, an industry group, estimates growers have saved $200 million.
But starting Jan. 1, the discount program will be put to its first test. And it will be under scrutiny from growers, water supply managers and public officials to see whether it can deliver the promised reductions.
"This is going to be a very painful period," Ed Means, a California Avocado Commission consultant, recently told growers at a meeting to discuss agricultural water supply issues. "If we can't demonstrate the value, the program will be at risk."
In late August, a federal judge ordered a cut in the amount of water pulled out of the delta next year. The goal is to reduce pumping when the delta smelt, a three-inch fish listed under the federal Endangered Species Act, are likely to be nearby. The smelt's population has crashed in recent years, and pumps that send water from the delta to
If
But growers are taking the first cut.
"The growers that choose to do it agree that it's worth the risk for the discount," said Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. "The discount can be the difference between profit and loss for some growers. But you always know that [the shortage threat] is out there, and it's happened."
In response, growers say they have begun looking for more groundwater on their ranches, probing for wells to supplement water from Metropolitan, the main supplier to the San Diego County Water Authority. Others have started pruning their less productive avocado trees, including those that suffered frost damage earlier this year. Some say they will move away from avocados toward crops that require less water. The effect of the cut on profits remains uncertain.
"I don't think we've been tested yet as to how hard it'll hurt us," said Burnet Wohlford, a
Wohlford said he expected to reduce the acreage he irrigates. Spreading 30 percent less water over the same area might keep avocado trees alive, he said, but they wouldn't be productive.
The biggest threat will come next summer, when groves are the most reliant on irrigation, said Ralph Foster, a Fallbrook avocado grower.
"Winter won't hurt," he said. "But into the summer, all we need is a few Santa Anas and you'll lose your whole crop."
The avocado is a thirsty fruit. It's native to tropical climates where rain provides plenty of water. But in arid
During a landmark 1987-1992 drought that struck
"It's going to change the face of agriculture in
Most growers have already adopted efficient irrigation techniques. While many homeowners can still take steps to increase the efficiency of their outdoor irrigation, growers have already done so, as water is a major component of their overhead. Growers said their water bills constitute between 50 percent and 75 percent of costs.
Those bills will increase if growers fail to meet the reduction goals. Water suppliers say they will strictly enforce the 30 percent reduction, threatening a tripling of water prices as penalties. Growers who repeatedly exceed their allotment will have their water flow reduced.
The Metropolitan Water District does have concerns about how well farmers will heed the restrictions, said Brian Thomas, Metropolitan's chief financial officer.
"There is uncertainty exactly how people will respond," Thomas said. "From Met's perspective, since it is a bunch of individual actions that have to roll up, there's some uncertainty as to how much we'll see."
Metropolitan is currently developing a plan that will outline how much water would be delivered to agencies such as the San Diego County Water Authority if shortages are declared, Thomas said. The plan won't be adopted until January. If the winter is dry, the plan wouldn't be considered for implementation until early summer, he said.
If the state is blessed with a wet winter, though, Thomas said the agricultural cutbacks could be rescinded.
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2007/10/01/news/01ag100107.txt
Column: Water dearth could have ripple effect
By
A brick – the Nary a Drop to Farm award – to the residential water hogs (and we only have to look in the fattening mirror) who, during this period of deepening drought, continue to consume water as if there's no blistering tomorrow.
In times of wet plenty, it doesn't seem to matter if water is wasted on grass lawns and thirsty decorative plants. We don't need to feel any urgency about water reclamation and desalination.
But during droughts, it's clear all of us can do more, much more, to reduce residential waste, thereby ensuring that industrial and farming allocations remain flush.
Actually, the opposite is the case.
During periods of drought, the system requires that growers pay the price, at least initially. An attractive voluntary program gives farmers a financial break when times are good, but they're the first to receive mandatory supply reductions when times are dry.
It appears more than likely that growers will see a 30 percent reduction in a few months. The hardship in
You can argue, while soaking the lawn or hosing the driveway, that farmers should have prepared for this day. They knew the risk.
But look at this way.
It's our food on the table. It's our jobs drying up.
What's needed is a sense that we're all in this water battle together.
In “The War,” Ken Burns' brilliant documentary of World War II, one relives what it felt like when the country pulled together for a common purpose. Rationing was an important part of the war effort.
We could use some of that spirit in the face of a possible devastating water shortage.
What's needed in Southern California in general, and
Yes, many farmers and ranchers rolled the dice on the price of water. But if their supply is rolled back severely, we'll all be losers, not just the farmers who will be forced to stump trees or close nurseries.
We should fight like hell the eclipse of any other vital industry.
What's needed is a partnership between residential and agricultural users. Relevant agencies need to step forward and clearly articulate how residential rations can help us through this crisis with the least damage possible to the local farming economy. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070929/news_1mi29jenkins.html
Letters to the Editor:
By Mike Wade, Executive Director,
Yes, increased conservation, along with more storage and an improved way to move water around our state, must be a part of securing our future water supplies.
As your editorial, "Drips and drops" (The Reporter, Sept. 21) points out, everyone can play a role in increased conservation and I agree.
However, I do not agree with your statement that agriculture uses 80 percent of the state's water.
This is a myth that is repeated over and over again.
The rest of the water is divided according to urban uses, 11 percent, and environmental uses, 48 percent. Why the media and others continue to trumpet this myth is beyond me.
Some contend that the 48 percent attributed to environmental uses represents natural flows and should not be counted.
But that's not true. Wild and scenic river flows, required delta outflows and managed wetlands water are all a part of this 48 percent.
These are the result of our laws and regulations.
Now you can add the water that a
Your claim that farmers pay "cheap, subsidized prices" for their water is also not true.
Contracts and laws require that farmers pay their full share of the costs for delivering water to their farms.
Farmers have increased their water use efficiency over the years.
During the last three years farmers spent more than half-a-billion dollars to install new drip irrigation systems in the
Alfalfa also provides the feed for the state's dairy industry, which delivers milk and other dairy products to our homes.
We can all do more to conserve but we need to be more careful about our facts. #
http://www.thereporter.com/letters/ci_7042565
Column:
By Dennis Wyatt, Managing Editor
The epic struggle known as the California Water Wars is being played out in
A landmark court decision is drastically slashing water for urban use in the East Bay and Southern California as well as cutting water for big agricultural interests on the west side of the Southern San Joaquin Valley in order to keep more water in the Delta to help the Delta Smelt.
What happens could seal the fate of
Why? The reason is simple, as San Joaquin County Supervisor Leroy Ornelas points out. The Delta is where 70 percent of the state's fresh water flows through en route to somewhere else.
"It's like a gigantic bucket," said Ornelas, a
What Ornelas has to say about the Delta may play a role in re-shaping
It is going to be anything but an easy process.
Representatives to the partnership from Kern (
That plays into the hands of the
Delta farm tracts are some of the richest in the country and produce a wealth of crops. Studies have shown the Peripheral Cabnal as well as an alternative to intentionally flood islands will destroy agricultural in this county quicker and more effectively than paving everything over.
The
Ornelas prefers an option that creates a system that modifies specific channels - the Middle River as an example - so water from the Sacramento River can take a more direct shot toward the pumps at
"The
And that is exactly why Southern California as well as Kern and
In other words, sacrifice
Ornelas agrees one of the smartest water decisions in the past 20 years was made by South San Joaquin Irrigation District to harness Stanislaus River watershed water they had the right to in order to help cities within their district as well as others outside such as Tracy and Lathrop.
"Local water is being kept local," Ornelas said.
Given how much over committed every water shed is in the state - including the
Ornelas said he believes a drought - coupled with the Delta Smelt ruling - will set the stage for "emergency" court decisions that could drastically alter the landscape
And if that happens, it won't be good news for
http://mantecabulletin.com/main.asp?SectionID=24&SubSectionID=54&ArticleID=54528
LAKE
Riverside Press
By Aaron Burgin, staff writer
Just a few feet from the city's boat launch, about 4.5 million gallons of water have gushed daily since June from a 10-foot-wide channel into
The stream is fed by highly treated recycled wastewater from the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District's regional wastewater treatment plant on
The release of the water marks a milestone in the decade-long quandary of how to breathe life back into the lake by stabilizing its oft-fluctuating water levels.
City, water authority, county and state officials will celebrate the achievement at 9:30 a.m. Monday with a ceremonial release of purple rubber ducks -- purple signifying the color of the pipeline -- into the channel, where they will float downstream into the 3,000-acre lake.
"With the unpredictability of Mother Nature, we need a reliable source of water to replenish the lake," said Greg Morrison, the water district director of legislative and community affairs. "This is a great source of that supply."
The $1.5 million
The 3,866-foot-long pipeline runs parallel to the Temescal Wash and connects the plant to the man-made channel at Wasson Sill, where the water then flows into the lake.
Prior to its journey to the lake, wastewater flows into the plant, where it is triple-treated and filtered to remove algae-fostering nutrients such as phosphorus, then disinfected with ultraviolet light.
Ultimately, the infusion of recycled water and water from two groundwater wells will help keep the lake levels above a minimum 1,240 feet above sea level, and offset by 67 percent the 4½ feet of water the lake loses annually through evaporation, watershed authority spokesman Mark Norton said.
Installation of the pipeline began in January and concluded in June, Norton said.
"It didn't take long to finish it once construction began," Norton said. "But in the very early days of the project, there was resistance to the idea."
City and water district officials began exploring the idea of recycled water in the lake in 1997, when they formed an 18-member recycled water task force.
The task force's purpose was to study the public's acceptance of recycled water and the feasibility of its use in the lake.
It released its findings in September 1987, almost 10 years to the date of Monday's ceremony.
The experience made believers out of some of recycled water's ardent opponents, including former Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District board member Christine Hyland.
"There was a lot of studying and investigation, and it proved to be very beneficial," Hyland said.
Recycled water was pumped into the lake from an above-ground pipeline between 2002 and 2005 as part of a test run, after which state and regional water quality control officials signed off on the permanent project.
"It's cleaner than storm runoff that makes it to the lake totally untreated," Norton said.
Mario Meza, 26, a regular lake user, said he has already noticed a difference.
"The water situation has gotten a lot better. It looks cleaner, and there is more water, that's for sure," Meza said.
Water officials must now turn their attention to finding ways to increase the amount of water infused into the lake to offset more of the evaporation. More projects to meet that goal are being devised, Norton said.
"Unless we fix that, the lake levels will continue to recede," Norton said. "Having a full, stable lake is of the utmost importance." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_newwater29.3e5e3ad.html
WATER CONSERVATION:
City water diet paying off
Ukiah Daily Journal – 9/30/07
By Ben Brown, staff writer
The city of
"Voluntary water conservation will go a long way towards meeting our community's needs," she said.
As of Thursday, the city had achieved an 11.2-percent water reduction for the season, slightly above where it was in August, but she said water use in the month of September was 13 percent less than during a normal year.
The city has been practicing voluntary conservation since the beginning of July. In June, the State Water Resources Control Board announced that entities that take water out of the
The city is not bound by that order, which was given to the Sonoma County Water Agency, but has been practicing water conservation voluntarily, McPhaul said
She said the city intends to encourage its water users to practice water conservation year-round. The conservation was originally expected to end with the beginning of the rainy season.
McPhaul said the city has been reducing water use in its own facilities, including reducing water used for irrigation in all city parks.
It is also tracking clients in the city who are using the most water, McPhaul said.
"They're getting phone calls and personal visits," she said.
The city is providing signs for people's lawns that contain tips for water conservation as well as explanations of why a sign owner's lawn is brown.
McPhaul said the city's hotline has also been working, and that several people have called in to report those they see overusing water.
The SCWA has been making water conservation efforts since April when it announced that the water-level in
Water levels in
The low lake levels have been blamed on low winter rainfall and a reduction in the flow of water through the Potter Valley Project into
Additional information about water conservation is available at the city of
Water-conservation appeals sink in – but slowly
By Mike Lee, staff writer
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders asked again yesterday for more water conservation. Like him, politicians and water managers countywide have made such appeals an almost daily ritual as the region faces potentially deep cuts to its water supply.
But do the calls for voluntary conservation work? A new poll suggests the message is sinking in, though not as quickly as officials might have hoped.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they had heard nothing or next to nothing about the San Diego County Water Authority's “20-gallon Challenge.” The voluntary program asks each person to reduce daily water use by 20 gallons. Its goal is to curb the region's water use by about 10 percent.
If that doesn't work, officials likely would start mandatory conservation.
On the other hand, about two-thirds of respondents said the water situation was very or extremely serious. Pollsters said the region appears primed for “bold” measures, such as desalination and mandatory water conservation.
The survey was released Thursday by Competitive Edge Research & Communication, a polling firm based in
The groups asked 1,008 residents countywide about water availability and conservation in early September. The survey has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
“Most people are paying attention. They get the idea that we have a crisis on our hands,” said John E. Nienstedt, president of Competitive Edge.
He said the big challenge is engaging the other one-third of the population, or roughly 1 million residents.
W. Erik Bruvold, president and CEO of the policy institute, said people unaware of the mounting problems generally are younger and newer to the county. He said officials may need to experiment with new ways of reaching them, such as social networking Web sites.
Bruvold is encouraged by people's willingness to conserve. Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they have a made a big effort to conserve water. The water-saving measures they cited most include reducing outdoor irrigation (36 percent), taking shorter showers (15 percent) and washing cars less often (6 percent).
About two-thirds of the people surveyed back mandatory cutbacks in water usage. Respondents also showed “huge support” for desalination, the process of taking salt out of seawater. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070929/news_7m29conserve.html
Brea
Orange County
By Jamiee Lynn Fletcher, staff writer
The Metropolitian Water District of Southern California on Aug. 31, announced that a mandatory water rationing could be in place by next year – the first regulatory cutback in the district's history, according to spokesman Denis Wolcott.
U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger ordered the rationing to protect an endangered species of smelt threatened in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Wanger is expected to hand down his official ruling Oct. 24.
"The focus is really on the judge's decision from our standpoint," Wolcott said. "It is unexpected on top of an already dry season."
The judge's order will regulate how much water can be brought down to
"(Wanger) has tightened down the faucet and we don't get as much water as we are entitled to," he said.
City Manager Tim O'Donnell said residents will have to be more aware of their water usage and might have to make some major changes.
"It seems that long term supplies might be a little bit in danger," he said. "People are going have to do things to change their lifestyle."
O'Donnell suggests focusing on outside water usage, which can account for up to 70 percent of a resident's water expenditure.
Replacing water-loving grass with a drought-resistant lawn can help, he said. Some can take it a step further by replacing their green yards with rock gardens.
The last major drought in 1991 brought about water curtailments, but Wolcott said the district was able to plan for the deficit.
The district obtains its water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – a reservoir that stores nearly 55 million gallons of water and supplies nearly 18 million customers.
It is the major source of
"We get our water from three places," he said. "The snow pack in the Sierras, local rainfall and the
The Colorado River has been in a drought for the past eight years and rainfall that spills into local wells can only provide for up to one-third of
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has formed a Delta Task force to come up with some solutions to help curb the affect on the state. A report is expected to be presented this November.
Suggestions might include assessing the safety of the levees and looking at how efficient the delta runs. #
http://www.ocregister.com/news/water-wolcott-district-1854043-delta-supply
WATER RECYCLING:
Water recycling debate brewing once more; A primer on techniques for rebuilding reserves
By Mike Lee, staff writer
SAN DIEGO - Drought coupled with the city of San Diego's already tenuous water supply has re-energized the decade-old debate about a water recycling technique called “reservoir augmentation” by supporters and “toilet to tap” by critics.
Several groups and politicians support the process as a way to reduce the city's dependence on imported water. Mayor Jerry Sanders recently restated his opposition, saying there are better ways to recycle water.
The issue likely will resurface this month, when the City Council will discuss an increasingly gloomy forecast for 2008 water supplies.
Here are responses to some frequently asked questions about water recycling, based on interviews and other reporting.
What is water recycling?
In a complex process, filters and chemicals remove pollutants from wastewater so it can be reused.
Low-end recycling is for irrigation and industrial use.
Additional treatment, including reverse osmosis and ultraviolet filters, allows wastewater to be added to other supplies of drinking water. In
Sometimes the process is called “indirect potable reuse” because it builds reserves of water that eventually will be piped to homes.
Who uses recycled water in the
Tens of millions of people, because many lakes and rivers large enough to serve as municipal water sources also are used as wastewater drains.
For example, about 220 wastewater plants are allowed to discharge into the
What about intentional recycling?
Only a few agencies nationwide pump purified wastewater into a source of drinking water for the people who generated the wastewater in the first place.
Recently, water officials in
When did low-end water recycling start in
The city began testing reverse osmosis for water purification in 1974. About 20 years later, after the last major drought, city officials committed to a recycling program that would include water for drinking and nondrinking purposes.
The goal then, and today, was to reduce dependence on outside water sources. About 85 percent of the region's water is imported.
The City Council rejected the option of putting recycled water into a reservoir in 1999. The term “toilet to tap” emerged during the emotional debate at the time, which included accusations that poor neighborhoods would be served sewage from rich neighborhoods.
When did the reservoir augmentation idea resurface?
In January 2004, the City Council ordered a study of water recycling options that included reservoir augmentation. The analysis, completed in 2006, included a review by a citizens stakeholder group and a panel of scientists.
Members of the stakeholder group unanimously agreed that current technology and scientific studies confirm the safety of reservoir augmentation. They said purified wastewater is cleaner than the city's current sources of drinking water.
What else did the 2006 study show?
It outlined six main reuse options.
The study said the strategy that would provide the most recycled water is reservoir augmentation, such as putting recycled wastewater into San Vicente Reservoir near
What would it cost to implement the 2006 reservoir augmentation strategy?
The San Vicente recycling plan was pegged at $210 million. That would add about $1.85 to the typical monthly residential water bill.
When will the City Council discuss the six options?
Sanders said he would forward the 2006 study to the council for review, though it is not clear when he'll do so.
Who are the major supporters of reservoir augmentation?
They include several environmental groups, the San Diego Building Owners and Managers Association, the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce and an alliance of cities and agencies that use
Who are the main opponents?
Sanders is the most prominent. Former City Councilman Bruce Henderson helped defeat the first proposal.
Why do they oppose reservoir augmentation?
Some critics say the scientific studies are lacking, but Sanders' rejection is based on other grounds. He said reservoir augmentation is not only expensive but would help little in meeting the city's water demands. Sanders wants to pursue alternatives such as desalination and conservation. #
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