A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
October 9, 2007
2. Supply
SoCal water wholesaler to cut ag flow, sees residential rate hike - Associated Press
MWD warns of water cuts, higher rates; The agency says that if dry weather continues, local districts may have to consider rationing for the first time in years - Los Angeles Times
Water woes: Farmers face cuts, rationing looms - LA Daily News
Residents, farmers grumbling at water-cut pleas;
Guest Column: Farmers will do their share:
For now, Inland water shortage won't prompt mandatory savings - Riverside Press Enterprise
Water cutbacks avoided for now; Rates will increase; conservation urged - San Diego Union Tribune
City Passes Water-Rate Hike - KNSD NBC News (
Sizing up water worries; Regional shortage real; what's being done? -
With Water Scarce, Council Recycles Water Recycling - Voice of
Drought Highlights Need To Conserve Water; CSUF and Long Beach State do their part to control campus water usage - The Daily Titan (Fullerton
How
SUPPLY PLANNING:
Column: Local leaders worry about imported water supply - Tehachapi News
WINTER FORECAST:
3 approaching storms won't end water woes -
Expect dry season this winter in I.E. - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
SoCal water wholesaler to cut ag flow, sees residential rate hike
Associated Press – 10/8/07
By Jacob Adelman, staff writer
LOS ANGELES -- Officials of Southern California's major water wholesaler said Monday that deliveries to the region's agricultural customers will be cut by nearly a third next year and residents are likely to face rate hikes in 2009 because of a statewide shortage.
Utilities that serve residential customers and are supplied by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California can expect price hikes between 5 percent and 10 percent in 2009, said MWD spokesman Bob Muir.
The rate increases would be needed to pay for additional water supplies from other sellers in the state and further investment in the water grid, he said.
Muir said he did not know how much of the hikes the utilities would pass on to customers.
The MWD provides water to nearly 18 million people in
The rest comes from underground sources and other local supplies.
The MWD is also reducing by 30 percent deliveries to 12 agencies that buy water at discount pricing for agricultural customers, Muir said. Those cuts will take effect Jan. 1, he said.
Utilities that sell to agricultural users receive water at a discount under a program that makes them first to suffer cutbacks during shortages.
"We alerted agencies to this earlier in the year and are now in the process of actually announcing the reductions are going to be made," Muir said.
District officials would decide early next year whether to ration water supplies among the local agencies that it serves, he said. They may also place limits on lawn watering and other outdoor water use, he said.
The actions follow an August court decision limiting outflow from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect an endangered fish species.
The federal ruling came in response to a 2005 lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The suit complained that the massive pumps used by the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project were driving the threatened delta smelt to extinction.
Because of the lead-up to the ruling, farmers expected the cuts, said San Diego County Farm Bureau director Eric Larson.
"We've seen this coming for quite some time," he said.
Farmer Al Stehly said the avocados he grows in northern
"It's going to be tough and there will be some belt tightening, but we're going to get through this if it's only one year," he said. "But if it's permanent or it's more than 30 percent, it's going to be real tough to make a living." #
http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/421356.html
MWD warns of water cuts, higher rates; The agency says that if dry weather continues, local districts may have to consider rationing for the first time in years
By Hector Becerra and Catherine Saillant, staff writers
Concerned about future supplies, the Metropolitan Water District announced Monday that it would cut shipments to
The action by the giant water wholesaler, which provides water to 18 million people across
MWD General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger said that if the dry weather continues into this winter, local agencies would have to consider mandatory rationing, an extreme measure not seen since the severe drought of the early 1990s.
"People will feel this," he said. "We really want to see if people are willing to conserve absent rationing."
A federal judge this summer issued a ruling that is expected to slash water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by about a third, part of an effort to save the endangered delta smelt.
As a result, the MWD will have to import costlier water through transfers from places such as the
The MWD already has locked in rates with local water agencies through the end of next year. Though customers might not face rate hikes until 2009, it's also possible some agencies might consider increases more quickly -- potentially to encourage conservation.
"Rates are going to go up," Kightlinger said. "It used to be we only had to go to those expensive [sources] to replace water 25% to 30% of the time. Now we're doing that 70% of the time."
Despite such concerns,
But most of the major reservoirs that serve the Southland are full, and the MWD's overall water reserve is several times larger than it was during the last drought.
On Monday, agriculture officials were still assessing how farmers would deal with the cut in water supplies, coming on top of an already bone-dry year.
In
Officials from the local water districts will meet with growers next month in a workshop sponsored by the Riverside County Farm Bureau, said Executive Director Steve Pastor.
"They know it's coming," Pastor said. "We just want to get them together to talk about what to do."
Cities and other agencies in the region differ greatly in their reliance on the MWD's imported water.
But across
"We're very concerned," said Bill Harris, deputy press secretary for San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders. "For the foreseeable future, we're dependent on Metropolitan and what they do."
Harris said
On Monday, officials with the San Diego County Water Authority addressed the City Council about the city's water outlook.
Locally,
"Let's not just sit around and pray for rain. Everyone has to get serious about conservation," said Kevin Wattier, general manager of the Long Beach Water District, adding that the agency expects to raise rates within the next year or so.
MWD officials said other factors could worsen the water crunch over the next few months.
Besides the tiny smelt, the fate of chinook salmon that migrate through the delta could soon lead to another court decision, which could further restrict supplies.
"The court has heard arguments about the salmon, and we're awaiting their ruling on it," Kightlinger said. "That could make the situation that much tougher to deal with."
The Metropolitan Water District has had to draw from stored reserves, which are meant to be tapped in the event of a natural disaster or other catastrophe. Unless something changes, those reserves could be expended within a few years.
"We're faced with the prospect that Metropolitan could deplete those reserves as quickly as three years if this critical drought condition continues and if nothing is done," said Debra Man, the MWD's chief operating officer and assistant general manager.
Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Assn. of California Water Agencies, said the anxiety he and others are feeling is comparable to that felt during the prolonged drought and water crisis of the early '90s.
"I remember the angst felt back during the last drought, especially in 1991. I remember it like yesterday," Quinn said. "I have the same sense of foreboding today." #
http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-water9oct09,0,7933362,print.story?coll=la-tot-topstories
Water woes: Farmers face cuts, rationing looms
LA Daily News – 10/9/07
By Kerry Cavanaugh and Harrison Sheppard, staff writers
Amid a growing water crisis across the state, officials warned Monday that they will cut water to
The moves come as a combination of drought, rising demand, fragile ecosystems and endangered fish has dramatically reduced the region's water supply.
Officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California - the agency that sells water to cities in the region - said the factors could push wholesale rates up as much as 10 percent within two years.
And they predicted that the trends could mean the region will lack water to meet all of
"If we are going to be effectively short on imported water 70 percent of the time, we're going to have to make that up through conservation and changing our lifestyle here in
The MWD imports water from the
And a recent court ruling has significantly reduced how much water can be exported from the Delta - where the
In the wake of the ruling, the MWD will have to cut its supply of water from
"That really turns our world of reliability on its head," Kightlinger said. "People will feel this."
MWD officials also are talking about water rationing for the first time since 1991 even as the agency has spent $6 million this year encouraging people to conserve water.
"We're dealing with 28 percent of normal (rainfall) and it would be very tough to handle another year without some serious shortage allocation (or rationing)," said MWD board of directors Chairman Timothy Brick.
Brick said that this year the agency, for the first time, also is withdrawing a significant supply from its stored water in reservoirs and groundwater, pulling out 500,000 acre-feet of water - enough for 1 million families.
Still, MWD officials said they might need to raise wholesale water rates 5 percent to 10 percent in 2009 to pay for water purchases, transfers and other programs to acquire more water for
Customer rates are set by individual water providers and would likely vary depending on how much water the providers get from the MWD.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is the MWD's largest customer, but the utility is in a less dire situation at the moment because
"The alarm bells haven't gone off. We want to wait until February or March to see the drought (status) and the snowpack," DWP Commissioner Nick Patsaouras said.
However, if the dry conditions continue and supply from the Delta remains limited, the DWP will consider rationing and structuring water rates higher for people who do not limit their consumption, he said.
Meanwhile, to help shore up the state's dwindling water supply, state officials are planning to place another water bond on the ballot next year - even after voters approved $9.5 billion in bonds for water projects last year.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed a $9.1 billion bond, while state Sen. Don Perata, D-Oakland, has authored a $6.8 billion proposal.
One of the main differences, and a source of significant political controversy in
The Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee passed the Perata bond and sent it to an expected full floor vote today. But it rejected Schwarzenegger's proposal.
Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines, R-Fresno, said he was "extremely disappointed" with the committee's actions and vowed that the Perata plan would not get the two-thirds vote it needs to be placed on the ballot.
"Last week, Assembly Republicans made it clear that we would not support any measure that is not a comprehensive plan that benefits all regions of the state," Villines said in a written statement. "Our position has not changed and for that reason, we will be rejecting this irresponsible plan."
Aaron McLear, a spokesman for the governor, said Schwarzenegger will continue to negotiate with Perata in an effort to get some of the governor's ideas included in the bill.
Perata said he is prepared to support a signature-gathering effort to get it on the ballot if he can't get it through the Legislature.
That would likely mean the measure would not be put before voters until November 2008, rather than February.
"What we have done is crafted, I think, the broadest possible bond that deals with immediate priorities," Perata said. "It will ensure safe, clean drinking water; promote conservation while protecting our environment: the lakes, the rivers, the streams. And keep pace with the statewide water demands."
Perata said if nothing is done to expand the state's water supply, drastic steps might have to be taken, including a moratorium on new building permits in fast-growing areas such as the
Perata's proposal gained wide support from a variety of local water agencies and environmental groups during the hearing. The only critics were those who said they prefer the governor's proposal because of the dams.
Environmental groups have concerns about the potential damage to ecosystems caused by new dams, while some lawmakers have also said the state should not pay a higher share for projects that previously have been funded primarily at the local level.
Frequently asked questions
Q. What's the problem?
A. A federal court order issued in August reduced allocations from
Q. How will the court ruling affect consumers?
A. Local public water agencies will be assessing the direct impacts, but are encouraging voluntary conservation.
Q. Is that all?
A. No. Statewide water storage and delivery systems have not been significantly improved in three decades despite the growth in the state's population.
In addition, the state is facing severe drought conditions, with 2007 ranking as a record dry year in some areas. This comes even as global warming is reducing our mountain snowpack, which is a critical source of natural water storage.
Q. What are the long-range prospects?
A. The collective impact of the drought, court-ordered reductions, climate change and increased population means conservation alone is unlikely to alleviate the water shortage.
Q. Where can I get more information?
A. There are several resources including www.calwatercrisis.org and www.publicaffairs.water.ca.gov/swp/delta.cfm. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power also has water-conservation tips and information at www.bewaterwise.com. #
http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_7122310?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
Residents, farmers grumbling at water-cut pleas;
But a number of city, county and water officials rejected that suggestion last week, saying the state's current water problems are a short-term problem, and that building has slowed anyway because of the downturn in the housing market.
The region faces water shortages partly because of drought, but mainly because a court ruling could limit water deliveries from
Already, growers on special discounted water programs have been told they'll get a 30 percent mandatory supply cut Jan. 1. Residents have been asked to voluntarily cut back their own water use.
At an
But officials last week said the housing boom was slowing development anyway, and that everyone should wait to see if the state can find a way to produce new water supplies or fix problems in
"I have not heard to any degree that it's time to panic, that we've gotten to the point where it's that serious that we've got to issue a moratorium on building," said Peter Weiss, Oceanside's city manager, referring to the fact that calls for conservation have been voluntary, not mandatory.
Clay Phillips,
Growers are not alone in their unhappiness.
Glenn Carroll, a retired prisons administrator living in Fallbrook, said he resents being asked to cut back his own residential water use.
"With the ongoing approval of new development, I'm convinced the water we're being asked to cut back is going to supply this new development," Carroll said, adding that he thought there should be a moratorium "until we see what shakes out in the water picture."
Water outlook grim
The looming shortages have already had effects. Water agencies statewide, including Metropolitan and the San Diego County Water Authority, have called for people to cut water use. If people conserve now, they say, it will leave more water in storage to buttress next year's supplies.
The question of how possible water shortages and development mix, meanwhile, are bound to increase.
State legislators tied growth and water supplies together in 2001, requiring water departments, cities, counties and developers to state they have enough water before approving big developments.
Planning and water officials said that is typically done through the water agency's water management plans, which use population growth estimates and the agency's own water supply information to project how they'll meet increasing demands for five to 20 years.
Dana Friehauf, senior water resources manager for the Water Authority, said the agency may revisit its annual supply projections in light of the recent federal court ruling. However, Friehauf said, that will not happen until the judge's final written decision is recorded sometime in December.
Jeff Murphy, interim deputy director of
Government and developers have their desires. For example,
Still, most officials said development has slowed because of the housing market. Building permits in the county are down. Aaron Adams, assistant city manager in Temecula -- a boom town for development until recently -- said developers are holding back because they don't know if they can sell their products.
Discussion
The conservation-development issue has triggered some discussion among water agency officials.
Keith Lewinger, general manager of Fallbrook's water district and its Water Authority board member, told other directors recently that he opposed the idea of annexing new water clients to the Water Authority's supplies because of the looming shortages.
Other directors said the agency should consider annexations because the predicted shortages could be temporary if state legislators can "fix" the delta problems.
Lori Holt Pfeiler, Escondido's mayor and vice chairwoman of the San Diego Association of Governments -- a regional planning agency -- said she would consider asking Water Authority officials to come and talk to the association's board about the water-supply concerns.
David Kreitzer, chairman of the county's planning commission, said he personally thought it might be time to put a hold on development because of the water question, and that he would ask the commission to discuss the issue.
Meanwhile, Carlsbad Mayor and Water Authority board member Claude "Bud" Lewis summed up the questions on the issue at a recent board meeting.
Lewis said the conservation-development question was becoming very political in
"It's a Catch 22," he said. "It's pretty hard to respond to them. There's no solution to it unless we just shut down everything, or we provide all the water that's necessary to put in all these developments." #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10/09/news/top_stories/12_03_3810_8_07.txt
Guest Column: Farmers will do their share:
By Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau
It may seem early to make mention of New Year's resolutions, but
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is the wholesaler that manages the imported water that sustains our region. In their view of the current water situation, reserves must be protected in the event of ongoing dry weather and continued restrictions on pumping. They have curtailed nonessential water deliveries and are making a public call for voluntary conservation. They have also made it clear that farmers who participate in the Interim Agricultural Water Program will have to comply with the Jan. 1 mandate.
Cuts will hurt crops
The IAWP came into existence in 1994 when rapidly rising water prices were squeezing farmers. In a mutual agreement, the farmers consented to a reduced level of reliability in exchange for a reduced price from Metropolitan. The agreement called for farmers to accept a 30 percent cut in deliveries in the case of shortage or a water supply emergency before mandates would be imposed on the residents of the community. For 13 years Metropolitan has kept their word and now farmers will keep theirs.
At this time farmers are taking a look at their operations to see where water can be saved. Even though most every farmer can find some level of savings through improvements to their irrigation systems and management, farm water conservation is far from new. With water accounting for a large portion of farmers' overhead, conservation has been essential for years. The next increment of savings driven by the cutbacks will surely result in lost production.
It may come as a surprise to most residents who have a freeway or beach orientation that
Search for solutions
With no way of knowing what the future imported water picture looks like, farmers are viewing the reductions as open-ended. With the exception of rainfall in flood proportions, this is how it will be. If farming ---- and most all things economic ---- are to prosper in
On a statewide basis there has to be the public and political will to improve the infrastructure that has served us well for decades but now is overmatched. In wet years there is a lot of water in
In addition to supporting those remedies, every water user in the county has the power to make a significant contribution through conservation.
Look to landscaping
We have excelled in minimizing water usage inside our homes, but more than half of the water used in this county is put on the landscape. The fact that we have chosen to have irrigated landscape in our communities isn't bothersome because we all love a great landscape and likely agree it adds to our quality of life. There are good messages endorsed by the water agencies about planting "California-friendly" plants that use amounts of water in keeping with our climate.
Planting the right plants can be important, but how the landscape is irrigated is even more important. If a landscaped area that is now being overwatered every day of the week is reduced to an efficient once- or twice-a-week irrigation, the savings can be huge. If you add up the water loss that each of us can attest to from our own inattention or what we observe daily in wayward sprinklers and waste, we're talking more than gallons. Now multiply that by years. We're talking thousands of acre-feet. It's not the landscape. It's the amount of water put on it.
Conservation by the public is critical. If voluntary conservation fails, the cuts to farmers will go deeper. Each step beyond the 30 percent reduction to farmers will surely mean a greater loss of farming and a possible permanent loss of farmland.
While farmers in
Now we have to decide that conserving water today and working toward a reliable water future are also good. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/10/06/perspective/3_12_2410_6_07.txt
For now, Inland water shortage won't prompt mandatory savings
Riverside Press
By Jennifer Bowes and Jim Miller, staff writers
With the ongoing drought and a court-imposed water shortage to come,
But officials at Metropolitan Water District at
"First, we'll ratchet up the call for conservation, clearing the cupboards to voluntarily reduce water," Muir said, noting it will focus on outdoor water use, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of a home's use.
While residential users face voluntary calls, farmers, including those in western
The agency gets agriculture irrigation water from the
"Right now, our
Metropolitan Water District's board will consider a plan in January that will divvy up supplies during shortages to its customers, including two large water agencies in western
Some Metropolitan water is stored at
Though no Inland cities have imposed mandatory conservation measures,
Cut Up to 33 Percent
Peter Odencrans, a spokesman for Perris-based Eastern Municipal Water District, said a 5 to 10 percent rate increase by Metropolitan, if it happens, doesn't necessarily mean it will be that high for Eastern's water customers. Eastern has its own supplies as well, he said. They could offset Metropolitan's price increases.
Despite the drought on the
To get by, Muir said the district could tap reservoirs, including
"Before this federal court decision, we were able to take advantage of wet years to meet the demands of dry years, so our reserves gave us a cushion," he said. "But the fact remains, if we continue to face challenges beyond 2008, we could deplete reserves in three years."
Hoping to fix the problems in the delta and boost
Political Differences
Monday, though, the measure still seemed short the two Republican votes needed for passage.
"I don't know how to solve the 'dams-are-us' approach," Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, complained about Republicans, who demand that any water bond legislation include money for new reservoirs.
The Senate Natural Resources Committee approved Perata's $6.8 billion bond proposal Monday.
But the Democrat-controlled committee blocked a $9 billion water bond measure sponsored by Gov. Schwarzenegger and supported by Republicans. The legislation includes money to build two
John Rossi, general manager of the Western Municipal Water District, testified Monday that the district, which serves western
Recent amendments to the Perata measure seem tailored to appeal to the Inland area's GOP delegation. Changes add money for storm water management and groundwater cleanup, major issues in
Lawmakers are racing against the clock. The secretary of state's office has said next Monday is the last day the Legislature can pass something in time to place it on the February ballot.
Legislators still could put a water bond on a supplemental ballot, which would give them a few more weeks to negotiate.
There already is a possible supplemental ballot in the works. County elections officials are reviewing voter signatures to qualify referendum measures on recently approved tribal casino agreements. The last petitions were turned in Monday. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_conserve09.3a7abcd.html
Water cutbacks avoided for now; Rates will increase; conservation urged
By Matthew T. Hall, staff writer
But San Diego County Water Authority experts continued to promote voluntary conservation, which Fern Steiner, the authority's board chairwoman, said should be "a way of life" in a city that imports 90 percent of its water.
Worries about
The most immediate effect of the water discussion will be increased water rates for all San Diegans and an adjustment in sewer rates that will reduce bills for residential users while boosting them for businesses.
Officials began warning of the rate adjustments months ago. The water increase is the result of the County Water Authority's higher costs. The agency supplies
The average residential water bill in
The sewer adjustment is the result of a lawsuit that alleged San Diego overcharged residential ratepayers while giving business water users a break on their bills for at least a decade before equalizing the rates in 2004.
The council also unanimously approved creating an 11-member panel to monitor the finances of the city's water and sewer systems. The Independent Rates Oversight Committee replaces a similar citizens group that was disbanded this year because its members lacked financial acumen.
The appointments were delayed for months when the City Council balked at an initial proposal by Mayor Jerry Sanders to select council candidate Carl DeMaio as the committee chairman.
Several council members didn't want to politicize the committee with such a tacit endorsement, and DeMaio's name eventually was withdrawn from consideration. Instead, Sanders chose financial consultant Donald Billings as chairman.
The council will discuss long-term water supply issues Oct. 29. The topics will include a conservation plan for city-owned properties and water reuse, a contentious way to purify wastewater so it can be used as drinking water.
The council voted unanimously to take up both items in three weeks.
Maureen Stapleton, the County Water Authority's general manager, said San Diegans faced no imminent water shortage, but she cautioned that local water agencies could be forced into mandatory conservation in six months or a year.
Stapleton said the water authority is in negotiations to buy more water over the next year or two, but the extent of a potential shortage won't be known until the precipitation totals are in from the winter's rainfall and snowpack.
The Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles said yesterday it could increase rates by up to 10 percent in 2009 as part of its drought-management plan.
Bob Muir, a spokesman for the region's water wholesaler, said the talks were "very preliminary" and any increases would not be determined until spring. Muir said reserves are being drawn down to secure water for 2008.
Aguirre has stepped up his call for required cutbacks in water use for weeks, but Sanders said city officials should proceed more cautiously, urging residents and businesses to curb consumption voluntarily.
Sanders spoke at the council meeting and asked San Diegans to "curtail all nonessential water use" and said the city might have to implement "more stringent restrictions on water use next year." #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071009/news_1m9water.html
City Passes Water-Rate Hike
KNSD NBC News (
The city said it is due a rate increase from the California Water Authority. The plan would raise the water bill for a typical single family resident by a $1.40 per month, beginning in January.
Ten days ago, the city started pushing a voluntary conservation program, asking residents to find ways to save 20 gallons a day.
On Monday, city officials heard from the water authority that local reservoirs are below half of their capacity.
The vote passed the City Council unanimously on Monday.
The county water authority has activated its drought management plan because of the lack of rain, and on Monday, the city discussed its conservation.
Mayor Jerry Sanders said that for the time being, he's going to continue to support voluntary conservation.
"There's no doubt that we can and must do everything we can within our powers to embrace and implement voluntary water-conservation practices," Sanders said. "I'll continue to urge San Diegans in the strongest possible way to curtail all non-essential water use."
Officials said that there is a possibility that -- as of Dec. 1 -- the amount of water allocated to the region from the Sacramento Delta could be cut by a judge's order.
The city imports 90 percent of its water.
Meanwhile, officials of
Utilities that serve residential customers and are supplied by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California can expect price hikes between 5 percent and 10 percent in 2009, said MWD spokesman Bob Muir.
The rate increases would be needed to pay for additional water supplies from other sellers in the state and further investment in the water grid, he said.
Muir said he did not know how much of the hikes the utilities would pass on to customers.
The MWD provides water to nearly 18 million people in
The rest comes from underground sources and other local supplies.
The MWD is also reducing by 30 percent deliveries to 12 agencies that buy water at discount pricing for agricultural customers, Muir said. Those cuts will take effect Jan. 1, he said. #
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14296648/detail.html
Sizing up water worries; Regional shortage real; what's being done?
By Mike Lee, staff writer
Water experts will meet with the San Diego City Council tomorrow to discuss challenges that affect the entire county.
Issues that could come up include when to start mandating water conservation, where to buy emergency supplies of water, and how much to tap regional reservoirs next year.
Here are answers to some questions about the region's water shortage based on interviews and other reporting.
How bad is the situation?
It's shaping up to be the worst water crunch since the "March miracle" rains of 1991 ended the last major drought.
If Southern California and critical areas such as the
However, some climatologists predict another dry winter. A worst-case scenario would force much-larger reservoir withdrawals; more water purchases; and a roughly 15 percent reduction in regional water use next year.
Water officials are waiting for snowpack and rainfall data in the spring before they complete their supply and usage plans. They also are trying to decide how
Doesn't the region have water stored for emergencies?
The Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles and water agencies in
But they don't want to tap too much of that supply in 2008 and 2009 because that would leave the region exposed to catastrophic shortages if dry conditions persist.
Can't local water districts buy water from elsewhere?
Yes. In 2003, the San Diego County Water Authority struck a landmark agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District to buy large volumes of water over several years.
The authority's officials also are negotiating with water districts in Northern California and the
The downside is that buying emergency water supplies can be costly.
Did water-supply problems catch the region off-guard?
Water agencies have been urging residents and business owners to conserve water for months in anticipation of shortfalls next year. But they couldn't account for a federal judge's ruling in August to protect an endangered fish called the smelt, which lives in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The decision could reduce the amount of water sent from the delta to
Water officials are waiting for more specifics when the judge issues his final order later this year.
Is voluntary conservation enough?
If
However, people would have to conserve even more if the region experiences a dry winter. Some water agencies could start restricting activities such as outdoor watering and serving water at restaurants.
So far, the Fallbrook Public Utility District is the only agency in
In addition, farmers in the county are almost certain to have their water deliveries cut by 30 percent starting in January.
Might the situation look any better 20 years from now?
Water managers say it will because they are pushing for further conservation measures while pursuing ways to produce more water, including desalination. There's also a chance for new reservoirs and a revamped water-delivery system in
That said, scientists predict that drought conditions will persist in the
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071007-9999-1m7water.html
With Water Scarce, Council Recycles Water Recycling
Voice of
By Rob Davis, staff writer
Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2007 |
As the region faces its most serious water supply restrictions in more than a decade, the City Council agreed to once again consider a plan to boost drinking reservoirs with treated wastewater.
At a Monday meeting, the council voted unanimously to hear a presentation on its 2006 water recycling study when it meets later this month. Though the study was completed early last year, the council was never briefed on its findings.
That study outlined several alternatives for expanding the city's use of recycled water -- primarily to boost irrigation and to fill city reservoirs with treated wastewater. But Mayor Jerry Sanders has opposed water recycling, saying it is too expensive and not favored by the public.
Water recycling has been considered by council members periodically for eight years. In 1999, the City Council halted studies after critics famously dubbed the program "toilet to tap." A council committee revived the issue in 2003 at the behest of environmentalists -- a move that led to the study now headed to the council.
Council members said they wanted to hear more about the recycling practice after hearing a report Monday on the precariousness of the region's water supply. Currently, about 2 percent of the region's water comes from recycled sources.
"Any water you're drinking is 'toilet to tap,'" Councilman Jim Madaffer said. "We only have so much water. Only so much exists. H2O is a molecule. And it's been the same amount since the planet was formed. It's important that we really hear this water reuse study."
Environmentalists urged the council to push forward with the proposal and suggested a implementing a one-year demonstration project as an interim step.
"We have the obligation to use that water as wisely as humanly possible," said Bruce Reznik, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. "That's something in
The move toward water recycling came on a day when the council was warned of the threat of possible water rationing next year.
San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Maureen Stapleton told the council that mandatory cutbacks were not currently needed, but said her agency was in the process of drafting "a menu" of potential mandatory reductions that will be released in February.
"We do not believe mandatory conservation is necessary at this point," Stapleton said. "That doesn't mean that six or eight months from now I would not be back in this chamber saying it continues to be dry ... and I believe now is time to take further measures.
"The trigger is the Sierra Nevadas and what happens with the snowpack in the coming year."
Stapleton's appearance at the council meeting wasn't groundbreaking. The precariousness of
But it was symbolic: The region's major water provider delivering a report to its biggest customer that painted a bleak picture of
The
Adding to the problem: Last winter was extraordinarily dry in the
The final complication: Supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta face significant cutbacks next year. To help protect the Delta smelt, a small endangered fish, a federal judge ordered a decrease in the amount of water pumped out of the delta next year. The goal is to reduce pumping when the fish are likely nearby.
Some
Fern Steiner, the water authority's chairwoman, said the federal ruling could reduce delta water exports by 12 to 22 percent next year. That's less dire than the 37 percent estimate that has been used previously by the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District, which supplies the water authority.
Whether
- How much precipitation falls during the winter.
- How much water can be exported from the delta.
- How well the water authority's call for voluntary conservation works.
If the winter is dry and the delta cutbacks are as serious as expected, the region would have a shortage of about 29,000 acre feet, Steiner said. (An acre foot is equal to 326,000 gallons, enough water for two homes for one year.) The water authority is negotiating a transfer from
Stapleton said the authority would "have a balanced water budget in 2008." But to get there, the authority is counting on its conservation calls to save 56,000 acre feet of water.
"We have had quite a bit of success so far," Stapleton said of conservation efforts. "But we have a long way to go." #
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2007/10/09/news/water100907.txt
Drought Highlights Need To Conserve Water; CSUF and Long Beach State
The Daily Titan (Fullerton
By Karl Zynda, staff writer
A water drought due to lack of rain and snowfall has put the spotlight on water conservation from individuals and state entities.
The maintenance directors and landscape managers at Cal State Fullerton and
Steve Dugas, manager of landscape services at CSUF, said that irrigation is centrally controlled using Calsense irrigation software. Dugas said the software enables the control of 85 to 90 percent of the irrigation timers on the campus. Timers are controlled by satellite signals that can be adjusted from a Web site. Plants that need little water are being planted in new landscapes, Dugas said.
Low-flow irrigation is being used in new landscaping. The landscaping around the new
The water requirements of plants are calculated by determining evapotranspiration rates. Through evapotranspiration, the amount of water used by a plant and evaporated from its soil is given. Soil types, plant water usage, weather, and season are considered to determine how many plants will be irrigated. Drip systems, instead of sprinklers, can allow irrigation to be adjusted for specific plants rather than sections of landscapes. Drip systems have little or no more added cost to purchase and install, Dugas said. There may be some small added maintenance cost due to the need to monitor and repair the drip lines.
The biggest factors prompting the board's declaration was the eight-year-long drought in the
The declaration has not directly affected
The campus saves water, Quirk said, by using 900,000 gallons of reclaimed water a year for irrigation. Hands-free faucets and 30 water-free urinals also help save water. Quirk estimates that centralized irrigation control helps the campus save 254,000 cubic feet of water annually.
Brian McKinnon, manager of landscape services at
"We really don't come under city guidelines," he said, explaining that as part of the CSUs,
The current drought has resulted in a "heightened awareness" of water usage and of looking for possible water wasting. As an example, Quirk said that broken irrigation heads would be repaired more rapidly during the drought.
McKinnon noted that the awareness of water usage means watching out for waste.
"We have constant monitoring of irrigation systems to make sure we are not having runoff," he said. "If areas are too wet, we take the time to reduce the time on the controllers. It comes down to overall teamwork and cooperation."
CSUF does not use reclaimed water. Dugas said this may be due to the lack of reclaimed water lines close by.
In an e-mail interview, Mike Anthony, an associate physical plant director at CSUF, mentioned low-flush valves on all restroom fixtures as a water conservation measure that has been installed. In the future, ultra-low-flush valves may be used if they test successfully. The campus has one waterless urinal that Anthony said is "being tested in the Physical Plant office."
The numbers don't lie: the past rainy season in nearby
Just 3.21 inches of rain fell in downtown
Using spot radio ads, TV commercials and Web sites, the commissions have warned of dangers to
"We live in a desert, and we always need good water policies," Quirk said. #
How
By Stacey Shepard, staff writer
Art and Lorraine Unger turned off the sprinklers in their front yard last year and haven't turned them on since.
In the process of transforming their front yard from grass to native plants that use less water, the only things left green at Art and Lorraine Unger's house are the trees and bushes.
In place of the patch of dead grass now in front of the house, the couple plan to put native plants, which use about one-quarter the amount of water as grass.
"We're living in an area that's a man-made desert and we just don't believe we should be growing plants that are water-intensive," said
Such efforts to conserve water are always a smart approach, local water officials said. But officials stopped short of advocating that everyone go to such extremes at this time.
While other parts of the state are in the grips of a major water shortage due to drought conditions and cutbacks in water exports from Northern California,
In
Why are we so lucky?
"We're a little bit more insulated because we're not wholly dependent on the State Water Project," said Tim Treloar, district manager for California Water Services Co., referring to the network of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants that delivers water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Northern California to cities, farms and industries in the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
In some of those communities, the State Water Project supplies 70 percent to 80 percent of the water, Treloar said.
For a large part of
Water from the State Water Project makes up just a fraction of the residential water supply.
Some smaller local water companies, like Oildale Mutual Water Company, rely more heavily on state water obtained through the Kern County Water Agency's Improvement District No. 4. But those companies, too, have been buffered from shortages this year because water managers have been able to draw on stored groundwater as a backup.
The ability to store water underground has largely helped shield
As for
It also helps that most of the water used locally makes its way back into the ground. Whether it's applied to crops or sprinkled on lawns -- about 60 percent of residential water use is on grass lawns -- the water eventually ends up back in the ground instead of a river running out to the ocean, as happens in other areas.
That doesn't mean the underground supply is endless.
"It's important to remember that as we continue to tap our groundwater resources we might also need to face increased conservation measures," said Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency.
"This year has been very dry, and the forecast for next year is the same or worse," he said, adding that water supplies could be further affected by a recent court ruling that could reduce the amount of water pumped out of the delta by up to one-third.
A reduction in groundwater supplies could also drive up water costs if wells have to be drilled deeper, said Cal Water's Treloar.
Almost all local water providers have conservation programs in place. The city and Cal Water run annual radio and television ads promoting ways to conserve water. Oildale Mutual has a summertime water patrol to spot excessive runoff and work with homeowners to fix the problem.
Next year, Cal Water Service will quadruple its conservation budget from $100,000 to $400,000 to fund programs to encourage homeowners to switch to low-flow toilets and showerheads.
Cal Water also is about to embark on a major program to outfit homes with water meters. About half of Cal Water's 60,000 residential customers pay a flat rate for water, rather than a rate based on the amount used.
Under state law, that must change.
A plan to install the meters over the next decade is pending before the Public Utilities Commission and is expected to be approved by the end of the year. #
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/254611.html
SUPPLY PLANNING:
Column: Local leaders worry about imported water supply
Tehachapi News – 10/8/07
By Bill Mead, columnist
There was plenty to satisfy both optimists and pessimists at the 2007 Tehachapi Business Outlook Conference held Friday, Oct. 5, at General Electric Wind Energy's Tehachapi office.
The pessimism surrounded the uncertainty of water deliveries to
A panel of local water officials joined Jim Beck, general manager of the Kern County Water Agency, in warning of the threat of serious water shortages unless the state government acts to improve Delta conditions and take other actions needed to meet current and future water needs in
Glenn Mueller, general manager of Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District, said the Tehachapi area cannot meet its water needs from local sources and must augment those supplies from the State Water Project. He said that while this area is less threatened than many others, thanks to the foresight of local leaders he referred to as Tehachapi's water pioneers, any interruption in delivery of state project water from the Delta could be seriously damaging to the Tehachapi area. Mueller said the people of Tehachapi have been responsible in providing adequate water as evidenced by their 91 percent approval of bond issues to finance the present TCCWD system to import and distribute state project water.
Echoing Mueller's assessment were Steve Minton from the City of Tehachapi; Bill Fisher, manager of Golden Hills Community Services District; and John Yeakley, manager of the Bear Valley Springs Community Services District. All of these retail water purveyors purchase state project water from TCCWD to augment their local groundwater supplies. All were emphatic in stating that their state project water needs will steadily grow in the future.
Minton said the city plans to make use of treated wastewater for non-consumptive uses but will need increasing amounts of state project water to replenish groundwater basins. Fisher's presentation stated that the current population of Golden Hills, the largest community in the Tehachapi area, is now more than 8,000 but is expected to reach as much as 27,000 by 2050.
Beck said
According to calculations quoted by Beck, an earthquake with an intensity of 6.5 would render the Delta useless as a fresh water reservoir within 30 days. He said any program to avert such a disaster must include a
http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/ViewPost/33420
WINTER FORECAST:
3 approaching storms won't end water woes
San Francisco Chronicle – 10/9/07
By Marisa Lagos, staff writer
(10-09) 04:00 PDT
The upcoming wet weather, combined with an unusual storm that hit the state at the end of September, raised hopes that a year-old drought will be cut short. But at least when it comes to the threat of fires, Californians aren't out of the tinder-dry woods just yet, said Daniel Berlant of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
Berlant said
"It's a pretty big misconception right now that there has been enough rain to end fire season," Berlant said. "We have not had a substantial amount. We need about 3 inches of rain in a short amount of time before the fuel levels go down and moisture levels go up."
It's unlikely the Bay Area or
The
A storm expected Thursday night appears to be packing about the same amount of rain, the weather service said. Another system is on track to come through Monday or Tuesday.
Weather forecasters can't say whether the storms foreshadow a wet winter, something that water officials and ski resorts would welcome after a year in which rain and snow totals in Northern California were generally about half to three-quarters of average.
"It's pretty early to tell, but any indications look like this (ski season) will be better than the last," said Kyle Mozley, a forecaster at the National Weather Service's
Reservoirs statewide are at about 85 percent of average capacity, compared with 120 percent at this time last year, the state Department of Water Resources said. Most water agencies are urging their customers to conserve, and a few have imposed mandatory water restrictions for the first time since the early 1990s.
The Sonoma County Water Agency ordered 15 percent cutbacks, and customers responded by saving 20 percent, spokesman Tim Anderson said. "Although we're in good shape, a little more rain would make us more secure," he said.
The National Weather Service is predicting a La Niña weather pattern this winter, said Dan Gudgel, a forecaster with the agency's
La Niñas often mean drier winters for
Another La Niña year, 1988-89, fell in the middle of a prolonged drought.
"La Niña can have a tendency to be dry, but there are some wet years," Gudgel said. "For the three-month outlook, we feel like we're going to have normal to slightly above normal rainfall."
It's difficult to assess the situation completely, he said, because January, February and March are typically the wettest months in
Residents in ski country already had their first taste of snow during the third week of September, when a cold front swept across much of the state, bringing a dusting to high elevations near
"It has probably snowed five times since then," said Rachel Woods, a spokeswoman at Alpine Meadows Ski Resort. "We currently have a little bit of snow on the upper mountains.
"More is always better, and we're excited about the season," Woods said. "The fact that we're already getting really cold temperatures at night, down into the 20s - it's a good sign."
Mozley said temperatures are a shade cooler than normal for this time of year, but nothing too extreme. In the Bay Area, temperatures are expected to remain seasonable even as the storms swing into town.
The first storm will taper off by Wednesday, Gudgel said, and the storm due in Thursday night should be long gone by the weekend.
The storms are "your classic northwest frontal passage out of the
Just a bit of wind is expected to precede the first storm, he added.
"There won't be exceptionally strong winds, though you will see some southeast (gusts) ahead of the front on Tuesday," Gudgel said. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/09/BASLSM4PT.DTL&tsp=1
Expect dry season this winter in I.E.
By Michael Sorba, staff writer
It's dry in the
After a breezy weekend and unseasonably warm temperatures Monday, expect temperatures in the low 80s today with a cooling trend following until Friday, said Kenneth Clark, a meteorologist for AccuWeather.
Last year's rainfall totals were the lowest on record -
According to
Rain and snowfall in the Sierra Nevadas this winter could have even more of an effect on local water supplies, Clark said, as much of
"Our water situation next summer is going to be more dependent on how much rain and snowfall, especially snowfall, falls this winter in the Sierras," Clark said, "not the amount of rainfall in
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_7123072
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