[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 10/23/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

October 23, 2007

 

2. Supply

 

NEW WATER YEAR:

Sierra water forecast unclear; Though precipitation is off to best start since 2004, it's only been three weeks - Associated Press

 

CONSERVATION:

Guest Column: California has enough water; The trick is to conserve the valuable state resource, make wise decisions about how to use it and cut waste - Los Angeles Times

 

Column: Inland cities could learn from Santa Fe., N.M.'s water restrictions - Riverside Press Enterprise

 

 

NEW WATER YEAR:

Sierra water forecast unclear; Though precipitation is off to best start since 2004, it's only been three weeks

Associated Press – 10/23/07

 

TRUCKEE -- Three weeks into the water year, precipitation in the Sierra is off to its best start since 2004.

 

That's the good news.

 

The bad news is it's only three weeks into the water year.

 

"There's no statistical evidence that shows that an earlier snow means more snow," Nevada state Climatologist Jeffery Underwood said.

 

Still, Underwood said he was happy to see the precipitation, particularly after two very dry years.

 

According to the Central Sierra Snow Laboratory on Donner Summit, the precipitation for October 2006 was 1.20 inches and for October 2005 was 1.64 inches. This month, 2.64 inches have fallen.

 

In 2004, 10.44 inches fell during October. with 2.23 inches by Oct. 18.

 

"Because our snow totals somehow parallel some other years is no indication of what this next winter will be," said Randall Osterhuber, a snow hydrologist at the laboratory.

 

This year's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Forecast Climate Prediction Center reports that northern Nevada has equal chances of getting more or less snow this year, Underwood said.

 

"It's kind of like reading a crystal ball. It's a general statement that can apply to many situations," he said.

 

Underwood said he is hoping for average or better snowfall this winter to counteract two dry previous years.

 

"Early snow doesn't hurt anything either," Underwood said. "There isn't a negative relationship." #

http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_7256679?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com&nclick_check=1

 

 

CONSERVATION:

Guest Column: California has enough water; The trick is to conserve the valuable state resource, make wise decisions about how to use it and cut waste

Los Angeles Times – 10/23/07

By Dorothy Green, founder of Heal the Bay and the author of "Managing Water: Avoiding Crisis in California and Jamie Simons, writer living in Los Angeles

 

For all the doom and gloom about water in California, here's a surprising truth: California has enough water to meet its needs today and tomorrow without new dams, peripheral canals or catastrophic costs. But there is a rub. It will take political will and better management.

If, given the notorious stranglehold of special interests on Sacramento, you are rolling your eyes and saying, "Give up. It's hopeless," hold on a moment. There is a road map that can lead to a better future for Californians. Here's how:

Conservation. Stop hosing down the driveway, buy more efficient appliances and plug leaks. And by all means, every house should have a water meter; believe it or not, millions of houses in the great Central Valley still do not. With this kind of affordable and existing technology, we can save about one-third of the water used indoors, according to the nonpartisan Pacific Institute. Planting California-friendly, drought-tolerant plants and installing smart sprinkler systems can help to conserve more than half our outdoor residential water.

Store groundwater more efficiently. Right now, Los Angeles County's Department of Public Works puts winter and spring storm water (and some reclaimed water from the county sanitation districts) into ponds so it can soak into the ground and be available for use during the dry summer months. Why not also do it with wet-year rain surpluses for use in dry years? There is plenty of storage capacity underground in the huge aquifers that lie beneath the San Gabriel Valley, San Fernando Valley and Chino areas. And a bonus: Water doesn't evaporate when stored underground.

Reuse nearly all of our wastewater. Before anyone yells "toilet to tap," let's establish that the last time there was "new" water on the planet was in the Garden of Eden. As it stands now, wastewater is treated until it is almost potable, and then most of it is thrown away. Los Angeles' Hyperion sewage treatment plant produces the seventh-biggest freshwater river in the state. It flows dependably, year round -- but directly into the ocean. What if, instead, this water was reused for landscape irrigation and industrial processes? Or better yet, allowed to seep through the soil -- completing the filtering process -- back into the aquifer, where it could then be pumped up for drinking water.

Thinking "yuck?" Consider this: The Colorado River, a major source of water for Southern California, contains the treated wastewater of Las Vegas. The delta that stretches from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay, another major source of imported water to Southern California, contains the water from 10 sewage treatment plants that serve the communities in and around the delta. As we said, there is no such thing as new water.

Stop throwing away storm water. The Army Corps of Engineers and others built a marvelously efficient storm-drain system to prevent flooding. You may have seen it's centerpiece. It's called the Los Angeles River. This concrete channel is very efficient at pushing flood water through the county and out into the ocean, but that no longer makes sense. Building multipurpose projects, such as parks designed to hold water until it soaks into the ground, has multiple rewards: an increased water supply, improved water quality, additional green space, more recreational space, enhanced wildlife habitat and an increase in nearby property values.

Cut agricultural water use. This is the biggie, the one that makes politicians run for cover only to reappear in the Central Valley during campaign fundraising time. Agriculture uses about 80% of California's developed water -- the water delivered from dams and aqueducts. That has to change, or nothing will change.

If we can reduce agricultural water use by just 10%, that would almost double the water available for our cities. Can this be done effectively and efficiently? Try asking arid nations such as Israel. They know how to make the most of every drop of water, and we should too.

Almost half of the state's agricultural water is used on four crops of little economic value: cotton, rice, irrigated pasture and alfalfa. Farmers are businessmen. As federal subsidies for cotton and rice dry up, and the cost of water goes up, farmers will change their ways.

So let's celebrate the defeat of the dueling water bonds in the Legislature. Let's also spare voters the expensive initiative campaigns that both Republican and Democratic sides are planning to launch. The problem is not water. The problem is persuading citizens and agencies to put aside their business-as-usual mentality and cooperate for the greater good. And when the goal has been accomplished through good leadership and smart stewardship, let's all raise a glass of water and toast ourselves. #

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-green23oct23,0,1327976.story?coll=la-tot-opinion&track=ntothtml

 

 

Column: Inland cities could learn from Santa Fe., N.M.'s water restrictions

Riverside Press Enterprise – 10/23/07

By Cassie Macduff, columnist

 

As a native Californian, I'm genetically programmed to be distressed by water waste. Seeing a neighbor hosing off his driveway instead of using a broom makes my blood boil.

 

California's water shortage is now worse than ever. The southern portion of the Golden State experienced the driest year on record this winter.

 

Yet cities in the parched Inland Empire seem reluctant to impose mandatory restrictions on water use. Most prefer to rely on voluntary cooperation with conservation tips.

 

They could learn from their neighbor to the east.

 

I just returned from a week in Santa Fe, N.M., where mandatory water-use restrictions have been in place for most of the past decade.

 

Since 1996, Santa Fe residents have been allowed to water their lawns only three days a week, and they can't do it between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. from May 1 to Oct. 31.

 

You can wash your car only once a month (unless you do it at a carwash that uses recycled water). Hotels change your sheets only every four days.

 

And forget about spraying down the sidewalk. Letting landscape irrigation overflow down a gutter is against the law.

 

These measures have enabled the city to keep its water use stable while the population grew 1.3 percent per year, said Claudia Borchert, water resources coordinator.

 

When I told her about Inland growth rates, she wondered where the water will come from for all the new homes.

 

"Conservation is the cheapest source of water," Borchert said. "Anybody who's not doing it is missing out on a great opportunity."

 

The San Bernardino Valley rests on a water-rich aquifer. But drought has shrunk it.

 

The state water project supplements it, but a recent court ruling means state water will be withheld for 90 days beginning in January to protect an endangered fish. That could be a looming problem.

 

All water agencies have contingency plan for drought emergencies, said John McMains, Yucaipa's community development director.

 

But mandatory conservation measures haven't been invoked.

 

It's not that the Inland officialdom doesn't want you to save water.

 

Missives are being published on ways to cut use, from turning off the tap when you brush your teeth to replacing your lawn with drought-tolerant plants.

 

But mandatory restrictions are being avoided.

 

Redlands' new water conservation coordinator, Woody Hynes, said his city is seeking residents' voluntary cooperation with an "educational" approach, providing them with information on how to save water and curb waste. Hynes also will do free water audits at people's homes, tracking leaks and helping get them fixed.

 

Since landscapes account for 70 percent of residential water use, he urges people to invest in "smart" irrigation systems with soil-moisture gauges that limit watering.

 

But Redlands won't go Santa Fe's route of offering free low-flow toilets, which enabled Santa Fe to get 8,000 water-guzzling old toilets out of homes and into crushers, where they were recycled as a pavement additive.

 

Nor will it fine offenders up to $200 for repeated violations of water-waste rules, which Santa Fe's law permits it to do.

 

Too bad. Because I don't think the voluntary route is working in Southern California. #

http://www.pe.com/columns/cassiemacduff/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bcass23.3f2bdc8.html

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