Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
November 26, 2007
5. Agencies, Programs, People
WATER BOND:
Ballot delay for water bond?; Perata says lawmakers won't strike a deal in time for Feb. 5 vote - Sacramento Bee
PIPELINE PROJECT:
State funds eyed for pipeline plans; Project would bring water to Prunedale wells - Monterey Herald
LEVEE ISSUES:
District eyes tax increase for levee improvements - Lathrop-Manteca Sun Post
FUNDING PLANNING:
Key Water Projects Proposed for SCV - Santa Clarita Signal
Repairs will upgrade dam; $6.1 million project to restore flood-control capability -
FLOOD PROJECT:
Federal water act aids Upvalley flood project - Napa Valley Register
NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR FONTANA WATER COMPANY:
Controversy swirls around Fontana Water Co. HQ project - Riverside Press Enterprise
50TH ANNIVERSARY FOR DIVERSION DAM:
History of diversion dam celebrated - Palo Verde Valley Times and Quartzsite Times
WATER BOND:
Ballot delay for water bond?; Perata says lawmakers won't strike a deal in time for Feb. 5 vote
Sacramento
By E.J. Schultz, staff writer
Lawmakers will not get a $10 billion water bond deal done in time for the Feb. 5 ballot, the leader of the state Senate said Wednesday.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata has canceled a planned vote next week and said that he will now focus on trying to get a bond on the June or November ballot.
"I'm disappointed, but we are closer to having it done than not," Perata, D-Oakland, said in an interview. "We just need more time."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, ever the optimist, is still holding out hope for a deal, even though it's already five days past the deadline set by Secretary of State Debra Bowen.
"Obviously the window is closing on our ability to get this on the February ballot," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. But "we will keep pushing for that until it is no longer a possibility."
Perata only a week ago had expressed optimism on getting the deal done for February. But Schwarzenegger – who has made a water bond a top priority this year – has failed to broker a compromise between Democrats and Republicans.
Significant hurdles remain, including a dispute over who would oversee bond spending.
Declaring a looming water shortage crisis, the governor called a special session on water more than two months ago after lawmakers failed to reach a deal in the regular session.
Talks stalled for much of the session as Republicans fought for money for dams, including a proposed reservoir near
Negotiations heated up in recent days between Perata and the Governor's Office, which was negotiating on behalf of Republican lawmakers.
Perata said he felt he was close to an agreement with the Schwarzenegger administration. But GOP lawmakers were never fully on board.
"I thought this arrangement was one that was satisfying the parties of interest," Perata said. But "that was clearly not the case."
He said he will now bypass the governor and negotiate directly with Republicans and Assembly Democrats, who have been less involved. Both Democratic and Republican votes are needed to reach the two-thirds vote necessary to place the bond before voters.
The two parties have generally agreed to a framework in which dams would compete for about $3 billion. Other bond money would go for regional water projects and ecosystem fixes to the deteriorating Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Democrats want to be able to oversee the bond spending on a yearly basis. Republicans, fearing that Democrats will pull the dam money, are seeking a continuous appropriation.
"We've been promised we're going to get storage ... and it's never happened," said Senate Republican leader Dick Ackerman of
Ackerman also said he wants authorization for a canal that would pipe water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to
With some progress being made, Perata said he will forgo for the "time being" his effort to put a bond on the ballot via a signature-gathering effort. His plan, which does not earmark money for dams, has support from environmentalists.
A coalition of business and farm groups has been eyeing a competing initiative that would include money for dams. The initiative had not been filed as of Wednesday afternoon.
"We have the landmark opportunity to address these issues in a bipartisan manner and I believe it can be done," Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, who has been involved in the business-led initiative, said in a statement. "We must fill
The urgency has been fueled by a recent court ruling to reduce Delta water pumping. The decision – designed to protect an endangered fish – could lead in average years to a 35 percent cut in deliveries to
Republicans say dams are the only way to address the state's water supply needs. Democrats have argued for groundwater storage, recycling and conservation.
The governor originally proposed to set aside money for three dams: Temperance Flat northeast of Fresno, Sites Reservoir in Colusa County and the expansion of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, about 11 miles north of Livermore.
Under the latest proposal, the projects would be funded only if they meet certain criteria, such as if they are found to help regulate freshwater flows into the Delta.
Environmentalists are pushing for the projects to be analyzed by a variety of agencies, with the Democratic-controlled Legislature having the final say. But Republicans don't trust Democrats to determine that dams are the best solution.
Perata said a potential compromise is to establish an independent commission to oversee the spending. #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/510716.html
PIPELINE PROJECT:
State funds eyed for pipeline plans; Project would bring water to Prunedale wells
By Jim Johnson, staff writer
A proposed
County water and environmental health officials are considering applying for as much as $15 million in Proposition 84 funding for the pipeline project, which is being planned to bring water to Prunedale residents whose wells have run dry, slowed down or been contaminated.
Cheryl Sandoval, a county environmental health supervisor, said local officials are working with state public health officials to determine if the project would qualify to apply for the state funding, which is intended for public water systems.
Voters approved Proposition 84, a $5.4 billion environmental protection and water quality bond, last year. To date, only about 9 percent of the bond funds specifically dedicated to water quality and control projects has been allocated.
Overall, about one-third of the funds has been allocated, mostly to flood control projects.
Sandoval said one of the main issues is whether private water systems are also eligible for funding. The area the pipeline would serve includes a mixture of single connection wells and smaller water systems, along with larger water systems with 15 or more connections.
Local officials are touting the pipeline plan as a regional project because it would serve an entire area rather than a single water system, Sandoval said.
"We're encouraged that this (funding) could really help people in the area," she said.
If the county applies, it would do so in the spring, and the review process is expected to take about six months.
Prunedale resident Suzy Petersen, whose well has already run dry, said applying for the state funds would likely delay the pipeline project by a year, but she's willing to support anything that helps the project succeed.
"I miss having water," Petersen said.
Currently, county officials and community leaders serving on an ad-hoc committee are working with the engineering firm of RMC Water and Environment to fine-tune a project proposal. Supervisors approved $150,000 in July to pay for project development and engineering costs, and that work is scheduled to be complete by the end of January.
A community meeting will likely be held in February to announce project details. Preliminary estimates indicate the pipeline could cost about $18 million.
County officials are considering a property tax measure to pay for the project, but if the county wins state bond funding, the tax measure would only have to provide supplemental funding, drastically reducing the amount property owners would have to pay.
The tax measure could be made contingent on earning state bond funding. The measure would also pay the county back for development costs.
According to Supervisor Lou Calcagno, whose district includes Prunedale, interest in the project has prompted local officials to look at expanding its scope to include neighborhoods not originally included in the proposal. Calcagno said the project could serve as a model for all areas in
"If this goes through, it's probably the way we'll go for the entire
As proposed, the pipeline project would include a "backbone" water supply system, including a main transmission pipeline, storage tanks and a new water well at
About 1,000 homes have experienced water supply and quality problems in the so-called "granite ridge" area, which is bordered by Highway 101,
Calcagno said the pipeline could extend to nearby neighborhoods, and eventually stretch into the broader Prunedale community to serve areas also experiencing water problems. He said the pipeline would probably be restricted to users on existing lots of record and not subdivisions. #
LEVEE ISSUES:
District eyes tax increase for levee improvements
Lathrop-Manteca Sun Post – 11/23/07
By Ben Marrone, staff writer
A week after a federal agency gave area levees a two-year OK, local officials are talking about charging
Homeowners living behind local levees will likely be asked to raise their property taxes this spring to improve levees that barely squeaked past federal standards last week.
Officials from Reclamation District 17, which is in charge of maintaining levees along the
Last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency officials said the levees that protect most of Lathrop and parts of
But unless the levees are improved, FEMA could declare large parts of both cities flood-hazard areas after the two-year grace period. That would force most homeowners behind the levees to buy flood insurance and would put a stop to nearly all new development there.
As FEMA, the state and the reclamation district continue to talk about out how much work the levees need, the district has begun to draw up plans to cover its share of the improvement costs.
Officials from the Department of Water Resources said the state will bear at least half the burden of upgrading the levees, using money from two water bonds that
With estimates for the total bill ranging from $30 million to $100 million, Nomellini predicted that the district would likely have to raise $15 million to $20 million on its own.
Nomellini said the reclamation district only has the authority to call for taxes on the estimated 12,000 homes within the levees’ protection area. Charging about $100 per home each year would give the district enough income to borrow the money for levee improvements, he said.
The district now collects $12.60 per acre in residential areas — about $2 a home — and only 58 cents per acre of farmland.
To raise those rates, the district must get approval from the landowners who will be taxed. However, only a “no” vote from the majority of landowners — whose votes are weighed differently based on the fees they would pay — can stop a rate increase.
Nomellini said the district hopes to send out an assessment ballot “between the middle of March and the middle of May.” It is barred under state law, however, from campaigning for the assessment.
“It’s up to other people, like the development interests, the homeowners and the chambers of commerce, whoever’s interested in the well-being of the community, to campaign,” Nomellini said. “I think FEMA set the stage for a workable solution for the community. I would hope the community takes advantage.”
Lathrop Mayor Kristy Sayles said she was personally in favor of the increased assessment, and believed that most homeowners in Lathrop would support it as well.
“If you’re talking about $100 per house, per year, I think most people would be in favor of that,” Sayles said, “because they know flood insurance only protects so much. (Insurance is) good, but preventative measures are far better than having to use your flood insurance.”
She added that developers — whose projects would be doomed by a flood-risk declaration — could be asked to pay for the levee upgrades.
“The development community, they can contribute a lot of money to fix the problem,” Sayles said. “Obviously if a condition of approval (for a development) is to contribute X amount of dollars to strengthen the levee” that will help, she said. #
http://sunpost.net/content/view/1540/190/
FUNDING PLANNING:
Key Water Projects Proposed for SCV
Santa Clarita Signal – 11/25/07
By Jim Holt, staff writer
Officials prioritizing ideas, mulling best route to win state funding.
While many are digesting Thanksgiving meals, local water officials are still digesting a bounty of water resource projects and ideas presented at a meeting last week.
As demand for water rises and water itself proves harder to find, officials are still searching for the best way to meet that demand in the new year.
On Nov. 13, more than 30 officials representing half a dozen key water interests met at the Castaic Lake Water Agency and discussed how to proceed with the Upper Santa Clara River Integrated Regional Water Management Plan.
With many ideas set before them, planners are now pouring over the information presented in an attempt to prioritize those projects and come up with the best plan to elicit state funding in the new year.
Three of those projects were presented by Steve Cole, general manager of the Newhall County Water District. They included:
Upgrading Newhall Well No. 10 in order to filter out harmful minerals; removing an old sewer line at
The Newhall Well No. 10 plan is a project to remove naturally occurring manganese and iron from the groundwater in the area of
The capital cost of the proposed plant would be between $826,000 and $1 million with operating and maintenance costs of about $32.50 for each acre-foot of water - a surface area of 43,560 square-feet, one foot deep.
Treating the mineral-laden water would jumpstart a
A feasibility study on implementing the project was completed two and a half years ago.
"Essentially, we're at the point where we don't have the capital financing to be able to complete this project," Cole told the consortium of water interests Nov. 13. "We're hopeful through this process that we'll be able to get some matching funds to make this project a reality."
The project would provide Santa Clarita with about 870 acre-feet of drinkable water a year.
The Lost Canyon Sewer plan involves removing the sewer trunk line owned and operated by the Newhall County Water District. The sewer, built in the mid-60s, is about six and a half miles long starting in the Shadow Pines Boulevard area and finishing up at the
The project calls for relocating the remaining portion of the sewer system out of the
The proposed pipeline would incur a capital cost from $1.74 million and $2.5 million with operating and maintenance costs estimated at about $20,000 a year.
"As the
A pump station has to be built to make this plan work, Cole added.
"The main benefit to the watershed is to prevent the release of sewage into the river system. It's very expensive to build pump stations and move trunk lines so, again, we're hoping to get matching funds."
Cole's last project pitched at the Nov. 13 meeting was the East Santa Clara River Wetlands and Recycled Water Project.
The plan is actually a joint venture involving the Santa Clara Valley Sanitation District that would restore wetlands in the river area over time and according to a multi-phased plan.
It is expected to cost between $300,000 and $600,000 in capital costs and calls first for a feasibility study that would determine the potential impact of recycled water discharged into the eastern end of the river.
"Basically," Coles said, "the project is to construct a recycled water line to the eastern end of
http://www.the-signal.com/?module=displaystory&story_id=51882&format=html
Repairs will upgrade dam; $6.1 million project to restore flood-control capability
By Michael Burge, staff writer
The rushing water nearly flooded a mobile-home park downstream, scaring residents into pressing city officials to fix the dam and prevent a future flood.
The reservoir, in northeastern
That purpose has been undermined since the mid-1990s, when the three valves on the dam's intake tower became stuck in the shut position.
The city opened the top valve to permit water to flow passively out of the reservoir when the water reaches that level, but it has no ability to release water from the dam before a major storm.
The dam has failed inspections by the state Division of Safety of Dams, which requires that reservoirs be able to release half their water within seven days as a safety precaution.
“The primary purpose is to provide flood control and be able to maintain the level of the reservoir,” said David Ahles, a city senior civil engineer.
The city awarded a $4.1 million contract in March to Vadnais Corp. to repair the earthen dam. The project's total estimated cost is $6.1 million.
Repair work began in September – at the end of the nesting season for birds – and is expected to be finished by summer, Ahles said.
Residents of Rancho Carlsbad, where creek waters rose to near flood levels in January 2005, urged the city to repair the dam.
“Although they won't have it all done by the start of the rainy season, we're very pleased the city has finally gotten around to putting in the controls and controlling the level of the lake,” said Bill Arnold, president of Rancho Carlsbad's homeowners association.
“In 2005 the lake was already full, we got a couple inches of rain and had a near disaster,”
The 21-acre lake is surrounded by 288 acres of greenery. Although the area isn't officially a park, residents walk and bicycle along makeshift trails that offer vistas of the lake.
The city originally planned to drain most of the water from the lake, reducing its surface to 5 acres from 21, to make the repairs.
Preserve Calavera, a local preservationist group, and local residents fought that plan because of the environmental damage it would cause. The city ultimately came around, and next year workers will erect a seal around the intake to create a dry work space while they install the new workings.
The job of controlling the lake's water level will fall to a new pipe that will be attached to the dam's upstream face. The pipe will have three valves at different levels that will connect to the intake tower, which will let water out of the reservoir for the first time in more than 10 years.
Workers are laying concrete tiles in the dam's spillway as the project's first step, to prevent erosion in the event of a future overflow.
The city also will build a new control building on the lake's west shore and shave off the top 26 feet of the 63-foot-tall intake tower, to eliminate the temptation of using it as a diving platform. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20071124/news_1mi24dam.html
FLOOD PROJECT:
Federal water act aids Upvalley flood project
By Jesse Duarte, staff writer
Congress’ enactment this month of the Water Resources Development Act despite a presidential veto was a victory for
WRDA aids the flood project in three ways: It enables the federal government to reimburse the city for up to $19 million in future appropriations bills; it makes the project eligible to receive state matching or “subvention” funds that could reimburse the city for up to 70 percent of the project’s property acquisition costs; and it speeds up the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ permitting process that will make the project eligible for funding.
The city will rely primarily on a $12 million state loan for property acquisition and next year’s construction, scheduled to begin in April. The city’s share of the county’s Measure A funds will pay back most of that loan, and the city hopes to use the funding sources made available by WRDA to pay back Measure A in turn.
“WRDA does not translate into dollars next year,” said City Manager Bert Johansson.
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., alluded to
“This WRDA bill comes from the people — from the people up,” she said. “When I go to little communities back home — I went to one in
But in spite of Boxer’s support, accessing the $19 million in federal appropriations “is going to be an annual fight” during each budget cycle, Johansson said.
The subvention funds require the state of
“The likelihood of that becoming money next year is less than 50-50,” he said.
The amount of money the subventions will provide is also in doubt because it’s tied to property acquisition deals the city still hasn’t made with vineyard owner Dennis Hunter and
The Corps still needs to make sure the project is feasible. That’ll take at least a nine-months, Johansson said, and until it’s done, the city can’t get into line for the federal appropriations offered by WRDA.
The city has already secured a $12 million state loan, but until the city can identify funding sources other than Measure A, only $9.1 million will be available. Next year’s construction is estimated at $9 million.
The city is scrambling for other funding sources. It has applied for a $5 million flood corridor protection grant funded by Proposition 84. Johansson said the city should learn early next year whether that grant will be issued. However, a recent state audit was critical of the agency that issues the grants, which could put future grants in limbo.
The city has hired an engineer and an attorney to put together a proposed taxed district over the three properties benefiting from the flood project: Vineyard Valley Mobile Home Park, Hunt’s Grove Apartments and Hunter’s vineyard parcel.
To create the district, the city has to calculate how much benefit each of those parcels will create. Aside from the flood protection and increased property value for the existing homes in
Each property owner would need to agree to the new tax. #
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/11/24/news/local/doc4747cab905627843324312.txt
NEW HEADQUARTERS FOR FONTANA WATER COMPANY:
Controversy swirls around
Riverside Press
By Mayr Bender, staff writer
Fontana Water Co. has operated from the same downtown location for 62 years, nearly a decade before
In October, the company broke ground on a $15 million headquarters, which will bring all its functions onto one site, rather than the checkerboard of properties the utility owns on Spring Street and neighboring
Company officials say the project, at
"We've been at this location since 1945, (when) we had roughly 3,400 customers total and we had three employees. Today, we've got about 45,000 customers and we have 90 employees," said Michael McGraw, general manager of Fontana Water Co.
"We have the potential, based on (projected growth) in the
But the improvements come amid continuing controversy over the company's recent rate increases, which have been opposed by the city and the
The water company is applying to the California Public Utilities Commission for another rate increase of 23.6 percent, spread over a three-year period from 2006 to 2008.
Several issues are still pending before the PUC.
The city and school district point to capital improvement expenditures, including the headquarters, saying they are a big reason for past and proposed water rate hikes.
"Constantly the city is getting complaints from people who have moved (to
Everything at One Location
The water company's new headquarters will be a fenced, 5-acre site near the corner of
A 28,000-square-foot, one-story building will house all the utility's administrative offices. Behind that will be a 14,000- square-foot, two-story warehouse and maintenance garage, according to Earl Corp., the Irwindale company building the project.
"It's difficult to run operations when we've got everybody scattered up and down the street," McGraw said, referring to the utility's downtown addresses:
16757 Spring St., customer service department and offices for
16779 Spring St. houses the utility's distribution department, which repairs the water mains and hydrants, along with offices for superintendents and inspectors. The two-story building dates to 1939.
16803 Spring St. houses the water treatment and production departments. The latter operates and maintains all the utility's wells and reservoirs, which are in
Fontana Water Co. considered expanding closer to its current location, but American Legion Post 772, at 16767 Spring St., wasn't interested in selling its property and finding a new site, McGraw said.
The new headquarters, a mile away, will unify all those departments onto the same site. Construction will be complete by the end of 2008.
"It's going to be able to meet our needs for the foreseeable future," McGraw said.
Parent Firm to Share Space
MacVey said the new headquarters won't just be used for Fontana Water Co. business.
Some employees of San Gabriel Valley Water Co., the El Monte-based parent company of Fontana Water, also will work at the future
"They're indicating that up to 40 percent of it may be used by the (
Another point of contention is the $35 million expansion and modernization of the utility's Sandhill Surface Water Treatment Plant, to be finished in early 2008.
The plant, near
Lytle Creek is the least expensive water source for
But when the creek's water is too dirty, Sandhill's current filtering methods are inadequate to purify it to drinking water standards.
"We can't treat it. We just have to let the water flow by," McGraw said.
After the plant's improvements are complete, Sandhill will be able to process an additional 9 million gallons per day.
The city and the school district counter that in the winter and spring rainy seasons, when flows are highest in Lytle Creek, water demand isn't high enough to merit Sandhill's expensive price tag, MacVey said. Consumption is greatest during hot seasons.
"We want to make sure not only that we have an adequate supply of water, but also that we're not being overcharged," MacVey said. #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_B_bwater25.33abc8b.html
50TH ANNIVERSARY FOR DIVERSION DAM:
History of diversion dam celebrated
By Marty Bachman, staff writer
Palo Verde Irrigation District (PVID) celebrated the 50th anniversary of the building of the dam last Monday, with ceremonies at the dam and a dinner at the Colorado River Fairgrounds.
Some 150 people attended the plaque dedication at the dam and some 300 attended the dinner party at the fairgrounds.
PVID Board member Bart Fisher was the keynote speaker at the plaque dedication at the dam and he honored specific historical figures instrumental in the building of the dam, including surveyor O.P. Calloway, former water director Ed. F. Williams, and former PVID Board President Wayne H. Fisher.
In 1873, Calloway, while surveying the valley, recognized it's agricultural potential and recruited Thomas Blythe's investment in the valley. Blythe filed for the first water rights in
Williams met Frank Murphy in 1904 and encouraged him to purchase the Blythe estate and refile for water rights to the valley. In 1908, Williams returned to the valley and became active in its reclamation efforts. Over the next 10 years he took responsibility for the formation of the levee and drainage districts and at times served as president of both districts. He also served on the Palo Verde Mutual Water Board, sometimes as presidents.
Wayne H. Fisher served 15 years as a PVID Trustee from 1933-48. Prior to joining the Board, President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to give loans to agricultural districts. Fisher, along with Board members L.A. Hauser and Williams, was instrumental in landing an RFC refunding and refinancing loan and in the writing of a plan in which landowners defaulted their land to the District and with loans acquired by the District, purchase the land back at a discounted rate with a debt burden low enough to afford the costs of producing crops and livestock.
In 1950, two years after Fisher resigned from the Board, he returned as a member of the first Gravity Diversion Committee, charged with finding a permanent solution to PVID's diversion problems.
"He made many trips to
At the fairgrounds, a dinner was held and many historical photos lined the walls of the Jaycees building.
PVID Trustee Jack Seiler, chair of the group's Legislative and Public Relations Committee, and with the help of PVID Chief Engineer Roger Henning and assistant manager Richard Gilmore, put together a slide show presentation of the history of the dam.
"To really appreciate what this dam did for development of the Valley, one needs to be aware of the problems early farmers had trying to divert water from the
He said that in 1879, Blythe, Calloway and George S. Irish constructed a gate from
"They built several miles of irrigation ditches and constructed levees on high ground away from and parallel to the river from a point ¾ miles north of
After Blythe's death in 1883, 20 years went by before anything further was done to develop the valley.
In 1905, a number of homesteads were wiped out in a flood that swept the area, the same flood that created the
In 1904, the Blythe Estate was purchased by Frank Murphy and A.L. Hobson as the Palo Verde Land and Water Company. This company formed the Palo Verde Mutual Water Company (PVMW) in 1908 to furnish water for irrigation and to give levee protection for the Blythe Estate area and to sell water to others. At that time, C.K. Clarke, engineer for PVMW, built a three-gated lumber intake structure on the west side of a rock outcropping about 1.5 miles south of Black Point, the site of the present Arizona river gate on the present dam.
In 1916, the three-gated intake structure was lowered and expanded to an eight-gate concrete structure. Two sluiced gates into Olive lake slough were installed in the main canal.
With the formation of the Palo Verde Drainage District in 1921, local farmers felt that the three agencies with similar boundaries was inefficient and the Palo Verde Irrigation District was formed.
Over the years, problems with sediment and water elevations made it difficult to meet water demands.
In 1994, PVID began meeting with the federal government to find a permanent solution to their diversion problem.
"In April 1944, Congress approved $250,000 for a temporary rock weir and generally approved $25,000 per year for Bureau of Reclamation crews to provide maintenance.
In 1950, PVID formed their Gravity Diversion Committee. In 1952, a 150 foot long section of the rock weir washed away and it took three weeks and $75,000 to repair.
"This failure brought to the forefront a need for a permanent structure," Seiler said.
Talks between PVID, the Bureau of Reclamation and the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) concerning the building of a permanent structure continued for the next four years until an agreement was reached and HR Bill 8498 was drafted and approved by the House and Senate.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Bill on Sept. 2, 1954. On Sept. 20, 1954, the project was submitted to landowners for a vote and was overwhelmingly approved.
The Bureau of Reclamation contractor began work on the dam within 30 days after bids were opened on Dec. 6, 1955 and the Diversion works were turned over to PVID on Oct. 3, 1957. A dedication was held on Dec. 17, 1957.
According to Ed Smith, general manager of PVID, the no-interest loan PVID received to build the dam was paid off this year and PVID has taken over sole ownership of the facility.
"This one is the first permanent structure where they didn't have to worry about the river washing it out," smith said. "It took the uncertainty of irrigating out of the equation. Even the rock weir that was there, high floods would knock them out and the level would go down and they had to put more rock. This dam has been a real stabilizing influence for the farming economy of the valley."
The Palo Verde Diversion Dam is located 12 miles north of Blythe on Highway 95.
DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost1.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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