A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
December 13, 2007
2. Supply
Water supply gets less (and more) secure; Judge's ruling favors fish over SoCal supplies, but Colorado River deal would protect region's water - North County Times
DESALINATION PLANT:
Nipomo will go forward with desal plant and pipeline from Santa Maria; Water customers would pay higher rates for either a desalination plant or a pipeline from Santa Maria - San Luis Obispo Tribune
WATER SHORTAGE PLANNING:
Pump station to assist in water crises; Facility to bring water in event of quakes and other emergencies - Ventura County Star
Redwood Valley seeks deeper cuts to water use - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
WATER RECYCLING:
Recycled sewage-water proposal gains steam -
WATER CONSERVATION:
Agency to seek water-use rules; PWP will ask council for declaration, plan -
Water supply gets less (and more) secure; Judge's ruling favors fish over SoCal supplies, but
By Gig Conaughton, staff writer
A federal judge's latest ruling means that Southern California's water supplies from the north are still threatened with a 30 percent cut, but a historic new deal will safeguard the region's
To protect an endangered fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger ruled in August and again late Tuesday that the state will have to cut back pumping water from
State and regional water officials said Wednesday that they would need more time to review the latest ruling, but that it could still cut Southern California's supplies of
Meanwhile, water officials from three states were flocking to
The accord would all but guarantee that Southern California's
The new accord is an agreement among three Western states -- California, Arizona and Nevada -- that will create federal guidelines for how the states would "share the pain" if the river's drought continued to the point that the Interior Department would require water rationing.
The agreement would also eventually allow Metropolitan, Southern California's main water supplier, to store water in
It took 2 1/2 years for the states to negotiate the deal, and is expected to ward off lawsuits that could come as fast-growing states fight over the river's supplies in increasingly dry times.
Metropolitan Assistant Manager Roger Patterson said Tuesday that under the terms of the agreement, Arizona and Nevada would take the first cuts in supplies if water levels in Lake Mead shrink another 36 feet from its already depleted levels. Lake Mead is the largest man-made reservoir in the
Patterson said
"There is no trigger point for
Meanwhile, Metropolitan and state Department of Water Resources officials said they were not surprised by the judge's draft ruling.
Water agencies and the Natural Resources Defense Council have been waiting for Wanger's written decision since he gave them a verbal ruling in August. The defense council is the environmental group that sued the state to protect the delta smelt. The smelt is the endangered fish that was being killed, in part, by the massive, state-operated delta pumps that send water to Central and
Defense council officials said Wednesday that they would not comment on the draft ruling.
Metropolitan's general manager, Jeff Kightlinger -- one of the many water leaders who was headed to
The judge's ruling could mean less than a 30 percent cut of
"The order he (Wanger) gave us is still going to have a pretty significant impact, depending upon how much water is in the system," he said. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/13/news/top_stories/1_01_0112_12_07.txt
DESALINATION PLANT:
Nipomo will go forward with desal plant and pipeline from Santa Maria; Water customers would pay higher rates for either a desalination plant or a pipeline from Santa Maria
San Luis Obispo
By Nick Wilson, staff writer
The Nipomo services district will pursue building a desalination plant that could cost nearly $100 million or a new water pipeline from
The district’s board voted Wednesday to move ahead with the two options. Nipomo now depends entirely on its groundwater.
Without a new source, all of the district’s groundwater above sea level could be used up in 11 to 12 years, according to Celeste Whitlow, a district spokeswoman. spokeswoman.
“Nipomo is running out of water and at an alarming rate,” she said in a statement.
The board deferred any decision decision on pursuing state water.
The vote was preliminary and does not commit the district district to either option.
Desalination and the
Desalination proposal
Noting that a desalination plant has been discussed for 10 years in Nipomo, board President Mike Winn said it’s time to move forward with specific planning.
“Desal is the only option that provides a long-term, sustainable, drought-proof water supply,” Winn said.
“Everything else depends on politics, weather or both.”
A desalination plant, which would provide a minimum of 6,300 acre-feet per year, is at least eight years away from completion, the district said.
An acre-foot of water is enough to cover an acre of land a foot deep; it serves about two single-family homes for a year.
Desalination was unanimously approved by the five-member five-member board. Directors consider it as a long-term water source.
In its report, consultant Boyle Engineering Corp. suggested three sites for the desalination plant—the South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District facility, a property adjacent to the ConocoPhillips refinery refinery along Highway 1 and a 35-acre undeveloped parcel near Highway 1 and
Its construction would depend on factors such as obtaining the permits and approval by ratepayers.
The cost to each customer would be an additional $127 to $154 per month. Rates are now about $40 per month per customer.
Strategies on how to proceed with a desalination plant and on reopening talks with
Linking to
The pipeline project, which directors approved by a 4-1 vote, would provide an estimated 3,000 acre-feet of water per year and could take about three to four years to finish. Building it would require a new agreement with
Director Jim Harrison voted against reopening talks, saying the district wastes too much time and money on studies that lead to no fruitful projects.
The capital cost of the Santa Santa Maria alternative was estimated e at about $26 million in 2006. But Buel said he believes that amount could be reduced reduced to $15 million to $18 million with changes to the initial proposal.
Winn said the district has already negotiated to use a separate pipeline that would be able to channel some water from
Negotiations with
Initially, the district had estimated the pipeline construction to cost $6 million in 2004, but some unlikely assumptions were made in that study about the proposed system of water delivery, said Director Ed Eby.
State water plan averted
The board delayed making any decision Wednesday on a third option to buy into state water, which would require approval from several agencies— including the county, the state Department of Water Resources and Central Coast Water Authority.
Gaining approval could prove difficult and state water would not be a reliable source, Winn said.
Eby said he didn’t want to rule out that option without more research because it’s potentially the cheapest source of water.
“We’d have a lot of explaining to do if we walk away,” Eby said.
Nipomo resident Bill Petrick echoed
“What the NCSD staff is doing is throwing darts blindfolded,” blindfolded,” Petrick said. “You buy a single dart, throw it, and hope that it hits the target. If it doesn’t hit the target, then try again.” #
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/218778.html
WATER SHORTAGE PLANNING:
Pump station to assist in water crises; Facility to bring water in event of quakes and other emergencies
By Michele Willer-Allrred, staff writer
A new water pump station is being constructed in Moorpark that water district officials say will bring water to the area in the event supplies are cut during emergencies.
The Calleguas Municipal Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California are constructing the pump station on 1.8 acres on the east side of Spring Road, south of Arroyo Simi. The station is expected to be completed around December 2008.
The station is part of the $80 million Las Posas Aquifer Storage project, also shared by Calleguas and Metropolitan water districts.
Eric Bergh, spokesman for Calleguas, said the storage project is expected to bring a reliable source of water to residents of
Bergh said an estimated 600,000 residents who receive water through the Calleguas water district will benefit from the project.
"It's an extremely significant project," Bergh said. "Right now, there's a single source bringing water into this area, so a backup plan is really needed."
The pump station will consist of a two-story structure and tower. Water district officials and Moorpark city planners have met over several years to make sure the structure fits in with the surrounding neighborhood, Bergh said.
The storage project will allow the pump station to draw pre-treated water stored at the Las Posas Groundwater Basin, an aquifer 18 miles long, 4.5 miles wide and almost 1,500 feet underground along
After leaving the aquifer, the water will travel through wells connected to a water pipeline that was placed under
During especially rainy years, excess water is injected back into the aquifer and banked until needed.
The aquifer currently stores 80,000 acre-feet of surplus water, but will eventually store 300,000 acre-feet once the project is completed, Bergh said. The station will be able to pump 70,000 acre-feet of water per year, with one acre-foot able to supply two families with water for a year.
The existing water supply to the area is provided by a system of reservoirs, aqueducts and pumping facilities that bring water from
Bergh said
Twenty years ago, Calleguas officials started looking for alternative ways to store water because of ongoing drought and lack of available land in the area, Bergh said.
Water industry officials and environmental organizations have supported underground water supplies because they don't take up land, no water is lost through evaporation, and the water is protected from contaminants.
Underground storage also raises the groundwater level, requiring less energy to pump water out of the ground by the water district and nearby well owners. #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/dec/13/pump-station-to-assist-in-water-crises/
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 12/13/07
By Mike Geniella, staff writer
"We're now asking for a total 40 percent cutback in water consumption over last year," said Bill Koehler, general manager of the Redwood Valley County Water District. Koehler said customers have complied by slashing use by at least 30 percent.
Koehler said the
"If we can get some good rain over the next few weeks, the current crisis mode will ease," said Koehler.
The district has enough water in reserve to meet current needs over the next month in the event of more dry weather, Koehler said. After that, however, customers will face mandatory restrictions.
Koehler said district directors this week voted to adopt a new ordinance that will allow the board to act quickly if mandatory cutbacks become necessary. Besides asking for water conservation, the board also voted to cut off water deliveries to the valley's agricultural users, although demand this time of year is minimal.
"Everyone seems to be doing what they can to help out," said Koehler.
About 50 local residents showed up for Tuesday's meeting to hear renewed warnings of mandatory cutbacks in the event the lake's level drops below the district's ability to draw water.
The district is the only water entity that pumps water directly from the lake. A contract for surplus water with the Sonoma County Water Agency, which controls lake levels by making releases downstream for fisheries, requires the Redwood district to cut its draw by 50 percent after reaching a certain point.
About 1.24 inches of rain fell on the
If a significant amount of rain falls, it can quickly account for major changes in the lake's water storage.
Koehler recalled that in 2002 -- the last time lake levels were this low -- a couple of major storms dumped plenty of rain in the region.
"Two weeks later, water was actually being dumped from the lake for flood-control reasons," said Koehler. #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20071213/NEWS/712130355/1033/NEWS01
WATER RECYCLING:
Recycled sewage-water proposal gains steam
By John Upton, staff writer
The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission voted Tuesday to move forward with preliminary plans to build a sewage recycling plant in conjunction with South San Francisco and the California Water Service Company.
The recycled water would be used at California Golf Club, Orange Park and
Under the agreement,
SFPUC commissioners also voted Tuesday to try to reach an agreement to use treated
A sewage recycling plant is already planned for western
Technology that will be used in the proposed new recycling plants hasn’t been decided yet, according to Levin, but UC Berkeley environmental engineering professor Kara Nelson said most tertiary treatment plants, as they’re called, use chemicals or ultraviolet lights to kill germs, and that they use filters to remove tiny particles from the water.
“There shouldn’t be any safety concerns as long as the project is well designed and implemented,” Nelson said. “California has the strictest regulations with regards to reusing water.”
“There’s two options that we have to increase the efficiency with which we use our water,” Nelson said. “One is to conserve water — so, use less of it to begin with. The second option is to use it more than once.” #
http://www.examiner.com/a-1100199~Recycled_sewage_water_proposal_gains_steam.html
WATER CONSERVATION:
Agency to seek water-use rules; PWP will ask council for declaration, plan
By Kenneth Todd Ruiz, staff writer
Facing a reduced water supply as soon as next year, Pasadena Water and Power will ask the City Council on Monday to declare a water shortage and approve what will initially be a voluntary conservation plan.
"We're asking customers to enact these nine, very specific measures to save water," said PWP's Nancy Long, who oversees the department's water conservation program. "One of the reasons we're starting out with voluntary recommendations is to give both our residential and commercial customers the opportunity to change their behavior without penalties and fines."
The recommendations range from the obvious to the mildly inconvenient: don't irrigate driveways and sidewalks, rein in run-off, and keep plants on the edge of thirst with a goal of reducing the city's water consumption by 10 percent.
If that isn't reached, PWP could ask the council to adopt "Plan 2," which would mandate conservation and possibly attach penalties and fees.
The current water crunch is the worst the municipal utility has faced in 16 years, Long said.
Cities throughout the state are considering similar or more stringent conservation plans because nearly all water sources - the
Call it a perfect storm - or lack thereof, said Metropolitan Water District Chairman Tim Brick.
"Generally, when we've faced this kind of a situation it's been because one system or another is dry," Brick said. "You put it all together - drought on the Colorado River, drought in
The delta isn't dry, but what Brick described as a "crash" of key animal species, such as the Delta smelt, has prompted a federal judge to order pumping curtailed.
About a quarter of the water flowing from the MWD now comes from reserves, and the agency could be forced to reduce supply to cities such as
Assemblyman Mike Eng, who serves on the department's Committee on Water, said many of the region's economic gains could be jeopardized if cities don't get serious about water conservation.
"We need to rethink a lot of the old ideas that we once had before that it's limitless and virtually cost-free," Eng said.
The best housing, business and transportation planning could be undone by poor resource management, he added.
"If we forget to address the issue of water, virtually none of the economic benefits of our economic development will be rewarded," Eng said.
More than conservation, he hopes to see efforts to recycle water and tap into local aquifers "about the size of
For
"If in the future MWD changes our allocation of water then that might automatically throw us into mandatory conservation," Long said.
But citizens need not fear jackbooted water cops clocking their shower times, she added, even if
"We're not planning any arrests," Long said, laughing. "But if we go to all the way to Plan 3, which goes beyond these nine measures, there could be penalties."
Water conservation was at the heart of updated guidelines recommended Tuesday by the Environmental Advisory Commission for the city's
Commission Chairman Michael Hurley said conservation is a good first step that must be followed with discussion of efficiency-based rate changes and higher standards for existing buildings.
To read PWP's water-saving suggestions while they're still optional, visit http://www.ci.pasadena.ca.us/waterandpower. #
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