[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 12/27/07

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

December 27, 2007

 

2. Supply

 

DEVEOPMENT ISSUES:

S.J. hopes to tap into new water project; Sacramento River could help slake county's growing thirst - Sacramento Bee

 

WINTER WEATHER:

Chilly storm expected to bring Bay Area some sorely needed moisture - San Francisco Chronicle

 

 

DEVEOPMENT ISSUES:

S.J. hopes to tap into new water project; Sacramento River could help slake county's growing thirst

Sacramento Bee – 12/27/07

By Zachary K. Johnson, staff writer

 

STOCKTON - County officials took a step toward building up local water supplies by tapping into a nearby project bringing water to Sacramento County and the Bay Area.

 

San Joaquin County's population of 650,000 water users is expected to double by 2040. And county officials said Sacramento River water in the Freeport Regional Water Project, now under construction, could help slake the county's growing thirst and replenish depleted groundwater.

 

It will take somewhere between 140,000 to 160,000 more acre-feet per year to provide for the county's future, said Mel Lytle, the county water resources coordinator.

 

Most of that water could be supplied by projects already in the works, including the proposed Duck Creek reservoir northeast of Linden. Water from the Freeport project could bring from 40,000 to 60,000 acre-feet of water into the county, he said.

 

"We don't have any other sources," he said.

 

Water from the Freeport project would enhance current county projects to provide drinking water, irrigation and electric power, and replenish groundwater.

 

Earlier this month, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors approved an agreement worth up to $711,000 to have Rancho Cordova-based consulting firm GEI Consultants Inc. prepare a feasibility study.

 

The $900 million Freeport project broke ground earlier this year, marking the end of a legal battle spanning more than 30 years, said Cecilia Curry, a spokeswoman for the Freeport Regional Water Authority. Water from the project will go to residents in Sacramento County and the Bay Area, she said. It could be finished as early as 2009.

 

But the East Bay Municipal Utility District will only draw water for its 1.3 million customers from the project during dry years, EBMUD spokesman Charles Hardy said.

 

The new project would connect Sacramento River water to an aqueduct that has run water through San Joaquin County on the way to points west for decades, he said.

 

From the beginning, the Freeport project was intended to include water users not part of the original agreement, and the utility's existing waterway runs near San Joaquin County's proposed Duck Creek reservoir, he said.

 

"It really fits well," he said. "Of course, the details will still have to be worked out."

 

One of those details would likely be helping to offset the cost of building the project, Hardy said.

 

San Joaquin County's hiring of the consultant is just the beginning.

 

Lytle said it would be at least four or five years to get the water after the permitting process is complete. #

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071227/A_NEWS/712270303

 

 

WINTER WEATHER:

Chilly storm expected to bring Bay Area some sorely needed moisture

San Francisco Chronicle – 12/27/07

By Demian Bulwa, staff writer

 

It's not exactly the Midwest, but the Bay Area is in the path of a southbound storm that will bring some cold air, some much-needed rain and perhaps the odd snowflake.

 

The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued an 11-hour freeze warning that ends at 9 a.m. Thursday in certain parts of Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Santa Clara counties. A frost advisory, spanning the same time period, was given for shore areas along the bay.

 

Residents in these places, who will experience temperatures as low as the mid-20s, should consider keeping some animals and favorite plants inside, said weather service forecaster Diana Henderson, but wrapping water pipes might be going too far with the precautions. "This is still California," Henderson said. "This is just for a few hours."

 

The chill will ease slightly in coming days, giving way to rain. Up to an inch of rain is expected over late Thursday night, Friday and early Saturday, according to the weather service. That means possible sleet, or even a touch of snow, Thursday night in hills north of San Francisco.

 

By mid-Saturday, the sky will start to dry, and much of the Bay Area is expected to see highs in the upper 50s.

"It's cold - but we won't set any records," said Brian Tentinger, a Weather Service forecaster who added that he doesn't expect the conditions to foul up busy Bay Area roadways.

 

Tahoe ski resorts will receive a much-needed dusting of snow, but not a major dump. At Heavenly, where about half of the terrain is now open and where operators have completed more than 650 hours of artificial snowmaking this season, spokesman Russ Pecoraro said, "It'll be enough to give people a fresh surface to ski on."

 

The state's water supply could also use the precipitation. As of Wednesday, the Sierra had about 64 percent of a typical snowpack, said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the hydrology branch of the state Department of Water Resources.

 

 Among key reservoirs that need replenishing are Lake Shasta, which is at 62 percent of its average storage, and Lake Folsom, at 48 percent.

 

"We're definitely behind, but in theory, a couple of storms could catch us up," Hinojosa said.

 

Referring to La Niña conditions affecting the region, he said, "Odds are, we'll get lots of rain this year, but it's not slam dunk." After last year's dry winter, Hinojosa added, "every week that goes by without a major storm is going to worry folks." #

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/27/BA99U54RQ.DTL&tsp=1

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