A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
December 26, 2007
3. Watersheds
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Quagga mussels discovered infesting Miramar Reservoir; Pest now thrives in five locations - San Diego Union Tribune
Mussel invasion spreads to 5 locations in San Diego County - Associated Press
DELTA ISSUES:
Rejected delta plan gets new attention; Peripheral canal idea gains traction as state eyes focus on troubled water-delivery hub -
Agencies to redirect water from the Delta; Agreement reached that can supply 30,000 families in areas that could face shortages - Contra Costa Times
Editorial: Delta Vision: Now they need to implement it -
Editorial: Kudos for Delta habitat plan - Capital Press
Editorial: Save the water and the smelt -
Congress approves money for Trinity restoration - Eureka Times Standard
INVASIVE SPECIES:
Quagga mussels discovered infesting
By Terry Rodgers, staff writer
Quagga mussels, a fast-growing pest that wreaks havoc on drinking-water systems, has spread to another reservoir in the county.
It is the fifth reservoir in
Quaggas, which are native to
The mussels are impossible to eradicate once they become established in a reservoir, lake or other body of water.
They clog pipes and screens at power stations, water treatment plants and agricultural irrigation lines. They also foul pumps and motors exposed to water.
San Diego officials plan to increase inspections of watercraft used at Miramar Reservoir, said Arian Collins of the city's water department. The mollusks often spread by attaching themselves to boats.
Other reservoirs in the county have imposed even tighter restrictions.
For example, private boats are prohibited at
At
Since being discovered in January at Lake Mead, quaggas have spread downstream into
Five of nine
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071225-9999-1m25quagga.html
Mussel invasion spreads to 5 locations in San Diego County
Associated Press – 12/25/07
Water officials say a "significant population" of the quagga mussel were found Miramar Reservoir in Scripps Ranch, becoming the fifth reservoirs in the county infested with the tiny shellfish.
Water officials plan to increase inspections of watercraft used at Miramar Reservoir. The mollusks often spread by attaching themselves to boats.
Ever since the mussels were first detected in the summer, officials have been worried they could have a foothold in all of the region's reservoirs that are connected to the imported water supply system.
Quaggas, which are native to
They're impossible to eradicate once they become established in a reservoir, lake or other body of water. They clog pipes and screens at power stations, water treatment plants and agricultural irrigation lines. They also foul pumps and motors exposed to water. #
DELTA ISSUES:
Rejected delta plan gets new attention; Peripheral canal idea gains traction as state eyes focus on troubled water-delivery hub
By E.J. Schultz, staff writer
SACRAMENTO-SAN JOAQUIN DELTA -- Here where the state's two longest rivers meet, a growing ecological crisis is renewing a decades-old debate: Can a new canal protect farm and urban water supplies?
Plans to build a "peripheral canal" around the delta have resurfaced often since voters rejected the idea in 1982 -- but have gone nowhere in the face of opposition from environmentalists and some Northern California water users, who have long feared a south-state water grab.
But this year, a modified version of the plan is gaining traction as lawmakers and state agencies take a new look at the West Coast's largest estuary.
Water would be pumped both through and around the delta in a "dual conveyance" approach that state water officials say would protect endangered fish while keeping water flowing to
The urgency is fueled by a convergence of factors that is threatening this 700-mile maze of rivers, tributaries and sloughs that is the hub of the state's complex water delivery system.
Declining fish populations have led to court-ordered pumping cutbacks. Weakening levees are raising flood risks.
Elevated ocean levels, predicted as the climate warms, could upset the delicate freshwater-seawater balance. Worse yet, there are warnings that a major earthquake could cause huge disruptions to water and power deliveries, stifling the state's economy.
There is "universal agreement that the delta is broken and it's not sustainable," said Jason Peltier, chief deputy general manager of Westlands Water District. "The recognition that the existing system has failed us has never been stronger."
Westlands represents west Valley growers who rely almost exclusively on delta water. The district is pushing for a new canal along with the State Water Contractors, whose 27 member agencies include the powerful Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which gets more than one-third of its supplies from the delta.
The search for solutions will kick into high gear next year when the Gov. Schwarzenegger-appointed Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force releases a detailed plan for the estuary.
Nothing firm has been decided, but the task force has called for a closer look at the proposed dual conveyance system. A report due in June could set the stage for legislative fixes to the delta's woes, considered to be the toughest water challenge in a state that is full of them.
Environmentalists have not entirely ruled out a new canal but say that any solution must involve taking less water from the delta and its tributaries -- a position that puts them at odds with Valley farmers and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
"Dual conveyance is probably only going to work if at the same time you reduce the amount of water you're going to use," said Gary Bobker, program director at the Bay Institute, an environmental group based in
Underpinning the debate is a philosophical argument about how much
The reality is that most of the state's rain and snow falls in the north, but a majority of the water demand comes from south of the delta. Still, there is a growing consensus that Southern and Central
The Delta Vision task force, an eight-member group of water experts and environmental and business leaders, agreed in its initial recommendations that improving the estuary's health and maintaining sufficient water supplies are equally important. But the group also said that "a revitalized delta system will require reduced [water] diversions" or at least a change in the timing of the diversions.
Those are ominous words for Valley growers, who already face drought-induced water shortages.
From 1995 to 2005, an annual average of 6.4 million acre-feet of water was diverted from the delta, with about 3.8 million acre-feet sent south to farms, according to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California. Urban users south of the delta used an average of 1.1 million acre feet. One acre-foot is about enough to meet the annual water needs of a
Exports to the Central Valley Project -- a series of federally operated canals and dams used by Westlands and other growers -- have dropped in recent years due to new environmental rules, according to the Public Policy Institute report. But flows to the State Water Project have increased due to growing urban demand from
Though not all Valley farms use delta water, major cutbacks would have widespread implications.
For instance, some growers now using delta water also have rights to Sierra water from
"When you take water away from a region, it puts more demand on the water that is remaining ... and those impacts can be far-reaching for all of us," said Liz Hudson, a spokeswoman for the Fresno County Farm Bureau.
Delta water now goes south from giant pumps at the estuary's southern end near
Wanger's ruling -- finalized recently -- includes an exception allowing pump operators to take necessary actions to protect human health. But state water officials estimate the ruling could in an average year lead to a 35% cutback in water deliveries to farmers and
Westlands and other exporters have vowed to pay for most or all the canal's costs, estimated at $3.7 billion or more.
The new system would divert Sacramento River water upstream of the delta near the town of
The current system sucks water through the delta. At the delta's south end, larger fish are screened out and smaller fish are captured, held and taken in trucks back into the delta.
Environmentalists say that despite the precautions, the pumps are still killing smelt and harming their habitat.
Exporters blame other factors, such as an increase in the number of invasive species and plants that have altered smelt habitat.
With a peripheral -- or isolated -- canal, there would be less potential for harm because fish would be more effectively screened out with newer technology and only fish-free water would be sent to the pumps, said Jerry Johns, who oversees the delta for the state Department of Water Resources.
"A modern fish screen with an isolated facility operated correctly could really be a benefit to fish," he said.
Some environmentalists counter that the new canal would hurt delta water quality, another major factor in the decline of the smelt. If more water is diverted north of the delta, a higher percentage of the estuary's freshwater supply would come from the more-polluted
Also, he said not enough research has been done to ensure that a new facility north of the delta could effectively screen out fish.
"I find it really troubling that there are folks who are trying to reach a conclusion about how we should dramatically modify the delta before we actually analyzed anything," Nelson said.
There are also concerns among some
The "dual conveyance" approach is designed to allay those fears, by ensuring that through-delta pumping would still occur at certain times deemed to be safe for fish.
But, as with most
"If arid regions need more water, that is not a delta problem, that is an arid region problem, and perhaps a state problem. However, curing that problem should not come at the expense of the delta." #
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/284616.html
Agencies to redirect water from the Delta; Agreement reached that can supply 30,000 families in areas that could face shortages
Contra Costa Times – 12/23/07
By Mike Taugher, staff writer
Two
The Contra Costa Water District and the East Bay Municipal Utility District together serve nearly 2 million people.
A recently completed link connects the smaller Contra Costa Water District's Delta water supply with the larger Oakland-based district's
The
Under the agreement, up to 15,000 acre-feet of water, enough for about 30,000 families, could be redirected from the Delta to the East Bay Municipal Utility District.
The connection between the Mokelumne aqueducts and the Contra Costa Water District's Los Vaqueros pipelines could also be used for mutual aid in an earthquake or drought. #
Editorial: Delta Vision: Now they need to implement it
After 10 months of public hearings, scientific reports and expert advice, the governor's Delta Vision blue ribbon task force has finished its report and called upon the state to take an entirely new approach to the way it handles the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Suisun Marsh.
As it was crafting its report, the task force at times seemed ready to get into the specifics of how things should be done.
In the end, it wisely stuck to its mission of providing a broad vision, recommending the direction in which the state should head without giving instructions for how to get there.
The task force has offered a dozen "integrated and linked recommendations" that it cautions should not be picked apart because "the Delta cannot be 'fixed' by any single action," the executive summary noted.
No. 1 on that list is the need to make the Delta ecosystem and its reliable water supply the main and co-equal goals for future decisions. Striking this balance is the only way to ensure the continued existence of either.
Beyond that, the report offers something for everyone.
• It acknowledges that conserving water is just as important as finding new places to store it or new ways to send it from one point to another.
• It recognizes that stronger, improved levees are needed to protect homes and property, while urging bans on new development in flood-prone areas.
• It recommends establishing a single body to govern the entire Delta (more than 200 agencies and entities now have some say), while advising that "institutions and polices" should be designed for "resiliency and adaptation." The committee, led by former Assemblyman Phil Isenberg, has put together a well-thought-out vision for the Delta, which forms the eastern and southern boundaries of
Now comes the hard part: Figuring out how to implement it.
Take that recommendation to put one group in charge of decisions about the Delta. In theory, it seems like a sound idea. But who will sit on that board? Whose interests will they represent? Will they be elected or appointed? What happens to those other 200 agencies? And who pays for it?
Those are just a few questions that will have to be addressed to implement just one of the 12 recommendations.
It will take much hard work, but this vision can be implemented. First, though, every interested party - cities, farmers, water districts, environmentalists, citizens and other must acknowledge that it is probably going to have to give up something along the way.
The return, however, could be a healthy, sustainable Delta that provides a reliable water supply for the entire region and much of the state. #
Editorial: Kudos for Delta habitat plan
Capital Press – 12/21/07
The largest agricultural water district in the nation has become a habitat helper. Westlands Water District, which serves the sprawling 600,000-acre area of farms along the west side of the
"We're trying to solve a problem that is of critical importance, not just for agriculture, but also for 25 million Californians who get drinking water and water for irrigation from supplies conveyed through and pumped from the Delta,"
The tiny smelt has become the "canary in the coal mine" to environmental groups that have pushed for curtailed water exports from state and federal pumps near
"Saving the Delta smelt is an issue of self-preservation for most of
Jerry Johns, a deputy director at the California Department of Water Resources, told Capital Press that he is impressed with Westlands' decision.
"It is gratifying that Westlands is willing to step forward and is trying to make progress," Johns said. The land purchased by Westlands is considered prime real estate for smelt habitat, according to Johns. He noted that about 20 stakeholders have been meeting regularly with government officials on a Bay-Delta conservation plan that will provide better fish protection for at-risk fish species while also helping water supply reliability for water projects which operate under state and federal environmental laws.
Projects such as the one Westlands is undertaking to use land in a floodplain, Johns said, could provide "more productivity to the system and provide better food and habitat for delta smelt during important life stages."
It is generally agreed that the Delta's ecosystem and water management operations are in crisis. Management of water in the Delta is precarious enough, but the state's lingering drought has only made water supply less reliable and the future of smelt and other fish species less certain.
State Water Resources Director Lester Snow, in a statement on Wanger's final ruling, said "The Delta is indeed broken, both environmentally and as a source of water for most of
"The need for the Governor's plan has never been greater," Snow said.
While state leaders and lawmakers continue their debate about how to best forge ahead on fixing the state's water works, action by Westlands Water District is commendable, progressive and responsible.
Obviously, more needs to be done to help Delta smelt and other fish species reverse course.
Much needs to be done to add flexibility and capacity to the state's water system.
But at least
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=75&SubSectionID=767&ArticleID=37812&TM=56554.41
Editorial: Save the water and the smelt
OUR VIEW:
The governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force took an appropriately holistic approach to protection of the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta ecosystem and the state's water supply.
The panel last week released 12 "linked" recommendations for the long term along with some near-term steps to avert disaster in the event of an earthquake that might damage the earthen levees around the delta. The first, from which the other recommendations flow, is that the Delta's ecosystem and a reliable water supply for
The report specifically warns against seizing on water conveyance as the most important issue, but for the purposes of this editorial at least, we'll risk it. >From this vantage point, with everything from the Delta smelt to the seismic vulnerability of levees around the Delta threatening
Water from the San Joaquin and
So we're glad to see that the task force leans toward a "dual conveyance" system that would divert some water into the State Water Project before it reaches the Delta while moving some through the Delta into the project.
That pre-Delta diversion would be something like the
The task force emphasizes that as conveyance through and perhaps around the Delta is optimized, storage facilities for surface water and groundwater must be improved so that the overall operation of the moving-and-storing system can meet the timing of all the state's competing water needs - for cities, for farms and for the environment.
The report says no single action will "fix" the Delta or the state's water problems. It says water conservation, efficiency and reuse will be paramount in
There's no time to waste. The governor and Legislature must take up these recommendations as quickly as possible and take action of securing the state's water supply and the Delta's ecology. #
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_7788924
Congress approves money for Trinity restoration
Congress has added $3 million meant to shore up the budget for restoring the
The money would increase the
”We welcome infusion of these funds, but it is just a one-year patch,” said
Since the 1960s, up to 90 percent of the river's water was diverted to the Sacramento River and on to
Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, Sens. Diane Feinstein and George Miller worked to get the funding through committee and Congress. #
http://www.times-standard.com//ci_7804620?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
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