A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 7, 2008
2. Supply
SNOW SURVEY:
Consistency key in study of snowpack - Sacramento Bee
LAKE
Rain dancing in Lake Elsinore;
Lake again above 30,000 acre feet - Ukiah Daily Journal
WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES:
City to enact rules against wasting water - Antelope Valley Press
Guest Column: Billions of drops in the bucket; Just rethinking how we use water can be as effective as huge infrastructure projects -
SNOW SURVEY:
Consistency key in study of snowpack
By Ngoc Nguyen, staff writer
Frank Gehrke glided across a field of fluffy white powder, stopping to stab an aluminum tube into the snow to extract a sample. With the help of partner Dave Hart, Gehrke weighed the tube to compute the snow's water content.
The seemingly crude measurements offer a critical assessment of the state's snowpack and help forecast how much water will flow into reservoirs later in the year.
On Thursday, the pair trekked to Phillips Station – elevation 6,800 feet along Highway 50 – for what was the season's first snow survey.
Unfortunately, nobody was paying attention. A swarm of storms brewing in the Pacific slammed into the state Thursday night and are expected to dump several feet of snow in the Sierra by the end of the weekend, making Thursday's data old news.
Gehrke, snow survey section chief for the California Department of Water Resources, wasn't deterred by the pending storm or the pending obsolescence of his data, logging his measurements like clockwork.
He said the state has performed the snow survey ritual since 1929, and the timing of the surveys is not pegged to weather. In fact, the mantra of the snow survey office might be consistency, consistency, consistency.
For nearly 80 years, the surveys have occurred near the first of every month, from January through May, at the same locations.
The key thing, Gehrke said, is to do the measurement during a "window of time," usually from the 28th day of the prior month to the third day of the current one.
In addition to 250 manual snow surveys, DWR also collects snow depth and water content data from about 130 automated sensors, Gehrke said.
"One of the things they want to do with regard to climate change is you want the same sensors in the same location over time," said Gary Estes, who coordinates the California Extreme Precipitation Symposium. "You want to make sure that what you're seeing is a variation in the climate and not a variation in where you're taking the measurement."
This month's snow survey will not generate a water forecast, Gehrke said, but results will help validate data from automated sensors.
"Sensors have problems, they fail and lose calibration … a manual system is really hard to screw up," said Estes, who also sits on the board of the American River Watershed Institute.
Historically, surveyors may have needed days or weeks to trek to the measurement points. Once they get there, surveyors take measurements using a hollow tube and techniques similar to those used by James Edward Church for a snow survey at
"Before that, people would melt snow, which is completely impractical in a field situation," Gehrke said.
Now, after the data are collected and verified, a water forecast goes out to contractors of the State Water Project.
"You have a big pot of water and you try to divvy it out to various entities depending on the water supply," said Gehrke.
The snowpack stores water during the winter for use during the drier summer months. By comparing data on the snow's water content against stream flow, Gehrke said, they can forecast water availability.
On the day Gehrke and Hart logged their measurements, the snowpack was about 60 percent of normal, but the cold-air storm that rolled in Thursday night is adding inches to the snowpack.
That's good news for the state.
2007 was a dry year, and the state ran through the surplus gained during the previous wet year. Gehrke said the state needs a storm-filled winter to replenish the snowpack to avoid drought-like conditions later.
Estes said water forecasting is critically important to water and energy planners. In addition to DWR, federal agencies, utilities and irrigation districts also carry out or collaborate on snow surveys.
Estes said the state's "plumbing" is complex, with water and energy needs often intertwined.
During the peak energy periods of the summer, utilities rely on hydroelectric power, Estes said.
"It's easy to open the valve and let more water run out to generate power faster, with a quicker response time, than to bring on an extra gas-powered generator," Estes said. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/612811.html
LAKE
Rain dancing in
When the lake's water level rises by natural means, the city doesn't need to buy as much water from the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to keep the lake level at a minimum elevation of 1,240 feet, said Lake Elsinore Mayor Daryl Hickman.
The city has an agreement with the district to buy up to $650,000 worth of water to keep the lake, resting at 1,242.5 feet as of Friday, at the minimum level.
As of Thursday, Canyon Lake was about 2 feet shy of overflowing and Hickman said rainfall totals similar to the storm that hit the area in November could raise the water level there more than 5 feet.
"We are praying for God to help us out," he said.
Hickman said an ideal elevation for
At that level, the city could weather evaporation in the summer that, he said, lowers the lake elevation by about 4 feet.
"That saves us," he said.
Depending on the bump the lake gets from the storm, Hickman said the city could end up pocketing savings in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The city needs that money, Hickman said, because it is facing a budgetary shortfall caused by declining property tax receipts tied to the housing slump.
Responding to the shortfall, Hickman said city staff and the council are working on a plan to shave 5 percent from the 2007-08 budget and finish the fiscal year in the black.
He said that can be accomplished without eliminating any city positions.
"There are projects we can delay until we see what is going on with the economy," he said.
Pat Kilroy, city director of lake and aquatic resources, said the city is expecting
In the Christmas storms of 2004,
Kilroy said city staff will assess the situation on Monday and act accordingly.
Any lake level rise, even as small as a foot, is cause for concern, Kilroy said, because the water running down from
"It's advisable to stay out of the water for 48 to 72 hours," he said.
Also, a rising lake picks up debris that had been left in front of shoreline residents' homes. That debris becomes a hazard if encountered by a water skier or boat, said Pete Dawson, a longtime shoreline resident.
Dawson, a former boat shop owner, said Friday that he spent the last week picking up wood and other sorts of miscellany from the edges of the lake.
Most of the residents living along the shore have been doing the same, he said.
Like the city officials,
"Thank goodness when God gives it to us," he said. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/01/05/news/californian/5_01_9911_4_08.txt
Ukiah Daily Journal – 1/4/07
Be Ben Brown, staff writer
"The rains have finally come," said Mendocino County Water Agency Director Roland Sanford.
Now that storage is above 30,000 acre-feet, restrictions have been lifted on the amount of water the Redwood Valley Water District can pump out of the lake.
"It buys us a little more time," said Redwood Valley Water District Director Bill Koehler.
According to an agreement between the water district and the Sonoma County Water Agency, if the level of the lake drops below 30,000 acre-feet after Oct. 31, the district is required to cut its withdrawals to 50 percent of the average withdrawal for that month.
The water district was directed to make those cuts on Nov. 27, 2007, and shortly thereafter, the water district board voted unanimously to declare a water emergency, allowing the board to call for more strict water conservation measures.
At that same meeting, the board decided to cut all agricultural water use and ask other users to increase voluntary conservation to 40 percent.
Koehler said the district is not currently planning to ask for further reductions.
"A lot depends on what happens in the next two to three weeks," he said.
If the county does not get a normal amount of rain this winter, Koehler said the effects could be felt as early as March when farmers and vineyard owners begin to need water for frost protection.
The National Weather Service is predicting that a series of storms will sweep over the county in the next three days and could bring as much as four inches of rain to the
As of Thursday morning, close to an inch of rain had fallen in Ukiah.
Water storage in
"I would expect to see some significant inflow" into
Although the net loss of water from the lake has reversed,
"No one is saying stop conserving water,'" he said.
"You're certainly going to have more of what you saw last summer," he said.
Last year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered Pacific Gas and Electric to reduce the amount of water diverted out of the
The loss of 30 percent of the water flowing through the Potter Valley Project, along with a dry winter in 2007, has been blamed for the low storage levels of
WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES:
City to enact rules against wasting water
By Bob Wilson, staff writer
The council will also consider granting second and final approval to a Antelope Valley-wide groundwater management plan, which needs approval before Jan. 28 so officials can seek state and federal funds for specific water projects suggested in the plan.
Under the proposed water-waste ordinance, the city will make it an offense to allow water:
To leak onto the ground; into a sink, bowl, toilet or tub; or to drain into a street, alley or road after the person responsible for the leak has been advised to fix it.
To flow for 30 minutes or more without putting that water to a beneficial use.
To run from a water main belonging to a public utility for an unreasonable length of time; or
To drain onto the ground or into a sewer or cesspool after being used to cool a cooling machine or cooling system, refrigerator, ice machine, air conditioner or other apparatus instead of collecting the water for re-use.
No information has been submitted to the council establishing or identifying the penalties for such waste, but those who waste water would receive a visit from a city code enforcement officer.
If the person responsible fails to make corrections, the officer would provide a list of vendors capable of resolving the problem for a fee.
If no resolution is achieved, the officer would issue a citation to the responsible person, who could appeal it to the council if the citation was considered unwarranted.
Under the second proposed ordinance, the council will consider giving final approval to an ordinance that describes the types of landscaping and irrigation systems to be allowed for new commercial, industrial, office and institutional projects.
The second ordinance also will apply to developer-installed landscaping for new multi-family residential complexes and to the common areas of some single-home projects, as well as to public or private parks and greenbelts.
The second ordinance will not apply to the private areas of future single-family or multi-family projects, or to existing homes, though residents of such projects are encouraged to use the measure as a guide to reduce water consumption.
The measure also will not apply to any landscaping that is irrigated with recycled water instead of fresh water, and the measure exempts some facilities, like schools, playgrounds and cemeteries, from some provisions.
But it will apply to all projects that have landscaping and that require a design-review or conditional-use permit from the city.
The Groundwater Management Plan is part of the AV Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, a Valley wide proposal intended to improve and protect the
The umbrella plan received council approval on Dec. 11, but the state requires a second and final approving vote for the Groundwater Management Plan, said Randy Williams, the city's director of public works.
If the council consents, the municipal ordinances would become effective on Feb. 7.
The council will consider each of the items when it meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at
In addition, the city has scheduled a public workshop on water and water use for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the council's chambers. #
http://www.avpress.com/n/06/0106_s3.hts
Guest Column: Billions of drops in the bucket; Just rethinking how we use water can be as effective as huge infrastructure projects
By Peter Gleick, a member of the
After more than a decade of generous rainfall and healthy river flows, the dry years are back. Much of the state, notably
The possibility of water shortages has spurred more talk than action. Despite holding a special session on water,
Fortunately, there are cheaper, quicker and greener alternatives to huge, expensive water projects. But this requires rethinking how to manage and consume our water.
We've learned over the years how powerful the actions of individuals, industry and farmers can be at reducing water use. The simple act of setting efficiency standards for toilets and shower heads, or replacing flood irrigation with drip irrigation, has saved us billions of gallons. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, individual Californians use 40% less water today than they did 30 years ago, a truly remarkable achievement that's received far too little attention.
But our conservation and water-efficiency programs are faltering and need to be reinvigorated. One place to start is with thirsty appliances -- dishwashers and clothes washers, in particular -- that still lack water efficiency standards. On average, washing machines account for 14% of water use in the home. Efficient washers already on the market can cut this use in half. If traditional machines were replaced with the more efficient models, the savings could amount to 33 billion gallons of water a year, according to estimates by the Pacific Institute. That's enough water to provide for the total household needs of more than 600,000 Californians annually.
These efficient washing machines also reduce hot water consumption, saving enough energy to power 85,000
Unfortunately, while
We also have to take a hard look at our gardens and agricultural fields. As development in
Vast expanses of lawn don't belong in
When all the savings achievable using existing technology are combined, water use in the year 2030 could be 20% below current levels and still support a growing population, a vibrant economy and a healthy agricultural sector, according to estimates done by the Pacific Institute. But we can't wish our way there, and our water agencies have yet to adequately put us on that path.
Education and economic incentives can alter people's water-use habits, but tougher regulations, more stringent water efficiency standards and better management and oversight by water agencies will also be necessary. The State Water Resources Control Board has the authority to enforce the state constitutional requirement that water be beneficially used in
Improving the efficiency of our water use can yield more water than new dams, more quickly and at far less cost than the water bond proposals being kicked around. Lack of water isn't our problem. Rather it's our lack of proper management of the water we're already paying for, and a lack of vision and diligence on the part of our leadership. #
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