A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 24, 2008
2. Supply
Water troubles put Inland developments in limbo - Riverside Press Enterprise
Column:
Water troubles put Inland developments in limbo
Riverside Press
By Jennifer Bowles and Dan Lee, staff writers
In a sign of mounting water woes, two more developers in western
Eastern Municipal Water District officials, having already postponed a decision on whether they can supply water to seven developments, said Wednesday they cannot yet guarantee water to a proposed warehouse in
"I empathize with them," said John Potts, executive vice president of the Garrett Group of Temecula, which is developing the property. "I'm not sure if it's simply because they have no choice and can't guarantee the supply or if it's done to move the political process to get a solution."
Ongoing drought and a recent court-ordered reduction in water deliveries from the Sacramento Delta to protect a threatened fish species have prompted Southern California's guardians of water supply to begin thinking twice about the future and insisting that new developments implement water-saving features. They may even consider charging higher water rates for new projects than for existing homes and commercial buildings.
"It's a new paradigm. It's not water saying, 'We're here for you,' but 'You have to do this for us,' " said Randy Record, an Eastern board member. The Perris-based agency put off at least until March the decision on the nine major developments, which puts those projects on hold.
Earlier this month, Metropolitan Water District, which supplies many local water districts such as Eastern, cut deliveries by 30 percent to farmers across the region, including in
Inland leaders will convene Feb. 1 in Cabazon to discuss the water crisis and spread the word to city officials and planners so they can better deal with developers.
"We ought to be telling them, 'Sir, we're giving you the water you need, not necessarily the water you want. You have to save 30 to 40 percent,' " Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley said. "It's just common sense not to waste water."
Ashley and others say the situation underscores the need for a new water bond that would finance a project to funnel water around the delta so it doesn't harm the fish and can ensure reliability. Gov. Schwarzenegger has proposed a multibillion-dollar bond that also would fund new or expanded reservoirs, although talks with legislators are on hold until the state's $14.5 billion budget gap is closed.
"If we don't have a water bond, all bets are off," Ashley said. "If they don't solve this water crisis, it will affect our economy in a slow downward spiral."
Next month, the Metropolitan board will discuss how to divvy up supplies if the drought and other problems continue.
Water, Growth and Jobs
Meanwhile, the developer of a proposed 1.1 million-square-foot distribution center in Perris near Interstate 215 is conducting necessary environmental studies, as company officials hope Eastern will eventually sign off on a so-called will-serve letter.
Under state law, major developments must get such letters that promise them water for the next 20 years.
"If it can't, it would derail it," said Les Brown, of Orange County-based Rados Companies.
State Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-
Some fear placing such major projects in limbo -- two housing developments, six warehouses and the hotel/retail complex -- could hurt the Inland economy.
Although it is coming as the housing industry is in a slump, the lack of water will hinder the industry's ability to recover fully, said Inland economist John Husing.
One of the most notable projects on hold is a distribution center for which shoe company Skechers USA Inc. has signed an 11-year, $100 million lease.
"Everyone is concerned with resolving the issue so there will be no delay," said Iddo Benzeevi, president of the center's developer, Highland Fairview.
The company hopes to begin construction by year's end, with the warehouse ready for Skechers next year. That project is expected to generate 1,000 jobs.
Penny Newman, though, questioned whether those kinds of jobs benefit the Inland region. The executive director of the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice, she said warehouse jobs are generally low-paying, and some companies contract out the work. In addition, diesel-spewing trucks pull into warehouses with their goods, worsening already bad air pollution, Newman said.
"Given the amount of pollution brought into the community, the tradeoff is just not worth it," she said.
Newman applauded Eastern for holding back on its will-serve letters while water agencies are asking residents to conserve.
"It's a little hard to keep telling residents you have to conserve water when they just keep allowing more development," she said.
Supply Woes
Although the Colorado River is in the grips of an eight-year drought, the main driver of the supply uncertainty is in
Some Inland areas have abundant groundwater supplies, but others like those served by Eastern rely heavily on imported water, in particular from
Record, the Eastern board member, said the agency will consider what happens over the next few months with the Delta and a possible bond before the agency's board will sign off on the will-serve letters. It may also consider raising water prices for new development, he said.
Eastern will also look to the next move by
The agency came up with a formula that considers the number of conservation measures an area has adopted and recent growth figures to keep it fair, officials said.
Jeff Kightlinger, Metropolitan's general manager, said it was important to plan ahead before the crisis hit full swing.
Meanwhile, developers of some Inland projects plan to use drought-tolerant landscaping or recycled water outdoors, since 75 percent of the water needed by a warehouse goes to landscaping.
That way, Brown said, "You don't have vast amounts of lawn area that are flying in the face of local conditions." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_water24.2c86ac7.html
Column:
By Harry Saltzgaver, Executive Editor
It may not be quite “
The MWD is a water delivery agency for the greater
Because of a prolonged drought and a ruling earlier this year restricting the amount of water imported from
That plan, which appears to be designed to circumvent current state law, will be voted on at the Feb. 18 MWD board meeting. Under the current law,
Under the proposed formula, cities heavily dependent on MWD water and growing cities would receive preference, while cities such as
A letter sent Jan. 3 from the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners to the chair of the MWD board says that the MWD would be violating its own guiding policies if it approves the new policy. The guided principle cited is to work first with agencies that have helped develop conjunctive use (shared storage) projects.
The same letter says that MWD plans to continue to provide water to agricultural users even if there is a shortage.
Long Beach Water Department General Manager Kevin Wattier said this week that his agency may be forced to sue MWD if the current plan is approved. He said
“We would be forced to seek an injunction,” Wattier said. “This is clearly against state law because it ignores the allocation set out in the MWD Act.”
MWD officials counter that the plan would “spread the pain” in the face of water shortages. In the past, the district has cut supplies equally based on a percentage.
If a shortage occurs, the proposal calls for steep penalties if a city goes over its allocation — charging three times the original price per acre foot if a small percentage over the allocation, and up to five times the amount for higher use.
The price MWD charges for water also has risen this year, to $508 per acre foot, with plans to increase that from 10% to 14% next year.
An allocation plan could take effect as early as this May. Late last year, a federal judge limited the amount of water taken from the Sacramento Delta to 25% of what had been pumped in previous years, largely to protect an endangered fish called the Delta smelt. While a heavy snow pack could increase the amount of water coming down the
According to Ryan Alsop, director of government and public affairs for Long Beach Water, the city could be assessed as much as $10 million to $15 million more a year if the proposal is passed. That would have to be passed on to consumers in the form of higher water bills.
Last September, the Water Commission declared that a water shortage was imminent in the city and instituted the city’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan, which includes landscape watering restrictions and other measures.
The water department also is aggressively pursuing plans for a sea water desalination system that, when fully built out, could supply up to 25% of the city’s water needs. But the process for that plant still is in the testing phase, and a fully functional system could not be built and on line for several more years.
There are 37 members on the MWD board.
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