A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 25, 2008
2. Supply
More rain and snow on way - San Francisco Chronicle
Precipitation welcome, is it enough?; Creeks rising, but snow survey will tell real tale - Modesto Bee
FIRST STORM IS WORSE THAN PREDICTED; Now comes the second punch - San Luis Obispo Tribune
Storm runoff raises residents' concerns for
Tornado warning issued for southwest L.A. - Los Angeles Times
Next storm expected to bring heavy rain - San Diego Union Tribune
Weathering the ice and rain - Daily Breeze (
WATER RECYCLING:
Limited water supplies will require recycling, official says - Ventura County Star
Record Low Water Use for
More rain and snow on way
San Francisco Chronicle – 1/25/08
By John Koopman and Marisa Lagos, staff writer
A major storm system is scheduled to sweep down the
That's good for the state, which is concerned that there hasn't been enough rain this season, but it will be bad news for drivers trying to negotiate the evening rush hour, which is typically pretty rough on Friday afternoons anyway.
Thursday, the National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Friday for the area from
"By the afternoon commute, we could be looking at a real mess of urban and small-street flooding," said Weather Service meteorologist David Soroka.
The storm system is dropping down from the north and will meet up with wet tropical air coming from the south. That combination will result in a lot of rain and snow, but the temperatures - which will still be cold this morning - should rise throughout the day and into Saturday.
The rain should continue into Saturday and dissipate by Sunday. Then there will be a break.
Until Tuesday. Then more rain.
Friday's storm should start early in the day, Soroka said, and pick up throughout the day, with sometimes heavy downpours. The worst of the system is expected to hit south of here, from about the
The Bay Area - mostly
Police prepared
Sgt. Neville Gittens,
Gloria Chan, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Department of Public Works, said crews are out looking for clogged catch basins. Leaves and debris get trapped and water backs up, flooding the streets, especially in low-lying areas, she said.
Friday's storm probably won't be as hairy as the one that hit the region Jan. 4, Soroka said, primarily because the winds won't be as high. The big storm saw winds of 40-50 mph, with gusts up to 70 or 80. This storm will be windy, and will possibly result in wind advisories, but the strength should be 25 to 35 mph with gusts of up to about 40, he said.
Friday's storm will not have the high surf and flooding associated with the previous one, but it might bring a bit more rain, he said.
People traveling to the Sierra should brace for rough conditions, with a storm expected to bring as much as 2 feet of snow to the mountains. National Weather Service forecaster Mark Deutrschendorf, who works in the agency's
The area hasn't been hit very hard this week, he said, though there has been steady snowfall that has dropped between a foot and a foot and a half of powder in higher elevations. At lake level, he said, the totals have been 3 to 6 inches.
"It's been coming in small pieces," he said. "There are some bigger storms coming and I think we could see maybe another 1 to 2 feet up in the mountain areas."
The whopper isn't expected until Saturday night, however, when 2 to 4 feet of powder could drop, he said.
Deutrschendorf warned travelers to check conditions and be patient.
"It will be pretty slow going, especially by late Saturday evening and through Sunday night," he said.
The spate of wet weather this month has given further reassurance to state and local water boards that have been worried that the state might be headed toward a drought.
Every storm helps
"It's still too early to tell" whether the rains are making an impact, said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the hydrology branch of the state Department of Water Resources. "But every storm system that comes through definitely helps.
"We're ahead of where we were last year at this time. Ideally, we'd still like to see a series of storms continue to come through the course of the season, to add to our snow pack."
Water levels in the state's reservoirs are still low, he said, but that is partially because temperatures have remained low. The cold weather means water doesn't run off as readily from the Sierra snow pack, he said. As a result, Hinojosa is optimistic that the future will look better in another month or two.
Hinojosa said it's more difficult to know how the dry years have affected areas that are served by groundwater. In the beginning of the rainy season, he said, the ground soaks up a lot of moisture. But the depth of the snow pack and the reservoir levels do help give the state an idea of groundwater tables, he said, so there is reason for hope there, too.
Libby Pischel, public information officer for the Marin Municipal Water District, said rainfall totals are below average for the year, but better than they've been in recent years. The district has received 23 inches of rain so far this year, compared with an average of 28 inches.
"Last year at this time, we had 15 inches," she said. "I understand there are several inches forecast for the weekend, so apart from the power outages and flooding potential, we certainly welcome the rain."
Surviving the storms
-- To report a power outage, call Pacific Gas and Electric Co.'s toll-free number: (800) 743-5002. Information about preparing for outages can be found at www.pge.com/stormoutages.
-- For road conditions in the Sierra and elsewhere, go to www.dot.ca.gov/hq/roadinfo, or call Caltrans' toll-free number: (800) 427-7623.
--
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/25/MNC3UL6IL.DTL
Precipitation welcome, is it enough?; Creeks rising, but snow survey will tell real tale
By Inga Miller and Rosalio Ahumada, staff writers
Local officials are welcoming the cloudy skies and rainy days, but say it is too early to judge what it means for the region's water supply come summer.
The short-term impact of this week's rain was being felt Thursday evening on small streams and creeks, resulting in the National Weather Service issuing a flood advisory for eastern
Dry Creek spilled over its banks just north of
The weather service issued a flood advisory until 4 p.m. today for possible rapid rises along small waterways, including Dry Creek from
Shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday, local emergency services agencies reported to the weather service that Dry Creek's water was out of its banks where the creek intersects with the
Other area creeks in eastern
In
Snow levels Thursday night ranged from 1,500 to 2,000 feet in the Sierra, according to the weather service. Snow accumulated in
Snow levels were expected to gradually increase to 3,000 feet today and up to 4,000 feet by Saturday night.
The weather service issued a wind advisory from 4 a.m. to 4 p.m. today for the southern
A southeast wind of 20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 45 mph was expected to blow through the region this morning, according to the weather service. The wind is expected to remain strong through this afternoon and weaken this evening.
Wind can make driving difficult, especially in high-profile vehicles. Trees and structures weakened by wind that pounded the region earlier this month may experience more damage.
Weekend storm possible
A stronger storm could move into the
Reservoirs, which depend on snowmelt, remain low. While the moisture is a good sign, a more telling measure will be available next week when state water officials conduct a manual snow survey, said Steve Boyd, assistant general manager of Turlock Irrigation District.
He judged the mood among water officials after the dry season last year: " 'Improving' is a great way to say it; another may be 'cautiously optimistic' with this last storm," he said.
Rain is forecast for the
The district's snow sensors suggest the watershed above Don Pedro Reservoir has a snow level 90 percent to 100 percent of normal. But, Boyd said, only the survey next week can estimate water content of that snow.
"The more water content there is, the more water ends up in the reservoir, and that's where we really get a good sense of what's up there."
Don Pedro, which also serves the Modesto Irrigation District, had a water level of 758.5 feet Thursday. That included 2.5 feet gained during the storm earlier this month, Boyd said.
That compares with a level of 795 feet this time last year, said MID spokeswoman Kate Hora.
"No one is saying the drought is over, and no one is saying it has come to an end as of yet," she said. "It is very early in the season."
January, she said, is an unpredictable month and often a poor predictor of the overall season.
"I could give you any number of examples where we had very wet Januaries but came out dry as a whole for the year," she said.
The MID has recorded 4.36 inches of rain for January at its
Groundwater recharged
Certainly the rain falling on the
But there are enough unknowns to leave the water year a question, said Troylene Sayler, spokeswoman for the South San Joaquin Irrigation District.
"We're really anxious to hear about the snow survey, but the other tricky part is that while it might look good when we get those numbers, if it doesn't continue to snow at those elevations, the situation could change again."
"There have been times when we haven't gotten any good news from October through February, and then all of a sudden, March is a really wet month, and we have gotten 100 percent of our water needs met in one month," Sayler said. "The situation is very changeable. So agencies like ours are taking it day to day." #
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/191107.html
FIRST STORM IS WORSE THAN PREDICTED; Now comes the second punch
San Luis Obispo
The first of this week’s two rainstorms continued to overachieve Thursday, dumping an additional inch or more of rain—and, in some places, snow — during morning and early afternoon showers.
Forecasters originally called for the storm that began earlier this week to bring about 1.5 to 2 inches of rain, a precursor to a storm due today that is expected to be much stronger.
But by midday Thursday, the storm had dropped more than 4 inches on the county since Monday.
John Lindsey, meteorologist at
Likewise, Lindsey and other forecasters said Thursday they believe the second storm, set to start today, will also be stronger than first thought.
Lindsey expects very heavy rainfall to begin late this morning and continue through Sunday. The storm could bring 3 to 5 inches of rain (more than the 2-to 3-inch first forecast) through the weekend.
“We’re just going to see rain, rain, rain,” he said.
In addition, strong winds are expected to build today and by evening reach 40 to 50 mph. That could create the same one-two punch the county experienced in the first week of the year, when rain and strong winds combined to down trees and power lines and knock out power to thousands of people.
The strong winds could also translate to sea swells of up to 15 feet.
“It will be very, very rough and dangerous conditions on the ocean,” Lindsey said. “I would really advise not to take your boat out on the water during this period.”
The evolving weather pattern is similar to the 1991 March miracle that alleviated a three-year drought in the area, Lindsey said.
The rain was heavy at times Thursday in the county but seemed to cause relatively few problems.
Highway 41 East near the county’s northeastern corner was closed Wednesday evening because of snowfall. But the road reopened Thursday morning. Meanwhile, Highway 1 from
Cold temperatures and low snow levels produced snowfall in
Officials determined that snow accumulation—estimated at between 4 and 5 inches deep in some places—would have made it unsafe for visitors on the hilltop and for buses to traverse the steep, curvy road from the visitor center up to the Castle.
But rainfall melted the snow away fairly quickly and allowed visitors back to the Castle.
The CHP responded around 10:45 a.m. to flooding and erosion of the road at Airport and Estrella roads, north of Paso Robles. The area was closed to traffic.
And the rain was negatively impacting the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, prompting the closure of the
Needed moisture
This weekend doesn’t spell the end of the county’s drenching. Lindsey and other forecasters are calling for a break in the rain early next week but say a new storm should hit the
The wet weather is benefiting municipal water supplies in the county. Heavy rains recharge shallow underground aquifers first, said Kelly Dunham, interim supervisor for the city of
Shallow wells near the
This allows the city to conserve its deeper aquifer wells for the dry summer months.
“The later it rains in the year, the longer we can keep them off,” he said. “We don’t necessarily see much of an immediate effect on the deeper wells, but the shallow wells react quickly.”
The rain is also beginning to refill reservoirs in the county. Rain first saturates the ground and then begins filling reservoirs, said Bob Hamilton, water supply supervisor at
Despite the heavy rain, Whale Rock has only gone up 4.8 inches in the past week.
“We need to see 6 to 10 inches of rain to get runoff,”
Reservoirs that are fed by larger watersheds will fill up the quickest. Wit a watershed of only 20 square miles, Whale Rock will fill much more slowly than the Salinas Reservoir, which has a watershed of about 120 square miles,
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/256706.html
Storm runoff raises residents' concerns for Santa Maria River Levee
KSBY News (
The
The levee seems to be holding up well despite the water flowing down from the hills above.
The 26-mile waterway is on a national list of levees at risk of failure. If it fails, homes along the
"Yes, definitely, the more rain the more I worry it'll wash out, bring something down, bring the levee down," said Sergio Zepeda,
The Army Corps of Engineers built the levee in the late 1950s. Recently, the federal government approved more than $200,000 dollars to improve it. #
http://www.ksby.com/Global/story.asp?S=7771558
Tornado warning issued for southwest L.A.
Associated Press
CASTAIC,
The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning late Thursday for southwest
Many areas reported at least an inch of rain by nightfall. In
Heavy rain was reported Thursday evening over the
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the
The storm forced the California Highway Patrol to shut down Interstate 5 late Wednesday on each side of the notorious Grapevine section of
An estimated 300 to 500 trucks and cars were stuck overnight in a 40-mile stretch of the major north-south artery but most had been guided out by morning, said CHP Officer Mark Ehly.
"We were taking cars out pretty much one at a time" through the night, he said.
A roughly 40-mile stretch of the icy interstate remained closed Thursday evening. There was no estimate as to when it would reopen, said CHP Officer Patrick Kimball.
About 70,000 vehicles normally use the Grapevine section of I-5 each day, but its high elevation in the
In
"The rain resulted in a few minor debris flows behind a few houses but as far as I know there was no structural damage," Blawn said.
Authorities are more concerned about a bigger storm forecast to hit the area over the weekend. Forecasters are predicting 4-6 inches to hit south and southwest facing mountain slopes between Saturday night and Sunday morning. Blawn said the county's emergency operations team is keeping a close look on the situation.
Heavy rain and overnight hail prompted the Santa Anita horse track in
The storm was not expected to improve local water supplies. One of the driest rain seasons on record left reservoirs so low last year that several cities called for voluntary water conservation.
"It's a drop in the bucket compared to the levels that are really needed," said Ann Erdman, a spokeswoman for the city of
Still, the storm and another on the way could prove beneficial, said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the hydrology branch of the state Department of Water Resources.
"Every drop helps, especially when you've had a year like we did last year when we were shy and drew down a lot of reservoirs ... and groundwater," he said.
He noted that the West has been in a mild La Nina condition, referring to a change in ocean temperature that usually brings drier weather.
"You get a couple more systems like this ... and things might look a lot better," he said.
The storm dumped several feet of snow in local mountains, to the delight of ski resorts.
However, its impact was less clear on the crucial Sierra Nevada snowpack that, when it melts, is a major water supplier for
The first large-scale survey of the snowpack in the region is planned for next week, Hinojosa said.
By late Thursday, downtown
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tornado25jan25,0,2600744.story
Next storm expected to bring heavy rain
By Robert Krier, staff writer
If the forecasts are correct – and that's a big if – a storm headed for
“We're going to get some pretty decent amounts,” National Weather Service forecaster Ed Clark said. “There's a lot of moisture coming in.”
Coastal areas could see 2 inches of rain, and the mountains could receive 6 inches or more. That kind of deluge, if it comes over a short period, could trigger flash floods or mudflows in areas burned in the October wildfires.
Showers are possible before the heavy rain arrives Friday night, forecasters said.
The Weather Service has been holding conference calls with emergency managers and flood-control officials over the past few days,
Several inches of snow were reported yesterday on
Lindbergh Field,
San Diego County Water Authority officials are urging property owners to take advantage of nature's free irrigation.
Residents and business owners should be able to turn off sprinklers for at least a week, Water Authority officials say.
Despite recent rains, water deliveries to the region could be limited this year because of court-ordered pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and a long-term drought in the
The average snow level in the Sierra Nevada, the primary source of water used by most
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080125-9999-1m25storm.html
Weathering the ice and rain
Daily Breeze (
By Kristin S. Agostoni, staff writer
As most
The 20-year-old
He was quick to sum up his feelings as he scanned the racks of winter caps and ski gear Thursday at the Sport Chalet on
"Stoked," he said. "It's only my second time."
The snow continued to fall throughout the day Thursday, creating near-perfect ski conditions at local resorts, but wreaking havoc on Interstate 5 and sending truckers on detours.
Hundreds of drivers were stranded for hours in the Grapevine section of the
An estimated 300 to 500 trucks and cars were stuck overnight in a 40-mile stretch of the major north-south artery but most had been guided out by morning, said California Highway Patrol Officer Mark Ehly.
"We were taking cars out pretty much one at a time through the night," he said.
The icy interstate remained closed as the storm lingered and another storm was expected late Thursday.
"Looking north it's blue sky, but south it's pretty ugly," Ehly said.
A tornado warning was issued Thursday night for southwest
The
About 70,000 vehicles normally use the Grapevine section of I-5 each day, but its high elevation in the
Locally, CHP officers counted about 125 accidents on
As the snow continued to fall Thursday, Sport Chalet manager Scott Rose said his store has seen an increase in customers wanting to rent ski equipment - or perhaps extend their rentals from last weekend, when most schools were closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
"Our rental department's going nuts," Rose said. "We're limited on how much rental stuff we have. It started probably on Tuesday, and this week it's just continued."
At
The seasonal norm is 5.81 inches, said spokesman Stuart Seto, compared to 6.87 inches of rain in January 2005.
Much of
"More is on the way," said Ken Clark, a meteorologist with Accuweather. "There may be a break (tonight) into part of Saturday, but it looks like really heavy rain Saturday night into Sunday."
Although impressive, the latest spate of storms was not expected to drastically improve local water supplies. One of the driest rain seasons on record left reservoirs so low last year that several cities called for voluntary water conservation.
Still, the storm and another on the way could prove beneficial, said Arthur Hinojosa, chief of the hydrology branch of the state Department of Water Resources. "Every drop helps, especially when you've had a year like we did last year when we drew down a lot of reservoirs," he said.
He noted that the West has been in a mild La Nina condition, referring to a change in ocean temperature that usually brings drier weather to
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_8072281
WATER RECYCLING:
Limited water supplies will require recycling, official says
By Zeke Barlow, staff writer
In the future, a growing
With that in mind, officials said, the county needs to find ways to increase its use of recycled water to shore up resources and reduce dependency on outside sources.
"We won't solve our water problem unless we use quite a bit of our recycled water," said Steve Bachman, groundwater resources manager for United Water Conservation District. "It's a major source of unused water."
Bachman addressed a gathering of the Association of Water Agencies of
While other counties in Southern California have embraced the idea of reusing treated water instead of dumping it into the ocean,
"We are not breaking new ground on this," he said.
The city of
Camrosa Water District, which has about 30,000 customers in
Tony Emmert, water resources manager for the city, said the water will be treated three times, followed by reverse osmosis and ultraviolet rays, which will make it cleaner than the water that comes down the
Though the city's current plan does not call for using the treated water for human consumption, that could be a possibility in the future.
But using recycled water faces many challenges, both political and financial. Many people don't like the idea of reusing treated sewage, even if it is clean, Bachman said.
He said he's heard water industry people questioning whether it is safe. There is conflicting information about the quality of treated water, too, he said.
One of the major concerns is whether pharmaceuticals in sewage are filtered out during treatment. Even among industry officials there are conflicting opinions on the effectiveness of filtering drugs from recycled water, Bachman said.
Others issues include whether produce buyers would accept crops that have been watered with treated water and how comfortable people might be drinking water that was once flushed down toilets.
But the use of recycled water has to become a reality, said Jeff Stone, recycled water program coordinator the state Department of Public Health.
"We cannot afford for recycled water to get a black eye," he said. "We need to educate the public on the public health issue so they are comfortable with the use of recycled water."
He said there needs to be better uniformity among local, state and federal agencies about the definition of recycled water and more standards set for cleanliness.
As state-supplied water continues to get more scarce and expensive, it's imperative to start looking at ways to incorporate recycled water, he said. "We are always going to be flushing toilets so we are always going to have recycled water as a resource, and we need to take advantage of that resource," he said. #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/25/limited-water-supplies-will-require-recycling/
Record Low Water Use for
Bill Townsend, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, announced that
The milestone sets an example for Los Angles and other southern
On September 13th, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City's Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board has issued mandatory prohibitions on certain uses of water. "The Board took the action it did to lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage," according to Bill Townsend. "
The Water Commission's September Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of a U.S. District Court's August 31st, federal Endangered Species Act ruling; the dramatic, recent reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; this year's record low rainfall in the southern California coastal plain, and a continuation of the historic 8-year drought in the Colorado River Watershed, which is a significant source of imported water for California. Nearly half of the City's water supply is imported.
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern
http://californiafarmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=31905&fpstid=2
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