A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 28, 2008
2. Supply
WINTER WEATHER:
West Coast Storms Cause Power Outages - Associated Press
You wanted water?; Storms dust hills with snow, raise flooding risk - Modesto Bee
LONG-TERM SUPPLY ISSUES:
Report says area still in grips of a drought - San Bernardino Sun
Water crisis still looms despite storms - KGO Channel 7 (
Agency looks at ways to get more water for Valley - Desert Sun
Early forecast of Central Valley water supplies: 25 percent - Central Valley Business Times
COACHELLA VALLEY WATER SUPPLY
Valley water won't last, say officials; Desert residents cautioned to take up conservation before it's too late - Desert Sun
Are we running out of water? - Desert Sun
DEVELOPMENT:
Water sufficient for homes, study says - Marysville Appeal Democrat
Editorial: Water omen - Riverside Press
WATER CONSERVATION WORKSHOP:
Water workshop set - San Bernardino Sun
Commentary: If the water dries up, there goes
WINTER WEATHER:
West Coast Storms Cause Power Outages
Associated Press – 1/28/07
By Jacob Adelman, staff writer
Thousands of customers had no electricity Monday because of damage from the latest in a week's worth of storms, and experts warned that the risk of mudslides has not eased even as wet weather begins moving out of the region.
Mud, snow and water also had closed several major highways.
Near
In the Sierra, a nearly 130-mile stretch of Interstate 395, from just north of Bishop to the
The storm produced wind approaching 40 mph during the night in the mountains east of Los Angeles, said Penny Dodge, a desk clerk at the mountain resort community Big Bear Lake. It was the worst she has seen in her seven years in the area.
"We had it all last night — the wind and the blowing," she said Monday.
Up to 3 inches of rain had fallen since Saturday along the
Experts said hillsides in
Near
Downtown
Sue Cannon of the U.S. Geological Survey's landslide hazards program said the ground has not been able to dry out because of the back-to-back storms.
"It still is a very hazardous situation," she said.
About 2,000
Farther north, about 1,600 Pacific Gas and Electric customers in the San Francisco Bay Area were still waiting for power to be restore, as were 10,000 PG&E customers from
More than 7,000 customers were without power in southern
About 2,700 Pacific Gas and Electric customers in the Bay Area lacked power Sunday due to earlier storms, a spokesman for the utility said.
In downtown
The Santa Anita race track in
Farther north, more than a foot of snow fell late Saturday through early Monday in parts of eastern
An estimated 4,000 utility customers in eastern
The weather service posted a winter storm watch saying 1 to 4 inches of snow was possible by Monday night in the
Three skiers were killed Friday by a trio of avalanches that swept through canyons outside the trails of Mountain High ski resort at Wrightwood, northeast of
At least two
You wanted water?; Storms dust hills with snow, raise flooding risk
By Inga Miller, staff writer
To the east, heavy snowfall had hundreds of homes and businesses in the dark Friday night in
Modesto Fire Battalion Chief Hugo Patisaid city and county emergency crews are on alert but Dry Creek through
"There is lots of room, and this is a very normal occurrence for this time of year," Patino said Friday. "But we're watching because of the rain and blustery conditions."
Strong winds caused
National Weather Service forecasters predict a 40 percent chance of showers today for the
Hora said there will be MID crews on duty throughout the weekend, day and night, to fix any power problems.
"We're always ready to go to work and restore power, especially during a storm," Hora said.
As of 9 p.m. Friday, MID gauges downtown had recorded 0.08 inches of rainfall during the day. The gauges recorded 0.26 inches of rainfall on Thursday.
Patino said Dry Creek spilled over its banks Thursday afternoon at
Flows at
Zella Taylor, manager of Driftwood trailer park at the confluence of Dry Creek and the
As of 5 p.m. Friday, the
"If it continues to rain, we could have it peaking to monitoring stage but we haven't even gotten there yet, and that's a good thing,"
The
Orestimba Creek was reportedly running almost 4 feet deep, flooding
In
On Thursday,
The city has a crew on standby for any problems that develop along a second trouble area near
About 500 PG&E customers in
She said the weight of the snow was bringing down power lines, trees or other objects that could cause power failures.
PG&E sent eight crews from
"We are working as safely as we can to restore power," Tam said.
Rain caused delays of up to two hours Friday morning at
"We're on a ground-delay program from 9 a.m. to midnight," said airport duty manager Linda Perry. "It is raining very hard, so we are seeing delays for the arrivals and subsequent departures." #
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/192061.html
LONG-TERM SUPPLY ISSUES:
Report says area still in grips of a drought
By Andrew Edwards, staff writer
Despite the snow in the mountains and rain waters running through the streets, the
"Well, obviously, rain is better than no rain," said Randy Van Gelder, executive director of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District. "One of the things people need to understand was last year is one of the driest years on record."
All of
But National Weather Service forecaster Steve Vanderburg said conditions have improved since autumn, when
The 2006-07 winter was notoriously dry, and Vanderburg noted that cold waters around the equatorial Pacific - La Nina conditions - aroused predictions that this winter would be yet another dry season.
"It's a good thing we're not seeing the effects from that," he said.
Vanderburg cited weather observations from
As a whole,
"That's what we keep an eye on, and we're doing a little better (than last winter)," Strickland said. #
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_8082958
Water crisis still looms despite storms
KGO Channel 7 (
By Nannette Miranda
"Rain is not fixing the problems we have in
While underground water tables will get a boost from all this rain, reservoirs statewide are still low, trying to recover from last year's drought. The Association of California Water Agencies worries people will stop conserving, when, in fact, mandatory and voluntary cut-backs are still in effect.
"It would be short-sighted of those local agencies to get rid of those protections that are based on long term concerns, just because of a temporary change of hydrology," said Quinn.
What really counts towards the state's water supply is snowfall in the
"The snow pack is very, very important. It's everything to your water supply," said Arthur Hinojosa from the CA Department of Water Resources.
Some farmers in the lush
As the governor and Democrats disagree over how to solve the state water crisis, some look at this week's rainfall and wish more could be saved and stored.
"It needs to be captured so when we have a drought, that we have enough water available. Right now, we don't have enough water. Right now, we are in a situation where they're raising the prices, where we have problems delivering enough water to the people," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Leaders also have to fix the delta's old, complex network of pumps, pipes and aqueducts that makes water delivery possible. Use is restricted, to save the endangered delta smelt. What good is it having water up north, if it can't flow southward? #
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=weather&id=5915508
Agency looks at ways to get more water for Valley
Desert Sun – 1/27/08
By Alisha Semchuck, staff writer
PALMDALE - Water flow through the east branch of the California Aqueduct needs some kind of fix to boost capacity, a leading Valley water official said.
That east branch of the aqueduct is the channel from which Antelope Valley-based State Water Contractors, including the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency and Palmdale Water and Littlerock Creek Irrigation districts pull their share of surface water.
These days the purveyors want water to move more quickly through the aqueduct, so they formed a group to study ways "to increase the flow rate through the east branch," AVEK General Manager Russ Fuller said.
Total cost for the study runs about $15,000, but AVEK's share is approximately $112, a fee the agency board unanimously approved during a meeting Tuesday night - a fee that was based on the volume of water that AVEK pulls from the aqueduct as well as the agency's distance from that water source.
Fuller said all 29 state water contractors joined forces to conduct the study.
"All the contractors' needs are increasing as time goes on," Fuller said, largely because of the growing population.
Most of the $15,000 tab is "being picked up by MWD," he added, referring to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, a consortium of 26 cities and agencies that provide drinking water to residents in portions of
"They have the greatest share of the capacity, and the farthest reach," Fuller said, in reference to the distance the water must travel along the aqueduct - water that originates in
"We're at the beginning of the east branch," Fuller said. "AVEK is the closest contractor to the start of the east branch in the Tehachapi Afterbay, a reservoir in the aqueduct system located in the Tehachapi Mountains, at about 330th Street West, in close proximity to Avenue A. Palmdale Water District is the second-closest contractor to the afterbay and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District is third in the lineup," Fuller noted. "Mojave Water Agency is downstream from Littlerock Creek." The last agency covers 4,900 square miles of the high desert in
The impetus behind the study is not really to get more water, "but to get back up to what we originally paid for," Fuller told AVEK board members. Back in the '70s, as construction of the 444-mile state water conveyance system proceeded south, "there were tremendous cost overruns," he said.
Financial challenges prompted planners to make some compromises in terms of construction in order to complete the project. "So the east branch never produced the flow that the contractors anticipated," Fuller said. "Those compromises are now biting us in (terms of) lost capacity."
AVEK currently receives water at about 200 cubic feet per second, and with the proper modifications Fuller said that amount could potentially increase by 10%. The total flow rate through the east branch of the aqueduct is currently 2,400 cubic feet per second, but Fuller said the study group would like that flow rate increased to 3,000 cubic feet per second.
The goal of the study is to find where the flow restrictions occur and how to resolve the situation. Some check gates situated every few miles along the aqueduct pose potential restrictions to the flow, Fuller said.
A number of years ago, the concrete lining along the dirt banks of the aqueduct was built up, which raised the water level from 15 to 19 feet in depth, Fuller said. "That did help give higher flow, but not as much as anticipated, (because) the gates were not modified."
After a remedy is found, Fuller said construction costs to fix the situation "could be hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions (just for) AVEK's share." #
http://www.avpress.com/n/27/0127_s9.hts
Early forecast of
Water shortages loom for many
The CVP estimates it can deliver only 25 percent of contract water supplies to its farm customers.
Its forecast reflects uncertainty about changes in operations required to benefit a protected fish, the Delta smelt, it says.
But the Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the CVP, says allocations could rise because of storms that have boosted the Sierra snowpack.
Reclamation prepared two forecasts: a conservative forecast with a 90 percent chance of having runoff greater than forecasted and a median forecast with a 50 percent chance of having runoff greater than forecasted.
In the 90 percent forecast, the water year inflow into Shasta Reservoir is about 3.4 million acre-feet. The Shasta Reservoir inflow is a criteria for imposing shortages to settlement contractors and refuges. This preliminary announcement of the available water supply outlook is based on Jan. 1 water runoff information prepared by the California Department of Water Resources and does not take into account the strong winter storms experienced earlier this month.
Reclamation is implementing interim court-ordered measures this year to provide additional protection for Delta smelt. The minnow-like fish were thought to be killed when sucked into the giant water pumps near
The actual actions will vary depending on a real-time assessment of Delta conditions and the location and maturity of the Delta smelt, the Bureau of Reclamation says.
The Friant Division deliveries for Water Year 2008 are projected to be 400,000 acre-feet, or 32 percent of 1.25 million acre-feet, which is the recent historic average.
The preliminary allocation for the Friant Division Contractors will be 50 percent “Class 1 water” and no “Class 2 water.” The projected Friant Division delivery of 400,000 acre-feet is based on the California Department of Water Resources’ Jan. 1 forecast.
But better times may be ahead, thanks to a wetter than usual January. As of Jan. 22, precipitation in the
In the 90-percent and 50-percent forecasts, the current interim plan of operations for New Melones Reservoir, which is used as a guide, suggests that little or no project water would be available for the CVP Eastside Division contractors (
However, Reclamation believes some project water is available for delivery, and Reclamation is reviewing various operational scenarios to evaluate project storage, projected inflows, and degrees of risk management to protect all project use.
The official 2008 CVP water allocation will be made on or about Friday, Feb. 15. #
http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/stories/001/?ID=7672
COACHELLA VALLEY WATER SUPPLY
Valley water won't last, say officials; Desert residents cautioned to take up conservation before it's too late
Desert Sun – 1/28/08
By Jake Henshaw and Keith Matheny, staff writers
The worst drought along the
Making matters worse in
While nearly 43 percent of the continental
"
That massive aquifer beneath most of the valley allows officials to worry less about whether the sprinklers will run dry during this drought despite 124 lush golf courses, hundreds of hotels and restaurants and dozens of farms that thrive on the water.
But that's changing.
Officials are realizing the valley needs to do more to conserve water, replenish the aquifer and keep fast-growing, water-thirsty cities such as
"
"It's going to force us to be efficient with the water. If the value of something goes really high, you can't be in the position where you're just wasting it."
The valley's made some progress.
While more than 80,000 residents have moved into the valley since 2001, the district's average customers actually use roughly 60 fewer gallons of water a day.
But it's not enough.
"We have the potential, if we're not using our resource efficiently, for outsiders to be coming in and looking at us with a magnifying glass," Robbins said.
Added Crites, "I think we're making progress, but it's very uneven progress." #
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080128/NEWS07/801280311/-1/topics04
Are we running out of water?
Desert Sun – 1/27/08
By Keith Matheny, staff writer
The
"We've been able to pretend we don't live in a desert for the last 100 years," said former Palm Desert Mayor Buford Crites. "That illusion is about to end."
In a two-part series, The Desert Sun takes a look at an increasingly desperate water situation throughout the West that is about to hit home.
Years of groundwater overuse is causing the valley to sink - literally. The subsidence, if unchecked, could cause millions of dollars in damage to roads, pipelines and other infrastructure.
The valley's two main outside water sources, Northern California and the
The valley's share of State Water Project water from
Any major development in the valley that doesn't have its water supply already accounted for could have trouble getting off the ground due to current water supply uncertainties, officials said. Similar issues halted major projects in western
Some of the country's fastest-growing areas are also its driest. The competition for increasingly scarce future water sources between the
"Are we going to run out of water? No; we're going to run out of cheap water," said David Luker, general manager of the Desert Water Agency.
Many are calling for increased water conservation and other action now to ensure adequate, stable water supplies.
A "water summit" with government and water officials from both
"This has the potential to be the biggest water crisis we have had in the last 50 years or more," Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley said.
"I think it's hard to overestimate the potential for a disaster here." #
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080127/NEWS07/801270328/-1/NEWSFRONT
DEVELOPMENT:
Water sufficient for homes, study says
Marysville Appeal Democrat – 1/27/08
By Andrea Koskey, staff writer
If the longstanding
That's the conclusion of a draft study of the district's water supply completed more than a year after the study began.
The Spring Valley project was approved by county voters 10 years ago for up to 3,500 homes on 2,400 acres along
Walter Cotter, the district's general manager, said the water assessment study was required to determine whether the district has enough water for the project. Directors in March 2006 awarded a contract to MBK Engineers to complete the $45,000 study.
"At this point in time, although the assessment is still in draft form, it looks as if we will have enough water at full buildout," Cotter said.
Cotter said the district has two possible water sources for the project - the
Ron Erny, spokesman for the project, said developers will discuss the project and begin the planning and entitlement process later this year.
"The project development agreement does allow for us to build up to 3,500 homes," Erny said. "We need to determine where we are."
Erny said it is too early to provide a timeline for the project and the number of homes to be built.
Cotter said the draft water supply assessment was presented to a district committee Jan. 15, and that the committee asked for the report to include the possibility of future crop patterns.
A memo responding to the questions is expected in February.
The irrigation district board also will discuss the project Wednesday to determine if it is capable of taking over domestic water services for the project.
"The irrigation district has been an agricultural district for 120 years; domestic water supply is new to us," Cotter said. "We want to get as much information as possible to give an educated answer." #
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/water_59565___article.html/project_district.html
Editorial: Water omen
Riverside Press
Nine local development projects now wait on hold because Eastern Municipal Water District cannot promise enough water to serve them for the next 20 years. The stalled projects include a $300 million hotel and retail complex in Murrieta and a 1.1 million square-foot distribution center in Perris. State law requires new projects to show that adequate water exists to supply their needs, but the water district cannot offer that guarantee right now.
The district, which serves 555 square miles stretching from
The stalled projects highlight the need for the state to address the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, which supplies water to two-thirds of Californians and irrigates 3 million acres of agriculture. The delta faces environmental collapse, and a court ruling last year over an endangered fish slashed water exports by as much as 37 percent.
The State Water Project stores water in the delta for
Rising sea levels, invasive species, agricultural runoff, nearby development and aging infrastructure all undercut the delta's reliability as a water source. The Legislature needs to settle on a plan this year to safeguard water supplies that now flow through the fragile estuary.
Protecting the State Water Project is only part of the challenge of ensuring sufficient water for
Long-term forecasts predict a drier climate, more prone to droughts such as the one on the
So
Water-conserving features such as drought-tolerant landscaping, smart irrigation systems and water-efficient appliances should become standard for new construction. And steps such as using recycled water for irrigating lawns, parks, golf courses and other greenery can make better use of existing supplies.
Growth has to adapt to water needs, instead of the other way around. The state can avoid a widespread crisis like that affecting Eastern Municipal -- but only with prompt action and smart planning. #
WATER CONSERVATION WORKSHOP:
Water workshop set
By Wendy Leung, staff writer
Lawns might be soaked and streets flooded, but this week's storm in the midst of a serious water crisis is just a drop in the bucket.
Following a record-dry year, the possibility of water rationing continues to loom, and the Cucamonga Valley Water District is hosting a series of informational meetings to discuss the state's water shortage.
"
"We're not in `crisis mode,' but we're asking people to be prepared," said Kristeen Buxton, spokeswoman for the water district. "We want to put the issue on everyone's mind and make them more conscious of their water use."
Two more workshops are planned for April 24 and July 17.
The water supply from
The water district - which serves Rancho Cucamonga and portions of
Registration for the meeting is encouraged. Call (909) 987-2591, Ext. 7491 or visit www.cvwdwater.com. #
http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_8096115
Commentary: If the water dries up, there goes
By John Van Doom, columnist
Water and
Essentially, the history is that there has never been enough of the former for the latter.
It is a given that the thirst of the
A thirst of this dimension is not easy to slake. You need your rivers, your lakes, your headwaters, your ponds, your snow, your ice, your bays, your lagoons, your aquifers, your runoff, and your rain, and all need to be in generous working order.
In
Slaking calls for talent and know-how, for maturity, commitment, devotion and passion, like that rare husband.
Absent these, supplies of water cannot get to
The lands would wilt to dust. All creatures of the mammalian persuasion would die or go back to
What about ocean water, you ask. Indeed. For eons personkind has tried to figure out how to get rid of the salt in ocean water so it could be drunk or cooked with.
It can be done. The process is called "desalination" or "desalinization," words so ugly that if I were a government I'd drop the whole idea until they were stamped out.
It is apparently very expensive to take the salt out of water; I mean, you can't just pour it through cheese-cloth and call it filtered. It doesn't work like that.
You need machines and buildings, pipes and pumps, and a few nice beaches to ruin. That's how things are done in the 21st century.
Plants like that are in operation in some countries -
Meanwhile,
Local governments soldier on, admirably. They dredge this pond and that creek, hoard this rainfall and that snow, deal with
On one recent front page of this newspaper, the story was about runoff and some regulations regarding stormwater. That story, with all due respect to our writer, Gig Conaughton, who knows more about water than a penguin with happy feet, has probably appeared in this and other newspapers 3,000 times over the years, and maybe ten times 3,000.
Mr. Conaughton, a young man, did not write them all.
The men and women in those tales are extraordinarily dedicated in spending their lives working in the water field. It is odd that there should even be such a field. But there is, and it is filled with agencies, departments, authorities, commissions, watchdogs and the like.
They make missteps, naturally; it is the nature of such entities.
I have no grand conclusion. There's precious little to sum up. Water is still elusive; crabgrass thrives. Plans and regulations are on the boards, and that's all I know.
I began thinking about water shortage when I moved to
But I had thought about water for a long time before that, once believing that in a previous life I was a dolphin. #
http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/01/28/news/columnists/observer/18_01_141_27_08.txt
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