Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 14, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People
FOLSOM DAM FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT:
Politicians hail launch of Folsom Dam project; For $1.3 billion, it'll double area's flood protection by 2015 - Sacramento
WINTER STORM EFFECTS:
Anguish in Allendale; Monsoon-like storm ravaged town -
LOCAL FLOODING ISSUES:
Road remains a risk after recent flooding - Pasadena Star News
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE:
Editorial: Water another budget casualty -
WATER CONSERVATION OUTREACH:
Guest Column: Water wisdom:
Low level allows for car harvest from Lake Oroville - Chico Enterprise Record
FOLSOM DAM FLOOD CONTROL PROJECT:
Politicians hail launch of Folsom Dam project; For $1.3 billion, it'll double area's flood protection by 2015
Sacramento
By Cathy Locke, staff writer
With a series of bangs, streaks of light and smoke rose above the Folsom Dam overlook about 1 p.m. Friday in a pyrotechnic display marking the official groundbreaking for a $1.3 billion project that will double the current level of flood protection for the Sacramento area.
"Short of building an ark, this is the best protection we can offer the citizens of
Kempthorne was joined on the dais by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; U.S. Reps. John Doolittle, R-Rocklin, Dan Lungren,
All hailed the project, which will include construction of an auxiliary spillway, as a model of bipartisanship and cooperation among governmental agencies. The undertaking is a joint effort of the federal Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency.
The project, to be completed in 2015, is designed to protect the
Mike Finnegan, acting regional director of the Bureau of Reclamation's Mid-Pacific Region, said the overlook site will be excavated for the new spillway.
"We've fought a lot over the structures that are needed for the
But, recalling his work with late Sacramento-area Rep. Bob Matsui and former Rep. Doug Ose, he said, "We found common ground and moved forward."
Several speakers noted that
Schwarzenegger thanked the government officials and agencies that cooperated on the Folsom Dam project as well as voters who approved bond measures for levee improvements.
Matsui said recent storms are a reminder that "we are at the mercy of Mother Nature and the levees and dams that protect us."
Matsui said federal, state and local governments must continue to make the flood-control improvements a top priority.
"We have to continue to fund this project every single year until is finished," she said. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/628909.html
WINTER STORM EFFECTS:
Anguish in Allendale; Monsoon-like storm ravaged town
By Danny Bernardini, staff writer
Although predictions for last weekend's storm called for massive rainfall, the folks at the Solano County Water Agency were astonished as precipitation data for Allendale rolled in.
Most of the county saw two to three inches of rainfall, but more than eight inches was recorded in one eight-hour monsoon in Allendale, an area just north of
It astounded the water agency, said David Okita, executive director of SCWA. That deluge took Sweeney Creek from a two-foot depth to 14 feet in just more than two hours, causing massive flooding, even closing Interstate 505. It also created standing water 33 inches deep on
"We have never seen anything like it," Okita said. "We didn't believe it when the numbers were coming in. We sent someone out to make sure they (the instruments) were working correctly."
Okita has been busy fielding calls this week from many people in the Allendale area looking for answers. This year marked the third time in five years they have been flooded, including 2002 and 2005-06. He said many have a hard time believing the flooding is coming from extremely large storms, but rather insist SCWA or the Solano Irrigation District aren't doing their jobs.
Some of those residents sat down with The Reporter this week to express their concerns. Many had witnessed minor flooding in the past, but have become suspicious about the events in the last three floods.
Whether it's because Sweeney Creek is full of debris or culvert pipes aren't big enough, residents are just looking for answers. Mike Migliore, whose
"I don't want to blame someone, I just want it fixed," Migliore said. "How can one creek be full, and not the others? I find that hard to believe. This area is a red-headed step-child."
Judy West has another theory. She insists the SID is dumping water from the canal into Sweeney Creek creating a "wall of water" coming into her property, which borders both the creek and canal.
"When the creek overflows, it seeps. There isn't a wave. When you pull the plug, you get a wave," West said. "Every time (SID engineers) show up, it isn't 15 minutes and I've got two feet of water."
Okita said he doesn't dispute the sight of a wall of water, but blames that on fields filling up to capacity and eventually breaking through creating a current. As for SID releasing water into the creeks, Okita said that idea should be quashed. He said the reason residents see engineers at the time of flooding is because they are there to help minimize the damage.
"I don't discount the observation, but it's just not coming from the canal," Okita said. "They think someone is up there turning a valve. It's physically impossible for them to do that."
Okita said the two previous storms were almost equivalent to 100-year floods and the latest was more like a 500-year flood.
"How do you tell people that in five years we've had three unexpected events," he said. "We have these events that are statistically very rare. It doesn't give them much comfort knowing that. They say 'You have to fix the problem.' We've studied it to death."
That study, done after 2002 flooding, is contained in hundreds of pages of maps, designs and statistics. SCWA had previously looked into clearing the area upstream of Sweeney Creek from Allendale, but the area is private property.
"It's a mess," he said. "It looks like a jungle."
After studying that area, it became clear that even if all of Sweeney Creek were completely clear of debris and widened, nothing could prevent flooding during storms like that on Jan. 4.
"All those were minor improvements that wouldn't have stopped the flooding," he said. "We thought the '02 flood was an aberration. Maybe it would happen once every 10 years. We knew if we had a repeat, it wouldn't do any good. And that's exactly what happened."
One option SCWA explored was creating a bypass to Sweeney Creek, but the costs of a new waterway outweighed those of repairing damage. So the deal that SCWA is now offering is giving out $25,000 to those who wish to raise their homes. Okita realizes it costs up $75,000 to raise a home, but it is SCWA's policy to help fund a third of the costs of such projects.
Traci Oates, who recently moved to Allendale, said thanks, but no thanks to the offer. She would rather someone just fix the problem.
"If they're not responsible, why are they offering us money," she asked. "Who do you start suing to help?"
Okita said all he can do is show suspicious residents the data and hope they believe it.
"The only thing that has happened, is it has rained more, but that's hard for people to believe," he said. "Had the storm parked over
LOCAL FLOODING ISSUES:
Road remains a risk after recent flooding
By Andrea Bennett, staff writer
It's also become a major risk, at least when it rains.
Safety on the road has been under fresh scrutiny since Jan. 5, when a young woman died after her truck was carried off the road and into Mill Creek by what rescuers say was rushing water more than six feet deep.
Nevertheless, safety enhancements are being discussed now.
"It's going to take more than one meeting," Public Works Director Jose Alire said Friday. "We are considering maybe augmenting the signs ... a bridge over that creek, or realigning the road to avoid the creek altogether."
Barricades reportedly were removed from
Helen Dominguez, 75, said she's lived at her small farm on
"I wish they would put a bridge there," she said of the crossing over Mill Creek. "When it don't rain, it's peaceful. But that creek is just like a sleeping bull."
Dominguez said she saw a school bus full of kids take a dive there 20 years ago. Fortunately, no one was killed.
In 2005, a woman survived a flash flood when she escaped her sinking car after it was tossed into the water from the road.
"The danger is when the water gets up there," Dominguez said. "I've seen it pretty high. You can hear it roar ... They always block it, but there's people that move them. Of course, if they had a better setup, then you couldn't move them."
Alire said officials chained together standard orange-striped barricades to prevent tampering for the remainder of last weekend's storm.
He said that measure is a short-term solution until city officials determine what to do next.
To the north is The Preserve, where new suburbs are sprouting from former dairyland. To the south is the
Like other east-west routes in the area, Chino Corona Road intersects with the Cucamonga Creek flood control channel, or Mill Creek, which collects rainfall from as far away as the San Gabriel Mountains.
From the Cucamonga Dam in
Before that,
"When the county maintained it, we did have gates we closed and locked to keep people from going through when there was a bad storm and water over the road," said Roni Edis, a county public-works spokeswoman.
"It's always been an environmentally sensitive area prone to flooding," Edis said, adding there were no county records of major incidents there or talk of a bridge. "A lot of growth has occurred since we had that area."
Doug Hamilton, principal engineer for Exponent Failure Analysis Associates in
"During a big rain, a lot of that area is underwater because the dam is backed up,"
Norman Meek, professor of geography and environmental studies at Cal State San Bernardino, said most local governments have to wait for development to pay for infrastructure like bridges at channel crossings.
Meek said danger at spots like
"When it's paved over, water is going down that used to go into the ground," Meek said. "All of those concrete-lined channels concentrate the speed, and it's a big pulse of water. It's more dangerous than it would've been in nature."
Meek said the more development there is upstream, the more dangerous it is downstream when it rains.
That danger was evident in 1996, when a man was killed after being swept into Chino Creek while driving on
Today, the city of
Alire said that measure is unlikely to be applied to
"
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE:
Editorial: Water another budget casualty
There's pain for all of us in the budget proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Schools, state parks, health care and welfare programs would be heavily hit. But there are other costs of the governor's draconian budget that haven't had much publicity.
One of those is the state's water crisis. There had been hope that a compromise between perpetually dueling water interests might be possible this year, but the demands of the budget catastrophe virtually assure that nothing will be done in 2008.
Like other reckonings we've postponed, this one will just make any eventual solution more difficult and costly.
Democrats in the Legislature want more underground storage and conservation. Republicans want new dams. We've advocated a combination of those elements.
But any solution will be expensive. The budget crisis virtually assures that few, if any, costly bond measures will meet with voter approval this year. The result is that the water crisis won't be addressed soon.
Getting the Legislature and the governor to pull together a compromise on the budget that doesn't simply paper over this years' shortfall, but fixes the structural flaws in the state's finances, would be miraculous. But a miracle may be what it takes. #
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/story/319179.html
WATER CONSERVATION OUTREACH:
Guest Column: Water wisdom:
By Mike McGraw, lead interpretive ranger at Lake Berryessa
Mark Twain once said, “Whiskey is for drinking, and water is for fighting over.”
Understanding water as a renewable yet capricious resource requiring responsible stewardship should be an educational necessity of all the state’s residents.
A good place to learn about water in
The Bureau of Reclamation manages this large reservoir and has developed a water education field program for elementary-age students. School classes are invited to join a park ranger in an interdisciplinary, “hands-on” learning experience at the lake.
The program has been designed for grades four through six and integrates the natural resources of
Students learn about the value of water resources in their community, including the importance of watersheds and the water cycle; lake biology and chemistry and how each relates to water quality and availability issues; water conservation practices at home and in the community; and finally how agencies, like Reclamation, bring water to the people of California.
There is no charge to participate in
Classes typically start at 10 a.m. and end by 1 p.m., but times are flexible depending on drive time and other field trip constraints.
The program can accommodate a maximum of 60 students per school visit.
School groups are required to be accompanied by teachers and chaperones, with at least one adult per 10 students.
Programs are conducted rain or shine, but may be re-scheduled due to extreme weather.
To quote another American icon, Ben Franklin: “When the well is dry we know the wealth of water.”
Understanding water’s value and sharing that insight with others, both young and old, will help to keep “the well” from running dry.
A sustainable future, as always, depends on a well-informed public. #
Low level allows for car harvest from Lake Oroville
By Heather Hacking, staff writer
OROVILLE -- With
The lake is considered full at 900 feet. Currently the lake is just over 700 feet. It's rising with the recent storms, but it's still the lowest its been since the early 1990s, when it reached the low 650s in January of 1990 and 1991.
The last time the lake was as low as it is now was in 2002 in November and early December.
(Historical data is available at http://cdec.water.ca.gov).
Over the course of the final months of 2007, low lake levels meant that dumped cars could be removed from the lake.
State Parks peace officer Kirk Coon said the cars were a concern because over time hazardous chemicals in cars, such as oil, coolant and other products, will leak in to the water. Despite that, they're just an eyesore.
Fifteen cars and one boat were removed in 2007 with the help of local tow services.
Most of the vehicles were either abandoned or turned out to be stolen.
Coon didn't want to mention any particular locations, because he didn't want the public to know where others had illegally dumped vehicles.
Of the cars removed, seven were confirmed stolen and the others were abandoned or otherwise unaccounted for.
The dates of dumping varied between 14 years and six months ago, Coon said.
The stolen cars were stripped minimally, but did not appear to be part of an operation where parts are systematically removed, he said.
This year several tow companies were able to get into the water and get cars out.
Some will receive some payment through insurance companies. Others might regain some of the cost through salvaging the car parts.
"It's very nominal as opposed to the time and effort," Coon said. He doubted whether there was any profit made.
Some car owners might be able to be tracked down to recover expenses. Under county law, a person is still liable if a car is abandoned.
With the help of the local tow services, the cars were removed without any cost by the state, Coon said.
Much of the work was done out of good will, he said.
"Some of these companies do it just so the lake is a better place to fish and visit," Coon said.
He said organizing the efforts was hit-and-miss, because the vehicles were in different water levels. Some days they would pop up, then it would rain and the vehicles would dip again beneath the water level.
One Oroville company offered to help out with their crane and manpower. Company workers went out a few times, but unfortunately the cars were in areas where the equipment could not reach, Coon said. #
DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of
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