Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
February 11, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People
WATER BOND ISSUES:
Editorial: Another day, another bad water bond proposal - Sacramento Bee
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Insurance information; Woodbridge hears why it is considered high-risk flood area - Lodi News Sentinel
FOLSOM LAKE STATE
Folsom Lake plans growth; Trails might be tweaked, campsites added, but popular state park won't see drastic changes - Sacramento Bee
WATER RIGHTS ISSUES:
More time for input on waterways proposal; Policy would further protect streams with endangered fish worry about effects on people - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLANNING:
City discusses future of water supply - Desert Sun
NACIMIENTO WATER PROJECT:
Bid to roll back SLO water rate increases sinks; Activist wanted to gather signatures for a ballot measure, but he says he won’t make the Tuesday deadline - San Luis Obispo Tribune
SEVEN OAKS DAM:
Editorial: Water harmony - Riverside Press
WATER BOND ISSUES:
Editorial: Another day, another bad water bond proposal
Neither snow, nor rain, nor gloom of deficits can stay the California Chamber of Commerce from proposing yet another multibillion-dollar water bond.
The chamber's latest – $11.7 billion – was filed Wednesday. Nearly a third of this borrowed money would go to new dams and water storage. Smaller pots of money would go to conservation (11 percent) and water recycling (2 percent).
There's no doubt that
Sadly, this latest version by the chamber is only likely to further the divisions. It doesn't offer the balanced approach advocated by the governor's Delta Vision task force, which recently advised that ecosystem restoration and water reliability be "primary, co-equal goals."
The initiative, if passed, would also add $760 million in annual interest payments to the state's budget. How can
The key players here are Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The chamber is lobbying both to support its latest initiative. If they did support it, the state's construction firms and trade unions – seeking a fresh source of contracts and jobs from more state borrowing – would be more likely to pour money into the campaign.
This is a lousy way to formulate water policy. Feinstein and Schwarzenegger shouldn't be party to it. But they also shouldn't cater to the do-nothing crowd of the water community. The Delta needs fixing. State leaders need to embrace the measured findings of Delta Vision to move the state beyond water gridlock. #
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/699363.html
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Insurance information;
By Ross Farrow, staff writer
Officials from the city of
County officials will do some survey work in
Winkler and representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency explained FEMA's proposed flood plain designation to nearly 200 people at a special Woodbridge Municipal Advisory Council meeting Thursday night.
FEMA released a preliminary map that places almost all of
Flood insurance is such a hot issue because of the devastation flooding can bring to property, said Jonathan Bartlett, a FEMA map modernization specialist.
"They're a lot worse than fires,"
Steve Winkler, the county's deputy public works director, told residents that the map designating
"These are insurance rate maps," Winkler said.
Property owners within the proposed new flood plain area could end up paying $2,462 annually for flood insurance if they buy their policy after the final FEMA map is adopted in April 2009, Winkler said. They can pay approximately half that amount if insurance is purchased before the final FEMA map is adopted next year, he said. And for one year, people who purchase insurance early can pay only $317 for the first year.
FEMA and county officials came up with some information that residents didn't know before Thursday's MAC meeting. They include:
• That the
• That the proposed flood plain extends far beyond
The
It could be cheaper in the long run for property owners to tax themselves so that the county could shore up levees and have them certified by FEMA, Winkler said. While it would cost property owners to have the levees improved and certified, he said, it would probably be cheaper than high-risk flood insurance.
"They keep changing their mind," Dejong said of the county and FEMA. "We can't even guess what the price will be (for insurance)."
Local insurance agents advised property owners to ask their agent if their insurance company sells flood insurance.
Winkler said he is willing to speak to local service clubs about the preliminary flood zone designations. He can be reached at 468-3031.
For a complete map of the proposed high-risk flood plain boundaries, visit http://www.sjgov.org/pubworks. #
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2008/02/08/news/2_insurance_080208.txt
FOLSOM LAKE STATE
Folsom Lake plans growth; Trails might be tweaked, campsites added, but popular state park won't see drastic changes
Sacramento
By M. S. Enkoji, staff writer
State planners are forging the future of Folsom Lake, one of
In the works since 2002, the general plan is a blueprint for growth in the 31-square-mile Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, which sprawls through three counties and includes Folsom Lake and
After numerous talks with hikers, boaters, horseback riders and neighbors to the park, the state Department of Parks and Recreation and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have issued a draft of the plan.
"The park is pretty well developed, so there's not going to be a huge change in plans," said Jim Micheaels,a park and recreation specialist with the department.
What the plan offers are options to relieve clogged entrance booths and boat ramps, more campsites at
Nearly 100 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding throughout the park could be enhanced in the future by creating a complete loop around Folsom Lake, Micheaelson said.
Some options that government planners rejected include a weekly "quiet day" at Folsom Lake, when motor boats would be banned. The idea drew support from hikers, neighbors and a local advisory council, but planners decided a ban would affect too many of the lake's users, particularly during the peak season.
The entire recreation area – including
Planners instead proposed expanding 5-mph, no-wake zones for motorboats on the North Fork of the
Phil Heinz, a computer consultant in
He agrees the park is diverse, but he applauds the proposal for slower speeds on part of Folsom Lake.
"It doesn't mean you can't boat, it just means you have to be slow. I think that's fair," said Heinz, 43.
Even though boaters clamor for more slips at the marina at Brown's Ravine, the only marina on Folsom Lake, planners could not find another suitable spot for a second one, Micheaelson said. Under the proposed plan, the existing one would be allowed to expand.
A man-made reservoir, Folsom
But that freedom has led to vandals tearing through the lake bed, which endangers cultural resources, such as historic mining sites and American Indian settlements, Micheaelson said.
To accommodate people who want to park closer to the lake, the plan calls for designated low-water parking areas. Vehicle traffic will otherwise be restricted to roads throughout the park.
The general plan is available for public perusal until March 24 and will also be discussed at two public hearings before a final plan is submitted for approval to the state Parks and Recreation Commission and a Bureau of Reclamation administrator.
Since the last general plan was written for Folsom Lake in 1979, the region's population has increased 62 percent.
Hikers and horseback riders, once dominant on trails, are crowding the paths alongside runners and mountain bikers.
Motorboats must vie for room on Folsom Lake with personal watercraft and wake boarders, changing the character of the lake.
Another major change in the estimated 2 million annual visitors is the increase in the number of residents who live near the park and use it daily.
"They use it differently," Micheaelson said. "They go for their daily run or bike ride."
More recreational opportunities in the park is all the more reason for a comprehensive plan to manage it, said Heinz, the
"You've got to change with the times," he said. #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/701154.html
WATER RIGHTS ISSUES:
More time for input on waterways proposal; Policy would further protect streams with endangered fishworry about effects on people
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 2/11/08
Mike Geniella, staff writer
Facing pressure from
A lead critic of the draft policy contends state water regulators will "lock up" the region's water resources including the
At stake are hundreds of pending applications to divert and store more water from local streams and rivers, including proposals from the Sonoma County Water Agency and other municipal providers.
The new regulations could affect dams, irrigation ponds and diversions.
First sought in 2001 by the Audubon Society and other environmental groups, the policy changes were set in motion when legislation was signed in 2004 by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The changes are envisioned statewide, but are to be first imposed on the
Goldsmith said some property owners and agricultural users in the five-county region remain unaware of the proposed changes, and those who are can't "fully understand what the policy requires and how it will affect them."
The
The goal of the proposed state action is to further protect waterways that support endangered fish.
Goldsmith contends the state's supporting documentation doesn't adequately consider "the economic and social impacts" on the five-county region.
"It would affect the available water supply so significantly that land use decisions would essentially be taken out of the hands of local governments, and put in the hands of the state Water Resources Control Board," Goldsmith said. #
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080211/NEWS/802110314/1033/NEWS01
INTEGRATED REGIONAL WATER MANAGEMENT PLANNING:
City discusses future of water supply
Desert Sun – 2/11/08
By Xochitl Pena, staff writer
At the same time though, the Coachella Valley Water District, with other valley water agencies including the Indio Water Authority, plans to develop an Integrated Regional Water Management Plan that addresses dissipation of the local water supply and the uncertainty of outside sources.
Urban development has contributed to a groundwater overdraft - the water pumped out of the sub-basin exceeds the amount of water recharged, or put back into it.
The groundwater from a huge aquifer deep in the ground that runs the length of the valley is the city and valley's primary source for water.
"We're deeply concerned about that," said Jim Smith, the city's public works director. "I'm surprised that the Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency have not put forward an integrated plan for the valley."
Steve Robbins, general manager of CVWD, said Friday that the valley does have a water plan, the Coachella Valley Water Management Plan of 2002, which outlines water management for the entire valley.
He questioned why
A major issue with CVWD's 2002 plan, Smith said, is that the document has not been approved by the State Department of Water Resources and does not qualify for state funding.
Robbins said the document was drafted before the state developed an integrated planning process.
CVWD hosted a meeting Tuesday with valley water agencies including Indio Water Authority and discussed a regional plan that would meet state requirements for funding.
The Indio Water Authority will meet today to discuss Indio's water plan created by consultants Black & Veatch, and is expected to call for the completion of a regional management plan for the valley with participation from the various water districts.
"The message on Monday is that if the water agencies work together on water supply issues, then there is water supply sustainability in the valley for existing and future residents," said Smith.
According to city staff reports, another meeting between the water agencies is scheduled for March 4.
In the meantime, the city's consultants continue to work on the city's local plan for addressing current and future water supply issues.
The plan for Indiocalls for investigating four approaches to water management.
They include:
Regional cooperation
Source substitution: Such as storm water harvesting and using more canal water for irrigation and for potable use after treatment.
Groundwater recharge: Investigate the location of recharge facilities closer to supply wells.
Water efficiency: Implementing an area-wide conservation program that encourages low-impact development.
"
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802110305
NACIMIENTO WATER PROJECT:
Bid to roll back SLO water rate increases sinks; Activist wanted to gather signatures for a ballot measure, but he says he won’t make the Tuesday deadline
By David Sneed, staff writer
A signature-gathering effort in
Activist and former City Council candidate Terry Mohan has until Tuesday to gather 2,830 signatures to qualify his petition as a ballot measure, said City Clerk Audrey Hooper.
On Friday, Mohan told The Tribune he’s not going to make it.
“I didn’t get enough participation,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve ever tried anything like this.”
Mohan said he is the only one gathering signatures. He is talking with supporters about getting organized and circulating a new, simpler petition with more signature gatherers.
“I would write it in a more simplistic way,” he said.
He also said he hopes the recent rains will convince voters that the pipeline is not necessary.
The pipe will bring water from Nacimiento Lake to those towns.Monterey County owns the lake but San Luis Obispo County has had a right to 17,500 acre-feet of lake water since 1959.
San Luis Obispo Mayor Dave Romero describes the Nacimiento pipeline as the most important infrastructure improvement during his 30- year career with the city. Before becoming mayor, Romero retired as the city’s public works director.
“With this project, we will be one of the few cities in
In
If that were to happen, Romero said, the city would pay for the pipeline from its general fund, reducing money available for police, firefighters and other services.
“People who use the water should have to pay for it,” Romero said.
In October, the Paso Robles City Council fended off a ballot measure that would have challenged its participation in the project. The council agreed to fee increases based on usage rather than a flat fee increase.
Ground was broken on the pipeline in October. Construction is expected to last through 2009. #
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/271832.html
SEVEN OAKS DAM:
Editorial: Water harmony
Riverside Press
The water caught behind the Seven Oaks Dam near
The dam was built to protect the region from flooding. But the structure also collected storm water that until now had simply flowed down the
A deal last week marks progress toward that goal: The San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District agreed to let two other water agencies use its facilities for underground storage of water from the dam.
But allocating that storm water is anything but simple. And the Seven Oaks experience shows that collaborative efforts are vital to success. Collecting runoff that previously flowed into the
But a united front improves the water plan's chances of success, while fighting only obstructs progress. The State Water Resources Control Board, which oversees water rights, expects to make a final decision in June.
A concerted approach to conserving storm water can benefit the entire region. The state's bitter water battles belong to another era. Growth, drought and other strains on the state's water supplies have made cooperation a necessity. #
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