A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 20, 2008
2. Supply
Water pollution, drought spell double trouble - Agora Hills Acorn
Helping grapes, fish share water; Growers, conservationists work together for solution - Santa Rosa Press Democrat
PIPELINE PROJECT:
Prunedale crowd backs water pipeline project - Monterey Herald
CALAVERAS RIVER ISSUES:
Water agency looks into using river more - Stockton Record
AG ISSUES:
Guest Column: Rains only help if water can be delivered to farms -
Water pollution, drought spell double trouble
Agora Hills Acorn – 3/20/08
By Stephanie Bertholdo, staff writer
Every drop of water counts, especially in Southern California, said the experts at the 2008 Water Runoff Conference March 5 at
Start with landscaping. Water hungry lawns and nonnative landscaping simply don't belong in
Watts kicked off the day-long event with a story of how
"Lawns don't belong in southern
Green recommends homeowners landscape their gardens with an eye toward the state's "natural heritage."
Experts figure that between 40 and 70 percent of the water delivered to
Much of
Although there's enough water to meet the needs of the population, Green said half the water that comes into
Wasting water also wastes energy. About 20 percent of electricity used in
The State Water Project transports water from the Sierra Nevada foothills to
More water each year is being lost to urban runoff, the experts said. Not only is the water being wasted, it's polluting the streams and oceans.
Dr. Shelley Luce, a member of Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, offered some backyard solutions to water runoff and pollution. She said there's "instant contamination." as soon as rain water runs down the storm drains and into the bay.
Luce suggested "end of pipe solutions" including the use of trash screens that divert water from storm drains.
One creative solution presented by Luce was the "Oros Green Street Project." The work included retrofitting streets to allow water from rooftops to go directly into "rain gardens." Storm drains are circumvented and the water is absorbed into the ground, Luce said.
Luce believes that 40 percent of water could be saved through similar innovative methods.
Flooding during storms has been a major problem in the
"It's not just about the
Dr. Michael Stenstrom, a professor from UCLA's department of civil and environmental engineering, said a modification of construction codes could prevent some of the water runoff. Rather than allowing a series of unending concrete sidewalks, cities should employ "broken curbs" to allow water to infiltrate the ground, he said.
"When you pave something you get more pollution," Senstrom said.
The perils of pollution
Malibu Mayor Jeff Jennings said his city guarded against water pollution by building a water treatment facility to catch the upstream urban runoff and prevent it from entering Malibu Creek. Another facility is being designed for Paradise Cove,
Yaroslavsky applaued the city's successes in dealing with pollution. The
"At a million bucks a crack, it's a steal," Yaroslavsky said of the plant's price tag.
Determining the cause of pollution is bit trickier, he said.
"Science will be the road map to mitigating the problem," Yaroslavsky said. DNA testing will allow scientists to identify whether pollution stems from "deer, mountain lions or me," he said.
Kirsten James, a water quality specialist for Heal the Bay, discussed other types of pollution that are impacting creeks and the ocean. Millions of tons of plastic debris finds its way to the ocean, including small bags, bottle caps, containers and a variety of polystyrene materials, James said.
UCLA's Richard Ambrose said algae blooms in creeks are caused by excess bacteria. The algae chokes off the oxygen supply that marine animals require. In addition, pesticides that mix with creek water disrupt endocrine functions and alter hormone levels in the animals, Ambrose said.
But it's not just marine life that is in peril from pesticides in water. "Birds eat it, people eat it. Male fish have been effeminized, he said.
It was once thought that the ocean provided enough dilution of chemicals to prevent such biological calamity, but scientific evidence suggests otherwise, Ambrose said. "The concentrations are measurable."
"Green" and other solutions
Conference attendees discussed how environmentally friendly greenscapes, green roofs and green buildings can help save the water. At the
Also discussed was water desalination. Dorothy Green said that while the technology exists to desalinate ocean water, the method is a waste of energy.
"It takes as much energy to desalinate as it does to clean water through treatment," she said.
Green also said to watch out for the substitution of ethanol for gasoline in the attempt to reduce the demand for oil.
"It's a huge water sucker," Green said. It takes four to six gallons of water to create a gallon of ethanol, she said. When the irrigation of crops is calculated into the equation, the total rises to 1,700 gallons of water for the one gallon of fuel.
"Land without water isn't worth very much," Green said.
What's next?
Ed Begley Jr., actor and environmental activist, closed the conference with a call to action.
"Don't tell people what you're going to do, but what you've done," Begley said.
Begley lives in a solar-paneled house, drives an electric car and focuses on environmental solutions in his television show, "Living With Ed."
Begley said he remembers in the 1970s when he was told smog couldn't be reduced because the fix was too expensive.
"Well we didn't go broke," he said. Catalytic converters were created and helped reduce pollution over the next 30 years.
Begley predicted water will be the cause of many struggles in years to come as snow pack levels decline, glaciers recede, and drought conditions make water a more precious commodity.
"Folks, we're going to have a problem," Begley said. #
http://www.theacorn.com/news/2008/0320/Front_Page/004.html
Helping grapes, fish share water; Growers, conservationists work together for solution
Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 3/20/08
By Robert Digitale, staff writer
Grape growers from northern
The two groups, which have been meeting for two years, expressed hope that state and federal regulators one day would allow groups of growers on a single creek to use off-stream reservoirs to capture excess water during winter storms.
Those growers would use the reservoirs in the dry months to irrigate, thereby leaving enough water in the creeks for salmon and steelhead. The fish are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.
"I think it will work, but it's a long process," said Al Cadd, an
Leaders of both sides said they are trying to break a stalemate that has kept farmers from obtaining state water rights but also prevented conservationists from ensuring adequate stream flows for bringing back salmon and steelhead.
"If we can't find a way to do things together, we're all out of luck," said Brian Johnson, an attorney and official with Trout Unlimited.
The groups met Wednesday at Quivira Vineyards in the
Duff Bevill, chairman of the Winegrape Commission, said the past two years had been a "courtship" between representatives of the two sides and Wednesday's gathering was akin to "meeting the rest of the family."
Bevill expressed hope that growers and conservationists would go on to create a partnership that could be a model of sustainable farming and fishery restoration.
In the coming months, the growers will try to select one or more streams that could serve as pilot projects. Growers and property owners would need to gather information on water flow and demand in the watershed, as well as develop a plan for future water diversions while protecting fish.
Paul Kelley, supervisor for the northern part of the county, commended the effort and said it had the potential to provide "so much more bang for the buck" than the growers' individual attempts to deal with water issues.
Johnson said state and federal regulators are encouraging the effort and watching "whether we can make it real."
One reason for hope is a paper by
Storing that water in reservoirs would provide enough water for vineyards for the rest of the year.
"I think there are solutions we can develop," said Matt Dietch, one of the study authors and now on the staff of the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration in
He noted that the
http://www1.pressdemocrat.com/article/20080320/NEWS/803200366/1033/NEWS&template=kart
PIPELINE PROJECT:
Prunedale crowd backs water pipeline project
By Jim Johnson, staff writer
$26.5-million pipeline project for a water-strapped region of
A largely supportive crowd of more than 200 residents who attended the forum at North Monterey County High School peppered Supervisor Lou Calcagno and a panel of county officials with questions about the proposed project, which would pump water from wells in Manzanita Park to about 1,238 homes in the so-called "granite ridge" area of Prunedale.
Most of the questions focused on details of the plan, and a show of hands indicated strong initial support for the project. The crowd even surprised the supervisor and his team with an ovation as the forum came to a close.
"From the comments I heard tonight, I see a lot of movement that maybe this is a good idea," Calcagno said, clearly pleased about the positive response after worrying before the event began that it might be a "rough one."
"I gather there's a lot of interest in the project."
The tone of Wednesday's meeting stood in stark contrast to a much more contentious and raucous public forum held at the Prunedale Grange Hall last year.
Some residents asked for details on the property tax assessment that would help pay for the project. Others asked if they would be forced to pay for a share of the pipeline even if they don't actually hook up. And some expressed concerns about parts of the project's financing.
Question of charges
Jim York, who lives in the area that would be served by the pipeline, said he supports the project even though he has good water, and asked if he could opt out of the project.
County Water Resources Agency general manager Curtis Weeks told him that, if the project financing is approved, he would have to pay a parcel assessment based on the project's overall benefit to the area, but could choose not to hook up to the pipeline and avoid water delivery charges.
Rick Wilson, an Oak Heights Drive resident, asked if area property owners would have to pay for additional wells if they are needed to serve the area, and asked if the county had considered hooking up to a desalination plant.
Weeks said new wells would almost certainly be needed in the future and property owners would have to pay for them. But he added that desalinated water would end up being more expensive.
Not one of the several dozen residents who quizzed the panel indicated they thought the pipeline was a bad idea.
Many residents in the granite ridge area have struggled with water quality and quantity issues for years, watching as arsenic and nitrate contamination increased and wells began to dry up. Concerns about the effect of the water issues have many residents worried about their property values and their ability to sell their homes if they want to move.
Of the 123 independent water systems and private wells in the area, 35 are contaminated beyond government standards and at least five have already experienced a water shortage or total loss.
Grew out of complaints
Calcagno said those concerns and a litany of complaints from residents prompted him to lead the pipeline effort.
After a year and a half of meetings with county officials and select residents, the plan emerged. It calls for the construction costs to be paid for with a $15 million state grant, as well as a 30-year, $12.25 million bond secured by a $795 per-parcel assessment.
The cost estimate covers hooking up each parcel in the granite ridge area to the pipeline whether they are on a private well or a mutual water system.
The assessment would have to be approved by 50 percent plus one of all property owners in the granite ridge area. Vote-by-mail ballots will be sent out by the end of May or the beginning of June, Weeks said, and the assessment is contingent on the county's success in winning the state grant.
Those who hook up to the pipeline would also pay a water delivery charge, which would cost the average water user an estimated $33 per month.
The current plan calls for the project to begin construction in 2011 and be completed the following year. The project would be overseen by the county Water Resources Agency.
Calcagno said there will be plenty of opportunity during the next six months for residents to weigh in on the proposal. #
CALAVERAS RIVER ISSUES:
Water agency looks into using river more
By Dana Nichols, staff writer
SAN ANDREAS - An obscure water agency is redefining its mission to make it more likely that
The change took a small step forward Tuesday when the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to support an amended joint powers agreement for the Upper Mokelumne River Watershed Authority. The amendment adds "water supply projects" to the authority's mission: specifically, planning for a higher dam on Lower Bear River Reservoir and a system that would allow
PG&E didn't go bankrupt, but the authority has continued to cooperate on protecting the peaks, forests and canyons from which the Mokelumne's waters flow.
Wilensky said the authority has proved an effective way for the various governments and water districts to cooperate, so it makes sense also to work together on creating new water supplies.
That's an unsettling idea for Chris Wright, executive director of the Foothill Conservancy, which has been seeking to protect a portion of the
"Any type of new water supply project, particularly something as complex as that, I am very concerned about," Wright said.
Raising the dam at Lower Bear River Reservoir, however, would not conflict with protecting the main
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/A_NEWS/803200334/-1/A_NEWS
AG ISSUES:
Guest Column: Rains only help if water can be delivered to farms
By Jean P. Sagouspe, a farmer on the west side of the
The winter snow and rain hasn't put an end to our water shortages. Indeed,
This crisis, like many others, is the result of a failure of leadership, a failure to act and surrender to the gridlock assured by a host of environmental laws.
Farmers on the west side of the
Some
If uninformed people read the news about fishing declines in the Delta, they would get the impression that, prior to these recent legal and regulatory decisions, nothing had been done. Of course, this is not the case.
More than $1 billion has been spent on habitat improvements. Hundreds of millions more have been spent on scientific research. For decades, multiple restrictions have been imposed on pumping, and in the last 10 years, we have seen more than a million acre-feet of water a year relocated from human uses to environmental purposes.
I realize there exists very little sympathy for the effect of water supply shortages on farmers. Maybe that's because we've adapted. Although our costs for water have increased significantly, we've changed our crops to grow commodities that can support the higher cost of water.
In the Westlands Water District, landowners have invested tens of millions of dollars annually on water conservation programs. And the district has fallowed more than 20 percent of the land within its boundaries to reduce water demand.
Chronic water supply shortages, however, affect other groups that are less adaptable, particularly farmworkers. The history of my farming operations is a good example. In 1988, I farmed 8,000 acres and employed up to 150 people. Today, I farm 1,800 acres and employ no more than 35 people.
There is near universal agreement that the degree to which pumping operations affect fisheries' abundance is unknown. In fact, there are numerous other factors that limit smelt abundance, such as diminished food supplies. But nothing has been done to address those factors. Instead, nearly all of the efforts to protect fish in the Delta have been focused on pumping water. It's not working.
Albert Einstein once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." If previously imposed restrictions on pumping are not benefiting the fish, then the focus needs to shift from finding someone to blame to identifying the actual causes of the problem.
The planning efforts focused on the Delta today are very important to the future of
The Bay-Delta Blue Ribbon Task Force has concluded that isolating and building a conveyance system apart from fish habitat offers our best hope of recovering the fisheries, restoring the Delta and securing the water supply
http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/798739.html
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