[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 4/8/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

April 8, 2008

 

2. Supply

 

RESERVOIR PROPOSED:

Reservoir deal seen for water authority; Facility would be in Imperial Valley - San Diego Union Tribune

 

TEST WELLS:

New legal challenge mounted against Glenn County wells - Chico Enterprise Record

 

 

RESERVOIR PROPOSED:

Reservoir deal seen for water authority; Facility would be in Imperial Valley

San Diego Union Tribune – 4/8/08

By Mike Gardner, staff writer

 

SACRAMENTO – Illustrating the growing anxiety over water across the West, the Metropolitan Water District today is expected to enter into a novel tri-state agreement to build a small reservoir in the Imperial Valley that could stretch supplies for Phoenix, Las Vegas and San Diego.

 

“It's going to benefit everybody on the Colorado River,” said Roger Patterson, the district's assistant general manager.

 

Not everyone is convinced. The new Imperial Valley reservoir has raised alarms from environmentalists who say it could further dry up the Mexican delta. Mexican farmers also have protested, arguing that they rely on water that will now be diverted to the reservoir.

 

The $172 million reservoir, planned for east of Calexico, would store an estimated 70,000 acre-feet of water annually that flows through the Colorado River and into the All-American Canal – unused – until it reaches Mexico.

 

Under the agreement, the stored water will go to Imperial Valley farmers. In exchange, the three agencies that paid for the reservoir will be credited a like amount from Lake Mead, which starts flowing this year.

 

For the Metropolitan Water District, which wholesales water to the San Diego region, the project would provide about 100,000 acre-feet – enough for 200,000 households – over the next three years. Metropolitan can take only 34,000 acre-feet a year for each of those three years, however.

 

By comparison, the 34,000-acre-foot yield could almost fill Lake Skinner in southern Riverside County, or replace 75 percent of the 45,000 acre-feet farmers lost this year due to emergency reductions ordered by Metropolitan.

 

The Las Vegas-based Southern Nevada Water Agency, which is financing most of the project, will receive a maximum of 400,000 acre-feet starting in 2011. The Central Arizona Project will receive 100,000 acre-feet spread out over time.

 

“The environmental community is far from happy. Mexico isn't too keen on it either,” said Michael Cohen, a Pacific Institute researcher.

 

The Colorado River delta, mostly on the Mexican side of the border, is already short of supplies, threatening a range of wildlife, Cohen said. Work is under way to try to restore the delta.

 

“It's hard to do that when there's no water,” Cohen said.

 

Bob Johnson, commissioner of the federal Bureau of Reclamation, said the effects would be “marginal” because there will still be water flowing downstream.

 

The Bureau of Reclamation will build the project, with completion set for 2010. #

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080408-9999-1m8water.html

 

 

TEST WELLS:

New legal challenge mounted against Glenn County wells

Chico Enterprise Record – 4/8/08

By Heather Hacking, staff writer

 

WILLOWS -- The Butte Environmental Council filed legal briefs Friday calling for a higher degree of environmental review of Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District's plans to drill seven test/production wells into the Lower Tuscan Aquifer.

 

BEC is challenging Glenn-Colusa's notice of exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act.

The case will be heard March 22 in Glenn County Superior Court.

 

BEC filed an original complaint in November that challenges the project, which will be paid for through $1.4 million in state grant money.

 

Carrying a laminated sign that states "The Great Sacramento Valley Water Raid," BEC and supporters held a press conference Monday.

 

BEC manager Barbara Vlamis said her supporters believe the new wells feed into long-term plans to export water from the northern Sacramento Valley.

 

One big concern is water sales. "This is not acceptable to trade my groundwater for money," Vlamis said. "The public has been left out of this dialogue."

 

Vlamis said calling the seven wells "test wells" is misleading because the wells will be used for a larger purpose, which requires a more broad environmental review.

 

The seven wells would be run over 1 1/2-year period and draw up to 27,000 acre-feet of water, to plug into a "defined pumping and monitoring" model, explained Glenn-Colusa manager Thad Bettner.

 

He said the tests are to "see if you can pump the water and how does it recharge — does it have impacts?"

 

That water would be used by local water districts.

 

He said the suit by BEC is misguided because it assumes longer-term projects are beginning, "which is false," Bettner said.

 

More broad pumping projects would require additional environmental review, he said.

 

There are many statewide water planning projects going on, some of which talk about supplies from Northern California. Bettner said it's important that research projects such as the one proposed by Glenn-Colusa go forward so that locals can maintain control of local water management, rather than having the state lead decisions. #

http://www.chicoer.com/advertise/ci_8848161?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com&IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com&IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com

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