[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 4/9/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

April 8, 2008

 

2. Supply

 

AG ISSUES:

TID sets 3.5-foot water cap on farms; Board cites a pair of dry years, uncertain forecasts for 2009 - Modesto Bee

 

Check irrigation pumps early to avoid problems later - California Farm Bureau Federation

 

GROUNDWATER STORAGE:

Storage system is tested - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

 

LOCAL RESEVOIR PROJECT:

Metropolitan Water District board votes to help finance reservoir - Riverside Press Enterprise

 

WATER SUPPLY ISSUES:

Cuts in Water Deliveries Affecting Jobs, Water Rates; Ecological Crisis in Delta Leading Many Agencies to Dip into Reserves - News Release: Association of California Water Agencies

 

 

AG ISSUES:

TID sets 3.5-foot water cap on farms; Board cites a pair of dry years, uncertain forecasts for 2009

Modesto Bee – 4/9/08

By John Holland, staff writer

 

The Turlock Irrigation District on Tuesday put a cap on water deliveries to farmers, a measure it last used during the 1987-92 drought.

 

The Modesto Irrigation District, which shares Don Pedro Reservoir with the TID, does not have a cap but is watching the 2008 supply closely.

 

And Stanislaus County's largest domestic water systems, run by the cities of Modesto and Turlock, expect to get through the year OK if customers follow the outdoor watering rules. That could start to be tested Friday, when the temperature is forecast to top 80 degrees.

 

The TID board voted unanimously to cap water use at 3.5 acre-feet per acre during the 2008 irrigation season, which started last month. An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre to a depth of 1 foot.

 

The move was prompted by concern that the just-ended winter was the second in a row with below-average rain and snow. TID officials said they want to save some of this year's supply in Don Pedro in case next year also is dry.

 

Usually, farmers are free to use as much water as they want, as long as they pay the increased prices charged for higher volume per acre. This year, TID will have a firm cap.

 

"It's going to create a hardship for some people," said Wendel Trinkler Jr., a dairy farmer in the Ceres area.

 

He said he has used part of his 2008 allotment to grow a spring feed crop and faces the prospect of planting a summer crop with much less water.

 

The cap will affect 23 percent of the TID's acreage, the staff estimated. Some of the district's 5,800 customers can get by with less because of the water needs of their crops or their access to groundwater.

 

The board also voted to end the irrigation season Oct. 7, a week earlier than usual.

 

The cap could be revisited if water conditions improve, district spokeswoman Michelle Reimers said.

 

The board set this year's base allotment -- the amount of water available for the flat fee of $20 per acre -- at 2½ acre-feet. Farmers can get another acre-foot, putting them at the cap, for $10.

 

The MID's base allotment is 3 feet this year, available at $23.50 per acre. The charge is $11.75 per acre for each foot after that, up to 6 feet, then $20 per acre.

 

MID Director Cecil Hensley suggested raising the base allotment to 42 inches. He said much of the increased water would seep underground, bolstering the aquifer tapped by the city of Modesto.

 

The board agreed to revisit the allotment in a couple of months and possibly tweak it to reflect summer conditions.

 

The Tuolumne River is projected to flow at 83 percent of its average volume this year, said Walt Ward, assistant general manager of water operations at the MID. The very wet January was canceled by the bone-dry March, he said.

 

The city of Modesto uses a combination of surface water from the Tuolumne and groundwater. This system also supplies Empire, Salida, Waterford, Hickman, Grayson, Del Rio and small parts of Ceres and Turlock.

 

Despite the dry weather in recent weeks, consumption has not been heavy, said Allen Lagarbo, acting public works director for Modesto. He said that could be because many days, although dry, have been so cool and cloudy that people do not feel a need to water.

 

The Modesto odd-even system allows each resident to water only three days a week, and never from noon to 7 p.m.

 

"We haven't seen a big increase," Lagarbo said. "I think our customers are really responding well."

 

The city of Turlock has roughly similar water rules and a groundwater-only supply. It looks to be adequate for the year, thanks to a slowdown in population growth and the availability of many wells, said Michael Cooke, regulatory affairs manager for the city.

 

"It usually takes a couple of years for a lack of rain to show up in the aquifer," he said. #

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/263858.html

 

 

Check irrigation pumps early to avoid problems later

California Farm Bureau Federation – 4/9/08

By Christine Souza, Assistant Editor

 

Mother Nature is a fickle old gal. Sometimes she shows up with plenty of precipitation and other times she arrives with just enough to keep farmers hoping for more. This season, she started out well only to slow down in recent weeks.

 

The state Department of Water Resources, in its most recent snow survey, indicated that the water content of the snowpack statewide is at 97 percent of average. That, coupled with a court order to curtail water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect the Delta smelt, means that some farmers and ranchers in California will likely experience drought-like conditions in the summer months.

 

"We've had a lack of rainfall and snowfall over the last couple of years, so there's going to be a lack of surface deliveries along with the other issues in the delta and all of those things that go along with that," said Ag Pumping Efficiency Program Education Manager Bill Green of California State University, Fresno's Center for Irrigation Technology. "Because of that, farmers are going to have to probably pump groundwater. Some of those pumps may have been run very little over the last several years because they had surface water deliveries.

 

So the problem is, is that pump in good shape?"

 

For farmers who turn on irrigation pumps that they haven't used in awhile, surprises could await, which is why diversified farmer Bill Chandler of Fresno County says it is critical to turn on pumps prior to use to ensure that they are working properly.

 

"You have to check the pumps because you might find that either the wires have been stolen or there is something wrong with the motor…maybe a mouse made a nest in there and it shorts out," said Chandler, who has been irrigating his orchards and vineyards for about two weeks. \n"In addition, we have the motors checked every other year."

 

As temperatures rise, more farmers will be turning on irrigation pumps to water their crops. Green suggests that farmers make sure the pumps work early on so that any problems can be repaired right away.

 

"With an engine or the electric pump panel, rodents, insects and things get in there and can cause some electrical problems, so when you go out there and turn on your pump, nothing happens," Green said. "Then you have to wait in line for the pump company to come out and inspect that pump and figure out what is going on. A lot of times that can put growers in a bind if they are hurting to get the water across the fields."

 

For the past 30 years, Joe Chastain of Chastain Electric in Dixon has been helping farmers get their irrigation pumps ready for the growing season.

 

"We send letters to our growers early in the season telling them to check the pumps before they get ready to irrigate. We check the pumps for such things as moisture and voltage and if there are any problems, we address them," Chastain said.

 

Water levels change with groundwater, particularly when farmers are turning on pumps and drawing from the same aquifers. Water levels will go down which means farmers must lift the water farther to the surface, Green said. This affects how much water output the pump puts out.

 

"Most irrigation systems require a certain flow and pressure to operate properly, particularly pressurized irrigation systems like sprinkler and drip. So if the pump is not putting out the proper flow and pressure, then it affects the uniformity of your irrigation and can make it less efficient," Green said. "It also uses more energy and more water than what would be used if it was running properly."

 

For farmers to be more efficient with their irrigation efficiency, Green recommends that farmers install flow meters or else have their pumps tested.

 

Farmers who have not checked their pumps prior to the start of irrigation season may be left scrambling if they discover too late that they have been victims of copper wire theft. This is a crime that leaves many farmers with thousands of dollars in damages and repairs, not to mention dollars lost due to the amount of time spent away from farming to take care of the problem.

 

"Theft of copper wire from irrigation pumps is in the news almost daily. I farm in the Fowler area and I am concerned that I am going to go out there one day and the wiring is going to be stripped out," Green said.

 

"Farmers need to do an early inspection of their pumps and also make pumps as theft-proof as possible."

 

Sgt. Walt Reed of the Kern County Sheriff's Department Rural Crime Investigation Unit said that in his county about 10 pumps a week are being hit by copper-wire thieves.

 

"Pumps are getting hit again and I've got four guys to cover all of Kern County. We can't be everywhere, so a little bit of protection by the farmers goes a long way," Reed said. "One of the farmers has installed an 8-foot fence around his pump and added a device to lock the control panel. He's got $150 worth of material into this locking device, but he hasn't had a theft since and it has been over a year."

 

At a recent meeting of about 40 Kern County farmers, about half inquired about the Kern farmer's locking device and said they plan to incorporate it on their farms to protect their pumps.

 

"When those pumps are turned on they are going to need the water right now and if their copper wire is missing, there is going to be a delay in getting it fixed not to mention if we don't know about the theft for two or three weeks, it is going to be hard for us to find out who is responsible," Reed said.  #

http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1017&ck=5D616DD38211EBB5D6EC52986674B6E4

 

 

GROUNDWATER STORAGE:

Storage system is tested

Inland Valley Daily Bulletin – 4/8/08

By Andrew Edwards, staff writer

 

Local water agencies recently let water flow from the Seven Oaks Dam to test the groundwater storage system.

Marvin Shaw, general manager of the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District, said his district and other water agencies plan to release a total of 3,300 acre-feet of water from the dam, which will be collected in the groundwater basin maintained by the district.

 

The water was released March 27 from The Seven Oaks Dam, which is on the Santa Ana River about 4 miles northeast of Redlands.

 

"It's going into storage," Shaw said.

 

An acre-foot is about 326,000 gallons of water. It is generally considered to be the amount of water that two families of four people each use in one year.

 

In a few weeks, another water release will be conducted, Shaw said.

 

The district and San Bernardino Municipal Water District are splitting the bill for the work.

 

Shaw said the bill is about $870,000.

 

The Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Geological Survey and San Bernardino County Flood Control District are also cooperating in the project, Shaw said.

 

The Water Conservation District's facilities diverts surface water to spreading ponds to save water for the future.

 

Shaw said it is a local priority to store more water from the upper Santa Ana River Watershed.

 

He said he expects the tests will demonstrate that the Water Conservation District will need to make a water infrastructure investment of tens of millions of dollars.

 

Randy Van Gelder, Water Conservation District's general manager, said, "In the short term, we have pretty adequate (water) supplies."

 

However, he mentioned last year's federal-court ruling that curtailed State Water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect a species of smelt as a long-term water issue for the region.

 

"People need to conserve water," Van Gelder said. State Water Contractors, an association of water agencies that imports delta supplies, announced Monday that enough water for 4.8 million people has been withheld from delivery as a result of the ruling. #

http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_8858149?IADID=Search-www.dailybulletin.com-www.dailybulletin.com

 

 

LOCAL RESEVOIR PROJECT:

Metropolitan Water District board votes to help finance reservoir

Riverside Press Enterprise – 4/8/08

By Jennifer Bowles, staff writer

 

Board members of Southern California's largest urban water supplier on Tuesday approved spending $28.7 million to help finance a federal reservoir near the Mexican border that will collect water from the Colorado River, which flows into Mexico above that country's entitlement.

 

In exchange for helping to pay for the $172 million reservoir, Metropolitan Water District will get a larger share of water from the Colorado River through 2036. The water district serves 18 million customers in Southern California, including western Riverside County and southwestern San Bernardino County.

 

The Southern Nevada Water Authority is the chief financer of the reservoir being built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. But an agency in Arizona is also helping to fund the project in exchange for more water.

 

Altogether, the reservoir will save up to 228 billion gallons of water per year. The partnership will help prevent or delay water shortages for the three states that rely heavily on the Colorado River, which is in the grips of an eight-year drought, said Jeff Kightlinger, the water district's general manager.

 

Known as Drop 2, the reservoir will be built in Imperial County near the All-American Canal. It will contain two cells, each holding 4,000 acre-feet of water, when it is completed in 2010. One acre-foot equals 326,000 gallons, enough to serve two families for one year. #

http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_D_water09.40c60ba.html

 

 

WATER SUPPLY ISSUES:

Cuts in Water Deliveries Affecting Jobs, Water Rates; Ecological Crisis in Delta Leading Many Agencies to Dip into Reserves

News Release: Association of California Water Agencies – 4/7/08

Contact: Jennifer Persike, ACWA Director of Strategic Coordination and Public Affairs, 916/441-4545, or 916/296-3981 (cell)

 

Sacramento — With deep cuts in water deliveries ordered this year to help protect a threatened fish species, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today said impacts are beginning to ripple across the state and will likely continue until action is taken to improve the sustainability of the state’s water supply system.

 

“For the first time in a long time, California is losing income and jobs because our water supply system is in crisis,” ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. “Every day that goes by without a solution is another day of environmental deterioration and lost water supply.”

 

ACWA member agencies report that court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are creating drought-like conditions despite the fact that snowpack levels were near normal last month. Runoff from the mountain snowpack is expected to be below average due to dry soil conditions and warm temperatures that evaporated some of the water content in March.

 

Agencies stand to receive just 35% of their requested water deliveries from the State Water Project (SWP), forcing many to dip into dry-year reserves and seek out expensive alternative supply sources where possible. In some cases, reserves already are low following a string of dry years and a 10-day shutdown of the SWP pumps last summer to protect the Delta smelt.

 

Among the impacts reported to date:

 

- Communities such as Long Beach have put mandatory conservation programs in place, and many others are ramping up voluntary conservation efforts.

 

- Decisions on new housing and retail developments in Riverside County are on hold because the necessary water supplies cannot be guaranteed. One of the delayed projects, a major distribution center, was expected to generate 1,000 jobs.

 

- Growers in northern San Diego County are stumping citrus and avocado trees due to water shortages. Water supply uncertainties and steep increases in water rates may permanently change the face of an agricultural industry that contributes more than $5 billion annually to the local economy.

 

- The state’s largest water wholesaler, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, will increase its water rates by 14% next year due in part to the cost of acquiring water to off-set reduced SWP supplies. The rate increases will affect millions of households in Southern California.

 

- Water agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area and elsewhere are dipping into reserves, which means they will have less water available to meet needs if next year is dry. They also have less water available to replenish groundwater basins that were drawn down in recent dry years.

 

Quinn said the impacts underscore the urgent need to address the Delta and local supply reliability as part of a comprehensive water solution. The solution must include actions to improve the sustainability of the state’s water system so it can meet the needs of the environment and the economy.

 

The solution also must include substantial investments in conservation, water recycling, local and regional water storage and desalination to improve local water supplies and reduce pressure on the Delta.

 

“We have an outdated system that no longer works for species, jobs or local communities,” Quinn said. “It’s time to invest in the environmental integrity of that system.” #

ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 450 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.

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