A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 15, 2008
2. Supply
Aiming to save water - Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Snowpack shrinks in spring clime; Falling flakes have been above average, but below expectations - Redding Record Searchlight
County General Plan may get water element - Chico Enterprise Record
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES:
Water issues arise at meeting on Tehachapi prison expansion - Bakersfield Californian
Aiming to save water
By Jennifer McLain, staff writer
Concern over a decreasing water supply has prompted
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
"We are cleaning out our cupboards of every single proposal to stave off mandatory conservation," said spokesman Bob Muir.
This year, MWD expects to tap into its water reserves and use a quarter of the 2 million acre feet it has saved since the 1980s. An acre foot is equivalent to about 326,000 gallons.
Because of increased demand, record low rainy seasons and a reduction in water supply from the San Joaquin-Sacramento River delta by 30 percent, some directors are calling for even more serious conservation methods.
"The MWD is not imposing any extraordinary conservation measures at the moment," said Anthony Fellow, an MWD director who represents the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District. "A number of directors have urged MWD to declare a higher stage of emergency as we dip into our reserve water supply during this drought."
There are 26 member agencies that get water from MWD and supply the water to retailers.
The next level of conservation would still be voluntary, and could include the district encouraging its member agencies to call for a reduction in water use, increased rates for consumers that use too much water and turning to water schedules.
"We are experiencing two droughts simultaneously," said Timothy Jochem, general manager of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, a wholesaler which buys water from MWD and sells to retailers. "We have an environmental drought caused by conditions in the Delta, and a climate-driven drought."
Some agencies have already taken action in finding ways to cut back water use.
California American Water Company, which provides water to 110,000 residents of
For the last 10 years, conservation has been a key issue for all water agencies, said Bob Kuhn, director at
Low-flush toilet giveaways, high efficiency washing machines and timed sprinkler controllers are just some of the conservation tools that have been promoted.
"These are times where we have to be smarter about our use of water," said Bob Kuhn, director of
This year, MWD budgeted $12 million in conservation efforts.
Muir said consumers should not let this year's rainy season fool them into thinking there is ample water supply.
"Rain does not wash away the need for water," Muir said. "Even after all that rain this year, March was an extremely dry month. That almost negated all of the advances we made in water supplies."
On Thursday, MWD will launch another campaign encouraging consumers to be "water wise."
"One thing is for sure," said David De Jesus, an MWD director who represents Three Valleys Municipal Water District. "Things are going to get worse before they are going to get better.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/ci_8925412
Snowpack shrinks in spring clime; Falling flakes have been above average, but below expectations
Redding Record Searchlight – 4/15/08
By Dylan Darling, staff writer
Since heavy snow blanketed the north state's high country in the first two months of the year, few flakes have fallen and the snowpack has shriveled.
"Ever since mid February we have been falling behind fairly quickly," said Pat Titus, a fire battalion captain with the U.S. Forest Service in
"For the past six weeks we've been really dry," said Jeff McCracken, spokesman with the Bureau of Reclamation's
March was the driest in half a century for the north state, according to Western Regional Climate Center Figures.
And with spring in full bloom, the snow isn't likely to start piling up again, Titus said. He said snowpack numbers usually don't go up much more after April.
"It's not likely we would see any improvement," he said.
With the dry, sunny weather the snowpack also dropped from 107 percent of average for the beginning of March to 85 percent of average for the start of April for the seven sites Titus oversees. The sites include Horse Camp and Sand Flat on the slopes of
Although the snowpack numbers have been dropping, flows into reservoirs around northern
“There is still a fairly substantial amount of snow in the mountains, but it is just sitting there,” McCracken said.
Combined with the lack of rainfall, this had led water managers to crimp deliveries on the west side of the
McCracken said 600,000 acres of agricultural land where fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown will likely be getting only 45 percent of their water deliveries this year.
“It’s getting pretty tight down there,” he said. #
http://www.redding.com/news/2008/apr/15/snowpack-shrinks-in-spring-clime/
By Heather Hacking, staff writer
That question drew about 40 people to a discussion Monday in
Within county general plans there is room for a special "element," which is a section where that topic is mapped out.
Seven elements are required in
Many counties add other elements to give topics more weight.
For example,
But
The meeting Monday didn't bring about any conclusions to that inquiry, but the Citizens Advisory Committee on the General Plan will discuss it June 5.
As
Locally, increased demand on groundwater is also occurring.
The Butte Environmental Council has been focusing on water issues recently, including filing lawsuits to block water transfers.
Director Barbara Vlamis said there seems to be a "lack of sharing of information about what is planned by these outside threats."
She said there needs to be more protections in place. For an example, she said people should check out the
Citizen Tony St. Amant said a separate water element would provide clarity.
"Providing water in other parts of the plan cannot begin to have the same impact to people looking to go after our water, as a water element," St. Amant said.
Chico City Councilman Tom Nickell said he was speaking for himself when he said, "we do need a water element — no ifs ands or buts." He said he is also pushing for a water element as part of the city's planning updates.
Of particular interest are areas where groundwater is recharged — areas that could be harmed if development occurred there, Nickell said.
Butte County Supervisor Jane Dolan also attended the meeting, but did not express her opinion.
While the focus of the meeting was the idea of a water element, several people at the meeting lobbied for more focus on programs for youths. Marian Gage, administrator for the Butte County Office of Education, said she wasn't asking for a "youth element" but programs for young people are being cut, she said.
Having youth issues included in the General Plan would help to "legitimize" the need for community focus, she said. #
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_8928887
DEVELOPMENT ISSUES:
Water issues arise at meeting on Tehachapi prison expansion
STALLION SPRINGS — Water availability and quality concerns bubbled up at a Monday meeting about expanding the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi.
Statewide, about 16,000 beds will be added to alleviate crowded prison conditions.
Consultants are preparing environmental reports about this growth, and all Kern’s four state institutions — in
Glenn Mueller, general manager of the Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District told planners with the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation he wanted the report to unequivocally state that not one drop of
“All water needs should be imported state water project water,” he said.
After the meeting, Mueller said the prison can pay the district to pump the water it needs. The two entities have worked together for the past 20 years.
Bill Miller of the Tehachapi Resource Conservation District asked planners to analyze nitrate levels in treated prison wastewater, fluid that’s sprayed onto areas in
Expanding the prison’s wastewater treatment plant is a separate project, one corrections staff feel confident will move forward.
But the design that’s being reviewed would have to be expanded after it’s built to accommodate a larger prison population, an official said.
The draft report about growth at the Tehachapi site may be available for public review by late summer.
Several audience members, including Deborah Hand, Tehachapi’s mayor, said that timeline seemed too aggressive. She asked state planners to give Tehachapi a stake in approving the final report, which may be complete by this fall.
But Bob Sleppy, deputy director of the corrections department’s environmental services branch, said it would be unusual for a state agency to give a city approval authority. City officials would be part of the official review process.
He said after the meeting the reports would be shared with the public when they meet the department’s strict standards. #
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/417384.html
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