Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 7, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People
San Joaquin bypass settlement unites former foes - Sacramento Bee
WATER POLICY:
Bond proposal shifts focus to water - Modesto Bee
Editorial: Dams needed as part of state's water strategy -
Flooding D.C. with requests for help; Local lawmakers trek to capitol in search of flood funds - Napa Valley Register
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Flood maps may boost price of insurance - Visalia Times Delta
WESTERN CANALS:
Old canals concern federal water bosses - Associated Press
IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT ISSUES:
Garcia bill could split IID - Imperial Valley Press
WATER LEGISLATION:
Water bills make way through committee - Woodland Daily Democrat
Pyramid Lake reopened - Santa Clarita Signal
NEVADA IRRIGATION DISTRICT NOTES:
Surplus Water Sales to Boost Revenues for Nevada Irrigation District - YubaNet.com
By Matt Weiser, staff writer
A legal settlement announced Friday creates a new opportunity to build a major flood bypass on the
The deal arises from a lawsuit filed by two environmental groups against
The Natural Heritage Institute and Natural Resources Defense Council sued the developer and the state Reclamation Board in 2006, alleging that levee modifications approved for the project did not fully address the need for a flood bypass and the potential consequences of sea level rise.
The parties call the settlement more than a legal document. They say they have become partners to see the long-awaited bypass through to completion.
"We have established a fairly good working relationship which is only going to benefit everybody," said Susan Dell'Osso,
It will contribute an additional development fee for the bypass of $500 per acre during the second phase, which includes 6,700 more homes and 2 million square feet of commercial space. It will also ask the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study the effects of climate change on the project area, and pay $400,000 in attorney's fees.
The plaintiffs agreed not to oppose the development.
The bypass likely will be located along Paradise Cut, which borders Stewart Tract. It would function like a smaller version of the Yolo Bypass on the
The project's benefits have been cited for decades in flood control studies. It remains a focus of ongoing research to make the Delta more sustainable in the face of flood risk, climate change and environmental degradation.
The bypass will need a lot more land and money. The parties hope other land owners and local governments get involved.
"By creating more room for flood conveyance, we're creating an opportunity to restore habitat in the river," said John Cain of the Natural Heritage Institute. "We agreed to put our disagreements behind us and work on something we both value." #
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/841676.html
WATER POLICY:
Bond proposal shifts focus to water
By Ben van der Meer, staff writer
For a commodity with a value that makes oil seem like printer's ink by comparison, the talk in
Although state Senate Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Alameda, floated a bond at the beginning of the year, the budget trouble and associated political squabbling persuaded him to largely shelve his proposal.
But the idea didn't go away.
Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, is proposing a bond that borrows from Perata's idea, with some extra touches added at the request of Gov. Schwarzenegger.
Those include money for surface storage, or, in other words, dams.
That's bound to raise the ire of environmental groups, which almost always oppose new dams because of the effects on wildlife and river systems.
But Machado said the state has a basic math problem with water: too much demand, not enough supply. If the state is going to even start to address that problem with a bond, he said, all options have to be on the table.
"That means surface storage. That means groundwater banking. That means desalinization," he said. "The challenge is to see what tools we have to begin to address the issue."
That isn't easy, he noted. With water, a verbal fight worthy of "WrestleMania" almost always breaks out.
The stakeholders include cities, agriculture, environmentalists, water managers and even other states -- almost everyone.
Environmental groups are concerned not only about dams, but also about the effect of water diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Some believe such diversions have hurt the delta smelt, a fish that's got great legal representation, judging by the lawsuits filed on its behalf.
Machado's $6.8 billion bond proposal includes $2.4 billion for "delta sustainability," with $1.4 billion specifically allotted for ecosystem restoration, which presumably includes delta smelt.
The bond includes another smack at
That also might be a message to the governor, who has resurrected the idea of the
Fast forward to now, though, and
All these factors won't make getting a bond on the ballot -- much less passing it -- any easier.
And in order to even give voters a say, Machado will have to move it through the Legislature with at least two Republican state senators approving it.
Thus, weekly meetings take place between Machado and Senate Minority Leader Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, in hopes of crafting a bond proposal that gives a little water to everyone.
Cogdill said much of the state's current water policy is based on measures passed nearly 50 years ago, when
It's more than doubled since then, and could push 55 million in 20 years.
"It isn't getting any simpler," Cogdill said. "We've put a lot of work on this, and I think we're closer than we have been in a long time."
In other circles, however, there's more skepticism.
Kamyar Guivetchi, manager of statewide water planning for the California Department of Water Resources, said he's not sure legislators will move forward on water policy during the current session.
Guivetchi said a separate task force is discussing the delta specifically and may have a list of recommendations by the end of 2008 or early next year.
"Given the economic situation, I'm not sure how open the public would be to vote for a large bond," he said.
That may be another stumbling block.
If the list of interested parties is lengthy just for water legislation, potentially millions more could find something to dislike if they see a bond on their ballot.
Machado said he's realistic about how much any bond can do.
He said he is hopeful that this one will offer enough to please everyone and actually start solving the state's water problem.
Taking a look at water supplies this year -- and keeping global warming in mind -- make the case for urgency, he said.
The old saying is that in
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/261773.html
Editorial: Dams needed as part of state's water strategy
The governor wants us to save more water. But can we save enough?
In February, Gov. Schwarzenegger made conservation a big part of his comprehensive water package, urging a 20-percent reduction in water use in urban areas by 2020 and asking the Department of Water Resources to find ideas that work. Soon, some of those ideas will come before the Legislature. All should get serious consideration. But so should ideas that involve building dams to store more water.
Why? Because simple mathematics shows that conservation alone can't solve our problems.
Each year, cities and suburbs use about 8.7 million acre-feet of water. If enough low-flow toilets, new meters and innovative sprinkler systems are installed, we might be able to cut that by 20 percent, or 1.7 million acre-feet -- about as much water as you would find behind a big dam.
Many say that this proves that we don't need more dams, that conservation will solve the problem. But
That's why two state senators from this area -- Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, and Mike Machado, D-Linden -- are working on a more lasting solution. Cogdill believes they are close to a comprehensive approach that would include increased conservation, better and more groundwater storage and more reservoirs in a new bond proposal.
"We're encouraged, obviously, but we've been here before," said Cogdill. And not that long ago.
Last year, the Legislature and governor were on the verge of agreeing on a measure that would have gone to voters this year. But it fell apart over how $10 billion would be allocated -- either by an annual vote of the Legislature or a continuing appropriation to provide money as needed. Working with Machado, Cogdill thinks a convincing case for a continuing appropriation can be made. He likens it to the stem-cell research bond, which has a continuing appropriation. It means future politicians cannot derail plans made today.
With court rulings, climate change and increased environmental demands, water is becoming more precious (and costly), even in wet years. We must use all the tools to guarantee our needs -- and those of the rest of the state -- will be met this year, next year and in 2018, when there are 6 million more of us.
As important as conservation is, it is but one tool. Dams are another.
"It's all part of a comprehensive plan," Cogdill said. "We certainly support improved conservation and it's part of the comprehensive solution ... but so is cleaning up of aquifers, improving conveyance and moving water into underground storage. ... But you can't do it with groundwater alone, or storage alone or conservation alone."
We can't conserve our way to water solvency. We hope the Legislature follows the lead of these two forward- thinking valley senators in capturing, then conserving, more of our precious water. #
http://www.modbee.com/opinion/story/261780.html
Flooding D.C. with requests for help; Local lawmakers trek to capitol in search of flood funds
By Kevin Courtney, staff writer
Elected leaders and project managers have been going back twice a year for a decade, but never have the stakes been higher, said Heather Stanton, the flood project’s local manager.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is scheduled to award a contract worth $40 million or more this summer to relocate Napa Valley Wine Train tracks near downtown.
This rail work was to have been done in less than three years, but now, with federal support lagging, it could bog down for years more,
Local leaders have polished their talking points for when they visit offices of legislators, the Corps of Engineers and White House.
“We’ll say, we’re now in the heart of downtown,” said Supervisor Brad Wagenknecht, who chairs the flood board. “The longer we stretch this out, the more impact on downtown.”
“Piecemeal will just cost everyone more,” said Napa Mayor Jill Techel, a flood board member who has made more than a dozen such lobbying trips over the years.
It’s important to reconnect with legislators and praise corps officials for their good work so far, Techel said.
With the occupant of the White House to change next year, dealing with the executive branch will be “kind of a wild card,” Techel said.
In recent years, the Bush administration’s annual budget proposal has included about a third of what the
The
Officials will hand out a map of the flood project, with red lines slashed through the many completion dates that were never met because of funding shortages.
For example, the map will show flood walls between
Traveling to
The cost should be $6,000 to $8,000, said Stanton, who is not going. Local leaders will be guided in D.C. by representatives of Carmen Group, a lobbying firm well-connected on water resource matters, she said.
The flood district retains Carmen Group at cost of more than $160,000 annually to advise on how to get the largest federal allocations, she said.
While the district never gets everything it wants, these lobbying trips “are never a waste of time,” said Supervisor Bill Dodd, who serves on the flood board. “If you don’t go, there will be someone from
Britton, who is making his first trip on behalf of the
“If it weren’t for lobbyists, we wouldn’t have the foggiest idea of how to present to staff,” Britton said.
The message this year is a simple one,
It should help that the corps will be awarding a multi-year contract for the railroad relocation. By late summer the federal government will be obligated to do the rail job, estimated to cost between $39 and $45 million.
Then the question becomes how many years will it take,
The contractor will be able to start work in September with $8 million from the 2007/08 federal allocation, plus whatever Congress adds to Bush’s proposal for $7.4 million in 2008/09, she said.
Local officials try to put a human face on the flood project, showing the federal bureaucracy how much has been accomplished and how much remains to be done, Techel said.
When the New Year’s flood of 2005 was fresh, locals showed video of downtown’s flood damage. On another trip, Exhibit A was a petition signed by more than 800 residents and business owners in the Napa Creek neighborhood.
The Napa Chamber of Commerce is urging its members to write letters to
As far as Dodd is concerned, the federal government’s flood control process is “broken.” The government keeps adding new projects when it doesn’t have enough money to complete the ones already started, he said.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/04/06/news/local/doc47f8564f7c362922457442.txt
FLOOD INSURANCE:
Flood maps may boost price of insurance
By David Castellon, staff writer
Revised federal flood-plain maps for
The changes could affect the wallets of homeowners. Some might have to buy flood insurance for the first time or pay more — possibly hundreds of dollars more — for their current coverage.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency put together the revised map, which identifies the county's low-, medium- and high-risk flood plains. Risk factor is based on how close a given area comes to having a 1 percent chance of flooding, said Jon Bartlett, a spokesman for FEMA, which operates the National Flood Insurance Program.
"In layman's terms, it's the 100-year flood," said Bartlett, a natural hazards program specialist for FEMA in
Flood-plain maps aren't completed on any particular schedule. The first here were completed in 1984 and revised in 1998.
Construction of homes, businesses, roads and other things can significantly affect where water goes,
Levee maintenance also plays a role.
"Some [
The new map classifies more of
"These maps are preliminary, and the county is providing comments, so they are under review,"
FEMA will accept those comments and suggested changes through June 18. After that officials will make revisions and issue a final flood-plain map.
Homeowners with federally-backed mortgages — the majority of all home mortgages — will be notified if they've been placed in high-risk flood zones and need flood insurance.
In
"A lot of
Lenders generally don't require homeowners to get flood insurance if they live in low- to medium-risk flood areas, McClintock said.
"[And] 99.9 percent of our clients will not buy [flood] insurance unless they have to have it," she said.
Policy-price increases
The changes also will affect how much people pay for flood insurance, which is provided by FEMA but purchased largely through private insurance agents.
For example, homeowners in a low-risk flood zone could get $250,000 in structural coverage and $100,000 in home content coverage for $317 a year,
In a high-risk area, that same policy might cost up to $2,500 a year, he said.
It's in homeowners' best interests to look at the new maps and see if their flood-plain status has improved or worsened, he said. If the situation has improved, McClintock said, homeowners should ask their mortgage lender whether they still need insurance.
Others might benefit from buying insurance now rather than wait for the maps to be finalized,
After that,
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080405/NEWS01/804050303/1002/NEWS01
WESTERN CANALS:
Old canals concern federal water bosses
Associated Press – 4/5/08
By Scott Sonner, staff writer
FERNLEY, Nev.—The failure of an earthen embankment on a century-old irrigation canal that flooded this growing town has federal water managers concerned about the safety of nearly 8,000 miles of similar aging canals across the West.
The January breach of the
"As a result of this we are taking a look at our canals with a little more scrutiny," said
The review is no small task. The bureau owns 7,911 miles of canals in 17 Western states, the vast majority of them managed and operated by local irrigation and water districts.
And the review is made more urgent by the change in demographics across much of the West from rural to urban. Hundreds of Fernley homes sit along the
"Fernley is the perfect example. The canal has been here 100 years and all the sudden 500 homes get constructed next to it," McCracken told The Associated Press.
Crews started digging the
That change will control the priority of the canal surveys.
"We will focus initially on canals in those urbanized areas. There's a lot in the
"The other real old one out West is up in the
"The tragic situation that occurred on the Fernley canal is an impetus for these other irrigation districts and water districts to get on top of everything they can. And I'm not implying they are not, but let's go look."
Ernie Schank is president of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District that maintains and operates the canal for the bureau.
"We have to realize that the canal was built in 1903. The standards were not the same then as they would be if you were building a canal through a dense population like has grown up in Fernley," Schank said.
The engineers who investigated the Fernley flood concluded the main reason of the failure was the embankment had been riddled with rodent burrows, some up to 25 feet deep. They also found:
—A lack of maintenance allowed the growth of numerous large trees whose root systems can weaken an embankment.
—Many of the pipelines taking water out of the canal were constructed by people "unaware of proper construction techniques"
—Off-road vehicles had been allowed to damage the canal banks.
—Data on the geology of the soil and bedrock beneath the canal was "poor to nonexistent."
The 32-mile-long canal takes water from the
Economic studies estimate the value of those goods and related businesses approach $100 million.
A team of geophysicists, hydrologists, engineers and geologists estimated the cost of repairs will range from $28 million to line half of the canal with riprap to $390 million to replace the entire canal with a 16-foot-diameter pipeline. Permanent repairs are at least two to three years away and that's only if Congress kicks in tens of millions of dollars or more, said Dave Gore, regional engineer for the bureau.
The
Ranchers welcomed the return of the water, vital in a high desert region that averages only about 5 inches of precipitation a year.
Angry townspeople, however, expressed outrage that the bureau would permit any water to flow before new safety measures and procedures were put in place.
"The conditions that caused the levee to break are still there," Judy Kroshus said. "The only solid spot is where it broke before. Everything else is in the same condition."
Kroshus is among more than 100 flood victims who have filed class-action lawsuits against the irrigation district, bureau, city of
Work began on the Truckee canal in the same year as the canals in the Salt River Project serving the
"It started out mostly for irrigation for farmers and the city kind of grew up around it," said Patricia Cox, spokeswoman for the bureau's
Unlike the
"Some are in fair condition but most are good, so we don't have any canals that we would have any concern about," Cox said. #
IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT ISSUES:
Garcia bill could split IID
By Brianna Lusk, staff writer
The power of separating water and energy at the Imperial Irrigation District could soon be in the hands of
A proposed bill by Assemblywoman Bonnie Garcia,
To read AB 2564, visit:
http://www.ivpressonline.com/docs/ab2564.pdf
That decision would be made by ratepayers outside the IID.
Garcia said the spot bill that was amended to include such a vote is a direct result of IID’s inaction.
“This has nothing to do with who owns the assets. It has to do with who pays the bills,” Garcia said Thursday. “This is about their refusal to address the issues.”
Garcia and IID officials have been at odds for the last month after a meeting in January sparked contention over energy service in the
About 60 percent of the district’s energy customers are located outside
IID board President John Pierre Menvielle said the legislation is “irresponsible and reckless.”
“This would pit ratepayers in the Imperial and Coachella valleys against each other. Even worse it would place
Growing concerns among consumers and the water code under which IID operates is what has fueled this bill, Garcia said.
Without a planned resolution to provide energy in the Coachella area in site, action must be taken now, Garcia said.
“It allows voters within the service territory to have a say and allows the agencies and municipalities and counties to decide what they want the future to be,” Garcia said.
The bill calls for a vote among ratepayers in both valleys to create a separate utility district.
If both areas agree to create a separate utility, one utility would serve the entire area.
If a majority of Coachella area voters wanted a separate district but
If a majority of the voters in the Coachella area are against forming a separate utility, the district would not have to take any action.
Though the bill does not name IID specifically, it does aim to change the water code, which could also affect other irrigation districts that operates similarly to IID.
James Hanks, an IID director, said the bill amounts to a “Pandora’s box.”
“It doesn’t seem to me at this stage she’s put a lot of thought into the collateral damage she’s going to cause,” Hanks said.
Hanks said it may be a good time to do a business case study on the Coachella assets to determine how to move forward.
“I’m against splitting energy and water,” Hanks said.
But he would not rule out selling off the Coachella assets if that’s what those ratepayers wanted.
“I’m opposed to selling it off up there unless they’re talking about putting people on the board. We put everything on the table if they’re going to go in that direction,” Hanks said.
On Friday Garcia met with local business leaders and residents in a meeting at the El Centro Chamber of Commerce. A few hours earlier, she met in what some have called a closed-door session with the Imperial County Farm Bureau and other members of the agricultural community.
Garcia said she was not aware the meeting was closed to the public and similar topics were discussed.
Menvielle has alleged the Imperial Group, a group of local farmers and landowners, is behind the effort to separate energy and water.
The group wants control of the water, he has said.
Garcia said the legislation is not about going after the Valley’s resources.
“Water is the lifeblood of
In the next few weeks, a preliminary hearing will be scheduled and Garcia said it is critically important that she hears from IID between now and then.
“I’m begging them to call me. If it turns out they have another solution, I’m happy to drop the legislation,” Garcia said.
IID spokesman Kevin Kelley said while Garcia is maintaining the onus is on IID to contact her office, the way in which this issue was brought about was anything but cordial.
“How you have a meaningful dialogue after she’s issued an ultimatum … that being, you do this on your own or I’ll do if for you,” Kelley said.
Menvielle said the board would be willing to work something out to prevent legislation but not at the detriment to ratepayers from Coachella and
Hanks said the current legislation is the beginning of a resource war.
“This is the energy version of the QSA (Quantification Settlement Agreement),” Hanks said. #
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/04/04/local_news/news02.txt
WATER LEGISLATION:
Water bills make way through committee
Woodland Daily Democrat – 4/6/08
The state Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee voted this week to approve two bills to help prepare for some of the state's most critical water challenges.
"With California's outdated water infrastructure, a dwindling snow pack, and increasing risk of massive Delta levee failure, this state is struggling to provide for the water needs of its growing population," said author Lois Wolk, D-Davis. "While water debates continue to rage, these bills help prepare for the state's long-term water supply needs by doing things most water advocates agree should be done now. That includes taking the first steps toward addressing climate change in our water planning, encouraging water conservation, and providing for the immediate needs of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta."
The committee heard both bills Tuesday, voting 9-4 to support Wolk's AB 2501, which requires water planners to begin incorporating known risks climate change poses to the State's water supply into existing water plans.
The bill also appropriates existing bond funds to the most urgently needed actions to protect
Wolk's AB 2882, which authorizes water suppliers to use water rate structures proven to result in significant conservation, received unanimous, bipartisan support.
"At a time when
AB 2501 is supported by The Natural Resources Defense Council and Planning and Conservation League, and will next be heard in the Assembly Natural Resources Committee.
AB 2882 is cosponsored by Irvine Ranch Water District and Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, and supported by numerous other water agencies as well as the Surfrider Foundation.
The bill will next be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. #
http://www.dailydemocrat.com//ci_8831184?IADID=Search-www.dailydemocrat.com-www.dailydemocrat.com
Santa Clarita Signal – 4/5/08
During the closure, civil engineering crews from the Department of Water resources lowered the water level by 23 feet, then removed 32,000 cubic yards of sediment that had been accumulating around the boat dock over the last 34 years.
The improvements will allow Sheriff's Department and U.S. Forest Service boats to more easily navigate the area during low-water days. A new floating launch ramp was also installed for the boating public's use.
The lake was closed for a short time in early 2005, when a 14-inch-diameter oil pipeline ruptured on March 23, 2005 after rain-saturated earth slid out from under it, sending some 143,000 gallons of crude rolling down the hillside, under Interstate 5 and into the
For more information on
http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/1242
NEVADA IRRIGATION DISTRICT NOTES:
Surplus Water Sales to Boost Revenues for Nevada Irrigation District
YubaNet.com – 4/4/08
By Susan Snider, YubaNet
And long-standing water sale agreements between agencies like Nevada Irrigation District and South Sutter Water District are becoming even more valuable as
Last week, NID's board of directors approved the sale of surplus water to South Sutter Water District. NID purchases this water from PG&E.
Early each year, PG&E notifies NID of surplus raw water available for irrigation needs. This allows the water district to sell water to customers like South Sutter Water District who are typically outside NID's external district boundaries.
NID normally expects a commitment of 20,000 acre feet of surplus water from PG&E. This year the hydroelectric utility guaranteed 15,000 acre feet with plans to notify NID at a later date as to the status of remaining available supplies.
According to Water Operations Manager Don Wight, NID buys the first 11,000 acre feet of water from PG&E at $1.25 per acre foot and the remaining allotment at $15 per acre foot.
Under a set rate, NID charges South Sutter Water District $24.10 per acre foot for all water supplied to the out-of-district water customer.
Historically, NID has sold all or most of its surplus water purchases from PG&E to South Sutter Water District.
The contract between NID and South Sutter expires in 2013.
As Videotaping Goes, So Does Transparency?
For the second year in a row, a request that NID fund videotaping of its board meetings has failed at the committee level.
It also appears that NID's customers and district taxpayers would not have been informed about this had it not been for Division 1 Director Nancy Weber's questions at the water district's recent board meeting.
Up to now, videotape funding has been made by private individuals and local neighborhood groups in an effort to provide viewing alternatives for citizens unable to attend the 9 a.m. weekday meetings. Copies of these tapes have also been made available at the county library.
The cost of taping varies between $100-$200 each meeting. NID's board meets twice a month.
"What happened with videotaping for NCTV?" queried director Weber. NCTV Channel 17 is
Board President George Leipzig replied that he and director John Drew turned down the videotaping request in committee.
Earlier in the meeting,
"I'm happy to see that your deliberations are being televised today," Matthias observed. "I urge you to pay for videotaping for all proceedings of board meetings to stay ahead of the curve."
Director Leipzig later indicated that taping is only one of the options and that it would be premature to come back to the board with any discussion within a month.
At this point, private funds for videotaping have been exhausted.
High Marks on 2007 Financial Statements, Questionable Direction in 2008
In spite of a glowing assessment, NID's audit forecasts a future indicative of an increasingly darker economy.
Ralph Marcello of Nicholson and Olson reported that the water district's audit is "without material mistakes." "This is the highest opinion a company can give a business," Marcello said.
Nevertheless, he noted that NID's finances are "definitely headed the wrong way." With total operating expenses up at the same time revenues were down, NID experienced a 3.7 million dollar loss in 2007.
"Your saving grace were taxes and assessments in 2007," said Marcello. "You also had developer contributions which are tied to construction."
With a crushing downturn in home sales and construction-related activity, NID can't bank on a substantial increase of tax revenues for 2008.
FERC Update
In an update on NID's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) relicensing process, Jim Lynch of Devine Tarbell & Associates informed board members that formal filing would be made sometime by the end of March.
NID has hydroelectric operations within its district that are regulated under FERC and require relicensing, typically at 50-year intervals.
Director Weber requested that the board be presented with periodic updates on the process since many board members are unable to make all the FERC meetings.
Meetings to establish proposal groups and workshops for the public and interested stakeholder groups have already begun as a part of the relicensing process for NID and PG&E as collaborative partners.
NID General Manager Ron Nelson assured the board that they would be apprised of significant milestones.
Director Scott Miller questioned whether NID will be incurring additional cost by keeping the board informed.
"It is what I built into the process, to keep you informed and involved in the process," Nelson responded. "There is no additional cost, I am managing strategically to keep you [the board] engaged."
Why Doesn't NID Concern Itself With Groundwater Issues?
NID claims it isn't in the business of talking about groundwater, according to Director John Drew. But several people present at a recent town hall meeting on
In other words, when wells go dry, who will be there to provide water to residents and farmers?
Director Nancy Weber reported to the board that over 135 people including local media attended the public forum. "If people don't have groundwater, they need to go to NID and we should not be omnipotent,"said Weber.
Weber indicated following last week's board meeting that additional town hall meetings will be scheduled to continue the dialogue about
"This first forum barely touched on issues like access and water rights, how water is managed and protected, and future state demands on Sierra water resources," Weber noted. "There still needs to be serious discussion on topics like groundwater, conservation, and a potential county-wide water plan."
Individuals interested in future town hall meetings can contact Director Weber at (530) 265-0424.
Public Notice: Upcoming Meeting on NID's Raw Water Master Plan, Phase II
The public is encouraged to attend a meeting on April 16, 6:30 p.m. at NID's
The next regular NID board meeting will be held at 9 a.m. on April 9 at the
http://yubanet.com/regional/Surplus-Water-Sales-to-Boost-Revenues-for-Nevada-Irrigation-District.php
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