A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 23, 2008
2. Supply –
Mudslides reported as strange storms continue
Los Angeles Times
Fallowing program falls short
When water runs dry
Conservation key for residents with wells
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Mudslides reported as strange storms continue
By David Reyes, My-Thuan Tran and
Sierra Madre police and fire officials are getting reports of mudflows this morning in the wake of a wild spring thunderstorm that wreaked havoc across Southern California, flipping a big-rig truck, derailing a freight train and causing widespread traffic delays, property damage and road closures.
Sierra Madre authorities said that they were receiving calls about mudflows in the northern parts of the city and that there have been some evacuations, but there were no reports of injuries or damaged homes.
While rain will be widespread throughout the region today, it is not expected be as severe as yesterday's wet weather, the National Weather Service reported. Still, authorities are keeping an eye out for flooding and mudslides.
Rain is heaviest this morning in the San Gabriel Mountains east of downtown
"The low pressure in
Seto said temperatures along the coast and inland would be in the mid-60s to low-70s, and the region would remain blanketed by clouds with a 20% chance of showers through Saturday evening.
There are no major road closures or freeway closures related to the weather in the
The storm's most severe damage Thursday was reported in
Shortly before 5 p.m. Thursday, one of two funnel clouds tossed a line of 30-ton rail cars off their tracks and overturned a tractor-trailer truck, blocking the northbound lanes of the 215 Freeway.
Rush-hour traffic backed up for at least eight miles, according to the Highway Patrol.
The truck driver was pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital with minor to moderate injuries.
"It's quite large," CHP officer Jaci Parent said of the tornado as it churned west of the interstate Thursday evening.
The tornado then headed toward Perris, where it caused power outages and minor damage before dissipating.
"I drove through it and have never seen weather like this," said Sgt. Dennis Gutierrez, spokesman for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
In
Hail turned neighborhoods white in
As storm cells jumped from place to place through the day, radio and television broadcasts were interrupted with emergency warnings for communities threatened by flooding and tornadoes.
Flooding and rockslides closed sections of Interstate 10 in central
There were reports of a tornado touching down near Interstate 15 in
Parent said investigating officers found a severe storm and flooded freeway lanes, but no funnel cloud.
In
Officials closed the roads to mud-swept Modjeska, Silverado and Williams canyons and worked to rescue residents stranded in two homes near the back of
Authorities dispatched bulldozers and other heavy equipment to clear the roadways and stand by in the event of more heavy rains.
Two canyon residents barely escaped the avalanche of boulders, mud and tree trunks that went roaring at them in
"It was out of control," said Tim Adams, 56, a resident of nearby
Adams and LaBar got into four-wheel drive vehicles and sped away, going around and over boulders and downed trees.
"I have always said when it got bad, I would get out," said LaBar, who usually ignored mandatory evacuation orders. "It's the baddest I've ever seen it."
At Cook's Corner, a roadside biker bar in
"It's super-bad," said Rhonda Palmeri, manager of the diner at
Initially, patrons were in a jovial mood as rain pelted the roof and lightning struck above a nearby hill. But a sense of panic set in as flood waters rose inside.
"When the water started rising . . . I got scared, very scared," said Paul Lee of
With the possibility of even more thunderstorms today, motorists were being cautioned to avoid entering flooded intersections where their vehicles could become trapped.
In Irwindale in the
Five vehicles had to be towed out of the intersection of
By late Thursday afternoon, canyon residents in
About two hours after their escape from
After moving the snake out of the mud, the pair rolled up their pants legs and began shoveling away several feet of thick mud that had piled up around the LaBars' home, named End of the Trail.
Soon, neighbor Roger Seeman walked through the battered gate, shovel in hand.
"I thought there might be some mud here," he said as he began shoveling.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-weather24-2008may24,0,3778061.story?page=1
Fallowing program falls short
By Brianna Lusk, staff writer
With the rising prices of commodities, the Imperial Irrigation District has found itself competing against the market for water.
IID Water Manager Mike King said the number of acres that will be left idle in the next year to conserve water for transfer is about 5,000 acre-feet short.
The district raised the incentives for fallowing this year for farmers to $85 an acre-foot in order to entice more to participate.
“We knew this year we would be competing against the wheat,” King said. “I’ve heard the wheat prices are good next year. We’re going to look at what we can do to the fallowing program to overhaul it.”
As part of the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement, fallowing fields is used in part to meet the water transfer requirements. Fallowing is scheduled to be phased out by on-farm conservation and water saving efforts by 2018.
Until then volunteers are sought each year to fallow and the same land cannot be fallowed more than two years in a row.
King said an average of 50 percent of those who apply for the fallowing program eventually turn the contract down.
“Part of it is due to the adjustment we make on the trending analysis,” King said.
The analysis looks at the usage of water on the field in the last three years. “They think they’re going to get paid more so they pull out,” he added.
With summer quickly approaching, King informed the board last week that the district might have to declare a supply demand imbalance next year if water conditions persist.
IID is estimated to have an overrun of 75,000 acre-feet this year. Last year similar estimates were predicted but the actual overrun was minimal.
IID board Director James Hanks said it’s an indication that the district will have to get more water from conservation to meet the transfer requirements.
“I think we’re going to have to move towards on-farm conservation sooner than expected,” Hanks said.
Imperial County Farm Bureau officials could not be reached for comment Thursday.
Also at issue is the lack of response received in the district’s equitable water distribution pilot program. If there were a water shortage for next year, a rationing program would be put into place for agricultural users.
This year farmers were given the opportunity to participate in a pilot program to test the software and system and to work out any issues that could come up if an SDI were declared in the future.
King said only 22 out of more than 400 farmers in the Valley have volunteered, making the pilot program useless.
“We need at least 200. You don’t get a good mix of the type of people that would be in the program and it wouldn’t make any sense,” King said.
Hanks said it could lead to difficulty in the future if there was a lack of familiarity with the system.
“When it comes right down to it and there’s a crunch, a lot of value is lost in not participating in it,” Hanks said.
IID staff is doing what it can to try and work out the bugs in the system, King said, but without input it’s an impossible task.
“It’s important to finalize the pilot program. We have to work with the Water Conservation Advisory Board and the Farm Bureau to see what changes we have to make,” King said.
“It may not be too late. There may be some incentive we can offer. We’re in a new field here — uncharted waters,” he added.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/05/23/local_news/news05.txt
When water runs dry
Conservation key for residents with wells
Grass Valley
By Laura Brown, staff writer
Drier than normal conditions for the second year in a row have pushed a handful of property owners in Nevada County to seek help for well problems early this season.
Like area reservoirs, some area wells are showing lower-than-normal water levels, said area hydrologists and owners of well drilling companies. Area ranchers are struggling with losses to pasture left dry by the drought, and local water officials are considering buying water from PG&E to maintain reserves.
This week, two historically healthy wells on
"Both of them had very low water," said Randy Harris, owner of Blubilt, a water treatment company that builds and maintains well systems. "I'm seeing an early trend."
While low-performing wells are not unheard-of, calls usually don't begin until July or August, said Greg Peters, owner of Peters' Well Drilling. He's already been contacted by several people with "problem wells."
He predicts the number to increase by 2 percent this year.
"When you get two years in a row of drier than normal, you're going to have a problem," Peters said.
Several people who struggled to get through last year already are seeking help.
"They're marginally producing wells anyway. They've come to a point they just can't make it," Peters said.
G.I. showers
Groundwater accounts for up to 40 percent of the state's water supply, according to the state Water Resources Control Board. But the quality of domestic well water in
Next week, the U.S. Geological Survey will present information gathered from a study of ground water in
Preliminary studies have shown many wells in the
Jane Anderson, who lives near Jones Bar, plans to lower the pump in her well several hundred feet as a precaution after her well went dry for five days last summer.
She lost trees during the dry spell including apple, olive, dogwood and pine.
She remembers a drought during the 1980's that left no extra water to wash cars. Neighbors used recycled gray water for irrigating gardens and took "G.I.-style" showers.
"It's going to come to that before the summer ends,"
The average well in
Ridgetop properties with views tend to require deeper, more expensive wells. But most people find water, Peters said.
Conservation is key in the coming months, echoed Peters and Harris. Using large storage tanks help stretch water reserves. In 24 hours, a well that produces one gallon per minute can produce 1,440 gallons of water.
Some people may have to rethink the way they use water, making the switch from overhead sprinklers to a drip system in their gardens. Harris suggests taking an even more drastic measure.
"Stop planting plants. They take up so much water. Lawns and plants are the killer," Harris said. #
http://www.theunion.com/article/20080523/NEWS/836615703/1066
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