[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 5/5/08

 

 

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

May 5, 2008

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People -

 

Reclamation Awards Construction Contract for Continuing Dam Safety Work at Folsom Dam
YubaNet- 5/2/08

 

Readers have their say about Coachella Valley water issues

The Dessert Sun-5/3/08

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Reclamation Awards Construction Contract for Continuing Dam Safety Work at Folsom Dam
YubaNet- 5/2/08

By Bureau of Reclamation

 

May 2, 2008 - The Bureau of Reclamation has awarded the second in a series of construction contracts for Dam Safety Modifications at Folsom Dam and Reservoir. The contract, awarded on April 28, 2008, in the amount of $3,204,790.00, went to DD-M Crane and Rigging of Alameda, California.

Reclamation's Safety of Dams (SOD) Program is continuing a multi-year construction program to perform required safety modifications at Folsom Dam and Reservoir in conjunction with the ongoing Joint Federal Project (JFP). The JFP represents an unprecedented partnership among Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency to address the hydrologic risk to Folsom Dam identified through SOD evaluations. Hydrologic risk refers to the possible overtopping of Folsom Reservoir's dams and dikes during an extreme storm event. The JFP will also achieve the Corps' objective of increasing flood control at Folsom to 1/200-year protection.

As part of the SOD Program, modifications will be made to Dike 5, an earthen embankment feature located between Dikes 4 and 6 on the north shore of Folsom Reservoir, near the intersection of Auburn-Folsom Road and Eureka Road in Granite Bay. The principal work to be performed includes the partial removal of the downstream face of Dike 5 in order to add features such as filters and drains to control internal erosion. The filters and drains will be constructed of high-quality imported materials that will be obtained commercially and brought onsite via trucks. Supplemental material will be excavated from a borrow site within the reservoir bottom close to Dike 5.

Site preparation, including trail relocation, development of the contractor use area, and installation of contractor access off Auburn-Folsom Road, will begin this month and continue until approximately September 1, 2008 (Labor Day). Principal construction work on Dike 5 is anticipated to begin after Labor Day, with completion expected in Spring 2009. Some construction activities will be limited to certain times of the year to maintain dam safety and operational/ recreational requirements.

As construction details become available, Reclamation will provide this information on the Safety of Dams website and on the JFP website. Construction schedules are subject to change due to weather conditions and other unforeseen circumstances, and the websites will be updated to reflect any schedule changes. #

http://yubanet.com/regional/Reclamation-Awards-Construction-Contract-for-Continuing-Dam-Safety-Work-at-Folsom-Dam.php

 

Readers have their say about Coachella Valley water issues

The Dessert Sun-5/3/08

By Erica Solvig, Staff Writer  

 

More than 800 people attended the fifth annual Riverside County Water Symposium on Thursday to discuss conservation and water recycling

 

Their goal is to curb the potential shortage of drinking water Riverside County.

 

By 2015, officials predict the county will be short 60,000-acre-feet of water - a supply needed for 360,000 people, or roughly the population of the Coachella Valley's nine cities.

 

Here's what readers on mydesert.com had to say:

 

"When will the Coachella Valley cities get aggressive and start charging more money to golf courses? Any HOA that doesn't convert to desert landscape should be fined heavily. All developers should always plan on desert landscape. It is ridiculous the amount of lawns in this valley; grass is for parks, not your yard when you CHOOSE to live in a desert."

 

"Conservation is the answer, but why don't the municipalities show by example? The veritable sea that flows down (Tahquitz) on any given day because of broken or poorly positioned sprinkler heads. Almost every street in the city has water flowing down it! Kudos to those who have been installing drought-resistant plants and shrubs. We had better get really serious in the next few years or our worst fears will indeed be (realized)."

 

"There is not a water crisis in the Coachella Valley, but it makes for exciting reading. Those water professionals over at the conference would like everyone to think "crisis," just like they did back when the last water bond was passed. This is not to say that reasonable use of water should not be the objective of everyone, after all it does cost money."

 

"It's a shame - like energy - that most citizens live with their heads in the sand when it comes to conservation. And the politicians don't have the guts to take a stand. As a board member of my HOA, I am going to support a change to install desert landscaping. I go to a gym and see several members shave while they're running water through the entire process. What a waste! Same with some characters who take 10 minute showers," jackscribe#

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080503/NEWS07/805030307/1006/news01

 

DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California.