[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 6/3/08

 

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

June 3, 2008

 

2. Supply –

 

WANING WATER: Tahoe, other reservoirs forecast to drops as summer progresses

Tahoe dropping in months it normally gets replenished

Nevada Appeal

 

Decision urged on desalination

Marin Independent Journal

 

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WANING WATER: Tahoe, other reservoirs forecast to drops as summer progresses

Tahoe dropping in months it normally gets replenished

Nevada Appeal – 6/3/08

By Greyson Howard

A second slow winter in a row could mean water stops spilling over the dam at Lake Tahoe, cutting off flow at the top of the Truckee River.

Despite abundant snow early in the winter season, an uncharacteristically dry spring has meant runoff hasn’t kept up with evaporation, dropping Lake Tahoe in months that traditionally refill the lake.

“The lake may come up a few hundredths of an inch, but this looks like it’s about as high as it’s going to get,” said Chief Hydrologist Chad Blanchard with the U.S. District Court Water Masters Office.

The current lake level for Tahoe, as of Monday, is 6225.48 feet, Blanchard said.
“We’ve had terrible inflow — almost as bad as last year, and last year the snowpack was much less,” Blanchard said.

Because almost all precipitation fell as snow, the soil never saturated, and snowmelt went into the ground rather than running into Lake Tahoe and other reservoirs, Blanchard said.

Coupled with high winds that evaporated both the lake and snow, this springs goes into the record books as the worst for lake rise in 108 years, along with 1977, Blanchard said.

“The rise into Tahoe in March and April was actually negative — evaporation was higher than in-flow,” he said.

This could mean by the end of the year Lake Tahoe could drop another 2.5 feet to the natural rim at 6223 feet in elevation, stopping flow over the dam, Blanchard said.
“The river would go dry until it gets further downstream, but by that time hopefully we’ll get new moisture,” Blanchard said.

Tributaries and reservoirs further downstream could still maintain the minimum “Floriston Rate” of flow, however, and the Water Masters Office would draw heavily on Boca to maintain water supply for Reno and Sparks, he said.

“Boca could get very low, but should be at a pretty good level most of the summer,” he said.

But Lake Tahoe dropping below its natural rim isn’t uncommon, Blanchard said, listing 2003, 2004 and 2005 as years where the rim was reached.

He said he expects to be able to get through this year on the water available, but is hoping for a better winter for 2008-09.

“If we get another dry year we are going to have a problem,” Blanchard said.
The North Tahoe Public Utility District won’t have any problems drawing water from the lake, said Lee Schegg, public works director for the district, as they use submersible pumps well below lake levels.

“Our supply is un-impacted by the lack of precipitation,” Schegg said.
But boat launches will be another story, he said.

“The Tahoe Vista recreation area definitely shuts down within one foot of the natural rim,” Schegg said. “We’re already going to restrict to shallow-draft.”

Elsewhere, Prosser reservoir has pretty much peaked out at 21,207 acre feet, compared to its 29,840 acre feet total, and will be drawn down to 9,800 acre feet by the end of the year, Blanchard said.

Local ground water supply
In Truckee, however, water supplies drawing entirely on underground aquifers look no worse than normal years, said Ed Taylor, water utility director for the Truckee Donner Public Utility District.

“Our water supply is in great condition,” Taylor said. “Our wells have been consistent year after year.”

The utility district draws its water from wells about 1,100 feet deep in the Martis Valley, Taylor said.

“The Martis Valley basin is like a big bowl that fills and then overflows into the Truckee River, so we get first shot at the water,” Taylor said.

Even though it’s much smaller than Truckee’s, Squaw Valley’s aquifer has also fully recharged this year, said Rick Lierman, general manager of the Squaw Valley Public Service District.

“We plan for two consecutive drought years in a row,” Lierman said. “So we’re hoping for a better winter this coming year.”

Likewise Tahoe City Public Utility District’s ground water appears to be in good shape, said Cindy Gustafson, general manager for the district.#

http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/SS/20080603/NEWS/189883554/-1/REGION

 

Decision urged on desalination

Marin Independent Journal – 6/2/08

By Mark Prado, staff writer

With the threat of drought looming, a decision on desalinating bay water and piping it to Marin homes should happen sooner rather than later, and without voter approval.

 

That's the opinion of the Marin County civil grand jury, which has issued a report: "Sustaining Marin's Fragile Water Supply," urging action on the desalination plan.

The Marin Municipal Water District board of directors is expected to certify a final environmental impact report on the plan this summer. The desalination plant would take San Rafael Bay water and use reverse osmosis technology to make it drinkable.

 

"Desalination seems a viable option for a portion of Marin's water supply," the jury wrote. "The (water) board should vote on whether or not to move forward on desalination shortly after the final EIR is certified."

 

Later, the report goes on to say "waiting until a serious drought occurs will be too late."

 

While a grand jury report in 2005 suggested that a desalination project go to the public for a vote, this grand jury said the water board should make the call.

"We believe our public representatives on the MMWD board should make the desalination decision," the jury said in its report.

 

The district could bypass a public vote if its uses certificates of participation or another form of financing that does not need a vote. But a more common bond financing scheme would have to go on the ballot for the project, which could cost $111 million to $173 million, depending on what type of  facility is built.

Larry Russell, water district board president, said the public participation aspect needs to be looked at closely.

 

"If there is no vote, the public still must pay for it," Russell said. "But it's a difficult project for the public to get up to speed on. It's a tricky situation."

Fielding Greaves of the Marin United Taxpayers Association said a public vote is a must.

 

"The association very much believes that a project of this importance and this cost should go to the public for a vote," he said.

 

Part of the reasoning in calling for the quick action is the threat of climate change and its impact, according to the jury.

 

"We believe the threat of a catastrophic drought has been brought into much sharper focus in the past few years with the certain presence and rapid advancement of global warming," the jury wrote. "Such a drought would not just mean showering less often or letting your lawn go brown - it brings very real public economic, health and safety issues with it."

 

If a drought hits and Mount Tamalpais reservoirs run dry, the district would have to impose rationing. In the second year of a drought, consumers would have to cut 65 percent of their water use, meaning they could only use 35 percent of what they use now, officials have said.

 

"It was good to hear the grand jury's opinion," said Paul Helliker, water district general manager. "They really looked at climate change, water supply and what a delay means for future water supply."

 

The proposed desalination plant could be built in phases. The first phase would be construction of a 5-million-gallons-per-day facility, with the ability to expand to 15 million gallons per day.

 

Desalinated water would cost $2,023 to $2,996 per acre-foot. Presently, it costs the district about $1,000 per acre-foot for water. An acre-foot can supply about three single-family homes for a year.

 

The plant would be situated on MMWD-owned land near Pelican Way in San Rafael. Bay water would be piped from an intake at the end of a newly refurbished Marin Rod & Gun Club pier near the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.

 

The district receives 75 percent of its water from seven Mt. Tam reservoirs, with the balance coming from the Russian River through a pipeline owned by the North Marin Water District.

 

Options to bring more water to the county are limited. The water district can't raise dams at its reservoirs because of state regulations, and water from the Russian River is diminishing because of fishery needs and demand in Novato and Sonoma County.

 

While effective, conservation probably won't be enough to supply 190,000 people in a 147-square-mile area of southern and central Marin County with enough water in case of a severe drought and as water use grows, water officials have said.#

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_9457322