[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 7/31/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

July 31, 2008

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People –

 

 

Irrigation Projects Portend Well- Supplied Future

Patterson Irrigator- 7/30/08

By Jonathan Partridge

 

 

“Really, what we’re doing is taking (local irrigation) to a different level.”
— John Sweigard, Patterson Irrigation District general manager

 

Drought conditions and pumping restrictions for state and federal water projects have severely limited allocations for farm water districts this year.

The tough times mean many irrigation districts, including Patterson Irrigation District, have turned to groundwater pumping as an important supplement.

But unlike some other districts, PID representatives say an arsenal of existing and future projects should help them survive the current crunch and also prepare for the future.

“Really, what we’re doing is taking it to a different level,” said John Sweigard, the district’s general manager.

Patterson Irrigation District provides agricultural water to 770 customers on about 12,800 acres. Its boundaries, which previously included land within the approved Villages of Patterson development project in eastern Patterson, are roughly Del Puerto Creek to the north, Marshall Road to the south, Highway 33 to the west and the San Joaquin River to the east.

As part of the future planning, a new backup pump system along the San Joaquin River has already been put in place, and the district plans to start using a new reservoir off Fruit Avenue by mid-August.
District officials have also kept busy over the years with other projects, ranging from a reservoir and sediment basin off Marshall Road to an automated system that allows the district to control pump operations from its office.

Past benefits
The Patterson Irrigation District has benefited greatly from water rights it obtained from the state by virtue of pulling water from the San Joaquin River before 1914.

The 98-year-old district, which started as Patterson Ranch Co. and Patterson Water Co., gets between 70 percent and 80 percent of its water supply from the river today, with its remaining supply coming from groundwater, recirculation projects and the Delta-Mendota Canal.

This year, the district sold water via a one-year transfer of its Central Valley Project supply before it was apparent that there would be a drought season, and groundwater pumping has been necessary, Sweigard said. But, he added, the district generally tries to use groundwater as a last resort.

Many other districts are forced to rely mostly on state allocations — via the California Aqueduct — or federal water — via the Delta-Mendota. Those sources have been severely restricted as a result of dry conditions and a court decision protecting the Delta smelt, an endangered fish native to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

By contrast, the Patterson Irrigation District has had an excess supply in past years, and it continues to transfer water elsewhere for a profit. That has provided a hefty chunk of change that has been used to create a slew of storage and pumping projects.

Increasing storage
Among those projects is a reservoir that the district completed off Marshall Road near Armstrong Road in 2003.

Sweigard said the reservoir was created in anticipation of a conditional waiver program approved that same year that called for farmers to meet more stringent statewide water quality goals.

A pond next to the 20-acre reservoir collects dirt, pesticide runoff and other excess items before the water is released for storage, preventing salt, boron and sediment from entering the San Joaquin River. The reservoir recycles about 2,000 acre-feet of water annually for the irrigation district’s use.

The project is jointly used for drainage by Patterson Irrigation District, Del Puerto Water District and the Gustine-based Central California Irrigation District. However, only the Patterson district receives water from the reservoir.

The reservoir was primarily funded through a $670,000 grant from CALFED, a joint state-federal effort to resolve issues with the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Patterson Irrigation District contributed $400,000, and the Del Puerto and Central California districts also helped a bit with the effort.

“It was a real good deal,” Sweigard said. “We wouldn’t have been able to afford it at the local level.”

Now, the irrigation district is wrapping up work on a new reservoir at its northern end, off Fruit Avenue near Vineyard Avenue. That $3.5 million project will serve as a buffer, storing water that normally would drain into Del Puerto Creek. CALFED’s water use efficiency program will pitch in $760,000 for the program, and $997,000 will come from a state Water Resources Control Board program. The irrigation district will foot the rest of the bill.

Pumping plans
In addition to storage, the irrigation district has invested heavily in its water distribution system.

The pumps used by Patterson Irrigation District use a mixture of ancient and modern technologies. Pump houses, some nearly a century old, contain decades-old pumps, but they can be activated via modern computers from the district office. Those computers, put to use within the past decade, can monitor water levels and control pumping activity, among other features.

Meanwhile, the district installed a new backup pump on Old Las Palmas Road on July 11. The pump initially was intended for use when the river level dropped, but has been implemented more recently because of a mechanical problem with the regular pump.

That same area eventually will house a new pumping plant and fish screen, if all goes as planned. The fish screen project, estimated in 2006 to cost $16 million, would keep Chinook salmon and threatened steelhead trout from getting caught in the district’s pumps.

The district has committed $1 million to the project, and it is still waiting on state funding, Sweigard said. The district’s board wants construction for the project to start in September 2010 and the screen to be operational by 2011.

Moving forward
Irrigation district board member Al Scheuber, who used to work for the district and has served on the board since the 1960s, said the automated pumps are the most monumental difference in operations he has noticed in the past five decades.

“There’s been a lot of changes,” Scheuber said.

He said the pre-1914 water rights have been an asset throughout the years, and so far those rights have remained stable, though some government officials want to do away with them.

Of course, that asset — like all water sources — is ultimately dependent on rainfall.

And district representatives — like growers everywhere — are hoping the river will receive enough rainwater to keep it flowing through the Patterson area.

“If that river runs dry, then we’ll be in trouble,” board member David Fantozzi said.

He said the district would benefit greatly from plans to restore the flow of an eastern stretch of the San Joaquin River that is now dry, as water levels would increase as a whole.

Regardless of when that change comes about, district officials say their water projects and technological advances should help them along the way. And those projects have received attention locally.

Bill Harrison, general manager of the nearby Del Puerto Water District, which serves about 45,000 acres of farmland between Vernalis and Santa Nella, said many of the measures adopted by the Patterson Irrigation District are unique to the West Side.

“They have some state-of-the art systems right now that are worthy of note,” Harrison said.#

http://pattersonirrigator.com/content/view/1897/42/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

[Water_news] 4. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATER QUALITY - 7/31/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

July 31, 2008

 

4. Water Quality –

 

 

+++++++++++++++Nothing Significant+++++++++++++++++++

[Water_news] 3. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: WATERSHEDS - 7/31/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

July 31, 2008

 

3. Watersheds –

 

 

+++++++++++++++Nothing Significant+++++++++++++++++++

 

[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 7/31/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

July 31, 2008

 

2. Supply –

 

 

 

Kings County extends its year-plus drought emergency

Hanfrod Sentinel- 7/30/08

 

Almond growers short water urged to conserve for post-harvest irrigation

Western Farm Press- 7/30/08

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Kings County extends its year-plus drought emergency

Hanfrod Sentinel- 7/30/08

By Seth Nidever

In what has become a nearly automatic move, Kings County supervisors on Tuesday extended a drought emergency declaration that has been in effect continuously since June 2007. The declaration comes at a critical water time for local farmers, who have been dealing with a second consecutive year of low rainfall and snowfall and a federal court decision last year to cut the pumping of Sacramento River Delta water into the California Aqueduct.

Aqueduct water supplies millions of city residents and hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland to the south, including thousands of acres on the west side of Kings County.

Local farmers are growing increasingly concerned that a third year of drought could send the economy into a tailspin.

"If this thing continues, we're going to be in deep doodoo," said Brent Graham, former general manager of the Tulare Lake Basin Water Storage District in southern Kings County.

Area growers and Kings County's representative in Congress said that it makes sense to keep the emergency declaration going.

 

"It's been needed, because we're still in jeopardy and we continue to be in jeopardy," said Jim Verboon, a Kings County farmer with 100 acres of walnuts in the Kings River-Excelsior Avenue area.

Because the farm is near the Kings River, it has access to groundwater supplies that many growers in the Westside region of Kings County don't, Verboon indicated.

"Some are going to be a hit a lot harder than I am," Verboon said.

"It's probably accurate to maintain the (emergency resolution)," said Rus Waymire, who has 40 acres of wheat in Kings County.

"Well, it's having an impact on our economy, and I think it's important for them to maintain that," Waymire said. "It's the lifeblood of our economy here."

Waymire said that farmers "have to keep the political pressure on or we're going out of business."

Jim Costa, whose 20th Congressional district includes all of Kings County, expressed support for the supervisors' action.

"We have to continue to press the magnitude of these impacts because it isn't immediately felt in Sacramento and Los Angeles," Costa said.

Costa was on the panel of a congressional hearing that came to Fresno last week to get input on how to fix the Sacramento River Delta issue. The federal court ruling last year that curtailed pumping from the Delta into the California Aqueduct for delivery southward was motivated by a desire to protect the Delta smelt, an endangered fish that was at risk for getting sucked into the pump intakes.

Farms and urban areas both receive aqueduct water.

The solution pushed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and advocated by many local farmers is to build a canal that would suck river water higher up the Sacramento River above the delta and pump it around to the east, thereby bypassing the sensitive delta ecosystem.

Schwarzenegger also advocates more above-ground reservoirs, a policy position that has run into opposition from conservationists and river enthusiasts.

Verboon and Waymire attended the hearing but did not testify.

Both doubt that the so called "peripheral canal" is going to happen.

Committee chair Grace Napolitano (D-Santa Fe Springs), whose congressional district is in the Los Angeles area, put the emphasis on water conservation, according to Verboon.

Farmers want more surface water storage and a long-term solution to the delta pumping problem.

"I didn't get a good feeling, because they continued to (promote) conservation. Conserve now means taking acreage out of production. That's not good for our area," Waymire said.

"Right now, the easiest thing is for (Sacramento, Stockton and the Bay Area) to just take more water from us. That's the cheapest way for them," Waymire said.

Verboon said that another dry year in 2009 would make this "one of the worst droughts in my lifetime."

"I think as the severity of this crisis continues to mount ... I think the likelihood of (Schwarzenegger's proposals) happening continues to increase," Costa said.#

http://www.hanfordsentinel.com/articles/2008/07/30/news/doc4890afb91bdb5459941729.txt

 

 

 

Almond growers short water urged to conserve for post-harvest irrigation

Western Farm Press- 7/30/08

 By Cary Blake

Water rationing until Sept. 1 is forcing some almond growers in California’s western San Joaquin Valley (SJV) to make tough water use choices this summer and fall which will likely result in reduced almond yields through next year.

 

Surface water supplies are limited due to two continuous years of below-average rainfall. Another reason is severe water restrictions caused a federal court ruling last year on the endangered Delta smelt that limited federal and state pumping from the Delta into the San Luis Reservoir. Water supplies are also low since this past spring was the driest on record.

 

The end result is reduced surface water supplies in some areas to finish this year’s tree crops.

 

“I’m lacking 30 percent of the water required to grow my almonds, peaches, and prunes during the rationing period,” according to Bill Diedrich, a farmer in Firebaugh, Calif. “I don’t have enough water for the month of August.”

 

Diedrich grows 500 acres of almonds, 75 acres of prunes, and 23 acres of peaches in western Fresno County. His main water source is federal surface water from the San Luis Water District (SLWD) where he’s also a board member. The district’s water is through the Central Valley Project (CVP), operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

 

Due to the court decision on the smelt, Diedrich says inadequate off-line storage was secured for the peak irrigation season. This resulted in the rationing of water available to “south of the Delta CVP contractors.” Diedrich says the Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) initiated rationing to prevent the CVP and DWR portion of the San Luis from falling below the minimum pool.

 

Diedrich is currently paying about $110 per acre-foot for district water. As for finding additional water during the rationing period, there is little to none on the market and the price is just about untouchable.

 

Diedrich’s allocated water this year is just 40 percent of what would be 2.4 acre-feet in a 100 percent delivery year. That’s less than one acre-foot per acre of the “normal” supply. Diedrich needs four acre-feet per acre to grow almonds. While some farmers are using well water to supplement their water needs, groundwater is not an option for Diedrich due to high boron and salt levels in the water.

 

“I’m in a very unsettled state,” Diedrich says. “I’m making daily phone calls to find additional water to finish the crops. I believe water will become available after Sept. 1, but that will be too late.”

 

The water shortage means 15 percent to 25 percent less water for the trees. Unless he locates more water soon, Diedrich expects a stick tight problem at almond harvest, the difficulty in removing nuts from trees.

 

“I won’t have any water for the important post-harvest irrigation period in almonds if I can’t secure additional water supplies in the next 30 days,” Diedrich says. “I have several leads, but nothing is secured yet.”

 

Diedrich primarily grows Nonpareil, Monterey, Butte, and Padre almond varieties. He applies water “efficiently and frugally” through double-line drip irrigation.

 

Yet Dietrich believes his almond crop is pretty much made. “It’s the prunes and peaches which are really in jeopardy because the trees can’t afford to be shorted water a month before harvest. Adequate water in August is critical for prunes.” His prunes and peaches are harvested in early September.

 

Almond growers who are short of water should reduce irrigations before harvest and save the water for post-harvest irrigation, according to David Goldhamer, irrigation management specialist with the University of California, Davis. He’s based at the Kearney Agricultural Center (KAC) in Parlier, Calif.

 

Goldhamer says almond trees require 6 to 8 inches of water over a six-week period immediately after harvest. Deficit pre-harvest irrigation is a better option in a water-shortage situation in the long term since post-harvest irrigation is essential to setting the next year’s almond crop.

 

“Deficit irrigating almond trees pre-harvest can result in fruit size reductions up to 20 percent,” Goldhamer says. “Insufficient post-harvest irrigation can reduce yields by 80 percent to 90 percent in the next crop year.” The latter is caused by inadequate bud morphogenesis (reproductive bud development).

 

“It’s a no brainer. Good post-harvest irrigation is a long-term investment toward profitability,” Goldhamer says.

 

Almond growers in the 1970s were unaware of the sensitivity of growth periods and related yield losses in almonds and other tree crops except apricots from inadequate water supplies.

 

Goldhamer’s work with Mario Viveros, recently retired farm advisor, in the 1980s (in Kern County) tested the timing of water stress in almonds and discovered post-harvest sensitivity. Even with full irrigation up to harvest, there was about a 40 percent reduction in yield the following year without post-harvest irrigation.

 

“My sense is there’s not a great panic out there now since growers know and understand the stress sensitive periods of almonds and other tree crops,” says Goldhamer. “The whole approach to water management in almonds has changed. I don’t think it’s coincidental that almond yields are much higher now. I believe good irrigation management is part of the reason.”

 

Almond varieties react similarly to water stress sensitivity; no variety (cultivar) fares better than another even though almond varieties are harvested at different times, Goldhamer says.

 

The water expert says reduced post-harvest irrigation minimally impacts pistachios, grapes, and tree fruit including peaches. Citing the work of Scott Johnson and Dale Handley at the KAC, peaches that receive 25 percent to 30 percent of the normal post-harvest water supply are minimally affected the next year, except for increased fruit doubling, Goldhamer says. Fruit doubles are thinned.

 

“If a farmer grows pistachios and almonds, they must decide where to apply limited water during September. Again, it’s a no-brainer; it goes on the almonds,” Goldhamer says. California pistachios are typically harvested in early to mid-September.

 

Walnut trees don’t tolerate stress periods well, yet insufficient research exists on how walnuts specifically handle post-harvest stress.

 

About a third of the almond acreage handled by the Central California Almond Growers Association (CCAGA), Kerman, Calif., is located in the western SJV. CCAGA is the largest almond sheller and huller in the world.

 

“I feel for those guys out there facing water reductions,” said Don McKinney, CCAGA chairman and an almond grower in Madera, Calif. “They’re in a world of hurt and their situation will not get any better in the near term.”

 

The water issue will likely reduce the number of almonds handled by CCAGA this year, McKinney says.

 

“Deficit irrigating results in a smaller nut size and lighter kernel,” McKinney says. “For growers who are lacking water and are deficit irrigating, the impact will be significant.”

 

McKinney has grown almonds for 39 years at his Dry Creek Ranch. He irrigates with well water for his 40 acres of Butte and Padre almonds. McKinney prefers to irrigate two to three times after harvest depending on the weather.

 

“Some of our West Side growers will really be short of water and that may not be possible. Even in the Madera area and the eastern side of the SJV, the limited supply of surface water can be a challenge if you don’t have good deep well water.”

 

McKinney irrigates with micro sprinklers. He prefers to flood irrigate the orchards once a summer to provide even water delivery across the orchard, and to disrupt ants that can build nests around the edges of the micro sprinkler pattern.

 

“I like to turn the water on as soon as the pickup machine gets out of the field to provide a three-day, 2 to 3-inch shot of water. Three weeks later I apply another 2 to 3 more inches,” McKinney says. “It all depends on the weather; will the temperatures stay hot causing the trees to use more moisture or will they cool off causing the trees to shut down.”

 

The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service – California Field Office, released an objective almond forecast for the 2008-2009 crop year of 1.5 billion meat pounds based on 660,000 bearing acres.

 

Despite the impact of smaller yields from water shortages plus tree and branch losses to high winds this year, McKinney believes the estimate is on track. “I think the 1.5 billion pounds are there.”#

http://westernfarmpress.com/tree-nut-crops/almond-irrigation-0730/

 

 

[Water_news] 1. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS - Top Item for 7/31/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment

 

July 31, 2008

 

1.  Top Items -

 

 

 

Editorial

Turning the tide in the water crisis: Unless Sacramento acts soon, California's future water security is in jeopardy.

The Los Angeles Times- 7/31/08

 

Editorial

Canal or no canal, Delta water woes must be addressed, starting now

The Stockton Record- 7/31/08

 

New farming method to help 'grow' wetlands in delta area

Vacaville Reporter- 7/30/08

 

Low water will alter Lake Oroville boat launching

The Sacramento Bee- 7/31/08

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Editorial

Turning the tide in the water crisis: Unless Sacramento acts soon, California's future water security is in jeopardy.

The Los Angeles Times- 7/31/08

By Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dianne Feinstein

The wildfires that have burned more than 1 million acres are the most visible symptom of another long, hot, dry summer in California. Less visible, though no less devastating, are the effects that the prolonged drought has on the state's water supply and environment.

Although no one disagrees on the urgent need to fight the fires, there has long been sharp disagreement about how to address California's chronic water shortage.

The time has come to break the stalemate.

So, in the spirit of bipartisan cooperation, earlier this month we offered a compromise water bond package for the Legislature's consideration. We believe it is critical that the Legislature act swiftly to place such a measure on the November ballot.

Why the hurry? Put simply, our water supply is in jeopardy. We are experiencing the second year of drought, and 2008 had the driest spring ever recorded in the northern Sierra and other parts of Northern California. If the dry conditions continue into next year, we could be facing the worst drought in California history.

California depends on water from three primary sources: The Sierra Nevada snowpack, the Colorado River and our existing water-storage system. Each of these sources faces unprecedented challenges.

The snowpack, which was measured at only 67% of normal in May, has become dangerously unreliable because of global warming. It is estimated that climate change will cause the state's snowpack to drop by 25% to 40% by 2050.

The Colorado River Basin just experienced an eight-year drought, and the amount of water that California is allowed to take from the river has dropped by 18% from 2003.

Reservoirs are dangerously low statewide. Lake Oroville, California's second-largest storage reservoir, will end this year with its lowest amount of water in more than 30 years. Shasta Reservoir, the state's largest, is at 48% of capacity.

At the same time that our water reserves are low, the courts have ordered restrictions on how much water can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, reducing water supplies by 20% to 30%. Just last week, a judge ordered state and federal regulators to come up with a plan to provide more water for salmon in the delta. This interim plan likely will require more reductions in pumping this winter.

Another year of drought will be catastrophic for our water supply, our environment and our economy. Already, farmers are taking agricultural lands out of production, and building permits could be put on hold, causing the loss of thousands of jobs.

The crisis is also causing catastrophic harm to our fisheries. In two of the last three years, our once-thriving Pacific salmon fisheries have been shut down as salmon populations have diminished.

Clearly, the state is in crisis. Yet, to this point, we've been unable to forge a common path forward.

For the last 18 months, the two of us have worked to develop a water infrastructure investment bond to put before California voters. We have listened carefully to legislative leaders and the many diverse stakeholders -- environmental and agricultural leaders, business, labor and urban and rural communities. We built on the areas of general agreement, and the common goal is clear: a clean and reliable water supply and healthy environment for the future of California.

Our hope is that the plan we have put together will serve as a solid starting point for negotiations with the Legislature.

Our proposal includes modernization of our aging water systems, significant investment in healing and safeguarding the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and other important ecosystems, increased water storage in reservoirs and underground aquifers, improved conveyance and a strong focus on conservation programs.

We believe this is a balanced and comprehensive approach that will help meet the needs of a growing population -- expected to reach 50 million in the next decade. It will help us bank more water in wet years for use in the dry years. And it will meet our common goal of a healthy environment and reliable water supply.

Although there are efforts each year to address one piece of the puzzle or another, none of them has yet solved our crisis. What is needed is a comprehensive, statewide plan -- and we must move swiftly.

The impact of even one more dry season could be devastating -- we cannot afford to wait any longer.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is the governor of California. Dianne Feinstein is California's senior U.S. senator.#

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/opinion/la-oe-schwarzenegger31-2008jul31,0,4323212.story

 

 

 

Editorial

Canal or no canal, Delta water woes must be addressed, starting now

The Stockton Record- 7/31/08

By The Record

 

About 1,000 property owners in the Delta are going to get a wake up call from state officials.

 

Letters are going out from the state Department of Water Resources saying that surveyors may need access to private land to begin planning a canal to carry fresh water to Southern California.

 

California voters overwhelmingly rejected a similar project, known as the peripheral canal, in 1982.

 

But it's back as state officials and thirsty water consumers - and that would be all of us - try to balance the needs of the environmentally fragile Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta against the growing demand for water, especially in the Bay Area and Southern California.

 

About 25 million Californians drink water from the Delta.

 

Water planners have identified four tentative canal routes on the east and west of the Delta. In addition, there is talk of a "through Delta" canal.

 

Today, massive state and federal pumps near Tracy suck water from the Delta and send it south in large, concrete canals hundreds of miles long.

 

But those pumps upset the habitat by reversing river flows in the 740,000-acre Delta. Millions of fish - some species endangered - are killed.

 

In recent years, the federal courts have become the de facto operators of the state's water system by issuing water flow orders and demanding pumping adjustments to protect the environment.

 

The way around this problem, it is thought by some, is literally to go around the problem, around the Delta.

 

It would be a massive undertaking requiring a canal 41 to 52 miles long, more pumps, tunnels, bridges, massive excavation and new levees.

 

It also would be frighteningly expensive, with estimates ranging from $4.2 billion to $17.2 billion.

 

There are problems, of course, beyond cost and engineering.

 

There are fears that skirting the Delta will simply move the environmental problems north. Then there's the whole problem of cobbling together the necessary private land for such a canal.

 

But the letters going out are a start, a signal that we have a serious, long-term problem that's only going to get worse unless we start working on serious, long-term solutions.#

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080731/A_OPINION01/807310311/-1/A_OPINION06

 

 

 

New farming method to help 'grow' wetlands in delta area

Vacaville Reporter- 7/30/08

By Danny Bernardini

 

Thanks to a grant from the California Department of Water Resources, a new farming method in the delta is attempting to "grow" wetlands.

 

The DWR has invested $12.3 million to explore "carbon-capture" farming, which traps atmospheric carbon dioxide and rebuilds lost soils in the delta.

 

A partnership with U.S. Geological Survey and U.C. Davis will take methods that have been used in a pilot program on Twitchell Island for 10 years and will use them in areas of the western delta.

 

Carbon-capture works as carbon dioxide is taken out of the air by plants such as tules and cattails. As the plants die and decompose, they create new peat soil, building the land surface over time.

 

On deeply subsided Twitchell Island in the western delta, USGS scientists recorded elevation gains of more than 10 inches from 1997 to 2005 on two seven-acre test plots as cattails, tules and other plants grew, died and decomposed.

 

Jim Nickles, spokesman for the USGS California Water Science Center, said the majority of the growth in elevation happened toward the latter part of the pilot program, so it isn't known how long it will take to see similar results.

 

"We want to let the science take its own course," he said. "But the curve was dramatic over the last two years."

 

Nickles said the pilot program proved there are several benefits, but it's still a bit early to know if there are any negative side effects.

 

"The potential benefits are amazing, but there are a lot of questions that need to be addressed," Nickles said. "It's really been fun to see the project become a potential benefit to the delta and the state."

 

He said some of those side effects may include the production of methane gas during the process and how the carbon dioxide gathering may alter other aspects of the environment or atmosphere.#

http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_10042563

 

 

Low water will alter Lake Oroville boat launching

The Sacramento Bee- 7/31/08

By Bill Lindelof

 

Lake Oroville's boat launch ramps soon will be out of the water because of the rapidly dropping water level.

 

The state Department of Water Resources reported that the reservoir now holds about 1.3 million acre feet of water -- 37 percent of capacity. That's half of what usually is in the reservoir this time of year.

 

Subsequent drops in water level will end normal boat launching at the Lime Saddle Marina, Bidwell and Spillway locations. Steel ramp mat extensions will be installed to allow one lane of boat launching at the Bidwell and Spillway locations.

 

The level could drop as soon as today at Lime Saddle Marina, ending boat launching at that location.

 

Four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended when using the temporary ramps.

 

Lake Oroville's surface level was at 707.85 feet above sea level on Wednesday. The reservoir's lowest historical level was 645 feet on Sept 7, 1977, and state officials fear the lake might drop below that point this year.#

http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/1123234.html

 

 

[Water_news] 5. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: AGENCIES, PROGRAMS, PEOPLE - 7/30/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment

 

July 30, 2008

 

5. Agencies, Programs, People –

 

 

Beaches reopen as report slams water

Long Beach Press Telegram- 7/30/08

 

1.7 million gallon tank boosts Murrieta water supply

Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/29/08

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Beaches reopen as report slams water

Long Beach Press Telegram- 7/30/08

From staff and wire reports

Three of four polluted beaches were reopened in Long Beach on Tuesday, even as a national report ranked California's water quality poorly.

 

California had the nation's 17 th most polluted beaches last year, and for the fifth straight year, the worst of those beaches were in Los Angeles County, the Natural Resources Defense Council reported Tuesday.

 

Among California beaches, those in Los Angeles County had the highest levels of fecal material in ocean water, according to the NRDC.

 

In Long Beach, the city Health Department reopened three of the four Alamitos Bay beaches that were closed Saturday.

 

Nelson Kerr from the Long Beach Health Department told the Press-Telegram that the water quality reports have allowed them to reopen Mother's Beach, Marine Stadium, and Alamitos Bay. Colorado Lagoon will be reduced to an advisory with one test revealing slightly high levels that Kerr said are unrelated to the sewage spill.

 

The beaches were closed after 12,000 gallons of sewage leaked into Spinnaker Bay near Marine Stadium on Saturday, caused by a grease blockage in a sewer pipe.

 

The NRDC said in its 18 th annual beach water quality report that last year saw the second-highest number of beach closings and beach advisory days around the nation.

 

"Testing the Waters: A Guide to Water Quality at Vacation Beaches," shows the number of closing and advisory days at ocean, bay and Great Lakes beaches was more than 20,000 for the third straight year, according to the NRDC.

 

The findings confirm "that our nation's beaches continue to suffer from serious water pollution that puts swimmers at risk," the organization said in a statement. "Aging and poorly designed sewage and storm water systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution."

 

The report added that development in coastal areas is devouring wetlands and other natural buffers such as dunes and beach grass that otherwise would help filter out dangerous pollution before it reaches the beach.

 

In the Western United States, including California, beach closing days were down 21 percent last year after an 83 percent increase in 2006, according to the NRDC.

 

Repeat offenders Avalon on Santa Catalina Island and Santa Monica were among those in L.A. County with the highest levels of fecal bacteria, the organization reported.

 

Staff writer Tiffany Rider and City News Service contributed to this report.#

http://www.presstelegram.com/news/ci_10035114

 

 

 

1.7 million gallon tank boosts Murrieta water supply

Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/29/08

By ROCKY SALMON

MURRIETA - Western Municipal Water District unveiled a new 1.7 million gallon water tank Tuesday that should keep imported water out of the western portion of Murrieta.

 

The tank is paired with an older tank to make up the Grizzly Ridge Reservoir and is the latest in a series of projects to increase water supplies and improve water pressure.

 

"Murrieta residents don't have to worry about their water supply because we can now handle the growth," said district board member Brenda Dennstedt, who lives in the part of Murrieta that gets water from the district.

 

The idea for the reservoir came up during the Murrieta County Water District's 2004 master plan update. District officials were putting together a list of projects that would provide enough water for the area at the eventual buildout of the community, said Jeff Sims, the district's assistant general manager. The water district covers the area west of Interstate 15.

 

When the Western Municipal Water District took over Murrieta County Water District, staff members began going through the list to make sure the growing area could keep up with the water demands, including:

 

A $400,000 connection to Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District to provide emergency water.

 

The $1.2 million Alson Pump Station, which allows the district to improve pressure and pump water to the reservoirs.

 

The $1.2 million Olga Gordon Tank No. 2 allowed for more storage in the lower areas of western Murrieta.

 

The new Grizzly Ridge Reservoir is at the end of Jefferson Avenue along Interstate 15. Construction on the $1.9 million reservoir started more than a year ago.

 

The new tank is 90 feet wide, 40 feet tall and is partially buried in the hillside.

 

The new tank will give the district 2.2 million gallons of water storage and reduce energy costs.

 

The district can pump water into the reservoir at night during off-peak hours then let gravity take it to the homes during the day.

 

The district has two other projects lined up for the area: a $500,000 reclaimed-water facility and a $2.24 million sewer system for Old Town Historic Murrieta.#

http://www.pe.com/localnews/rivcounty/stories/PE_News_Local_S_swatertank30.4ac9602.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.