Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
July 3, 2008
1. Top Items -
Sacramento
The Sacramento
Boaters, beware: Hunt is on for mussel invaders
The Sacramento
$1 million water-conservation campaign begins
The
Bay Area water agencies to unveil regional “Water Saving Hero” conservation Campaign
California
Assessment sought for levee repairs:Fee could help avert need for flood insurance
The
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Sacramento
The Sacramento
By Matt Weiser
The story prompted a torrent of outrage from the public, who overwhelmingly supported Anne Hartridge and Matt George, the east
More than 160 readers commented on The Bee's Web site as of 5 p.m. Wednesday, from as far away as
"When you think about all the water being wasted everywhere, it's horrible they would go after that poor woman," said Ursula Crabtree of
Steve Caraway, a
"That's odd because we have quite a few of them in
Ron Riola, who lives near
He said he has reported more than 100 cases of water waste to the city in the past six years, and said none has been corrected.
"I wish I didn't have the time to do it because my blood pressure would be lower," said Riola, who is retired. "It literally has to be thousands and thousands of gallons wasted every day, all the time. You see it and you just shake your head."
The city's director of code enforcement, Max Fernandez, told The Bee on Wednesday the front-yard rules allow more flexibility than the code language indicates.
The code states explicitly that front yards "shall be landscaped, irrigated and maintained." This would seem to preclude yards that are simply mulched, like Hartridge's, or those that use cactuses or other drought-tolerant plants requiring no water.
"The key word is a 'maintained' front yard," Fernandez said. If a yard is being tended and is not a nuisance, he said, it's OK.
He said his department has begun preparing a flier to give to people who have chosen to let their lawns die so they will know their landscaping options to comply with city rules. That should be available next week.
Complaints about front yards have increased this year, he said, but many pertain to foreclosed homes, not water savers. He said it's important to have clear policies that treat each fairly.
He said Hartridge and her husband would not be fined.
"The mulch and hydrangeas and stuff like that is quite all right," he said of the couple's yard. "If this drought continues, we're going to have to change our policies when we get complaints like this."
City Councilman Steve Cohn said the code enforcement officer in this case may have been "overzealous." He plans to meet with Hartridge and George next week to discuss their situation, and said city codes may need revising to be drought-friendly.
"I agree it's outrageous," Cohn said. "I think we probably would need to revisit the ordinance if we want to make it clear that people don't have to water at all."
He also said the Utilities Department may need more resources to handle water waste calls.
The department's conservation unit has seven employees. Five are inspectors who respond to complaints: three part-time and two full-time. One of the full-time jobs is vacant.
Julie Friedman, the city's water conservation administrator, said her staff gets about 1,000 water-waste complaints annually and responds to each within one day. The department prefers to get such complaints on its billing number, (916) 808-5454.
The first response is to meet with the property owner to explain the violation or leave an informational door hanger. There is no follow-up unless complaints continue on the same address.
The department gives water wasters up to three warnings before considering a penalty. Then they could be fined up to five times their water rate and even have their water service turned off. Both penalties are very rare.
"The city usually bends over backwards to help people and educate people," said Friedman.
For her part, Hartridge was glad to hear she won't have to spend "half a mortgage payment" on a city fine.
"I feel thrilled that the city is taking it seriously," she said.#
http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/1057802.html
Boaters, beware: Hunt is on for mussel invaders
The Sacramento
By Cathy Locke
Boaters heading for area lakes this Fourth of July should expect to give an accounting of where they've been and what they may have picked up along the way.
Authorities are on the lookout for quagga and zebra mussels, invasive species known to hitchhike from one body of water to another by attaching themselves to boat trailers, hulls, engines and steering components.
Agencies from
"We have 13 inspectors out at various launches inspecting and doing risk assessments," Nicole Cartwright of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District said last week. She is part of the Lake Tahoe Aquatic Invasive Species Working Group.
She said decontamination stations will operate around the lake this weekend to handle watercraft found to harbor mussels.
The mussels hail from
First reported in the Great Lakes, the mussels recently were found in 19 Southern California lakes and waterways, as well as in the San Justo Reservoir in
The mussels can damage boats, but of greater concern are their effects on the environment and water delivery systems. Once introduced to a lake, the fingernail-size mussels attach themselves to aquatic plants, water intake pipes and fish screens. They disrupt the ecological balance by consuming nutrients needed to support native fish and aquatic plants, and clog water lines and irrigation systems.
A female mussel can produce up to a million eggs in a season, and the microscopic larvae may feel like sand on a boat's hull.
Pete Lucero, spokesman for the federal Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Folsom Lake, said the bureau has been working on eradication plans should an infestation occur, but to date no methods have been identified.
No natural predators or chemical or biological treatments have been found to get rid of the mussels in the
Folsom Lake is a major water source for communities and agencies throughout the
The bureau has been working with the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which oversees recreational activities at the lake, to prevent mussels from being introduced.
The program currently is limited to posting notices around the lake and distributing mussel information cards to people as they drive into the recreational area, Lucero said. Monitoring devices also are being placed in the lake to detect mussels.
The El Dorado Irrigation District announced plans to install monitors at Jenkinson, Silver, Caples and Echo lakes. The district is considering spending about $135,000 this year on educational efforts and a boat-screening program.
District employees propose surveying boaters before they launch to determine whether the craft have been in infested waters, and conducting random inspections.
"We need to really take this action right off the bat and get the message out that we mean business," Don Pearson, district recreation director, said in outlining the program for board members last week.
He proposed charging boaters an additional fee of up to $8 to cover the program's cost.
Cartwright, of the Tahoe Resource Conservation District, said the program there is largely funded through grants. She estimated prevention efforts would cost about $1 million this year.
Inspections, which can take from 10 minutes to an hour, will continue through Labor Day, she said.
Some agencies, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District, are taking a tougher stance. Web sites for the district's
For more information, or to view videos about the mussels and how to conduct a boat inspection, see the El Dorado Irrigation District's Web site at www.eid.org.#
http://www.sacbee.com/378/story/1057901.html
$1 million water-conservation campaign begins
The
Elected officials from around the Bay Area hope a new public awareness campaign spurs people to voluntarily cut their water use by 10 percent - enough perhaps to avoid the mandatory water rationing already imposed on some East Bay cities.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and a representative of Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums gathered at a
The $1 million campaign - a partnership among 11 Bay Area water agencies and funded by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources - comes as the state grapples with its first drought in 16 years.
Posters with people in superhero poses and phrases such as "The Incredible Jackie Wong: She Turns Off the Water While Brushing Her Teeth" will soon blanket the media, billboards and transit stations throughout the Bay Area.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District remains the only Bay Area water agency to have implemented mandatory water rationing and will vote Tuesday to implement fees for customers who don't comply. Residents of single-family homes must cut usage by 19 percent.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has already called for a voluntary reduction of 20 percent statewide.
Newsom on Wednesday issued an executive order demanding all city departments reduce their water consumption by 10 percent in the new fiscal year, complete an audit of their water efficiency by Oct. 1 and repair all indoor water leaks by Nov. 1.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/03/BAP111J34B.DTL
Bay Area water agencies to unveil regional “Water Saving Hero” conservation Campaign
California
television airwaves, billboards, transit stations, buses, trains and websites throughout the region. The effort also features a new website www.WaterSavingHero.com, where Bay Area residents can link directly to their local water agency´s conservation tips and cash rebate information. The effort comes as
"After two of the driest winters in our state´s history and with climate change upon us, every Bay Area resident and every Bay Area city has a responsibility to save water and help fight this drought," said Mayor Newsom, who also issued a new City and County of San Francisco Executive Directive aimed at reducing water consumption by city government and
requiring more water-efficient irrigation, street cleaning and other services. "Cities like
"From
The more than $1 million "Water Saving Hero" campaign is a partnership among eleven Bay Area water agencies and organizations from the nine Bay Area counties, including the Alameda County Water District (ACWD), Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), Contra Costa Water District (CCWD), East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD), City of Napa, Santa Clara Valley Water District (SCVWD), San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC), Solano County Water Agency, Sonoma County Water Agency and Zone 7 of the Alameda County Flood Control & Water Conservation District. The campaign is funded by Bay Area water agencies, but will be reimbursed by a grant from the California Department of Water Resources.
"Drought, struggling ecosystems, aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change are converging to create the most serious water crisis we´ve seen in 50 years," said Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). "The Bay Area is affected just as much as every other part of the state. Regional efforts like the 'Water Saving Hero' campaign and other local initiatives to reduce water use show we can make conservation a way of life without sacrificing our quality of life. Whether you live in
The campaign ads and billboards will run at least through the summer and early fall 2008. The campaign aims to make Bay Area residents think about short and long-terms steps they can take to reduce water use in their home or business. To learn more about the "Water Saving Hero" campaign, view the ads or link directly to your local water agency´s conservation tips and cash rebates, visit www.WaterSavingHero.com.
Mayor Newsom also issued City and
Executive Directive:
All departments are directed to reduce their water consumption by 10 percent in the coming 2008-09 fiscal year, complete a water efficiency audit by October 1 and identify and repair all indoor water leaks by November 1, 2008.
By August 1, all departments who are responsible for irrigation of parks, medians and other public spaces are required to cease planting new natural turf except for replacement and planned capital projects, reduce irrigation time by 10%, irrigate only at night or early morning and use brooms or water-efficient "water brooms" where practical instead of hoses in street cleaning.
By September 1, all departments who are responsible for irrigation of parks, medians and all other irrigation spaces are required to identify and repair or schedule for repair broken sprinklers and improperly functioning or improperly positioned irrigation systems.#
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/67091
Assessment sought for levee repairs:Fee could help avert need for flood insurance
The
By Alex Breitler, Staff Writer
A proposed assessment would cost most homeowners just shy of $100 a year, said officials with Reclamation District 17, a finger of land consisting of farms and new development on the east side of the San Joaquin River.
The assessment will doubtless be cheaper than flood insurance, but will still amount to far more than what residents pay now for annual operations and maintenance of the levee. The new fee also would be permanent to help the district deal with increasing flood protection challenges in the future.
"I view this as critical," said
If the work isn't done, he said, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is likely to designate the district as a high-risk flood zone. If that happens, not only is flood insurance mandatory, but the rates "jump up significantly."
The state Department of Water Resources last July said the district's
Meanwhile, FEMA has updated its flood maps for all of
Reclamation District 17 was given an extension to prove that its levees can contain floods that are likely to occur just once every 100 years.
That's why the district is now seeking the assessment, which officials hope will show they are trying to solve the seepage problem.
The assessment would boost the district's income nearly 10 times over and would allow it to raise $30 million to build reinforcing berms on the levee's dry side.
Overall, the cost of strengthening the levee could reach $100 million.
Nomellini said the district plans to seek state or federal money to make up the difference.
Meetings to explain the assessment are scheduled for next week, with ballots due at the start of a public hearing July 23.#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080703/A_NEWS/807030323
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