Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
July 8, 2008
1. Top Items -
Hundreds evacuated from path of shifting Butte County
The
Most of Sacramento
The
Bay-Delta threatens water supplies
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Hundreds evacuated from path of shifting Butte County
The
Niesha Lofing
Up to 1,000 residents are being evacuated in the Concow and Yankee Hill areas east of
Butte County Sheriff's officials issued the "immediate threat evacuation advisory" at 3:20 a.m. today for the communities north of Highway 70 and
Residents were being asked to leave immediately, with sheriff's officials using the reverse 911 system and going door to door to alert people to the threat.
About 300 homes are threatened. Two buildings have been destroyed, and 10 firefighters have suffered minor injuries.
"There is an immediate threat to life and property," a sheriff's news release states.
The Camp fire, which is moving south towards
"We're just worried that it's going to get closer to that community," said Todd Simmons, a spokesman with Cal Fire, during a televised interview with KCRA. "When the sun comes up and the intense heat gets going, it really activates the fire activity."
An evacuation center has been established at Las Plumas High School, at
All roads in the evacuation area will be closed to incoming traffic, the sheriff's news release states.
Evacuees are asked to leave their homes immediately and go to the evacuation center, leave the lights on in their homes, close heavy draperies, remain calm and follow instructions of emergency personnel, the release states.
Residents are asked to take small pets with them and take large pets to the Chico State Farm, located on
Evacuees should register with the American Red Cross once at the shelter to help people locate family members and aid in efforts to allow people back into the evacuated area, the release states.#
http://www.sacbee.com/102/story/1067494.html
Most of Sacramento
The
By Terri Hardy
Over the past decade,
In order to buy from one company, department administrators repeatedly misinformed the City Council that the firm was the only source for the type of meter they sought, according to City Auditor Marty Kolkin.
After they made those claims in staff reports to the City Council, the council suspended competitive bidding requirements and the only provider
What officials don't know is whether the city ended up paying more for its water meters than it should have.
"We feel like putting this out to competitive bid will allow better pricing," said Michael Malone, city water superintendent.
A recent city audit revealed a host of problems in the Utilities Department, including oversight so lax that an estimated 4,500 new water meters, valued at $1.3 million, can't be accounted for.
Other problems cited in the audit include a failure to comply with city contracting regulations.
City officials are rethinking nearly everything in the Utilities Department, including the Badger contract, because of the devastating audit and potential criminal issues. An ongoing FBI investigation has identified at least one employee as part of a black market salvage scheme.
The city is undergoing the largest water meter retrofit program in the state. Although
Also, new homes built since 1992 were required to have a water meter. However, all
Inaccurate claims lead to deals
Assistant City Manager Marty Hanneman said meter costs figure into determining water rates.
Between 1998 and 2008, the department purchased 32,183 meters from Badger, city documents show. The cost ranged from $150 for small residential meters to $3,800 for larger commercial building meters.
Some other cities appear to be paying less for their meters than
In
The contract, which was competitively bid, expires at the end of this year, Pedersen said. "Competitive bidding is a state law. It gives us the opportunity to get a competitive price for services or merchandise," she said.
Badger representatives, contacted Monday, did not return calls for comment.
It's still unknown whether the city staff members' inaccurate claims that led to Badger deals – in 1998, 2001 and 2004 – were accidental or intentional, Hanneman said.
Most of the employees responsible have since retired or resigned.
"No one is here who can tell you one way or the other," Hanneman said.
Audit: Technology not exclusive
In 1998,
After the ban was removed in 1999, building in Natomas exploded.
Purchase orders show the city spent millions of dollars on meters then even though the Utilities Department had no official contract with Badger.
The city's first formal contract with Badger was signed in 2005 – after Kolkin, the city's auditor, found that no contracts existed in the previous years.#
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/1066497.html
Bay-Delta threatens water supplies
By Tom Wornham
If the plumbing in your home or business was broken, you'd get it fixed right away. Today, the plumbing system that is critical to the quality of life and economic well-being of more than 25 million Californians – including the 3 million residents of
Last year, more than a third of all water used in
In December, pumping restrictions went into effect on the State Water Project, which pumps water from the Bay-Delta to water agencies from the Bay Area to
Of that amount, about 58,000 acre-feet would have been delivered to
In
Unfortunately, in the meantime the judicial shackles on Bay-Delta water deliveries may get tighter. This spring, Judge Wanger ruled that the federal biological opinion authorizing pumping from Bay-Delta facilities did not adequately address potential adverse impacts on Central Valley winter-and spring-run salmon and steelhead, whose numbers also have recently plummeted.
This latest decision could result in additional restrictions on State Water Project operations.
Clearly, the Bay-Delta is failing. It's failing as a reliable water delivery system and as a sustainable ecosystem. The age of its levees and their growing vulnerability to breaches make the entire system a statewide disaster waiting to happen. We need a comprehensive, long-term fix that balances the needs of the environment with the need for reliable water supplies across the state.
The ramifications for not taking action are becoming clear.
The San Diego County Water Authority is securing short-term water transfers to augment supplies and is calling for increased voluntary conservation through the “20-Gallon Challenge” campaign to help keep as much water in storage as possible. These are helpful and prudent measures, but we must also fix the Bay-Delta to help secure a more reliable water future.
We must keep up the pressure on the governor, our state legislators, and federal and state water agencies to develop and implement a comprehensive solution to the problems of the Bay-Delta. Late last year, there was a robust discussion in
We also must keep other essential efforts to solve the Bay-Delta's problems moving forward. For example, state and federal agencies, in collaboration with water agencies and environmental organizations, are working to produce a Bay-Delta Conservation Plan. The BDCP would help map out a comprehensive Bay-Delta solution by creating a long-term conservation plan for restoring habitats for key Bay-Delta species in a manner that also allows for reliable water supply deliveries. The BDCP is currently undergoing stakeholder input as part of its development process.
This BDCP is not a “silver bullet” that will address all of the Bay-Delta's problems and issues. But the BDCP deserves support because it makes restoring habitats and restoring water supply reliability equal priorities. That puts it on the right track for addressing the most pressing and critical issues impacting the Bay-Delta and, in turn, water supply reliability in regions such as
Wornham is chairman of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and a member of the San Diego County Water Authority board of directors. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20080707/news_lz1e7wornham.html
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