Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 28, 2008
Water issues split families, farm community
Water wars: Imperial Group 'knights on white horses'
Water needs pit north vs. south: Valley faces 80% reduction by next year
Antelope Valley
More water-rate hikes may be ahead: 2 more water-rate hikes may be ahead
San Diego
Bill aimed at settling San Jacinto Valley
Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/24/08
Feds catching up with us on saving water — finally: National standards for homes would jibe with those of Southern Nevada authority's 5-year-old program
The
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Water issues split families, farm community
When his father asked him to come back later that afternoon, Larry Cox had a sense it was to have a final heart-to-heart talk.
It was two years ago when Don Cox, a farmer and former Imperial Irrigation District director, asked his son to return to his home where he was in his last days of battling cancer.
As the afternoon gave way to the evening, Larry prepared himself to hear what his father had to say. He sat on the coffee table across from his father's chair.
"I'm thinking we're going to have this father-son talk. And he says, 'Son, I want to talk to you,'" Larry said, pausing for a moment. "'I want to talk to you about water. You need to settle these lawsuits.'"
Just 36 hours later, his father died. It was their last conversation.
It wasn't the first time the Cox family has been divided by water issues. They talked about it all the time. It's one example of how the politics of water have penetrated the farming community and continues to cause issues today.
"It has divided the farm community to a degree," Cox said.
"I have a lot of friends who don't want to get involved, who don't want to fight the fight. It's not a priority."
Cox is a member of the Imperial Group, which is made up of dozens of farmers and landowners against the IID's water transfer to the coast.
Lawsuits filed by the Imperial Group and others related to the Quantification Settlement Agreement and lining of the All-American Canal have cost the district more than $6 million in litigation costs since 2003, and the Imperial Group will not reveal how much it has spent battling IID on the issue.
Mike Morgan said since his great-grandfather arrived in the Valley in 1906, water has been a contentious issue.
"He was always concerned when the IID was formed because in his mind it had become a huge bureaucracy," Morgan said.
When the water was diverted from the
Mark Osterkamp, president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau board and an Imperial Group member, said in the 1970s everything changed when non-landowners were eligible to become members of the IID board and legislative action made it legal for irrigation districts to sell surplus water.
"All of a sudden it put a dollar value on our water," Osterkamp, of Brawley, said. "Now the water is worth something and farmers no longer control the board."
IID board President John Pierre Menvielle said the politics of water has encompassed most of the arguments made against the QSA.
"The farm community is fearful the IID will be a five-person nonagriculture-thinking board. That will never happen," Menvielle said.
But as politics and water now go hand in hand, as the IID is a creature of the Legislature, Osterkamp said splitting the district into separate water and power entities would be a good start.
"Elections have trumped water issues time after time," he said.
But with the water transfers impacting how farming operations are done, it's time for the landowners to be part of the conversation to make it beneficial, Cox said.
"I was very reluctant to sue the district. I didn't feel like we had a choice, and I still feel that way," Cox said.
Water has always been up for grabs, IID Director Mike Abatti said.
Debates over how much water the Imperial Valley should get off the Colorado River that was diverted with the construction of the
Gesturing to a tattered scrapbook filled with yellowed newspaper clippings, Abatti talks about the "water buffalos," the thirsty and powerful urban entities eager to take IID's resources.
"Politics got more involved in the decision making.
"It eliminated the need for ethical decisions. Somewhere we got off track," Abatti said.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/07/27/local_news/news03.txt
Water wars: Imperial Group 'knights on white horses'
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He alternates between punctuating his sentences with a bang of a wooden gavel in his left palm and scratching his back with a pocket knife.
Behind him, a photo of his son smiling with presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is taped next to the white board where he has scrawled dates and names.
This is how it went wrong, Mike Morgan said.
The timeline lays out a tangled web of Morgan's allegations of corruption at the Imperial Irrigation District, backdoor dealings and political moves over the last 20 years that culminated with the Quantification Settlement Agreement.
Morgan likens the water users of the district to serfs in an overblown hierarchy.
And the Imperial Group is the "knights on white horses trying to win for the good of the people," Morgan said.
Morgan and more than 60 farmers and landowners have spent untold amounts of money fighting that 75-year water transfer for the last five years in court. Those interviewed declined to specify exactly how much. In turn, the cost to defend the QSA and
Those farmers and landowners became known as the Imperial Group, a veritable who's who of the powerful long-standing agricultural business families who have made millions growing the nation's food. Sprawling acres of bountiful wheat, vegetables and fruit are planted across the Valley along miles of roads that bear their family names.
Elmore, Morgan, Strahm, Scaroni, Rutherford, Emanuelli, Brundy, Foster, Cox and dozens more families and businesses have sued the district over the water transfer, and the arguments made in public at the IID board meetings have always boiled down to one thing time and time again.
Who controls the water?
"What saves the water in the
OUT OF CONFLICT
Morgan is considered to be the most outspoken of the Imperial Group members. At more than 6 feet tall, he doesn't crouch down at the IID board meeting public microphone to make himself heard. He's been known to finger-point, to laugh audibly at board members' comments from the audience and take individuals to task in the public arena.
IID Board President John Pierre Menvielle categorizes the group, purportedly led by Morgan, as "hardcore."
Imperial Group members contend they have been turned into villains by the district.
"The Imperial Group is not Mike Morgan. A lot of pioneer families are involved. We've been categorized as a renegade extortion group trying to get money out of the district," Imperial Group member Mark Osterkamp said.
Osterkamp, who is also president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau board, said the decision to counter-sue the district and join the Imperial Group was a difficult one.
He remained silent for several moments when asked what made him choose to fight the validation of the QSA. He did not want to comment further.
The organization was needed when the IID sought to finalize the QSA and each landowner received notice in their water bill that they had 30 days to respond, members said.
Farmer Larry Cox, who is part of the Imperial Group, said his late father and former IID Director Don Cox and brother Mike Cox, a current IID Division 4 candidate, all received the notices.
"None of my other family members joined the Imperial Group. We've had a few heated discussions over water issues," Larry Cox said.
The Imperial Group argues the QSA negotiations became out of control and IID's agreement with San Diego County Water Authority, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and Coachella Valley Water District is not in the best interest of the agriculture industry that funnels $1.3 billion into the local economy annually.
It puts every farmer at risk, Osterkamp said.
"We were told the QSA was a good deal. Farmers had to take it on faith," Osterkamp said.
IID contends that because the water is held in trust by the district, the Imperial Group's argument is arbitrary. Five years in, the district still struggles to live within the new limits of the how much it is allotted on the
"We're living on the edge of trying to transfer water," Menvielle said. "We struggle to fulfill our commitments. We're going to need every drop of water we have here."
TRANSFER STIRS OPINIONS
In the 1990s a couple of billionaire
The land, known as Western Farms, would later be purchased by the IID, leading to further speculation the dealings of water transfers were handled under the table.
Farmers said this is when the core of the QSA debate surfaced and the division in the farming community began. It also saw the first generation of the Imperial Group ideology.
"Some were against the idea of selling the water on the free market, others … said let's get paid for the water. Farmers always felt it belonged to them," Menvielle, who is in the "free market" line of thinking, said.
The water transfer is like transferring property rights without input, Cox said. If there wasn't a majority of landowners to vote for this thing, Cox said, "It was supposed to collapse."
Abatti said though he is no longer part of a lawsuit suing the district over the QSA, he still maintains his beliefs as he sits on the IID board.
"I believe the Valley will not be a better place because of the QSA. We're doing the best we can," Abatti said.
AN END IN SIGHT?
The QSA coordinated lawsuits continue to inch forward in the court system and Imperial Group members said they are eager to settle the issue. But it won't be at the cost of giving up, Morgan said.
"Because of personal greed people have picked off this county and some stubborn farmers are standing in the way," Morgan said.
Transferring water is no doubt a necessity, he said.
"I don't think there's any question you have to do a water transfer."
What the Imperial Group envisions is a farmer-based water board that frames decisions around the interest of keeping the agriculture industry growing in the Valley. It believes it has found like-minded directors in Abatti and Director James Hanks.
Contrary to popular belief, group members would not sell off the water, pack up shop and move to
"Let's face it, if we don't have water here, it's worth zero. You allocate water to the gate. All of it. Don't hold back so you can play God, which is what the district wants to do. It'll work," Foster said.
One acre, one vote, that's the way it should be, he said. Leaning forward in his chair, hands on his knees in an unmistakable gruff voice that has spoken out at numerous IID board meetings over the years, Foster makes his point clear.
"We want control of the water. We're not going to sell it," Foster said.
The solution is not to give control to the farmers, Menvielle said, but the court cases do need to be settled.
"It will help put an end to the unrest," Menvielle said.
Oksterkamp said the rumors of the Imperial Group wanting to dry up the Valley are false. Many farmers have generations of history here, he said.
If the Imperial Group prevails, the Valley would be in a better place financially as the Imperial Group advocates millions going back into the community from water transfer profit, Morgan argued.
"The
Morgan said the solution could begin with replacing the IID board.
"This place is a dinosaur and it needs to be buried," Morgan said.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/07/27/local_news/news02.txt
By Jeff Delong
Impacts of a warming climate must become a key concern in long-term strategies to protect
A 2004 study by the
Officials with the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency are incorporating climate change into some of the agency's most fundamental efforts, including a plan guiding land use across the region and a $2 billion-plus list of environmental improvement projects over the next decade.
"It's a new direction for us," said John Singlaub, TRPA executive director.
The agency, established by Congress in 1969 to protect
Threats to the lake include the sediment and pollution that wash into it, clouding its famed clarity, the air pollution that settles in the water and encourages algae growth and ailing forests ready to fuel catastrophic fires.
It's time to add a warming climate to the mix, experts said. It has a direct relationship with many of Tahoe's existing problems and could worsen them in the future.
"You can't think of the long term without recognizing climate change," said Geoffrey Schladow, director of the
Additional research released this spring suggests that the regular "mixing" of Tahoe's waters could become less frequent or stop altogether because of a warming climate. The result, scientists said, could be oxygen depletion in the water and other changes producing a "major, permanent disruption" to the lake's ecosystem.
Among the potential problems: Oxygen depletion could result in the release of phosphorus currently locked in lake-floor sediments, encouraging algae growth in Tahoe's waters. Warming could also accelerate an invasion by non-native aquatic weeds and fish.
Warming's impact on Tahoe will be a central topic of this summer's Lake Tahoe Summit, planned for Aug. 16 and hosted by U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Steps envisioned to address the problem:
Adoption of a "climate action plan" within two years of passage of TRPA's updated regional plan for the
An analysis of and recommendations for "green" building and energy conservation opportunities at Tahoe.
A public education campaign encouraging residents and visitors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Efforts to boost use of mass transit and encourage development of pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly communities.
Over the next decade, about $2.2 billion is proposed for projects through TRPA's Environmental Improvement Program. Many of these projects address warming, by encouraging mass transit or by improving forest health and reducing chances of catastrophic wildfires that would belch gases into the atmosphere.
Dangers posed by climate change come at a time when there are encouraging signs regarding Tahoe's environmental status. In May, scientists said the pace of the lake's clarity loss slowed significantly between 2001 and 2007.
That "fundamental shift," Schladow said, indicates that the many projects undertaken at the lake over the last decade to control erosion and restore the environment could be paying off.
That makes it all the more important to ensure the consequences of a warming climate don't undo the progress that's being made, he and others agreed.
"We've turned the corner," Singlaub said. "We've got to be sure we remain vigilant on all fronts."#
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080728/NEWS04/807280344/1047/TT
Water needs pit north vs. south: Valley faces 80% reduction by next year
Antelope Valley
By Linda Lee, Staff Writer
When Realtors were marketing
"We were the
"We also have this wonderful lake, this beautiful golf course, and people would come and just be totally amazed with it." Trouble is, the marketing strategy was not based in reality.
"It was a fraud in the years of '65 and '70 and it's not changed at all."
Bevins wants to stop referring to the area as the
While Bevins' version may seem extreme, the reality for
Farmers compete for water with residents, businesses and industry, while environmentalists keep new storage and distribution systems in check to protect sensitive environments.
Next year, local water experts are predicting that the half of the Valley water supply coming through the California Aqueduct will be reduced by 80%.
Kern County Supervisor Don Maben is so worried about how the cuts will affect the economy, he called a water summit nine days ago to discuss strategies with local city and water officials. Palmdale Water District has called its own water briefing for this week.
"You remember what happened in 1990? The housing market collapsed, the savings and loans failed … the economy here in the Valley, in the high desert in general, suffered greatly from those results, and, as Yogi Berra said, it's déjà vu all over again: We have a state budget that's in the tank, the housing market is gone, financial institutions are failing," Maben said.
In addition, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a statewide drought. Court-ordered restrictions on pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta into the California Aqueduct are reducing the amount of water that is coming to the Valley.
Water from the California Aqueduct has allowed
State and federal water projects supply water to 25 million Californians and 7 million acres of farmland. The
In 1960, voters approved financing for construction of the State Water Project, which includes 22 dams and reservoirs, and a Delta pumping plant.
The State Water Project, which is controlled by the state Department of Water Resources, began to deliver water from
Twenty-seven water agencies contract for state water supplies, including the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District, which all serve customers in the
In addition to water from the aqueduct, the
Most of the well water originates in the mountains around the
It is from that groundwater basin that public and private water agencies pump water for homes, businesses, agriculture and other uses.
Residents in rural areas not served by a water district or private water company pump water from individual wells.
In addition to pumping groundwater, Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District also have access to water from Littlerock Reservoir, which may be one of the few reservoirs in the state to be full this year.
Although water agencies contract with the state for a specific amount of imported water annually, the amount they are allowed to take from the California Aqueduct varies each year according to the density of the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains in
Snowmelt flows into the northern portion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast, which is then pumped out and sent to
Man-made levees along the Delta protect it from saltwater intrusion, which keeps the water more drinkable and also protects surrounding farmland. But the levees, built during the Gold Rush days, are in danger of failing.
"Do you know what would happen if we lose a levee?" Lancaster Vice Mayor Ron Smith asked. "The inundation of salt water would destroy our water supply completely."
"We rely on imported water from the State Water Project and as we've seen, the amount of water we can get from the aqueduct can go up and down at the stroke of a judge's pen, let alone the rainfall and snowfall," Lancaster City Councilman Ed Sileo said.
"This is not a city of
Global warming, the aging levees and increasing environmental challenges surrounding the fragile Delta ecosystem are affecting the state's water reliability.
After
"The likely allotments for state and federal water are going to be very, very low next year because storage will be at historic low levels," said Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies.
"Next year, the water agencies that have got water stored south of the Delta are going to have to watch how much they use it, because they don't know for sure when this is going to end," Quinn said.
The State Water Project begins at Oroville Dam on the Feather River and sends water 444 miles through the state to
In the Tehachapi Mountains near Gorman, water is pumped 2,000 feet over the mountains, continuing its journey through 10 miles of tunnels and siphons that cross the mountain range into
The aqueduct divides into east and west branches east of Gorman, and the
The State Water Project, operated by the state Department of Water Resources, is a major source of water for
Other
Competition is expected to increase among water users for any additional water supplies.
"There's a lot of folks in Northern California that want to see the water even more severely cut to Southern California," said Russ Fuller, general manager of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency.
AVEK, a water wholesaler, purifies and sells water to more than 20 municipal users as well as Edwards Air Force Base and
With boundaries extending more than 2,400 miles, AVEK is the third-largest contractor of the State Water Project, behind the Metropolitan Water District and the Kern County Water Agency.
AVEK treats aqueduct water at plants in Acton, Rosamond, Quartz Hill and southeast of the Valley between Littlerock and Pearblossom. The treatment plants are capable of providing water to a combined 401,000 consumers.
The agency has more than 100 miles of pipelines. It has four 8 million-gallon water storage reservoirs near Mojave, and one 3 million-gallon reservoir at Vincent Hill Summit near
Fuller is expecting water agencies to be cut back next year to 10% of the water they are allowed to receive from the aqueduct, compared to a typical figure of 60% to 70%.
AVEK is shopping for more water, but given all the other competitors that are looking for that water as well, Fuller said he doesn't expect much success.
"It's going to be very, very expensive, but you know when you don't have water, price is always relative," Fuller said.
A 10% allocation for AVEK is 14,500 acre-feet, enough water for about that many families in
"If we're able to buy enough supplemental water, maybe to double that figure, or maybe even better than double, we'll feel pretty good for next year, but that's still a drastic cut from what people are used to," Fuller said.
Los Angeles County Waterworks District 40, which supplies water to most of
The district has relied on water from AVEK for the past 10 years, when it's available, conserving its groundwater supplies.
"We use water conservation aggressively, then when the time comes to rely on groundwater supply, we reverse this process," said Adam Ariki, assistant division chief for Los Angeles County Waterworks.
The Waterworks District has over the last several years supplied its customers about 60,000 acre-feet a year, of which two-thirds comes from AVEK, Lancaster Public Works Director Randy Williams said.
"If we experience a cutback in AVEK supplies to 10% of their contract value, Waterworks District will get 8,000, maybe 8,500 acre-feet," enough to serve about 8,500 homes, Williams said.
"That's a far cry from the 40,000 acre-feet they normally get. ... They're not going to be restricted only to the 8,500 acre-feet, but they are going to be restricted to about 50% of what they had been serving for the past number of years," he said.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich has asked the governor's staff to treat the water crisis as an emergency similar to the 1994 Northridge earthquake that wrecked freeways around
A Metrolink system was up and running within four months in the
"We rebuilt those in record time and I don't think anybody suffered from that," said Norm Hickling, field deputy to Antonovich.
Antonovich has asked the governor's office to review environmental requirements "so we can build these structures in a much more expedited and more cost-effective manner instead of waiting years and years and spending hundreds of millions of dollars to try to put these conveyance systems in place," Hickling said.
Quinn, the executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, said water officials across the state realize "we have not had a crisis this severe in any of our careers, nothing since the big systems were built back in the middle of the 20th century."
"Our water management tools have been compromised by the inadequate system to deal with fishery issues. Some parts of
In the meantime, Quinn said, Californians will need to conserve more than they realize. "The only way to balance demand and supply is to knock those demand numbers down."
Across the state, communities will implement much stronger conservation measures, and many are likely to adopt mandatory rationing, he said.
But as a long-term solution to ensuring reliable water supplies, Quinn said it will be important to put a bond before
"In the end, we only escape the high level of conflict we're dealing with today by fixing the system that's broken," he said.
"Our infrastructure pits our economy and the environment against one another and it demands to be fixed."
Across socio-demographic and geographic lines, polls indicate 80% of Californians believe there is a serious water crisis, he said. When asked if the bonds should be put on hold because the economy is bad and the state is in too much debt, 60% responded "no," recognizing that it's a crisis that requires immediate action, Quinn said.
"Even Republicans are saying that they would strongly vote for a water bond," he said.
Quinn said he expects discussion of a peripheral canal to be controversial; it was rejected by voters in 1982.
"But in 1982, when the people voted on a peripheral canal, that was a canal about moving lots more water south into Southern California swimming pools. This time around virtually everyone recognizes that an investment in a canal is an investment in environmental sustainability," he said.
Claude Seal, assistant manager of the Rosamond Community Services District, cited three major elements to resolving the water supply problem: "Finding the water volume that you need and being willing to pay the price for it; being able to transport the water from
"Water is available if you're willing to pay upwards of $500 to $1,000 per acre-foot to buy the water and that's just for this year," Seal said.
"In all probability you're looking at multiple thousands of dollars in the not-to-distant future for water when it's available," Seal said. "Even though the State Water Contractors are trying to put something of a control on the purchase price of water quantities, you still have too many independent entities out there who say, 'I'll bid higher for that water.' "#
http://www.avpress.com/n/27/0727_s1.hts
More water-rate hikes may be ahead: 2 more water-rate hikes may be ahead
San Diego
By Mike Lee, Staff Writer
The first proposal – which city staff will present to the City Council tomorrow – is for a 6.26 percent increase starting Jan. 1. It is designed to cover the higher cost of water sold by wholesale agencies.
The council likely will approve the proposal in September, because
Recently, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the San Diego County Water Authority boosted their wholesale rates due to the difficulty of securing new water supplies during the drought.
Their actions are creating ripples in
Back in
The price tag is roughly double what city officials estimated earlier this year. The revision caused at least one high-profile advocate of water recycling to wonder whether the budget for this project, which Mayor Jerry Sanders has opposed, was intentionally inflated to generate opposition from ratepayers.
It's unclear when the City Council will consider the rate increase for reservoir augmentation. The San Diego Water Department's staff has said it would submit the proposal later this year.
Overall, the series of rate hikes would cause typical homeowners to pay about 40 percent more for water in late 2009 compared with what they spent in early 2007.
City leaders said the succession of rate hikes in recent years is needed to upgrade pipes, improve other infrastructure, and cover the rapidly rising cost of purchasing water.
Ratepayers also could end up with a drought-proof water supply if San Diego can figure out how to safely purify wastewater, send it to the San Vicente Reservoir and then distribute the combined product to people's faucets.
Some conservationists are criticizing Sanders and his staff for not moving more quickly to build the test facility for turning wastewater into tap water.
"The mayor's office is moving with the gusto of a spoiled kid who doesn't want to clean up his room," said Bruce Reznik, head of the environmental group San Diego Coastkeeper and an outspoken supporter of reservoir augmentation.
Jim Barrett, the city's water chief, defended his agency's work.
"We have been moving forward with deliberate speed. You have to remember that this is not something anyone in the state of
Water agencies in
In October, the City Council directed Sanders to establish a pilot project for reservoir augmentation.
Sanders vetoed the plan, saying it cost too much and people didn't want sewage in their tap water. In December, the council overrode the veto and Sanders pledged to follow the council's mandate.
Last week, Marsi Steirer, a top official in the city's Water Department, said the demonstration project needed to be larger than originally anticipated. She said the expansion would allow
Instead of building a plant to process 200 gallons of water per minute – as the Water Department initially considered – Sanders' staff now proposes a facility that would treat about 700 gallons per minute.
The plant would operate for two years, and the wastewater it purifies would be used for irrigation and industrial purposes during this test phase.
Steirer said the new estimate of roughly $12 million "just reflects better information and further refinement of the cost."
But Lani Lutar, president of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association, said she doesn't trust the adjusted price tag – particularly the projected $1.7 million bill for public outreach.
"The administration may be artificially inflating the cost figures for political reasons, to prevent the project from moving forward," Lutar said. #
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20080727-9999-1m27water.html
Bill aimed at settling San Jacinto Valley
Riverside Press Enterprise- 7/24/08
By GAIL WESSON
A bill to resolve a decades-old San Jacinto Valley Indian water rights dispute is headed for President Bush's signature with passage of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians Settlement Act late Thursday in the U.S. Senate.
The bill, introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Palm Springs, passed the House of Representatives in May.
The legislation implements a 1991 federal government settlement and another settlement with
"I am thrilled an agreement has been reached that will benefit the many individuals and families impacted by this ongoing water dispute," Bono Mack said in a news release. "We would not be at this point without the many years of hard work and cooperation by the tribe, our local water districts and local leaders."
The legislation provides "a secure and reliable water supply not only for the tribe, but the community," Loretta Tuell, Washington, D.C.-based legal counsel for the tribe on the water issue, said by phone. In Indian water rights cases, negotiations, rather than litigation, are "the best means to come to resolution," she said.
The settlement awards the tribe $18 million from local water districts, $11 million from the federal government and the right to 2 billion gallons of water a year from the aquifer. The tribe agreed to use no more than half the water allotment for the first 50 years. What isn't used will be available to other local water providers.
"Water reliability, which gives our communities more independence, is of great value to all of us," said Randy Record, Eastern Municipal Water District director for the
The tribe accused non-Indians of improperly draining water from beneath its reservation, beginning in 1865. The best-known instance was in the 1930s, when MWD contractors drilled a tunnel through the
The tribe claimed seepage into the tunnel caused its wells to dry up. MWD was unable to seal the tunnel to prevent leakage.
The tribe began meetings with the Eastern and
The parties reached a proposed settlement in 2003, which the bill, once signed, will finalize.#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_E_soboba25.4ad8172.html
Feds catching up with us on saving water — finally: National standards for homes would jibe with those of Southern Nevada authority's 5-year-old program
The
By Phoebe Sweet
Five years ago, the Southern Nevada Water Authority quit pushing the federal government to create standards for water-efficient homes — and came up with its own instead.
Since then, more than 7,000
This year the feds are finally catching up, crafting a set of regulations to create a national stamp of approval, similar to the Energy Star label, for new homes that use about 20 percent less water than the average home. The program is expected to be rolled out early next year.
Better late than never, the Water Authority says.
In many Southwestern cities that don't already have strict conservation guidelines for new homes — cities that, like Las Vegas, rely on the Colorado River for water — a national "WaterSense" rating could really improve water savings, according to Doug Bennett, the authority's conservation manager.
Federal laws enacted in the early '90s require new plumbing fixtures and water-using appliances to be more efficient, so new homes across the
In a study of nine large American cities, most of them in the Southwest, only new homes in
The Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense standards are aimed at helping more cities catch up to us.
The program already is empowering consumers to build water saving into their shopping choices, by labeling efficient appliances and fixtures with the WaterSense seal of approval, something Carl Pope, executive director of the national Sierra Club, said is "an important first step."
"Consumers should be able to get good (products), and you have to become a research librarian to find out what ... you're buying" without the labels, Pope said.
But he also noted: "it's a very modest first step."
With climate change exacerbating drought on the
"I do not see much leadership," he added.
Although the Water Authority has been vilified by conservationists and rural farmers for a plan to pump billions of gallons of water a year from eastern
Still, the valley can — and many say must — do even better. The average person living in a single-family home served by the Las Vegas Valley Water District uses 165 gallons of water per day. Nationally, the average is closer to 70 gallons per person daily.
The Water Authority helped shape the EPA's new WaterSense regulations — in part to help the EPA learn from five years of experience — so the features of homes certified under the EPA's WaterSense program will look a lot like those in a Water Smart home.
Another incentive to line up EPA's specs for WaterSense homes with the Water Authority's own standards was that
Bennett and EPA officials said one of the most important parts of designing their efficiency regulations was making sure the builders and buyers would get onboard with programs that require more efficient appliances, plumbing fixtures and landscaping than required by any local or national code alone.
Virginia Lee, one of the EPA's team leaders for the WaterSense program, said the shower heads, toilets and other efficient features also had to work just as well as less-efficient counterparts on the market.
"Doing water conservation for an agency since 1995, I had seen agencies build model homes with Jetsons-type water features. And 10 years later there was only one," Bennett said. The market just wasn't ready for those high-end, futuristic homes.
"Instead of having one of these wonder homes that we could take people through on tours, we have 7,000 of these homes that
Walter Cuculic, director of strategic marketing for Pulte Homes, which will build about 1,500 houses in the valley this year, said his company thinks of the Water Smart designation as another amenity — like marble countertops or bamboo floors — it can offer in a soft housing market. The latest three developments his company completed in the valley were Water Smart, Cuculic said.
He thinks every new home should come with water and energy ratings on the front door.
Lee said national builders are already onboard with WaterSense and next week, as part of a pilot program, the agency expects to release a list of builders constructing homes based on the draft regulations.
In fact, she said builders and water agencies had come to the EPA over the past few years saying water conservation deserved to be taken as seriously as energy conservation. She said a national program would create higher visibility and raise awareness among consumers.
The EPA's draft rules mandate how many gallons of water toilets can use per flush, how quickly water flows out of taps, how much of a lot can be covered by grass or pools. The proposed WaterSense program, like the Water Authority's, deducts the surface area of pools from the total allowed for turf.
Lee said the agency has extended the public comment period on the regulations through Sept. 4 and expects to release final specifications by February
One of the more contentious aspects deals with landscaping and the amount of turf that will be allowed. In wetter climates large lawns may account for only a small fraction of water use. The limits could be customized for various regions, Bennett said.
Bennett also said that if the program is to succeed, the EPA needs to make it easy for builders to get their homes certified by reputable inspectors. In the
The inspections are also critical because the homes must live up to the certification.
"When you have a brand like WaterSense or Energy Star or Water Smart, you have to make sure you have the consumers' confidence in that brand," Bennett said. "You can't afford any oversights."#
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/jul/25/feds-catching-us-saving-water-nally/
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