Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 5, 2008
1. Top Items -
Editorial
Our View: 'Leaders' in
Nicole Parra links budget vote to water bond: Assembly member goes further than most.
The
Recent fatalities highlight water safety
Contra Costa Times- 8/4/08
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Editorial
Our View: 'Leaders' in
Everybody has an answer to
Everyone has an answer -- but no one, it seems, is ready for a workable compromise.
The result is that we wallow in a crisis that is only going to get worse. The current drought, it's predicted, is likely to extend into next year as well. The considerable damage that has been done is only the beginning -- and yet we're no closer to long-term solutions than we were a decade ago.
Farm losses to the drought totaled nearly $250 million in mid-July -- almost $75 million of that in the Valley -- according to state figures. Growers are abandoning crops, and workers are losing jobs. And our "leaders" in
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed a new bond measure last month for $9.3 billion to fund water supply and conservation projects. It's a promising combination of new surface projects, repairs to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, underground storage and conservation efforts.
Something like that will certainly be needed; the size of the problem is that great.
But there are also several billion dollars from earlier initiatives -- Proposition 84 (passed by voters in 2006), Proposition 50 (2002) and Proposition 13 (2000) -- that remain unspent. Efforts to do so have fallen victim to the internecine warfare among Republicans and Democrats in the Capitol.
Meanwhile, the state's population continues to grow, just as supplies are weakening, in part because of the effects of global climate change.
The neglect of the water crisis is similar to the farrago of a budget process we're witnessing. It is increasingly apparent to most of us that some combination of spending cuts and tax increases is going to be necessary to close the monumental $15 billion budget gap. Nobody likes that, but it's the reality of the situation.
Likewise with water: Many people are opposed to new dams because of their environmental impacts and great cost. But dams are part of an overall solution -- and the longer we wait, the more costly they become. Proponents of dams often shrug off the merits of increased conservation, but that, too, is essential -- and offers a tremendous potential for saving water.
There is a middle ground on water, but -- as with the budget -- the middle ground is no-man's land in
It's a genuine crisis we're facing. Many areas of the state could face water rationing before too long. The losses in the ag industry will ripple through the rest of the state's economy. The essential task of building the state's job base will suffer, as existing businesses find themselves unable to grow and new businesses never materialize.
The cost of doing nothing is not zero. Quite the opposite. The cost of doing nothing -- our status quo -- will be enormous for this once-golden state.#
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/181/story/378936.html
Nicole Parra links budget vote to water bond: Assembly member goes further than most.
The
By E.J. Schultz, Bee Capitol Bureau
In a recent letter to Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, Parra issues what appears to be a stark ultimatum:
"I simply cannot support a budget without a solution to the Central Valley's water supply," the
She "respectfully" asks in the letter that the Assembly "place a water bond on the November ballot."
Parra declined to comment when asked about the letter.
Steve Maviglio, a spokesman for Bass, D-
It is unusual for a lawmaker to openly put such a condition on his or her budget vote.
Parra's demand puts her at odds with most Democrats, who favor getting the budget done before addressing the state's water needs. Even Republican leaders -- who have long pushed for state money for dams -- say they aren't linking budget talks with water negotiations.
Assuming all Assembly Democrats vote yes on the budget, it takes at least six Republican votes to pass the lower house. If Parra sticks to her pledge -- and lawmakers don't approve a water deal before the budget -- Democrats may have to woo an additional Republican vote on the budget, now 36 days late.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has been pushing a $9.3 billion bond for water supply and conservation. But water negotiations have appeared to take a back seat as the two parties struggle to agree on a state budget.
At the latest, lawmakers have until Aug. 16 to get a water bond on the ballot.
Parra, whose district is home to many thirsty farms, is one of only a handful of moderate Democrats who have pushed for state money to build dams. Most Democrats favor conservation and other programs, such as cleaning up polluted ground water.
Parra's letter is her latest run-in with the Democratic establishment.
She has angered many in her party by openly praising Republican Danny Gilmore, a candidate to fill Parra's Assembly seat when she terms out at the end of the year. Gilmore is running against Democrat Fran Florez, mother of state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter, a longtime Parra rival.#
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/774532.html
Recent fatalities highlight water safety
Contra Costa Times- 8/4/08
By Jonathan Lockett and Paula King
A young man propels his personal watercraft into the air over a nearby boat's wake as he speeds along Indian Slough near
As the boater passes by, he lands in the water after failing to complete the jump. His friend plays it safe, bypassing a jump attempt with his watercraft.
"Make sure you guys stay 100 feet from those other vessels," Sgt. Doug Powell of the Contra Costa Sheriff's Office says through the megaphone on his patrol boat. "You can't jump the wake of another vessel within 100 feet."
Powell knows all too well the dichotomy of the Delta — a stretch of beautiful, tranquil waterways that can be either a recreational paradise or a disaster zone for unsuspecting or careless watercraft users. That reality hit home last month when two
Powell said Indian Slough is the most dangerous area of the Delta in
Investigators are still trying to understand the causes of the accidents, but both involved personal watercraft — statistically the most dangerous vessel to use on any waterway in California, let alone one with the narrow sloughs and blind corners commonly found in the Delta.
In its 2007 boating safety report, the California Department of Boating and Waterways noted that 84 percent of accidents involving personal watercraft resulted in injury, compared with 60 percent on boats. Sixty-two percent of personal watercraft accidents in
"They don't have brakes, they don't have air bags, they don't have seat belts, and once you come off the throttle you lose your steering capability," Powell said. "So a novice, someone who has not operated a personal watercraft, if in fact they were heading toward something and they want to change directions — one of the primary issues is they're going to come off throttle, and they're going to lose steering."
In addition, the weather can take a heavy toll after hours on the water. Powell said these "stressors" affect personal watercraft riders in particular.
"It's draining on your body — the sun, the wind, the elements, the bouncing up and down," Powell said. "Now, put yourself on a personal watercraft, where you are actually maneuvering that PWC using your arms back and forth, and then you're out there for a long period of time.
"There are the same stressors. A lot of people don't know that. And they don't know until it's too late."
Area residents say knowing the Delta is as important as knowing your watercraft. Oakley's Ron Paris, who has been boating in the Delta for 18 years, said the complex waterways can be dangerous for people who don't take the time to educate themselves about the area.
"A lot of the sloughs are narrow, and you have no real speed limits on boats,"
Personal watercraft can be unforgiving when it comes to safety. Along with the lack of protection and complex operational issues, manufacturers are designing them faster, Powell said. Some can exceed 60 mph, and excessive speed is the reason for 58 percent of accidents in
Jack Wetherell, 17, from Palo Verdes, said he'd been boating in the area numerous times but the only bad experience he witnessed was the accident scene on
"Keep it slow, know your limits, be looking around every blind turn," Wetherell said. "When coming up to a blind turn, definitely slow down."
Education on the Delta and boating safety could save millions of dollars resulting from accidents, injury and death, Powell said, adding that people would benefit immensely from courses offered for free by the Department of Boating and Waterways. The sheriff's office increases patrols along the Delta during certain periods, citing anyone in violation of the
"We're going to be out there in force taking a zero-tolerance approach on boating and alcohol, as well as stopping PWCs if we see an unsafe act," Powell said.
"We get a lot of people out in Discovery Bay that are new boat owners from other areas that have no idea what they are doing, and they wreak havoc on the
Legislation was introduced by state Assemblyman Michael Duvall, R-Yorba Linda, in February that would require boaters to carry a vessel operator card in order to operate any motor-powered water vehicle in
Powell noted that such a law would improve boating safety conditions, but it ultimately comes down to watercraft users.
"I think that people need to be responsible," Powell said. "I don't think people need to be regulated in everything they do in their life. But I think people need to be educated, and I think they need to take responsibility and do the right thing."#
http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_10098336?nclick_check=1
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