Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 6, 2008
1. Top Items -
DWP water waste crackdown plan gets
The
President is the last dam in Soboba water rights issue
Indian Country Today- 8/5/08
Urban runoff threatens beaches
The Dessert Sun- 8/2/08
County sues Water Resources over dam relicensing
Woman apparently drowns at Thermalito Forebay
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DWP water waste crackdown plan gets
The
By David Zahniser, Staff Writer
A key committee of the Los Angeles City Council voted today to approve Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's new crackdown on excessive water usage, doubling fines for residents and quadrupling them for businesses.
The "drought busters" plan crafted by the Department of Water and Power seeks to punish residents who water their lawns between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., car owners who wash their cars without "shut-off devices" on their hoses and restaurants that serve water without being asked.
DWP General Manager H. David Nahai had originally urged the council to approve the plan before the start of summer in June. Because of questions from the council's Energy and the Environment Committee over the last few weeks, the plan won't likely go into effect until September.
As many as 16 DWP "drought busters" will be assigned to issue warnings to first-time violators of the rules and fines to those who are caught two or more times. The DWP also operates a hotline for the public to make anonymous water waster complaint calls.
"This won't be simply a matter of 'drought busters' driving around the city trying to monitor behavior," Nahai said. "They will receive many calls and be able do their job much more efficiently because the populace will participate in this entire process."
The proposal is expected to reach the full council later this month.
Some of the rules are already on the books but have not been enforced, such as a ban on using hoses to wash down sidewalks and driveways.
Such behavior will be permitted only when there is a health and safety issue, or when a device similar to a pressure washer is used to spray the concrete, DWP officials said.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-drought6-2008aug06,0,695580.story?track=rss
President is the last dam in Soboba water rights issue
Indian Country Today- 8/5/08
SAN JACINTO,
With the U.S. Senate's unanimous July 23 vote approving the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act, which the House had already passed, the act will resolve the tribe's water claims and authorize the secretary of the Interior Department to execute an agreement between the tribe and three water districts in southern
Introduced by Rep. Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., the act was needed by the federal settlement team to authorize the settlement agreement of Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians v. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which is pending in federal district court.
''Water is essential to building and sustaining a community. I am pleased that after over 75 years of struggle, litigation and negotiation, this bill clearly shows how reaching a consensus will help the tribe and San Jacinto Valley achieve a reliable water source for years to come,'' Bono Mack said.
''We are at this point today because of the collaborative efforts and many years of hard work by the tribe, our local water districts, the federal government and local leaders. This is great news that will benefit the tribe and our entire region, and I am honored to have played a part in reaching such a positive resolution to this issue.''
The attorney for the Soboba, Karl Johnson of Luebben Johnson & Barnhouse LLP in Albuquerque, said the settlement agreement is the product of discussions for many years originally reached in 2004 between three water districts - the Eastern and Lake Hemet municipal water districts, which supply water to the Sobobas' neighbors in the San Jacinto River Valley, and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water to Los Angeles and San Diego - and the tribe.
''The parties have agreed on a stipulated judgment to be filed in the litigation currently pending in federal district court in
The Soboba Band has dealt with water depletion since settlers began moving into the
''With the surface water gone, the tribe drilled wells into its underground aquifer, but they, too, went dry when groundwater levels plummeted from increased pumping by the Sobobas' non-Indian neighbors.''
In the 1930s, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California dug a 13-mile tunnel through the
''The faults and fractures in the mountains caused the groundwater to drain into the tunnel, so the water in the springs and creeks in the upland area of the reservation dried up.''
The settlement provides the tribe with 128 acres near
The tribe also will receive $11 million from the federal government over two years for water infrastructure expenses as well as $18 million from the local water districts for economic development.
''We've always seen the light at the end of the tunnel,'' Soboba Tribal Chairman Robert J. Salgado said. ''As soon as the president signs the bill, we'll be able to celebrate in a good way.''
The settlement of the tribe's water rights adds another chapter to its history, he said.
''The water was made by the Creator. He made it for all of us. When you do it the Indian way, everybody is blessed; but the outside world doesn't understand where we come from. When they learn to walk in our moccasins, then
they'll understand.''
Every tribal chairman since the 1930s, Salgado said, has worked on the water settlement.
''They did all the hard work. Now I get to sign the agreement. I'm very proud that I am chairman of the Soboba Band. We give all the glory to the Creator.''
In the settlement, the three water districts will receive $10 million in federal funds to offset capital costs of a water management plan, 7,500 acre-feet per year of imported water until 2035, up to 100 acres of Soboba land to create an endangered species habitat, 4,900 acre-feet a year of Soboba water for 50 years to restore the water basin and a final resolution to Soboba water rights and claims. The water districts, too, will experience economic growth with the Soboba's economic development.#
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096417872
Urban runoff threatens beaches
The Dessert Sun- 8/2/08
By Nicole C. Brambila
Last year saw the second-highest recorded number of beach closings nationwide — more than 20,000 — according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council released this week.
A database that can now be found at mydesert.com shows that some of the most popular Southern California beaches might not be the cleanest because of bacteria, animal and human waste, and other runoff.
Sections of
Parts of
Just further north,
Experts suggest checking swim advisories and warn people not to swim after heavy rains because of urban runoff.
On Wednesday, Caren Clifford sat in a beach chair with Jim Cox on Laguna Beach about 20 feet away from a drain pipe with a sign that read: “Warning: runoff/storm drain water may cause illness.”
“Not only is it an eyesore when you go to the beach, the health risks are bad,” said Alexis Henry, a spokeswoman for the Surfrider Foundation, a San Clemente-based nonprofit organization formed in 1984 to create stronger water quality regulation, better beach access and preservation.
Clifford and Cox did not swim Wednesday. “I'm just not a swimmer,” said Clifford, a
Cox recently visited
Doheny is one of the
“A lot of it has to do with urban runoff,” said Larry Honeybourne, an Orange County Environmental Health program manager.
“All that ends up in some water body, whether that's the ocean, lakes or streams. In
Testing for health risks
Local officials in 30 coastal and
The Natural Resources Defense Council then obtains the data from the EPA.
This year's NRDC report shows:
Beaches closed or posted no-swimming advisories 22,571 days last year, a 12 percent decline from the 2006 record of 25,643 days. The 2006 record was driven by unusually heavy rain over parts of the country, especially
Closing and advisory days increased dramatically in 2007 at
Closing and advisory days attributed to sewage spills and overflows more than tripled, from 1,301 days in 2006 to 4,097 days last year.
Of the 131,977 water samples local health officials took last year, 7 percent exceeded the national safe swimming standard set by the EPA. That's essentially unchanged from 2006. The results were worse for
Last year,
Environmental officials test for the E.Coli bacteria and close a beach when elevated levels of human and animal waste are present.
Swimmers who ingest contaminated water can contract a variety of diseases from an irritating eye, ear, nose infection and stomach problems to more serious ailments such as hepatitis and meningitis.
For the young and old and those with weakened immune systems, that dip in the ocean could be fatal.
Judy Payne of Loomis isn't a beach bum. But the 66-year-old grandmother braved the waves on a body board on Wednesday.
“We do this once a year, so we don't have a lot of opportunity,” said Payne, who wasn't aware of water quality issues at the beach.
Neither was Somphong Phetbenjaku, who visited the beach with his wife and two daughters. “We hardly come out this way to the beach,” the Temecula resident said. “We haven't seen a (closure) sign yet. We'll pay more attention now.”
Keeping
Simple chores such as washing vehicles at the car wash or on the grass, not over-fertilizing the lawn and cleaning up pet waste can go a long way to minimizing urban runoff.
“Because we have the money (as a nation) doesn't mean we're concerned enough to do anything about it,” Cox said.
Larry Wheeler and Robert Benincasa of Gannett News Service, part of The Desert Sun's parent company, contributed to this report.#
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080802/NEWS07/808020312/1006/news01
County sues Water Resources over dam relicensing
By Staff Reports
OROVILLE —
Following a closed session discussion, the board voted unanimously to have County Counsel Bruce Alpert file suit against DWR.
The county maintains that the dam complex costs millions of dollars annually in taxes the county doesn't receive, and from direct costs related to fire, law enforcement, road improvements and other issues.
DWR, which is currently trying to win a new 50-year license to operate the dam and its power plants from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, has maintained the money that comes to the county and its residents due to tourism more than makes up for any alleged county costs.
In the lawsuit,
The environmental report failed to adequately address the "socio-economic costs" suffered by the county because of the project's location and "provided a woefully inadequate analysis of the global warming impacts," according to a county press release.
"It is amazing that even after FERC staff stated in their own EIR that there were significant unmitigated socio-economic effects on the county, DWR refuses to acknowledge and remedy the unfairness of having the citizens of Butte County subsidize the Lake Oroville facilities," said Alpert in the press release.
The release quoted Alpert as saying he'll be interested to see how Attorney General Jerry Brown, who represents DWR, reacts to the lawsuit. Brown has stressed that the effects on global warming must be considered in EIRs, to the point of filing suits over the issue.
The release said the county hopes the suit will lead to an out-of-court settlement with DWR that will benefit both parties.
There was no word in the press release about where and when the suit will be filed nor any mention of any specific relief the county is asking the court to impose.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the E-R sent messages to Alpert asking for additional information. But by deadline, he had not responded.#
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_10110049
Woman apparently drowns at Thermalito Forebay
By TONI SCOTT, Staff Writer
OROVILLE — An Oroville woman died Saturday afternoon in an apparent drowning at the North Thermalito Forebay Recreation Area.
Shandra Michelle Davis, 31, was pronounced dead at
The Butte County Coroner's Office said an autopsy is currently being performed and
David Buckley, Associated Students executive director, said it was his understanding that
"It seems that another person loaned it to her," Buckley said.
Joshpae White, Cal Fire-Butte County public information officer, said the emergency communications center operator who received the 9-1-1 call attempted to give CPR instructions to the caller, but that a lifeguard and a registered nurse both were able to administer CPR to the woman without assistance.
When firefighters arrived on scene, White said, they took over CPR. Firefighters rode with
A current investigation of the possible drowning is being conducted by California State Parks.
The Forebay is part of the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, which is run by the California State Parks.#
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_10110046
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