Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 20, 2008
1. Top Items -
Tunneling nearly complete for Inland Empire water project: Breakthrough expected today at Devil Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains . The Inland Feeder Project will connect the California Aqueduct to the Diamond Valley Lake
The Los Angeles
Tunnel adding key link to MWD's Inland Feeder water project
Riverside Press Enterprise- 8/20/08
Dan Walters: This week's pivotal for state Capitol's budget, water battles
The
Language in bill surprises IID
Imperial Valley Press- 8/19/08
Editorial
Our Opinion: Good step, but small step
Assembly casts bipartisan vote to support Wolk water conservation bill
California
Supervisors oppose water reallocation
Redding Record Searchlight- 8/20/08
The Desert Sun- 8/19/08
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Tunneling nearly complete for Inland Empire water project: Breakthrough expected today at Devil Canyon in the San Bernardino Mountains . The Inland Feeder Project will connect the California Aqueduct to the Diamond Valley Lake
The Los Angeles
By Tony Perry, Staff Writer
Even in the world of big-ticket water projects, where delays, cost overruns and controversy are frequent, the inelegantly named Inland Feeder Project was in a class of its own.
In its two decades, the project has faced fire, flood, regulatory disputes, difficult geology, grouting problems, earthquake considerations, a switch of contractors and more. At one point it was $100 million over budget.
The boss at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California jokes that the project suffered everything but a plague of locusts.
Still, the agency insisted it needed a higher-capacity system to bring water from Northern California to its massive reservoir,
A new project manager was brought in three years ago with a simple command: Failure is not an option.
And today, several years behind the original schedule, the $1.2-billion project will complete its last bit of tunneling: a four-mile stretch known as the Arrowhead West Tunnel in the
Officials will cheer as an 820-ton, 450-foot tunnel boring machine punches through at
Then it's all downhill, literally. Set for completion in 2010, the 44-mile route includes 16 miles of tunneling in three sections and 28 miles of underground piping that will empty into an already built canal. From there, it will travel 10 miles to
The current plumbing of the water district system is considered inadequate to capture the volume in such flows for storage. Enter the Inland Feeder, whose engineering is widely admired.
"We'll come up with something better" for a name, water district General Manager Jeff Kightlinger said Monday as he talked to reporters about the promise and the problems of the project.
"We knew it would be tricky," he said. "It was trickier that we thought."
The Arrowhead West Tunnel, between Waterman and Devil canyons, may have been the trickiest.
In 2003, the wildfires that swept through much of
No workers were at the site during either disaster, otherwise there would definitely have been fatalities, Kightlinger said. The only death caused by the project came during a shoring accident as pipe was being installed.
At the Arrowhead West Tunnel, the cutter face of the boring machine -- three times as tall as any worker -- grinds relentlessly at the mountain's granite rock, about 90 feet underground.
At top speed, the machine advances a bit over two inches per minute. The tunnel shakes, and the huffing and puffing of the machine fills the tunnel's stuffy air.
Although laser technology helps guide the cutter face, a human operator must apply the right amount of pressure to various locations on the rock face to keep the machine -- and therefore the tunnel -- on course.
"We've been fighting it all the way," said operator Billy Jordan, 41, an employee of the lead contractor, San Bernardino-based Shea/Kenny.
The tunnel is dark, hot and noisy. Seeping water is dripping from the stone walls, a normal occurrence but unnerving to a visitor. It is no place for someone with claustrophobia.
A narrow-gauge train ferries workers and equipment to and fro, whistle blaring to warn people who might be in its path. Workers carry a breathing apparatus on their belts in case of fire.
When bored out, the tunnel is 19 feet in diameter. With concrete liners installed, it shrinks to 12 feet. The miners are veterans of other tunnel projects throughout the country. Each is a jack-of-all-trades, adept at maintaining safety and pushing the project forward.
"It's a great job, something different every day," said James Bowen, 42, who has been working on it for a decade. "You never know what's going to break down."
When the Inland Feeder is done, it will triple the existing system's capability to move water to
The project has been through two major contractors and numerous water district managers.
Longtime water district employee John Bednarski, a civil engineer, was appointed project manager three years ago when major issues arose involving landowners.
"We were asked to look at any and all alternatives to get this done," he said.
In the end, the established plan was determined to be best. Land-use, environmental and engineering issues were resolved, and work resumed.
Through it all, the water district continued serving 18 million people in
Although a machine boring through a mountain at two inches per minute is hardly the stuff of breaking news, the engineering world has celebrated the project for its size and the complexity of its problems.
Some water district workers have been working on it for their entire careers.
"It's one of those things that, as an engineer, you get one shot at," said principal engineer Jay Arabshahi.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tunnel20-2008aug20,0,194234.story
Tunnel adding key link to MWD's Inland Feeder water project
Riverside Press Enterprise- 8/20/08
By
A circular rock-chewing machine will punch out of the San Bernardino Mountains today after nearly five years, leaving in its wake a four-mile-long tunnel that is the last major piece of a $1.2 billion water project designed to boost
The 19-foot-wide tunnel carved in the scrub-covered foothills above
Once completed in 2010, the Inland Feeder will triple the amount of Northern California water that can be transported to
"We expect water to be more volatile. We'll get sudden bursts, and we'll have to make it last longer," said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, which serves 19 million people in
The region is no stranger to several types of natural disasters, and the tunnel's builders grappled with several. The 2003 wildfires swept through the construction site at
A maze of earthquake faults -- including the San Andreas -- made chewing through the granite and other rock below the mountain surface more difficult. There were fears of a collapse on the boring machines and miners.
Plus there was the two-year delay in the late 1990s prompted by worries from the
"I used to think the only thing we had left coming through this tunnel was a plague of locusts," Kightlinger said.
Water Worries
"When you start draining groundwater, springs at that elevation will dry up," said Gar Abbas, a forest fisheries biologist. The springs feed creeks used by amphibians and other animals, and they keep vegetation alive for birds.
"If you impact the groundwater, then everything starts to die off, and you impact an entire ecosystem," Abbas said.
Since then, Abbas and the tribe have met with MWD on a monthly basis, and Abbas said he is more than satisfied with how things have worked out.
Monitoring of the springs and creeks by forest officials and the water district has shown that the tunneling technique was successful, Abbas said.
As for the San Manuel Band, officials are "unable to comment on any aspect of the project at this time," said Jacob Coin, a spokesman for the tribe. He said he could not elaborate.
In 2002, MWD brought in a new contractor for the tunneling project and devised new techniques to stop the groundwater from seeping into the tunnel by using grout to stabilize the ground before the machine bore through it, said John Bednarski, the district's project manager.
A bolt and gasket system similar to that used on the Chunnel that connects
"We had to modify it and build upon it," he said of the Chunnel technique.
The tunnel is also designed so that if it is ruptured during a major earthquake, it will drain into City Creek above
A 400-foot-long hydraulically driven machine carved out the 19-foot diameter tunnel, scraping the rock with discs at up to 5 inches per minute, and collecting the pieces in buckets attached to the head. GPS and laser-guided survey system tracked its progress.
At a cost of $9 million each, two custom-made boring machines were used to dig two tunnels in the
Inspired by Drought
The Inland Feeder was envisioned back in the late 1980s and early 1990s during the area's last major drought. It was to be paired with a large reservoir, which later became
This time around, the region is experiencing a drought and 30 percent less water coming from the Sacramento Delta, a key source of water for
Kightlinger said an ecological collapse is happening in the Sacramento Delta, and MWD is pushing for a new but politically controversial pipeline around the delta to prevent the fish from being killed.
"We expect to see a better 2009, but we are going to be very much hurting in 2009 and for the foreseeable future until we can get a new conveyance systems built around the delta," he said.
Even still, he said, climate change is transforming the way water is collected. With warmer temperatures, faster-rushing rain rather than slowly melting snow will become more the norm, making capturing water in reservoir systems more difficult, Kightlinger said.
He said the Inland Feeder will help by having the capacity to move 650 million gallons of water a day -- or enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool every 30 seconds.
Fed by
"It was trickier than we thought. It's been delayed, but we're going to be pulling through on Wednesday." Kightlinger said Monday. "It's been a long time coming, but it's quite an accomplishment." #
http://www.pe.com/localnews/inland/stories/PE_News_Local_S_tunnel20.495b60a.html
Dan Walters: This week's pivotal for state Capitol's budget, water battles
The
By Dan Walters
This is shaping up as a make-or-break week not only on the long-stalled state budget but on other major issues, such as water bonds, that are tied to the Nov. 4 ballot.
Capitol factions remain far apart on fully closing a $15.2 billion budget deficit – especially over taxes – with Assembly and Senate Democrats somewhat divided and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at odds with most fellow Republicans.
The remaining gap is about $6 billion, which could be covered by loans from transportation funds, local governments or banks, by a temporary one-cent sales tax hike that Schwarzenegger is touting, by borrowing against lottery profits, by income tax boosts that most Democrats favor, and/or by tax loophole closures.
Which approach is finally adopted will largely depend on the shape of a "budget reform" ballot measure. Were Democrats to back off on taxes, for instance, and shift to borrowing – which Schwarzenegger says he opposes – GOP lawmakers might soften demands for a hard cap on spending increases. The governor vows to reject any deal that doesn't include budget reform but is, as usual, flexible on details.
The rub is that any change in the constitution's budget provisions must go to voters, and the semiofficial deadline for the Nov. 4 ballot was last weekend. The Capitol's new assumption is that it could be stretched a week by shortening ministerial procedures for measures and still make what appears to be a semi-hard deadline of Sept. 5 for mailing ballots to soldiers and other overseas voters.
The ordinary flow of business, meanwhile, has been speeded up because Democrats still harbor hopes of ending the session by this weekend so they can attend next week's Obamaniacal Democratic convention in
And then there's water – another issue that Schwarzenegger wants to resolve along with the budget so that it, too, can go on the November ballot. He and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein are pushing a $9.3 billion water bond that includes new reservoirs and dams that environmentalists and most other Democratic politicians oppose.
Pro-water development forces are clearly hoping that the state's current water travails – two dry years in a row and judicial decrees that limit water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta – will propel action. The Assembly's Democrats appear poised only to offer a much-revised version of the Schwarzenegger-Feinstein plan that is unlikely to win approval but would give Democrats some political cover on the issue.
So will anything really happen this week on the budget and water? Chances are very slim on the former – a meeting between Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders Tuesday was brief and unproductive – and even less on the latter. We may be looking at more weeks of stalemate and a special election.#
http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/1170463.html
Language in bill surprises IID
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The first step toward restoring the plagued
Authored by Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego, the bill calls for an initial $47 million to be spent on restoring the
But a change in the bill’s language was protested by Imperial Irrigation District officials Tuesday when it was noted that references to the 2003 Quantification Settlement Agreement were omitted. In its place is a reference to a code that deals with the water transfer agreement.
It was later learned that the elimination came at the request of lobbyists for the water districts involved in the QSA, including IID, though the board expressed surprise and concern over the change.
“How did we miss this?” IID Director Mike Abatti questioned. “We need to find out who we have working up there and whether they’re doing their job.”
Ducheny said the bill references the Fish and Game Code, which deals with the part of the QSA that calls for the restoration of the
“It is clear from the state’s perspective why we’re moving forward on this, because it’s necessary for the QSA,” Ducheny said.
One statement omitted included the words: “Restoration of the
“It is fair to say the IID board was caught completely flat-footed by the finished version of Sen. Ducheny’s bill,” IID spokesman Kevin Kelley said. He went on to say that the explicit references to the linkage of the QSA and the restoration of the
The bill calls for $47 million funded by voters in 2006 to be used for habitat creation for the 400 species of birds that migrate to the sea throughout the year as well as air and water quality studies.
Ducheny said the governor has until Sept. 30 to sign the bill into law.
“There is no disallowing the QSA anywhere,” Ducheny said. “It is evident we’re implementing this as an environmental project of the QSA.”#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/08/20/local_news/news04.txt
Editorial
Our Opinion: Good step, but small step
The state of
The Assembly approved a five-year, $47 million plan that would deal with studies on air, water and sediment quality. It would also include early habitat creation.
While the bill has not made it to the governor’s office for his signature yet, this is still good news. With the state facing a very serious budget deficit, getting this kind of commitment to this stage is certainly a welcome surprise.
But much more, of course, is needed. The actual restoration of the sea will cost billions of dollars and take decades to complete. We are thankful that state Sen. Denise Moreno Ducheny, D-San Diego, understands the importance of restoring the sea and is committed to securing a long-term plan for it.
The problem is this project cannot wait. The
Legislators, unfortunately, have not been too quick to act on a plan to save the sea. They apparently do not understand the importance of it or simply don’t care.
We understand that the large price tag that comes with saving the sea can cause sticker shock. But doing nothing will be more costly. If the sea is allowed to become a full-blown environmental disaster, the costs will be much, much higher for the state and taxpayers. The lawsuits alone from farmers, nearby homeowners and people who live in the region will be excessively costly.
So although it is certainly the preference of many legislators, inaction is simply not an option. That is why this first step was important, but certainly it was just a baby step. Now the state must put a long-term plan into place and find a way to pay for it. We encourage Ducheny to continue this push and to keep this issue on the front burner.
It is that important.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/08/20/our_opinion/ed02_08-20-08.txt
Assembly casts bipartisan vote to support Wolk water conservation bill
The State Assembly cast a bipartisan 62-2 vote last week to approve a water conservation bill by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis).
The legislation, Assembly Bill 2882, would encourage public water agencies throughout the state to adopt conservation rate structures that reward consumers who conserve water.
"At a time when
Currently, state law authorizes water agencies to promote conservation using rate structures. However, some agencies are concerned that such structures may not meet the requirements of Proposition 218, state law enacted by voters in 1996 to restrict the use of revenue tools such as water rates to finance local services.
Wolk´s legislation provides agencies with the clarity necessary for legal implementation of allocation-based rate structures. The bill also establishes standards that protect consumers by ensuring a lower base rate for those who conserve water and requiring that higher rates for use in excess of the base rate do not exceed the reasonable cost of providing the water service.
"I´m pleased that both houses of the state legislature approved this bill, and encourage the Governor to sign it into law and enable water suppliers throughout the state to use this effective conservation tools, shown to achieve dramatic water savings without significant taxpayer investment," Wolk concluded.
AB 2882, which is supported by a broad coalition of water agencies and environmental organizations, is now waiting to be sent to the Governor´s desk for his signature.#
http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/71773
Supervisors oppose water reallocation
Redding Record Searchlight- 8/20/08
By Kimberly Ross
The Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 to send a letter to the chairman of the plan's Blue Ribbon Task Force, with Supervisor Mark Cibula repeatedly questioning whether the county's four-page letter was worded strongly enough.
He stressed
"This is one of the most important things we will do," he said.
Supervisor Les Baugh defended the letter's strength, pointing out the start of one of his favorite lines:
"We cannot be more vehemently opposed to this preemption of local government authority. The reason why many counties adopted ordinances to regulate groundwater exports was due to real or perceived failures on the part of the state to manage these problems adequately," it says.
Supervisor David Kehoe abstained from the vote, saying he agreed with many of the letter's concepts, but wanted more information and public comment. Kehoe successfully requested that the board hold a workshop to further discuss the Delta Vision’s implications.
The workshop is tentatively set for Sept. 23 or later, Shasta County Administrative Officer Larry Lees said Tuesday afternoon.
Cibula voted yes on the proposed letter with the understanding that more letters could be sent after the workshop, and visits with state representatives should be planned, he said.
The Delta Vision Strategic Plan aims to fix the poorly functioning Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the west coast’s largest estuary, Public Works Director Pat Minturn told the board. The peat bog’s weak levees are vulnerable to storms and earthquakes, yet they serve as part of a water conveyance system for 23 million Californians, Minturn wrote in a staff report.
However, the plan by the Blue Ribbon Task Force, formed by Gov. Schwarzenegger, “would trump local and regional controls,” including the county’s Groundwater Management Ordinance, Minturn wrote.
The county’s letter opposes the plan to grant the California Delta Ecosystem and Water Council the authority to affect areas outside the delta or to supercede existing water rights. Additionally, it opposes the idea that water would not be purchased, but provided based on “constitutional principles of reasonable use and public trust,” as described in the plan.
Depleting upstream water systems is another concern, the letter states. While understanding that water supplies must be increased, “efforts to reduce the demand for water must equally be advanced,” the letter says.
The board’s letter was drafted in conjunction with Tehama,
http://www.redding.com/news/2008/aug/20/supervisors-oppose-water-reallocation/
The Desert Sun- 8/19/08
By Jake Henshaw
The Senate on Tuesday gave final legislative approval to a bill to help get the restoration work going at the
Senate Bill 187 by Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, would establish the ground rules for spending $47 million in previously-approved bond funds to aid the dying sea.
``This is important for preservation of this valuable natural rsource in
The bill previously was amended in a Senate committee to state that it doesn't endorse the full $8.9 billion restoration plan developed by state and local representatives.
Life in the Salton Sea is slowly dying as salinity increases, a development that threatens nearby communities in the
As approved Thursday, the $47 million will go toward projects in what's known as Period One of restoration work outlined in the Resources Agency plan.
That period runs through 2013 with a $508 million mostly unfunded budget and calls for a variety of work including initial projects to preserve endangered fish population as well as developing a baseline of data on air, fish, birds, sea sediment, according to state officials.#
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080819/NEWS10/80819025/1263/update
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