Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 21, 2008
1. Top Items -
The
Natomas levee repairs will take a year longer, planners say
The
Editorial
Natomas levees can't be delayed: Corps, Congress must act to keep this crucial project on track
The Sacramento
Solano, Napa
Solano Times Herald- 8/20/08
Editorial
Water wars on the horizon
Tunnels to bring water to parched California
Reuters- 8/20/08
Huge water line nears completion in California
The Associated Press- 8/20/08
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
The
By Rich Connell
Responding to a Times video that showed city agencies wasting water last week, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa firmly ordered city officials to conduct ongoing audits of water use by all departments, saying he will publicly release the results, including any violations of the city's new "drought buster" restrictions.
The action came Friday, the day after the mayor signed an ordinance doubling penalties for residents and quadrupling them for business owners who waste water.
Thursday afternoon, The Times posted a website video that caught sprinklers soaking sidewalks during the day at a
"It's fair to say the mayor was upset with the video," said Matt Szabo, the mayor's press secretary. He confirmed Wednesday that Villaraigosa had summoned about a dozen key department general managers to his office to address the issue.
"The mayor made it clear in no uncertain terms that city departments were to comply with the water directive just like every business and residence," he said. "The mayor was in no mood to hear excuses. He wanted to hear solutions."
With the state gripped by drought, Villaraigosa has made water conservation and a new $1-billion water recycling project key features of a high-profile plan to help wean
In a series of announcements that began last summer, the mayor has called on residents and businesses to cut water consumption. More recently, he has pushed to fine those who repeatedly violate restrictions on daytime use of lawn sprinklers, allowing water to run over sidewalks and pool in the street.
The signing of the so-called Emergency Water Conservation Ordinance last week was also a milestone in the mayor's campaign to burnish his environmental record.
But resident complaints that the city doesn't faithfully practice what the mayor preaches has dogged the administration's effort. The video, appearing the day the mayor declared that L.A.'s future's depends on "citizens to adopt an ethic of conservation," brought the matter to a head, according to City Hall sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were characterizing internal discussions.
The mayor, clearly angered during his session with agency executives, pressed the DWP, Recreation and Parks, Housing and other major departments to be more cognizant of public appearances when it comes to water use and to ensure all city facilities meet the new requirements, the sources said. Also summoned to the meeting were the mayor's chief of staff, deputy mayors and other senior staff who oversee city agencies.
Under the mayor's directive, the DWP will report back in 90 days -- and then every 60 days -- on all city facilities. Included in the reports will be the total number of complaints received and citations issued for each department. The findings will be posted on his website, the mayor told the general managers. In addition, the city's General Services Department was instructed to conduct a water audit of every city facility.
Also Friday, DWP General Manager H. David Nahai ordered his staff to conduct regular checks on all department sprinklers, irrigation controllers and faucets to ensure that the utility conserves water "in an exemplary manner."
Officials said the waste problems captured in The Times video had been fixed.#
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-water21-2008aug21,0,3243341.story
Natomas levee repairs will take a year longer, planners say
The
By Matt Weiser
Strengthening levees in
The news did not sit well with Natomas residents and builders.
"I'm just outraged at this," said Rose Tribolet, board member and flood control liaison for the Natomas Community Association, a homeowners' group. "To me, this is just poor planning on their part. Now we are extending for another year the possibility of paying outrageous insurance."
Board members of the Sacramento Area Flood Control Association hear a report on the new developments at their meeting today at 3 p.m.
Stein Buer, SAFCA executive director, said the main reason for the delay is a 2006 federal policy change requiring any physical change in an urban levee to be approved by officials at U.S. Army Corps of Engineers headquarters in
"We didn't know how they would interpret and implement the new policy," said Buer. "What we're finding is, it means a very rigorous technical review going all the way up the food chain."
Previously, the work planned by SAFCA to bolster Natomas levees could be approved by the Army Corps district office in
The delay prompted an unusually strong reaction from Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, who has worked closely with SAFCA and the corps to expedite Natomas levee repairs.
"The Army Corps of Engineers continues to find reasons to cause delays for expediting the permits to protect 70,000 Natomas residents," Matsui said in a statement provided to The Bee. "People are at risk, and it is absolutely unacceptable that an additional year will be needed to get 100-year protection."
The need to bolster Natomas levees began with another Army Corps policy change in 2006, one that brought more rigorous seepage criteria because of the discovery of porous materials in or under the levees.
The corps ruled the basin does not meet the federal standard of 100-year protection, or the ability to withstand a flood with a 1 percent chance of striking in any given year.
SAFCA settled on a design that involves raising and widening nearly 25 miles of levees.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency in January announced it will impose a new flood hazard rating on the basin that takes effect in December and creates a de facto building moratorium because it requires new construction to be raised 20 feet above ground – an economic deal-breaker.
It also requires the holders of federally backed mortgages to buy flood insurance. If purchased after December, this will cost $1,390 annually for $250,000 in structure coverage, or $769 if purchased sooner.
SAFCA's aggressive schedule called for obtaining preliminary FEMA approval of 100-year protection by mid-2010, which would end the moratorium and insurance mandate. It would then continue working toward 200-year protection.
Another surprise, Buer said, is recent findings that levees confining drainage canals on the eastern edge of the
SAFCA has cut costs by narrowing the levee design in some areas. It now estimates the total project will cost $618 million, up from a March estimate of $576 million.
The North State Building Industry Association released a study in May showing the building moratorium will cost the region 28,000 jobs and $3.1 billion.
"It is hard to do any long-term regional planning if there are outcomes such as this," said Dennis Rogers, the association's senior vice president of government and public affairs. "What is most important now is ensuring the new timeline is sustained."#
http://sacbee.com/101/story/1173731.html
Editorial
Natomas levees can't be delayed: CORPS, CONGRESS MUST ACT TO KEEP THIS CRUCIAL PROJECT ON TRACK
The Sacramento
Surrounded by two rivers, two canals and 42 miles of levees, the Natomas basin is one of the toughest flood plains to protect in the nation.
Water can find weaknesses at multiple points. If enough water were to find enough weaknesses, it could inundate a part of
Given the lives and money at stake, it's imperative that government flood engineers do the job right in upgrading Natomas' flood defenses. The basin's prime protector – the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency – now says it will take an extra year, and a lot more money, to do that job. That's not surprising. Nor will it likely be the last surprise.
Ever since Hurricane Katrina swamped
Two years ago, federal and state inspectors announced that Natomas' levees no longer met the minimal 100-year standard for flood protection (a 1 percent chance of flooding in any given year). That prompted SAFCA to launch an upgrade of Natomas' levees that, from the start, seemed based on a schedule that was ambitious beyond belief.
Originally, the flood agency assumed it could start work in 2008 and upgrade 26 miles of levee in two years. Such a massive construction project (moving 5 million cubic yards of dirt) would have ended development restrictions in Natomas in less than 24 months. By 2012, the agency hoped to achieve 200-year flood protection for Natomas, providing a margin of safety never before seen in this region.
But all along, SAFCA was candid that contingencies could trip up its schedule. And guess what? They have. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has insisted on reviewing all work on Natomas levees from its headquarters in
In addition, engineers have found that the Natomas levee problems go far beyond those that line the
These east side streams – Dry Creek, Magpie Creek and Arcade Creek – carry small volumes of water compared with the
The combined effect: Some 40 miles of levees will need work. Total costs are projected to increase from $414 million to $618 million.
Natomas won't be able to reach 100-year flood protection until late in 2011, with improvements aimed at meeting the 200-year standard coming the following year.
Yet there's still a big "if" hanging over this timeline. The Corps of Engineers must complete a "general re-evaluation report" for
Congress and the Corps can't let that happen. Every year of delay means an extra winter where a big storm could be waiting. In the fight against floods, time is not our friend.#
http://www.sacbee.com/editorials/story/1173477.html
Solano, Napa
Solano Times Herald- 8/20/08
By SARAH ROHRS/Times-Herald staff writer
Cities in
Due to unusually dry conditions, the state this year cut water by 65 percent, an action that hit
The Solano Water Agency has joined forces with the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District,
The suit was filed July 17, in Sacramento Superior Court.
The suit alleges the state has breached its contracts by cutting supplies to the four
The "area of origin" refers to land north of the Delta, said David Okita, Solano Water Agency general manager.
The DWR and the
The four agencies maintain the contracts protect them from water cuts during shortages. One reason they are immune is that their jurisdictions lie within areas where the water originates, according to the lawsuit.
The other 25 agencies with state water contracts only have rights to surplus water and have to bear bigger reductions during dry spells, Okita said.
The lawsuit allegations were bolstered by a recent court decision siding with the agencies with "area of origin" rights, he said.
DWR information officer Don Strickland said its lawyers are studying the lawsuit. He said the state is not ready to make an official response.
The contract dispute has been brewing for a while, Strickland added. "They can't understand why they can't get a full allotment and say, 'We come from the part of the country the water comes from,' " he said. "They want their full allotment."
Solano users also are not in bad shape, mainly because the county has plenty of water stored in
"We are in better shape than most folks, but we should be getting 100 percent of our state water supplies instead of 35 percent," Okita said.
The four agencies make up about 2 percent of all state contracts. If the water contracts were interpreted to side with the four agencies, they would receive 70,000 more acre feet of water this year.
Meanwhile,
Earlier this year, it agreed to pay $48,000 to West-Yost & Associates to search the state for more supplies in a joint effort with the city of
http://www.timesheraldonline.com/ci_10253954?source=rss
Editorial
Water wars on the horizon
One obvious sign is the lawsuit that
The suit comes after
It is too early to say whether
A drop-by-drop battle, that’s how things are shaping up in California after a couple of dry years, a steady trend toward population growth and a look at projected models for how climate change might affect California.
There are some favorable changes out there. For example,
Yet trouble is brewing on many fronts. The pressure on the Delta comes from many sides: Municipal users, agricultural users, fish and wildlife and their advocates among humans, problems caused by toxic runoff. In addition, the health of
Lawsuits between government agencies over complex issues like water allocations have a tendency to drag on forever.
It is our hope that the Department of Water Resources sees the importance — and minimal harm — of upping the supply to the affected agencies and eases the pressure without marathon litigation.
But when the lawsuit is over, it’s a sure bet that
Tunnels to bring water to parched California
Reuters- 8/20/08
By Jill Serjeant and Bernie Woodall
SAN BERNARDINO, California (Reuters) - A massive mechanical mole surfaced on Wednesday from a nearly 5-year journey under mountains in the final stages of a $1.2 billion tunnel project that will supply extra water to drought-hit Southern California.
The 3.8-mile (6.1-km) tunnel, 1,500 feet below the San Bernardino Mountains, is the last piece of a 44-mile (71-km), three-tunnel system that will bring an additional 650 million gallons a day to 19 million Southern Californians, water officials said.
Twenty years in the making, the tunnels will almost triple the amount of water in
"We're not just breaking through a mountain, we are breaking through to the future," said Tim Brick, chairman of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California board, as the mechanical mole, a tunnel-boring machine, blasted through the final feet of the rocky mountainside.
The Inland Feeder, one of biggest water engineering projects in the state since the 1960s, nears completion at a crucial time in
"We're potentially headed to one of the worst droughts we've ever had in California because of the conditions of storage, the fact that we're expecting very erratic weather patterns, and we have much more demand than the last drought in 1993," Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources, told Reuters.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state-wide drought emergency in June because of forecasts of yet another drier than normal winter, record lows in some reservoirs and population growth.
The looming crisis has brought appeals for more investment and for conservation in
The Inland Feeder will give the metropolitan water district that serves six Southern California counties, greater flexibility to deliver and store water from the rainy season in
"When water is available we must be prepared to move large volumes of water during a relatively short time and then store it for use during dry periods and emergencies," Brick said.
Climate change has meant less water from melting snow in the
Southern California is also served by hundreds of miles (kilometers) of aqueducts, built in the early 20th century, from the
Levels in the state's two largest reservoirs are at 48 percent and 40 percent capacity -- the lowest in more than 30 years -- and are expected to drop further by the end of December, officials say.
They are urging both investment in desalination plants, and water recycling and for Californians to save 20 percent of their current water usage.#
http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN2046210920080820
Huge water line nears completion in California
The Associated Press- 8/20/08
The Inland Feeder is expected to pipe water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta during the rainy season into the
The water will be distributed to areas ranging from northern
Roy Wolfe, who oversaw the project for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, is hopeful the pipeline will eventually supply 1,000 cubic feet of water per second - enough to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than 30 seconds.
"This has been an incredible journey, an 11-year, $1.2 billion project," said Wolfe, manager of corporate resources for the utility.
The Inland Feeder consists of 26 miles of buried pipeline and three tunnels spanning 18 miles. The machines used to dig the tunnels are longer than a football field and can bore through anywhere from 10 to 80 feet per day. The tunnel is four miles long.#
http://www.dailynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10259386
No comments:
Post a Comment