Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 21, 2008
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Passing around an empty cup…
Capitol Weekly- 8/21/08
DAVID ZOLDOSKE: Delta Vision affects water we need daily
The
Editorial
Coastal Commission decision worth its salt
The Desert Dispatch- 8/20/08
Renewable energy reaps savings at water district: Microturbines use sustainable methane to save money at Santa Margarita Water District.
Orange County
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Passing around an empty cup…
Capitol Weekly- 8/21/08
By Steve Haze
During these last months there has been three major issues facing the state of
Yet, perhaps the most important issue facing all Californians is assuring the abundance and availability of high quality water for our cities, farms and environment - our liquid gold. Last year a special session was called by the Governor for enacting a multi-billion dollar water bond measure that ultimately went down in flames. Now the Governor and Legislature have less than two weeks remaining to get another bond measure hammered out and on the ballot in November.
In the face of these looming crises and the Governor's declaration of a drought disaster in the state, the San Joaquin Valley Water Leadership Forum was created. The forum is a bipartisan organization that has evolved over the last half dozen years as the debate over the management of our valley's precious water resources has intensified.
Unfortunately lost in this protracted debate has been a way for all segments of our rural and urban communities to participate in the wise and sustainable use of an ever dwindling supply of high quality water--water that can be used by our farmers and cities, as well as for recreational use and the environment. Many times, competing interests throughout
To many of us it appears that our politicians have becoming increasingly polarized and expedient in their approach to the major challenges facing our valley such as education, public safety, economic growth - and as importantly a secured and abundant source of high quality water to power our well being into the foreseeable future. Rather than just blame the politicians - the Forum accepts the political realities and what that landscape looks like at this time.
Increasingly it appears that the politicians just don't know how to work towards a compromise agreement. Rather, the basic argument remains more storage versus no storage. The San Joaquin Valley Water Leadership Forum has scientists, researchers, water managers, environmentalists, economists, farmers and educators involved with coming up with a comprehensive solution for the valley and the state when it comes to our precious water resources.
No matter how well intentioned we may be, ultimately, things have to "pencil out." Solutions must be cost-effective. Building a dam on a river for surface storage is not necessarily cost effective. On the other hand, creating off-river surface and groundwater storage - with ways to capture precious flood waters - can protect the environment and be cost effective.
One solution we are supporting for the
Our solution is to take a portion of what was once until the largest freshwater lake west of the
The Forum refuses to be paralyzed by the political gridlock and polarization in
The Forum will lead by example. The San Joaquin Valley Water Leadership Forum is a way for everyone of us to get involved in the future of our valley in the most meaningful way. We will also collaborate and partner with other existing initiatives who are working earnestly, diligently, and with a sense of purpose and urgency. Time is running out. #
DAVID ZOLDOSKE: Delta Vision affects water we need daily
The
By David Zoldoske
How does any rational person take this all in?
A key to addressing
The Delta is located west of
Unfortunately, current practices appear to be unsustainable. The challenges facing the Delta seem almost endless -- new listings of endangered fish, invasive species, rising sea levels, levee collapse, poor water quality, 226 separate Delta governance entities and land-use issues are but a few of the drivers.
All of this and more threaten to unravel the fundamental fabric of
Why is all of this important to the
First, the Delta is significant to our region because we import a great deal of water used daily from the
An extensive network of pumps and canals moves water from the Delta to millions of acres of farmland and the cities on the western and southern parts of the
Second, water is traded through historic exchange agreements that have moved water rights from lands along the San Joaquin River to farmers and cities along the east side of Highway 99 from Madera to Bakersfield. In exchange, lands located primarily on the west side of the
The reallocation of water has enabled the development of a robust $22 billion agricultural economy and provides drinking water for cities large and small. All these linkages are under review as policymakers' revisit our statewide water plan.
It seems clear that the Delta is broken and needs to be fixed now and for the benefit of future generations.
A collaborative, visionary plan is needed to remedy major defects in the Delta that is sustainable, while still providing the needed resources in an equitable way to the eighth largest economy in the world.
In response, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger established the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force in October 2006, to "develop a durable vision for sustainable management of the Delta" with the goal of "managing the Delta over the long-term to restore and maintain identified functions and values that are determined to be important to the environmental quality of the Delta and the economic and social well-being of the people of the state."
The Blue Ribbon Task Force delivered a Delta Vision in October 2007. The task force is charged with developing a strategic plan to implement the vision by October 2008.
The Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force is hosting nine meetings to brief all Californians on the key elements of the draft Strategic Plan and is currently soliciting comments. A public meeting for the Delta Vision Strategic Plan is scheduled to be held from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday at the Fresno County Plaza Ballroom,
If you believe water is key to our collective future, plan to attend the briefing session. It is vitally important that good Delta policy decisions be made and implemented to sustain the health and water needs for agriculture, urban and environmental use.#
http://www.fresnobee.com/287/story/811695.html
Editorial
Coastal Commission decision worth its salt
The Desert Dispatch- 8/20/08
Californians should be outraged that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared we're in a drought. Enough fresh water to meet Southern California's entire annual needs is allowed to wash into
More governmental Band-Aids promise only to further complicate the problem, not solve it. There's hope, however, if government gets out of the way.
Apparently seized by a fit of common sense, the California Coastal Commission has approved the nation's largest drinking-water desalination plant, at Agua Hediona Lagoon in
It's still costly to convert saltwater for human consumption. But technological advances are making it more economical, and drought conditions are making it more attractive as our main sources of potable water become less reliable.
This convergence of technology and demand may be why 20 more desalination plants are queued up for Coastal Commission approval, and why investors find the prospect profitable. Tampa Bay, Fla., began tapping its own pretty much endless supply of drinkable fresh water last year with a new desalination plant designed to relieve reliance on ground aquifers.
Conservation is a responsible reaction to shortage. But as San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders noted, “We must diversify our region's water-supply portfolio. We cannot conserve our way out of the water crisis.”
With technological advances have come environmental mitigations, including the reverse osmosis process for filtering seawater used in
Some see a problem and demand government do something. Others see an opportunity in a problem but need the government to get out the way. We like the latter approach. We urge government gatekeepers, like the Coastal Commission, to get out of the way rather than obstruct desalination projects so Californians can get the water they want and need.#
http://www.desertdispatch.com/opinion/california_4115___article.html/water_day.html
Renewable energy reaps savings at water district: Microturbines use sustainable methane to save money at Santa Margarita Water District.
Orange County
By MARK EADES
Las
For seven years, the district has saved more than $410,000 by using a renewable energy source to power its Chiquita Water Reclamation Plant near
A Fiscally Sound Solution
Methane – also called digester gas – is burned in microturbines 24 hours a day to provide energy to the plant. This process reduces the facility's energy consumption by approximately 10 percent each year.
The district recognized that letting the gas escape unused into the environment was wasteful and environmentally damaging, so it turned to the microturbines. The microturbines also generate heat that's used to generate hot water for the reclamation process. This has allowed the District to shut down two boilers that used non-renewable fuels, further reducing the plant's energy consumption.
"Being a good steward of the environment is one of the district's main priorities, and the microturbines have allowed us to greatly reduce our carbon footprint and save on energy costs over the past seven years," said John Schatz, Santa Margarita Water District's General Manager. "Each one of the microturbines recouped its installation cost within the first year of operation."
Assisting in the program was the South Coast Air Quality District, which donated two generators, and the San Diego Regional Energy Office, which donated more than $92,000 toward the installation of two additional microturbines at the treatment plant in 2003.
Rewarded for its Efforts
The district's efforts have not gone unnoticed. Earlier this year, the plant was named Plant of the Year by the Santa Ana River Basin Section of the California Water Environment Association. The award recognized the district's exceptional effort in energy conservation as well as safety, innovation, process control, and maintenance at the facility.#
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/district-energy-plant-2130425-microturbines-water
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