[Water_news] 1. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS - Top Item for 10/29/08

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment

 

October 29, 2008

 

1.  Top Items -

 

'09 may deliver deeper water cuts

Valley braces for possibility of third straight year of drought for California

The Desert sun – 10/29/08

Keith Matheny

 

As the Western drought continues, California is preparing to make deep cuts next year to the amount of water it provides to the Coachella Valley and other communities statewide.The state Department of Water Resources is preparing to announce preliminary water allotments for 2009 that will be “most likely less than 20percent of what our customers have requested,” spokesman Ted Thomas said.

 

That's the lowest preliminary projection since 10 percent delivery was predicted in 1993.

 

The state delivered 60 percent of water allotments last year, and was slated to deliver 35 percent this year.

 

“We're in a second consecutive dry year,” Thomas said. “There's concern we could have a third consecutive dry year, which could really be Draconian.”

Early estimates often change for the better based on winter rain and snowfall in Northern California. That 10 percent projection in 1993 ultimately resulted in 85 percent of water allotments being delivered, Department of Water Resources spokesman Don Strickland said.

 

The valley's vast underground aquifer — which can be tapped to bridge shortfalls — insulates it from some of the consequences of any cutback.

“Hopefully we can sustain the valley for a short drought situation and not have any problems,” Coachella Valley Water District spokesman Dennis Mahr said.

“The main thing we have to keep doing is making sure we get everybody onboard with being water-wise in their usage.”

 

Overuse of the aquifer without replenishment could result in further subsidence, or sinking of the valley's ground floor, a condition already occurring in parts of the Coachella Valley.

 

If subsidence worsens, pipelines, buildings and other infrastructure could be damaged, officials said.

 

California provides water to 29 public agencies statewide through the State Water Project, one of the longest, most complex water delivery systems in the world. It takes water from the wetter, northern part of the state to nearly 25 million Californians.

 

One of the state's main reservoirs, Lake Oroville in Butte County, is at 35 percent of capacity, Thomas said.

 

The Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency had entitlements to just over 102,000 acre-feet of water from the state last year.

An acre-foot is 325,851 gallons, enough to serve one or two typical households for one year.

 

The water project's pipelines and canals don't reach the desert, so the local agencies trade their allotment with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in exchange for a like amount of Metro's Colorado River share.

 

The local agencies use the water to replenish the groundwater supply upon which the valley relies.

 

But through this August, the valley had received no State Water Project deliveries, officials said.

 

Agreements with Metropolitan allow it to “bank” water in the desert aquifer in wet years, and use the local agencies' State Water Project shares in dry years.

Metro almost certainly will take the desert's share next year, officials said.

 

“It's a very cooperative relationship,” Desert Water Agency General Manager Dave Luker said. “We know (Metropolitan) is having problems. We forego full deliveries to make sure everybody has enough.”

 

As of August, Metropolitan had more than 77,500 acre-feet of water banked in the desert's aquifer, Porrelli said.

If early projections are as forecast and drought continues, Metropolitan could be facing mandatory water-rationing for the 18 million people it serves in six Southern California counties, Luker said.

 

“It's not going to be something we have to do here, because we use the groundwater basin in dry years and replenish it in wet years,” Luker said.#

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20081029/NEWS01/810290305/-1/RSS01

 

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DWR's California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader's services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news. DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California.