Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
January 23, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
S.F. warned to revamp water system for disaster
The San Francisco Chronicle
Officials: Leaking levee not threat
Same Upper Jones Tract berm failed in '04, causing flood
The
Residential toilet incentives must be claimed by homeowners
The
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S.F. warned to revamp water system for disaster
The San Francisco Chronicle – 1/23/09
By Marisa Lagos
Improvements to the system - a network of pipes and storage facilities - won't be cheap, according to the report, which estimates that $86.7 million is needed to rehabilitate and replace facilities such as pump stations and tanks. An additional $13.3 million is needed for pipeline improvements, and a whopping $332 million more would be needed to expand the system to the west and south areas of town, the report concludes.
The report was commissioned as part of a 10-year plan that sets priorities for the city's infrastructure. The report warns that the same risks, such as buildings set close together, that existed in 1906 remain today, and it notes that likelihood of a major earthquake in the near future is high.
"The voters won't forgive us if the water system isn't working to save lives," City Administrator Ed Lee said. "If we can do this, we will be that much safer and able to fight the fires that will come after an earthquake."
The auxiliary water supply system includes pump stations, storage tanks, a reservoir, 172 cisterns, 135 miles of pipeline and numerous facilities that make it possible to pump water out of the bay. It was built seven years after the 1906 disaster left
Dozens of fires sprang out of the destruction caused by the temblor on April 18 of that year - blazes that could have been extinguished had firefighters had access to water. Instead, water pipes cracked and the city burned for three days. More than 22,000 buildings were destroyed and 250,000 people displaced in what is still considered one of the worst urban blazes in the nation's history. Up to 3,000 people are thought to have died.
"Right before the earthquake and fire, the fire chief kept telling the Board of Supervisors they needed to upgrade the water system, but they wouldn't listen," said Charles Fracchia, founder of the
When the quake struck, "the water mains coming from the reservoir in
To ensure that the disaster didn't repeat itself, city officials constructed the auxiliary system, which is made of much stronger pipes than the domestic water system. The system allows the Fire Department to draw salt water from the bay and is used only to fight fires, resulting in high water pressure.
Yet most of the system, including all of the above-ground facilities and about half of the pipeline, has not been replaced since its construction about a century ago, according to the report. Because the system was built at a time when the southern and western areas of the city were not heavily populated, it primarily covers the northeast portion of
Firefighters said the system is invaluable in a city with varied topography and rife with wood-frame buildings that often sit so close that they are touching. Assistant Deputy Fire Chief Mike Thompson said the department often uses the system to fight house fires.
"Basically the greatest thing about it is that it's solely dedicated to firefighting capabilities, because in domestic supplies there are fluctuations in capability and capacity based on the time of day. If everybody in the city is taking a shower at one time, it would affect the water pressure," he said. "Back then, they decided that
The
Supervisor Sean Elsbernd, who crafted the legislation that created the city's 10-year capital plan, said it's too soon to tell whether voters will be asked to decide on a bond measure. But, he said, the water system is one of the highest priorities in that plan, which is updated annually. The current plan calls for an initial $80 million bond measure to pay for the first round of improvements to the water system, though that amount could change as city officials review the report.
"It's too soon to say if it will be on the November ballot, but to use a sports analogy, it's the front-runner with another lap to go," Elsbernd said. #
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/22/MNGD15FFBN.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Officials: Leaking levee not threat
Same Upper Jones Tract berm failed in '04, causing flood
The
THE DELTA - A repaired section of levee protecting Upper Jones Tract is leaking, but state officials on Thursday downplayed the danger of a rupture.
It is common for water to seep beneath levees and boil up or flow out of the dry side, an official with the state Department of Water Resources said.
Reclamation District 2039 is planning a maintenance project at Jones Tract to slow the leak.
"We're pretty confident the reclamation district can address the concern," said Bill Croyle, chief of Water Resources' Flood Operations Branch. "If you're in the Delta, this is pretty standard."
The levee failed in 2004, flooding the 12,153-acre island and inundating crops and private property.
More than 180,000 tons of rock were used to fill the 300-foot gap where the original levee gave way - and then the island was pumped dry.
However,
"The concern is that it will erode away the original levee segment that remains," Nomellini said. "It could wash that away and cause another collapse."
Officials with the reclamation district could not be reached Thursday. Nomellini said the district was seeking permits for the project to make it compliant with endangered species requirements.
"I think they're almost there," he said.
There is not much water flowing past the island, Nomellini said, although tides can increase the amount of pressure on the Delta's levees.
And weather is not always a factor in when a levee gives way. The original Jones Tract breach took place on a sunny day in June.
Croyle said the levee fix was not intended to block all water from seeping through. The water that does come through is not muddy or cloudy, he said, which is a good sign.
"All of the levees in the Delta leak to some degree," he said.#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090123/A_NEWS/901230319/-1/rss02
Residential toilet incentives must be claimed by homeowners
The
By Airan Scruby
Residents looking for a lower price on toilet installation will now have to mail in their own rebates, rather than getting automatic discounts from contractors.
The change comes in the wake of complaints from participating agencies, according to officials with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Complaints poured in when residents were approached by contractors who may have been unlicensed. Residents were told new laws required them to install high-efficiency toilets (HETs), which use less than three gallons per flush.
The contractors then offered to install the new toilets for free and got residents to sign off on allowing them to collect up to $165 per toilet in rebates from the MWD.
The toilet installation is not required, and the incentive program is meant only to encourage homeowners to save water.
"Over the course of the last five months or so, we've been receiving complaints or concerns," Conservation Program Manager Andy Hui said. "We felt it was perhaps best to change the policy and not provide incentives to contractors."
Metropolitan Spokesman Bob Muir said the change was requested by member agencies, smaller water districts who received complaints from users about the door-to-door solicitors.
Valerie Howard, spokeswoman for Central Basin Municipal Water District, said her agency hopes the change will make it difficult to use the program to scam homeowners.
"This is just an additional protection for residents so they won't be victimized," Howard said.
Earlier this month, the Whittier Daily News reported that contractors who appeared to be unlicensed were operating under the names "Greentide" and "Buy and Large" were pressuring residents in the area to replace their water-guzzling commodes.
Hui said the policy was officially changed last week. Although a rebate of $100 is still available, residents must mail in their request for a check themselves. The checks arrive four to six weeks after a rebate request is received, Hui said.
The new policy will mean that contractors may not give a discount to consumers because they cannot collect a rebate in the homeowner's name.
The revised program makes allowances for commercial businesses and landlords for large complexes to operate through a contractor, to save up-front costs. #
http://www.whittierdailynews.com/news/ci_11530626
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