Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
February 13, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Water debate delivers doom, not answers
Environmentalists, ag square off over policy at FSU meeting
The Capital Ag Press
Impending septic tank regulations prompt stern letter from county
The Amador Ledger-Dispatch
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Water debate delivers doom, not answers
Environmentalists, ag square off over policy at FSU meeting
The Capital Ag Press – 2/13/09
By Cecilia Parsons
The debate did little to wring water from the sky but it did bring in a flood of farmers who were looking for answers.
On Feb. 4, environmental and agriculture advocates squared off over water policy before an overflow crowd at the
Agreeing only that
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and surface water deliveries to west side and east side water users were at the center of the three-hour debate.
Valley agriculture interests were represented by Tom
Neither side claimed all the answers, but no one had one for west side pistachio grower Larry Easterly. Easterly said he will receive only a fraction of the water necessary to produce a crop this year. Because of drought conditions, state and federal water project officials announced recently that they would cut deliveries of surface water, supplies that are vital on farms without sufficient groundwater supplies.
"Damage done by government interference in our business is devastating," Easterly told the debate panel during the question-and-answer session.
Debate over the delta centered on availability and quality of water that moves through the largest estuary on the West Coast as well as protections offered to fish species such as the Delta smelt.
The state water board has granted water eight and a half times the capacity of the Delta, he said.
A solution would be new infrastructure, more storage and more conveyance and comprehensive management of the ecosystem, he said.
Doing nothing to fix the crisis in the delta is not an option, Beck said. Shutting down pumps to protect fish was not a solution for the ecosystem, he said. The state should look at other stressors to the delta including the toxic waste that cities dump into the estuary, Beck added.
There was no agreement over the proposed peripheral canal, a conveyance that would route water around the east side of the delta for delivery to farms and communities to its south.
Less salts in the water would mean less salts in drainage water into rivers, he reasoned.
Carter predicted that agriculture in the valley and throughout the state would shrink without affordable water supplies. Cities can pay $600 for an acre foot of water, not farmers, he said. Adding surface storage is not an efficient use of the water, Carter said.
Closely tied to the delta, the second hot issue debated was the restoration of a salmon fishery in the
A 2006 settlement of a federal lawsuit will send 200,000 acre feet down the river channel to restore a salmon fishery.
What has transpired since the settlement was signed has caused dissension between some growers.
Lawsuits by environmental groups brought court rulings that shut down Delta pumps that delivered water to west side farms.
Upton, who served on the Friant board when the settlement was signed, has become a vocal opponent, doubting that the water management goals in the settlement will ever occur because less water will be available.
Carter argued that people who live in the
"We fear we didn't get enough water, " said
"Maybe those resources could be better spend somewhere else," he suggested.#
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=67&SubSectionID=616&ArticleID=48724&TM=82208.8
Impending septic tank regulations prompt stern letter from county
The Amador Ledger-Dispatch – 2/12/09
By Jerry Budrick
The California State Water Resources Control Board is facing a massive revolt by septic tank owners throughout
Assembly Bill 885, passed by the legislature in 2000, has been making its way slowly toward implementation of regulations that will have to be followed in all 58
On Tuesday, a draft comment letter proposed to be sent to the water board was presented to Amador supervisors by county environmental health director Mike Israel. As stated in the letter, "the Amador County Board of Supervisors strongly opposes adoption of regulations and waiver in their present form." The supervisors unanimously approved sending the letter, as soon as it's ready and signed by the chairman of the board, Ted Novelli.
District 2 Supervisor Richard Forster cautioned that the county lobbyist sagely predicted that the "green" nature of AB 885 will virtually guarantee its implementation. "We have a green governor and a Democratic legislature," Forster paraphrased the lobbyist as saying, "and we're not going to get this bill killed. We might be able to get it modified."
"The regulations exceed the statutory authority of AB 885,"
"Isn't there a provision that, if you don't have a well, you have to install a monitoring well?" asked District 4 Supervisor Louis Boitano.
The letter asserts that AB 885 regulations will not protect impaired waters, which was the bill's original intent. They fail to deal with the nitrogen removal standard and have no great options for siting and design of septic systems within 600 feet of an impaired body of water. "The mandated five-year septic tank inspection frequency will result in increased pumping," the letter predicts.
Soil depth requirements were discussed. The letter warns that the absence of an avenue for variance or deviation from soil depth and composition requirements "could constitute a taking if heretofore useable parcels are rendered unbuildable by the regulations."
"I would like you to stress the 'taking' issue," Forster said. "My constituents in the Camanche area could be forced to install a community system."
A community system has been in a study phase for some time, but ongoing tests for the presence of the
Costs for implementation are downplayed in the draft environmental impact report,
"The state should give room for flexibility," District 5 Supervisor Brian Oneto said. "For instance, one person living on a septic system shouldn't be treated the same as a house with 10 children."
Since AB 885 was adopted in 2000, the regulations have been nine years in the development stage, with input from community service districts, county environmental health departments, state environmental protection agencies and board, water districts and associations. "They were supposed to be completed in 2004,"
They are clearly not done yet. On Feb. 4, the state Water Resources Control Board said that it will redraft the regulations. "The state Water Board is sensitive to the concerns raised at the public workshops, and the regulations will be revised following consideration of the public comments, as appropriate," the board said in announcing the changes.
http://www.ledger-dispatch.com/news/newsview.asp?c=253737
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
No comments:
Post a Comment