A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 3, 2009
2. Supply –
California farms, cities warned they may lose access to state's creeks, rivers
Sacramento
Water supply decisions delayed; officials pray for more rain
Santa Rosa
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California farms, cities warned they may lose access to state's creeks, rivers
Sacramento
By Matt Weiser
Thousands of
Such a warning, mailed to about 7,000 water rights holders on Thursday by the state Water Resources Control Board, has not been issued since 1988 amid the state's last prolonged drought.
The state did not release a list of all cities and farms that will receive the warnings. But state officials said Monday the list includes every city and farm with state water rights in the watersheds of the
The warning is a reminder that a
"We are giving you fair warning that even if you start the season with water, by the end of the season you may not have water," said Bill Rukeyser, spokesman for the water board. "People would be able to continue to boil their spaghetti, brush their teeth, take showers, drink water. They would not be able to water their lawns."
The state has not actually cut water rights en masse because of drought since 1977, an even more severe drought. And there's no certainty it will do so this year. That depends entirely on weather.
On Monday, there was a glimmer of good news in the latest snow survey by the state Department of Water Resources. It showed the
Thanks to recent storms, that's a big improvement over February, when the snowpack was 61 percent of normal. But it's not enough to recover from two prior drought years.
Rukeyser likened the problem to a
"With really generous luck, the dice will keep on turning up just right, and eventually we'll break even or maybe pull ahead. But we're a long way away from that now," he said.
Water rights are actually nothing more than a permit to pump or divert water from a naturally flowing source. They are ranked according to seniority, a complex area of state law.
The most senior water rights are called "riparian" rights – typically those attached to land adjacent to a waterway that has a verified historical claim to that water. Many of these rights date back to the period of Spanish settlement, long before
If diversion rights are cut, the least-senior water rights would be cut first. Affected farmers would have to plant different crops or let fields go fallow, drill deeper wells or find another water supply. Cities would limit water consumption to essential health and safety purposes.
Some of the state's most senior water rights exist in the
"Where fallowing crops makes sense, that is certainly something that can be done," said Donn Zea, president of the Northern California Water Association, which represents farmers and water agencies in the valley.
But he said the public must consider long-term solutions.
"This drought situation that we're in will happen again," he said. "This water system of ours, above
The curtailment warning is different from delivery forecasts announced recently by state and federal water agencies. Those affect agencies that buy water under contract.
Instead, the warning affects all other water users in the state who have a permit to divert water at no cost.
The city of
"It's not a property right," said Ronald Stork, senior policy advocate at Friends of the River.
"
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1666458.html?mi_rss=Top%20Stories
Water supply decisions delayed; officials pray for more rain
Santa Rosa
By Bob Norbert, staff writer
Recent heavy rains prompted
“What we don’t know is the climate situation in 30 days; it could pour buckets and our reservoirs would be replenished,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin.
February has been wet.
Gorin also said that wet weather makes it harder to sell residents on conservation. “There is a disconnect,” said Gorin, who is vice chairwoman of the Sonoma County Water Agency’s advisory committee.
The committee represents the agency’s major buyers:
The cost of water will also go up as water sales are cut back, largely because of the fixed costs of operting the delivery system. That is the case even though the Water Agency said it has laid off 25 percent of its staff and shut three of six pumping stations.
The cost of water per acre-foot is expected to increase 20 percent for
The water allocation agreement calls for the delivery of 52,000 acre-feet for the year, about 10 percent less than last year, but approval was delayed Monday until April 6.
During the critical months of June through October, the agency would deliver 5,000 acre-feet per month, which is 70 percent of normal demand.
That would require conservation measures of up to 30 percent, depending on how the cities and districts use wells and other reservoirs to supplement their allocations.
While
Chris DeGabriele, general manager of the Northern Marin Water District, said waiting a month is wishful thinking. “We are in a drought, we need to respond accordingly,” he said. “That
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090302/articles/903020962
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