[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 3/17/09

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

March 17, 2009

 

2. Supply –

 

PUC extends water project public review deadline

Monterey County Herald

 

Weekend storm edges rainfall totals a wee bit closer to normal

Eureka Times Standard

 

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PUC extends water project public review deadline

Monterey County Herald – 3/17/09

By DANIEL LOPEZ

The deadline for public comments on the Coastal Water Project's draft environmental impact report was extended to April 15.

 

Eric Zigas, project manager for the Public Utilities Commission, said the Energy Division issued the 14 day-extension after several parties requested more time to review the report and prepare their comments. Among them was ocean conservation group Surfrider Foundation.

 

"It's a complicated environmental impact report," said Joe Geever, state policy coordinator for Surfrider. The report, which contains about 1,000 pages, is divided into three volumes.

 

Sabrina Venskus, a Surfrider Foundation attorney, said even with two more weeks, it may not be enough time to thoroughly review the report.

Zigas said the comment period on a draft environmental impact report typically is 30 to 45 days. Because of the complexity of the Costal Water Project report, 60 days were originally allotted for comments, he said.

 

The report, which examines California American Water's proposal to build a $250 million seawater desalination plant in Moss Landing, was released Jan. 30.

 

Alternative projects evaluated in the report are a Cal Am-owned desalination plant called the North Marina Project, and the Regional Project, which would combine a publicly owned desalination plant in Marina, wastewater recycling, winter water diversions from the Salinas River and other water sources.

 

All three include water storage and recovery from the Seaside aquifer and are intended to replace Cal Am's pumping from the Carmel River.

 

The environmental impact report identifies the North Marina Project as "environmentally superior" because its water delivery line would be about five miles shorter than the pipeline for a Moss Landing plant.

 

Zigas said a handful of comments about the proposed projects has been received.

 

The comments will be addressed in a final environmental impact report. Then the Public Utilities Commission will recommend one of the projects or a combination of features from them. The final report could be finished by late summer. #

http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_11931034?nclick_check=1

 

Weekend storm edges rainfall totals a wee bit closer to normal

Eureka Times Standard – 3/17/09

Jessie Faulkner

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The North Coast is a few percentage points closer to its normal annual rainfall level, but there's still a ways to go.

 

According to National Weather Service Senior meteorologist Carol Ciliberti, the most recent storm -- which is forecast to diminish today -- brought the area to 78 percent of normal rainfall, up from 75 percent of normal as of Saturday.

 

”It would take a lot to get us caught up,” she said.

 

At the National Weather Service office on Woodley Island, a trace of rain was recorded Saturday, 1.6 inches was tallied on Sunday and about one-half inch was recorded as of 11 a.m. Monday.

 

It was a bit wetter at the Arcata-Eureka Airport with a trace Saturday, 2.1 inches Sunday and a tenth of an inch as of midday Monday.

 

Crescent City's total were even higher with 0.12 of an inch Saturday, 1.87 inches Sunday and a little over half an inch as of midday Monday.

 

The rain hasn't caused any significant problems for the city of Eureka, with just a few minor storm drain backups, but nothing significant, Assistant City Manager Mike Knight said.

 

Three teams of two street department employees were checking storm drains Monday to make sure it stayed that way, Knight said.

 

The precipitation hasn't been enough to pose any problems with area rivers, although the Smith River in Del Norte County was at monitor stage. Being at monitor stage, however, does not indicate that flooding is around the corner. The Smith just barely brushed the monitor stage, Ciliberti said.

 

None of Humboldt County's rivers are threatening to overflow.

 

”They're all behaving themselves,” she said.

 

As might be expected, the inclement weather did prompt the National Weather Service to post a hazardous seas warning from 10 to 60 nautical miles offshore and an advisory from the coast to 10 nautical miles offshore, Ciliberti said.

 

Swells were running at 12 to 14 feet with an average of 12 seconds between, she said.

 

Although the warning was expected to be lifted by 5 p.m. Monday, the swells are still expected to be quite large and traveling in rapid succession.#

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_11931022

 

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