Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 13, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Celebrating what is beneath our feet: vital groundwater
The Milpitas
San Francisquito Creek could get new flood control measures by 2012
The
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Celebrating what is beneath our feet: vital groundwater
The
By Richard P. Santos
This month we will be celebrating Groundwater Awareness Week, March 8-14, which is sponsored by the National Groundwater Association. You may be wondering why groundwater deserves an awareness week. Well, it's because groundwater is a critical component of our water supply.
About half of the water used in
Hidden underground and out of sight beneath our feet, groundwater basins are a critical local asset. With below-average rainfall for the last several years and reductions in our imported water supplies, we are fortunate to be able to draw upon water saved from past rainy seasons. This water stored underground is our best protection against drought and is one of the main reasons why the Silicon Valley is in better shape than most of
So how have we accumulated this groundwater supply? Groundwater is also a renewable source that can be replenished by precipitation as well as active groundwater recharge.
Natural groundwater recharge is insufficient to meet groundwater pumping and therefore the water district has operated an artificial recharge program since the 1930s. Today, the water district operates and maintains 18 major recharge systems. The primary function of most of reservoirs in the county is to capture and store local runoff and imported water, which is later released into creeks and ponds to replenish the groundwater basin.
While local groundwater is generally of high quality, it can be threatened by industrial spills, urban runoff, leaking underground storage tanks, inefficient agricultural operations, septic systems, livestock facilities and other sources. Water district staff samples wells throughout the county for contaminants and works with local water retailers, land use agencies and regulatory agencies such as the regional water quality control boards to ensure a safe and healthy supply of groundwater.
However, there is no local, regional or state agency responsible for maintaining and testing the county's 5,000 private wells; it's up to owners to watch over their water systems. This is why Groundwater Awareness Week is so important. Now is the time for private well owners to remember to test their water supply.
In addition, Groundwater Awareness Week is an opportunity to look at what groundwater means to our communities and to each of us as individuals. All of us play a role in protecting this valuable and renewable resource our county's largest reservoir. Please help us to protect this hidden resource by using water efficiently and remembering "if you don't want to drink it, don't put in on or in the ground!"#
http://www.themilpitaspost.com/columnists/ci_11899070
San Francisquito Creek could get new flood control measures by 2012
The San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority, which includes officials from
Top candidates include an upstream retention basin, perhaps on
The timeline is the product of an aggressive new approach by the authority, which in the past has pinned its hopes on a comprehensive study of the creek that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began in 2005. With the study's completion delayed until fall 2012, the authority has decided to do what it can on its own, using the $15 to $20 million in local money it already has. Meanwhile, it's stepping up its appeal to legislators for state and federal funding.
An informational meeting Thursday night in
Materman said he has learned from the corps of engineers that the authority can move forward with "early implementation" measures without hurting its chances of getting federal money for bigger creek improvements once the study is completed. In fact, if it gets going quickly enough, it may be able to get a slice of the federal stimulus package. "We're trying to get ourselves in position so we can put shovels in the gravel before the money dries up," he said.
The top priorities for the early projects will be at the top and bottom of the creek's 14-mile path. A retention basin near the top, perhaps at
That means Palo Altans awaiting improvements to the Middlefield and Pope-Chaucer bridges will have to keep waiting.
Materman said he couldn't justify fixes at those locations right now given the urgent need in
Palo Alto Mayor Peter Drekmeier, who sits on the authority, is hoping it can get some help from Stanford, which will have to offer his city public benefits in exchange for the right to expand its hospitals and shopping center. At a city council meeting Saturday about the expansion projects, he'll suggest the university pitch in for a retention basin on its land.#
http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_11903845?source=rss
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