Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 18, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Legislators introduce five different bonds addressing water needs
Use gray water, rain gardens to save water
San Francisco Chronicle
Fees may pay for effort on mussels
Peripheral canal advocates making their case (1:06 p.m.)
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Legislators introduce five different bonds addressing water needs
By Kate Campbell
A stack of bonds aimed at fixing
No fewer than five bond proposals aimed at addressing water infrastructure needs have been introduced, each with a price tag of about $10 billion to $15 billion. One or more of the new bond proposals could be placed before voters at a future statewide election.
Farm Bureau continues to analyze each of the bond packages, said Danny Merkley, California Farm Bureau Federation director of water resources.
He said Farm Bureau wants to assure that water bond proposals include "a real increase in surface water storage; continuous appropriation of funding for projects; restoration of the delta ecosystem that considers issues facing delta agriculture; protection of water rights, particularly for water rights in areas of origin; and improved conveyance."
Merkley added that Farm Bureau also wants to ensure that any water bond package is well-considered and not rushed onto the ballot.
"Our concern is that any additional bonds be used to finance a well-conceived, comprehensive water strategy for the state," he said, "that does not lead to unintended consequences that harm
Merkley said he currently is reviewing more than 50 water-related pieces of legislation, including the five bond plans that would address water infrastructure improvement and supply reliability. All five of those bills have similarities to last year's water bond proposal backed by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
The five bond proposals—four introduced in the Senate and one in the Assembly—include:
· Senate Bill 301 (Florez, D-Shafter) would authorize the issuance of $15 billion in general obligation bonds to address infrastructure needs.
· SB 371 (Cogdill, R-Modesto) would authorize the issuance of $9.98 billion in general obligation bonds to finance infrastructure and storage needs.
· SB 456 (Wolk, D-Davis) would authorize the issuance of $9.805 billion in general obligation bonds to finance water supply reliability and water source protection programs.
· SB 735 (Steinberg, D-Sacramento) would authorize the issuance of $9.785 billion in general obligation bonds to finance water supply reliability and water source protection programs, while imposing new fees on residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural water users to finance the debt service on the bonds.
· Assembly Bill 1187 (Huffman, D-Marin, and Caballero, D-Salinas) would authorize the issuance of $10.035 billion in general obligation bonds to finance water supply reliability and water source protection programs, while imposing new fees on water users.
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But Merkley emphasized there's another bill in play that bears close attention. SB 12 (Simitian, D-Palo Alto) would establish the Delta Ecosystem and Water Council. The council would be required to prepare and adopt a plan referred to as the California Delta Ecosystem and Water Plan to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, create a more reliable water supply in
"In layman's terms, the bill addresses the mechanics of funding implementation for a water bond proposal," Merkley explained, "meaning the bill will address implementation of a governance structure for restoring and managing the delta, along with conveyance improvement and construction of new storage facilities. It also will include a conservation and finance plan."
He said Farm Bureau participates in working groups with other stakeholder organizations, which he said "are negotiating the provisions of an infrastructure improvement plan. The plan would provide a framework for allocating funding from one or more of the bonds, if voters approve."
There's a lot to be worked out before any money can be spent on infrastructure improvements, Merkley said, "including the interests of farmers and ranchers, the environment and urban water users, plus the long-term issues both north and south of the delta and within the delta itself.
"These working groups are highly diverse and early discussions have been very challenging, but they're extremely important for the future of the state's water supply and its economy," Merkley said.
He said
Merkley urged Farm Bureau members to monitor the situation through Ag Alert® and their contacts with local legislators and staff. He also advised watching for Farm Team alerts in coming weeks as the situation unfolds.
To sign up for Farm Team alerts, visit www.cfbf.com and click on the Farm Team logo.#
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1259&ck=68A83EEB494A308FE5295DA69428A507
Use gray water, rain gardens to save water
San Francisco Chronicle – 3/18/09
Despite the recent rain, Californians are facing water conservation. It's time to look around and alter how we use the water we do have.
Any bad-habit fix requires a bit of introspection and analysis. Consider how many times you turn on the faucet to get a drink, wash up or flush the pipes out before making the morning pot of coffee.
Avoid wasting faucet water by collecting what would normally go down the drain: Gather it in a pitcher for other uses or purchase a countertop water filtration pitcher.
For a few dollars you can purchase new 10-gallon paint buckets with lids and store them near sinks. Make sure those buckets have handles because they'll get full and heavy in no time. Keep one in the bathroom to collect water while it heats. If your shower's large enough to accommodate a bucket, keep one there as well to collect any clean wayward water.
When prepping and cooking in the kitchen, clean fruits and vegetables in a water bath, saving dirty water in a bucket, and repeat until clean. Even cooking water from vegetables and pasta can be saved for use outside. And water left in disposable water bottles? Pet bowls or patio plants are the perfect spot. For smaller dwellings, collect water in a watering can to water houseplants and container plants.
Long-term water-storage solutions can be coupled with rain harvesting. Rain barrels can accommodate collected water from inside the house just as it collects water from the roof with this centuries-old technique.
There are numerous retail resources for rain barrels, but be prepared to spend as much as $200 for a complete kit. Several DIY Web sites, and even sites such as Craigslist, offer less expensive options using reclaimed wood or food-safe plastic barrels. The jury's still out on which is more sustainable or inexpensive when you consider the shorter life span of the DIY barrel. Factory-made rain barrels also come in a variety of sizes, shapes and materials.
Not too long ago the talk was how to divert water away from property via French drains, sump pumps and sloping landscaping, but today the talk seems to be about water collecting around homes and yards. Rain gardens combine the best of water harvesting and sustainable landscaping practices.
Some key elements of a rain garden include the collection, distribution and absorption of water, while creating and encouraging a natural habitat for wildlife and native plants. Creating shallow depressions or swales in the soil, placed near planting areas, are designed to collect rain and irrigation water and distribute it via absorption through the soil.
Sustainable
"We had 50 people in the rain, touring three examples of rain gardens, from our own sustainable center's rain garden in the center of town, to a private residence and a local school yard which has a 30,000-gallon cistern system feeding their edible garden," said Pam Hartwell-Herrero, executive director. "There is so much demand for this kind of information. Water is really big now."
Hartwell-Herrero welcomes people to stop by noon to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday.
About gray water
Gray water is untreated reused household water from laundry, dishes and the bath and is legal to use in
Gray water can harbor harmful bacteria and spread disease, so use caution when collecting and distributing water around the yard. Gray water should be used only on established plants such as hardy ornamental perennials.
Roofing materials such as asphalt or treated wood and lead gutters can contaminate harvested roof water and should not be used for potable water purposes. Rainwater harvested from rooftops of large cities like
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/17/HOA815VQ05.DTL
Fees may pay for effort on mussels
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza – 3/18/09
By Annie Flanzraich
LAKE TAHOE — Boats entering
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency implemented inspections last summer, with funding from temporary grants. Officials estimate that keeping the inspections going will cost about $650,000 annually.
To fund that cost, a sliding fee scale may be applied to boat inspections. Fees could range anywhere from $5 to $60 depending on the size of the boat.
Along with the fee structure, TRPA will also begin fixing a zip-tie seal between a trailer and boat that has exited the lake. If the seal is intact when a boat launches again, no new inspection will be necessary. If the seal is broken, one will.
“It is feasible to continue to have a seal reapplied to your boat for the life of the boat and never have to pay again,” said TRPA Spokesman Jeff Cowen.
The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency governing board is expected to consider a plan before summer, possibly later this month.
“We’re trying to really protect the lake, and in order to have an inspection program, we need to have some sort of consistent, long-term funding source,” said Ted Thayer, TRPA’s natural resources and science team leader.
The program is designed to target boats that have used bodies of water other than Tahoe and which might be contaminated with mussels.
In addition to the fees and zip ties, the agency is also considering centralized inspection stations around the lake to alleviate waiting periods at ramps. Boaters would visit the inspection station, recieve a zip tie and then go to the ramp of their choice.
Quagga mussels first turned up in Lake Mead in early 2007 and have since spread to other water bodies in southern
If either were to become established in
Once the mussels are entrenched, there’s no way to get rid of them, officials have said.
“They can actually collapse the whole aquatic ecosystem,” Thayer said.
Mussels could also clog water intakes, become attached to boats and piers and litter beaches with sharp and stinking shells.#
Peripheral canal advocates making their case (1:06 p.m.)
Karla Nemeth, a spokeswoman for the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan process, was scheduled to speak at the 1 p.m. meeting at the county Public Health Department,
The conservation plan is a complex mesh of habitat restoration, water supply and environmental goals that would ultimately give water contractors from the Bay Area, the
A big part of the plan is a canal that likely would wrap around the east side of the Delta, taking Sacramento River water to the pumps near
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090318/A_NEWS/90318007
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