Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
March 27, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Turn out the lights to protest global warming
San Francisco Chronicle
Editorial:
Capital Press
AVEK directors approve purchase of Yuba water
Lawmakers say yes to federal stimulus funds for California
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Turn out the lights to protest global warming
San Francisco Chronicle – 3/27/09
By Maris Lagos
San Franciscans will join millions of people around the globe Saturday for Earth Hour, when people are encouraged to turn off lights from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. in a stand against global warming.
Organizers hope 1 billion people in 84 countries will participate.
Both the
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/03/27/BAGQ16NNQP.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea
Editorial:
Capital Press – 3/27/09
Californians have come to expect a certain amount of gridlock from their state leaders. Even in crisis, the pols manage to keep progress at bay.
There are some indications that state officers finally want to address
With the population climbing and the state suffering a third year of severe drought, we think it's about time.
A study released this month by the Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics at the
That in itself is not much of a surprise. The Central Valley Project has made a preliminary decision to cut off all water for irrigation this year. The State Water Project is set to deliver just 10 percent of its normal allocation to farmers. That leaves producers to leave land fallow or dependent on precious groundwater supplies.
The lack of water has an impact beyond the farm gate. The study estimates that Californians, both producers and those whose livelihoods are tied in some way to agriculture, will lose between $1.6 billion and $2.2 billion in direct and indirect income.
The study also estimates that 60,000 to 80,000 Californians will lose their jobs. Most will be relatively low-paid field workers who will find it difficult to find other jobs.
Opposition to these plans comes from expected sources. The Sierra Club has said that new dams are unnecessary.
Tell that to the growers who are losing income. Tell it to the merchants who depend on the farm economy for their livelihoods. Tell it to the families of the 80,000 displaced workers, who like the withering crops are fighting to survive.#
http://www.capitalpress.info/main.asp?SectionID=75&SubSectionID=767&ArticleID=49924&TM=9485.215
AVEK directors approve purchase of Yuba water
By ALISHA SEMCHUCK
PALMDALE - For the second consecutive year, Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency directors approved the purchase of supplemental water through a special agreement between Yuba County Water Agency and the state Department of Water Resources.
Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency will have the potential to take more than 1,500 acre-feet from
"The cost increase is higher than we would like to see, but in light of continual (water) shortages and cost increases, we felt it was wise to agree to that amendment," AVEK board member Keith Dyas said. "These additional purchases from Yuba will give us (added) security to meet our customers' needs."
AVEK Directors George Lane and Andy Rutledge concurred.
"Unfortunately, we're going to be paying more for the water," Lane said. "But, it gets us over the rough times, so it's pretty important. It may keep us from going into rationing and other measures this summer. The timing is critical."
In a year when precipitation levels are normal, the water from Yuba could be used for recharging the Valley's water table, Lane noted.
"This year, it's going to be used to get us through the emergency," he said. "Some customers will rely on AVEK for a majority of their water during the summer. Others have more wells they can rely upon."
Despite the higher price, Rutledge said, "it's a good buy for us. We definitely need water for our customers right now. And, this water is water we can get across the (
The supplemental water will come from
For Yuba County Water Agency and its members, the purchases provide a financial benefit by helping pay for certain needs such as switching from diesel engines to electricity for pumping groundwater and it pays for fishery studies to document the effect of water flow in protecting fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Problems with sending water through the delta and into the California Aqueduct, which supplies water to AVEK, began when a judge issued orders to slow down pumps in delta to save the Delta smelt, a two-inch long fish whose numbers are dwindling. That judge's order, coupled with a three-year drought, created the water shortage.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in late February, proclaimed a state of emergency and ordered agencies to take immediate action to manage the water crisis, which he called "as severe as an earthquake or raging wildfire."
A report from DWR said water will be transferred through State Water Project or Central Valley Project facilities to water suppliers at risk of experiencing water shortages in 2009, which require supplemental water supplies to meet anticipated demands.
The DWR created a "drought water bank," which is paying $275 per acre-foot to anyone selling water, said Tom Barnes, AVEK's water resource manager.
"There's going to be a lot of losses in that water - evaporation, operational type losses, environmental (factors)," Barnes said. "So we'd probably charge our customers $550 an acre-foot." As for the Yuba water, Barnes said, "we'll start taking delivery probably in April ."#
http://www.avpress.com/n/26/0326_s7.hts
Lawmakers say yes to federal stimulus funds for California
By Jim Sanders
Democratic and Republican legislators jointly agreed Thursday to accept billions in federal funds to help families threatened by recession.
Legislation paving the way for
Both legislative houses passed a separate measure that would change eligibility rules to make it easier for seasonal workers to qualify for unemployment assistance after April 3, 2011.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to sign both bills today, along with three others that would provide more than $12 billion in federal stimulus funds for Medi-Cal, transportation, drinking water and wastewater treatment projects.
Schwarzenegger, in a written statement, said the bills would "help boost our economy, provide critical services for Californians, create jobs and put people back to work."
Roughly 469,000 Californians would benefit by year's end from the five-month extension of unemployment benefits. They have nearly exhausted the 59 weeks of assistance available now.
The legislation targeting seasonal workers would benefit an estimated 26,000 people annually by allowing their most recent quarter of earnings to be considered in determining eligibility.
The bill also would qualify
http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1732823.html
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