A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 1, 2009
2. Supply –
'Huge Disparities' Possible For City's Water Cuts Strategy
The Voice of
Major hurdles loom for any water transfers
The
Blue Gold: Have the Next Resource Wars Begun?
The Nation.com
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'Huge Disparities' Possible For City's Water Cuts Strategy
The Voice of
By Rob Davis
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BLINKLISTAs water supply challenges intensified on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in 2007 and the threat of water rationing reappeared, the state Department of Water Resources launched an outreach effort to help cities like
The state gave cities a 208-page, step-by-step guidebook for the looming water shortage, with tips on dealing with the media, managing existing supplies wisely and reducing demand.
The document, provided to
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It points out flaws and inequities that the state identified in the type of water-cut plan Mayor Jerry Sanders and the city's Water Department eventually chose and subsequently touted as being the fairest plan for residents. According to the document,
City water officials have tried to frame the debate about their plan's fairness by ruling out that other option, which would base cuts on how much water residents need. Those officials have acknowledged that a better, fairer option exists, then mischaracterized the challenges of implementing it and held up their plan as being better and more practical.
Their plan proposes to cut water consumption based on residents' historical use. Those who've used the most would still get the most, regardless of whether they're efficient.
The state told cities that such a strategy would be easy to implement and administer. But the state warned about creating "huge disparities" in water allotments among similar customers. As it stands, one resident may be penalized for using gallon No. 100,001. A next-door neighbor who irrigates more may not be penalized until using gallon No. 500,001.
In the 208-page guidebook, the state identified three cons to the city's chosen approach:
- It penalizes residents who've conserved.
- It rewards above-average users.
- It promotes water use during periods without shortages.
The strategy was commonly used when drought hit
It "was widely perceived as inequitable because it had the effect of penalizing former water conservers while rewarding those who had previously used large water quantities," the report says. "Neighbors living in identical houses could therefore receive vastly different water allotments."
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The city has taken steps to address some of the state's issues. The city will exempt 21 percent of residents from cuts because they use less than 4,488 gallons per month. And the city will try to distinguish between the water that residents use inside for sanitation and outside for irrigation. In the unlikely case that a 20 percent cut is needed, the city will ask for residents to cut interior use by 5 percent and irrigation by 45 percent.
The city's efforts to pinpoint interior use (which won't be cut as much) will be imperfect. It will find the lowest 60-day period of winter water-use between July 2004 and June 2007. That estimate can be inflated if a resident unnecessarily watered plants or a lawn during that time. Residents can get credit for as much as 14,960 gallons a month of interior use -- enough for a family of 10 -- regardless of how many people live in the house.
The state warned local districts that basing cuts on historical consumption would not foster long-term conservation -- only a small, unsustained effort. It said residents would potentially increase water use when the shortage abated, so as to increase their baseline allocation the next time cuts came.
Jim Barrett, the city's public utilities director, rejected the state's warning that strategies like
"I do not see that as a potential outcome," he said. "We're talking about reasonable people. They're not going to pay more now just betting that they'll have more later."
The state report pointed to strategies similar to the one employed in the Irvine Ranch Water District (and in a handful of other agencies across the state) as being optimal for residents. Irvine Ranch gives its customers 300 gallons a day for internal use, assuming a family of four, and bases outdoor needs on lot size and weather conditions. Residents who exceed their allocation pay higher rates.
San Diego Water Department officials have rejected that strategy in the short-term, saying that it would take too long to implement. City water officials have said that Irvine Ranch took years to implement its plan and had to survey every residential property's lot size. That's incorrect, though. Irvine Ranch's program took a year to draft and implement; the district did not do site-by-site surveys.
City water officials say they chose their strategy because they were under a time crunch to ensure a policy was in place by July 1 if mandatory cuts came. "We were really under the gun to do something should allocations be implemented at Metropolitan (Water District) and the County Water Authority," Barrett said.
But the city has had warnings since late 2007 that they'd need such a policy.
Barrett attended the Oct. 11, 2007 state workshop that pointed to the threat of potential mandatory water rationing. The San Diego County Water Authority's top official in October 2007 said preparations were underway.
The city has also been delivering warnings about the potential for rationing. Mayor Sanders acknowledged the possibility as early as September 2007.
The city did not immediately begin drafting a strategy to address the threat, though. With former City Attorney Mike Aguirre calling for stricter water-use restrictions, Sanders and other city officials said in 2007 that they believed voluntary conservation would be sufficient. That approach has only netted a 5 percent decrease in city water use.
The Water Department secured City Council approval to establish water allocations for residents in November 2008. That allows the city to set a ceiling for use at each home and business -- and levy penalties for excessive consumption.
City officials continue asserting that they've chosen the fairest plan, while acknowledging they didn't choose better options. But they have dismissed those better options as unreasonable to implement in a short time, even though they've known about the potential for shortages since 2007.
Choosing a plan like Irvine Ranch's wouldn't be without challenges. The state pinpointed two: Water agencies would have to increase staffing and do computer work, as well as boost public education. Irvine Ranch hired no more than 20 temporary interns to implement its plan.
At least one local water district plans to adopt a similar strategy to deal with the current supply crunch: The Padre Dam Water District, which serves 125,000 people in Santee and
Padre Dam spokesman Mike Uhrhammer said presentations that Irvine Ranch officials gave in
"Everyone saw those presentations last fall and said that's the more fair way to do it," Uhrhammer said. "We decided that we weren't going to penalize people who've been conserving from the outset."
http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/articles/2009/03/31/environment/850statewater033109.txt
Major hurdles loom for any water transfers
The
By Kate Campbell
In a drought, moving water from those who can spare it to those who need it sounds logical. But in practice, the procedure is so complicated that water-short
The state established a Drought Water Bank last fall to help ease the impact of the water supply crisis. The idea is to buy water from willing sellers, primarily from irrigation districts upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and sell it to those short of water to the south using the state and federal water project to move the added supplies.
After six months of effort, DWR says it has the "potential" commitment of about 400,000 acre-feet of water. The amount that actually would be available, however, is still uncertain. Many farmers north of the delta who might have fallowed land or relied more heavily on groundwater to meet their crop needs have now made other plans for their water. Farmers in the south are still trying to figure out how to keep permanent plantings alive through the heat of summer.
"Even with the 2009 Drought Water Bank, getting the water to those who need it and who may have paid for extra supplies is challenging," said Danny Merkley, California Farm Bureau Federation water resources director. "There are no guarantees it will be delivered. That's primarily due to the impact of environmental protections for the delta smelt (which resulted in severe cutbacks in pumping water through the delta)."
Water officials say that because there's so much uncertainty about contract requirements and environmental limitations, the actual amount of water that could be transferred south may be much less than the 400,000 acre-feet initially hoped for.
"We're still getting proposals in from potential, willing sellers so we don't have a number on how much water is actually going to be available for sale," said Teresa Geimer, DWR's Drought Water Bank manager. "We have a list of potential sellers and we've listed maximum amounts and that's the best number we have right now."
She said it's hard to tell what the response will be because it's a statewide drought and supplies are limited everywhere.
Statewide, agriculture uses about 34 million acre-feet of water. Total developed water for all purposes is about 78 million acre-feet. Combined water deliveries through the state and federal projects is about 4.8 million acre-feet.
Preliminary farm water allocations from the state and federal water projects currently is between zero and 20 percent of contract amount, far short of what farmers need to keep permanent crops alive. Even at 400,000 acre-feet, the amount that could be moved to drought-parched areas is a fraction of what's needed.
Water experts say there are a number of hurdles that must be overcome before meaningful supplemental supplies from the state's Drought Water Bank can flow from the
"There are so many balls in the air right now it's hard to keep your eye on all of them," said Thad Bettner, general manager of Glenn Colusa Irrigation District. "We've got a number of issues to resolve before our farmers can free up water for transfer."
For example, he said issues related to protection of the giant garter snake have not been resolved. This will impact the number and location of rice acres that can be fallowed. There are operational issues related to increased flows in the
"That means buyers would lose 40 percent of the water they purchased because of having to maintain flows in the
Groundwater also is problematic, he said. Local communities are concerned about pumping water out of the ground for export south because of the potential impact on aquifers in the
"Those are just a few of the limitations. And, then all this has to be covered by environmental documentation. It's difficult to be timely in finalizing transfer contracts when both the state and federal governments have to prepare environmental assessments to cover these sales," Bettner said. "We're not giving up on this. We're still going to try to free up water to meet demands this summer. But it won't be easy."
GCID supplies water from the
Given the uncertainties, he said farmers have already planted crops, noting, "they're simply reluctant to enter into water purchase contracts when the final criteria for transfer hasn't been decided."
Metropolitan Water District of Southern
"But, it will not be the only way to get sufficient supplies for either urban or ag use," said Debra Man, the district's chief operating officer. "We recognize that our water challenges are not just related to dry or wet weather. There are more prevailing challenges that we'll face every year in the future."
She said that in addition to water transfers, MWD is looking at stepped up conservation, water recycling and desalination.
"It is in the best interest of agriculture and urban water users to fix the state's delivery system through the delta," Man said. "The challenges we face are the biggest cutbacks in state history due to restrictions to protect endangered species."
She said all transfer-water purchases are being pursued through the state's Drought Water Bank, but this source alone will not meet MWD's supply shortfall.
"We're waiting to hear from DWR that they have final agreements so they can move forward," she said. "But more importantly, we want to know how much water we can procure from the water bank."
The uncertainty of the supply available through the Drought Water Bank has made the option less effective than it could be, said
"Not only are the transfers predicated on state and federal water project allocations, which usually come at the last possible minute, but also on completing required environmental documentation," Zea said. "Once you move into the growing season, farmers have made their plans and they've got to hold on to the water to grow our food.
"The Drought Water Bank is a system that in theory is important, but the current situation really points back to the larger issue of flexibility in the water delivery system," he said. "You can't have that without increased water storage.
"If we had adequate storage then water transfers, the Drought Water Bank and all the activities of getting water to places where supplies are short would be easier because there would be backup systems that provide the state with greater supply certainty," he said.
Meanwhile, the California Latino Water Coalition participated in a press conference last week at the state capitol. The group wanted to underscore to lawmakers the impact the water crisis is having on jobs, families and valley communities
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The group joined Assemblywoman Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, and a number of other lawmakers and county water officials, in urging the board to allow greater cross transfers of water between the state and federal water delivery systems to increase flexibility and efficiency.
The petition, however, won't be heard by the State Water Resources Control Board's Division of Water Rights for about a month, adding another layer of uncertainty at a time when commitments to transfer water need to be firmed up.
Federal water allocations get small boost
Although federal water allocations for agriculture remain at zero for service contractors south of the delta and at just 5 percent north of the delta, allocations for senior water rights holders and wildlife refuges north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been increased from 75 to 100 percent.
Federal officials say the increases result from additional precipitation, improved snowpack and improved runoff into
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it is working closely with Central Valley Project municipal and industrial contractors both north and south of the Delta to determine if, to meet public health and safety needs, adjustments are needed to their allocations.
The bureau said the increased allocations pave the way for several actions. With additional supply in the CVP system, more water may be available through the joint state and federal Drought Water Bank. Increased water supply would help meet critical water needs statewide.
In addition, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has agreed to postpone the summer delivery of a large portion of its San Joaquin Valley water to federal wildlife refuges until later in the year, freeing the water for other uses.
At the beginning of April, the state will conduct the fourth snow survey of the season. With the additional precipitation experienced since the March snow survey and with improved runoff into CVP reservoirs, the bureau said it anticipates announcing an updated water supply allocation in mid-to-late April. #
http://www.cfbf.com/agalert/AgAlertStory.cfm?ID=1282&ck=1CECC7A77928CA8133FA24680A88D2F9
Blue Gold: Have the Next Resource Wars Begun?
The Nation.com – 3/31/09
By Tara Lohan
It has often been said that water is "blue gold" and the next resource wars will be fought, not over oil, but over water. Maude Barlow, senior advisor to the United Nations on water issues, wrote that the way in which we view water "will in large part determine whether our future is peaceful or perilous."
Dr. Peter Gleick, founder and president of the Pacific Institute, weighs in on the severity and urgency of the global water crisis.
The British nonprofit International Alert released a report identifying forty-six countries where water and climate stresses could ignite violent conflict by 2025, prompting the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to affirm, "The consequences for humanity are grave. Water scarcity threatens economic and social gains and is a potent fuel for wars and conflict."
There is no doubt that the world's supply of drinkable fresh water is threatened. An astounding one billion people do not have access to safe drinking water today and that number is likely to reach 2.8 billion in only two decades. Will these challenges result in an all-out "water war"? Likely not, experts say. But conflict is stirring and the battle for control over the world's dwindling freshwater resources has already begun with international giants like the
Fifty years since the Dalai Lama fled
Not only does
"Water has emerged as a key issue that could determine whether
So whatever
Future predictions about climate change are worrisome, and they're compounded by the fact that things are already bad in
Many fear that
Scarcity Is a Relative Term in the
Along the Jordan River, which is now 90 percent diverted by
While consumption varies among Israelis, they have continuous access to water, much like the luxury we enjoy in the
In
And as in
Right now, that power rests firmly with
That does not mean, he says, that conflicts won't increase or get more heated. Water, after all, is a necessity of life. But water resolutions will also need to be part of a larger framework that addresses the political, cultural and sociological roots of conflict, Alatout says. For the Palestinians, this is an issue tied to their very sovereignty. "If
The
Most people in the
The source of strife is the long-arbitrated Colorado River, which flows 1,450 miles, and whose watershed spreads across seven
Under the Mexican Water Treaty of 1944 the
But nearly a decade of drought in the Southwest has prompted
The lining of the
The
Encasing a new canal in concrete would divert more water for
Environmental groups also answered with litigation over concern for sensitive habitat. But a rider was put in a 2006 omnibus bill in Congress that waived state environmental reviews concerning the project, and it cleared the courts.
"The lining of the canal was a major problem," said Michael Cohen, senior researcher with the Pacific Institute. "The Mexican embassy filed a diplomatic note, which apparently in diplomatic circles is a pretty serious affair, expressing their concern with the
The
One can only hope, says Cohen, that the
But are we necessarily doomed? Not really. Wolf developed and coordinated the Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database at OSU and has also seen the more hopeful side of things, which is that there are a far greater number of instances where water shortages result in cooperation instead of conflict. But there is no guarantee that the future will look like the past. We live in changing times. In a post-9/11 world even what we consider "war" looks vastly different. And global economic pressures may collide with widespread environmental collapse. The jockeying for position regarding freshwater resources has begun and will continue unless the international community demands equitable resolutions.
"The real problem is the crisis, not the danger of conflict," though, says Wolf; "2.5 to 5 million people die every year now because of a lack of access to basic sanitation and a safe, stable water supply. Possible wars in light of this current crisis is a dangerous diversion." The real threat, he warns, is not taking action now to address the water crisis already in our lap. #
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090413/lohan
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