A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 7, 2009
2. Supply –
Cities prepare for voluntary water conservation
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Bolinas ends water restrictions as supply rises
The San Francisco Chronicle
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Cities prepare for voluntary water conservation
The Santa Rosa Press Democrat – 4/6/09
By Bob Norberg
There should be enough water flowing in
The Sonoma County Water Agency warned, however, that in keeping with the water crisis hitting the rest of California, state water regulators may require even deeper cuts that would push the North Bay into mandatory conservation.
“They are looking for us to share the pain of saving of the resources this year,” said Pam Jeane, the Water Agency’s deputy director of operations. “We are in a third dry year statewide.”
The Water Agency on Monday told its customers, which are the cities and water districts from
During the warm summer months, when use goes up, it plans to provide 5,400 acre-feet a month, compared to last year, when some summer months reached 6,300 acre-feet.
The quantity is restricted by the amount of water that the district can release from
The agency’s customers are the cities of
For the past two years, those customers, representing 600,000 residents, have had voluntary conservation measures in place that resulted in a 19 percent water savings, beyond the 15 percent that was asked.
“I’m hopeful that we will be able to do this with voluntary conservation,” said Jake Mackenzie, a
The committee and the Water Agency’s Technical Advisory Committee, both of which represent the customers, approved the water allocation budget on Monday.
This week, the Water Agency will file a petition with the state Water Resources Control Board asking to be able to lower the requirements for flows in the
The requirements are set to meet the competing demands of water use, recreation and fish health, but could drain
Jeane said she expects the state, when it acts on the petition, to at that time also ask for deeper conservation measures.
Instead of being able to deliver 5,400 acre-feet a month, the state could require a delivery of only 5,000 acre-feet, or even lower, touching off mandatory conservation measures.
“If the word comes down that we have to save even more, we will have to grapple with that,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin said.#
Bolinas ends water restrictions as supply rises
The San Francisco Chronicle – 4/7/09
By Kelly Zito
Bolinas, the tiny Marin County town forced by drought in January to limit households to 150 gallons of water a day, has lifted severe restrictions on water use after a series of rainstorms and a huge jump in conservation.
The enclave's two emergency reservoirs are now full and Arroyo Hondo Creek - the community's main water source - is flowing freely.
"It was incredibly fortuitous," said Jennifer Blackman, general manager of the Bolinas Community Public Utility District, which provides water to the 1,200 residents of the town at the southern end of the
The area received about 14 inches of rain in February in March, Blackman said, twice what it had received by late January when the water limit took effect. Rainfall for the season is two-thirds of normal, which is enough to keep the district from running out of water by April as it had feared.
Those same storm systems also added to many state reservoirs, but officials warn that urban and rural water users statewide will have to do more with less water this summer after the third dry winter in a row.
Bolinas started tapping its two reservoirs last year after the creek slowed to a dribble. By early February, water levels in the storage ponds barely covered the outtake pipes and the 40-foot-deep banks were dry and crusty.
Residents got the message - complying at a 99 percent rate, Blackman said. Of course, they had motivation. The district threatened to cut off supplies to those who violated the limit three times.
Blackman and the water board are urging residents to keep conserving because long-term forecasts show a dryer, warmer
Bolinas officials are considering resurrecting a drought-warning system first used during the severe 1970s drought: A large sign that would greet visitors and residents on the main road leading into town. The sign would show daily water-use limits depending on reservoir storage, weather conditions and other factors.
"It would set (drought) alert states ... in a visual way," Blackman said. "We don't want to have to sound the alarm again."
There's a certain irony in the proposed signage because Bolinas residents have long been accused of tearing down road signs to misdirect outsiders.
But these days, residents seem serious about chipping in. As soon as the 150-gallon limit went into place, Claire Simeone, 53, spent about $700 on a 1,500-gallon tank and built her own rainwater capture system.
An equipment malfunction prevented rain from filling the system during the February and March showers, but Simeone hopes to gather up to 2,000 gallons next year - mainly for use in the garden. In addition to the tank, she bought 10 retired olive barrels.
Simeone, the mother of 12-year-old and 15-year-old daughters, said her family has a history of water conservation. They have a drip irrigation system in the garden, the 1940s bungalow has an on-demand water heater, and she and the girls turn off the shower when they're shampooing.
But Simeone, a nurse practitioner in
"It was the kick in the pants to move me into being more conscious about the water I use," she said.
Her next big purchase? A front-loading clothes washer.
"It will cut the water from something like 40 gallons a load to 10," Simeone said. "It will be great."#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/04/06/BAUJ16TJHC.DTL
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