A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 16, 2009
2. Supply –
Tahoe water supply continues decline
The
Agencies prep for less water
The
Padre Dam water district approves rate hike
The
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Tahoe water supply continues decline
The
By Jeff DeLong
When it comes to water across much of
A mediocre winter produced a mediocre mountain snowpack, the water supply outlook released last week by the Natural Resource Conservation Service said.
Following a similar winter in 2007-08 and a much drier one the previous year, this year's disappointing snowfall did little to help, said Dan Greenlee, a federal hydrologist and snow surveyor.
"It would have been nice to at least hit average. We were at spitting distance a couple of times but just couldn't get there," Greenlee said.
Expected streamflow from melting snow on the
Only
There is adequate reservoir storage to meet this summer's expected water demand in Reno-Sparks "without a whole lot of problems," Greenlee said. Lake Tahoe is expected to dip below its natural rim, cutting off flow into the
"It's kind of like you're able to pay your bills OK but there's nothing to put in your saving's account," Greenlee said.
He said
"I would concur," said Doug Busselman, executive vice president of the Nevada Farm Bureau. "We are deeply concerned about what the prospects look like for the coming summer."
In the Fallon area, the water supply situation is worsened due to diminished flows from the
Farmers in the area also are coping with reduced prices for alfalfa hay, the area's predominate crop, Busselman said.
"They will do what they have to do to adjust. It certainly won't be a full production year," Busselman said. "It's going to be some hard times but we've been through them before."#
http://www.rgj.com/article/20090414/TT/904140307/1047
Agencies prep for less water
The
By Jason Wells
The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, citing the effects of years of drought and tightening regulatory conditions, voted to cut water shipments by 10% effective July 1, sending local agencies in Glendale, Burbank and La Crescenta into the final stages of planning for imposing strict restrictions on their customers this summer.
Under the wholesale structure approved alongside Metropolitan’s delivery cuts Tuesday, member agencies who use more than their designated allotments would have to pay higher penalty rates on top of the nearly 20% across-the-board rate hike that takes effect Sept. 1.
For consumers, the trickle-down effect will mean tiered rate structures to induce conservation combined with mandatory watering restrictions, such as lawn irrigation schedules.
Already, the Crescenta Valley Water District is migrating to a five-tiered billing system that imposes higher rates on those who use the most water.
Next week, Burbank Water and Power is scheduled to introduce a similarly tiered rate structure, although the City Council would still have to approve any actual rate changes when it reviews a proposal in June, General Manager Ron Davis said.
That would be after the utility introduces a revised conservation ordinance in May that would define six levels of mandatory water rationing. The first step, to be recommended for adoption May 5, would move all of the current voluntary measures — such as limiting lawn irrigation to three times a week, or serving water at restaurants only upon request — into the mandatory category.
“It shouldn’t shock the community,”
Glendale Water & Power officials plan to approach the City Council on April 28 for permission to bring back a draft ordinance that would set up staggered levels of mandatory water restrictions to be triggered according to the city’s ability, or inability, to cut down on water use.
“Now, it’s going to be a little bit more than voluntary,” he said.
Unlike other agencies, Glendale Water & Power will wait until after the restrictions are in place to address any possible amendments to the water rate structure, he added.
In terms of telling customers that they’ll potentially have to pay more to use less, water officials conceded that it would be a tough pill to swallow, but one that years of unchanged behavior, combined with worsening environmental factors, had forced agencies to administer.
State water allocations to
At the same time, regional water reserves are deteriorating, and the
Taken together, the water picture is shaping up to be what it was during the harsh drought years of the early 1990s, the last time mandatory water rationing was instituted, officials said.
“This isn’t a revenue thing; this is a reduce-your-water-use thing,”
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/04/16/politics/gnp-water16.txt
Padre Dam water district approves rate hike
The San Diego
By Anne Krueger
The Padre Dam Municipal Water District has approved a new rate structure that calls for steep increases for customers who use more than their allocated supply, with the costs rising even more if the region's drought worsens.
The board's unanimous action Tuesday came the same day that the Metropolitan Water District imposed cutbacks in the amount of water it delivers to
Padre Dam receives all of its water from Metropolitan through the San Diego County Water Authority, so water district officials say Padre Dam's rate structure must reflect the cost they are paying for water. The County Water Authority is expected to declare a Level 2 drought April 23, and likely will impose an 8 percent to 10 percent cut in water it supplies.
Twenty-nine Padre Dam customers sent letters to the district opposing the rate increase, and about 70 people showed up at the hearing Tuesday.
Some who spoke at the hearing said they are being asked to pay more for water while their wages have not increased.
“I might as well go bankrupt and leave because you're putting us in a really precarious position here,” said Sandy Draper of Crest.
Unlike other
A typical family living on a small lot and using 450 gallons a day now pays $151.04 on their bimonthly bill. They would see a 7.9 percent cost increase in a Level 2 drought. In the most severe drought, their bill would increase 241 percent to $515.81 every two months.
All Padre Dam customers have a baseline allocation of 220 gallons per day, and the cost of that water will not increase unless the drought becomes so severe that mandatory 40 percent cutbacks are required.
The cost of water used in a second-rate tier above the baseline 220 gallons per day would increase 5 percent in a Level 2 drought, and 8 percent at more severe drought levels. The amount of water allocated at the Tier 2 rate ranges from 184 gallons per day for a single-family home on a small lot to 460 gallons per day on a lot larger than two acres.
Water usage above those baseline levels would be charged at increasingly higher rates, costing up to six times the current rates for high water usage levels in the most severe drought conditions.
“You're going to pay dearly to use a high amount of water if the drought gets worse,” said Mike Uhrhammer, Padre Dam's spokesman.
The board also approved a resolution allowing it to pass on rate increases for the district's water, electricity and sewer costs without holding another public hearing. #
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