| The Coachella Valley, grape grower-shippers say, has managed to evade the water troubles plaguing much of the Golden State. Water availability is only a non-issue in Coachella because of the investments the industry has made in conservation, said John Burton, sales manager of Coachella, Calif.-based Peter Rabbit Farms. “Over the years, we’ve really developed good technologies in drip irrigation, and without that technology, water would be an issue in the valley,” he said. “We constantly have people working on maintaining the water we have.” Fortunately for Coachella grape growers, drip irrigation has been a good fit, Burton said. “Commodities that can’t take drip well are in trouble,” he said. Drake Larson, partner in Drake Larson Sales, Thermal, Calif., agreed. “We’re in very good shape,” he said. “We’re always up to speed with being water-wise and water-conscious. We’re not having the problems other growers in California are having.” Historically, even the Coachella Valley hasn’t been immune from water worries, said Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League, Fresno. But thanks to the “very expensive” input costs the valley has borne in recent years to mitigate its water problems, Coachella is in better shape now than is the rest of the state, Bedwell said. Those mitigation efforts could wind up serving as a model for other grape-growing regions of the Golden State, he said. “You don’t hear about the same water issues for Coachella as you do for the rest of the state,” he said. “Coachella is kind of in its own universe”# http://thepacker.com/California-water-shortage-no-issue-for-Coachella-grape-grower-shippers/Article.aspx?articleid=365439&authorid=680&categoryid=278&feedid=216 Water rates rising The Camarillo Acorn – 5/1/09 By Michelle Knight Camarillo and other Southern California residents should brace for a major water rate increase. Tom Fox, Camarillo's public works director, told the City Council last week the city will pay 70 percent more for water by January 2011. Southern Californians are likely to feel the drain on their wallets because the Metropolitan Water District, wholesale supplier to Calleguas Municipal Water District and 25 other agencies throughout Southern California, will begin charging more money for less water. Calleguas, the water supplier for southern Ventura County— including Simi Valley, Westlake Village, Camarillo and Oxnard—raised rates earlier this year. Combined with a 20 percent rate increase expected in September and another expected January 2011, the compounded effect is the equivalent of Camarillo paying 70 percent more for water than in December 2008, Fox said. When Metropolitan raises its rates, Calleguas passes on the higher cost to its customers, Calleguas manager Eric Bergh said. Other agencies in Southern California will likely follow suit. But Metropolitan is not just imposing higher rates. In July, the agency will cut down the amount of water it delivers, which may force Southern California cities to enact water conservation measures for residents and businesses Fox said Camarillo will probably encourage conservation by charging more for high water use and by stepping up enforcement of a water shortage plan already in place. How much water rates in Camarillo will go up is unknown for now, Fox said. This month, the City Council may consider hiring a firm to perform a rate study for pricing recommendations. In Simi Valley, the water rates will probably climb 20 percent, said Joe Deakin, assistant director of public works, although he was unsure when. Deakin said his staff is working on a water conservation ordinance that could include fines. He expects to take such a proposal to the City Council May 11. The Thousand Oaks City Council last week approved a conservation ordinance expected to go into effect in June. Residents could face fines for watering their lawns between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. or not using a shut-off valve on hoses when washing vehicles. Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks have asked Calleguas and Metropolitan to postpone their increases until January, although neither agency has made a decision. Cities don't automatically pass on Calleguas' rate increases to customers. Each city depends on Calleguas water in varying amounts. Those closer to the Pacific Ocean are less dependent on imported water because they have more groundwater available. Cities farther from the ocean, such as Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley, are nearly 100 percent dependent on Calleguas water, Bergh said. Sixty percent of the water Camarillo delivers comes from Calleguas, the rest from local ground sources. Augmenting Calleguas water with local water tends to stabilize Camarillo water bills, Fox said. To tap into more local groundwater, Camarillo will look into repairing a well near St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital. Fox plans to ask the City Council this month to spend $200,000 repairing the well, which could be operating by fall. The city also has long-term plans to reduce its dependency on imported water. Camarillo, Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley and Calleguas plan to build a desalination plant to take advantage of more groundwater. The project is in the planning stages, Fox said. In addition, Calleguas is studying a potential underground water source, the South Las Posas Basin north of Camarillo, that could benefit Camarillo and neighboring cities in five years or more. A report on the feasibility of tapping into the previously unused source could be released in December. To supply water to future development without driving up rates, the Camarillo City Council may consider requiring developers to prepare a study that identifies how much water their development will need and how they plan to supply it. Why rates are rising The Metropolitan Water District announced recently it will charge more money for less water. Metropolitan, a public agency that delivers water to 26 agencies in six Southern California counties, gets water from the Colorado River and Northern California. An eight-year drought has reduced the amount of water the Colorado River can contribute. Although the river is showing signs of recovery, any benefits to the agency won't be realized for years, Metropolitan spokesperson Bob Muir said. Water from Northern California has also been cut back. Because of California's threeyear drought, Metropolitan has been tapping into reserves at reservoirs and underground storage. Regulatory restrictions on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have reduced the water supply as well. The State Water Project pumps water through the delta, but government regulations recently cut the amount of time agencies can pump there—a measure intended to help the endangered delta smelt recover. Even in an average year, the new regulations would reduce by 40 percent the amount of water the project can supply, Muir said. # http://www.thecamarilloacorn.com/news/2009/0501/front_page/002.html Water fight heads to downtown L.A. The Santa Clarita Signal – 4/30/09 By Brian Charles
Sleepy Valley residents will square off against the County of Los Angeles and a local water hauler at a meeting in the Office of County Counsel’s today to try to resolve a legal battle over water.
The County of Los Angeles issued a conditional use permit to Roy Ramey, an Agua Dulce water hauler, in February. The permit allowed Ramey to pump up to 40,000 gallons a day from his well, which is about 1,000 feet from two wells owned by Sleepy Valley Water Company, a water cooperative owned by the 58 area homeowners served by the company’s wells.
When Ramey pumps his well in dry years, the Sleepy Valley wells can run dry, said Laurie Jenkins, president of the Sleepy Valley Water Company.
No phone number for Ramey appeared on any of more than a dozen planning and county documents, which list his company as Rainmaker Water Services, of Agua Dulce.
Two addresses given for his business and his home in Agua Dulce include no published phone numbers.
The county’s decision to issue the conditional use permit kicked off a lawsuit filed in March by the Sleepy Valley Water Company, which claimed a proper California Environmental Quality Act review wasn’t done prior to issuing the permit.
“The county didn’t adequately analyze how taking water out (of Ramey’s well) could effect the residents’ well,” said Babak Neficy, an attorney representing the Sleepy Valley Water Company.
The county issued a negative declaration nixing a full environmental review prior to issuing the conditional -use permit, he said.
“The county is thinking strictly about business,” Jenkins said.
Sleepy Valley is tucked away in what Jenkins described as a lush, green pocket in Agua Dulce. The housing tract built in the 1920s was fully developed by the 1950s, Jenkins said. Those who live on the small lots buy their water from the Sleepy Valley Water Company, she said.
Ramey began pumping his well next to the Sleepy Valley wells in 2003. By June 2004, the Sleepy Valley wells ran dry.
“We went from a static well level of 33 feet (below the surface) to 89 feet and sucking mud,” she said.
Sleepy Valley residents were forced to buy water from private haulers. The Water Company spent more than $20,000 to purchase water for its customers, Jenkins said.
“A lot of people are retired here and on fixed incomes. They practically went bankrupt on their water bill,” she said.
A cease and desist order stopped Ramey from pumping water in Sept. 2004 and the impact on the wells was immediate.
“By October (2004) the wells recovered and we could begin pumping again,” she said.
Jenkins thinks the county decision to grant the conditional use permit has less to do with Ramey’s water operation and more to do with long-term plans for Sleepy Valley.
“The county is pro-growth and it would be very desirable for the county to come in and turn this into a residential neighborhood,” Jenkins said.
She warns if Ramey and the County aren’t stopped, the way of life of many Sleepy Valley residents will change dramatically.
“Our green is going to go away,” she said.
Neficy doesn’t expect an agreement to be reached during today’s settlement meeting.
“Under the best of circumstances there won’t be a settlement,” Neficy said. Part his reasoning has to do with the number of plaintiffs. Any settlement proposal must be voted on by all 58 homeowners in the suit before it can be formally accepted, he said.
The Office of County Counsel did not return calls by press time.# http://www.the-signal.com/news/article/12612/ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ DWR’s California Water News is distributed to California Department of Water Resources management and staff, for information purposes, by the DWR Public Affairs Office. For reader’s services, including new subscriptions, temporary cancellations and address changes, please use the online page: http://listhost2.water.ca.gov/mailman/listinfo/water_news . DWR operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs. Inclusion of materials is not to be construed as an endorsement of any programs, projects, or viewpoints by the Department or the State of California.
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