A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
May 11, 2009
2. Supply –
Water managers stressing awareness of drought possibility
The
Spring storms add to water supply
The
Stepping up water watch in Stockton
The
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Water managers stressing awareness of drought possibility
The
By Heather Hacking
OROVILLE — As drought conditions in
Dan McManus, of the Red Bluff office of the state Department of Water Resources, reported on water supplies in the five counties of the
In January, things were looking extremely dry, but since then supplies have improved with recent rainfall.
Storage at
Groundwater is an important component of local water, and is monitored several times a year through a series monitoring wells.
As would be expected, well levels are down generally, with some areas, including the west side of
The
In those areas, there may be problems later in the summer.
In irrigation wells, this is especially true on weekends when farmers tend to use water when electricity rates are cheaper.
But if everybody irrigates at the same time, pumps will need to reach farther into the ground to draw water.
McManus said well-users in
Other areas where more awareness, and perhaps coordination, could be used include Capay and Orland-Artois, McManus said.
He said that in his experience it takes several years of higher than normal rainfall to have groundwater levels increase.
"Countywide, we need people just to be prepared," such as knowing more about their wells and knowing what to do if well levels drop, said Paul Gosselin, manager of the Department of Water and Resource Conservation.
Water Department budget
The Water Commission also talked about the county budget and how cuts would affect staff at the county Water Department.
The department has only four people, so staff cuts would be tough to manage.
Water Commissioner John Carlon said it will be difficult to make the case for limiting cuts in staff for the Water Department when there are more visible programs, such as library funding, that tend to grasp the public's attention.
There will be an opportunity on May 18 and 19 during county budget sessions for people to testify before the Board of Supervisors.
Carlon said certain facts might help, such as the fact that the state is in its third year of drought, and that the department brings in money through grant funds.
"The time is right now when we need protection of our water, not in two years," Carlon said.
Carlon also suggested commissioners contact members of the Board of Supervisors.
"They're asking us to serve (on the Water Commission) but we can only be as effective as our staff," Carlon said.
During the meeting, Water Department staff also noted that the state Department of Water Resources also has a new drought Web site at: http://www.water. ca.gov/drought. #
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Spring storms add to water supply
The
By Robert Krier
A dry year
A sampling of rainfall totals in different parts of the county from last July 1 through Friday, compared with the 30-year averages.
Lindbergh Field – 9.08 inches; average is 10.55
Ramona – 12.02; average is 16.08
Campo – 10.7; average is 15.30
Online: For Robert Krier's Weather Watch blog, go to weatherwatch.uniontrib.com.
Heavy rains in Northern California this month have raised water levels in key reservoirs – along with hopes that some of the new supply will be shipped to thirsty
But even if state water officials determine that the surprising storms will enable more deliveries,
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which buys from the state and distributes to member agencies, isn't obligated to share increased deliveries with the San Diego County Water Authority or other retail providers. It may decide to bank the added supply in local reservoirs as a hedge against further drought.
“We're taking a wait-and-see approach,” said Bob Muir, spokesman for the Metropolitan Water District. “We not only have our eye on 2009, but we're seeing what the future holds in 2010 and 2011.”
The state could decide this week if it will boost allocations for its members, said California Department of Water Resources spokesman Don Strickland.
Up to 90 percent of
Last month, state officials announced they would fulfill 30 percent of contracted allotments. That was up from the 20 percent they had estimated in March, before storms arrived in early spring.
If deliveries remain at 30 percent, it would match the 1991 record low.
Bob Yamada at the San Diego Water Authority, which doles out water used by most county residents, said his agency is not counting on additional supplies. Yamada expects Metropolitan to replenish its reserves if the state sends more water to
The county water authority's Level 2 drought alert, which it declared last month, will likely stay in effect, Yamada said. Level 2 restrictions call for higher prices and mandatory conservation to lower water use by 20 percent.
At the start of May, there was no discussion of again increasing the amount of water shipped south. But in the first five days of the month, more than 7 inches of rain fell at
Eight important weather stations in the Northern Sierra and around Shasta recorded an average of 5.6 inches. Precipitation at those stations has shot up to 90 percent of normal for the season.
Last year at this time, when the state was in the middle of its driest spring on record, the rainfall level for the year was 73 percent of normal.
Lakes Shasta and Oroville, another large reservoir, are in much better shape now than they were two months ago. Their water levels are higher than they were at this time last year.
The rainfall from May 1 to May 5 was more than 2.5 times what usually falls on the region during the entire month, said David Rizzardo, chief of the snow surveys section of the state Department of Water Resources.
“This is a very unusual thing to get in May,” Rizzardo said. “It's a good shot in the arm. That's direct runoff into the reservoirs.”
The rain added hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water to the reservoirs. An acre-foot typically meets the needs of two households for a year.
Yamada said higher reservoir levels in Northern California are partially offset by very low water levels at another link in the state water project: the San Luis Reservoir in
Rizzardo agreed that as welcome as the May rains were, they were not a drought buster.
“From a rain and snow perspective, it's better than last year,” he said. “But we're trying to fill up a hole that's pretty deep” because of three straight dry years in the state.
Clouding the state's water outlook are court-ordered pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta designed to protect the endangered delta smelt. More limits could come next month when a federal judge is expected to issue a ruling that could call for pumping changes to protect native salmon and sturgeon in the same region. #
Stepping up water watch in Stockton
The Stockton
By Alex Breitler
The City Council this week is expected to agree to the same level of water conservation upon which the city has relied since the drought of the late 1980s and early '90s.
But city officials say they are not settling for the status quo this summer.
They said they will step up enforcement of routine rules that accompany what is known as Stage One status, including no outdoor watering from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., promptly fixing any leaks and using only nozzle hoses or pressured equipment to wash cars, boats and home exteriors. They said they'll also strengthen voluntary incentives to save water.
"While other communities perhaps are struggling, we at least appear to be fairly stable. But we certainly are concerned that a drought would continue," said Mark Madison, head of the city's Municipal Utilities Department.
Despite this, officials earlier this year considered moving to Stage Two status, which would require residents to conserve 10 percent or face possible fines.
The situation improved because of a series of late-season storms that fed foothill reservoirs.
Representatives of
The city's beefed-up conservation incentives include added rebates for water-efficient fixtures such as toilets and washing machines, free evaluations of home water use and cards placed in restaurants reminding that water is to be served only upon request.
Crews also will patrol the city for water wasters,
Enforcement is exactly what is needed, said Bill Loyko, a
"We seem to just be slapping a Band-Aid over it and calling it water conservation, when the reality is we're not doing much of anything," he said.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has called for a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use by 2020, with the goal of an average of 192 gallons per day. A draft report released last week outlines strategies, including replacing turf lawns with drought-resistant native plants. Landscape irrigation, after all, can account for half of urban water use.
Depending on how much water shoots from your sprinklers, maintaining a green lawn in the
Short of tearing out that grass in favor of native plants or synthetic turf, homeowners might irrigate their lawns more often but for shorter periods of time, said Louise Fassio, marketing director at Valley Landscaping and Maintenance in
Do not flood the gutters, she advised.
"Just water a little bit, and do it more regularly," she said. "Don't do it in the middle of the day," when water is likely to evaporate and plants are most vulnerable.
Also aiding
This may change as officials consider increasing water rates to pay for a project that would draw water from the Delta, Madison said.#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090510/A_NEWS/905100312
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