[Water_news] 2. DWR'S CALIFORNIA WATER NEWS: SUPPLY - 5/21/09

Department of Water Resources

California Water News

A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment 

 

May 21, 2009

 

2. Supply –

 

County water department issues groundwater levels alert

The Chico Enterprise

 

High Price for Desal Plant

The Santa Barbara Independent

 

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County water department issues groundwater levels alert

The Chico Enterprise – 5/21/09

By the Enterprise Staff

OROVILLE -- Water is a big problem in California. With the state in its third year of drought, the lack of rain has affected groundwater levels in Northern California.

 

In a recent report of the Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation, nearly half of the wells surveyed failed to reach desirable groundwater levels, according to a press release.

 

The state Department of Water Resources took the measurements for spring groundwater levels from March 23-27. In Butte County, more than 212 wells are monitored four times a year. Of the 81 used for Basin Management Objective tracking, 37 have reached "Alert Stage," triggering calls for increased awareness and irrigation coordination.

 

Paul Gosselin, manager of the county department, said the results show the drought's impact on the Sacramento Valley Groundwater Basin.

 

"People should take practical steps to conserve water and be prepared for potential problems with their wells," he stated.

Groundwater levels are down slightly across the basin from 2008, according to the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) information. An April 15 press release shows average levels down two feet in Butte and southern Tehama counties, and three feet in Colusa County. Levels are down four feet in Glenn County.

 

Despite the decline, there isn't a significant difference between the spring 2008 and spring 2009 levels, according to the county.

 

There may be difficulty in pumping water during peak irrigation season as groundwater levels experience seasonal decline, according to the county. Officials encourage people to consider conservation, planning and working with neighbors who irrigate.

 

Kristen McKillop, manager of program development for the department, said it is recommended that people spend some time on Butte County's water Web site at: http://www.buttecounty.net/waterandresource.

 

There is information about historical data and drought preparedness.

 

"There is a possibility in some areas we will see folks needing to deepen wells," McKillop said.

 

"People need to be aware of not only how their well functions and is maintained but if they need improvements," she said. "They can't just do it in one phone call."

 

When DWR maps water levels, they create contour maps. That's because in some areas, if people start having problems one to five miles away from your property, "you could as well," she cautioned. #

 

http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_12416880

 

High Price for Desal Plant

The Santa Barbara Independent – 5/21/09

By the Independent Staff

 

The City of Santa Barbara’s desalination plant, built in 1992, could only become operational at an expense of $20 million and 16 months, according to a study commissioned by City Hall and released in March. While the desal plant would be reliable, it would also be expensive, with water costing $1,400 an acre-foot to produce.

 

That’s roughly the same amount the city pays to import water from Northern California through the State Water Project. The desal plant, built in response to the intense drought of the late ’80s and early ’90s, has the capacity to process 3,125 acre-feet of potable water out of sea water.

 

While the city built the plant, the $34 million facility was also paid for over a five-year period by the Montecito and Goleta water districts. By the time it was built, however, the South Coast had been inundated by extreme rains followed a few years later by the arrival of State Water.

 

Designed to provide the ultimate in drought insurance, the facility operated for fewer than four months.

 

Currently, City Hall spends $100,000 a year to maintain much of the plant’s carcass in operating condition. Much of the plant’s pumps and semi-impermeable membranes have to be replaced, hence the high costs associated with reactivation.

 

There are no plans to operate the plant; the study was to determine what’s required for it to become operational.#

 

http://www.independent.com/news/2009/may/21/high-price-desal-plant/

 

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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.