Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 29, 2009
3. Watersheds –
Report: Warming to hit state hard
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Future of
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Cooling off in the Kings
Department of Fish and Game to resume stocking of Battle Creek
Red Bluff Daily News
Groups sue over new Tahoe fuel-reduction process
The
Dams Are Thwarting
New York Times
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Report: Warming to hit state hard
Riverside Press-Enterprise-6/26/09
By Janet Zimmerman
The Inland region and other parts of the Southwest are warming faster than most of the nation because of human-induced climate change, and residents here can expect the resulting heat waves, wildfires and water shortages to worsen, according to a new White House report on global warming.
The bleak predictions were part of a climate status report to Congress last week. While it contains no new research, the study paints a more comprehensive picture of the problem in the
The area that includes
Though no area is immune from climate change, the Southwest is one of the hardest hit. The combination of natural drought and climate change "could turn out to be a devastating one-two punch for the region," the authors write.
Some of the problems highlighted in the report:
Tourism and recreation will suffer at
More intense and longer-lasting heat waves will bring increased risk of electrical brownouts and blackouts as people use their air conditioning and draw down hydroelectric systems impacted by low river flows.
Predicted increases in heavy winter and spring rains in
Acreage burned by fire will increase. Blazes will be fed by invasive grasses such as red brome and cheatgrass, which thrive on nitrogen deposited in the soil by automobiles.
Local fire officials already are seeing the effects of climate change in the form of drought, hot weather and dry brush, and now staff at maximum levels for longer periods than in the past, said Thom Porter, staff chief of natural resource management in
Events such as lightning fires are still happening, but "it's just happening at different months of the year than we're used to, it's happening with more frequency than we're used to, and then we have many, many more thousands of homes and people in areas that 100 years ago didn't have anybody," Porter said.
William Patzert, a climatologist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
"Many of us think the situation is even more dire," said Patzert, who has been talking about such effects for a decade. "All the things they're warning about in this report are actually under way."
The Inland area is five degrees warmer than it was 50 years ago, mostly due to urban "heat island" effects -- the warming that occurs in metropolitan areas, where buildings and roads replace open land and vegetation, Patzert said. The report's scientists warn that in areas with high summer temperatures, those increases will translate into "significant stresses" to health, electricity and water supply.
Experts say climate change is being felt in other ways in
Population growth will exacerbate the problems, including poor air quality and water scarcity. In 1950,
Patzert called for federal legislation to penalize the carbon-emitting industry and to eliminate tax credits for more than one child to encourage population control. People should also recycle and strive to save water and electricity at home, he said.
"There's no stopping global warming. If you turned off all the carbon sources today, we'd still warm, because methane and carbon dioxide have a long residence time. There's no going back to the way it was," said Patzert, who warned of potential deaths from more frequent and intense heat waves and lack of water.
"The question is, do you want to get hit in the head with a hard ball or a Wiffle ball? If we made a tremendous effort it would be a Wiffle ball. If we make no effort, it's definitely going to be a hard ball and it's going to knock us out."#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/environment/stories/PE_News_Local_S_climate27.386abc9.html
Future of
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-6/28/09
By Bleys W. Rose
Pathways along the
Reliable wireless service from Guerneville to Monte Rio. More plants and trees. Clean public restrooms. A drop-in center for the homeless. A teen center. And, of course a skateboard park.
The list of redevelopment projects that could revive
Long on ideas. And at the moment, short on funding. But making progress toward consensus.
The 5,000 people in the lower Russian River communities have long been at odds over how best, and whether to, improve Sonoma County’s most impoverished area, said Ken Wikle, chairman of a Russian River Oversight Committee appointed by supervisors.
“We have consensus among the seven communities that considered themselves separate in the past,” Wikle told supervisors. “The people who were naysayers to everything were relatively quiet.”
In addition to Guerneville and Monte Rio, the area includes Rio Nido, Villa Grande,
Over the past few years, the county has funded a total of $2.25 million in redevelopment projects in the river area. They include renovation of the Rio Nido fire station and Monte Rio community center and refurbishing of Guerneville River Park. Projects in the works include
Wikle said that although the county redevelopment authority has already spent some money, a long term plan was deemed necessary in order to gauge community sentiment.
“It is not required by redevelopment law, but it is something that we wanted to do so there would be some sort of pulse taking of the community,” Wikle said.
The task now is to move forward, taking advantage of the redevelopment money that comes from increased property taxes linked to development and also seeking other ways to continue improving the
The strategic plan “is very broad in scope, and redevelopment is but one tool,” said Kathleen Kane, executive director of the Community Development Commission. “It goes beyond redevelopment.”
Government-sponsored, taxpayer-supported redevelopment projects won’t be able to fund all 91 proposals, Kane said, so “we will need to attract private investors into the area.”
Lloyd Guccione, a river area activist who has been a self-appointed community watchdog on redevelopment issues for four years, said “this is one of those plans that brought people together with its process, but there are also downsides to it, unfortunately.”
He fears that projects proposed by business and commercial interests will dominate funding while those dealing with neighborhood and youth projects will get short shrift.
“Redevelopment is a banking enterprise that wants a return on its investment,” Guccione said. “The community, unfortunately, has not gotten concerned, interested or excited about redevelopment.”
Although county supervisors established the Russian River Redevelopment Area in 2000, plans for the river have not translated into projects, particularly when compared with similar efforts in the
Supervisor Valerie Brown, whose Sonoma Valley district has Highway 12 sidewalk and road improvements under way as part of its redevelopment, said “it was kind of a miracle” that the Russian River area was finally ready to embark on pursuing funding rather than arguing about projects.
“We watched dueling agendas at the podium” for years, Brown said.
Efren Carrillo, the new west county supervisor, said the business community, the environmental community and the Spanish-speaking community have waited a long time to see the emergence of a “remarkable consensus in this plan.”
However, he worries that so many laudable ideas are chasing after so little funding.
Under the redevelopment area’s strategic plan, the county can undertake up to $8 million in projects annually over the next four decades. However, under state community redevelopment law, the county must also meet criteria that focus on removal of physical blight, reversal of economic blight or creation of opportunity for housing and employment.
To pay for redevelopment projects, the county issues bonds that are repaid with interest using redevelopment funds. As assessed values of properties increase over time, the additional property taxes are allocated to finance more activities within the project area.
Dan Fein, who chaired the committee that drafted the strategic plan, said environmentalists and business leaders agree that “ecotourism is what attracts people here and it’s what puts us on the map.”
A top priority among projects should be those that reduce river pollution by improving wastewater, septic and water systems, Fein said. Also a priority are projects that improve flood control so the rising
In addition, Fein said the
“We want to attract more people to work from their homes, like attorneys, accountants and people who sell stuff on eBay,” Fein said.#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090628/articles/906289969
Cooling off in the Kings
By Heather Halsey
As temperatures soared past the century mark Saturday, dozens of residents packed up their rafts, inner tubes and ice chests to seek relief from the heat in the cool waters of the
Floaters and boaters have been hitting the water since mid-June, and the river is expected to remain at an acceptable level through July and into early August -- making now prime floating season.
Many opt to launch their rafts just north of
Carlos Sanchez and Shayne Vetter of
"I try to come every year whenever the water's high enough," Sanchez said as he held his new orange raft shaped like a baseball glove.
It was 20-year-old Vetter's first time floating the Kings, and when his friends planned the trip he grabbed a donut-shaped raft from his parents' boat and joined them.
Stephanie Rodriguez of
"The water seems faster now then the first time we came," Rodriguez said.
Part of their group sat aboard a large blue hexagonally shaped raft, complete with cup holders, which served as the anchor for five other rafts, including a yellow boat that was designated as the ice chest carrier.
Many of those who float the Kings stock their ice chests with beer and other alcoholic beverages, but Commander Robert Thayer with the Kings County Sheriff's Department discourages it.
"Alcohol causes people to not think on a sober level and can always lead to problems," Thayer said. "If a person is floating down the river then gets out and gets in their car, now they are driving intoxicated."
Though Sanchez, 22, said he does enjoy drinking a beer while he floats, he said he is sure to bring extra plastic bags so that he can dispose of the cans appropriately and not litter the already debris-ridden river.
Since not all floaters take their trash with them, the shore and bottom of the lake can contain broken glass and other sharp objects and Thayer recommends wearing water shoes while in the river.
Thayer oversees the water rescue unit, which patrols the river routinely throughout summer and has witnessed how dangerous it can be.
He said one of the most important aspects is to let someone know where your entry and exit points will be and to never float in a group of less than three. He said it is not a good idea to tie rafts or inner tubes together.
Brian Robertshaw of
"It's a great way to enjoy the sun and beat the heat," Robertshaw said.#
http://hanfordsentinel.com/articles/2009/06/29/news/doc4a470bddd27dd863473295.txt
Department of Fish and Game to resume stocking of Battle Creek
Red Bluff Daily News-6/27/09
By Geoff Johnson
Fish will flow in time for the Fourth of July weekend in
Normally, starting around the last Saturday in April and continuing through October, trucks from the Darrah Springs hatchery would plant around 20,000 rainbow trout, said Fish Hatchery Manager George Parker.
But this year's release was stalled by a court order until this week when the Department of Fish and Game concluded no frogs or fish threatened by release of trout were present in either the creek's northern or southern forks, DFG Environmental Scientist Steve Baumgartner said.
The return of rainbow trout to the creek is not official yet, Baumgartner said. The process still requires approval from DFG headquarters in
DFG's troubles began when a group of Stanford Law students questioned whether stocking 1,000 bodies across the state with fish, which DFG has done since 1870, is in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
In 2006, the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pacific Rivers Council used the question as grounds for a lawsuit, alleging the stocking of non-native fish species threatened 25 native fish and amphibian species across the state, including the mountain-yellow-frog, a species whose numbers have reportedly dropped by 90 percent in the Sierra Nevada region.
It was enough that Sacramento Judge
Patrick Marlette required the temporary suspension of stocking of dozens of bodies of water across the state. The DFG has been allowed to continue stocking in the majority of its waters, including 10 out of 12
Paynes Creek is still listed on DFG's database of waterways not being stocked. The judge's order expires in January 2010 and, barring a new order stocking would resume.
Baumgartner said he knew of no time frame for stocking to resume in Paynes Creek.
The suspension has not been without its economic impact. At least one Mill Creek businessman, who declined to be named, said customers driving west from
Though his business is by no means struggling, sales to that group have dropped dramatically, he said.#
Groups sue over new Tahoe fuel-reduction process
The
Two environmental groups have sued over a state water board's move to fulfill recommendations by a special panel created after a 2007 catastrophic wildfire at
In their lawsuit filed June 18 in El Dorado Superior Court, Sierra Forest Legacy and the Tahoe Area Sierra Club Group object to a December 2008 memorandum of understanding between the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Board and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency designed to speed up fuel-reduction projects around Tahoe.
The suit against the water board seeks to overturn the memorandum that made TRPA the primary agency for such project permits. The two-state, land-use regulatory agency is charged with protecting the
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/
The groups contend the memorandum violates
The memorandum arose from a recommendation by the California-Nevada Tahoe Basin Fire Commission formed by California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons after the fire destroyed 254 homes on Tahoe's south shore.
Requiring similar permit approvals from both the water board and TRPA made fuel-reduction efforts more expensive and caused delays, according to the commission's final report.
Attorney Michael Graf, who represents the environmental groups, said there's no evidence to support the commission's finding that the dual-permitting process caused delays.
He said the water board's approval of the memorandum was a result of the "tremendous political pressure to relax, if not eliminate, the environmental controls over fuel-reduction processes" after the fire.
The lack of detail in TRPA's requirements for fuel-reduction project monitoring opens the Tahoe basin to environmental degradation, Graf added.
"The TRPA code is very vague as to what they're going to require," he told the Tahoe Daily Tribune.
While the two agencies' fuel-reduction project requirements are not identical, the memorandum will still be effective in protecting Tahoe's water quality, said Harold Singer, executive director of the water board.
Streamlining the permit process was a "significant step" in implementing many of the board's recommendations, he said.
"We're not asking (TRPA) to mimic our exact regulatory processes," Singer said. "What we're saying is their overall program is equivalent to ours. The real difference of opinion is that the parties that filed the lawsuit feel that it's not line by line equivalent of ours."
TRPA spokesman Dennis Oliver said his agency's code does not contain the same level of details as the water board's code, but disputes the contention that its monitoring will diminish water quality.
The TRPA does not have "one-size-fits-all" rules, but includes several levels of review. By putting qualified people on the ground, Oliver said, fuel-reduction projects can be effectively implemented without negative environmental impacts.
"Between all of the different agencies you have the expertise to make sure these projects are being done correctly," he said. "It doesn't necessarily require that we spent a lot of extra time doing paperwork."
No hearing date has yet been scheduled.
http://www.fresnobee.com/384/story/1501934.html
Dams Are Thwarting
New York Times-6/28/09
By Cornelia Dean
Desperate to halt the erosion of
But in a new analysis, scientists at
As a result, the loss of thousands of additional square miles of marshland is “inevitable,” the scientists report in Monday’s issue of Nature Geoscience.
The finding does not suggest it would be pointless to divert the muddy water into the marshes, one of the researchers, Harry H. Roberts, said in an interview. “Any meaningful restoration of our coast has to involve river sediment,” said Dr. Roberts, a coastal scientist.
But he said officials would have to choose which parts of the landscape could be saved and which must be abandoned, and to acknowledge that lives and businesses would be disrupted. Instead of breaking levees far south of
“It’s going to be an excruciating process to decide where that occurs,” Dr. Roberts said of the levee-breaking.
Sediment carried by the
Levees have turned the river into “a pipe” south of
The extent to which inland dams have had an impact on sediment flow has been debated. Although sediment in the river is only about half what it was in the 18th and 19th centuries, some scientists have argued that the flow back then was unusually high because of the advent of farming in the nation’s midsection.
Dr. Roberts said a new analysis of sediment data going back thousands of years challenged that idea. “There probably was a spike, but it was insignificant,” he said.
In theory, it might be possible to remove inland dams to increase the flow of sediment. But Dr. Roberts said the trapped sediment contained agricultural chemicals and other pollutants that might worsen the already deteriorating water quality at the mouth of the
On the other hand, he said, if nutrient-rich sediment made its way into Louisiana’s marshes, it might encourage the growth of plants that would contribute to marsh health.#
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/science/earth/29mississippi.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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
No comments:
Post a Comment