Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 15, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Ex-river guide among many who fought dam
NID bracing for state money grab
Residents off the hook for cost of meters
Marysville Appeal-Democrat
New program looks at flooding, water quality near
Marin Independent Journal
The Desert Sun
Mammal center to unveil $32 million building
The
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Ex-river guide among many who fought dam
By
With water already pooling behind New Melones Dam, river guide Mark Dubois wandered upstream and bolted himself to a rock with a 6-inch chain around his ankle.
He sat.
Authorities got word and went searching, but Dubois didn't want to be found; trees and brush cloaked him from the helicopters and boats.
He claimed to his friends, who brought him food under cover of darkness, that he was willing to drown to save the scenic
But federal officials blinked; that claim could not be tested.
A dry Dubois climbed out of the canyon after one week, having received assurances that the reservoir would not rise above Parrott's
Dubois, now a prominent environmental activist, and about 150 others gathered in Angels Camp last weekend to remember the 30th anniversary of his protest, and a river swallowed up by
"I had fallen in love with the place," Dubois said. "I got completely swept into it. And I felt that the life, magic and beauty of the place - that 9 million years of evolution - was about to be eradicated if I didn't speak up."
The bittersweet reunion came, coincidentally, three days after the release of a new plan to protect steelhead on the Stanislaus. That plan from the National Marine Fisheries Service says New Melones Dam - which supplies
With the focus on the Delta as the heart of
The Stanislaus was, as one advocate put it, "the last river lost." Advocacy group Friends of the River said the decade-long fight was "probably the biggest citizen effort to save a river and stop a dam in American history."
At stake was nine miles of Class 3 river rapids through a cave-riddled limestone canyon. Even beginning boaters could enjoy the trip, often spread over two days, recalled George Wendt, president of Angels Camp-based Outdoor Adventure River Specialists.
Much of the land was public and accessible, unlike other streams. Historic artifacts abounded. And upstream dams meant reliable year-round flows for rafters, Wendt said.
Supporters of the dam argued New Melones would increase storage while providing flood control, hydroelectric power and lake recreation.
The reservoir finally filled in 1983. The protestors lost, but Wendt said the movement triggered "a major societal shift."
"We realized we can't keep expending resources and borrowing from the future," he said.
Last weekend, Dubois, 60, of
"It was just stunning to feel the death of the place, compared to the magic of the river," he said. "The place just felt dead."#
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090614/A_NEWS/906140316/-1/RSS02
NID bracing for state money grab
By Laura Brown
The state could borrow between $880,000 and $2.4 million from Nevada Irrigation District's property tax revenue as a means to fix
NID encompasses two counties,
“What's uncertain in my mind is how much they'll take from multi-jurisdictional districts like ours,” Nelson said Wednesday during a report to the NID board of directors.
“Nothing I've seen really clears up the confusion for me,” Nelson added.
Historically, property taxes have helped keep water rates down and it is unclear how the state “loan” will impact district ratepayers.
As part of his plans to fix the state's dire financial straits, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed borrowing 8 percent of property tax revenue from local governments and special districts. The state would be obliged to repay the money in three years. County officials anticipate the state borrowing as much as $2.7 million.
The dire financial picture may also impact NID's hopes of a state grant to fund a mercury remediation project, but Nelson is optimistic that federal funding may offset that.#
http://www.theunion.com/article/20090613/NEWS/906129963&parentprofile=search
Residents off the hook for cost of meters
Grant will help Hillcrest transition
Marysville Appeal-Democrat-6/15/09
By Ashley Gebb
Some
The city has been selected to receive a $3.5 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant for its water meter installation project. The project includes installation of about 3,500 water meters, most of which will be in the former Hillcrest Water System, from flat-rate to metered services.
The city was not expecting to receive the money because the project was determined to be ineligible. But Utilities Director Bill Lewis petitioned the California Department of Public Health to ask for a re-evaluation.
"There were other projects similar to our water meter project that were funded, so we questioned why some were funded and some weren't," he said.
The city was subsequently added to the list of approved projects. The city has not received the check yet, but Lewis said he sees no reason the city would not receive the grant.
For
Lewis expects installation to start this fall but said it depends on how fast the state turns around the money.
The City Council adopted water fees and charges related to the Hillcrest Water System conversion from groundwater to surface water in February, after months of heated discussion among residents and city officials.
The surface water connection will replace the Hillcrest groundwater source. The $18.8 million project includes plans for a water storage tank and connection piping that allows for future growth.
Opponents failed to defeat the nearly $20-per-month water connection surcharge in November.
Once the conversion is complete, customers had the option of paying up front or a monthly fee for the next several years. Now, existing homes without meters could see a reduction in conversion costs of up to $500 per household.
The grant will pay for the purchase and the contract labor for installation of the meters, Lewis said.
The Hillcrest surface water conversion is progressing as portions of the project start to go out to bid. Customers west of Highway 99, north of
Customers on the east side of Highway 99 will receive surface water on a permanent basis this fall, and customers south of Lincoln Road and west of Highway 99 should be on surface water in fall 2010.
Groundwater customers pay the same year-round. Now their bills will grow in the summer and shrink in the winter. When averaged out, it will be about the same, Lewis said
Water meters are a good tool for water conservation, Lewis said.
"It enables customers to see how much water they are using, and if they feel they are using too much, they can cut back and actually measure how much they use," Lewis said. "We always encourage people to use water wisely."
The American Waterworks Association estimates meter installation decreases water consumption by about 30 percent.#
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/water-78580-city-lewis.html
New program looks at flooding, water quality near
Marin Independent Journal-6/14/0-9
By Mark Prado
Better flood protection, habitat restoration and improving water quality in
The watershed program, announced last week, seeks to improve the health of
The plan calls for work to begin within the watersheds - areas that drain into the bay - located in county designated Flood Zone No. 3, which includes
By looking at fish barriers, impervious surfaces, vegetation and land uses in the watershed, officials said it might be possible to improve flood control as well as improve water quality.
One of the first tasks of the program will be to develop a report that summarizes current information about flooding, erosion, habitat and water quality, hydrology, restoration projects and resource protection.
"A watershed-wide, multiobjective approach to flood mitigation has proven successful in other areas such as the
The program is being coordinated and funded by staff from
Zone No. 4 in cooperation with
A technical working group comprised of environmental scientists, community members, watershed groups, biologists, engineers and planners from the community and local agencies will be formed to review work products and relevant studies produced by staff and consultants.
"
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_12587677?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
The Desert Sun-6/14/09
By Larry Bohannan
By the world-class standards of the famous golf courses in the
There are no pristine fairways. There are no fairways at all, actually. Just a nine-hole par-3 golf course with islands of grass on the tees and on and around greens, surrounded by desert sand and scrub.
But for people like Howard Smotherman, the course is one of the appeals of living in the
“If there hadn't been a golf course here, I don't think I would have built a home here in 1994,” said Smotherman, one of a handful of hardy golfers trying to save their endangered golf course.
Like so many courses across the country,
To save the rudimentary course, Smotherman, SCSD general manager Tom Cannell and others are hoping to work a new lease with IID just for the golf course land by Oct. 1 while working to increase play and reduce water and maintenance costs.
“For the amount of play we get, we bring in about $7,000 or $8,000 a year,” Cannell said. “Well, the water costs us about $10,000 a year. And maintenance was $700 a month, and then there were always other costs.”
Smotherman is more than just the president of the West Shores Golf Club which now has “about 25” members, down from more than 100 members when the club opened in 1990. Smotherman, who retired to the area in 1994, is also the volunteer groundskeeper, watering the course and doing basic maintenance work.
While
“We have a great time. We have a Saturday tournament and we put a few dollars in the kitty, and it's a lot of fun,” he said. “If they paid for last place, I'd probably win more.”
Befitting such a quirky course, local rules at
“Would you want to use a new club out in that stuff?” Smotherman asked.
“We're trying to cut back on the water a bit,” Smotherman said. “The grass around the greens, we're just not watering that as much. I'm taking out some of the sprinkler heads. And I'm doing more hand watering on some of the greens.”
Cannell said the decision to let the lease on the 1,350 acres of IID land, including some other park areas and Johnson's Landing on the sea's shore, wasn't completely about the golf course. But the $8,000 to $10,000 a year shortfall on the course, money that must come from the Salton Community Service District's general fund, was a major part of the decision.
“We are trying to support everything we can for recreation in the area, but there is only so much you can do.” Cannell said.
If a new lease on just the golf course can be worked out with IID, the golf club will operate the course rather than the service district. That will include continuing the honor system of paying all-day green fees. Players slip the $8 fee into a secure metal pipe after signing in for the round. During the season, snowbirds in the area join the club for $80 a month for unlimited play.
The sign-in systems showed that for the first 12 days of June, the Park has just six paid rounds. While Smotherman says most players are honest with the honor system, Cannell says he's not so sure.
“Sometimes you get the money out and you know there has been a lot of play, but there is no money,” Cannell said.
Smotherman believes that the members of the golf club, with careful monitoring of water usage, can make the course work financially under a new lease. But more revenue from outside play is needed, even in the winter when more seasonal residents are in the
Keeping the course in good enough shape to attract outside play might conflict with having to cut back on water usage, Smotherman admits.
“I think we can keep the course green through the fall,” Smotherman said. “After that, we'll have to see what happens.”#
http://www.mydesert.com/article/20090614/SPORTS05/906140358/1032/sports05
Mammal center to unveil $32 million building
The
By Jason Dearen
A recent surge in weakened and malnourished sea lions found along the Northern California coast is mystifying scientists and keeping workers hopping at the newly expanded
"We're way ahead in the numbers this year. We have twice as many animals as we should," marine veterinarian Bill Van Bonn said after examining Charcoal, a sick harbor seal.
Experts at the nonprofit center, located on wind-swept Marin headlands just north of the
"It's likely a problem with the food web, something lower in the food chain that is affected, but we are not sure what it is yet," said Van Bonn.
For 35 years, the seaside hospital has treated and studied ailing elephant seals and other coastal mammals in bath tubs and makeshift facilities. Today, as more and more sick animals are needing attention, a new $32 million building will be unveiled that expands the center's capacity and technical ability at a crucial time.
On a recent afternoon, center staff decked out in rubber boots and yellow slickers busily tended to about 130 critters lolling in the center's new pens, which are shaded by solar panels and feature pools with freshly filtered water.
The center treats an average of 600 marine mammals a year, but last year more than 800 were rescued. In a recent week, staff rescued 10 more sea lions a day than usual.
"It's concerning," said Jeff Boehm, the center's executive director.
The only bright side, Boehm said, is that the center is now better equipped to help solve the riddle.
They have "a state of the art lab, a state of the art suite for performing science and doing that pathological work which helps us understand diseases," Boehm said.
The center also has surgeons to repair broken flippers or remove cataracts.
Elephant seals, harbor seals and California sea lions make up the bulk of the patients, but the center also is called upon to help untangle whales caught in fishing nets, or to perform necropsies on dead animals that wash ashore.
Only about 50 percent of the animals rescued make it out alive, but all of them help in the center's scientific mission: more than 14,000 genetic and tissue samples have been stored.
The new building allows for more public access, which is free. Visitors can view the animals in their pens, watch a necropsy or attend classes.
The
The solar panels used to shade the pens also provides about 10 percent of the electricity consumed.
These days, as the ocean's acidity rises due to climate change, much of the center's work will be focused on studying how this changing sea chemistry is affecting the mammals that live within its 600-mile-reach.
Only about eight percent of the center's patients are injured by hazards like fishing nets, tackle or boats.
On a recent sunny afternoon a group of the malnourished
The staff force-fed the sea lion, known as Robin, with a yellowish mash of herring, water and salmon oil, hoping to bolster Robin's strength so she can eventually return to the sea.#
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