Department of Water Resources
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
June 23, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
FALLBROOK: Higher water rates in store for FPUD customers
Water sewer pipeline money to help
Riverside Press-Enterprise
South county habitat plan aims to balance needs of species, growth
Wired Water: IT Gets Ready for the Shock
TechNewsWorld
Pixley woman gets running water back after two years
The
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By Cathy Locke
The El Dorado Irrigation District may tap the Internal Revenue Service for help funding several small hydroelectric projects.
Although a study of hydroelectric development options in
The proposals were characterized as steps toward meeting state renewable energy requirements, and toward energy independence for the district and
Cindy Megerdigian, water and hydro engineering manager, said the projects could produce an estimated 8,600 megawatt-hours of electricity annually – enough to supply about 550 homes.
The board of directors Monday authorized staff members to apply for Clean Renewable Energy Bonds with the IRS. Under the program, the federal government provides tax credits equivalent to 70 percent of the interest on the money borrowed. The resulting interest rate for the district would be about 1.8 percent, Megerdigian said.
The board's authorization is not a funding commitment for the projects, she said, but was necessary to prepare an application by the Aug. 4 deadline.
"It just keeps our options open," she said.
The district also will pursue tariff agreements that would commit Pacific Gas and Electric Co. to purchase the power for 20 years, Megerdigian said.
Doug Leisz, a member of El Dorado County Citizens for Water who served on an advisory panel for the study, said that in a mountain county, it makes sense to look for opportunities to use downhill water flows to produce energy.
"This should be a priority for you for the next year," Leisz told board members. "The energy urgency is not going to go away."
Four of the projects would involve installing power generation units along the Pleasant Oak and
The fifth project, a demonstration of a hydrokinetic energy unit, is proposed on the
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/1968518.html
By Dan Abendschein
The City Council passed a modified plan to increase the water rate Monday night that will increase monthly bills by about $10 for an average customer.
The original plan would have increased a monthly flat charge as well as changed how much the city charges per gallon of water use. It would have hit the largest water users the hardest.
The modified plan the council voted on Monday night will phase in the flat fee increase over three years rather than two, and will allow big water users to get credits that will decrease their bill if they can demonstrate they are using water efficiently.
City officials acknowledged the increase will be particularly severe because the city has not increased its base water fees for many years, a policy that several council members criticized.
"It's almost like we're the pusher ... we've had these lower water rates and we've hooked (the customer)," said Councilman Steve Madison. "Now they are being whipsawed because of our bad planning."
Council members asked during the hearing Monday whether the increases would remain in effect, even if statewide water supply conditions improve.
"Are we recognizing that in 2012 we could be out of the drought and be in a strong position?" asked Councilman Chris Holden.
Phyllis Currie, the head of Pasadena Water and Power, said she expected at least the flat fees to remain permanent, and expected it would be unlikely the city would ever reduce its water rates.
"The prospects of a fundamental change in the water situation are not good," said Currie.
Phasing in the plan over three years rather than two will bring in $2.6 million less over the next two years, according to official estimates. That could affect water infrastructure projects and reduce revenues for the general fund, which the city is already estimating will run a $6 million deficit for the fiscal year starting in July.
In the long run, however, the new plan will make residents' bills even more expensive - the third-year increase that goes into place July 2011 will bring total fees higher than those called for in the original plan.
At a previous meeting, residents along with representatives of the business community criticized the rate increase plan for not encouraging efficient use of water.
Under the new rate plan, people could see increases in their monthly bills even if they drastically cut their water use. In some cases, users might have to cut usage by nearly 30 percent to avoid higher bills.
Because of statewide water shortage, the city is facing a 10 percent reduction in water supplies and higher penalty rates from its main supplier if it does not meet that target.
City officials hope to cut citywide water use by 10 percent through the rate hikes and new rules limiting the amount of landscape watering for residents.
In the long term, Pasadena Water and Power officials are studying a budget-based rate system that takes into account that larger lots tend to use more water.#
FALLBROOK: Higher water rates in store for FPUD customers
Average customer will see 13 percent increase on monthly water bill starting in August
By Tom Pfingsten
The Fallbrook Public Utility District's board of directors voted 4-0 Monday evening to raise water rates by roughly 13 percent in anticipation of wholesale water prices rising later this year.
The increases, which will take effect July 1 and involve a variety of "levels" and "tiers," will translate into an extra $13.80 on the monthly bills of average customers, defined as single-family residences that use 30,000 gallons of water every month.
The rate hike came as the board approved the utility district's 2009-10 budget, which includes an anticipated $14.4 million in wholesale water costs, compared with $10.4 million for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30.
Before Monday's meeting, finance director Marcie Eilers said the Metropolitan Water District is raising its rates by 18 percent on Sept. 1, and that the Fallbrook rate increase was due entirely to the higher prices that regional water distributors are preparing to charge.
"By far, this is the largest increase in the cost of wholesale water that we've had to bear," Eilers said. "One hundred percent of our increased rates are due to the increase in wholesale water prices."
The Fallbrook utility district buys purified water from the San Diego County Water Authority, which purchases its supplies from the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District.
Eilers said the district isn't increasing its operating charges, and during Monday's meeting General Manager Keith Lewinger said salaries and benefits are also being held at current levels for district employees.
Meanwhile, he said, the district is bracing for a potential loss of property tax revenue if state lawmakers decide to raid the coffers of local government entities such as water districts to help cover the state's $24 billion deficit.
Various local districts receive a chunk of property taxes from local residents, and the utility district's portion translates into a little less than $1 million a year.
"What the state government is talking about is taking all or some of that away from the local cities, counties and special districts to help them balance their state budget," Lewinger said.
If it happens, the district may have to put off certain construction projects, borrow to cover the difference, or institute a "State Tax Takeaway" surcharge, Eilers said.
Officials did not take any action on those ideas, saying they will be revisited if the state indeed raids the district's property tax revenue.
On Monday, the board also approved a new sewer rate system that introduces fees based on water usage, replacing the old flat-fee system that some said favored heavy users while overcharging smaller households.
Instead of the current $46 flat fee, the new system will calculate sewer rates based on the month between November and April each ratepayer uses the least water.
"We're going to see half of our single-family (customers) have an increase, and half of them have a decrease," said Eilers.
For the average customer, who uses 7,000 gallons of water in the lightest winter month, sewer fees will increase by $1.65.
But for those who use 10,000 gallons during their lightest winter month, for example, sewer fees will increase by $16.85, while those using at least 15,000 gallons a month year-round will see rates increase by more than $32.
Officials said the system rewards those who make an effort to conserve, however, pointing out that sewer rates can actually decrease by $10 to $20 for customers whose water use dips to 2,000 or 3,000 gallons a month in the winter.
"You're going to have some control over your sewer bill," Lewinger said. "Those customers who aren't using a lot of water inside in the wintertime, their sewer bill's going to go down."#
Water sewer pipeline money to help
Riverside Press-Enterprise-6/22/09
By Melanie C. Johnson
The city of
To clear the way, the Redlands City Council on Monday voted 3-2 to approve moving forward with steps to form a joint powers authority between the city and the redevelopment agency.
Councilmen Jerry Bean and Mick Gallagher voted no.
The plan to create the joint powers authority calls for the city to lease its water and wastewater facilities to the redevelopment agency for 2½ years. It will enable the city to use those lease payments, $2.5 million annually, to help meet general-fund expenses.
The original life of the agreement was 4½ years, but that idea failed with a 2-3 vote. The council reduced it to 2½ years at the urging of City Manager N. Enrique Martinez and it was approved.
In addition to the joint powers authority, the council voted 5-0 to add a part-time position to the city clerk's office and to change a job classification in the quality of life department. The council also voted 4-1 to approve the 2009-10 budget, with Bean dissenting. The new fiscal year starts July 1.
On the joint powers authority,
Both Bean and Gallagher said they could not support taking away money reserved for pipeline improvement projects to meet city expenses.
"The city, as anybody, has to live within its means," Bean said. "If that means cutting back on city services, then that's what we do."
Both Mayor Jon Harrison and Councilman Pete Aguilar said while it was not an ideal remedy, it would give the city time to find a longer-term fix.
"These are extremely difficult times," Aguilar said. "It's no longer what cuts do you want to make. Now it's at the point of what departments do you want to cut?"#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/redlands/stories/PE_News_Local_N_budget23.447e0a2.html
South county habitat plan aims to balance needs of species, growth
By Loretta Kalb
The
If approved in two years, the habitat conservation plan is expected to become
A habitat conservation plan requires support from unlikely bedfellows – federal and state regulatory agencies, environmentalists, developers, property owners and local jurisdictions.
"It seems to me that everybody is on board, at least with the process," said Senior Planner Richard Radmacher, project manager for the Sacramento County Planning and Community Development Department. "The cliché is, it's like herding cats."
Broad-scale habitat plans protecting species and endorsed by federal and state wildlife agencies were virtually unknown 25 years ago.
That began to change in 1983 when
A dozen years later, a fight between developers and environmentalists over the
Now such efforts are better known.
In
Nationally, about 30 large-scale habitat plans existed as of 2007,
These days, habitat plans typically include a range of species.
The South Sacramento HCP will cover 40 species of plants and wildlife. It's expected to have a combination of federal, state and local agencies as signatories, including the county and the cities of
But conservation isn't the only plan driver.
"Overall the goal is to provide a streamlined permitting process for development projects and the like," said the county's Radmacher. "In return … we make a commitment to provide a solid conservation strategy that state and federal resource agencies are comfortable with."
There is also a sense of urgency because the Sacramento County Water Agency expects to "flip the switch" on its intake water facility in
"They need to make sure they are in biological compliance," he said. And the simplest way to do that is to have an adopted habitat plan in early 2011, he said.
Other area habitat plans already are established.
The San Joaquin County Multi-Species HCP, run by San Joaquin Council of Governments Inc., covers 97 species.
The Natomas Basin Conservancy, in operation for a decade, oversees habitat for 22 species, ranging from the Swainson's hawk to the giant garter snake.
"In the Natomas Basin HCP, development was anticipated to occur over a period of up to 50 years," said Paul Junker, planning director for
But starting in the late 1990s, the hot real estate market fueled rapid growth. In less than a decade, Junker said, nearly half the development allowed under the plan's 50-year timeline had occurred.
Now the need for levee work has forced a moratorium on development in Natomas. And the conservancy is operating with cash on hand until the next development permits are issued, likely in 2011.
No decision has been made about how fees will be structured in the South Sacramento Habitat Conservation Plan or how the effort will be governed.
John Hodgson, chairman of the steering committee and a principal with the real estate development company RCH Group, said the plan needs to address the resources issues on a comprehensive basis. It has to be affordable, he said, and it should provide certainty and simplicity in the permit process.
That won't be easy. But Hodgson said it can be done.
"If any of the major interests are not satisfied, the HCP is toast," he said. But he added, "I believe we are addressing all of those interests.
"This is a deal that needs to happen. The question is, how can we make that work?"#
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/1965295.html
Wired Water: IT Gets Ready for the Shock
TechNewsWorld-6/22/09
By Ned Madden
Go wet, young IT man (and woman). Your parched, imperiled planet needs you.
When it comes to creating a future filled with fresh, drinkable water, information technology professionals have a significant career opportunity in a mega-sized market. The very economic survival of a thirsty, arid Earth -- with the
In the
Each drop counts ... and will be counted. No more overwatering, broken sprinklers and leaking pipes sending drinkable water flowing or spraying into adjacent private properties, public rights-of-way and city storm drains on its way to the sea.
"Wired water" -- the use of information technology (hardware, software, telecom, networking, services) for water control -- could become a US$20 billion market, according to Sharon Nunes, vice president for IBM's (NYSE: IBM) Big Green Innovations global initiative for water management.
"There's a lot of stress on water systems around the world," said Nunes. "With a limited supply, you'd better be able to manage it."
IBM has jumped in fully clothed. Big Blue's Big Green portfolio of smart water services and technologies uses advanced analytics developed by mathematicians in IBM's labs, as well as the company's information management, technology services, and business consulting capabilities.
To replace workers dispatched in trucks to check on water quality and levels and look for pipeline leaks and breaks, IBM automates the process with systems to monitor reservoirs, rivers and harbors, placing small sensors in the water and along pipelines right up to homes and businesses. Back-end software analyzes the resulting data and displays it on computer dashboards that enable water managers to monitor their systems and head off problems like leaks or contamination.
The IT giant, determined to expand beyond traditional computer services, is moving fast because it's seeing Big Water just keep getting bigger. Revenues of the world's water-related businesses will rise from $522 billion in 2007 to nearly $1 trillion by 2020, according to New York-based Lux Research. The firm's April 2009 report "Water Cultivation: The Path to Profit in Meeting Water Needs" predicts that a world facing water shortages will need a new "water cultivation" approach characterized by efficiency, reuse and source diversification.
Tools like smart meters that limit lawn-watering to nighttime hours, or sensors that detect leaks in pipes, are just a few of many ways computers can help monitor water use, Lux senior analyst Michael LoCascio said. The real change must come in our mindset about the wet stuff.
"The world will avert crisis by cultivating water as a durable asset rather than throwing it away as a consumable -- creating growth opportunities in everything from oxidizing new contaminants to rehabilitating creaking infrastructure," LoCascio told TechNewsWorld.
Though computers have been used for decades in the large-scale mapping of ground and surface water sources, today's water crisis has pushed the water industry toward computer automation solutions that range from the largest national and international projects down to the individual homeowner's front yard.
All known forms of life depend on water. To function properly and avoid dehydration, the human body (itself three-quarters water) requires between one and seven liters per day. Nonetheless, although Earth is often referred to as the "water planet," only 2.5 percent of the supply is fresh, and three quarters of that is locked up in ice at the North and South poles.
Some 18 percent of the world population lacks access to potable water, according to United Nations' statistics, and demand is expected to rise by 40 percent in the next 20 years. However, tracking this elusive, precious resource as it falls from the sky, evaporates into the air and disappears into the ground requires sophisticated technology.
The SWP is a water storage and delivery system of reservoirs, aqueducts, power plants and pumping plants. Its main purpose is to store water and distribute it to 29 urban and agricultural water suppliers throughout the state.
The SWP control system features a multi-agency control center, off-site backup control center, four area control systems, 10 major pumping/generating plant control systems, and a 400-mile long fiber optical communication system. The SWP's Project Operations Planning Branch develops, documents and maintains computer models to analyze water and power operations on a long-term basis (up to 20 years into the future).
The Project Operations Center -- which manages the SWP's day-to-day and minute-to-minute operation of the SWP -- develops, documents and maintains computer models and other applications required to support the water and power scheduling, rescheduling and accounting systems.
Among the speakers was Peter Williams, IBM's chief technology officer, Big Green Innovations, who gave a presentation on IBM and water management.
"When it comes to dealing with a resource like water that is self-evidently under stress, the solutions must be built around information," Williams told TechNewsWorld. "Before you can manage water, you have to manage the information about water. The role of IT in water management is to enable people to assemble a complete picture of what they're working with."
There exists an "inherent conservatism" in the water industry, said Williams, which involves a highly fragmented mix of agencies and organizations responsible for its management and transport.
"People optimize within their own boundaries and so they don't see water as a whole," he said. "That's not a smart way to manage a river, and it's the same with groundwater resources."
Water doesn't have a proper price attached to it, he explained, so no one can determine a precise return on investment for it.
"Decisions about water are currently being made without reference to accurate information, which is often incomplete and partial at best," Williams said. "The water industry is not leveraging IT to the extent it can because there exists a lack of awareness about what IT can do to improve problems."
Williams referenced IBM's Maximo asset management solution as a just such a tool for gaining the knowledge and control an organization needs. One happy Maximo customer is the
As
The GWR system automated control room features giant computer screens showing the status of every pipe, water basin and filter in the system. For IT purposes, OCWD Information Services supports the GWR system via its separate business networking and communications structure of Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) and IBM servers, Windows and IBM AIX operating systems, and Cisco (Nasdaq: CSCO) networking equipment.
"For accounting, we use the JD Edwards financial system, and we manage the GWR system facilities within our IBM Maximo asset and service management system," Bruce Dosier, OCWD Director of Information Services, told TechNewsWorld.
Conservascape is a
The online software produces a water usage "report card" that includes "big picture" recommendations for improving irrigation efficiency and potential savings. Starting with site square footage, data also comes from meter readings and water district usage (water rate, number of units) bills for the prior 12 months.
This evaluation lets property managers and CII owners know the gallons used per square foot of property, and the resulting "grade" is a classification of "A" (most water efficient) through "D" (least water efficient). The report also shows the amount per acre being paid for water and calculates the potential savings based on water use reduction.
"We also offer a quarterly report card, which could be compared to a progress report," Conservascape's Catherine Hollinger told TechNewsWorld. "This allows us to track water usage and turn the potential savings into realized savings. The water conservation software enables us to quickly and convincingly make the case to our clients that we can help them begin conserving right away."
Other examples of low-end automated water conservation solutions include:
Save Water Solutions offers water conservation software tools for governments and water authorities to reduce water waste and help monitor trouble areas. Officials can tap into a national database of violations and waste locations used by city governments and water authorities.
Campbell Scientific, a weather station manufacturer, offers weather-based control to the landscape industry through its Irrisoft Weather Reach Water Management System. The system provides an accurate, weather-based smart irrigation control solution, automates sprinkler scheduling using real-time weather conditions, and includes a wireless weather station network that uses stations designed for landscape water management.
The Toro Company, a manufacturer of commercial and residential water-saving irrigation systems, offers its Irritrol-brand PC Control System to enable homeowners to program their irrigation schedules from a personal computer.
The system allows users to schedule automatic irrigation programs, check the system's real-time status and issue manual commands using a computer and wireless technology.#
Pixley woman gets running water back after two years
The
After more than two years of living without running water, Earlene Whitt, 76, finally got to take a long, hot shower in her rural
"It felt so good," Whitt said, remembering that April day. "I just wanted to stay in there."
Whitt credits her return to normalcy to the persistence of a
"I thought it was a story of hope, of not giving up," said the Rev. Floyd Harris, founder of National Network in Action. "You just don't think folks in
After her well stopped working, Whitt got by using bottled water.
To flush the toilet, she would manually fill the tank from a five-gallon jug.
To bathe, she would heat water on the stove, pour it into a plastic wash basin, add cold water, then step in and take a towel bath.
To wash dishes, she would boil water, pour it into the sink, set in the dishes and wait for the water to cool.
She washed clothes at a laundromat in nearby Pixley.
She watched her trees die in the yard for lack of water.
"Mother, you can't live like this. Move out of this place!" her grown children would urge. But she was reluctant to leave the property, which she has owned for four decades.
To get water, Whitt would drive 22 miles to
When Whitt ran short of money before the end of the month, she would have to resort to garden-hose water. She would fill the jugs for free at the Shiloh Church of God in Christ in Pixley.
"I learned a trick about that -- you put the hose in the jug in the car," she said, and never have to lift. Usually, one of her children or young people from town would lug them into the home for her.
It got to this point because Whitt's well stopped working in late 2006.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development agency, which had fixed her old well when it acted up, told her the best solution was a new, deeper well.
At the time, Whitt didn't qualify for money from Rural Development to dig a well because there is a lifetime limit of $7,500 in grants, and a new well costs more than that.
She couldn't get a loan from the county redevelopment agency because two years earlier it tore down her run-down home and built a 1,288-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bath home for $90,000.
Whitt has no monthly payment because the zero-percent loan is silent for 30 years, although it must be paid off if the property is sold. But the rules don't allow another loan, even for a well, for 10 years, and other sources of money were not available, officials said.
Whitt certainly couldn't afford a new well on her own -- she survives on $890 a month in Social Security -- so she made do.
"It was a tough little go there," Whitt said. "No restroom, no bathroom -- that's miserable."
But she didn't want to leave.
Whitt grew up in
Last October, Grantrina Davis of
Harris went to her home and took a lot of photos. Then they started asking around for help.
"I like helping people who don't have a voice," said Davis, who took Whitt's story of no running water to as many agencies and officials as she could find.
"They got some action," Whitt said. "They spoke up for me not one time but several times. They stayed right with it."
After hitting a few dead ends,
Rural Development spokeswoman Sarah Pursley said the agency is proud of partnering with Self-Help to solve Whitt's well problem. The $20,000 grant to Self-Help was a key step.
"I have to be grateful to them," Whitt said. "I'm just happy."
Now a few trees and flowers are growing out front, and Whitt has planted a large
"Water is life," Whitt said. "You can have all the food and no water, and die."#
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/1489225.html
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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
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