Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
July 9, 2009
1. Top Items–
Peripheral Canal, crux of state water wars, draws fire
Capitol Weekly
Napa seeks better tap for Delta water
Napa Valley Register
Wolk, farmers call for Delta input
Vacaville Reporter
House panel rejects Nunes protest of water diversions
Fresno Bee
L.A. citing thousands who break drought rules; worst offenders could face flow limits
L.A. Times
El Nino conditions return to affect weather
Alameda Times-Star
H2-WHOA! Australian town bans bottled water sales
S.F. Chronicle
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Peripheral Canal, crux of state water wars, draws fire
Capitol Weekly-7/9/09
By Kevin Hefner
Legislators backed by farmers, fisherman, environmentalists, and community activists rallied at the Capitol this week against the proposed Peripheral Canal, which would shift Northern California water to the south around the Delta.
Protesters feared the canal would damage the heart of the Delta, through which most of California’s drinking water flows. The canal has not been officially approved, but there are persistent rumors in the Capitol that the project is gaining new traction.
The group’s main concerns were that they have had no say in the process, citing the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), which has not yet been made available to the public.
“You can’t fix the Delta without the people of the Delta as your partner,” said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis. “Some say it’s a roadblock for progress, but the Delta is our home, and we have a right to be involved in the discussions.”
Lt. Governor John Garamendi, a candidate for Congress in the 10th C.D., also spoke out against the plan saying, “This is too critical of a public policy issue to be done in secret. There needs to be light and transparency brought to this process. We aren’t trying to stop the process entirely; we just want to be involved.”
Also under scrutiny were the possible impacts on the region of the canal.
Assemblywoman Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, said that the proposed canal would, “redirect 15,000 cubic feet of water a second through a 500-700 foot wide, 47-mile-long canal, into the southern part of the state… More often than not, the Delta cannot sustain that kind of diversion, for example, the Delta would have only been able to achieve that kind of output only 3 months out of the entire year in 2007.”
A BDCP spokesperson, responding to Buchanan, said that “15,000 would be the maximum capacity that could be redirected by the canal. Environmental laws prevent the canal from moving that much at any one time.”
Delta resident Bob Kirtlan responded, “If you build it, they’ll use it. Once it’s built, they’ll always change the law.”
Bill Jennings, Chairman of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance said that “discarding prudent legislative deliberation and oversight is likely to lead to wasting tens of billions of dollars constructing a massive white elephant that will destroy Delta fisheries and water quality, gravely damage the Delta economy… and cause increased litigation because of legal flaws and bad science… They treat the Delta like a reservoir, when it is really a delicate ecosystem.”
In response, the BDCP was quick to add that the canal would redirect the flow of water so that the Delta would become more natural and environmentally friendly.
The Delta community group estimated the project would cost taxpayers $20 billion to $40 billion dollars including taxes, and would affect more than 6,000 people.
They also contend that an estimated $100 million dollars would be lost from the Delta economy every year, should the canal be built.
“At a time when we are making the most regrettable cuts to basic health programs, the public must be told how much they will be asked to pay…” said Charlotte Hodde of the Planning and Conservation League, “(and) how many in-home services or classrooms it costs to pay for this expensive project.”
“The canal would be the biggest public constructions ever made in the United States, equivalent to the Panama Canal” said Assemblywoman Buchanan, “and I want to make it clear I will not vote for a Panama Canal.”#
http://www.capitolweekly.net/article.php?_c=y3ykqltisyt4kp&xid=y3ykcmuiadp3oa&done=.y3ykqltiszc4kp
Napa seeks better tap for Delta water
Local cities teaming up to pursue new water canal
Napa Valley Register-7/9/09
By Kevin Courtney
Napa is teaming up with other cities in Napa and Solano counties to find a new spot in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta where it can draw its water supply.
It will cost $9 million to design a new intake site for the North Bay Aqueduct and perform environmental studies, with Napa’s share at about $1 million, Phil Brun, the city’s deputy director of public works, told the Napa City Council Tuesday.
Napa will also participate in a statewide planning effort to find a more efficient, environmentally superior way to transfer State Water Project supplies through the delta.
This mammoth project surfaced several decades ago as the “peripheral canal,” becoming a lightning rod for environmental criticism that killed it.
The planning effort is now called the Delta Habitat Conservation and Conservation Plan, with Napa’s share of the preliminary design and environmental impact report amounting to $400,000, Brun said.
Napa had to temporarily suspend draws of delta water through the North Bay Aqueduct for two months earlier this year when odor and taste issues made it unpalatable.
The North Bay Aqueduct draws water from Barker Slough, east of Travis Air Force Base in Solano County, but this source is vulnerable to seasonal fluctuations in quality, Brun said. Further, the spot is fairly popular with delta smelt, a protected species of fish.
Water experts would like to tap the main Sacramento River channel near Freeport, Brun said. This would require the construction of 36 miles of large-diameter pipe.
Napa would use water department reserves for the estimated local share of $1.4 million for the two planning studies. This will have no impact on local water rates, Brun said.
While the city is able to pay for these studies from current water revenues, constructing either project would require state or federal grants, Brun said.
A new delta intake pipe could cost $400 million to $500 million. The city’s share would be far beyond the capability of city water rates, Brun said.
Construction of a water bypass channel through the delta would be a vastly more expensive enterprise, with statewide benefits, he said.
In the future, Napa would like to draw as much as 70 percent of its water from the delta, saving its local reservoirs, Hennessey and Milliken, for emergencies, Brun said.
Lake Hennessey, with a capacity of 31,000 acre-feet, is the city’s main reservoir. The city consumes about 15,500 acre-feet annually, Brun said.
Council members approved funds for both water studies, saying it was critical for the city’s future that the city have a secure, reliable source of Delta water.
The city could always opt out of a new peripheral canal project if the environmental impacts proved harmful, Councilwoman Juliana Inman said.
Because of a legal decision, pumping of delta water for Southern California has been curtailed during certain times of the year to protect the delta smelt.
Napa’s supply of water through the North Bay Aqueduct could be reduced if restrictions implemented to protect the smelt were applied to Barker Slough, Brun said.
It’s important that Napa “have a seat at the table” when delta water studies are done, Brun said. This could lower the city’s long-term costs and protect the city’s water interests, he said.
In Napa County, Napa, American Canyon and Calistoga all receive water from the North Bay Aqueduct. In normal times, the aqueduct is America Canyon’s sole water source. All of Solano County’s major cities are dependent on North Bay Aqueduct water as well.
The council approved loaning American Canyon $350,000 at 4 percent interest to cover its share of North Bay Aqueduct pipe studies. American Canyon, which has cash-flow issues, would repay the money between 2012 and 2017.
The city of Napa is upgrading its treatment plant in Jamieson Canyon so that it can process more North Bay Aqueduct water in coming years.#
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/07/09/news/local/doc4a558ee6c04e8427158785.txt
Wolk, farmers call for Delta input
Vacaville Reporter-7/9/09
State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Solano, and a broad coalition of Delta farmers, fisherman, community advocates, environmentalists, state and local elected representatives converged on the steps of the State Capitol Tuesday to demand that the voice of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta community be heard as plans are written and carried out to restore the Delta.
"You can't fix the Delta without the people of the Delta as your partners," said Wolk, chair of Senate Select Committee on Delta Stewardship and Sustainability.
"Nobody is more concerned about the decline of the Delta than those who live in the Delta, the people who work, farm, fish, and recreate here. We know the Delta is not a blank slate.
We love the Delta's many facets, not just the water that flows through it. We love the Delta for the place that it is and the people who live, work, and play here, and we are committed to preserving and protecting it."
Along with Lt. Gov. John Garamendi, Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, and Assembly members Joan Buchanan, Alyson Huber, and Mariko Yamada, Solano County Supervisors John Vasquez joined the gathering along with supervisors from Yolo, Sacramento and Contra Costa counties.
The event was coordinated by Restore the Delta, a coalition of farmers, environmentalists, fisherman and Delta advocates.
The Delta encompasses five counties, 27 cities and two ports. It provides world-class birding, hunting, wind-surfing and hiking. It is home to 500,000 acres of small family farms that produce prized pears, asparagus, wine grapes, and contributes $2 billion to California's economy. It provides habitat for 90 percent of California's salmon, which not only support the West Coast's $1 billion salmon fishery but are also a critical food source for killer whales.
"All that depends on the health of the Delta and its watershed," Wolk said. "Those of us that live in and love the Delta are tired of failed attempts, we need real solutions. It is time that the Delta voice is heard, and that the health of the Delta is restored."#
http://www.thereporter.com/ci_12791835?IADID=Search-www.thereporter.com-www.thereporter.com
House panel rejects Nunes protest of water diversions
Fresno Bee-7/8/09
By Michael Doyle
A key House committee has slapped down the latest effort by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, to protest the diversion of Central Valley water for environmental protection.
On Tuesday night, the House Appropriations Committee rejected Nunes' recurring water amendment by a 33-25 vote. If it had passed, the amendment would have blocked federal spending on decisions that divert irrigation water to protect salmon, the delta smelt and other species.
"People and communities have been replaced by a parade of extreme environmental activists and their misguided causes," Nunes said Wednesday in a statement.
The committee voting on the proposed amendment for the fiscal 2010 energy and water spending bill fell largely along party lines, with all Republicans supporting Nunes and all but three Democrats opposing him.
In recent weeks, Nunes has brought similar amendments to the House floor and to the House Rules Committee. In each case, the amendments lost. Nunes has threatened to keep offering similar amendments wherever possible.#
http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/1523270.html
L.A. citing thousands who break drought rules; worst offenders could face flow limits
L.A. Times-7/8/09
By David Zahniser
Roughly 4,000 citations have been given out over the last year to Angelenos who violated the city’s new drought-driven water rules, the top executive at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power said today.
DWP general manager H. David Nahai told an audience at the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum that the vast majority of those citations were given to first-time offenders, each of whom got off with a warning. Nevertheless, the city’s roving team of Drought Busters did give citations – and fines -- to 68 second-time offenders and nine third-time offenders.
Three DWP customers have been cited four times and, during their most recent offense, were issued a $300 fine, Nahai said. In each case, the offenders had “unattended leaks” – leaks found on pipes, sprinklers or irrigation lines, DWP officials said.
If those offenders are caught once more, they could be forced by the DWP to install flow restriction devices on their water meters, limiting the flow of water to one gallon per minute.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa signed new drought rules into law in August, limiting the times that residents and business owners are allowed to water their lawns and gardens. He won passage of a more strict set of regulations earlier this year.
The rules also require restaurant owners not to serve water unless specifically asked. Looking at the pitchers of water served during today’s address at the Wilshire Grand Hotel, Nahai told the audience: “I expect to see every glass of water here drained to the last drop.”#
El Nino conditions return to affect weather
Alameda Times-Star-7/9/09
El Nino's back. Government scientists say the periodic warming of water in the tropical Pacific Ocean that can affect weather around the world has returned.
The Pacific had been in what is called a neutral state. But forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say the sea surface temperature climbed to 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit above normal along a narrow band in the eastern equatorial Pacific in June.
In addition, NOAA's Climate Prediction Center said temperatures in other tropical regions are also above normal.
In general, El Nino conditions are associated with increased rainfall across the east-central and eastern Pacific and with drier than normal conditions over northern Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
A summer El Nino can lead to wetter than normal conditions in the intermountain regions of the United States. In an El Nino year there tend to be more Eastern Pacific hurricanes and fewer Atlantic hurricanes.#
H2-WHOA! Australian town bans bottled water sales
S.F. Chronicle-7/9/09
By Kristen Gelineau (Associated Press)
Residents of a rural Australian town hoping to protect the earth and their wallets have voted to ban the sale of bottled water, the first community in the country — and possibly the world — to take such a drastic step in the growing backlash against the industry.
Residents of Bundanoon cheered after their near-unanimous approval of the measure at a town meeting Wednesday. It was the second blow to Australia's beverage industry in one day: Hours earlier, the New South Wales state premier banned all state departments and agencies from buying bottled water, calling it a waste of money and natural resources.
"I have never seen 350 Australians in the same room all agreeing to something," said Jon Dee, who helped spearhead the "Bundy on Tap" campaign in Bundanoon, a town of 2,500 about 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Sydney. "It's time for people to realize they're being conned by the bottled water industry."
First popularized in the 1980s as a convenient, healthy alternative to sugary drinks, bottled water today is often criticized as an environmental menace, with bottles cluttering landfills and requiring large amounts of energy to produce and transport.
Over the past few years, at least 60 cities in the United States and a handful of others in Canada and the United Kingdom have agreed to stop spending taxpayer dollars on bottled water, which is often consumed during city meetings, said Deborah Lapidus, organizer of Corporate Accountability International's "Think Outside the Bottle" campaign in the U.S.
But the Boston-based nonprofit corporate watchdog has never heard of a community banning the sale of bottled water, she said.
"I think what this town is doing is taking it one step further and recognizing that there's safe drinking water coming out of our taps," she said.
Bundanoon's battle against the bottle has been brewing for years, ever since a Sydney-based beverage company announced plans to build a water extraction plant in the town. Residents were furious over the prospect of an outsider taking their water, trucking it up to Sydney for processing and then selling it back to them. The town is still fighting the company's proposal in court.
Then in March, Huw Kingston, who owns the town's combination cafe and bike shop, had a thought: If the town was so against hosting a water bottling company, why not ban the end product?
To prevent lost profit in the 10-or-so town businesses that sell bottled water, Kingston suggested they instead sell reusable bottles for about the same price. Residents will be able to fill the bottles for free at public water fountains, or pay a small fee to fill them with filtered water kept in the stores.
The measure will not impose penalties on those who don't comply when it goes into effect in September. Still, all the business owners voluntarily agreed to follow it, recognizing the financial and environmental drawbacks of bottled water, Kingston said.
On Wednesday, 356 people turned up for a vote — the biggest turnout ever at a town meeting.
Only two people voted no. One said he was worried banning bottled water would encourage people to drink sugary beverages. The other was Geoff Parker, director of the Australasian Bottled Water Institute — which represents the bottled water industry.
Australians spent 500 million Australian dollars ($390 million) on bottled water in 2008 — a hefty sum for a country of just under 22 million people.
On Thursday, Parker blasted the ban as unfair, misguided and ineffective.
He said the bottled water industry is a leader in researching ways to minimize bottled beverage impact on the environment. Plus, he said, the ban removes consumer choice.
"To take away someone's right to choose possibly the healthiest option in a shop fridge or a vending machine we think doesn't embrace common sense," he said.
But tap water is just as good as the stuff you find encased in plastic, said campaign organizer Dee, who also serves as director of the Australian environment group Do Something!
"We're hoping it will act as a catalyst to people's memories to remember the days when we did not have bottled water," he said. "What is 'Evian' spelled backwards? 'Naive.'"#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/07/09/international/i002553D30.DTL
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