California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
July 22, 2009
2. Supply –
Report: Calif. needs to think small to save water
Oakland Tribune
Desalination poll numbers show local variations
Marin Independent Journal
CU study warns of scarce water
Denver Post
Farmers told how to save huge amounts of water
S.F. Chronicle
Simi Valley sets restrictions on outdoor watering
Ventura County Star
Supes declare a water emergency in Redway
Eureka Times-Standard
Torrance passes mandatory water limits
Torrance Daily Breeze
La Verne raises urgency level regarding water use
San Bernardino Sun
Bay Point water customers wary of proposed rate increase
Contra Costa Times
Residents finding motivation to cut water use
Riverside Press-Enterprise
Water tank tapped Wednesday
Sonora Union Democrat
Thirsty tree roots rupture at busy Chico corner
Chico Enterprise-Record
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Report: Calif. needs to think small to save water
Oakland Tribune-7/22/09
By Tracie Cone (Associated Press)
By investing in water-saving technology, California's drought-burdened farmers could save enough water annually to fill four times over a reservoir Gov. Schwarzenegger supports building, according to a report released Wednesday.
The study by the nonprofit Pacific Institute urges regulatory agencies and lawmakers to focus on farm investments rather than large infrastructure projects such as the Temperance Flat Reservoir. Those could ensure more reliable water supplies as a warming planet increases the length and frequency of droughts, the report suggested.
"We need to start thinking of investing in these efficiency improvements," said lead author Heather Cooley. "That's what will give the biggest bang for the buck."
As California suffers its third year of drought and critical fish species decline in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary, reductions in pumping to farmers and municipal users have some clamoring for new reservoirs and canal systems to protect the state's $39 billion agriculture industry.
"This is one of the pieces that needs to be dealt with as we look at our water future, but it's not the piece that's going to save us," said Doug Mosebar, president of the California Farm Bureau. "We need water storage, conservation and desalination."
The report said water-intensive flood irrigation has certainly declined since 2001, when 60 percent of farmers used it, but the method still is widely used in some areas.
From 2003 to 2005, San Joaquin Valley farmers spent $1.5 billion on water-saving technology, Mosebar said.
Many farmers with historic water rights have no incentive to conserve, the report said, because they get their full allocation of canal water every year no matter the weather conditions, while others get none.
The report said water contracts should be renegotiated to reflect the new reality of a dwindling supply.
"This sounds like the Mother Teresa approach," said Shawn Coburn, a farmer who helped found the Latino Water Coalition. "These guys are living in a fantasy world. When you're talking about reappropriating water rights, you're messing with the value of property and it's enormous. It's Socialism 101."
The new report suggests that farmers who conserve should be rewarded with lower water rates, while large users should pay more, like the two-tiered systems that exist in many municipal water districts. The money raised could pay for conversion to drip and other water-saving systems.
The report said the government could encourage switching to expensive water conservation systems by offering reduced property taxes or a waver of sales taxes for equipment purchases.
Some changes, the report said, will be more difficult to make, such devising a system that allows farmers to receive water deliveries from canals when their crops need it, not simply when the district schedules them to take it.
"We need to move beyond the status quo, because it's clearly not working for farmers," Cooley said.#
Desalination poll numbers show local variations
Marin Independent Journal-7/21/09
The Marin Municipal Water District's recent poll showed voters support its slow march toward building a desalination plant.
Fifty-eight percent of the 400 voters polled support desalination. Eleven percent said they think MMWD should conserve its way out of its long-term water shortage.
Broken down by MMWD's five districts, the poll results reflect some variables - enough to keep the ongoing political controversy flowing along.
When asked outright whether they back desalination, the largest showing of support came from Division 1, Director Jack Gibson's turf, which stretches from the western portions of Fairfax to Terra Linda and Lucas Valley. Sixty-three percent of his voters were supportive of desalination, according to the survey. Support dropped to its lowest level - 49 percent - in Division 3, David Behar's district, which covers most of the Ross Valley, from Greenbrae to San Geronimo Valley.
The percentages supporting desalination were in the low 60s in Divisions 4 and 5.
Division 4 is represented by Cynthia Koehler, whose area covers the west side of Highway 101, from Mill Valley to Kent Woodlands. Division 5 includes most of Southern Marin and is represented by Larry Russell.
Fifty-seven percent of those polled in the San Rafael-centered Division 2, which was represented by the late Alex Forman, supported desalination.
Divisions 2 and 3 also generated the strongest opposition - both at 28 percent.
Even the Republicans are getting involved in the desalination debate.
Republicans for Environmental Protection-Marin, or REP-Marin, is a newly formed tree-hugging band. Its leaders tout Teddy Roosevelt and Marin's late State Sen. Peter Behr, the Republican author of landmark wild-rivers and coastal protection legislation, as their group's icons.
Dr. Michael Hartnett of Mill Valley and Errol Tremolada of Terra Linda are leading the group, which has signed up about 40 people via Facebook and e-mail.
Hartnett was the Republican nominee for Assembly in 2006. He was clobbered by Democrat and environmentalist Jared Huffman. But Hartnett has stayed involved and is trying to find room in the GOP for conservatives who favor conservation.
On desalination, REP-Marin says the water district's plan is too expensive.
The group already came out against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposal to balance the budget by closing 220 state parks.
"Let us stand as conservatives and as patriots and protect our state parks," the group wrote.
"We are pretty fresh out of the gate here," said Tremolada, whose party has just 19.8 percent of the county's registered voters. "I guess this is sort of an experiment."#
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_12886463?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
CU study warns of scarce water
Denver Post-7/22/09
By Bruce Finley
A new study projects that all reservoirs along the Colorado River — which provide water for 27 million people in seven states — could dry up by 2057 because of climate change and overuse.
If warming led to a 10 percent reduction in the river's flow, it would create a 25 percent chance of depletion, according to the University of Colorado research released this week. Warming resulting in a 20 percent reduction would raise the chance of depletion to 50 percent, the study found.
"In the short term, the risk is relatively low," said Balaji Rajagopalan, associate professor of civil environmental and architectural engineering at CU and lead author on the study, which was accepted for publication by the American Geophysical Union.
"But after that, the risk escalates enormously. If you do nothing, and you have no policies in place, even drastic measures such as cutting people off will not help from staving off catastrophe."
Researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Bureau of Reclamation participated in the study. Rajagopalan said the study was done in response to a 2008 University of California study that found a one-in-two chance that overuse and warming could deplete reservoirs much sooner — by 2021.
A 10-year drought along the Colorado River, which runs 1,450 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Gulf of Mexico, has created anxiety. Lawyers are looking into how down-river users such as Californians might assert water rights if reservoirs dried up. Denver residents rely on water from both the South Platte River and the Colorado River Basin.
Denver Water authorities questioned the conclusion that, with sharp climate change and robust population growth, all reservoirs could be depleted.
"Not true," said David Little, director of planning for Denver Water.
Little referred to other studies indicating that the upper parts of the Colorado River Basin likely will become wetter.
If overuse and climate change did dry up lower basin reservoirs such as Lake Powell and Lake Mead, Denver could see an influx of people, Little said. People in California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico "are going to tend to migrate to places where they have water."
Dozens of dams along the Colorado River trap 60 million acre-feet of water in reservoirs — four times the annual flow of the river. (An acre-foot is the volume of water needed to cover an acre to a depth of one foot, or 325,851 gallons, enough to sustain a family or two for a year.)
The reservoirs along the river supply cities including Phoenix and Las Vegas. Drought in recent years has dropped water levels to less than half full. Currently, reservoirs are about 59 percent full.
Study authors advocated "adaptive management" of supplies, with basin-wide discussion of how best to reduce down-river use and ramp up efficiency.
"Use the time to put together policies that can be sustainable," Rajagopalan said. "There's lots of room for creative policy. We need to start right now — not wait."#
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_12887585
Farmers told how to save huge amounts of water
S.F. Chronicle-7/22/09
By Kelly Zito
California farmers could save enough water each year to fill Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy reservoir 16 times by using more efficient irrigation techniques, according to a study that is bound to be highly controversial among the state's powerful agriculture interests.
The report, released today by the Pacific Institute, an Oakland water policy group, also recommends that the state rethink its historic water rights system and boost water prices. Both measures, in theory, would spur agricultural users to use less water at a time when climate change, urban growth and ecological restoration are expected to further cramp water supplies.
"If we want to have a healthy agriculture economy, the only real option is to figure out how to produce more food with less water," said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute and co-author of "Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future."
Farmers agree water supplies are stretched, but they disagree on the cause. During recent "fish vs. farm" rallies in the Central Valley, protesters decried environmental rules that have cut water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect endangered fish species.
What's more, farmers say, they are doing their part. For instance, California growers in 2000 produced double the volume of crops in 1967 with only 2 percent more water, according to Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition.
Further, sweeping changes to water prices or supplies would simply hammer an industry reeling from a three-year drought, he added.
"You can't just wave a magic wand," Wade said. "There are consequences. It affects things like ... what consumers can put their hands on at the grocery store."
But maintaining the status quo isn't an option, Gleick argues.
"California agriculture is in trouble," Gleick said. "If we continue doing the things the way we've always done them ... there's not going to be enough water - that's indisputable."
California's produce growers, cattle ranchers, and rice farmers use about 34 million acre-feet of water each year (one acre-foot equals about 326,000 gallons), compared with 8 million acre-feet used in cities, according to Gleick.
In a 2003 study, Gleick found cities could save 2.3 million acre-feet - nearly 30 percent, compared with the 16 percent prescription for agriculture (the report said farms could save 4.5 million to 6 million acre-feet a year).
Gleick's recommendations for the agriculture sector range from relatively simple to positively thorny. In addition to increasing drip rather than "flood" irrigation, Gleick proposed re-examining state water rights and renegotiating higher prices for long-term federal water contracts as ways to promote conservation.
The report also called for better monitoring of water supplies.
"There are a lot of districts that have no idea how much water they use," said David Sunding, co-director of the Berkeley Water Center. "That needs to change. We're past that point in California."#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/22/BAQ018S6P7.DTL
Simi Valley sets restrictions on outdoor watering
Declaration is latest attempt to cut use 15%
Ventura County Star-7/22/09
By Anna Bakalis
Simi Valley declared a “Level 1” water shortage emergency Monday night, restricting outdoor water use citywide to three days a week in summer months and two days in the winter months.
The declaration is the latest in the city’s attempts to meet statewide standards to reduce water consumption by 15 percent or face severe financial penalties, city officials said.
The City Council approved the new restrictions, which designates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays as the three permitted watering days from April 1 to Oct. 31, and Mondays and Thursdays as the two permitted watering days from Nov. 1 to March 31.
The new rule goes into effect at the end of the month. Other cities are expected to adopt similar ordinances.
This is the next level in the Metropolitan Water District’s water conservation program, Public Works Director Ron Fuchiwaki said.
Cities that get water from Calleguas Municipal Water District and its supplier, Metropolitan, will follow Simi Valley’s lead, Fuchiwaki said. Thousand Oaks is expected to adopt the emergency declaration this week, and Camarillo is expected to do so in August.
It follows an earlier ordinance that prohibited outdoor irrigation and lawn watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. This adds another layer to the ordinance, restricting the number of days watering is allowed.
Simi Valley council members thought the ordinance was restrictive, but staff members said it was necessary to reduce the city’s water consumption. The council will revisit the ordinance in four to six months and possibly rescind it if water availability changes.
Several council members said they were concerned residents might not be aware of the new restrictions, and a “robust marketing campaign” was needed before code enforcement starts citing people for watering their lawns.
It reminded Councilwoman Michelle Foster of the gas shortage in the ’70s, when people had to wait in line for fuel, depending on their license plate numbers.
Councilwoman Barbra Williamson asked if the city and other public properties will be held accountable to the same level of restrictions as residents.
City Manager Mike Sedell said all city-owned properties as well as the parks district and schools will be required to follow the new rule.
The Metropolitan Water District has asked water agencies across Southern California to reduce water consumption and for cities to adopt its model ordinance to curtail water use.
Councilman Steve Sojka said the city needs to work with residents, rather than punish.
“We don’t want to be heavy-handed in this.” Sojka said. We don’t want to be the water police.”
Mayor Paul Miller and Councilman Glen Becerra talked about updating the city’s Web site to show how the city is responding to the water shortage in a measurable way.
Besides news articles, council members suggested direct mailings and marketing campaigns to inform people.
“Everyone responds to different images,” Becerra said. “I want the community to know what is it we use, and how are we measuring it.”#
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/jul/22/simi-restricts-outside-water-use-to-3-days-a/
Supes declare a water emergency in Redway
Eureka Times-Standard-7/22/09
By Jessie Faulkner
As requested, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday declared that a local water emergency exists in Redway.
The declaration, designed to underline the critical nature of the problem, is intended to help the Redway Community Services District acquire the permits necessary to fix the problem.
Last Thursday, the district issued mandatory water conservation for residential and business customers.
The problem is the district's intake gallery, which is now out of reach of the moving Eel River channel. The intent is to pipe water from the channel to the site and allow it to percolate through the gravel to the intake pipe.
Since enacting the mandatory conservation efforts, which place limits on outside water use, the district's tank levels have improved. By the weekend, water use had dropped by 30 percent, Redway Community Services District board member Virginia Graziani told the board.
Redway water customers are limited to watering lawns or gardens two days a week based on their address. Washing cars or sidewalks or other structures is not allowed.
As to garden or lawn watering, sprinkler use is limited to 10 minutes per site and drip irrigation or soaker hoses are encouraged, Graziani said.
While household water use hasn't been limited, she said the board is encouraging customers to install low-flow devices and other water-saving measures such as catching the cooler water that would normally go down the drain while waiting for
hot water. That water, she said, can then be used outside.
Although the conservation efforts improved the water's reserves by the weekend, going from slightly less than half of the tank to nearly full, a broken water line or fire could easily move the situation from an emergency to a catastrophe, County Administrative Officer Loretta Nickolaus told the board.
”The CSD is trying very, very hard to avoid that,” Nickolaus said.
Graziani thanked the county for its effort on behalf of the district.
”Everyone's really stepped up to the plate,” she said.
To keep the emergency current, the board will have to bring it back for renewal every 14 days.
The board also had been scheduled to consider a request from Community Development Services Director Kirk Girard to double the amount of Headwaters Fund Revolving Loan funds to the Arcata Economic Development Corporation from $1.5 million to $3 million.
However, Nickolaus pulled the item from the agenda later, stating in an e-mail that the county's independent auditor had noted some areas of accounting needed cleaning up, and among them was the Arcata Economic Development Corporation.#
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_12889456?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
Torrance passes mandatory water limits
Torrance Daily Breeze-7/21/09
By Nick Green
Sprinklers run in the afternoon in Torrance, where watering is prohibited between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. (Sean Hiller/Staff Photographer)The first mandatory limits on water usage in Torrance since the withering drought of the early 1990s was imposed Tuesday by the City Council.
The goal: to reduce water consumption 10 percent by each municipal customer.
The so-called level 1 shortage condition means residents are banned from watering between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. daily and can water lawns no more than three days a week. All leaks must be repaired within seven days.
The measures are actually not much more stringent than a permanent conservation policy the city adopted in March.
That banned all outdoor watering from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, required all leaks be fixed within 15 days and prohibited restaurants from automatically giving customers water.
But many customers - including homeowners and the managers of some of the city's largest office buildings and hotels - have either routinely ignored or are unaware of those edicts.
But this underscores the seriousness of the water shortage in the state, said Mayor Frank Scotto.
"It's not something we in Torrance want to do, it's something we're being mandated our residents do," he said. "We recognize it will be difficult for some people to save 10 percent. We need to get through the summer."
The board of directors of the Metropolitan Water District, which serves 17 million people, issued a water supply alert last month. It urged local authorities in its six-county service area to implement water conservation ordinances.
The state declared a drought last year, caused by a lack of rainfall and court-ordered limits on water supplies to protect endangered species.
The MWD supplies Torrance with 80 percent of its drinking water supplies, although the city has long-term plans to reduce that to 50 percent within five to 10 years.
Torrance officials are concerned it could be difficult to see the required reduction in water usage, however.
That's because between 2005 and 2008 water usage citywide declined 10 percent as people installed drought-tolerant vegetation, low-flow toilets and shower heads and made other efforts to conserve, said Rob Beste, public works director.
The low-hanging fruit, so to speak, has already been picked. Now officials are concerned what's known in the industry as "demand-hardening" will set in. That means, as time goes by, saving water becomes even more difficult because people are already doing a lot compared to what they used to do.
No penalties for failing to curtail water use are contemplated - yet.
"We're going to evaluate our water usage over the next two months," Beste said. "Then we're going to see whether to enact penalty rates
In Torrance, along Calle de Arboles, a woman waters her lawn in the afternoon. (Brad Graverson/Staff Photographer)based on how the community is responding to the program."
City officials will increase advertising and public education efforts in an attempt to get the message across.#
http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_12887002?IADID=Search-www.dailybreeze.com-www.dailybreeze.com
La Verne raises urgency level regarding water use
San Bernardino Sun-7/21/09
By Daniel Tedford
A mandatory water conservation measure was instituted by city officials Monday at the City Council Meeting.
A phase III water conservation measure was put into effect by a council vote. Previously, the city had a phase I water conservation in effect that called for voluntary water conservation.
"I think it is important to raise the bar of urgency," said Mayor Don Kendrick. "To let people know we are not in a non-emergency situation."
The city was successful during its phase I volunteer efforts, saving about 11-percent in its water usage, Kendrick said. The new mandatory measure doesn't increase water conservation amounts of asking residents to reduce use by 10-percent, but instead raises people's alert levels regarding water shortages, Kendrick said.
"We want more people to participate," Kendrick said. "More than likely, the residents of La Verne will go much beyond the 10-percent."
Fliers and informational packets will be distributed to residents via water bills. A penalty for using beyond the maximum water allotment will eventually be in place, but hasn't gone into effect yet, Kendrick said.#
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_12883444?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com
Bay Point water customers wary of proposed rate increase
Contra Costa Times-7/21/09
By Paul Burgarino
A small gathering of Bay Point residents once again bemoaned plans by the community's private water supplier to raise rates.
About a dozen residents attended a community meeting held by Golden State Water Co. on Tuesday night discussing rationale behind the water company's plan to ask the state Public Utilities Commission to raise customer rates 9.7 percent.
The rate increase would make permanent a temporary agreement Golden State currently has with Contra Costa Water District to purchase treated water. That water would be pumped from CCWD, stored in Golden State reservoirs and distributed to residents. The Hill Street Treatment Plant would be obsolete.
The change would permanently provide tap water with fluoride and would meet regulatory standards for trihalomethane, a hazardous byproduct that Bay Point water customers have been concerned about for years.
Golden State started purchasing treated CCWD water last May because its system exceeded regulatory standards for trihalomethanes.
Other options to keep Golden State's water above those standards would be more expensive, said Paul Schubert, Golden State's district manager.
Among the concerns raised by residents were how come Bay Point's rates were higher than those of neighboring communities and what Golden State would provide for the community that Contra Costa Water District cannot.
Other communities charge customers about the same as Bay Point, though through different mechanisms that do not show up on a water bill, said John Garon, Golden State regulatory affairs manager.
The rate increase would be the second for Bay Point customers in about three years. Rates also would climb an additional 10 percent over the next 19 years, Schubert said.
Golden State Water hopes to submit its application to the utilities commission by Aug. 1, Schubert said. The approval process could take anywhere from nine months to a year, he said.#
Residents finding motivation to cut water use
Riverside Press-Enterprise-7/20/09
By Michael Perrault
Whether motivated to be better environmental stewards or to save money, more Inland residents are rethinking ways to be water wise.
Sparse rainfall, new water-use restrictions and a string of recent wildfires have bolstered the public's awareness about dwindling supplies and rising costs of water, experts say.
The prospect of $25 to $300 fines and whopping monthly water bills for residents and businesses is also a catalyst for change.
"The era of homes with big lawns -- I think it's over," said Joel Silva, who as owner of West Coast Landscapes in Hemet has installed 4,000- to 5,000-square-foot lawns for more than a decade.
Silva's clients now often have $700 or $800 monthly water bills. One customer with a 5-acre ranch and 50,000 square feet of grass has seen his monthly water bill triple to $2,600, so he is putting in his own well, Silva said.
The Hemet Water Department, which supplies about 10,000 customers in the city, has not implemented mandatory restrictions yet, said Mike Gow, Hemet's Public Works director.
Hemet is relying on its tiered water rates to provide a financial incentive for residents not to be water guzzlers. A recent ordinance put in place by Hemet City Council also sets conservation guidelines for newly established landscaping, Gow said.
Armando Torres, a Hemet water quality and conservation specialist, works to educate residents about water-saving strategies. It can be as simple as reminding customers that fixing a leaky faucet can save 20 gallons per day or fixing lawn sprinkler heads can save some 500 gallons per day.
Residents and business owners who get their water from Eastern Municipal Water District must adhere to new Stage 2 conservation measures. A four-tiered rate structure that gets more expensive as more water is used also provides incentive not to be wasteful.
Peter Odencrans, Eastern Municipal spokesman, said the mandatory measures are really just common sense-ways to limit water use.
"The main thing is for people to improve their water efficiency," Odencrans said. "We want people to be more knowledgeable, to be aware of how much they are using."
That sentiment is being emphasized on the state and national levels as well.
Gov. Schwarzenegger has set a state goal of reducing per-capita water consumption 20 percent by 2020. State officials hope to achieve the goal by building on existing water-use efficiency efforts, including conservation, use of recycled water, desalination and capturing storm water.
Eastern Municipal's water recycling plant in Perris recently received $9.5 million in federal stimulus money, one of eight major projects to receive millions of dollars to expand recycling efforts.
"Our long-term goal is to rely on local water resources, such as this, so we are less reliant on imported water," said Randy Record, a member of Eastern Municipal's board of directors. "Recycled water is an alternative, reliable source that is important to Eastern and the Inland region at a time when imported water is difficult to obtain."
The American Water Works Association, a nonprofit organization with more than 60,000 members, estimates that communities across the United States now use approximately 40 billion gallons of tap water each day for drinking, cooking, cleaning and other everyday uses.
Association officials note that recurring droughts will mean at least 36 states will face water shortages within the next five years.
"The prolonged droughts in recent years have called us to make smarter, more efficient use of our precious water resources," said Mike Leonard, association president.
One water conservation strategy Silva's clients increasingly use for large areas with shrubs and flowers is a drip-irrigation system.
It's much more efficient than sprinkler heads that spray entire areas.
"If done correctly with pressure regulators and filters, it's a self-contained system that requires little repair," Silva said.
In the Eastern Municipal district, where some 675,000 people live and work, simple steps that require far less investment than a drip-irrigation system can be taken by thousands of people and make a big difference.
Homeowners can sweep driveways and sidewalks rather than hose them down, Odencrans said. Each cleaning, about 150 gallons are saved.
Restaurant owners are being encouraged to refrain from placing water glasses on tables unless customers request it.
Conservation specialists with the statewide Save Our Water public education campaign suggest not leaving the sink running while brushing your teeth, fully loading dishwashers and placing rain barrels near downspouts.
They recommend planting drought-resistant plants, installing water-efficient appliances and using pool covers to cut evaporation by as much as 90 percent.
Residents in San Jacinto such as Jose Sanchez have adjusted sprinkler systems and made sure water doesn't run off to adhere to a new water conservation ordinance passed by the San Jacinto City Council last month.
"More than that, I think it's just the right thing to do," Sanchez said.#
http://www.pe.com/localnews/calimesa/stories/PE_News_Local_E_econserve19.44522f4.html
Water tank tapped Wednesday
Sonora Union Democrat-7/21/09
By James Damschroder
A new water tank in Tuolumne, which will bring the area better reliability and water pressure, could be tapped as early as Wednesday, said Leonard Mauro, Tuolumne Utilities District operations manager.
The district has been constructing the tank for more than a year, Mauro said. It’ll replace an outdated tank that, on hot days, would have to be refilled more than two times.
“We couldn’t have a glitch,” Mauro said. “It’ll improve the reliability.”
Also, the tank will take advantage of gravity, by constructing it at a slightly higher elevation than the old tank, which will improve water pressure to the area, including to fire hydrants, Mauro said.
Regulators have been installed so water systems of district customers who already have good water pressure won’t burst.
“We didn’t want to do damage ... it’ll help those with low pressure,” Mauro said.
The roughly $1 million bill was picked up by the Tuolumne Economic Development Authority, an economic-development arm of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, as a condition of obtaining building permits for the tribe’s Westside project, which includes a golf course and subdivision, said Jim Briscoe, TEDA project manager.
"It’s good. This treatment facility hasn’t been upgraded since the 1970s,” Briscoe said. “It’s necessary for the town, and, obviously, we wanted our projects to move forward.”#
http://www.uniondemocrat.com/2009072197318/News/Local-News/Water-tank-tapped-Wednesday
Thirsty tree roots rupture at busy Chico corner
Chico Enterprise-Record-7/22/09
By Greg Welter
Click photo to enlargeWorkers from West Valley Construction and California Water Service investigate a leaking water...«1»CHICO — A break in a water line near the corner of West Sacramento and Nord avenues Monday night, blamed on thirsty tree roots, flooded the intersection and cut water service to a nearby apartment complex.
About midnight Monday cars were reportedly getting through high water in the area, but had to drive slowly.
Cal Water district manager Mike Pembroke said the leak was reported about 11 p.m.
Crews were sent out and had a new length of pipe in place by about 2 a.m.
Pembroke said roots from a huge oak tree on the north side of West Sacramento Avenue pushed into the pipe, possibly seeking water.
He said roots breaking through pipes is a rare occurrence, but it sometimes happens during hot, dry weather.
Water service was restored about 5 a.m., but Pembroke said the leak started again when he went to check on the repair around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
"It happened while I was standing there," he said.
Pembroke said the leak was small compared with the earlier break. At 3 p.m. a crew had barricades around the oak tree and was preparing to make another repair.
An unidentified Cal Water employee was also notifying residents and businesses in the area that water service might be off for a short period Tuesday afternoon.
Pembroke estimated that roughly 150,000 gallons of water had been lost due to the leak between 11 p.m. Monday and 2 a.m. Tuesday.#
http://www.chicoer.com/advertise/ci_12888533?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com
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