Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 6, 2009
1. Top Items–
Pesticides in well water linked to Parkinson's disease
L.A. Times
Solano seeks more clout on Delta council
Vallejo Times-Herald
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Pesticides in well water linked to Parkinson's disease
L.A. Times-8/5/09
By Amy Littlefield
Farmworkers and their families pay for the cheap cost of California produce in more ways than one. Not only do they face low wages and harsh working conditions, but they also endure health effects from the hundreds of millions of pounds of pesticides and fumigants dumped onto fields near their homes annually.
Now pesticides in private well water have been linked to Parkinson's disease, adding to the list of long-term health risks for people in agricultural areas.
Rural residents who drink from private wells are up to twice as likely to develop Parkinson's from certain pesticides, including methomyl, chlorpyrifos and propargite, a UCLA study has found. People with Parkinson's were more likely to have consumed water from private wells, and had done so for 4.3 years longer on average than people who did not have the disease.
Parkinson's is a disease of the central nervous system that can render patients unable to walk or speak. Complications from the disease are often fatal. Because Parkinson's develops over many years, researchers looked at pesticide data from 1974 to 1999.
Private wells could have higher levels of some chemicals, because they are not regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974.
The study's lead author, Nicole Gatto, said she hoped the results of the study could be used to change the methods of pesticide application by increasing "awareness of how pesticides applied in the environment can affect people's health."
The groundbreaking study from UCLA researchers focused on residents of Fresno, Kern and Tulare counties and used geographic information system mapping and pesticide use data, instead of relying on people's memories. The study is part of a larger project led by Dr. Beate Ritz at UCLA to measure the relationship between Parkinson's and pesticides.#
Solano seeks more clout on Delta council
Vallejo Times-Herald-8/6/09
By Tony Burchyns
Solano County leaders voiced mixed feelings Wednesday about proposed state legislation meant to fix the Delta and address California's water supply issues
Local representation on a proposed Delta stewardship council, and the possibility of higher water rates, are expected to become key issues.
Lawmakers in Sacramento on Tuesday announced a series of public hearings to review a package of bills. And local officials are expected to join the proceedings.
"Whatever solution is found, we have to respect the Delta as a natural resource," Solano County Supervisor Linda Seifert said.
Some 25 million Californians -- two-thirds of the state's population -- rely on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta for their water.
Local cities, including Vallejo and Benicia, rely on Delta water, as does agriculture, Solano County's largest industry.
The bills address issues involved in restoring the Delta's threatened natural habitat and managing its water supply. The legislation follows up on the recommendations of the governor's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force.
The legislation would create a Delta stewardship council to manage the estuary's water supply. It also lays out a plan for protecting the Delta that the council would implement.
Seifert said the Solano County Board of Supervisors supports a proposal to set up a conservancy to buy land around the Delta to restore the estuary's natural habitat.
Other proposals, however, are still being considered by officials in Delta-bordering counties.
A big question will be representation on the proposed Delta council, which would have the power to set fees on water-rights holders, among other things.
"There will be a big discussion," Solano County Water Agency director David Okita said. "Right now, there would only be one local person out of seven members.
"We'd like to have another person," Okita said, referring to the agency's position.
Another issue could be whether water rates could rise because of fees established by the proposed council, Okita said.
"Those costs could be passed to rate payers," he said. "We could have fees assessed to us that get passed on."
Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson, who sits on the water agency's board of directors, said she views the issues as a matter of values, in this case, the environment versus the potential of higher rates.
"If we value water running free, if we value fish, if we value clean healthy water, then maybe a dollar month would be OK," Patterson said, speaking hypothetically.
Earlier this year, legislative leaders in the state Senate and Assembly directed committees on water and natural resources to hold hearings on the recommendations of the governor's task force.
More recently, lawmakers voted to put five bills into the water conference committee.
Both the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee and the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee will hold a series of joint, public hearings. The first is Aug. 18 at the State Capitol.#
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