Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 10, 2009
1. Top Items–
Spotlight on delta in coming state water fight
S.F. Chronicle
State leaders will return to water bill
Glendale News Press
Water crisis getting national coverage Tuesday
Hanford Sentinel
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Spotlight on delta in coming state water fight
S.F. Chronicle-8/9/09
By Kelly Zito
With the bruising battle over the state budget barely over, a new fight looming in the Capitol promises to be just as ugly.
At stake is nothing less than the replumbing of California's water system, a complicated, aging network of pipes, canals and pumps that has watered America's breadbasket, fueled the largest population in the union and given rise to one of the world's most prosperous economies.
Perhaps never before in the Golden State's history has it been more clear that the system is profoundly broken and at risk of outright collapse. And experts agree that this may be the year the state's leaders finally dole out much-needed fixes.
The anticipated debate centers on the deteriorating Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the scenic network of islands, channels and wetlands that funnels water to two-thirds of California, including much of the Bay Area.
Over-pumping at the confluence of the two rivers, rising pollution levels and the decline of several key fish species have pushed the heart of the state's waterworks to the brink, according to a parade of experts. Add to that an ongoing drought and hairline cracks in the system have become gaping faults: Cities across the state have imposed mandatory rationing, hundreds of thousands of farmland acres have gone unplanted and water managers are scrambling to find new supplies.
Against that backdrop, officials at nearly every level of government are now paying attention: local officials, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and President Obama, who sent Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in April to tour the delta.
Later this month, Sacramento lawmakers are set to hold hearings on five bills intended to increase water conservation, improve the monitoring of who uses water and how much, and to create a politically appointed council that would have broad authority over the delta, including the ability to approve a controversial pipeline around the estuary.
"There's never been a moment where there was more uncertainty and more focus on the future of the delta and the water system," said Barry Nelson, water policy analyst at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "The stars only align on a complicated issue like water every decade. We're at one of those moments."
Gold miners, ranchers and urban dwellers for generations have scuffled over divvying up the precious drops that fall in the Sierra Nevada. In this round, however, the ante is far higher - an ecosystem in free fall, an erratic water supply and potentially billions of taxpayer dollars.
Scientists, water managers, businesses and lawmakers agree any solution to the water crisis must achieve two goals: Repair the delta ecosystem and bolster the reliability of California's water supply.
That's where the agreement ends.
Schwarzenegger has embraced an ambitious project that would route water around the delta. Such a "peripheral canal" would be the biggest overhaul of the system since the massive state and federal water projects were undertaken 50 and 75 years ago, respectively.
Backers include Southern California cities and the agriculture industry, which hope such a system would boost water supplies after three parched years and pumping restrictions designed to protect a disappearing delta fish.
Though there are no firm details on location or size, some cost estimates for the project run as high as $15 billion.
"We need to have a comprehensive delta plan, and conveyance has to be a part of it," said Joe Grindstaff, deputy secretary for water policy in the state's Natural Resources Agency.
Others say the state must pursue water conservation, recycling and desalting ocean water just as aggressively. What's more, they charge the governor with using the plight of some Central Valley farmers - whose fallowed fields and out-of-work field workers have garnered nationwide media attention - to advance his case for a canal.
"The idea that some pipe or canal is a silver bullet to our problems in the delta is misguided. The governor has been fixated on that in a way that's not helpful," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.
State Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, represents four of the five delta counties. Building a canal through the region of 500,000 residents could potentially wreak havoc on the economic, cultural and social fabric of the community, she said.
In theory, rerouting water through a pipe from the Sacramento River at the northern delta to pumps in the southern delta would reduce man-made pressures on the ecosystem- sucking fewer fish into giant water outtake pipes, for instance - while at the same time creating a dedicated pipeline that would send water to cities from San Jose to San Diego.
Wolk and others fear that redirecting the Sacramento River would allow saltwater to overwhelm the delta, provide less freshwater to flush pollutants out of the estuary, ruin recreational boating and fishing and destroy a major source of irrigation water for delta farmers.
"For most people in the Legislature and the state, the delta is a blank slate on the map," Wolk said. "It's my job to argue for the delta's complexity and for assurances that the delta will survive."
State Democrats last week introduced a set of five bills intended to fix California's water crisis:
SB12 (Sen. Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto) - The bill would create the Delta Stewardship Council, a seven-member body that would have broad oversight of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and the ability to approve a so-called peripheral canal. Four of the members would be appointed by the governor; one each by the state Assembly and Senate. The remaining member would represent the delta community.
AB39 (Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael) - The bill would require the council to adopt a management plan for the delta with two main goals: repairing the ecosystem and improving the state's water supply.
AB49 (Assemblymen Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, and Huffman) - This bill would require more aggressive water conservation statewide, including a 20 percent reduction in urban per capita water use by Dec. 31, 2020.
SB229 (Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills (Los Angeles County) - This bill would strengthen monitoring of groundwater use as well as water diversions from rivers and streams.
SB458 (Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis) - The bill would establish the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy to protect the environment and economy of the delta community.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/08/09/MN0S19513K.DTL
State leaders will return to water bill
Glendale News Press-8/9/09
By Zain Shauk
Water conservation will be at the top of the agenda when lawmakers return to Sacramento from their recess to begin taking the final steps toward solidifying a 20% reduction in per capita water usage, a decision that may bring about major lifestyle changes for residents, officials said.
Assembly Bill 49 is part of a package of water conservation bills, but will likely be the one most directly affecting residents, officials said.
Other bills are aimed at the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, to improve levees, curb water loss and preserve ecosystems.
The package will be in the hands of a conference committee made up of members of the Assembly and Senate who will decide the fate of the bills.
While a 20% reduction in per-person water usage might seem like a large cut, it is attainable, said Burbank Water and Power General Manager Ron Davis, whose board of directors has already adopted the target.
“I think they’re reachable,” said Davis, adding that the city was likely on its way to achieving a 10% reduction in water usage by next year because of a set of educational campaigns that has encouraged a drop in use.
Glendale Water & Power, which has been working toward the proposed 20% reduction for more than a year, succeeded in reducing last year’s per-person water usage by 6% last year, said Atineh Haroutunian, spokeswoman for the utility.
Much of the savings have occurred as a result of asking residents to voluntarily cut back on watering their lawn to just three days each week, Haroutunian said.
The City Council on Tuesday will consider limiting irrigation to just three days weekly — Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday — as the utility works to reduce consumption 10% by the end of the year.
“The way things are going, we need to definitely look at how we use water and how we can conserve both indoors and outdoors,” Haroutunian said, referring to statewide concerns over declining rainfall and severe drought conditions.
Burbank Water and Power has sent out faucet aerators to residents citywide, at a cost of 50 cents each, which has helped to dramatically reduce water waste, Davis said.
Funds for the aerators, which cut down the flow of water through faucets from 2.5 gallons a minute to just 1 gallon per minute, were generated by a 2% additional fee approved by the Burbank City Council last year, he said.
That fee produced $300,000, which the utility also used for an educational campaign about the waste involved with daily lawn watering routines, he said.
Other efforts to reduce water use, including the installation of waterless urinals in restrooms and increased use of recycled water, will be instrumental in bringing down consumption, but they might be costly, he said.
“I didn’t say it’d be easy and I didn’t say it’d be cheap,” said Davis, explaining that increased use of recycled water could mean installing a second set of plumbing throughout the city.
The benefits of saving potable water, which will only rise in price, might outweigh the costs of doing so, he said.
He hoped that lawmakers would approve the mandate, to help encourage more water conservation, although some residents might be opposed to the measures.
“I would guess there will be diversity of opinion on this, but I think overall people will support the policy,” he said.#
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/08/09/politics/gnp-conservation081009.txt
Water crisis getting national coverage Tuesday
Hanford Sentinel-8/8/09
The plight of Westside farmers will get national network television time on Fox News in the coming week.
At 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sean Hannity is expected to do a live interview with Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, comedian Paul Rodriguez and possibly some local growers in an abandoned almond orchard near Huron.
Hannity will remain in Fox’s New York studios and will conduct the interview by satellite. The segment will air live on Fox News on the Sean Hannity Show beginning at 6 p.m., according to Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for Westlands Water District.#
http://hanfordsentinel.com/articles/2009/08/08/newsupdates/doc4a7e086be3acb906507120.txt
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