Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation for DWR personnel of significant news articles and comment
August 27, 2009
1. Top Items–
Agric. Secretary assesses Calif. water problems
San Diego Union-Tribune
USDA chief, Feinstein weigh in on water problems
Fresno Bee
State lawmakers move to clear construction roadblock
L.A. Times
The five biggest stimulus projects in Sacramento region
Sacramento Bee
Mayor admits he's violating water restrictions at Getty House
L.A. Daily News
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Agric. Secretary assesses Calif. water problems
San Diego Union-Tribune-8/26/09
By Tracie Cone and Garance Burke (Associated Press)
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and California's senior senator, Dianne Feinstein, promised farmers Wednesday they would press for solutions to the water crisis hitting the state's San Joaquin Valley, one of the most prolific farm regions in the world.
Vilsack stopped at a packing house in Fresno County to hear concerns on issues ranging from trade tariffs to the threat the Asian citrus psyllid poses to the state's citrus industry.
Farmers kept returning to the issue of drought and water, however, and ongoing problems with the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the fragile ecosystem that serves as the main conduit moving water from north to south.
A three-year drought, combined with environmental restrictions on delta water deliveries to protect a native fish, have forced farmers on the valley's west side to fallow more than a quarter-million acres and left thousands jobless.
"I understand these are serious issues with serious consequences," Vilsack said. "I will tell the President it's not just about California, but it's about the country and the world."
The meeting came as federal attention has been focused this week on the water crisis crippling the region.
On Tuesday, Democratic Rep. Jim Costa, who represents much of the region, took House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer to the western Fresno County farm community of Mendota, where idled farmworkers have driven the unemployment rate to nearly 40 percent.
Shortly after Vilsack's meeting with farmers, Feinstein began a water summit in nearby Coalinga.
The meeting drew major growers and water districts from the Sacramento Valley to Los Angeles, as well as Deputy Interior Sec. David Hayes, the federal government's envoy to find solutions to the state's water shortages.
"We are the largest agricultural state in the union and if agriculture can't function here, it means more and more of our food will be brought in from other countries," Feinstein said. "I think we need to stay out of the courts and sit down around the table ... to find solutions."
In recent years, legal battles over dwindling supplies have interrupted and reduced irrigation flows to the valley. Low rainfall also has meant there is less water in the delta and rivers to sustain native fish, which has resulted in the cancellation of commercial salmon fishing season for the past two years.
Fishermen and environmentalists, who have sued state and federal water managers arguing the ecosystem needs more water to survive, were not invited to Wednesday's private summit.
Their concerns will be heard at a public meeting hosted by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in Washington next month, Hayes said.
In the meantime, federal and state water managers said they had roughly $27 million to finance a potential interim fix, the so-called "Two Gates" proposal, which would place removable gates in the delta to block threatened fish from getting killed by the pumps.
Farms on the valley's west side are clamoring for such support. Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, said 1 million acres of almonds, tomatoes, lettuce, grapes and other commodities are "in a crisis" because environmental edicts have limited the flow of high-quality water.
Vilsack, who swept through the valley as part of the administration's tour of rural America, said California's water problems should be a wake-up call for the rest of the country. He also met with dairy farmers and state agricultural officials in Modesto.#
http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/aug/26/us-california-drought-082609/
USDA chief, Feinstein weigh in on water problems
Fresno Bee-8/26/09
By Robert Rodriguez
In a sign that Washington is paying attention to the Valley's water woes, two federal officials came to the Fresno area Wednesday.
U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spent the day in Fowler -- his second day in the area -- while Sen. Dianne Feinstein met with farmers and water agency officials on the west side.
Feinstein said she would keep on pressing for a more practical approach to water distribution in California.
In particular, she said she is encouraging the U.S. Department of the Interior to take another look at two biological opinions for how to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, as well as salmon and the delta smelt. Farmers have argued that the rules can restrict crucial water flows to the Valley.
Earlier this year, the Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority sued the federal government to try to stop the federal government from enforcing rules that protect the delta smelt.
"There are 30 lawsuits on the biological opinions and two separate opinions, one for the smelt and one for salmon," Feinstein said. "The rules need to be reconsidered."
The visits by Feinstein and Vilsack come after farmers and community leaders have stepped up their efforts to get President Barack Obama's attention with rallies and marches.
Feinstein's visit was significant, said Thomas Holyoke, an assistant professor of political science at California State University, Fresno.
"She has the reputation of being a doer," Holyoke said. "And when she decides to get involved, she finds a way to get things done."
Holyoke said Feinstein has been advocating for a better water delivery system for years.
Among those who met with Feinstein were Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources; Ron Milligan, operations manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation; and Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes. About 100 people attended the noon meeting at the Harris Ranch Inn and Restaurant in Coalinga.
Sarah Woolf, Westlands spokeswoman, was pleased with the senator's visit.
Feinstein "really wants to come up with a solution to how we are going to get water deliveries to occur," Woolf said. "Her main issue is that she does not want this to be in court."
Vilsack, meanwhile, heard Wednesday from farmers about two of the regions' biggest issues: water and immigration reform.
Both have been on the minds of many growers as regulatory decisions and several dry years have pinched water supplies, and as farmers have struggled with an unstable labor supply.
"Those issues really speak to the heart of the ag industry," said Dennis Parnagian, president of Fowler Packing, whose operation Vilsack toured during his stop in the Fresno area Wednesday.
Vilsack, a former Iowa governor, said that he understands the importance of water to Valley farmers. He said he has brought up the subject with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, whose agency oversees water policy. He also said he will remind Obama of the seriousness of the issue.
Vilsack reminded farmers that one of his agencies -- the Natural Resources Conservation Service -- can help them conserve water and use it more efficiently.
In July, the service awarded the Westlands Water District $2 million over five years to help farmers install more efficient irrigation systems. Westlands will match the grant. The money was part of nearly $58 million that was given out nationwide by the agency.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, who toured the Fowler packing house with Vilsack, said he appreciated the secretary's visit to the Valley. Vilsack also stopped in Modesto on Wednesday afternoon for a town hall meeting.
"We want you to be our advocate," Costa said.
Vilsack provided less hope for growers on the immigration front.
He said that while the president supports comprehensive immigration reform and believes it is long overdue, the administration is making health-care reform and climate change its top priorities.
Agriculture and farm-labor advocates have supported the AgJOBS bill, which would create a path to legal residency for more than 1 million illegal farmworkers.#
http://www.fresnobee.com/updates/story/1616650.html
State lawmakers move to clear construction roadblock
L.A. Times-8/27/09
By Marc Lifsher
State lawmakers moved to clear a roadblock that has stalled several thousand construction projects in the Southland that couldn't get required environmental permits and got caught in a court fight over permitting power plants.
A compromise forged Wednesday would let the power plant dispute continue but would clear the way for unrelated projects. Supporters said the agreement would save about 57,000 Southern California jobs at 3,000 businesses and public agencies.
At issue are pollution permits issued by the South Coast Air Quality Management District. Without them, construction projects of all kinds cannot go forward.
Getting the permits is essential for affected businesses and government, state Sen. Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) told fellow lawmakers. "The ramifications are huge. We are losing a million dollars a day while we negotiate this."
The new business emissions permits could be issued as early as next month if the Legislature approves the compromise and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signs it into law.
With only two weeks left in the legislative session, the Senate Environmental Quality Committee moved quickly to calm a political feud between a coalition of environmental advocates and the powerful South Coast AQMD -- and rescue businesses and local governments stuck in the middle.
The committee approved the compromise as part of SB 696, a bill by Wright. The committee also approved two related bills by other lawmakers.
The dispute arose two years ago when a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled that the AQMD violated state environmental laws by selling invalid pollution credits to the builders of a number of proposed power plants across the Los Angeles Basin.
The credits allow electric generators and polluters, whose facilities do not meet state and federal clean-air standards, to release fixed amounts of emissions of nearly microscopic bits of soot, often associated with the burning of natural gas and other fossil fuels. Scientists have linked the particulates to health problems, including asthma and heart ailments.
Environmental advocates complained that pollution from the gas-fired power plants would make the dirty air in the South Coast region even dirtier, especially in low-income neighborhoods near transportation corridors and industrial zones. Electric utilities and business groups countered that Southern California needed more modern generators to meet forecast growth.
But the judge's ruling affected more than power plants. It also prevented the AQMD from handing out even noncontroversial, routine permits needed by dry cleaners to install antipollution equipment, hospitals to replace emergency generators and water districts to upgrade pumps.
As originally drafted, Wright's bill would in effect have overturned the judge's ruling and freed the AQMD to sell credits that give pollution rights to power plants, to other projects that provide essential services to the public and to private businesses that release relatively small amounts of particulate pollution.
The Wright measure had strong support from a high-powered coalition that included electric utilities, oil companies, state and local chambers of commerce, local governments and labor unions.
The group had hired a well-connected initiative and political campaign consultant and lined up hundreds of supporters. The campaign emphasized the threat to thousands of jobs and brought considerable political pressure on lawmakers.
The compromise OKd Wednesday was the handiwork of the committee's chairman, state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto). He spent much of the week seeking middle ground between the business-government coalition and the environmentalists.
A majority of the six-person committee, all Democrats, insisted that the committee not overturn the judge's ruling.
"I'm not comfortable about imposing our will on another branch of government and pretty much ignoring a court decision," Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) said.
The compromise put together by Simitian and Wright does not undo the main thrust of the Superior Court judge's decision, nor does it alter state environmental laws. It also does not address the AQMD's process for granting of pollution credits for power plants.
"We're going to let business go forward and take them off the table," Simitian said. "We're not going to let them be pawns in anyone's game."
The final deal, although not as attractive as the original that Wright proposed, "deserves to pass," said Scott Wetch, a lobbyist for the electrical workers and other unions. "This is important to us purely on the jobs front."
A second bill grants a major concession to the power industry. The measure by Assemblyman Manuel V. Perez (D-Coachella) specifically authorizes the construction of an 850-megawatt, gas-fired power plant in Riverside County near Palm Springs. The plant is under contract to provide power to Southern California Edison during hours of peak demand.#
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-power-plants27-2009aug27,0,2290396.story
The five biggest stimulus projects in Sacramento region
Sacramento Bee-8/27/09
By Phillip Reese
The federal government has approved more than $600 million in stimulus projects and programs so far in the Sacramento region, with more money still to come, according to a Bee analysis of multiple government sources.
Most of the projects are limited efforts with budgets under $1 million. A few, though, are huge, multi-million dollar jobs.
An official, comprehensive list of the region's projects doesn't yet exist. The Bee has created an unofficial list of hundreds of projects, all of them viewable at www.sacbee.com/stimulus.
Here's the skinny on the five construction projects in the region that, at this point, are getting the biggest share of stimulus funds:
Folsom Dam safety improvements – $22.3 million:
Built in 1955, Folsom Dam created Folsom Lake, one of the region's premier recreation spots. The dam is mostly for flood control, but also provides water for domestic and agricultural use.
The dam is in good shape but is starting to show its age, said Pete Lucero, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Officials have long planned to modify the dam's spillway gates to make them less susceptible to earthquakes. The stimulus money will go toward making that happen quickly.
There's no imminent danger, Lucero said, but "we are able to accommodate a project we were planning to do. It's a huge project."
Lucero said construction work would start soon, but he could not give an exact timeframe. Lucero also could not give a specific number of jobs that will be supported, instead referring to a federal formula that maintains about 20 jobs will be supported for every $1 million in stimulus spent.
Development at the Sacramento railyard – $20 million:
Probably the highest profile local stimulus project, Sacramento's railyard has long sat fallow on the edge of downtown. City planners hope a large, planned infill project at the railyard will be a shot in the arm for the region, and the stimulus money is a key component of their plans.
The $20 million would help move some train tracks a few hundred feet north, making room for a transit center behind a depot, and allowing Fifth and Sixth streets to extend on bridges into the railyard, all of which could jumpstart development.
"Everything hinges on the track relocation," the city's Fran Halbakken said soon after funding was announced.
But the plan has hit a snag. The rail move project is not yet shovel-ready. City officials have been given a Dec. 1 deadline to get paperwork in order and show that they are prepared to hire a contractor. If the city doesn't meet the deadline, the money gets pulled, and planners will redistribute the funds to take care of smaller projects.
Highway 70/99 rehab near the Sacramento/Sutter county line – $18.3 million:
North of Sacramento, Highway 99 has been getting a lot more traffic, largely because so many commuters flocked to Marysville and Plumas Lake in search of less-expensive housing. But large swaths of the road are in poor shape.
This project will apply rubberized paving to 10 miles of Highway 99 from the Sacramento County line to State Highway 70. Of the five projects mentioned here, it is the only one that is actively under way and creating jobs.
The project is supposed to be completed by November.
Live Oak wastewater treatment plant – $16 million:
It's easy to make a case that the small Sutter County town of Live Oak desperately needed stimulus funds. Its unemployment rate stands at 30 percent – almost three times the state average.
State regulators told the town years ago that its wastewater treatment plant wasn't up to snuff, and the plant has been operating under a cease-and-desist order since 2005, said Jim Goodwin, Live Oak's city manager.
The stimulus money – a $10 million grant and a $6 million low-interest loan – will build a new plant, support 45 local construction jobs and forestall a large rate increase, Goodwin said. Construction will start soon.
"The only way to meet the state's requirements was to completely rebuild the plant," Goodwin said. "We've been struggling on how we could do that at a rate our customers could afford."
American River levee improvements – $14 million:
The Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency is concerned that water from the American River could flow under some levees and pool up on the other side, causing flooding.
This project, an extension of construction undertaken a decade ago, will let SAFCA work on that problem and fix "gaps along county roads and sewer lines that our initial construction couldn't do," said Pete Ghelfi, SAFCA director of engineering. Work will be done at multiple points in the region along the river, Ghelfi added.#
http://www.sacbee.com/topstories/story/2142189.html
Mayor admits he's violating water restrictions at Getty House
L.A. Daily News-8/26/09
By Troy Anderson
Dampening upbeat news on Angelenos' efforts to conserve water and energy, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had to concede Wednesday that he's been violating the city's tough watering restrictions at his Getty House mansion.
At a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa told reporters a "glitch" in his irrigation system caused sprinklers to run on nights other than Mondays or Thursdays, which is prohibited under regulations imposed earlier this year.
"There was a glitch in a system that was installed about two years ago," Villaraigosa said. "It's a smart irrigation system, one of the most advanced systems anywhere. But, yes, there was a glitch and apparently it was running in the evening."
Pressing even harder, a reporter asked the mayor why he didn't hear the sprinklers running at night, adding that neighbors said they heard the "loud" system.
"I don't have staff that is at my home in the evening, so they couldn't have heard it," Villaraigosa replied. "I sleep very heavily and I couldn't hear it."
The mayor's comments came after he announced that Los Angeles residents had reduced their water usage in July by 17 percent over the previous July.
"Given the water shortage we are facing in the state and city, I'm very encouraged that Angelenos have reduced their water consumption, especially during these summer months," Villaraigosa said.
On June 1, the city imposed mandatory water conservation, restricting sprinkler use to two days a week, Mondays and Thursdays, as well as instituting shortage year rates for all 680,000 customers.
The rules also prohibit watering between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, hosing down driveways and sidewalks, requiring all leaks be fixed and only using hoses fitted with shut-off nozzles.
Also at the news conference, Department of Water and Power officials reported a new energy savings record of 318 gigawatt-hours for 2008-09 - equal to removing 53,000 homes from the power grid or taking 34,000 cars off city streets.
The DWP, which provides electric and water service to 4million city residents, has increased its energy efficiency budget tenfold over the last three years as part of an effort to reduce energy use to cut greenhouse gas emissions, offset increases in customer demand and save costs for its customers.
"It's the equivalent of removing 178,700 metric tons of greenhouse gases from our air," Villaraigosa said.
David Nahai, DWP's chief executive officer and general manager, said he's vigorously pursuing the mayor's water supply plan over the next 20 years to ensure there is an adequate supply of water. The plan includes water recycling, more conservation, new building standards, rainfall capture and more water storage.
"In this time of drought and global warming, a central question that arises is whether people can rally together and change their behavior in order to meet the challenges of constrained resources," Nahai said. "And (Wednesday), the people of Los Angeles, under the leadership of this mayor and this City Council, answer that question with a resounding and very proud yes."
After the news conference, Villaraigosa's spokeswoman, Sarah Hamilton, said the city's Department of Recreation and Parks maintains the Getty House and its sprinkler system. Since a reporter alerted the mayor to the problem, Hamilton said the sprinkler system has been fixed and is now watering only two days a week.
"Water use for irrigation of the lawn at the Getty House has gone down 70 percent in the past four years from 2005 to present," Hamilton said. "Water use in the residence has gone down 67 percent in that time frame."
Asked if DWP would issue the mayor a citation for violating the water regulations, Hamilton said, "I don't know," noting that the DWP usually issues a warning first.#
http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_13211463?IADID=Search-www.dailynews.com-www.dailynews.com
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