A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 3, 2009
2. Supply –
S.J. farmers say county's wells can't afford another dry winter
Future farmers called upon to conserve water
Sonoma County
The Press Democrat
Our View: Longterm plan needed for water;
The federal stimulus money will help for now but real changes in
how the Valley uses water are needed. – Editorial
Residential 'gray water' rules eased
San Diego Union-Tribune
Plant produces drinking water for
Nacimiento water pipeline ahead of schedule;
Construction crews working on pipeline segments and pumping stations meet few problems
The Tribune
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S.J. farmers say county's wells can't afford another dry winter
By Alex Breitler
More than three-quarters of the 247 wells sampled this past spring had dropped since spring 2008,
This is a problem for two reasons: First, some
Second, when water levels drop, it costs more to pump that water to the surface. Depending on how large the farm and the type of crop grown, the cost can easily run into the thousands of dollars.
It's not just an agricultural problem. Cities, too, rely to varying degrees on municipal wells.
The county's vast but invisible underground reservoir has been declining for decades. East-side farmer Paul Sanguinetti said his father lowered the pumps on his wells in the 1970s, during the state's worst drought on record.
For that reason, Sanguinetti is still able to pump today. After all, most of the wells are still in better shape than they were during the most recent drought, in the late 1980s and early '90s.
That could change with another dry winter.
"But I can't farm for next year - I've got to farm this year," Sanguinetti said. "I've got to farm with what Mother Nature gives me."
The sinking wells reinforce local officials' arguments that securing more water from rivers and streams is crucial for the county's future so pressure can be taken off the aquifer. Those efforts, however, are challenged by requirements to leave more water in the rivers for endangered species.
The worst of the groundwater problem is centered east of
"It's a concern, there's no question," said Bruce Blodgett, head of the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Federation.
The local groundwater report comes on the heels of a larger, more exhaustive federal study showing that
Over four decades, the amount of water overdrawn has totaled 57.7 million acre-feet, according to the study by the U.S. Geological Survey. That's enough to fill
The generally excessive pumping also has caused portions of the south Valley to decline in elevation by as much as 10 feet. A few wet years could help wells recover, farmers said. Nevertheless, the Stockton East Water District is moving forward with plans to build pipes and canals to get river water to landowners who, for now, rely solely on what's underground, district general manager Kevin Kauffman said.
"It just confirms our approach when we see these numbers," he said. #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090803/A_NEWS/908030308
Future farmers called upon to conserve water
By Alex Breitler
The farmers of the future will have no choice but to change the way they operate, using sprinkler and drip irrigation, and other strategies to save precious water, according to the latest in a series of reports from an Oakland-based water policy think tank.
Perhaps most controversial among its findings, the Pacific Institute says officials should hike water rates to encourage conservation, and it argues that groundwater use should be managed by the government.
For now, most landowners can pump as much water as they like.
"Some people like it this way," Peter Gleick, president of the institute, wrote in his blog on SFGate.com. "And these people do whatever they can to prevent any move to get the state to regulate or even measure groundwater use. If their groundwater use affects their neighbor's well or a nearby stream, tough luck."
Many consider groundwater regulation an assault on property rights.
"It'll have absolutely no benefit to the state of
The Pacific Institute says 4.5 million to 6 million acre-feet of water could be saved each year by adopting its recommendations. That's comparable to the amount of water that is pumped out of the Delta yearly to two-thirds of Californians.
Farmers question whether that much water can really be saved. Already, many who till the land are using drip irrigation, said Phil Brumley, an Escalon farmer and president of the farm bureau.
"Conservation is no longer the only answer," he said. "Granted, there are still some savings to be made, ... and I think agriculture will do its part." #
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090803/A_NEWS/908030314
Sonoma County
The Press Democrat – 8/2/09
By Bob Norberg
It is a request that comes two weeks after a heat wave caused a drop in the levels of storage tanks, which act as a buffer for fluctuations in demand.
On Monday, an advisory committee of major customers will consider asking the Water Agency to reverse its decision to turn off pumps in four wells and three booster pump stations, which saves the agency $1 million toward a $2 million operations budget deficit.
Shutting the pumps restricts the amount of
Randy Poole, the Water Agency's general manager, said the reduction in pumping is part of an overall message to conserve water.
The agency supplies water to 600,000 customers in the cities of
The Water Agency is operating under state orders issued in April to conserve water in
The agency also has cut diversions from the
The state order set the 25 percent conservation goal for Water Agency customers and set 50 percent in
Paul Kelley, chairman of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, said the conservation goal may have a role in whether to turn the pumps back on.
"We have a state order and we are requiring our water contractors to achieve 25 percent water conservation," Kelley said. "If we are going to consider the request, we need to know those that we are delivering water to are achieving the goal." #
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090802/NEWS/908029989/1350?Title=Sonoma-County-cities-worried-there-might-not-be-enough-water
Our View: Longterm plan needed for water;
The federal stimulus money will help for now but real changes in
how the Valley uses water are needed. – Editorial
By Editorial staff
The federal government just announced another $33 million investment in drought-relief projects in the San Joaquin Valley, and that should give some help to farmers stung by a third year of drought conditions.
But while the federal stimulus funds are appreciated in this region, they must not take the place of a comprehensive water solution to ensure an adequate water supply for the state's 38 million residents, and the industries that drive the
Water policy is a complicated mix of state and federal laws, which has made it difficult to get a long-term water policy through either the California Legislature or the U.S. Congress. Quick fixes have not worked, and our political leaders have not had the attention span to see that long-term strategies are adopted.
f we continue to ignore this problem, there won't be enough water for everyday urban uses or to raise the crops in
One of the barriers is the huge philosophical split over how much water should go to agricultural uses and how much should go to protecting the environment, including species that are endangered.
We believe that agricultural, urban and environmental water needs in
That solution must include building dams, expanding underground storage through water banking and dramatically increasing water availability through conservation efforts. Farming practices must become more efficient and city dwellers will have to pay more for less water. We waste too much water in a state that doesn't have enough to meet all its needs.
Unfortunately, many see the water issue as a way of settling old political scores instead of determining what is best for
The Delta must be protected and there must be adequate water for farming and urban uses. All this can be done if our policymakers are committed to fixing the problem and not parroting the tired old talking points of those who refuse to compromise.
We would like to see those who can find common ground on the water issue step up, and the shriekers on the political extremes to go away. The divisiveness that has dominated the water debate has gotten in the way of a solution. #
http://www.mercedsunstar.com/181/story/982924.html
Residential 'gray water' rules eased
San Diego Union -Tribune – 8/1/09
By Mike Lee
Gray-water advocates welcomed the change, which is expected to take effect Tuesday. They said the homemade systems – such as redirecting used water from a washing machine to backyard trees – could help save a lot of tap water during the state's continuing drought.
"It's a great move," said Brook Sarson of Talmadge, who runs a business that helps people install gray-water systems. "More people will be saying, 'What is gray water?' Whereas most people right now don't really look at it as a solution to our water shortage."
Gray water includes wastewater from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks, laundry tubs and washing machines, but not from toilets, kitchen sinks or dishwashers. The latter sources typically have high bacterial content, making them unsuitable for irrigation.
Local health agencies may adopt stricter conditions than the state's after they hold public hearings. It's not immediately clear how
"My gut feeling is that we probably will not have any additional requirements, but I can't say that for sure" without further assessment, said Mark McPherson, water quality chief for the county's Department of Environmental Health.
Roughly 1.7 million gray-water systems are installed statewide. Most are illegal because homeowners almost always avoid permits and the associated fees. Do-it-yourselfers can build a gray-water system for $200 or less, but permitting-process costs can more than double the expense.
A standard home generates about 160 gallons of gray water per day, or nearly 60,000 gallons per year, state officials said. A family of four could reuse 22,000 gallons a year by tapping the rinse water from its washing machine.
The California Building Standards Commission had expected an overhaul of gray-water rules to take effect in 2011. But on Thursday, it adopted the regulations on an emergency basis due to the deepening drought.
"These new gray-water standards will be a big step toward reducing
The changes came after substantial discussion about the pros and cons of deregulating gray water.
"The concern was that possibly a homeowner or a nonqualified person would be doing these revisions, and they may not do them correctly," said Doug Hensel, a top official at the state housing agency. "Our view of it was that . . . it is pretty easy to determine if you have a leak."
Hensel said homeowners still must follow state guidelines for installation and use. The rules require minimal contact between people and the gray water, for instance by covering the water-release point with at least 2 inches of rock, mulch or other material. #
Plant produces drinking water for
By Scott Hadley
The pumps never sleep, sucking up millions of gallons of water from under downtown
Oxnard's new desalination plant — an energy-efficient cavernous building in the shadow of the Third Street bridge on the edge of La Colonia — is on a water campus that fills about one city block and produces 7 million gallons a day of drinking water. Ultimately, as more racks of reverse osmosis filters are installed in the facility, the plant will be able to produce 15 million gallons of water a day, said Ken Ortega,
After going through several minutes of explaining the capacity of the filters and things like "blend ratios" and "variable drive technology," Ortega said: "When I do tours for people, basically I tell them it's like the reverse osmosis system you might have at home, but on steroids."
The plant has attracted a lot of attention from other cities and water agencies. Representatives from the office of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa visited the plant last month, Ortega said.
The facility, built using the latest in environmental technology, includes floor-to-ceiling windows, solar panels and an observation deck. Brine from the filtration will be used to enhance wetlands, and the building contains environmentally friendly features such as permeable "hardscape," a parking lot made of grass that's irrigated using runoff from the building and reclaimed water.
The plant is the first piece of a grand plan by
Officials hope to get that project off the ground before the end of the year and obtain federal stimulus money for a big chunk of the work. #
http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2009/aug/02/plant-produces-drinking-water-for-oxnard/
Nacimiento water pipeline ahead of schedule;
Construction crews working on pipeline segments and pumping stations meet few problems
The Tribune – 8/2/09
By Tonya Strickland
Construction of the Nacimiento Water Project, a system that will carry millions of gallons of drinking water to residents and businesses in
It's now slated to wrap up in July 2010, project manager John Hollenbeck said, noting crews have made good progress so far because they haven't encountered any major unexpected problems and they have resolved daily delays quickly.
"The direct benefit, obviously, is the delivery of water will be that much sooner," he said, noting work is currently about 80 percent complete.
Touted as one of the county's largest public works efforts, the Nacimiento Water Project has been talked about for half a century.
While
"It's taken all these number of decades asking, 'Is this the time to build it?' And every time it was, 'No. Let's pump groundwater' " because it was cheaper, he said.
However, as dry spells continued to batter
Financed by bonds
Crews began moving dirt on the pipeline and its facilities — which were originally on a three-year completion plan — in December 2007.
At $176.1 million, the job is no doubt costly, officials said, but as the county enters its third straight year of drought, the new water is a smart way to supplement existing sources.
"It costs money now," Hollenbeck added. "But it has benefits down the line so you're not in a detrimental situation" if local groundwater supplies decline drastically.
The county fronted the cash for the work — a 45-mile pipeline broken into four parts to link up upon completion, three pump stations and three water storage tanks — through bonds that its finance authority sold in September 2007. It currently accounts for 25 percent of the county's entire $700 million budget — a pool of funds that pays for government employees, the Sheriff's Department and county parks, roads and utilities, among other services.
Under the agreement between
Among the current participants, 9,655 acre-feet are currently spoken for. The rest is considered as reserve and available to more signups.
When the work is completed, the county will invoice the five participants who signed up for the water. The cost to each of them of the project, which includes engineering, construction, environmental permitting, right-of-way, administration and construction management, will be distributed approximately as: • Paso Robles, $60 million to $66 million;
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• Atascadero Mutual Water Co., $33 million to $36 million;
• Templeton Community Service District, $6 million to $7 million;
• and a county water treatment plant that serves Cayucos, $550,000 to $600,000.
The sums don't include interest charges that will be added to the 30-year repayment plans.
Of the participants, all but Cayucos signed up for entitlements in August 2004; Cayucos signed on in October 2006. Paso Robles opted for the largest amount at 4,000 acre-feet per year, then
Paso Robles and
The work
From digging trenches to maneuvering metal piping that prompted various road closures, many locals have seen crews work on the project, which stretches from the eastern shore of Nacimiento, through
Currently, three pump stations — two made to look like barns — are being built in the
The job has brought hundreds of workers into the county, which is good for the local economy, Hollenbeck said, though he didn't have an estimate on how much money they have brought in.
Most of the workers have called the county a temporary home for about 18 months. They rent local apartments and buy food from grocery stores and restaurants. Locals have also been hired when possible, Hollenbeck added. Area suppliers, such as Paso Robles Tanks, have also benefited. #
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/802730.html
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