Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 12, 2009
2. Supply –
Glendale Council passes water restrictions
Glendale News Press
Official says groundwater levels not at issue for Crystal Geyser plant
Chico Enterprise-Record
Water wars: Bottled vs. tap
Tahoe Daily Tribune
Smart irrigation methods can save water and money
North County Times
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Glendale Council passes water restrictions
Glendale News Press-8/11/09
By Melanie Hicken
Glendale Residents will be limited to irrigating their yards three days a week starting immediately in response to a statewide water crisis that has cities across the region enacting similar restrictions.
The City Council on Tuesday voted 4 to 0, with Councilman Dave Weaver absent, to initiate the second phase of a water conservation ordinance limiting outdoor watering to Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for no more than 10 minutes a day. Irrigation will also not be allowed between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.
“We are currently in water emergency,” said General Manager Glenn Steiger. “There has been no improvement in the situation.”
Glendale Water & Power pushed for the water restrictions to help it stay within a reduced allotment from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies up to 70% of Glendale’s water, that went into effect in July.
The restrictions come in a climate of extreme conservation, with some utilities, including the Crescenta Valley Water District and Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, already limiting irrigation to just two days a week.
Despite some grumblings among homeowners in past months, no one from the public spoke, and council members, who have supported water restrictions, raised only a handful of questions before passing the resolution.
Councilman Ara Najarian asked for an update on artificial turf displays ahead of possibly bringing the issue back to the dais.
Mayor Frank Quintero asked how the Americana at Brand’s fountain is being handled, since the ordinance bans the use of drinking water in decorative fountains.
Steiger said the utility is working with Americana officials to reduce water use elsewhere at the mixed-use complex to offset the fountain’s water usage because people view it as an important component to the center.
In anticipation of the regulations, Glendale Water & Power last month launched a massive public outreach campaign — including direct mailings, public service announcements, newspaper advertisements and bill inserts — to get the word out about what residents should expect.
In response, some residents have already begun to complain of code enforcement citations of brown lawns, which they say will only increase as a result of the water restrictions.
But city officials contend that the limitations will still allow enough water to sustain “moderate green” landscapes and point to drought-tolerant plants as turf alternatives.
Last month, the City Council approved the outdoor watering restrictions as an alternative to an unpopular proposal that would have billed customers at least twice the regular rate for any water used that exceeded individually assigned benchmarks, which would have been calculated at 10% less than their average consumption in 2006.
“This seems to be the most accommodating and palatable approach to saving water,” Steiger said.
But in order for the mandatory conservation to produce the necessary reduction and prevent the utility from incurring heavy fines from Metropolitan, officials stress that all residents must comply with the regulations.
Enforcement of the restrictions will be handled by code enforcement officers who can levy fines of up to $1,000 for violations. In addition, the utility has established a water-waste hotline where violations can be anonymously reported.
The utility aims for fair enforcement, Steiger stressed.
“We will be quite reasonable in how we interpret what’s going on,” he said. “We’re not looking to penalize people.”
City Manager Jim Starbird said the ordinance would be revisited, possibly this fall, for possible tweaks.
“We will be back in the very near future with some discussion on this,” he said.#
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/08/12/politics/gnp-water081209.txt
Official says groundwater levels not at issue for Crystal Geyser plant
Chico Enterprise-Record-8/12/09
By Barbara Arrigoni
A Glenn County water expert doused at least one major worry when he showed Orland citizens that the groundwater supply is in good shape and shouldn't be adversely affected by a proposed bottled-water plant.
"I'm looking at it from a scientific standpoint," said Lester Messina, county water resources coordinator. "I don't see an issue."
Messina provided the information to about 50 people who met Monday night at Glenn County Farm Bureau to air their questions and qualms about Crystal Geyser Water Co.'s proposed expansion to Orland. Many were worried the project would cause their own wells to go dry, particularly during the current drought.
City officials and residents are waiting for testing to begin on monitoring wells at the proposed plant location on county roads 200 and N, east of Orland.
Messina compared results of studies on area groundwater levels to studies in 1912 and 1913. The result is that in 96 years, "groundwater levels in this area really have not changed, overall," he said.
Other concerns raised included the application process, water rights and exporting water, the environmental impact of manufacturing bottles and discharging water, and holding the company accountable.
Some comments indicated a general mistrust of the company. Residents have also been leery since mid-July when Crystal Geyser wouldn't initially identify itself.
Bothered by that, Sharon Ellis-Conte said that the situation isn't "innocuous," and implied a deeper issue is at play.
"There's big money in it," she said. "Whoever owns the water has power."
The meeting concluded with the group officially naming itself Save Our Water Resources.
No one from Crystal Geyser or the city was present Monday, but the Enterprise-Record contacted City Planner Nancy Sailsbery and Crystal Geyser executive Richard Weklych by phone Tuesday.
Weklych reiterated earlier statements of the company's intent. He said they were seeking to use 160 acre-feet of water per year. It could not take more water unless it gets permission from the city.
Weklych also stated there will be accountability, which is also found in the city's draft conditions report. He said Orland would monitor usage and ensure the company didn't exceed the agreed amount.
He said people should be concerned about water issues, particularly in a drought, "but we would hope people would base their decisions on facts."
Weklych said they will manufacture bottles by a process called "blow molding" — where they put test-tube shaped molds in a machine and blow them to the size of the bottles. They will not change anything other than the shape, he said.
Despite the qualms citizens are voicing, the company still wants to come to Orland, pending the test results.
"Very much so," Weklych said. "We think it's a nice community and we would like to be a part of it for a long time."
Sailsbery said neither the city nor developer were invited to Monday's meeting. She added that city officials don't typically attend town-hall-type meetings on business dealt with procedurally.
The project is far from approved. Sailsbery said the application was deemed incomplete July 15. Orland will not do anything until it has received well-monitoring results and a noise study.
"The city is not going to approve a project that is going to have a significant negative impact on the aquifer," Sailsbery said. "We will review monitoring results very carefully."
Sailsbery also explained the project isn't required to have an environmental review because it was deemed an allowed use in the district it's planned for. The plastic bottle issue may be discussed at a public hearing, but she said the company needs to complete the application first.#
http://www.chicoer.com/advertise/ci_13042927?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com
Water wars: Bottled vs. tap
Tahoe Daily Tribune-8/12/09
Ryan Buchan
Lake Tahoe is known for its clean, clear water. And the tap water at the South Shore is among the cleanest in the state, as well as the country.
But that doesn't stop bottled water from flying off the shelves at Tahoe grocery stores.
“I have been in the (grocery store) business for 22 years, and the water section continues to expand and become one of the larger sections stores have,” said Steve Parker, manager of Lira's market in Meyers. “When we opened our store (the water aisle) used to be 12 feet and it is now 20.”
And that, according to some, is a waste.
“The crazy thing about bottled water: The high price you pay, the waste that it produces, in a country where we have clean, extremely cheap drinking water that comes into every house,” said Shelly Barnes, a water conservation specialist for South Tahoe Public Utilities District, which provides tap water for much of the South Shore. “It's like buying air.”
From an environmental standpoint, tap water is better, said Bruce Olszewski, an environmental studies professor at San Jose State University.
“There is no comparison: Tap water is by far environmentally superior,” Olszewski said. “It doesn't have to be trucked, bottled; it is not in contact with contaminants like plasticizers. It does not have nearly the carbon footprint, and you don't have to worry about hauling away plastic bottles.”
Tom Lauria, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association, said tap water plays an important role in society and it is not the goal of bottled water to compete against it.
“People make the assumption bottled water competes with tap,” Lauria said. “It competes with other packaged products, like coffee and soda. … Bottled water is the healthiest packaged beverage.”
Lauria said bottled water is just as safe as tap water if not safer.
“It may start out clean at the reservoir, but after all the pipes, you don't know what is in tap water,” Lauria said.
He pointed out a study printed in the “Journal of Water and Health” that stated that from 1991-2002, 73 deaths were reported due to waterborne disease outbreak in either drinking water or exposure in recreational water.
Lauria added that in that same period there were no deaths due to bottled water.
The association has more than 125 members, including Crystal Geyser, Fiji Water and Nestle Waters North America. As members, they have to undergo additional stringent testing, Lauria said.
Sales of bottled water have grown more than 6 percent over the last five years, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Web site.
Lira's market in Meyers sells an average of 180 one-gallon bottles of water every week, according to Parker, the store manager. The gallon bottles sell consistently throughout the year and do not drop during the slow season.
But during the summer, sales of 24-packs of bottled water doubles to about 180 cases a week, he said.
“The bottled water industry has done a masterful job at marketing because they have many people convinced that their product is safer than tap water,” said Dennis Cocking, spokesman for South Tahoe Public Utilities District. “In the Lake Tahoe basin, that is not the case.”#
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20090812/NEWS/908119994&parentprofile=search
Smart irrigation methods can save water and money
North County Times-8/11/09
By Morgan Cook
Conservation officials will hold a workshop to help area homeowners and farmers save water.
The Mission Resource Conservation District is holding the workshops to show people how rotating sprinkler heads, weather-triggered irrigation controllers and other items can make a big difference on water usage.
Southern California's years-long drought has made saving water a concern for farmers and landscapers who must keep plants healthy while meeting usage restrictions, irrigation and water management program director Justin Haessly said.
The next workshop will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Fallbrook Public Utility District's meeting room, 990 E. Mission Road.
Tests of irrigation controllers at Beach Street Park and a Fallbrook avocado grove have shown that plants can be kept healthy and productive with 30 percent less water when sprinkler schedules are run by 'smart' sprinkler controllers, Haessly said.
Weather-based irrigation controllers use information from an on-site weather sensor or cellular signal to adjust the sprinkler schedule every day. The controllers measure solar radiation, humidity, wind speed and temperature, then put each of those measurements into a mathematical equation to calculate how fast evaporation and plant use is taking water from the soil, Haessly said.
The controllers are designed to give plants only the water they need. A controller for a small-scale irrigation system can cost between $300 and $1000 at retailers.
The controllers have been commercially available for about five years, but few people seem to use them, Haessly said. The workshops are an opportunity to tell people the technology exists and explain how to use it for maximum efficiency.
Every irrigation project is different, and how much water a given user will save has a lot to do with how much the plants were being watered in the first place, Haessly said. He's seen water savings as small as 5 percent and as large as more than 100 percent.
Using high-efficiency revolving sprinkler nozzles can cut down on water use, too, Haessly said. Because they are so adjustable, users can avoid spraying sidewalks and avoid dry spots on lawns. The nozzles put out 75 percent less water than a normal head, giving the soil time to absorb the water and preventing runoff. Each head costs between $5 and $8 in garden stores he said.#
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