Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 10, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Edison estimates $2.5 billion to retrofit San Onofre
North County Times
Trinidad still considering water rate changes
Eureka Times-Standard
Imperial Irrigation District to discuss role of advisory board members who are suing district
Imperial Valley Press
Glendale City Council Meeting Preview: Water Conservation
Glendale News Press
Committee to consider Palm Springs water-saving landscaping today
Palm Springs Desert Sun
Water agency on quest to help you save money
Vallejo Times-Herald
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Edison estimates $2.5 billion to retrofit San Onofre
North County Times-8/8/09
By Paul Sisson
Reducing the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station's thirst for salt water would cost about $2.5 billion and require an untenable amount of construction under one of the region's busiest freeways, according to recent estimates released by the power plant's majority owner.
The plant, which now relies on massive amounts of seawater to cool the steam that spins its electrical generators, is looking at an alternative cooling method in response to a draft policy released June 30 by the state water quality control board. The panel wants all coastal power plants to cut their water intake by 95 percent to reduce the number of fish and fish eggs killed by the cooling process.
The policy, which is up for public comment at a hearing in Sacramento set for Sept. 16, recommends that San Onofre install cooling towers to manage heat released inside the plant rather than use a continuous stream of ocean water to do so.
David Kay, environmental manager for Southern California Edison, which owns and operates San Onofre, said Tuesday that preliminary results of an ongoing engineering study show that idea would probably require installing 32 cooling towers spread across two plots of land east and west of Interstate 5.
Installing the towers, Kay said, would probably require boring up to eight 12-foot-diameter tunnels under the busy freeway.
He added that engineers have also determined that a giant underground water holding vessel called a water box would need to be reinforced, and that there does not appear to be enough room to get the job done.
Combined with the idea of drilling under I-5, Kay said converting the plant to a new cooling system looks difficult if not impossible.
"Even if it were shown to be feasible, the cost is so high, I don't know that Edison would want ---- or that the (California) Public Utilities Commission would approve ---- passing that cost on to our customers," Kay said.
California Coast Keeper, a statewide nonprofit environmental advocacy group, has pushed hard for the new cooling regulations, particularly at seaside plants like San Onofre and the Diablo Canyon plant in Central California.
Angela Haren, the organization's program director, said Wednesday that she believes engineers can find a way to design a less harmful cooling system for the plant, despite the cost and space issues listed by Edison.
"Other nuclear plants have been cost-effectively and -efficiently retrofitted," Haren said. "San Onofre and Diablo Canyon nuclear plants will be able to do the same."
The draft policy recently released by the California Water Resources Control Board would affect 19 coastal power plants that use ocean water in a process called "once-through cooling." In addition to San Onofre, the Encina Power Plant in Carlsbad would be affected by the change.
The cooling technique draws large volumes of water ---- 1.6 billion gallons per day at San Onofre ---- into a plant using the cold ocean water to cool steam used to turn turbines. The water is then quickly discharged back into the briny blue whence it came.
Because such large volumes of water are being moved, the process sucks in fish, fish larvae and other marine life, killing an estimated 28,700 pounds of fully grown fish and about 6.8 billion larval fish.
While that amount may seem like a lot, a study that compared commercial fishing rates to the plant's fish kill found that San Onofre's cooling system likely represents 0.02 percent of the California fishery harvest.
Closed-cycle cooling, by comparison, moves much less water and is the preferred method enshrined in the state water board's new cooling policy. Using cooling towers that use evaporation to cool steam, closed-cycle cooling is estimated to need only 5 percent of the ocean water that once-through cooling uses. Less water entering the plant means less aquatic life killed.
A state-funded study published in February 2008 and written by Tetra Tech, a Pasadena-based environmental consulting firm, suggested such a process is feasible at San Onofre, but Edison officials said that study was flawed.
The Tetra Tech study estimated that Edison could accomplish closed-cycle cooling by installing a dozen 62-foot-tall cooling towers north and south of the existing plant. Six could be built in a company parking lot north of the plant, and six more could be built on about 18 acres of blufftop state parkland immediately south of San Onofre. The upgrade, the study estimates, would cost about $1.2 billion, far less than Edison's estimate.
Edison said the study didn't account for the fact that the 18-acre parcel of park property would not be available, forcing San Onofre to locate half of the cooling towers on a "mesa" parcel it owns east of I-5.
"What Tetra Tech didn't know was that when we originally permitted the plant with the (California) Coastal Commission, we committed that we would never develop the bluff south of where the plant is," Kay said. "That means we would have to go under the freeway, and that is where the extra cost comes from."
San Onofe's water intakes are designed to draw from deep water more than 1,000 feet off shore and special caps have been installed to reduce the number of fish that are sucked into the plant.
Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission, said he remembers Edison's promise to preserve the remaining bluffs around San Onofre. He said a legal battle in the late 1970s and early 1980s over expansion of the plant from one reactor to three resulted in the promise not to gobble up any more blufftop real estate.
"The loss of the bluffs was one of the main reasons why the Coastal Commission initially denied the first permit to expand," Douglas said. "One of the trade-offs was to protect the remainders of the bluffs in perpetuity."
Douglas noted Wednesday that his agency already required Edison to spend millions building artificial reefs and restoring fish habitat in the San Dieguito Lagoon as compensation for the marine life that San Onofre kills. He said it would be difficult for the commission to sanction taking the bluffs to eliminate a problem that it feels has already been paid for.
"As far as we're concerned, those impacts have been addressed," Douglas said.
That may be, said Haren, the California Coast Keeper program director. But state water quality law requires coastal power plants to use the least-harmful cooling technology possible, regardless of whether they have built kelp beds or lagoons to make good with Mother Nature.
She said it does not make sense to grant the state's two largest nuclear plants a mulligan on the new cooling requirements just because implementing them will be expensive or difficult.
"The two nuclear plants withdraw the most water and kill the most fish of all the once-through cooled plants in California," she said. "For a state policy on once-through cooling to be successful, it must include these plants."#
http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/sdcounty/article_db1269f7-e702-5330-9b50-dd9aa5a5f2e5.html?print=1
Trinidad still considering water rate changes
Eureka Times-Standard-8/10/09
By Jessie Faulkner
While the details of a proposed new water rate structure have not been finalized, the Trinidad City Council has agreed that water conservation, lowering charges for customers outside of the city limits, and raising revenue to support the system are the primary objectives.
The issue will be revisited at Wednesday's council meeting, with the agenda item suggesting scheduling a public hearing on Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.
At the last meeting, the council considered a rate structure establishing a $24 monthly base rate, first 200 cubic feet at $3 per 100 cubic feet with the per cubic feet rate rising thereafter and that out-of-the-city customers pay 25 percent more on all costs, down from the current rate that is 50 percent higher.
The council had, according to the staff report, asked for information on how this proposed rate structure would affect all customers.
”That report could not be generated by the current software billing system,” City Manager Steve Albright's report stated, “and would need to be done by hand (looking at each individual account for 12 months). As a result, this information is not available.”
The proposed change in the rate structure may also require the city to seek voter approval, under the provisions of state Proposition 218, a matter the city attorney is reviewing.
The council will also discuss the placement of new trail signs, a thorny perennial issue. Wednesday's discussion is expected to look at the location of generalized directional signs -- 4x4 posts with arrows, the location of signs identifying restrictions for trail use and meeting the requirements of a legal settlement between the city and resident John Frame. The city manager is slated to present a plan for concerns regarding non-resident traffic on Wagner Street. The discussion is also expected to include a proposal for addressing Trinidad's dead-end streets that have no provision for “public turn-arounds.”
Another council discussion will surround possible expansion of the city's recycling program. The effort began with a letter from residents suggesting additional items could be recycled.
Jim Test of the Humboldt Waste Management Authority will be at the meeting to discuss the status of recycling and what more can be done, according to the staff report.
At the same time, plans are under way to schedule a pickup day for large items such as old furniture and appliances and another day for disposing of electronics and household hazardous waste.
”Since there is sufficient funding in the city's waste management budget,” the staff report states, “these special events are being coordinated and will be announced with ample time to allow residents to arrange for these special disposals.”#
http://www.times-standard.com/ci_13029564?IADID=Search-www.times-standard.com-www.times-standard.com
Imperial Irrigation District to discuss role of advisory board members who are suing district
Imperial Valley Press-8/9/09
By Megan Glenn
The Imperial Irrigation District is going to examine restructuring its Water Conservation Advisory Board, as half of the members that advise the district on water issues are also suing it over similar issues.
The IID agenda argues, “This puts WCAB members in a position to manipulate board action with regard to water issues in order to best favor the outcome of their personal lawsuits, rather than in a manner that is in the best interests of IID and its ratepayers.”
The WCAB is a farmers-only board created in the 1970s as a way for its members to work with the IID in creating more efficient farming and irrigation practices. While the 15-member board has no authority beyond passing recommendations to the Board of Directors, it has played a key role in the past in screening and offering advice on conservation-related matters.
Members are appointed by the IID Board of Directors, at three per director.
But now the WCAB is asking to expand its authority to all water-related matters, not just farm-related ones. IID legal counsel is recommending that membership on the board be expanded so that any water customer is allowed to serve. There isn’t a specific recommendation on what to do about members who are suing the IID.#
http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2009/08/10/local_news/news03.txt
Glendale City Council Meeting Preview: Water Conservation
Glendale News Press-8/9/09
The City Council on Tuesday is expected to enact mandatory 10% water conservation, which would limit irrigation to three days a week for 10 minutes.
The restrictions are in response to a reduction in shipment from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies about 70% of the city’s water.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely enact mandatory water conservation as they paved the way to do so last month with changes to the ordinance after lengthy public and council debate.
EMERGENCY GENERATOR
The council will review a $133,868 contract for the installation of a diesel-powered emergency generator at Howard Energy Dispatch Center.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely authorize the contract because the current gasoline-powered generator has been unreliable.
FUNDS FOR DNA LAB
The council will review the receipt of $1 million in federal funds to go toward building a Foothill Regional DNA Laboratory for local law enforcement agencies, including Glendale.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council is expected to accept the funds for the lab, which police say is much needed.
PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDING
The council will consider authorizing an agreement with the city of Los Angeles for the management of $1.3 million in grant funds for Glendale fire and police departments. The grant was awarded by the Urban Area Security Initiative Program. The funds will pay for various officer training and new equipment.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The council will likely approve the funds, as there is no fiscal effect to the city.#
http://www.glendalenewspress.com/articles/2009/08/09/politics/gnp-ccprev081009.txt
Committee to consider Palm Springs water-saving landscaping today
Palm Springs Desert Sun-8/10/09
Today's Palm Springs Architectural Advisory Committee will feature the first public review of proposed drought-tolerant landscaping in front of City Hall, according to a city staff report.
It's part of the larger plan to re-landscape the turf-heavy Tahquitz Canyon Way medians from the airport to downtown, the report stated.
The effort falls within Palm Springs' goal to become more green-friendly and sustainable, the report stated, and the proposed drought-tolerant, water-saving landscaping shows "what's to come with the overall Tahquitz Canyon Way median project."#
Water agency on quest to help you save money
Vallejo Times-Herald-8/9/09
By Tony Burchyns
They may be knocking on your door if you're a top residential water user.
They're Solano County Water Agency interns -- and this summer they're on a mission.
If you agree to invite them over, they could help you save water and -- here's the hook -- save money.
Launched in June, the county-wide conservation program aims to reach 1,260 homes in Solano County by year's end.
So far, more than 660 households have participated, including about 200 combined in Vallejo and Benicia.
The pitch is simple: Leaks can occur anywhere, and by finding and fixing them, people can save from $50 to $120 a year on their water bills, said Kristen Mahoney, one of the program's seven interns.
"We've had a great response so far," Mahoney said of the new Solano County Residential Water Use Survey Program. "We usually average about 20 surveys a day."
The program targets the top 10 or 15 percent of residential water users in cities around the county.
Armando Cuaresma of Vallejo said he was surprised to get a letter informing him he fit that description.
"I was surprised to learn I was in the top 10 percent," said Cuaresma, whose bimonthly water bill last summer averaged $175 for a family of four.
On Tuesday, Cuaresma had his home surveyed, and learned about a four-gallon-a-day leak caused by deteriorating rubber flappers in his toilet tanks.
"I'd recommend this to anyone," Cuaresma said. "Water is a commodity."
Modeled after programs elsewhere, the approach is new for Solano County. Fairfield has conducted a similar program for years, and other local cities such as Vallejo have offered water-saving tips, but usually only on request.
Here's how this proactive program works: Cities turn over lists of their top 10 or 15 percent of residential water users. The Solano County Water Agency sends letters to everyone on the list. Responders get a visit from trained interns who inspect sprinklers, faucets, showers and water meters for leaks.
The interns provide homeowners with a two-year water history, which helps them identify usage trends.
Then, using the home's water meter, they check for leaks.
"Most people don't know meters have a leak detector," Mahoney said. "If there's a leak, we will isolate different areas of the home (to find it), and give recommendations on how to fix it."
At Cuaresma's house, leaky toilets were discovered by using blue dye, which traced the path of the leaks.
Other times, the program's interns will find underground leaks in irrigation systems.
"If you're paying for this water, it's not really useful to you in the street," said Siobhan McRee, an environmental toxicology student at the University of California, Davis who's involved in the program. "We want to make sure all the water is going where it should go."
Most sprinkler systems use between 10 and 15 gallons of water per minute if operating at maximum efficiency. By clocking the water meter when sprinklers are turned on, the interns can measure the volume of water through the system.
"A lot of times, what happens is there is a leak in their irrigation system, so people end up using a lot more water than they need," said Andrew Florendo, a resource specialist with the Solano County Water Agency.
Water softeners and auto-refill triggers for swimming pools can also produce unwanted flows if equipment is not working properly.
"A broken water softener in the garage can waste hundreds of gallons a month," McRee said.
The interns also hand out low-flow faucet aerators and shower heads, and let homeowners know about rebate programs for water-saving toilets and washing machines.
"The program's worked really well," said Roger Judy, a water education program manager for Vallejo, who compiled the city's list of top water users.
"Many aren't aware they are in the top 10 percent," Judy said. "It's not just people with gigantic lawns. It varies."
In the past, Vallejo did surveys on a modest scale, when people complained about getting high bills, said Pam Sahin, the city's water conservation coordinator.
"But this program is on a much bigger scale," Sahin said. "And if everything goes well, we intend to do it again next summer."
With Vallejo's water rates scheduled to increase yearly for the next five years, Sahin said the save-water-to-save-money approach could become even more popular.
In July, rates rose to $2.25 per 100 cubic feet. But after 2,200 cubic feet, the rate bumps up to $4.05.
In five years, the scheduled cost will be $2.88 and $5.40 per 100 cubic feet, before and after 2,200 cubic feet, respectively.
One cubic foot equals about 7.48 gallons.
Vallejo households using close to 15,000 gallons a month, according to the city's billing records, got notices this summer about the water-savings program.#
http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_13025453?IADID=Search-www.dailydemocrat.com-www.dailydemocrat.com
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