Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 17, 2009
Nimbus Dam power plant to close for maintenance
Sacramento Bee
Irrigation district worries about debt service ratio
Sacramento Bee
Ontario water conference to look for solutions that can help the economy
San Bernardino County Sun
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Nimbus Dam power plant to close for maintenance
Sacramento Bee-8/16/09
The federal Bureau of Reclamation will shut down its Nimbus Dam power plant on Monday to perform annual maintenance and to inspect the facility, located near Hazel Avenue.
During the initial phase of work, water will be released at a rate of 3,000 cubic feet per second through the Nimbus Dam spillway gates into the lower American River to maintain river flows, according to a bureau news release.
This water typically would be released downstream though the power plant for power production. Releases through the spillway gates will be visible to the public.
Maintenance work will begin about 5 a.m. Tuesday and continue until about 8 p.m. Thursday. Work will alternate between the two turbines, each of which releases about 2,500 cubic feet per second.
To avoid affecting water deliveries, 2,500 cubic feet per second will pass through the turbine and 500 cubic feet per second will be released through the Nimbus Dam spillway gates to provide a 3,000 cubic feet per second flow into the river, according to the news release.#
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2113287.html?storylink=pd
Irrigation district worries about debt service ratio
Sacramento Bee-8/17/09
With new water and sewer connections down to trickle and property tax revenues diverted to the state, the El Dorado Irrigation District expects 2009 revenues to be $14.5 million below budget.
Finance director Mark Price predicted revenue from new service connections will be down about $12.2 million in 2009 and $12.1 million in 2010. Property tax revenues also have been reduced by $1.5 million for 2009 and $1.7 million for 2010, reflecting the decline in property values and the state's borrowing of 8 percent, or approximately $800,000, to help balance its 2009-10 budget.
The irrigation district board adopted a two-year operating budget in December, assuming construction would rebound in 2009.
To meet its bond obligations, the district must maintain at least a 1.25 debt service ratio, meaning total revenues must exceed operating expenditures, including debt payments, by 125 percent.
Based on the latest forecasts, Price said, the debt service ratio would drop to 0.99 this year and 0.86 in 2010.
The district issued $120 million in bonds earlier this year and likely will need to seek additional financing in 2011 to finish some of its construction projects, he said. If the district fails to maintain the required debt service ratio, its bond rating could be downgraded, resulting in higher interest rates on future borrowing.#
http://www.sacbee.com/ourregion/story/2113376.html?mi_rss=Our%2520Region
Ontario water conference to look for solutions that can help the economy
San Bernardino County Sun-8/16/09
Liset Marquez
When water officials meet later this week at the third annual San Bernardino County Water Conference, their main goal will be to identify solutions that can help the economy.
Panelists will address the impacts associated with supply and delivery of water in the face of the statewide drought and current economic conditions.
"It all starts locally and this will help to facilitate a commitment to make sure our water resources are there. We can't do it alone, there needs to be a paradigm shift in how we look at water use and we hope to tap into that," said Carlos Rodriguez, spokesman for Building Industry Association, Baldy View Chapter.
The conference was started three years ago at the urging of the BIA who were seeing local cities that were considering a moratorium to stop the issuing of building permits, said Scott Coler, president, BIA chapter.
It was then that the association began working with San Bernardino County and water agencies like the Inland Empire Utilities Agency to work on ways to allow for homes to continue to be built, he said.
"It's important that we take proactive efforts to know we have ample water supply," he said.
Decisions like the moratoriums have a significant impact to an industry that is already hurting by the housing crisis, Coler said.
Officials in the industry have began adopting greener standards such as drought tolerant landscaping and plumbing system that use less water, he
said.
"The next step is at the local level for people to take conservation measures," Coler said.
In addition to those issues, the state is at a crossroads to meet the water needs of the population while in a drought, said Mike Stevens, community liaison officer for Mojave Water Agency.
It is for that same reason that county officials got involved in the conference, said Fifth District Supervisor Josie Gonzales.
"There needs to be necessary safe guards as we move forward with our projected growth," Gonzales said. "Our future depends on how we take care of our large water basing and capture the storm water runoff."
Lorri Gray-Lee, Lower Colorado regional director for the Bureau of Reclamation and Ellen Hanak, senior fellow and director of research for the Public Policy Institute of California will headline the event and serve as the keynote speakers.
"There is growth out there, to the extent on how we provide solutions is what they will look at," Coler said about the speakers.#
http://www.sbsun.com/search/ci_13134891?IADID=Search-www.sbsun.com-www.sbsun.com
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