Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 26, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Sonoma County could drop big water project
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Water district wants to sink McKelvey Park to create flood detention basin
San Jose Mercury News
Elk Trail annexation moves forward
Project will bring new water systems to Jones Valley subdivision
Redding Record Searchlight
Seven water district hopefuls state their case to the board
Lodi News-Sentinel
Water worries expressed at solar plant meeting
S.F. Chronicle
Rohnert Park council hires firm to study water, sewer rates
Santa Rosa Press Democrat
Former MMWD board member Richard Fox dies at 81
Marin Independent Journal
LCRA defends actions in water with San Antonio
Oakland Tribune
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Sonoma County could drop big water project
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/25/09
by Bleys W. Rose
In a major reversal of government water policy that could potentially restrict future growth in Sonoma County, the county Water Agency is abandoning efforts to secure state approval for drawing more water out of the Russian River.
Water Agency officials told county supervisors Tuesday that a pipeline from Lake Sonoma is too expensive and probably unrealistic given federal constraints governing protection of endangered fish on Dry Creek.
Although the state allows the Water Agency to divert up to 75,000 acre feet from the Russian River for 600,000 customers in Sonoma and northern Marin counties, the Water Agency has since 1990 pursued a series of projects aimed at increasing the allotment to 101,000 acre feet. Last year, the agency delivered 55,000 acre feet.
Last December, the Water Agency released a 23-pound, 3,000-page draft environmental review that proposed a $430 million project including a 24-mile pipeline from Lake Sonoma to the Wohler Bridge pumps on the Russian River, bypassing federal restrictions on Dry Creek.
The Water Agency’s change of heart was greeted with shock by council members from Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Petaluma and Windsor. Their long-term plans had assumed more water would come from the network of pipelines, reservoirs, pumping stations and fish habitat restoration under study for almost two decades.
Several council members told supervisors that their General Plans may need revision to ensure they don’t allow more projects than future water supplies can sustain.
Santa Rosa Mayor Susan Gorin said scaling back long-term water supplies challenges “the very underpinnings of our General Plan....They were built on the assumption that we would have more water.”
Petaluma Mayor Pam Torliatt noted the council’s pro-environment majority raised objections in 1999 and “we were torn up in the newspaper and criticized to no end when we called it paper water.” She also acknowledged that future limits on water use could limit business expansion and hamper job creation.
“This is a mammoth series of actions,” said Rohnert Park councilman Jake Mackenzie, who chairs an advisory committee of governments that contract with the Water Agency.
At a minimum, city building regulations may need revision to include measures encouraging low water usage such as low flow toilets and appliances and discouraging lawns.
Leaders of several environmental groups welcomed the news that the water project they had opposed for two decades could be coming to an end.
“I am glad to see the Water Agency staff has recognized that the state is serious,” said David Keller, the Bay Area director of the Friends of the Eel River who has been a dogged critic of the project.
A parade of other environmentalists told supervisors the project should have been dropped long ago.
“Most of the environmentalists applaud this new direction and are feeling quite good about it,” said Brenda Adelman, director of the Russian River Watershed Committee.
But business interests expressed concern.
Sue Nelson, chief operating officer of the Greater Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce, said the business community was taken by surprise and wanted time to analyze how limited water supplies might affect business development in the future.
“The business community wants this postponed,” Nelson said.
The change in direction comes after the Water Agency has spent about $6 million on two environmental impact studies for what’s officially known as the “Water Supply, Transmission and Reliability Project.”
Agency assistant general manager Grant Davis said administrators and engineers concluded that “in the past three years, major changes in conditions have occurred which make it infeasible and impractical for the agency to carry out the water project.”
He cited a federal regulatory order reducing flow into the Russian River from the Potter Valley project, new federal regulations restricting use of Dry Creek to convey water from Warm Springs Dam, and increased capital project costs that ratepayers may find unaffordable.
“It is a change of direction and a change in policy for the Sonoma County Water Agency,” Davis said.
After holding public hearings and taking public comment on the draft environmental report, agency officials concluded the project faced too many insurmountable hurdles.
“A number of comments expressed confusion...pertaining to on-going water supply challenges and questioned the wisdom of moving forward with a future project prior to resolving issues related to existing supplies,” according to a staff report by Erica Phelps, the Water Agency’s environmental resources coordinator.
Supervisors set Sept. 15 for a hearing on the Water Agency proposal, after heeding pleas from city officials that they needed time to study the change in water policy.#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090825/articles/908259957
Water district wants to sink McKelvey Park to create flood detention basin
San Jose Mercury News-8/26/09
By Diana Samuels
Baseball and softball players at Mountain View's McKelvey Park could find themselves on lower ground in coming years, under the Santa Clara Valley Water District's plan to sink playing fields at the park by 15 feet to create a flood detention basin.
The park, near the intersection of Shoreline Boulevard and El Camino Real, is one of four sites the water district hopes to use as water-holding basins to contain flooding from Permanente Creek. The Mountain View City Council approved conceptual plans last year for a similar, somewhat-controversial basin at Cuesta Park, and district officials presented their plans for McKelvey on Tuesday at a council study session.
While the McKelvey project appears to be more popular than the Cuesta Park plans, some still question whether lowering the fields is worth the $38.6 million total project cost.
The money comes from a "Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection" measure passed by Santa Clara voters in November 2000. About 69 percent of Mountain View voters voted in favor the measure.
The water district hopes to build flood detention basins at Cuesta, McKelvey, Blach Junior High School in Los Altos and Rancho San Antonio County Park. The district says its plans will protect 2,470 homes and other buildings in Mountain View and Los Altos from damage in the case of a "100-year-flood" at Permanente Creek — a flood that has a one percent chance of happening every year.
The fields would flood and contain water that would otherwise go into streets and homes.
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 and be finished by 2015 or 2016
The district says the plan is a "win-win" for everyone: the district will achieve its flood-protection goal, it will upgrade the fields and give the players new artificial turf, and residents' homes will be protected.
However, Council Member Laura Macias — who stepped out of Tuesday's discussion because she lives near McKelvey — said she hasn't been convinced there's a "critical need" for the renovations, when there are so many more pressing water issues. She remembered the "flood" in her neighborhood in 1998, and said "there was water, but there was no massive flooding."
"If we're spending $40 million here, then we're not working on other issues that are perhaps more serious when it comes to water," she said in a phone interview Friday.
While McKelvey's function as a ballpark will remain the same, Macias also lamented taking any natural parkland away.
"We can maintain Cuesta Park on our own," she said. "We don't need the water district coming in and basically turning it into a Disneyland of a park."
Project Manager Afshin Rouhani acknowledged that a 100-year flood is unlikely, but said "in this case, it was put before the voters and they voted to go ahead and do it."
"It's a matter of perspective," Rouhani said in a phone interview. "They are rare, but it's like a very large earthquake... When they do (happen), it's obviously devastating."
Other council members at Tuesday's meeting seemed generally supportive of the plan, though they raised questions about topics including how much of the park's square footage would be lost.
A draft environmental impact report for both McKelvey and Cuesta Park is expected to be released in September. Water district officials said they had been meeting with the Los Altos School District and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on the other elements of the project, and had received mostly positive feedback so far.#
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_13205884?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
Elk Trail annexation moves forward
Project will bring new water systems to Jones Valley subdivision
Redding Record Searchlight-8/26/09
By Amanda Winters
The Shasta County Board of Supervisors moved forward Tuesday with a plan to annex the Elk Trail subdivision near Jones Valley for a new water system.
For more than two years, the Elk Trail Water Association has been advocating for the subdivision annexation to provide reliable water service to residents.
The board moved to approve the final annexation boundary without separating it into three parts as several residents requested.
A poll conducted by Shasta County Public Works found 80 percent of property owners in favor of the plan, director Pat Minturn said.
Minturn said the water system would provide better fire suppression and water service as well as the ability for some property owners to link into the water system at a later date.
The county has identified about $6 million in state and federal grants for the project, as well as a no-interest 30-year loan that would provide the remaining funding for the $10 million project, Minturn said. The grants have drawn down the cost that residents would pay for water from an estimated $250 a month in 2007 to $120 a month.
Patricia Whitlock, who lives on Highline Trail, said she and several neighbors voted "no" in the poll. She said the cost of the project water is too expensive for many residents and asked that her road be left out of the annexation.
Property owners from other corners of the area echoed that sentiment during the public comment period.
Wendy Peet said she did not want to be hooked up to county water and didn't see the point in having fire protection because "by the time they (firefighters) got there, my house would be burned to the ground."
Peet accused proponents of the plan of being cruel and underhanded. If the project goes through, she will sell her house and move, she said.
Other residents said the price for reliable water was worth it, and four residents encouraged the board to speed up the process.
Supervisor David Kehoe said he supported the project but was empathetic to those who spoke about the affordability.
"While I'm supportive of this project, as a county I hope we can come together to help out these folks that are having a hard time," he said.
The supervisors also received a presentation on the Parks, Trails and Open Spaces Plan prepared by Moore Iacofano Goltsman consulting firm. The board approved the plan after stating their displeasure.
"I had wanted much more for our dollar, honestly," Supervisor Les Baugh said. The county spent $50,000 on the study, with an additional $50,000 funded through the McConnell Foundation, he said.
Baugh said he was disappointed the firm had advertised for public input only through newspaper ads and not through other mediums. Many key groups were left out of the process, including one he referred directly to the firm after the contract was signed a year ago, he said.
The plan, which highlights the importance of local parks, trails and open spaces, will serve as a guide in the county's general plan for future reference. As things stand now, there is no money for a parks commission or implementation of the plan, Supervisor Glenn Hawes said.#
http://www.redding.com/news/2009/aug/26/elk-trail-annexation-moves-forward/
Seven water district hopefuls state their case to the board
Lodi News-Sentinel-8/26/09
By Ross Farrow
Applicants for the vacant seat on the North San Joaquin Water Conservation District agreed on Tuesday that district officials need to do a better job explaining what the district does and conduct night meetings so that more residents can attend and learn about the district.
Seven applicants — Mark Beck, Larry Mackey, Eileen St. Yves and Martin Church, all of Acampo, have applied, along with Neal Colwell, Fran Forkas and Richard Prima, all of Lodi — appeared before the board, one at a time, at a special meeting Tuesday morning.
They hope to replace Fred Weybret, who resigned his seat in June after 33 years on the board, citing hearing problems during board meetings.
Beck said his vision for the district is to complete General Manager Ed Steffani's 10-year plan to install pumps and other infrastructure needed to pump water out of the Mokelumne River and replenish the area's groundwater basin.
Beck added that the district's controversial groundwater charge, approved in 2007, is necessary at this time in order to build infrastructure needed to pump more water from the Mokelumne River, recharge the Lodi area's parched groundwater basin and maintain local control of area groundwater.
Colwell, a senior engineer for ECO:LOGIC, a Stockton water engineering firm with clients including several from the Lodi area, supports looking for ways to reduce groundwater usage by district residents and encourage greater use of water from the Mokelumne River to improve the groundwater basin.
Forkas, water/wastewater superintendent for the city of Lodi until his retirement in 2003, cited his 40 years of experience in the field. He said he supports the district assessing a groundwater charge to provide additional water pipes and pumps to maximize its water availability, and to seek state grants.
"I think you're headed in the right direction," Forkas told the board. "The only question is the sale of water."
Applicants were asked whether they would support the temporary sale of Mokelumne River water to other water users such as the neighboring Stockton East Water District in order to raise money to construct water-related infrastructure that would allow North San Joaquin to pump more water from the Mokelumne.
Forkas and Mackey, a retired youth correctional counselor with the California Department of Corrections, said that even if North San Joaquin signs an agreement to sell water to another district on a temporary basis, it's typically hard to get the water back.
Prima served as Lodi's public works director for 10 years and worked in for the city from 1975 until his retirement in 2008. He supports a groundwater charge.
"The charge is minuscule compared with the expense of doing a major project," Prima said. "It costs money; don't be ashamed of it."
He said the district should consider establishing a modest office to maintain records and conduct business, and hiring additional part-time employees or contracting with individuals for long-range planning.
Decision next week
The North San Joaquin Water Conservation district board is scheduled to appoint a new board member at 8:30 a.m. next Tuesday in the Lodi Public Library's community room, 201 W. Locust St. The term expires in November 2010.
Prima and St. Yves strongly urged installing water meters in the district and charging for water based on usage.
St. Yves is a property manager from Acampo who serves on several boards and commissions in Lodi. She says she can provide a different perspective on the board because she is not a farmer. She believes that the needs of city residents should be considered as well as farmers.
Church, who lost to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein in the Democratic primary in 2006, pledges to preserve water quality as well as quantity to the district. He said that assessing a groundwater charge should be determined by a vote of the people. He also said the district should work to limit residential construction because California has enough people as it is.
Some questions received differing responses depending on how board members phrased the questions.
Bryan Pilkington, often at odds with his board colleagues over how the district is run, asked applicants if they support a groundwater charge on some property owners even though the district gives "free water" to certain property owners and plans to sell water to the Stockton East Water District instead of keeping it for North San Joaquin's use.
Some applicants changed their position after board members Tom Hoffman, John Ferreira and Joe Mehrten explained that the district plans to temporarily offer "free water" to property owners who purchase an expensive conveyance system to pump directly from the Mokelumne River as an incentive to stop pumping well water.
Board members also explained to applicants that any attempt to sell water to Stockton East or another neighboring agency would be short-term — maybe one year — where revenue from the sale would go toward infrastructure for North San Joaquin.
http://www.lodinews.com/articles/2009/08/26/news/3_applicants_090826.txt
Water worries expressed at solar plant meeting
S.F. Chronicle-8/25/09
Dozens of people attended a Bureau of Land Management meeting to weigh in on a company's proposal to build a $1 billion solar thermal power plant in the Amargosa Valley 80 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Some of the 70 or so people who attended the Monday meeting said they worry the project will deplete underground reservoirs. However, many of those people also said they favor the Amargosa Farm Road Solar Project but want it designed to use less water.
Solar Millennium is a German power plant developer. The company wants to build a pair of solar power plants with wet cooling.
Assemblyman Ed Goedhart says the project wouldn't increase the amount of water pulled from underground reservoirs. The Republican from Amargosa says water for the plant would be diverted from alfalfa farms.#
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/25/state/n104038D89.DTL
Rohnert Park council hires firm to study water, sewer rates
Santa Rosa Press Democrat-8/25/09
By Bob Norberg
The Rohnert Park City Council on Tuesday hired consultants to study its water and sewer rate structure, a review that officials said had not been done in five years.
For the sewer rates, it was partially a response to Measure L, a citizens initiative passed last November that rolled sewer rates back to 2006 levels.
Councilman Jake Mackenzie said it was also important because the Sonoma County Water Agency on Tuesday reduced by a third the amount of water it was projecting would be available in the future.
“It is absolutely essential that this work go ahead as soon as possible,” said Mackenzie, who also sits on a Water Agency advisory committee.
The contract, estimated to cost $44,000, was given to The Reed Group. The Sacramento firm has also done work for Santa Rosa, which runs the subregional sewage treatment plant, and the Water Agency, said Dan Schwarz, the city’s interim city manager.
“This group has extremely unique advantages ... it is already familiar with our county,” Schwarz said. “There is economy of scale if people already know the agencies.”
Mayor Amie Breeze said she wished the money was spent instead on having the work done by the existing city staff, and stressed that it needed to have outreach into the community.
The present sewer rates were set by a citizens initiative, Measure L, passed in November with 53 percent approval.
City officials, however, said the expenses exceed revenues by $10,000 a day, which are being financed out of the city’s sewage reserve fund.
The sewer rate also does not meet the revenue-expense ratio agreed to by purchasers of $13 million in bonds the city used to replace aging pipes, expand capacity, treat sewage and pay for its share of the Santa Rosa subregional system.
Larry Resnick of Rohnert Park, a Measure L supporter, contended in a statement he gave to the council that a California Supreme Court ruling would require a vote of the people to change the initiative.
The council on Tuesday night was also expected to act on awarding a contract to the Lew Edwards Group of Oakland to study putting a tax measure before voters as early as November 2010. The contract was expected to cost as much as $150,000.
The council was also expected to seek a recruiter, at a cost of $20,000 to $30,000, to assist in the search for the replacement of City Manager Steve Donley, who resigned to remain on active duty in the Coast Guard.#
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20090825/articles/908259931
Former MMWD board member Richard Fox dies at 81
Marin Independent Journal-8/25/09
By Mark Prado
Richard Cuneo Fox, a two-term board member of the Marin Municipal Water District who helped guide the county through drought, died Friday at his home in San Rafael. He was 81.
Mr. Fox was born Nov. 4, 1927 in San Francisco. He moved to San Rafael in 1955 after stints at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Illinois, where he received a doctorate in chemistry. He also fought in Korea.
Mr. Fox worked as a researcher at Chevron and was the author of numerous scientific patents. Among other things, he invented a computer program that analyzes information from infrared spectrometers to determine the chemical composition of previously unknown materials.
Mr. Fox joined the water board in 1976 and served until 1984. He was instrumental in guiding Marin County through the difficult drought years of 1976 and 1977.
"The emergency pipeline is a highly visible result (of the drought) across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge," Fox told the Independent Journal in 1977.
The pipeline fed water to Marin during the drought and kept it from going dry.
Mr. Fox served as a member and president of the water district board and championed cost-effective and reliable methods for increasing water supply in the county, such as raising the dam levels of Kent Lake and building Soulajule Reservoir.
"The board followed my dad's vision and Marin County was able to weather the dry non-storm," said his daughter, Sharon A. Fox.
As a child, Mr. Fox was the first person to roller-skate across the Golden Gate Bridge, his daughter said.
"He was 10 years old and was wearing a green and white beanie," Sharon A. Fox said. "He roller-skated all the way from the Marina to the bridge that day to join the opening-day celebration of the bridge."
Mr. Fox was also an ardent backpacker and trout fisherman.
He is survived by his wife, Joan and his five children: Rick Fox of Coulterville; Colleen Fox-Jones of Lockwood; Sharon A. Fox of San Rafael; Michele Twist-Cano of San Antonio, Texas; John Fox of San Rafael; and six grandchildren.
A rosary will be said at 6 p.m. Thursday at Chapel of the Hills, 330 Red Hill Ave., in San Rafael. A funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m. Friday at the Church of St. Raphael, 1104 Fifth Ave.#
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_13202729?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
LCRA defends actions in water with San Antonio
Oakland Tribune-8/25/09
Officials from the Lower Colorado River Authority say a lawsuit filed by San Antonio over excess water is meritless and a waste of taxpayer money.
San Antonio Water Systems filed suit in Travis County on Monday, accusing the LCRA of breach of contract. The LCRA board passed a resolution last year that effectively killed plans to capture and resell excess water.
San Antonio wants $1.2 billion to cover the money spent during seven years of study and the cost of finding an alternative.
But LCRA spokeswoman Emlea Chanslor said Tuesday the board made its decision based on updated water demand projections, and demand is higher than initially anticipated.
She said the board's first obligation is to protect the supply for the Lower Colorado River Basin, not neighboring water users.#
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