Department of Water Resources
California Water News
A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 28, 2009
5. Agencies, Programs, People –
Water agency drops water plan
Sonoma Index-Tribune
Stimulus cash to turn on taps at Berryessa
Napa Valley Register
El Dorado County thieves stealing water valves
Sacramento Bee
PWD suit: City, dump water plan
Antelope Valley Press
Marin water board narrows candidates to two
Marin Independent Journal
Pickens, others file briefs about water rights
Contra Costa Times
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Water agency drops water plan
Sonoma Index-Tribune-8/27/09
By David Bolling
In a stunning reversal of policy and direction, the Sonoma County Water Agency told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that it will no longer pursue plans to secure an additional 26,000 acre feet of water from the Russian River.
That decision could cut the legs off general plans for every city in the county, each of which has fashioned growth projections based on the availability of water the agency has said for years it could provide.
Now, according to water agency officials, a request to the state water board for additional water withdrawals will be dropped, and a set of infrastructure improvements costing, by one estimate, $430 million, that would be required for the county to qualify for the additional water, will be delayed if not abandoned.
The improvements include a $200-million pipeline to carry water from Warm Springs Dam around Dry Creek and to the water agency's massive pumps near Wohler Bridge on the Russian River. Dry Creek, the natural discharge channel for Lake Sonoma, cannot carry even the currently permitted releases from the dam because high summertime flows threaten habitat for endangered steelhead trout and coho salmon.
Compelled by an official "Biological Opinion" from the National Marine Fisheries Service, the water agency is in the process of studying instream enhancement measures designed to re-engineer streambed habitat to protect the fishery so that a pipeline would not be necessary.
But that process is not scheduled to be completed until 2020, and only then if the mile-by-mile incremental enhancements seem to be working.
Meanwhile, a succession of dry years has forced restrictions on summertime water releases from Lake Mendocino near Ukiah in order to provide enough flow for fall migrations of the endangered fish.
Other water-supply uncertainties have arisen as a result of reductions in Eel River diversions through the Potter Valley power house, an outdated flow regime dictated by conditions that no longer apply, and riparian diversions by agricultural users along the run of the river, virtually all of which are unregulated.
Sonoma Public Works Director Milenka Bates said the water agency's decision was "a pretty strong action on their part. It's troubling. It will have an impact on the city. We will have to take some kind of action."
Krishna Kumar, general manager of the Valley of the Moon Water District, concurred that the decision will have an impact rippling through every contracting agency using Russian River water. "Cities arrived at their 2030 growth projections based on the 101,000-acre-foot supply. All general plans are built on this."
Kumar and Bates both said the full impact of the decision will not be known until the eight contracting agencies meet next week and discuss a coordinated response.
Complicating the picture is the fact that the water agency does not currently know the precise water yield of the system. The agency is permitted to withdraw 75,000 acre feet a year, but that figure is reduced by streamflow requirements dictated by fishery preservation efforts.
Water agency spokesperson Ann Dubay said that the agency delivered a total of 54,857 acre feet in the 2008-09 water year, a significant reduction from the 60,710 delivered in 2007-08. Part of the reduction has been the result of effective conservation efforts, and that suggests the original water projections for 2030 could be too high.
Whatever the long-term impact of the agency's decision, it's not likely to have an immediate impact on local water supplies.
Asked what changes to expect in water supply in the near future, Dubay answered, "None."
The water agency decision must first be approved by the Board of Supervisors and may yet be influenced by the response of water contractors.
The I-T will report on their collective reaction, and on the environmental implications of the decision, in a second article in next Friday's edition.#
http://www.sonomanews.com/articles/2009/08/27/news/doc4a9737770026b779853704.prt
Stimulus cash to turn on taps at Berryessa
$2.25 million for water treatment near Pope Valley
Napa Valley Register-8/28/09
By Kerana Todorov
County officials and residents at the northwest end of Lake Berryessa have millions of new reasons to hope for a revamp to the aging water treatment plant near Pope Valley.
The Lake Berryessa Resort Improvement District, which serves water and sewer to Berryessa Estates’ 500 residents, will receive a $2.25 million federal stimulus grant to replace the drinking water treatment facility, Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, announced Thursday.
“Rural areas of our district need as much, if not more, help from the stimulus act,” Thompson said in a statement. “When I voted for recovery funding for our country, it was for projects like this that will invest in and improve our community, while creating jobs. This is a great day for Lake Berryessa residents.”
Diane Dillon, the Napa County supervisor who represents Lake Berryessa, said she is grateful for Thompson’s support in getting the funds. She now hopes that assessments on property owners — intended to cover upgrades to the water treatment and sewage plants — will be reduced.
Napa County engineers were thrilled at the news.
“Fantastic,” said Don Ridenhour, Napa County’s public works director.
Property owners at Berryessa Estates had agreed to pay an assessment to cover the costs of several infrastructure improvements, including the replacement of the water treatment plant. An engineering consultant has estimated the project at $1.1 million. But three rounds of bids since last fall failed to line up a contractor with a proposal at that price. The lowest bid, in April, came at $1.2 million, said Nate Galambos, Napa County principal engineer.
Galambos said the stimulus money should cover all construction, inspection and administration costs of the new water treatment plant.
The plant, which could be under construction in November, will serve the subdivision when it is built out with about 340 homes. Construction could take a year, Galambos said.
The district needs to build and repair its water and wastewater treatment systems in order to comply with state water regulations.
The district has been fined $400,000 for a series of water treatment and release violations over the years.
Under a deal with the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the district will be able to pay the fines in installments if it repairs its water and sewer treatment systems.
The district has completed a series of improvements, including creating six acres of sprayfields for the district’s sewer system and repairing or replacing 8,500 feet of sewer pipes.
Projects that still have to be completed include the repair or construction of three water tanks, Galambos said.#
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/08/28/news/local/doc4a977add12575722019687.txt
El Dorado County thieves stealing water valves
Sacramento Bee-8/26/09
By Cathy Locke
Thieves in El Dorado County are stealing water backflow valves, apparently looking to resell the devices, which are made from copper and brass.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office reported that eight backflow valves have been stolen from businesses, including six in the El Dorado Hills Business Park off Latrobe Road and two from the Barnett Business Park off Durock Road in Shingle Springs.
The thieves turn off the water supply, then cut the backflow valves out with a metal saw, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.
Detectives are working with the affected businesses and the El Dorado Irrigation District in investigating the thefts. No suspects have been identified.#
PWD suit: City, dump water plan
Antelope Valley Press-8/27/09
Palmdale Water District officials announced Wednesday the district has filed a lawsuit against the city over the city's plan to install a water-delivery system so it can use reclaimed wastewater to irrigate city parks and other public landscaping.
The lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court seeks an order to compel the city to follow requirements of the Water Recycling Act of 1991 and duplication of service laws. The city has contended no duplication of service exists because the water district does not currently offer recycled water.
The Water Recycling Act gives the first right to deliver recycled water to Palmdale Water District, the district contends. In filing suit, the district is asserting a role as sole legal water purveyor, an assertion the city disputes and plans to defend in litigation.
"The city of Palmdale's actions to take over irrigation water service is a blatant and illegal invasion of PWD's rights, and we will not allow them to harm our customers in this way without a fight," PWD President Jeff Storm said.
Duplication of service laws, the water district contends, prevent construction of two water systems in the same area so no community would have to pay the high cost of multiple systems.
For more than a decade, PWD has been planning and preparing to provide recycled water service to its customers, a statement issued by the district said.
The statement said the water is expected to be available in 2011 when the Los Angeles County Sanitation District finishes work at the sewage treatment plant that serves Palmdale.
At the Palmdale City Council meeting Aug. 5, despite protests from water district representatives, the City Council voted unanimously and without discussion to proceed with planned installation of a pipeline system for reclaimed wastewater.
"I don't recall seeing that in the city budget. I wonder what additional city projects and programs will need to be cut to support this unlawful takeover attempt. The city can't afford its own programs, but they want to take over the water and the electrical power systems too - that's just crazy," PWD General Manager Randy Hill said.
Under a contract approved in July, the city will purchase reclaimed wastewater from the county sanitation district.
"Since the city refuses to discuss matters with us, the PWD is forced to take action to protect itself and … its customers from these unnecessary and wasteful costs by challenging the city's illegal actions in court. It's sad when you have to force a city to obey the law," water board president Storm said.
Purchasing reclaimed wastewater will allow the city to reduce the amount of drinking water it otherwise would buy from the Palmdale Water District for use on municipal parks and street-side landscaping.
Because of water-rate increases imposed by the water district in May, the city has cut its water use by roughly 30% and is letting some of its parkland turn brown. The city has filed a lawsuit against the water district, contending the new rates were imposed without conformance to state law.
Assistant City Attorney Judy Skousen said Wednesday she doubts the water district will ever create a delivery system for reclaimed water.
"Unfortunately, the Palmdale Water District is like the dog in the manger from Aesop's Fables. It has done nothing to bring recycled water to their customers and in fact admitted that it has no funds to buy recycled water or to construct 'purple pipe' recycled water lines," Skousen said in a statement issued by City Hall.
"Yet, it doesn't want anyone else to bring recycled water to the city and its residents. Instead, it complains and files a frivolous lawsuit when the city steps in to bring recycled water to its parks, landscaping and other city residents and customers."
Skousen said the city's reclaimed water plans are not a duplication of services because the water district does not and cannot provide reclaimed water.
"Only the city of Palmdale can provide recycled water services because the city owns rights to recycled water and is already in the process of installing purple pipe to use that recycled water," Skousen's statement said. "The city of Palmdale has followed all state laws to become the authorized retail recycled water supplier. The PWD has not."
City officials said their plan is to install a water line to carry reclaimed water initially to McAdam Park, on 30th Street East south of Palmdale Boulevard.
After that, the city would expand the system so reclaimed water could be delivered to other parks, landscaping along Avenue S and other streets, and possibly to school campuses if the Palmdale School District expresses interest, officials said.
The city also will use reclaimed water for the operation of an electric power plant that is to be built near Plant 42 at Sierra Highway and Avenue M, officials said.
The system for providing water to the power plant would be separate from the system for the city's parks, he said.
Besides deciding to move forward with the reclaimed-water plan, the council's five members also on Aug. 5 unanimously rejected a proposal from the water district to have the disputes between them settled with the help of an independent mediator.
In a report on closed-session matters, City Attorney Matt Ditzhazy said the council considered the proposal for mediation "too expensive and unnecessary."
Thus the litigation filed this week.
"PWD has advised the city on several occasion that it will not stand by and allow this to occur without judicial intervention," PWD attorney Tim Gosney said.
"If the city builds its own recycled water system there would be a significant increase in costs to PWD customers. The city withdrawal from the water district would force our current overhead to be redistributed among our other customers, and that's not right," Hill said.
"The city should use the money they are spending on litigation and this takeover to reduce their overwatering, which accounted for more than 40% of their water use last year," Claudette Roberts, water conservation manager for PWD, said in the media statement.#
http://www.avpress.com/n/27/0827_s4.hts
Marin water board narrows candidates to two
Marin Independent Journal-8/27/09
The Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors has narrowed the field of candidates seeking an open seat on the board from seven to two.
Armando Quintero and Roger Roberts were selected Wednesday night from among the applicants and will be interviewed one more time by the board next Wednesday. At that meeting one will be selected to join the board.
Quintero is director of development of Sierra Nevada Research Institute, which supplies research on environmental issues. Roberts, retired, is past president of the Marin Conservation League.
The seat is empty due to the July 9 death of Alex Forman, who was board chairman. He represented Division 2, which includes much of San Rafael.#
http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_13218230?IADID=Search-www.marinij.com-www.marinij.com
Pickens, others file briefs about water rights
Contra Costa Times-8/27/09
T. Boone Pickens and other Panhandle water rights owners have filed briefs opposing a Texas Supreme Court review of a lower court's ruling favorable to them.
Pickens' Mesa Water L.P., the Canadian River Municipal Water Authority and the city of Amarillo have spent tens of millions of dollars to buy water rights for more than 700,000 acres.
They believe water can be sold separately from land deals under the state's rule of capture. The city of Del Rio on the Mexican border claims it can pump groundwater from land it purchased despite not owning the water rights.
Del Rio wants the state's high court to review an appeals court ruling denying the city access to the water.#
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