A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
August 31, 2007
2. Supply
WATER SHORTAGES:
Water shortage hurts Upvalley vineyards; St. Helena's lower reservoir at less than half its capacity - Napa Valley Register
WATER CONSERVATION:
New plans to curb water usage - Desert Sun
CVWD approves water-saving landscape ordinance for new developments and golf courses
Desert Sun
WATER SHORTAGES:
Water shortage hurts Upvalley vineyards;
By Jesse Duarte, staff writer
Water conservation measures and the threat of rationing have made St. Helena residents aware of the drought’s effect on
Unlike typical years when the lower reservoir spills over, it never got beyond 38 percent of its 160-acre-foot capacity this year, said Ron Rosenbrand, vineyard manager at Spring Mountain Vineyard.
According to Rosenbrand, the drought will result in a 10 percent to 15 percent crop reduction at Spring Mountain Vineyard, although quality is not expected to suffer.
“In the last two years we’ve used about 50 acre-feet,” Rosenbrand said. “But so far through this July we’ve used about 10, and the reservoir’s almost empty.”
The shortage is exacerbated by Spring Mountain Vineyard’s steep slopes of up to 50 percent.
He said that even if the vineyard switches to the
“We have some dry spots, but everybody’s had to cut back, and that’s OK,” Allen said. “Overall it hasn’t been that bad.”
The lower reservoir wasn’t always so dependent on the whims of Mother Nature. The city regularly diverted water from York Creek into the reservoir until the mid-’90s, when the Department of Fish and Game imposed new regulations.
That stretch of York Creek is one of the most popular in the county for steelhead, and the regulations were aimed at protecting that population. The city would have been allowed to divert water to the reservoir only when the creek’s flow reached a certain level, and a $500,000 facility with fish screens would have had to be built to protect the steelhead.
“The only time we would have been able to divert was during the wet season when, in normal years, the reservoir fills by itself,” Goldman said. “We wouldn’t be allowed to divert water into the reservoir now.”
Given the cost of the necessary facility and the prohibitive regulations, the city opted to discontinue the diversion.
This has been the first drought year since those diversions stopped, Rosenbrand said.
He said he’s impressed with how well the vines have held up given the reduced irrigation. A second consecutive dry year might damage them further, but Rosenbrand isn’t overly concerned with the forecasts predicting another drought.
“I’m not counting on a drought in ‘07-08,” he said. “But if it happens, there’s not a whole lot we can do. You have to roll with the punches.”
Keeping the lower reservoir filled is complicated further by the city’s water rights, which require the city to use the water, not just keep it for the sake of habitat or appearance, Goldman said. In rainy years, the reservoir’s leftover water is made available for construction and irrigation purposes within the city.
This year, that won’t happen.
http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2007/08/31/news/local/doc46d7b64638e38761470801.txt
WATER CONSERVATION:
New plans to curb water usage
Desert Sun – 8/31/07
By Colin Atagi, staff writer
A revised Coachella Valley Water District landscaping ordinance, which goes into effect Oct. 1, reduces the amount of water new developments can use to create features within their existing plans.
Under the new plan, a project site can have enough water for areas equivalent to 25 percent of the overall project.
That's down 12 percent.
Agency officials say this will force developers to pay more attention to where they'll use grass and water-efficient landscaping such as plants indigenous to the desert.
"This really offers (developers) some flexibility to be creative," CVWD Conservation Coordinator David Koller said this week.
It also regulates sprinkler systems, which - under the new plan - need to be 24 inches from curbs and driveways to prevent water from running off into streets. The sprinklers have to be operated by control systems that adjust to climate changes.
The revised ordinance is expected to save 1,770 acre feet of water per year. One acre foot would supply a year's worth of water to a family of four living in the desert, Koller said.
Experts say water conservation in the desert is a top priority because of increased demand due to a combination of drought and development.
In addition, the Colorado River's water supply has diminished, and levee problems have affected the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta, which supplies much of
"It's become immediately apparent we need to be more judicious about how we're using water as a resource," said Fred Bell, executive director of the Southern
He said he doesn't expect the revisions to affect home prices or a person's daily showering or housekeeping rituals.
"About 70 percent of a resident's water is used outside a home," he said. "The real area we need to conserve water is on the exterior of the house."
Desert Water Agency General Manager Dave Luker said his organization is aware of CVWD's ordinance and has considered pursuing similar methods.
In the meantime, the DWA is selling new customers irrigation system controllers that adjust to weather patterns.
The agency also is installing water-efficient landscaping outside its building.
"You would certainly understand people's disdain if you say, 'Do as we say, not as we do,'" Luker said.
The DWA is installing artificial grass next to real grass so people may compare the two and see how real it looks, Luker said.
"Artificial grass, we hope, will take off," he said.
Under CVWD's ordinance, golf courses are limited to 4 acres of grass per hole.
"For an average golfer, that's what you need," La Quinta Resort and Club Golf Course Superintendent Glenn Miller said.
He added golf courses around the valley support water conservation installed sprinkler systems with lower trajectory.
Also, many use water-efficient turf.
"It is our part. We're on board with it," Miller said. #
CVWD approves water-saving landscape ordinance for new developments and golf courses
Desert Sun – 8/29/07
Coachella Valley Water District's (CVWD) board of directors approved a revised landscape ordinance on Tuesday that requires all new developments and golf courses to use more water-efficient landscaping to help conserve water.
Originally adopted in 2003, the landscape ordinance has three key objectives: reduce overall water use; eliminate water waste flowing down the streets; and establish limited grass allowances for golf courses.
“Because outdoor water use accounts for the majority of domestic water use in the
The following are some of the ordinance's requirements:
• New developments must use irrigation systems run by “smart controllers,” such as weather-based controllers that self-adjust based on the climate changes. CVWD currently has a successful program that offers these controllers to home owners for a reduced rate. More than 400 controllers have been installed to date with program participants experiencing an average 26 percent reduction in water use.
• Grass areas in new developments that are irrigated with a spray system must be set back 24 inches from curbs, driveways and sidewalks in an effort to eliminate runoff of water onto streets. The buffer area between the grass and curb should be designed with rock, cobble or decomposed granite. It can be landscaped with suitable shrubs or groundcover, but only if irrigated with a drip system.
• The maximum water allowance for landscapes in new developments has been reduced, which further restricts the amount of grass that can be designed into the landscape. Currently, developers are given a maximum amount of water available for landscaping that provides some design flexibility, but ultimately restricts the amount of high-water using elements, such as grass or fountains. The new maximum water allowance will result in 20-25 percent grass landscaping and 75-80 percent water-efficient landscaping.
• Golf courses are limited to four acres of grass on average per golf hole and 10 acres of grass for the driving range and practice areas. All other, non-playable acreage must meet the ordinance's other requirements.
“When you drive around the
The requirements apply to new and rehabilitated golf courses and developments (including housing developments with five or more homes) within CVWD's boundaries. The ordinance does not apply to existing developments or single-family homes where the homeowner provides the landscaping. It goes into effect Oct. 1.
In drafting the revised ordinance, CVWD staff solicited input and support from representatives of the Building Industry Association, golf course superintendents, other area water districts, landscape architects and local municipalities.
CVWD is a public agency, governed by a five-member board of directors, that provides domestic and irrigation water, agricultural drainage, wastewater treatment and reclamation services, regional stormwater protection, groundwater management and water conservation across 1,000 square miles, primarily in Riverside County but also in portions of Imperial and San Diego counties.
http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070829/NEWS01/70829019/1006
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