Monday’s top of the scroll: Butte County Water Commission wary of Delta plan

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 8:25 am

From the Oroville Mercury Register:

“A conservation plan for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, including plans for a system of tunnels and/or canals to bypass the estuary, raised questions from the Butte County Water Commission last week.

Paul Marshall, operations and planning manager for the Department of Water Resources, mapped out the current status of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

During the presentation, water commissioners asked what the plans mean for Northern California, specifically whether a new system around the Delta would open up ways for more water to move from north to south. Marshall said the plan doesn’t affect water contracts and “shouldn’t affect the way you get water.” “Northern water users get their water first,” he said.

However, Commissioner Larry Grundmann said the concern is that if water is “better delivered, the better to take it away.”

Commissioner Ryan Schohr also noted the plan calls for 101,000 acres of land restoration. “Where is the water coming from for that?” he asked. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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UC Davis hosts science panel to discuss water issues

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 8:24 am

From the Aggie:

” UC Davis was the site of a momentous discussion last week, when an elite science panel met to review California’s water crisis.

The panel, which consisted of members from the National Research Council, was called by Senator Dianne Feinstein in response to California farmers’ protests about water regulations.

The main topic of the panel was the science behind regulations that have limited water pumping from the Delta to agricultural and urban areas in California. These regulations were put in place due to steadily decreasing numbers of fish native to the Delta, which are harmed as a result of the pumping.

Stewart Resnick, president and CEO of agricultural giant Roll International Corporation, which owns Paramount Farms in the San Joaquin Valley, originally called for the panel in a letter to Feinstein.

“Quite simply, the federal agencies have used sloppy science to attribute the entire Delta fisheries decline to the state and federal water projects and have imposed regulations accordingly,” Resnick said in his letter. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Delta Issues

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Federal agency knew of Mothball Fleet pollution in 1997, documents show

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 8:21 am

From the Vallejo Times-Herald:

“The U.S. Maritime Administration knew in 1997 that paint falling off its obsolete ships anchored in Suisun Bay could cause toxic pollution, yet took no action for more than a decade while denying a problem existed, according to federal documents.

Cleanup was called “essential” in a 1997 memo that stated, “Environmental precautions must be recognized to the fullest extent.”

“Exfoliating paint on (Maritime Administration) ships is an issue that must be addressed,” the August 1997 internal memo states. “The discharge of lead and tributyltin, commonly found in marine paints, are prohibited by federal, state and local environmental regulations — there may be some impacts on water and biotic resources.”

But the Maritime Administration undertook no cleanup as the so-called Mothball Fleet anchored off Benicia continued to deteriorate for another decade. A 2007 study found that 21 tons of paint flakes laden with lead and other toxic metals had fallen into local waters and that 66 more tons remained on the vessels. … “

Read more from the Times-Herald by clicking here.

Picture of mothball fleet by flickr photographer telstar (Creative Commons).

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Bay Area, Water Quality

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Cadiz study shows enough desert water to supply 400,000 people

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 8:18 am

From Business Week:

“Cadiz Inc., the owner of thousands of acres of California desert, said a study shows there’s more water under its land than the company previously estimated, giving it enough to supply 400,000 people.

A study conducted by engineering company CH2M Hill shows the aquifer under the Mojave Desert land ranges in size from 17 million to 34 million acre-feet, potentially larger than the Lake Mead reservoir near Las Vegas, according to Cadiz. The data will be presented today at a water-resources conference in Ontario, California.

“It’s as close to a lake as you’re going to find in sub- surface geology,” Scott Slater, general counsel for Los Angeles-based Cadiz, said in an interview. “I don’t think there’s new water like this anywhere.” … “

From MarketWatch, this press release from Cadiz:

“Today the internationally respected environmental firm CH2M Hill will unveil the findings of a comprehensive year-long study measuring the vast scale and recharge rate of the Cadiz aquifer system. The study, to be presented at a conference of the Association of Ground Water Agencies and American Ground Water Trust, describes a groundwater basin consisting principally of an alluvial and carbonate aquifer ranging in size between 17 and 34 million acre-feet, a volume of water larger than Lake Mead, the nation’s largest surface reservoir.

The findings also confirm the presence of highly permeable limestone carbonate rock lying beneath the alluvium, which contributes significantly to the productivity of the aquifer system.

CH2M Hill’s findings have been peer-reviewed by leading hydrology experts and the results corroborated by extensive field research and pump testing involving the excavation of four borings and test wells to depths of between 1,000 and 1,947 feet beneath the earth’s surface. Based on this study of natural recharge in the aquifer system, Cadiz Inc. /quotes/comstock/15*!cdzi/quotes/nls/cdzi (CDZI 11.99, +0.51, +4.44%) will develop a groundwater management plan providing for the safe long-term annual withdrawal of 50,000 acre-feet of water each year, an amount that can sustainably supply the total water needs of 400,000 Southern California residents. … “

Plenty more on the study in this press release from Cadiz posted at MarketWatch by clicking here.

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Groundwater, Southern California

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Officials unsure of who will enforce levee order; Residents to pay for removal of encroachments

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 7:54 am

From Stockton’s Record:

“State officials say the county should take the lead on coordinating removal of encroachments, including a private swimming pool, on or near a north Stockton levee.

But county officials say they’re not sure they have that authority.

Meanwhile, it’s been five months since the state’s Central Valley Flood Protection Board decided those Bear Creek encroachments – trees, walkways, patios and the pool – must be torn out, following the recommendations of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Each month that passes puts hundreds of homeowners in the Twin Creeks subdivision closer to mandatory flood insurance, as well as thousands more south of the Calaveras River, where the board has yet to even begin addressing a larger and more complex set of encroachments. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Levees

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Bakersfield residents & the Kern River: ‘Wet’ river is just what we asked for

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 7:44 am

From the Bakersfield Californian, this commentary by Sheryl Barbich of the Greater Bakersfield Vision 2020:

“The Bakersfield community strongly supports restoring water to the Kern River through the downtown area to Beach Park. Evidence of this support stems from a community visioning process undertaken a decade ago — Greater Bakersfield Vision 2020. More than 13,000 residents participated the process, which resulted in the development of a plan, complete with strategies and specific action items, released back to the community for implementation in January 2001.

The important Quality of Life plan contains several strategies specific to the Kern River, notably Strategy #9: “Keep water in the Kern River year-round through Beach Park.” Among the action items is: “Support governor’s $23 million Kern River Restoration project to keep water in Kern River through Beach Park.” … “

Columnist Lois Henry says that if Bakersfield residents want a river through town, there’s no time to lose:

“You may have noticed that The Californian is neck deep in a campaign to urge the State Water Resources Control board to approve a staff recommendation finding that the Kern River is not fully appropriated, meaning there’s loose water on the river.

If they approve the recommendation, the City of Bakersfield has applied for that water to run down the riverbed.

Imagine, a river in our river.

We have until Feb. 9 (tomorrow!) to get our comments to the state board, which will vote on the issue Feb. 16.

That means you have to get it in gear NOW! TODAY!!!!! … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Bakersfield

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Engineering marvel taking shape near Hoover Dam

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 7:38 am

From the Las Vegas Sun:

“Less than a mile downstream from one of the nation’s best-known engineering marvels, the Hoover Dam, a second is taking shape.

A soaring 1,900-foot span across the gorge created by the Colorado River on the Arizona-Nevada border should be completed this fall, eliminating much of a sometimes hourlong bottleneck as traffic creeps over the dam on the key route between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

When it is scheduled to open in November, motorists will cross the longest bridge of its kind in the western hemisphere, with towering concrete columns that rise above a twin rib arch beneath them.

“It’s pretty spectacular,” said Sidney Spears, a 68-year-old retired truck driver from South Dakota, sitting at the dam and admiring the bridge 1,500 feet away. “This day and age, they are only limited by their imagination.” … “

The Federal Highway Administration updates the process and upcoming milestones of the Hoover Dam Bypass bridge project:

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Las Vegas & Nevada

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Webcast: Tim Quinn, Director, Association of California Water Agencies, “Moving Water from Extraction to Sustainability”

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 6:05 am

Today, at 4pm, UC Davis’ continuing series on California Water Policy will feature Tim Quinn, Director, Association of California Water Agencies, talking about “Moving Water from Extraction to Sustainability”.

You can watch the webcast here.

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under General Water Issues

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Columbia River salmon runs plentiful now, but don’t count on the trend continuing

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 6:04 am

From the Oregonian:

“In some Northwest streams, it seems like a return to the storied days when it was said salmon ran so thick you could walk across their backs.

Record numbers of coho have returned to the Columbia River in recent years, and this year forecasters predict the same for spring chinook. But it’s not time to pop the champagne corks and declare victory in the nation’s most expensive wildlife restoration venture.

The reason: Most scientists agree much of the thanks for the recent runs, in addition to improved river conditions and more hatchery fish, goes to favorable circumstances in the ocean where the salmon mature after being born in fresh water.

“It looks like the abundance of adult salmon that we see come back to the rivers appears to be set or at least strongly regulated by their early ocean experience,” said Nate Mantua, a climate scientist and fisheries researcher at the University of Washington.

If the Pacific has been a cornucopia, it can just as easily flip to an environment with all the bounty of a vegan butcher shop. Signs are showing it already has. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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There needs to be improved management of irrigation in order to reduce soil salinity

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 6:03 am

From the Stabroek News (where the heck is that, you ask? Right here, in Guyana), this commentary by Bissasar Chintamanie, Research Scientist, NARI (what is heck is that, you ask? The Papau-New Guinea National Agricultural Research Institute) :

“All irrigation water contains dissolved salts derived as it passes over and through the land, and rainwater also contains some salts. These salts are generally in a very low concentration in the water itself. However, the evaporation of water from the dry surface of the soil leaves the salts behind. Salinization is especially likely to become a problem on poorly drained soils when the groundwater is within 3 m or less of the surface (depending on the soil type). In such cases, water rises to the surface by capillary action, rather than percolating down through the entire soil profile, and then evaporates from the soil surface.

Salinization is a worldwide problem, particularly acute in semi-arid areas, which use large amounts of irrigation water and are poorly drained. These conditions are found in parts of the Middle East, in China’s north plain, in Soviet Central Asia, in the San Joaquin Valley of California, and in the Colorado River Basin. Salinization reduces crop productivity. In the US, salinization may be lowering crop yields on as much as 25-30% of the nation’s irrigated lands. In Mexico, salinization is estimated to be reducing grain yields by about 1 million tons per year, or enough to feed nearly a million people. In extreme cases, land is actually being abandoned because it is too salty to farm profitably. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Agriculture

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Even if you’re careful, drugs can end up in water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 6:02 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

“PORTLAND, Maine — The federal government advises throwing most unused or expired medications into the trash instead of down the drain, but they can end up in the water anyway, a study from Maine suggests.

Tiny amounts of discarded drugs have been found in water at three landfills in the state, confirming suspicions that pharmaceuticals thrown into household trash are ending up in water that drains through waste, according to a survey by the state’s environmental agency that’s one of only a handful to have looked at the presence of drugs in landfills.

That landfill water – known as leachate – eventually ends up in rivers. Most of Maine doesn’t draw its drinking water from rivers where the leachate ends up, but in other states that do, water supplies that come from rivers could potentially be contaminated.

The results of the survey are being made known as lawmakers in Maine consider a bill, among the first of its kind in the nation, that would require drug manufacturers to develop and pay for a program to collect unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs from residents and dispose of them. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Drinking Water

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The relationship between large reservoirs and seismicity

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 8, 2010 at 6:01 am

threegorgesdam From International Water Power & Dam Construction:

“Following the 12 May 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China, Chen Houqun, Xu Zeping and Li Ming discuss the question of whether large reservoirs can trigger strong earthquakes

The issue of reservoir-triggered seismicity (RTS) received a great deal of attention worldwide following the earthquake which jolted Wenchuan County in Sichuan Province on 12 May 2008, resulting in the death of over 60,000 people. A major question raised was whether the earthquake was related to the impoundment of the nearby Zipingpu reservoir – or even the Three Gorges reservoir. There are a number of different views on this issue and the authors believe the ongoing discussion will emphasize the importance of the seismic safety of dams, while promoting further research on the subject.

General concepts of reservoir triggered seismicity

Seismic events have occurred near large dam sites or in reservoir areas, and may have been triggered by changes in the physical environment as a result of impounding and operation of reservoirs. … “

February 8, 2010 · Filed Under Water Storage

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Sunday’s top of the scroll: Testing waters for salmon in San Joaquin River

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:58 am

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Water has begun flowing down 64 barren miles of the San Joaquin River in what is being touted as California’s most ambitious effort to bring back long-lost native salmon.

The floodgates of the colossal Friant Dam outside Fresno were opened last week so researchers can study how the water flows down California’s second longest river. The releases, which will continue until Dec. 1, will accelerate this spring until enough water is flowing down the parched riverbed to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool in less than a minute.

It is all part of a historic agreement reached after two decades of legal wrangling over efforts to bring back the salmon that were wiped out a half-century ago when the 319-foot dam was built. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Commentary/rebuttal: Hannity shed light on green agenda’s damage to California farms

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:56 am

From the Sacramento Bee, this commentary/rebuttal to the High Country News/Sacramento Bee story on Westlands Water District by Harold Johnson of the Pacific Legal Foundation:

” “Famously hypertensive.” That’s how Matt Jenkins of High County News describes Sean Hannity, who blamed the San Joaquin Valley water shortages on the Endangered Species Act (”Tapping into Anger”; Forum, Jan. 31).

What’s really “hyper,” however, is the ESA dictates themselves: By starving farms and communities of water, they’re hyper-outrageous.

Federal regulators ordered dramatic cuts in pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Central and Southern California, in a strategy to keep the endangered Delta smelt afloat. At least 500,000 acre-feet of water (163 billion gallons) were withheld last year. More pumping restrictions were proposed for other ESA-protected fish. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Westlands Water District

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Cardoza hails court order to temporarily lift restrictions on Delta pumps

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:52 am

From the American Chronicle, this from Congressman Cardoza:

“Congressman Cardoza praised a federal judge´s decision to ease the restrictions on the Delta pumps, temporarily increasing irrigation water supplies to farmers in the San Joaquin Valley.

“Finally we are seeing some sanity after what has been years of dysfunctional management of our state´s water system,” Cardoza said.

In Fresno, U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger said that restrictions placed on irrigation supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could be eased for 14 days. Several Valley water districts – including Westlands Water District and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority – had requested a Temporary Restraining Order on pumping restrictions that resulted from the National Marine Fisheries Service´s Biological Opinion on Chinook salmon. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Poke and Nudge blog: Judge Wanger’s order and the salmon fisheries

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:44 am

From the Poke and Nudge blog:

“Here are some facts concerning Judge Wanger’s ruling to allow a temporary hold on the management plan for endangered salmon.

The order allows for the pumps to be turned back on giving the San Joaquin Valley farmers much needed water. The restraining order is only good for two weeks during which the risk for salmon injury is slight. Read the restraining order here.

Besides the harm to humans from the pumping cutbacks, Wanger also based his ruling on the number of salmon that are permitted to be killed by the pumps without jeopardizing the species.

Currently, that number is calculated at 22,897 juvenile winter-run salmon. But in January, only 1,154 were found in the pumps — or about 5% of the limit. Normally in January, about 14% of the population is found in the pumps, according to the ruling. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Mix-up to begin for MLPA proposals

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:37 am

From the Eureka Times-Standard:

“A number of proposals to create marine reserves off the North Coast have gone into the blender, as a 31-member group formed under the state Marine Life Protection Act Initiative meets for the first time on Monday.

A group of local stakeholders and conservationists say their proposals are meant to soften the economic and social blow anticipated with the shutting down or restricting fishing and gathering in some areas along the sparsely populated coast. But while several proposals are roughly similar, few of them appear to meet the guidelines set up by the 1999 act.

That means that whatever comes out of the mix over the next year is likely to be more restrictive than what local interests have proposed. The initiative’s staff are currently reviewing the submissions, which are expected to be made public on Feb. 16.

Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Conservation Director Adam Wagschal said that each type of reserve proposed in various coastal habitats is added up to meet the state’s requirements. Wagschal coordinated the proposal submitted by the North Coast Local Interest MPA Working Group — composed of local agencies, commercial and sport fishing and other stakeholders from Humboldt, Del Norte and Mendocino counties.

”Everything contributes a certain amount toward meeting the guidelines,” Wagschal said. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Northern California, Other Oceans & Beaches Stories

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Lake Mendocino moves into flood pool

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:36 am

From Lake Mendocino:

“Lake Mendocino is looking much better than it was one month ago as water storage levels crested into the “flood pool” for the first time in several years about 7:30 a.m. Friday.

The reaction from some water officials is happiness but not without mention that ideally there would be more water in the lake in May or June.

“We need to get to the top of the flood pool and beyond to have a good year,” said Sean White, general manager of the Russian River Flood Control District.

The Flood Control District has the rights to the Ukiah area’s share of Lake Mendocino water. The Sonoma County Water Agency, which has rights to most of the lake’s water, has been managing releases from Lake Mendocino until the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers takes over to manage the “flood pool.”

“We are at the minimum flood control pool,” said Don Seymour, principal engineer at the Sonoma County Water Agency. In May or June, the water supply pool increases to more than 80,000 acre feet, Seymour said. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Northern California

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Nevada Irrigation District continues community and congressional outreach on mercury remediation project

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:34 am

From YubaNet.com:

“During Nevada Irrigation District’s board meeting last on Jan. 27, Assistant Manager Tim Crough shared a DVD he and others developed in the course of working on NID’s mercury removal program at Lake Combie.

According to the video, 26 million pounds of mercury were brought to Sierra Nevada water sources during the era of hydraulic mining. Ten to 30 percent of this mercury ended up in the environment and continues to move through Sierra rivers with every storm event.

NID’s canals and reservoirs lie downstream from many historic gold mining sites where mercury was used. Mercury-laden gravels have accumulated behind many dams in the Sierra, including the one impounding NID’s Combie Reservoir.

When mercury is methylated by bacteria and subsequently ingested by phytoplankton at the bottom of the food chain, it eventually makes its way up the chain to large predator fish like striped bass. These fish typically register high levels of mercury — and consumption of bass and other fish with similar levels of mercury can be hazardous to human health. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Lake Tahoe & the Sierra's

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The Santa Clarita Valley’s 2010 water scene

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:30 am

From the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by R. J. Kelley of the Castaic Lake Water Agency:

“If you’ll pardon the expression, 2010 has the potential to be a watershed year for California’s water supply.

As the new year gets under way, the voting public will soon face the state’s biggest water-related decision in decades, with an initiative on the November ballot designed to tackle California’s water crisis, enhance water supply reliability from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and restore the delta’s ecosystem.

This promises to be a busy year for water professionals statewide, and the Castaic Lake Water Agency will be no exception. Last week we looked back at CLWA’s goals and achievements in 2009.

Today we look ahead at 2010 and outline the goals, objectives and issues we are facing this year. For our local water picture and for California as a whole, 2010 is a pivotal year … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Southern California

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‘Niagara’ of mud hits Southern California homes

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:28 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

“An unexpectedly powerful rainstorm unleashed a torrent of mud that inundated more than 40 houses Saturday, leaving La Cañada Flintridge’s northernmost neighborhood awash in boulders, dented cars and broken homes.

The force of the mudflow appeared to catch residents and officials off guard, as the forecast initially called for a light to moderate rainstorm. No evacuations had been ordered Thursday or Friday, when the rain began to fall.

But before dawn on Saturday, an intense band of rain cells formed over the mountains burned in the massive Station fire. What was supposed to be a fast-moving storm instead stalled, dumping rain at an alarming rate. The power of the debris flowing off the mountain pushed a 10-ton boulder into a critical catch basin in La Cañada Flintridge. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Southern California

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Foreign avocados take over America’s big guacamole day

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 7, 2010 at 7:26 am

From the North County Times:

“In what surely will shock fans around the nation, this Super Bowl Sunday, America’s biggest sporting day, will be dominated by foreign guacamole.

Because drought has shriveled the California avocado crop, the bulk of the estimated 80 million pounds of avocados consumed in the U.S. on Sunday will come from Mexico and Chile, said the Irvine-based California Avocado Commission.

Last month, Mexico shipped in 65 million pounds of avocados and Chile 42 million pounds. California growers produced almost 16 million pounds, according to figures from the Hass Avocado Board, also in Irvine. The board represents the dominant variety of the fruit. … “

February 7, 2010 · Filed Under Agriculture

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Poseidon Resources requests State Attorney General to enforce Coastal Commission regulations: California Environmental Rights Foundation violating Coastal Act regulations

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 12:43 pm

From Poseidon Resources:

“San Diego – Poseidon Resources today announced they have petitioned [see attached letter] the state Attorney General and the California Coastal Commission challenging the legal standing of the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF), an opponent of seawater desalination that has twice initiated proceedings to revoke the Coastal Development Permit issued to the Carlsbad Desalination Project.

Poseidon has requested the Coastal Commission Chief Counsel and the State Attorney General dismiss CERF as a participant in the Coastal Commission’s permit revocation hearing on February 10. This is the second time in as many months that CERF and other opponents of seawater desalination have requested that the Coastal Commission revoke the permit issued to the desalination project in November 2007. The first revocation request was rejected by a super majority of the Commission.

Coastal Commission regulations only allow revocation requests to be initiated by “person(s) who did not have an opportunity to fully participate in the original permit proceeding …” (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 13106). CERF is a newly created environmental litigation organization first registered as a business in the state of California on October 17, 2008. Because CERF did not exist at the time of the original Coastal Development Permit hearing on November 15, 2007, they cannot now participate as a party to the revocation request. CERF’s participation is a violation of Poseidon’s procedural due process rights under the Coastal Act. Poseidon had previously requested the Coastal Commission dismiss CERF as a party to the first revocation request but the Commission did not address the issue at that time. Consequently, Poseidon has now asked the state Attorney General to engage the Costal Commission’s legal counsel.

“Project opponents, led by Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation litigator Marco Gonzalez, have a lengthy history of filing frivolous legal challenges against the Carlsbad Desalination Project,” said Poseidon Resources’ Vice President Scott Maloni. “CERF does not have the legal authority to initiate and participate in Coastal Commission permit revocation proceedings. CERF’s actions are an abuse of the Coastal Commission’s process and a violation of Poseidon’s procedural due process rights. We are requesting that the Coastal Commission enforce their own regulations and remove CERF as a party to the revocation proceedings prior to the February 10 hearing,” said Maloni.

Poseidon has worked in partnership with the City of Carlsbad since 1998 to build the desalination plant, which will have the capacity to produce 50-million-gallons-per-day of high quality drinking water. Once operational, the Carlsbad Desalination Project will provide enough drinking water to serve 300,000 residents annually. The facility is scheduled to begin construction in 2010 and be operational in 2012.

READ THE LETTER HERE: Letter – CERF Legal Standing 020310 (2)

Poseidon Resources specializes in developing and financing water infrastructure projects, primarily seawater desalination and water treatment plants. These projects are implemented through innovative public-private partnerships in which private enterprise assumes the developmental and financial risks. For more information on Poseidon Resources and the Carlsbad desalination plant visit our website at www.carlsbad-desal.com.“

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Poseidon's Carlsbad Plant

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Saturday’s top of the scroll: Judge relaxes Delta salmon rules

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 8:21 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

“In a win for central and Southern California farmers and cities, a federal judge on Friday suspended salmon protection rules just weeks after they began affecting water deliveries. The decision, which angered salmon fishermen, means that for at least the next two weeks water agencies serving mostly the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California can run Delta pumps to take full advantage of flows from recent storms without regard to restrictions meant to protect salmon, steelhead and other fish.

“I thought we were on the path to getting those fish back,” said San Francisco fisher Larry Collins, who like other salmon fishers has not been able to fish for two years. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger suspended a portion of the permit that limits how hard Delta pumps can run, saying federal water managers did not sufficiently analyze the impact of the new rules.

“The principle the court applied is very clear,” said Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, which represents San Joaquin Valley farmers. “The judge found that the federal agencies should have considered alternatives that would still adequately protect the fish while causing less harm to people.” … “

From the Stockton Record:

” … Despite a series of wet storms since mid-January, the state and federal governments have been unable to pump as much as they normally could. That’s because of new rules to protect endangered salmon and steelhead, rules which have brought national attention to the San Joaquin Valley.

District Court Judge Oliver Wanger’s order says that since the storms began, perhaps 190,000 acre-feet of water have drained to the ocean instead of being diverted from the state pumps near Tracy to cities as far south as San Diego. One acre-foot is enough to serve an average family for one year.

Federal pumps that irrigate farmland in the south San Joaquin Valley also have been crimped.

The Westlands Water District sought the restraining order. Until January, cuts in water deliveries to Westlands have been largely because of drought, not protections for Delta fish. Nevertheless, Wanger said any water that is not pumped south “will continue to … exacerbate the currently catastrophic situation” faced by farms and cities. … “

From ABC News:

” … Environmentalists warned that would heighten the risk that fish were ground up in the pumps. “We’re very concerned that this may be the last nail in the coffin of these species that are on the brink of extinction already,” said Erin Tobin, an attorney with Earthjustice.

The pumping restrictions are part of a plan by federal biologists to safeguard endangered salmon as they spawn in the state’s rivers and swim through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to reach the Pacific Ocean.

Environmentalists and fishermen sued to get those protections in place, arguing that the collapse of one of the West Coast’s biggest wild salmon runs two years ago foretold the extinction of related species. … “

From the Los Angeles Times:

” … [Judge Wanger's] decision sent mixed signals about the ultimate outcome of the case. He found that plaintiffs “have not yet established a likelihood of success” on their claims against the Endangered Species Act.

Instead, Wanger ruled that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had not performed the necessary analysis of the pumping permit and its restrictions under another federal law, the National Environmental Policy Act.

“This is not a decision on the soundness of the [permit], the analysis included in it or the actions required by it,” said Chris Yates, a NOAA Fisheries Service assistant regional administrator. “We continue to stand by those conclusions very strongly.” … “

MORE COVERAGE:

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Dan Bacher: Fresno judge halts protection plan for winter run chinook

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 8:08 am

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this commentary:

“Federal Judge Oliver Wanger on Friday afternoon put a temporary hold on a federal plan (biological opinion) protecting salmon from the fish-killing California Delta pumps that deliver water to corporate agribusiness and southern California.

The ruling, in place for 14 days, allows for unlimited pumping, at least unless the projects hit “take” limits for salmon killed at the pumps or until Delta smelt protections are triggered in the Delta. The ruling can be extended by the judge for 14 more days.

Westlands Water District, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD) and other water districts requested the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) so that water exports from the Delta could be increased. The pumping restrictions are designed to protect migrating juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon from being killed in the massive federal and state project pumps.

Endangered winter run Chinook salmon are unique to the Sacramento River system. After migrating for thousands of years to spawn in the McCloud River every year, the run was blocked from migrating to its spawning grounds after the construction of Shasta Dam. Since then, the fish has been forced to spawn in the Sacramento below Keswick Dam and has declined dramatically due to increased Delta water exports, declining water quality, unscreened or poorly screened diversions and other factors. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Salmon

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Dan Nelson, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority’s statement on salmon decision

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 8:06 am

From the California Farm Water Coalition:

“Statement by Dan Nelson, Executive Director, San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority:

“The San Joaquin Valley secured a small measure of relief following a judge’s decision to allow an increase in pumping water to storage facilities south of the Delta during the next two weeks. The judge determined that no risk exists for salmon from the increased pumping.

“The temporary restraining order issued today by Judge Wanger recognizes that the salmon biological opinion that was sending water to the Pacific Ocean instead of going into storage for use by farms and 25 million Californians did not take into account the harm caused to people and the human environment. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Judge Wanger salmon ruling, Salmon

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Water storage vs. water conservation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:51 am

From the Hanford Sentinel:

“If there’s one issue that virtually everybody agrees on in Sacramento, it’s that California has water problems. Three years of drought, endangered species restrictions on pumping, a growing population, huge areas of the state without natural water supplies, an outdated delivery system — the list of liquid challenges for the Golden State goes on and on.

The problem was felt last year by urban residents in Southern California who faced mandatory rationing. But the issue also had a big impact on agriculture, the largest water user in the state. In Kings County, supervisors declared a state of emergency all year. Farmers, particularly those who count on water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta, grew increasingly worried about whether there would be enough. In many cases, fields were left fallow and millions of dollars were lost in production along with thousands of agricultural jobs. Researchers at the University of California, Davis, estimated that water shortages cost the San Joaquin Valley 21,000 jobs in 2009. In Avenal and Kettleman City, unemployment soared past 30 percent.

It’s impossible to deny that water is becoming a bigger and bigger issue. But when it comes to solutions, agreement tends to evaporate. Nowhere is that more obvious than in the argument between environmentally-minded conservationists and advocates for new dams. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Conservation, Water Storage

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U.S.-Mexico pipeline fix for Salton Sea reviewed

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:47 am

From MyDesert.com:

“Salton Sea — A new public-private partnership idea to save the dying Salton Sea puts a new twist on an old idea — bringing water in through a canal from Mexico’s Gulf of California.

The concept, which goes back to the late 1950s, has been dismissed multiple times over the decades as too expensive, too unworkable and too hard to coordinate with disinterested Mexican officials.

But the rising price for water, dropping costs for desalination and the West’s increasingly dire water needs have given the sea restoration concept new legs.

Utility Solutions Group, a water consulting firm based in Reno, Nev., has over the past two years quietly worked with private firms and federal, state and local officials on a “Sea-to-Sea” restoration plan.

The group proposes importing up to 1.5 million acre-feet of sea water per year from the Sea of Cortez in Baja Mexico, using new and existing channels, to serve as a long-term source of water for the Salton Sea. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Salton Sea

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The greens are all wet, says the PLF: “They protest too much. They don’t want to “own” all the implications of their policies. “

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:46 am

From the San Diego Union Tribune, this commentary by Brandon Middleton and Damien Shiff of the Pacific Legal Foundation:

“How do you make green groups turn red with fury – or shame? Shine some light on the damage caused by their extremist environmental agenda.

Case in point: The indignant reaction of many environmentalists to news coverage of federal regulations that are worsening California’s water woes. Several big-time media voices – Fox News Channel’s “Sean Hannity Show,” the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, CBS’ “60 Minutes” – have reported on Central Valley farmers who are being pushed toward bankruptcy by the zealotry of environmentalist litigators and government regulators. These farmers have been hit with crippling cuts in water for irrigation because of federal policies to help fish listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Writers with groups like the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Environmental Defense Fund have protested that the media coverage is overblown. They argue that ESA regulations are responsible for “only” 25 percent of the water shortages that plague the Central Valley and Southern California.

They protest too much. They don’t want to “own” all the implications of their policies. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Already moving south, foothills water might move west

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:20 am

From the Amador Ledger-Dispatch:

“For supporters of local water for locals, future opponents lie not to the south, but to the west.

Following in the footsteps of the federal Central Valley Project and California’s State Water Project, which largely benefited the south of the state, is a third big idea for diverting water. It is the brain child of a string of agencies that fall roughly on an east-west line from Alpine County to Alameda County. It advances not a statewide diversion fate for all northern California water but rather a multi-regional diversion plan for Mokelumne River water.

The idea arose in 2005 among the 16 members of a consortium called the Mokelumne River Forum. The forum is “made up primarily of water agencies and local governments with an interest in the Mokelumne River … to discuss how to meet water management needs in the Sierra foothills, San Joaquin County and the East Bay while resolving long-standing water-rights disputes,” its officials say. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Water Transfers

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Bond-ing over need to address state’s water issues

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:17 am

From the Colusa Sun-Herald:

“To bond or not to bond.

California’s comprehensive water package, passed by the state Legislature last fall, was the subject of a water forum at the Colusa Farm Show.

The Family Water Alliance hosted the discussion Wednesday in order to provide different perspectives on the provisions of the plan, which is comprised of four policy bills and a $11.14 billion bond.

Richard Howitt, a professor of resource economics at the University of California, Davis, said California’s drought, now in its third year, provided a unique opportunity to debate water issues and educate the public about the key issues of the legislation. … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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El Niño just getting warmed up: Phenomenon expected to push storms this way

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:15 am

From the San Diego Union Tribune:

“El Niño hasn’t been idle.

From San Diego to the Andes Mountains, from the American Southwest to the home of the Winter Olympics in British Columbia, the much-ballyhooed, periodic phenomenon has been strutting its stuff. And long-range forecasters say there’s a good chance this year’s episode, now classified as the fourth-strongest since 1950, still has plenty of rain and warmth to give.

“We’re just beginning to see the global pattern of El Niño impacts emerge,” said Mike McPhaden, a scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “El Niño has legs.” … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Drought, Weather & Snowpack

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Dams trigger stronger storms, study suggests

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:11 am

From National Geographic News:

“Scientists have long suspected that the world’s dams can create their own weather, often bringing more rain. Water in reservoirs behind dams, plus the water used to irrigate nearby land puts more moisture in the air, which falls as precipitation.

Now some researchers are sounding the alarm that dams—along with their reservoirs—might also trigger more frequent fierce storms that could be the dams’ undoing. That’s worrisome, especially in the United States, where dams are rapidly aging, according to some researchers.

Faisal Hossain, an engineer at Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, has led several recent studies on 633 dams and about 100 rainfall nearby stations.

“The focus is not so much on average rainfall per se, but rather on the question of whether 25-year storm data that an engineer used to size a reservoir has now become a 15-year storm … as the dams aged,” he said. “It is the heavy rainfall that has tremendous implications on dam safety.” … “

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Water Storage

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Chasing Water: Upper Feather River Watershed Group addresses new state water quality regulations

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:07 am

From UC Davis:

“Carol Dobbas, the executive director of the Upper Feather River Watershed Group, explains that the organization was founded by Sierra Valley, Calif., ranchers to address new state regulations aimed at monitoring water quality in areas that may be impacted by irrigated agriculture. ”

February 6, 2010 · Filed Under Water Quality

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Keep fish off drugs: Don’t flush your pills

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 6, 2010 at 7:05 am

From AlterNet:

“Okay, so the image is kinda funny—a bunch of drugged-out party fish swerving all over the place, burping up air bubbles. But really, it’s not cool. Because we’re the fishes’ drug dealers.

It’s true. Around the country, chemists have discovered that fish in the water downstream from water treatment plants absorb chemicals found in antidepressant drugs into their bodies.

Discover puts it like this: … “