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Saturday’s top of scroll is this coverage wrap-up: California’s parched farms, cities to get more water

Posted by: Maven on February 27, 2010 at 10:02 am

From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

“More water will be allocated to California’s drought-stricken farms and cities this year, thanks to improved rain and snow levels, federal and state regulators said today.

Water officials said they were hopeful about the situation but cautioned that California was not yet past its water crisis and allotments will remain much lower than requested. “For the first time in three years we hope some relief is on the way for drought-stricken farmers in the delta,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said agriculture contractors south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would receive 30 percent of the water requested if rainfall continues as forecast — an improvement on the 10 percent they got in 2009. However, that allocation could fall significantly if the rest of the year is dry.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Water Resources said it will send 15 percent of the water sought — up from 5 percent last year. Customers could get as much as 45 percent in the spring if rainfall continues, the department said. … “

Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.

From the Sacramento Bee:

“The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which operates California’s water supply network, announced that all its customers will get 100 percent of normal allocations, with two exceptions. Municipal customers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta will get 75 percent, and westside San Joaquin Valley farmers will get 30 percent.

The lower number for westside farmers is due to their longstanding lower position in the hierarchy of federal water contractors. But those farmers, led by Westlands Water District, have been pressing hard for additional help, and the Obama administration responded.

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said an extra 100,000 to 150,000 acre-feet of water will be made available to Westlands, boosting its allocation to 38 to 40 percent. That’s a significant gain over last year’s 10 percent allocation.

This extra water would come from new transfers across the San Joaquin Valley, a 50,000 acre-foot transfer from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and more diversions from the Delta in summer, requiring a special permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“This allocation is based on the hope for a normal year,” Salazar said. “But it could stop raining tomorrow and the picture would change substantially.” … “

Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

More on that additional water for the westside from the Hanford Sentinel:

” … The Metropolitan Water District of Los Angeles, the state’s largest user, might provide 50,000 acre-feet, Salazar said. Another 10,000 to 15,000 acre-feet might come from San Joaquin River releases designed to restore salmon habitat. Banks Pumping Plant in the delta could increase its volume during certain times, said David Hayes, deputy interior secretary.

Other possible actions include shifting more water from senior Eastside water users to the Westside.

Salazar said the moves would be a “one-year, stop-gap measure to reduce the pain felt by farmers on the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley.”

The additional water could pre-empt legislation recently proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would ease pumping restrictions to get farmers up to 40 percent of their historical contracts.

“I am placing my proposed amendment on hold; however, I reserve the right to bring it back should it become necessary,” Feinstein said in a statement released Friday by her office.

The ambiguity still hanging in the air after Friday’s announcement left some farming groups asking for more clarification. Westlands Water District, operating in western Kings and Fresno counties, has requested that the Interior Department give a more definitive prediction next week after the March 1 snowpack survey. … “

Read more from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

” … Regulators on Friday denied that the optimistic forecasts had anything to do with Feinstein’s threat to amend the law and increase pumping for farmers, but the rosy outlook nevertheless convinced her to scotch her controversial proposal.

“Much creative thinking and work has been done by many people to make this happen, for which I thank the many people involved,” Feinstein said in a statement. “I will watch this situation carefully and I am placing my proposed amendment on hold; however, I reserve the right to bring it back should it become necessary.”

The water content of the California snowpack is currently above average for this time of year, especially in the northern Sierra, which is 121 percent of normal. That’s important because rain and snow runoff in the northern Sierra feeds the state’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, which, at its current 72 percent capacity, is at 98 percent of average for this date.

Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s primary source of drinking water, is only 38 percent full. That’s 54 percent of the average storage for this date. … “

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Times notes:

” … Storms have been filling Northern California’s big federal reservoir, Shasta Lake, but have been steering clear of the region that drains into Lake Oroville, the main reservoir in the state system.

“Every rainstorm seems to sit over Shasta and bypass our reservoir,” said Jerry Johns, deputy director of the state Department of Water Resources.

“We’ve picked up some storage in February, which has been great. But runoff is everything, and we’re not getting a whole lot of inflow.” … “

Continue reading this story from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

” … “For the first time in three years, we’re hopeful there’s help on the way for drought-stricken farmers,” Salazar said.

The forecast is important because farmers use it to plan their production for the summer. Northern California farmers and some cities also will face cutbacks this year if the weather turns dry. Wildlife refuges will get full deliveries.

Environmentalists and fishing representatives applauded the forecast, but west-side farmers and San Joaquin Valley water officials found little comfort in it.

Todd Allen, a third-generation farmer in the Firebaugh area, said he distrusted the federal government and already planned for a zero allocation — the forecast federal officials made last year.

“I am really disgusted by all the politicians’ promises,” he said. “I am the one caught in the crossfire, and I feel like I am being punished when I haven’t done anything wrong.”

Officials at Westlands Water District, the largest federal water customer on the project, say they will ask immediately that Interior discard the 5% possibility and opt for a 30% allocation, so farmers can put more acreage back into production. … “

Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.

From the Contra Costa Times:

“The Contra Costa Water District said it expected to get a full share of water from the Delta this year after a pair of highly anticipated announcements Friday about the state’s supply.

“We are not yet out of the woods, but the light at the end of the tunnel is getting very bright,” said district assistant general manager Kurt Ladensack, adding that the board of directors could consider scaling back its drought program in late March.

Other parts of the state are not so lucky.

The announcements did not affect major water districts based in Oakland and San Francisco, but the Santa Clara Valley Water District appears likely to get a slight increase in Delta water, depending on the weather. … “

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

From the Stockton Record:

“Stockton and east San Joaquin County farms should receive a full delivery of water from the often-unpredictable Stanislaus River for the first time since 2006, state and federal officials said Friday.

The announcement surprised local officials who were expecting once again to skimp by.

“It’s awesome news,” said Kevin Kauffman, general manager at Stockton East Water District.

The preliminary 2010 water supplies for many regions of California were announced Friday. Some areas are rebounding from drought, while others continue to struggle.

Still falling short are farms on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, where junior water rights holders depend heavily on water exported from the Delta. … “

Continue reading this story from the Stockton Record by clicking here.

From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:

” … Part of the problem is pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of the State Water Project. Pumping has been limited because of protections for delta smelt and salmon, which kicked in at the beginning of the year.

The water — enough to supply 2.4 million people for a year — is there, but it can’t be accessed, said Charles Wilson, chairman of the Southern California Water Committee in Rancho Cucamonga.

The supplies have been lost this year “in a narrowly focused and uncertain attempt to protect endangered fish species in the delta,” said Wilson, who called for a new conveyance system in the delta and passage of a water bond this November.

Jeffrey Kightlinger, general manager of Metropolitan Water District, said the rains have helped make February one of the lowest water-demand months in a decade. Since 10 percent mandatory reductions were imposed July 1, the wholesaler has seen deliveries drop almost twice that amount, he said.

“That means we didn’t have to pull any water out of storage,” he said.

But a 15 percent allocation from the state would be terrible, Kightlinger said. … “

Read more from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

MORE COVERAGE:

February 27, 2010 · Filed Under Uncategorized

Comments

One Response to “Saturday’s top of scroll is this coverage wrap-up: California’s parched farms, cities to get more water”

  1. WaterSource/WaterBank on February 28th, 2010 6:06 am

    Never a word or a thought regarding an additional MILLION ACRE FEET of fresh water each year that could be accumulated/stored in half empty Lake Mead … no damage to anyone or the environment.

    California is BROKE in more ways than one …

    WaterSource
    waterrdw@yahoo.com

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