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Long Beach Water reacts to salmon biological opinion; Imported water deliveries reduced further

Posted by: Maven on June 4, 2009 at 2:53 pm

From the Long Beach Water Department:

The National Marine Fisheries Service today released its Biological Opinion on the long-term operations of the Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project. The much-anticipated biological opinion concludes that the continued operation of the state and federal water projects jeopardizes the continued existence of two species of salmon, Central Valley steelhead, North American green sturgeon, and Southern Resident killer whales. The biological opinion imposes new operational constraints on the water projects. These constraints are estimated to further reduce the amount of water supplied by the State Water Project to the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California by 7 percent, over and above the reductions which have resulted from recent biological opinions to protect other species such as delta smelt. The California Department of Water Resources estimates these reductions at an additional 10 percent.

“We view these reductions in our imported supplies as permanent, and we need to make permanent lifestyle changes here in Long Beach and throughout Southern California to adapt to these reductions,” said Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department.

Yesterday, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners announced that the city of Long Beach has set a 10-year record low for water consumption in May, marking the 13th consecutive month the city has achieved a new record low. For the fiscal year, which began October 1, 2008, Long Beach water use is 16 percent below the 10-year average water use. Early last month, the Board released new information on per capita water use for the city of Long Beach, showing a reduction to 105 gallons per person, per day, which is the lowest it’s been since 1945. According to a recent article in the Sacramento Bee, the average per capita potable water use in the United States is 147; California is 164, Los Angeles is 138; San Diego is 154; Sacramento is 278.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. The Board’s Declaration and implementation of permanent outdoor watering prohibitions in 2007 was specifically necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California, along with climate realities.

Long Beach Water is an urban, Southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water
Brennan S. Thomas Administration Building

June 4, 2009 · Filed Under Wildlife & Endangered Species

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