Tuesday’s top of the scroll: National Geographic on Plumbing California
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 7:22 am
From National Geographic:
“On a blistering day in the megalopolis that is southern California, Shivaji Deshmukh of the Orange County Water District offers me a cup of cool, clear water that just yesterday was swirling around in an Anaheim toilet bowl. We’re standing outside the second largest water-reclamation facility in the world, a high-tech assemblage of micro-filters, membranes, and UV lights that every day recycles 70 million gallons of Orange County sewage into water so clean it’s almost distilled. “It’s OK,” Deshmukh reassures me, casually taking a slug from his own cup. “It’s the same technology they use on the space station.”
After spending the past century building one of the most elaborate water-delivery systems on the planet, replete with giant pumps and thousands of miles of pipes and canals, California has come to this—akin to the last desperate act of lifeboat-bound sailors drinking their own bodily fluids. The reasons are multiple and complex, but the bottom line is that the state’s world-renowned plumbing is now perilously stressed. A three-year drought has drained most of the state’s major reservoirs to their lowest levels in nearly two decades, forcing mandatory water restrictions for many residents. And warming temperatures have been shrinking the all-important snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, the largest storehouse of surface water in the state. … “
Continue reading this article from National Geographic by clicking here.
Cleaner air may raise water costs: SoCal agencies stack up against AB 32
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 5:23 amFrom iStock Analyst:
“The state’s efforts to clean up California’s air could show up on your water bill.
To meet the stringent requirements of Assembly Bill 32, requiring a 30 percent drop in carbon emissions by 2020, agencies across the state are tasked with turning to cleaner forms of energy.
“It’s no secret that most of that alternative energy is more costly than other alternatives,” said Kirby Brill, general manager of the Mojave Water Agency.
For California’s largest single-customer user of electricity, the State Water Project, that could be a pricey pursuit. And the state would pass any increase in costs to pump water from the SWP on to contractors such as MWA, which would then have to pass those costs to purveyors like Apple Valley Ranchos and on down to the consumer. … “
Continue reading this article from iStock Analyst by clicking here.
Keeping watch on water: Emerging contaminants in drinking water could be a cause of concern for lab water purification
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:53 amFrom Laboratory Equipment (a trade journal):
“When the Associated Press published results from a five-month study on the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water in 2008, the study made headlines across the country. Drugs such as antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and cholesterol-lowering medications were found to be present in the drinking water of more than 40 million Americans.
Previous studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey found an average of twenty different drugs in the wastewater streams they examined—everything from caffeine to over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen to rare but potent cancer chemotherapy drugs.
In addition to pharmaceuticals, contaminants in drinking water such as perchlorates, pesticides, herbicides, endocrine disrupting chemicals, brominated flame retardants, and personal care products make for a steady stream of news about what is in the water supply.
While such contaminants can be found in drinking water, should they be a concern for researchers? Are these contaminants making their way from the tap into the high-purity water used in the laboratory? … “
Continue reading this article from the trade journal Laboratory Equipment by clicking here.
Column: Deceptive arguments are being made in California’s water wars
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 2:34 pmFrom the Los Angeles Times, this column by Michael Hiltzik:
“Who needs absinthe, vodka or even a six-pack of beer? Judging from the quality of our debate on natural resource policy, all it takes to addle the political mind in California is water.
We’re talking about the water that flows to us from the mountains and the rivers, via canal or aqueduct, irrigating our fields, maintaining our aquatic habitats, and sustaining daily life in the cities and suburbs.
There isn’t enough of it to be exploited with abandon as we’ve done in the past, and nothing we do will increase the raw volume we receive from nature.
“It’s increasingly apparent that there’s not enough water for everyone to do all the things they want,” says Peter H. Gleick, co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based environmental group, “especially as inefficiently as they’ve done in the past.” … “
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Infospigot blog: California Water: Facts just roll right off
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom Infospigot: The Chronicles:
“Even when we don’t have all the water we want in California, we never suffer a shortage of detailed, interesting information about our water. If you need an example, go and check the California Data Exchange Center, an encyclopedia of constantly updated water statistics maintained by the state Department of Water Resources. If your thirst for water numbers isn’t slaked there, go next to the Central Valley Project’s operations page, produced by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Even bathed in all that data, though, you’re just getting started. If you want to go into advanced studies, you can pore over the California Water Plan, the bible for state water issues.
You get the picture. We’re not hurting for water facts. And you’d think with all that data floating around, at least some would sink in when people talk about water. But when we fight over water, we, or our brains, seem to become impermeable. You can shower them with all the facts and fancy reasoning you want, but it all beads up and runs right off. … “
Continue reading this blog post by clicking here.
California looks to Australia for lessons on water management
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 7:41 amFrom the Whittier Daily News:
“Over the past decade, Australia has seen its temperatures rise, its reservoirs plummet, and its crops dry up – the result of the country’s worst drought in 100 years.
The experience rings familiar to California water managers.
In response to its crisis, Australia has made a $50 billion government investment in water infrastructure, cut water allocations to farmers by 70 percent, and slashed household water use to a quarter of what is used in Californian homes. And it seems to be making it through.
So California’s water managers are increasingly looking to that country’s policies as the future for this state.
“Australia is truly the canary in the coal mine with the most severe impacts of climate change,” said Tim Brick, chairman of the Metropolitan Water District board of directors, who represents Pasadena on the board. … “
Read more from the Whittier Daily News by clicking here.
In Credible: The environment is screwed up enough that there’s no need to stretch the truth, says the Spouting Off blog
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 6, 2010 at 5:37 amFrom Mark Gold at the Spouting Off blog:
“Overly zealous scientists, politicians and enviros embellish the truth in order to make a point all too frequently. The controversy over exaggerated or incorrect facts and dates on the global impacts of climate change is just the latest example. The truth twisting has to stop. It hurts the cause. It creates distractions and inertia in a time when degradation is the dominant direction of most ecosystems.
The environment is screwed up enough that there’s no need to stretch the truth. I first shared that thought with Heal the Bay’s founding president, Dorothy Green, following a press conference on sewage spills in the late 1980s. Dorothy overstated the impacts of sewage spills in Santa Monica Bay at the event. The Bay was a mess. Large sewage spills and beach closures were commonplace, even during the summer. Bottom-dwelling fish like white croaker and Dover sole had tumors and fin rot. A dead zone sat in the middle of the Bay. She didn’t have to exaggerate. The horrific facts were enough to inspire people to take action.
That advice I gave to Dorothy long ago still rings true. … “
Continue reading this post from the Spouting Off blog by clicking here.
California’s need for water will not evaporate, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:35 amFrom the Capital Press:
“Word last week that federal water managers were increasing this year’s allotment for irrigation is being greeted with understandable skepticism by growers in California’s parched San Joaquin Valley.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation announced that irrigators south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would receive 5 percent of their contracted allocations, but could receive up to 30 percent if wet weather continues. U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said Department of Interior officials have told her that they could increase that allocation by 10 percentage points through various administrative actions.
The state Department of Water Resources increased its projection for deliveries to State Water Project contractors to 15 percent of contracted amounts. The state had previously forecast 5 percent. By the department’s own measure, if this estimate stays in place it would be the lowest delivery in 50 years.
This time last year, the feds had pegged allocations at 0 percent of contract amounts. While actual deliveries eventually hit 10 percent, more than 400,000 acres south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were left fallow. … “
Continue reading this article from the Capital Press by clicking here.
State’s environmental rules may be eased for major projects
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 7:53 amFrom Capitol Weekly:
“Years of exemptions from California’s principal environmental protection law are being crafted in the Capitol by the Schwarzenegger administration and lawmakers in both parties, who believe speedy approval of dozens of projects, public and private, will create jobs and spur economic growth.
The projects are potentially worth billions of dollars and thousands of jobs — although just how much money and how many jobs have not yet been identified. “If there is a list, if it exists, nobody has seen it,” one Capitol staffer said.
“California is going through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression,” said Sen. Lou Correa, D-Santa, author of one of the exemption bills. “This continues to provide environmental protection, and balances that with the opportunity to create jobs.”
“This isn’t about CEQA, it’s about jobs,” he added.
Environmentalists say the proposed end-run around the California Environmental Quality Act constitutes one of the most significant changes to CEQA since the law was written 40 years ago and inspired environmental legislation across the country. CEQA is a frequent target of lawsuits and legislation. … “
Continue reading this article from Capitol Weekly by clicking here.
Chance of Rain blog on western water: “There was never any incest”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 24, 2010 at 8:41 amFrom Emily Green at the Chance of Rain blog:
““Evil is elemental … It’s in the air, it’s in the sunshine, it’s in the water.” – So goes a line from New York Times film critic AO Scott in a “video pick” for Chinatown.*
Ah, cineastes. If they ever came out of their screening rooms, they would know that evil is elemental, it’s in the air, it’s in the sunshine, it’s in the water in real life. You don’t need to rent it.
While Scott’s paean was aimed more at Roman Polanski and less at water, it was well-timed. Evil has never been thicker in the world of Western water.
Today, over in Nevada, Governor Jim Gibbons indicated that he would help a thinly veiled attempt by Las Vegas to retroactively legalize a Great Basin water grab that dwarfs Mulholland’s exploits in the Eastern Sierra by dint of the sheer damage that it could wreak over tens of thousands of square miles. What does the future of the Pacific flyway or the last of the intact cold deserts in the world matter when tourists can enjoy chlorine-tinted replicas of Venetian canals without leaving the US? Or Californian tax refugees can find warmth and cheap homes? … “
Continue reading this blog commentary from the Chance of Rain blog by clicking here.
“Water Supply Reliability Through Innovation” topic of new PBS segment
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 24, 2010 at 8:27 amFrom the Association of California Water Agencies:
“SACRAMENTO, CA — (Marketwire) — 02/23/10 — The creative ways local water agencies are diversifying their water supplies are the focus of the latest segment of the “California’s Water” series for public television, produced by Huell Howser and underwritten by members of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA). The new segment debuts March 2 in Sacramento and will air throughout the month on PBS affiliates around the state.
In “Water Supply Reliability Through Innovation,” Huell visits three locations in San Diego to explore how agencies there are generating alternate water supplies. His first stop is San Vicente Dam, which is being raised by 117 feet to more than double the surface storage of its reservoir. Expecting to complete the dam raise in 2012, the San Diego County Water Authority will gain an additional 150,000 acre-feet of storage water, or enough water to supply 300,000 households, according to General Manager Maureen Stapleton.
“This is just one part of our entire water supply system, and we need all of the parts to ensure a reliable supply,” Stapleton says.
Dan Bacher: CLCV shamelessly greenwashes Feinstein’s environmental record
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 7:37 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this commentary:
“The California League of Conservation Voters today greenwashed the environmental record of Dianne Feinstein by praising her for earning a 100 percent score in their 2009 National Environmental Scorecard, even though Feinstein has collaborated with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in campaigning for the construction of a peripheral canal and new dams that would seal the doom of California’s imperiled Central Valley salmon and Delta fish populations.
Right now Feinstein is sponsoring an amendment in the Senate, at the behest of Westlands Water District, to strip protections under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) for Sacramento River Chinook salmon, Delta smelt, Central Valley steelhead and the southern resident population of killer whales. She has persistently lobbied to increase water exports to subsidized agribusiness interests that irrigate toxic soil on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
After receiving a letter from agribusiness giant Stewart Resnick of Paramount Farms, Feinstein also pressured the Obama administration to convene an “independent” panel of the National Academy of Sciences to review the biological opinions for Delta smelt and Central Valley salmon in January.
Yet CLCV CEO Warner Chabot, an adamant supporter of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s fast-track Marine Life Protection (MLPA) Initiative, gushes over what a great “environmental leader” that Feinstein is. … “
Continue reading Dan Bacher’s commentary by clicking here.
Alex Breitler’s blog: Salmon job losses also inflated, says Jeffrey Michael
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 7:11 amFrom Alex Brietler’s blog:
“University of the Pacific business forecasting prof Jeffrey Michael dropped an interesting bit of news at today’s water forum in Sacramento.
The news: Job loss estimates by the salmon fishing industry may be greatly exaggerated – as were earlier estimates for agriculture in the south San Joaquin Valley.
“Job loss exaggerations are now officially an epidemic in the water debate,” Michael wrote in his blog, Valley Economy.
For months, Michael has been saying publicly that water-related job losses in the south Valley were not as severe as other economists and many media reports had portrayed. He said most of the area’s struggles with unemployment were because of the flattened economy, not a lack of water. And of those job losses that could be blamed on lack of water, most were because of the drought and not Endangered Species Act protections for fish. … “
Continue reading this post at Alex Breitler’s blog by clicking here.
Commentary: Job creation and natural resources
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 6:44 amFrom the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Paul H. Betancourt:
“The president is running around telling people that job creation is important. Excellent. He has highlighted the importance of small businesses in creating new jobs. Again, excellent.
An unspoken root of the issue of job creation is the question: How do we use our natural resources? Here the natural resource in question is water. In the Pacific Northwest it used to be timber. In other places across the country, there are other resources in question.
Creation of wealth and jobs
We don’t create wealth as individuals or as a nation by trading paper like Wall Street bankers. We create wealth by producing things or providing services. Some of that “producing things” comes from utilizing natural resources.
That very idea of utilizing natural resources has come under suspicion and criticism for a generation now in our country. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
New signs the tide may be shifting against water privatization
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 9:16 amFrom AlterNet:
“In the first hours of 2010, the city of Paris, whose water system has been under various forms of mixed public and private management for much of the last century, took back public control of its water utility. The decision is emblematic of changes occurring throughout the world, with the wave of utility privatizations ebbing in the face of mismanagement, dismal community relations and a rising tide of concern, in the developing world especially, about whether denial of affordable, safe water constitutes an abuse of human rights.
Despite a widespread crisis of confidence in private investment inspired both by the acknowledged failures of water privatization and by the global economic crisis, the private water industry is far from giving up the ghost. France, the nation that has promoted deregulation and privatization so strongly that this particular ideological export is known as the “French model” of water management, is still home to some of the world’s most powerful private water entities. … “
Read more from AlterNet by clicking here.
Peace in water wars is a way off, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 16, 2010 at 8:16 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta, this editorial:
“Developments regarding California water last week were typically volatile and confusing. They are strong evidence why solving California’s water issues will be complex and diverse.
Federal Judge Oliver Wanger first ruled that the pumps that transfer fresh water from the Bay delta into the system that feeds Central Valley water users could be turned on. Then he ruled that they would remain shut off.
Later in the week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced her intention to get Valley farmers as much as 40 percent of their water requests filled. West side Valley users haven’t had more than 10 percent in several years.
Feinstein had supported the so-called New Mexico fix in 2003, when an exemption from the Endangered Species Act was granted to the silvery minnow to preserve Albuquerque’s water supply.
But Feinstein had previously blocked a similar amendment to the New Mexico fix when it was proposed in 2008 by Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. … “
Read more of this editorial from the Visalia Times-Delta by clicking here.
Commentary: California water debate is more than merely ‘fish vs. people’
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 16, 2010 at 8:14 amFrom Jim Boren at the Fresno Bee Opinion Talk blog:
“It’s much easier to reduce a complicated issue like California water policy to a slogan that fits on a bumper sticker. But calling the struggle over limited water allocations in the state “fish vs. people” or a “man-made drought” do not do the issue justice.
Like most political issues these days, the debate over water is most often carried out on the extremes, with the various sides defaulting to talking points put out by groups they belong to. The idea of reaching a compromise isn’t even on the radar. That brings gridlock to the issue and is the main reason that a water solution remains out of reach.
The Fresno Bee’s editorial board has long pushed for a balanced solution to the water problem that acknowledges the need to protect the environment and provides water for agriculture and urban uses. After three years of drought conditions, dividing up the limited supply of water is where the issue gets complicated. In addition, the federal Endangered Species Act has limited water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta because the pumping kills threatened species.
Unfortunately, much of this issue is being fought out in Federal Court in Fresno … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee Opinion Talk blog by clicking here.
Peter Gleick on YouTube: The real cost of the water we use
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 15, 2010 at 6:49 amFrom Stanford Graduate School of Business:
“California is quickly reaching the point where each unit of water used to raise crops costs more in ecological damage than it provides benefits of crops, said Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, during the Stanford Graduate School of Business annual environmental lecture.
Politicians and engineers have grappled for years with solutions to California’s water shortages. It’s unlikely more dams or huge infrastructure projects will be built, so what’s the alternative?
Gleick called for looking to other kinds of water supply, such as treated wastewater, desalination, or rainwater harvesting. Maintaining the infrastructure we already have is important, as well as growing crops that take less water. And he called for proper pricing mechanisms and markets to limit cheap water.
Gleick spoke at the 2010 Conradin von Gugelberg Memorial Lecture on the Environment.”
The Sierra Nevada’s blue gold
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 6:52 amFrom UC Davis:
“Gia Martynn, the watershed coordinator for the Feather River Coordinated Resource Management Group, calls water the ‘blue gold’ of the California’s Sierra Nevada. She says few Californians know where their water comes from, but believes it is imperative for all to understand its value.”
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 amToday, 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.
The strangest liquid: Why water is so weird
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 4, 2010 at 8:29 am
From New Scientist (hat tip to the Sisweb):
“We are confronted by many mysteries, from the nature of dark matter and the origin of the universe to the quest for a theory of everything. These are all puzzles on the grand scale, but you can observe another enduring mystery of the physical world – equally perplexing, if not quite so grand – from the comfort of your kitchen. Simply fill a tall glass with chilled water, throw in an ice cube and leave it to stand.
The fact that the ice cube floats is the first oddity. And the mystery deepens if you take a thermometer and measure the temperature of the water at various depths. At the top, near the ice cube, you’ll find it to be around 0 °C, but at the bottom it should be about 4 °C. That’s because water is denser at 4°C than it is at any other temperature – another strange trait that sets it apart from other liquids.
Water’s odd properties don’t stop there (see “Water’s mysteries”), and some are vital to life. Because ice is less dense than water, and water is less dense at its freezing point than when it is slightly warmer, it freezes from the top down rather than the bottom up. So even during the ice ages, life continued to thrive on lake floors and in the deep ocean. Water also has an extraordinary capacity to mop up heat, and this helps smooth out climatic changes that could otherwise devastate ecosystems. … “
Read more from New Scientist by clicking here.
Picture by flickr photographer bitzcelt (Creative Commons).
Commentary: Water strife does not bode well for farmers or consumers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 3, 2010 at 8:48 amFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
“To have food, you must have water. This may seem like common sense to farmers but unfortunately, many consumers don’t connect the two.
Consequently, a tug-of-war game being played out in some states over water rights is pitting municipalities and residents against farmers and ranchers. Little do consumers know, they will really be on the losing end if farmers do not have adequate water supplies to continue producing food for our nation.
It is tough enough for producers who continually face drought and other natural water shortages without further being impacted by state water regulations. I have long said the issue of water supply will be one of the biggest challenges facing not only agriculture, but our country as a whole, in the next several decades. The question is, when does that challenge become a crisis? … “
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
Blog commentary on California water: “Free-market” politics with the public trust
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 3, 2010 at 8:36 amFrom the Badlands Journal blog, this commentary:
“California is going into its fourth year of drought and its second year of high-powered water warfare. The state now lives in a state of perpetual water anxiety. We even have a monthly religious rite at the top of Echo Pass, near Lake Tahoe. A priest from the state Water Resources Department, surrounded by reporters stumbling in snow shoes, takes a magic wand onto a field of snow, plunges the wand into the snow, pulls it out, and utters predictions of the state’s water supply. Reporters return to their newspapers and write that there is not enough. Some of the older ones think of the 1974 classic, “Chinatown,” about a local water war in Los Angeles.
There is a drought but there is no long-term water shortage in California. The state’s water comes in different amounts, sometimes in floods, sometimes in drought, most often in some quantity in between. On the other hand, there is an overpopulation problem and an agribusiness problem which, combined with three light-rainfall years, has shut down the King salmon commercial fishery for two years because of over-pumping in the San Joaquin Delta.. This over-pumping the largest estuary on the West Coast has occurred from the two pumps, state and federal, side-by-side on the Delta, during a huge real estate boom and a gigantic expansion of orchards (mostly almonds) south of the Delta. Following a settlement between California and upstream users on the Colorado River, Southern California’s other main source of fresh water, this ruinous over-pumping has made extinction likely for some Delta species and is threatening the existence of a viable salmon fishery. … “
Continue reading this blog commentary at the Badlands Journal by clicking here.
Water heist: Corporations are targeting cash-strapped cities for control of their public water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 30, 2010 at 6:50 amFrom AlterNet:
“Corporate interests having are eyeing our water. From wastewater to drinking water, big business is looking to cash in on public water systems and they’ve got a new tactic: They’re using desperate economic times to convince city officials that they should place a corporation between families and their ability to eat, drink, and clean.
Take Akron, Ohio, for example. In September 2008 I wrote an article for Alternet about a ballot measure in Akron where voters were asked whether to lease the city’s wastewater system to a corporation in return for an immediate, one-time payment. The plan was roundly defeated. But more importantly, as the article suggested, the lease signaled a new direction for water privatization in the U.S. This involved a collaboration between water companies and Wall Street to snatch up control of water infrastructure for the better part of a century.
Since that vote, similar lease plans have been floated in Milwaukee and Chicago, presenting a dangerous possibility: In the near future, a major U.S. city could sign over unprecedented control of its water system to a corporation for a generation or longer. The silver lining in this narrative is that the same communities being targeted by water corporations for these deals are now charting out new ways to ensure their water remains in public hands. And for the moment, advocates of public control are winning. … “
Read more from AlterNet by clicking here.
California Water Atlas now available online at the Water Resources Center Archives
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 28, 2010 at 3:39 pmFrom the Delta eNews:
“The Water Resources Center Archives at UC Berkeley has completed the digitization of the California Water Atlas (1979), which the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research authorized last August.
The atlas is a detailed, lavishly illustrated description of water and water issues in California. When published in 1979, Charles Wollenberg in the California Historical Quarterly called it “a very big and beautiful book…well-written, spectacularly illustrated, and filled with useful information for expert and layman alike…an indispensable sourcebook
for decades to come.”
Valley Economy blog: PPIC California water myths review: part #2
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 28, 2010 at 8:21 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“As mentioned in the first part of this review, I think the biggest problem with the PPIC’s new California Water Myths report is the inconsistency between it and their influential 2008 Comparing Futures report that recommended building the controversial peripheral canal. Their peripheral canal justification was deeply flawed and built on assumptions that the PPIC calls “myths” in their new report, yet they continue to promote the canal.
The economic analysis in Comparing Futures suffers from 3 fatal flaws.
1. Grossly overstates future urban water demand and the cost of alternative water supplies.
2. Does not value environmental services or even the market values of recreation and fishing.
3. Ignores established scientific methods for evaluating investments over time which skews their analysis to favor big capital projects like canals and dams. … “
Read more from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Barry Nelson: Facts are stubborn things
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 26, 2010 at 8:21 amFrom Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
““Facts are stubborn things” said founding father John Adams more than 200 years ago. What he meant is that some, in their zeal to advance their political agenda, often fail to acknowledge facts that don’t support their case. Not surprisingly, some folks are particularly careful to ignore facts that undermine their point. He could have been talking about California water.
A lot of hard truths are likely to be overlooked in the busy coming week of events addressing California water issues. At several of these events, we’ll see signs of an ambitious political, legal and media campaign by powerful Central Valley agricultural interests to weaken protections for the Bay-Delta ecosystem, salmon and other species. So pay attention to news stories and statements to see who’s addressing (and who’s ignoring) the following stubborn facts:
* According to state and federal agencies, fully three quarters of the water supply reductions in 2009 were the result of a third consecutive dry year. (The Pacific Legal Foundation virtually ignores the dry weather and refers to this as a “government drought” on a video on Delta water issues.)
* The science supports the new Bay-Delta protections. Before the salmon and smelt biological opinions were finalized, five peer reviews were completed, to ensure that they were based on the best science available. By contrast, the previous biological opinions rejected by the court were found – in official federal reviews – to have been produced using poor science and political manipulation. … “
Barry Nelson has more of those stubborn facts for you: click here to continue reading this post at the NRDC Switchboard blog.
For the Pacific Legal Foundation’s response to Barry Nelson’s first fact, read on….
The Pacific Legal Foundation responds: The Constitution is (fortunately) a stubborn document
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 26, 2010 at 8:18 amFrom Brandon Middleton at Pacific Legal Foundation, this rebuttal to Barry Nelson’s post:
“The Natural Resource Defense Council’s Barry Nelson doesn’t like what Pacific Legal Foundation is doing when it comes to California’s water. (See his NRDC Switchboard blog post, “Facts are stubborn things” [above]). According to Nelson, PLF and others have been “particularly careful to ignore facts that undermine their point.” Nelson asks that the public to
pay attention to news stories and statements to see who’s addressing (and who’s ignoring) the following stubborn facts:
o According to state and federal agencies, fully three quarters of the water supply reductions in 2009 were the result of a third consecutive dry year. (The Pacific Legal Foundation virtually ignores the dry weather and refers to this as a “government drought” on a video on Delta water issues.)
So, according to Nelson, if there is a natural drought, then there cannot be a government drought.
This, of course, is absurd and is belied by Nelson’s own statistical concession — our government and the Endangered Species Act were responsible for 1/4 of California water supply reductions in 2009. And the 1/4 share is not insignificant: at more than 160 billions gallons of water, the amount of H2O devoted solely to the delta smelt in 2009 could have supplied the entire city of Los Angeles for more than eight months.
Continue reading this post at the Pacific Legal Foundation by clicking here.
Aussie commentary: US looks in our direction for wisdom on drought
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 24, 2010 at 8:11 amFrom the Sydney Morning Herald, this commentary by Cynthia Banham:
“A few hours out of San Diego, taking the scenic route along Highway 1 to San Francisco, I spotted a large creature by the roadside. We turned the car around and joined a few people taking a closer look. Lolling on the grass, like a beautiful giant slug, was an elephant seal.
The bulls can grow over 4½ metres long, but they have only recently returned to this part of the US coast. They were hunted almost to extinction in the late 19th century, until hunting was banned in the 1970s. Two decades later elephant seals have made an astonishing comeback, and colonies began reappearing on central Californian beaches in the ’90s.
I was in the US for the West Coast Australia America Leadership Dialogue. Much of the discussion centred on gloomy environmental issues, such as the impact of rising temperatures on oceans, and population, drought and climate on fresh-water resources. But seeing the return of those majestic elephant seals made me more hopeful about the prospects of us tackling environmental challenges. When humans stop or modify their destructive behaviour towards the environment, sometimes, given half a chance, nature finds a way to bounce back.
When it comes to environmental challenges, specifically water scarcity, Australia has a lot in common with the US. … “
Read more of Cynthia Banham’s commentary by clicking here.
Landmark 1979 California Water Atlas debuts online
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 23, 2010 at 6:46 amFrom David Rumsey Map Collection:
“Originally published in 1979, The California Water Atlas, a monument of 20th century cartographic publishing, has been scanned and put online for free public access by the David Rumsey Map Collection. Linda Vida, Director of The Water Resources Center Archives of the University of California asked David Rumsey and Cartography Associates to scan and make available to the public this extraordinary book. The copyright holder, the California Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, agreed to allow free public access online.
The book was digitized at very high resolution so the resulting images can be explored, revealing all the amazing detail in the many diagrams, maps, and illustrations that accompany the extensive text. The original work was a collaborative effort involving many individuals in and outside the government of then Governor Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown, Jr., including William L. Kahrl, Project Director and Editor; William A. Bowen, Cartography Team Director; Stewart Brand, Advisory Group Chairman; Marlyn L. Shelton, Research Team Director; David L. Fuller and Donald A. Ryan, Principal Cartographers; and many others who contributed to the project. … “
Read more from the David Rumsey Map Collection and check out the atlas by clicking here.
Water woes are headed eastward
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 21, 2010 at 6:26 amFrom the Baxter Bulletin:
“Mark Twain famously said that, in California, water flows uphill toward money. But political machinations, such as the water grab that enabled the metropolis of Los Angeles to sprout in a land of little rain, aren’t uniquely Californian.
Today the epic water rights battles fought in the arid West — over irrigation, drinking water, ecosystems and dams — are moving east, as a growing population and changing climate put new pressures on water availability.
In 2007, a Southeast drought provoked a fierce court battle over the waters of Lake Lanier. The combatants were Georgia, Florida and Alabama — states that used to have plenty of water. In the Great Lakes region, falling lake levels led to the Great Lakes Compact of 2008 that outlawed most water transfers out of the eight-state region.
By 2013, 36 states expect water shortages, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office, likely sparking many more contentious legal battles over this vital resource. It’s better that we begin planning today for the shortages to come, rather than waiting for the courts to decide.
To begin, we need to realistically evaluate the population capacity of regions based upon local water availability. … “
Read more from the Baxter Bulletin by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: PPIC Water Myths review: part 1
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 19, 2010 at 7:24 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“The objective of the PPIC Water Myths report is to get the facts straight, so that California water discussions can be “rebuilt on myth free foundations.” That’s a worthy goal, and it appears to me that the majority of the facts in the report are correct. But the PPIC continues to show a troubling tendency of downplaying their own mistakes and outright bias towards some stakeholders.
The biggest problem is serious inconsistencies with their far more influential 2008 report that endorsed the controversial peripheral canal. Although they tout the 2008 report repeatedly in Water Myths, much of their 2008 study was based on arguments and facts that they are now calling myths. Next week, I will discuss this in detail in Part 2 of the review.
The current focus is a few parts that raise questions about the seriousness of the PPIC’s committment to neutrality and myth busting. At various points in Water Myths, the PPIC team 1) blames others for myths they created, 2) creates a new myth, and 3) shows bias for certain stakeholders. … “
Continue reading this post at the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Robert J. Kennedy, Jr. on privatization of water supplies
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 18, 2010 at 7:22 amHere’s Christine Amanpour interviewing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., of the Waterkeeper Alliance, regarding privatization of water supplies:
Range Magazine: Water in the West
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 18, 2010 at 7:13 amFrom Range Magazine, this special section on Water in the West (published in 2006):
“There has never been more, and there will never be less. Water is the essence of all life. It is also perhaps the most indestructible substance on our planet, for while it may be altered in form and mass and become the carrier of other elements, there is little if any difference in the amount of water on the planet today than there has been through the eons of time. Even with the infinite uses mankind makes of it, there exists enough fresh water alone to provide every human being with more than 40 million gallons-far more in constantly replenished form than could be consumed in any lifetime.
Of all the paradoxes of existence, this one is the true master of human behavior and social order-thirst on a planet virtually made of water. Famine and feast, war and peace, civilization and extinction all begin in what seems the whim of a winter cloud.
SPECIAL SECTION: Water in the West
* Caught in the High Beams
* Betrayed by the Feds
* Basins
* The Map
* Aquifers
* Drought
* The West
* The Great Basin
* Big Lone Star Win
* How to Win a Property War
* The Texas Water Wars
* Drowning in Albuquerque?
Download the 2.8MB pdf file from Range Magazine by clicking here.
Clay/Isenberg talk now available to view online
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 14, 2010 at 7:43 amFrom UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences:
See the list of speakers scheduled for the entire series by clicking here.
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