Santa Clara Valley: Keep pumping fee for water supply funding, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 20, 2010 at 5:10 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“The Santa Clara Valley Water District is in a bind. A court ruling on a lawsuit by well owners has placed a major source of the district’s revenue, a groundwater fee, in serious question. So the public agency now is asking the well owners for permission to continue charging them the fee, which brings in $70 million a year — a quarter of the district’s budget.
They might well say no, but that would be a mistake. It’s our water supply they’re toying with. Keeping the system strong is important not only for residents but for the region’s economy: Nothing, not even high taxes, will drive companies away as surely as uncertainty about the water supply.
The water district maintains that supply, among other responsibilities. It provides water to the utilities and private companies that sell it to consumers. About half of that water comes from wells — but two thirds of the well water is put into the ground by the water district, drawing on reservoirs and imported supplies. This is the basis for the fee, which owners call the pump tax. Other water districts have similar fees, some significantly higher. … “
Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Bay Area water system upgrade underway
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 5:39 amFrom KGO Channel 7 (ABC) in San Francisco:
“FREMONT, CA (KGO) — Three major water construction projects will create a lot of new jobs in the Bay Area. Workers will be upgrading and improving the region’s aging water system. The groundbreaking is taking place in Fremont in what’s being called the Bay Division Pipeline Reliability Upgrade.
Miles of new water pipes are going to be installed underground throughout the Bay Area — improving delivery of Hetch-Hetchy water and at the same time bringing new jobs to the region.
The Hetch-Hetchy water system needs an upgrade — it’s been operating since 1934, delivering 239 million gallons of water daily to multiple Bay Area cities. … “
Continue reading this article from KGO Channel 7 by clicking here.
Additional coverage from The Oakland Tribune by clicking here.
Trust the planning process on Saltworks project, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 5:26 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, this commentary by Art Agnos, a former mayor of San Francisco and currently a strategic adviser for DMB:
“Twenty years ago, as mayor of San Francisco, I faced a difficult decision over the fate of the Embarcadero Freeway after the 1989 earthquake.
Some 22,000 people signed a petition opposing demolition of the hideous double-deck freeway. Indeed, they opposed even starting an environmental review process to develop the facts.
As I was facing re-election, the easy political decision would have been to agree. But I decided to ignore the politics of the moment and follow what a sound environmental and development review would find as the best solution. And that is why San Francisco today now has restored access to the bay and its spectacular, thriving waterfront.
Today, Redwood City faces the same kind of decision over plans for the future of the Saltworks site. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Another mothballed ship leaving Suisun Bay
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 5:16 amFrom the Vallejo Times-Herald:
“The Suisun Bay mothball fleet is scheduled to give up another of its ghosts today, the fleet’s final World War II Victory ship. The U.S. Maritime Administration’s Suisun Bay Reserve Fleet has scheduled the World War II-era cargo ship, the Winthrop Victory, to be towed for cleaning to the BAE Systems San Francisco Ship Repair docks.
Following its cleaning in San Francisco, the Winthrop Victory will be towed to Texas for recycling.
Federal officials were unsure Wednesday exactly when the ship would depart, due to possible changes in weather conditions.
The estimated start time will be at about 10:30 a.m., followed by about one to two hours to untie and turn the ship around, before its journey begins, officials said. … “
Continue reading this article from the Vallejo Times-Herald by clicking here.
Water supply increases for Contra Costa; drought restrictions likely to end
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:22 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“Contra Costa’s largest water district will likely end its drought restrictions next month because of good news in a federal agency’s water supply estimates.
The announcement also relieved pressure on the part of the state hardest hit by the three-year drought, the farming region on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.
Those farmers saw their water supply estimate increase from 5 percent of their contracts to 25 percent, and they received assurances that federal officials will try to boost their share.
The higher estimate is, in theory, worth as much as $120 million to farmers in the nation’s largest irrigation district, according to one farmer in the Westlands Water District.
The Contra Costa Water District, which received 65 percent of its contracted water last year, will almost certainly get 75 percent this year. And that could rise to 100 percent if rain and snow reach average levels this spring. … “
Continue reading this article from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Water crunch eases for Silicon Valley, much of Bay Area
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:20 amFrom the San Jose Mercury News:
“Significantly reducing the chance that Silicon Valley residents will face another summer of water restrictions, the Obama Administration on Tuesday promised to pump a lot more water from San Francisco Bay’s delta this year.
Benefiting from a rainy winter, cities and farms across California will receive the bounty. The Santa Clara Valley Water District, which last year called for a mandatory 15 percent cutback in water use, will receive 32,000 acre-feet more this year than it had been allotted last month — enough extra water for 160,000 people for a year.
“We could really use the water, especially after three-year drought,” said Keith Whitman, water supply manager for the district. … “
Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Poet’s Corner residents may avoid water rationing this year
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:18 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“PLEASANT HILL — Poet’s Corner residents are likely to get a reprieve from the water rationing they endured last year.
The Contra Costa Water District predicts that with a deeper snow pack, heavy winter rains and an expected allocation from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it should be able to meet demand this year. A drought management program last year vexed Diablo Vista Water System customers.
Although the mandatory rationing probably will end, the district cautions against profligate water use.
“Because there still remains a level of regulatory and other uncertainties in the Delta, we are continuing to encourage customers to conserve,” said Jennifer Allen, water district spokeswoman.
To that end, Contra Costa Water plans to fine residential and irrigation customers, such as Diablo Vista, whose historical use is less than 1,000 gallons of water per day if they exceed that this year. … “
Continue reading this article from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Los Vaqueros expansion moves closer
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 4:49 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“A $120 million expansion of Los Vaqueros Reservoir as a hedge against drought is on track to win the approval of Contra Costa’s largest water district later this month.
The reservoir near Brentwood could grow by 60 percent if Contra Costa Water District directors certify an environmental report released Monday.
The water district says that enlarging the dam would make its 600,000 customers less susceptible to water rationing and allow the district more flexibility to manage its Delta pumping in a more environmentally benign way, all without raising rates.
“You can’t build a reservoir big enough for California droughts, but the likelihood (of rationing) goes way down,” said Greg Gartrell, the district’s assistant general manager. … “
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Reclamation and Contra Costa Water District release final EIS/EIR for Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 4:46 amFrom the Bureau of Reclamation:
“The Bureau of Reclamation and the Contra Costa Water District (CCWD) have released the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project located in Contra Costa County, California. The purpose of expanding Los Vaqueros Reservoir is to develop reliable dry year water supplies, provide additional water quality improvement for CCWD municipal and industrial customers, and provide additional emergency water supply for the San Francisco Bay Area. The EIS/EIR provides an environmental analysis of the proposed expansion of the existing reservoir from 100,000 acre-feet to 160,000 acre-feet and alternatives to 275,000 acre-feet.
The Final EIS/EIR is the basis for decision-making for the Federal, State, and local agencies. Reclamation will prepare a Record of Decision (ROD) following a 30-day notice of the publication of the Final EIS/EIR. The ROD will identify the decision and discuss the relevant factors considered. The CCWD Board of Directors is scheduled to consider certification of the Final EIR and project approval at a public meeting on Wednesday, March 31, 2010. If the Board certifies the Final EIR and approves the project, CCWD will publish a Notice of Determination (NOD) on April 1, 2010, and file the NOD with the Contra Costa County Clerk and the State Clearinghouse.
“Reclamation is very pleased to be part of the Los Vaqueros Reservoir Expansion Project – the first surface storage expansion project to move forward under the CALFED Bay-Delta Authorization Act of 2004,” stated Mr. Donald R. Glaser, Regional Director of Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Region. “Expanding Los Vaqueros will be instrumental in improving dry year water supply reliability and water quality in the San Francisco Bay area. Reclamation and CCWD are committed to continue working with the State of California, water users, environmental groups, and all other stakeholders involved in the Bay-Delta Conservation Planning process and additional storage studies.”
The Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion is one of five potential surface water storage projects identified in the CALFED Storage Program and the CALFED Bay-Delta Program’s Programmatic Record of Decision, dated August 2000. The CALFED Bay-Delta Program is a 30-year program (2000-2030) based on four major resource management objectives that guide actions designed to achieve a healthy ecosystem while supplying 25 million Californians with a reliable water supply. The objectives are ecosystem restoration, water supply reliability, water quality, and levee system integrity. Reclamation plays a key role as the Federal lead agency for implementing water supply reliability actions in coordination with State and local partner agencies.
The Final EIS/EIR is available at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/nepa/nepa_projdetails.cfm?Project_ID=903. If you encounter problems accessing documents online, please contact Reclamation’s Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 916-978-5608) or e-mail mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.
Column: Saratoga town code impervious to common sense
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:45 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“To the casual observer, the 2,388-square-foot lawn behind Ron Hills’ sprawling Saratoga home looks like any other well-tended expanse of grass: lush, manicured, uniformly green.
But upon closer inspection, it’s maybe a bit too uniform. Unlike the other lawns on his 1.5-acre property, this one has not a brown patch or weed to be found, not a single blade of grass out of place.
Which means that either the grounds crew from Augusta National stops by regularly to mow, roll, edge and water it to perfection, or this grass is fake.
Oh yes, it’s fake. Hills actually prefers it that way. And that’s why he’s fighting Saratoga City Hall, which wants him to tear the stuff out.
“It looks like grass, it feels like grass and it percolates,” says the battling 73-year-old retired Lockheed engineer of his nylon, polypropylene and polyethylene turf. “This whole thing makes no sense.”
For the record, Saratoga does not outlaw artificial turf. But it does limit how much fake grass a homeowner can install. … “
Continue reading this column from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Dredging at Mare Island might get nod this year
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:40 amFrom the Vallejo Times-Herald:
“Some 14 years worth of accumulated silt in front of two Mare Island dry docks has about a 50-50 chance of qualifying for removal this year, a regional dredging official estimates.
“It can happen quickly, if everything’s in place,” said Rob Lawrence, staff member with the Dredged Material Management Office in San Francisco. “But bottlenecks can happen if anyone falls behind.”
The Dredged Material Management Office for which Lawrence works is made up of a variety of state, regional and federal organizations, each with a stake in supplying Bay Area dredging permits.
Company officials for California Dry Dock Solutions, also known as Allied Defense Recycling, are in the midst of a lengthy permit application process to dredge the Mare Island Strait. Once the waterway is clear, the company will be able to tow aged and decomposing World War II-era ships to Mare Island for dismantling and recycling, if awarded federal contracts to do so. … “
Continue reading this article from the Vallejo Times-Herald by clicking here.
Land war heating up over Cargill salt ponds
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:38 amFrom the San Francisco Examiner:
“One of the most heated Bay Area land-use battles of the century is shaping up as different interests take sides in a plan to partly develop and partly restore a 1,436-acre salt harvesting site in Redwood City.
Diversified international company Cargill sold most of its Peninsula salt ponds in 2003 for $100 million to government agencies that plan to restore the shoreline habitats to create a sweeping federal wildlife reserve.
But Cargill held onto a site adjacent to the Port of Redwood City, which it values at $200 million, and it has spent several years preparing development plans for the land under a partnership with Arizona-based developer DMB Associates.
The land has been used for commercial salt harvesting since 1901.
The development plans currently include as many as five schools, 63 acres of sports fields, 759 acres of restored habitat, and neighborhood parks and sports fields, 1 million square feet of commercial space and 8,000 to 12,000 new homes. … “
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
New treatment facility for San Jose will purify water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:31 amFrom the Mercury News:
“Santa Clara Valley Water District will begin using new treatment methods and build an entirely new facility to bring South Bay residents, businesses and agencies recycled water with less salinity.
The district’s Board of Directors last month approved two agreements with the City of San Jose to build a new advanced water treatment facility that will produce highly purified recycled water and strengthen the integrated management of recycled water.
The first agreement approved by the water district provides a 40-year lease agreement for the five-acre parcel of Alviso land needed for the facility. … “
Continue reading this article from the Mercury News by clicking here.
Second suit filed against Crystal Geyser project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 7:47 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“A second suit calling for an environmental review and to rescind the city of Orland’s approval of a Crystal Geyser sparkling water bottling plant is being filed in Glenn County Superior Court.
The suit, filed by the group Save Our Water Resources, accuses the city of improperly concluding the project is exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act review.
It also argues groundwater pumping reports should be made public. Crystal Geyser asked for private reporting because the company “doesn’t want to be in a position where our strengths and weaknesses are exposed to competition,” said project information officer Alec Van Ryan.
The plant, however, would be monitored and a penalty of about $1 per gallon would be charged if more than 160 acre-feet a year is pumped each year. The aquifer would also need to be recharged if more water is pumped.
Joanne Overton, chairwoman of Save Our Water Resources, said her group has said throughout the approval process that an environmental review under CEQA is necessary. … “
Continue reading this article from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
Interim general manager named for Contra Costa Water District
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 7:45 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“The board of directors of the Contra Costa Water District has selected an interim general manager, and one member of the board has announced her resignation.
Assistant general manager Jerry Brown will take over as interim general manager when Wally Bishop steps down, likely in May. Bishop announced last month he was leaving the district after 18 years at the helm.
“We have a strong team of professionals at CCWD and the board holds high confidence in Jerry’s ability to lead this first-rate team,” board President Joseph L. Campbell said. “We anticipate a smooth transition in leadership.”
The board approved Brown’s one-year contract late Wednesday. … “
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Report outlines Lower Crystal Springs Dam upgrades, impact
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 7:36 am
From the San Mateo Daily Journal:
“Work to restore the Crystal Springs Reservoir to its historical storage capacity will create significant and unavoidable impacts to air quality and noise, according to a draft environmental report.
Upgrades to the Lower Crystal Springs Dam is set to begin in February 2011 but not before the public has a chance to review the 760-page document that shows the environmental impacts of the project.
Most of the work will be done between March 2011 and November 2011, including periods with 24-hour-per-day construction.
The draft environmental impact report spells out the significant and unavoidable impacts of the proposed project including construction noise; noise disturbance along construction haul routes; and recreational impacts, among others.
Work on the Lower Crystal Springs Dam would also impact fisheries related to inundation of spawning habitat upstream of the reservoir, according to the report. … “
Read more from the San Mateo Daily Journal by clicking here.
Picture of the Lower Crystal Springs Dam by flickr photographer cbcastro (Creative Commons).
SF Chronicle editorial on a Redwood City development
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 4, 2010 at 6:44 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, this editorial:
“Ecologically sensitive salt ponds on the outskirts of Redwood City are the wrong place to build up to 12,000 new homes.
Unfortunately, Redwood City officials have been mostly quiet about the massive project, which would construct a community of up to 25,000 people on a 1,436-acre salt evaporation site owned by Cargill Salt. But the city council has chosen to move forward with an environmental review of the project, which suggests they think it should at least be considered.
Nearly 100 current and former Bay Area elected officials disagree, and for good reason. “Salt ponds are not land to be paved,” reads a letter signed by officials opposing the project. “They are part of San Francisco Bay to be restored to tidal marsh, natural flood protection for our communities, cleaner water, and recreation areas for everyone to enjoy.” … “
Read more of this editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Getting water from Kern County to Redwood City won’t be easy
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:54 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“Residents of a future Saltworks community could someday be sipping water that, on paper at least, has traveled 300 miles from Kern County to Redwood City.
If Saltworks developer DMB Associates is to succeed in its bid to import 591 million gallons of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta every year to supply as many as 12,000 new homes on the Redwood City salt flats, it will need to enlist a lot of outside help. And environmental groups will be there to try to stop them every step of the way.
“This project relies on a complicated, controversial, unprecedented and illegal water transfer from Southern California water interests. It doesn’t belong in the Bay,” said Stephen Knight, political director of Save the Bay.
Only a few details have emerged about the mechanics behind the company’s proposal, but it’s clear that the water would need to be “wheeled” through a third-party Bay Area water agency such as the Santa Clara Valley Water District, which buys Delta water from both the State Water Project and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). The water agency would take a greater share of Delta water and forgo an equivalent amount of SFPUC water, which would be forwarded to Redwood City. … “
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Monday’s top of scroll: Redwood City Saltworks developer poised to become major Bay Area water baron
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 1, 2010 at 8:13 am
From the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Water for one of the biggest proposed developments in the Bay Area’s history would be supplied by a developer who has amassed enough private water rights to become a major Bay Area water baron at a time of increasing supply uncertainty.
DMB Associates, an Arizona-based company that specializes in upscale mixed-use developments close to wilderness, plans to pipe 591 million gallons per year from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to as many as 12,000 homes on the Redwood City Saltworks site via a series of complicated and unprecedented water exchanges that originate 300 miles to the southeast in Kern County.
But DMB had more than Redwood City’s needs in mind in late 2008 when it bought the rights to 2.7 billion gallons of water per year — about 12 percent of the annual water demand for San Mateo County — from Kern County-based Nickel Family, a land- and water-holding company with some developments of its own and roots in more than a century of Central Valley farming.
“We look at water rights as an asset, just like securing rights to land,” said John Bruno, general manager of the DMB Saltworks venture. … “
Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
” … More than 90 current and former elected Bay Area officials last week demanded that Redwood City immediately halt the Saltworks project, which would bring up to 12,000 housing units, offices and retail to the shoreline.
“We all have a stake in what happens in Redwood City,” said Contra Costa County supervisor John Gioia. “It’s about habitat, biological diversity. The bay defines our quality of life and who we are.”
The project is at least two years from a decision by the Redwood City Council and a host of other agencies, as well as voters, but environmentalists said they don’t want to wait to launch the first salvo.
“There’s absolutely no reason to move forward with this,” said David Lewis, director of Save the Bay, which lobbied for the officials’ support. “We don’t pave restorable wetlands, and we don’t need an environmental impact report to learn that.” … “
Continue reading this article from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Santa Clara votes for advanced wastewater reuse plant
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:29 amFrom Desalination & Water Reuse:
“The directors of the Santa Clara Valley Water District in California, USA, approved two agreements with the City of San Jose on 23 February 2010 to build a new advanced water treatment facility involving microfiltration, reverse osmosis and ultraviolet disinfection.
The plant will produce highly purified recycled water and strengthen the integrated management of recycled water.
The new facility will divert a portion of the treated water from the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant, and produce up to 8 MGD (30,000 m³/d) of highly purified water, of near-distilled water quality, which will be blended into existing recycled water flows providing for more uses. Currently, the South Bay Water Recycling program produces around 10 MGD (37,500 m³/d) of recycled water for irrigation and industrial uses. … “
Continue reading this article from Desalination & Water Reuse by clicking here.
Opposition mounts to 12,000-home development on Cargill Salt lands in Redwood City
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 6:06 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Fifteen months after beating back a challenge from environmental groups at the ballot box, an Arizona developer’s plans to build the largest housing development on the shores of San Francisco Bay since Foster City was constructed 50 years ago are running into an increasing headwind.
On Thursday, 92 current and former elected officials from all nine Bay Area counties signed a letter opposing the project — which would construct up to 12,000 homes on vacant land owned by Cargill Salt into a community of 25,000 people.
Those coming out in opposition to the project — which would be east of Highway 101 next to the Port of Redwood City — included longtime Silicon Valley conservation leaders, such as former state Sens. Rebecca Morgan and Byron Sher. … “
Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Source of orange water in Soquel Creek eludes investigators
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:06 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“SOQUEL — The case of the mysterious orange water has gone cold. Environmental officials trying to figure out why Soquel Creek took on a bright tangerine hue last week say the waters have since cleared, leaving them with few leads.
“It would have been easiest to find the source right when it was occurring,” said Steve Schneider, with the county’s Environmental Health division. “The likelihood that we’ll find it now is slim.”
The tainted water, reported in Soquel Village around noon Friday, has not been linked to any health issues for humans or wildlife, and environmental officials believe the opportunity for problems has passed.
“We don’t think it’s anything that’s going to harm anybody or anything,” Schneider said. … “
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Expanded use of recycled water on tap for Santa Clara County
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:04 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Chances are about to improve that when you flush your toilet a few years from now, more of what goes down will come back again — filtered, cleaned and disinfected — to irrigate golf courses, cool power plants, and perhaps one day become part of Silicon Valley’s drinking water supply.
The Santa Clara Valley Water District will vote on a plan today to build a new $52 million recycled water facility at the San Jose-Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant in Alviso that will convert sewage water to high-quality water, producing up to 8 million gallons a day.
Since 1997, the city of San Jose already has been converting about 10 million gallons a day, or 10 percent of the effluent at the wastewater plant, to recycled water.
It is sent down 100 miles of purple pipes and reused for irrigation and industrial needs around the county: The 49ers use it to irrigate their training fields. Calpine uses it to cool power plants. And The Villages Golf and Country Club uses it to irrigate its fairways and greens.
If the water district board approves the latest project, as expected, the amount of recycled water could nearly double. Crews would break ground in September, and the plant would open in 2012. … “
Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Tiny bubbles disappearing from SF, Peninsula water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 7:39 amFrom the San Francisco Examiner:
“Water supplies are clearing up in San Francisco and on the Peninsula after a historic pipeline shutdown led to 41 days of cloudy tap water.
The 1930s-era pipeline that carries fresh water to the Bay Area from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir and other dams east of San Joaquin County was dried out during most of January and early February.
The longest-ever closure of the 25-mile Coast Range Tunnel allowed San Francisco Public Utilities Commission officials and contractors to proceed with $175 million worth of projects designed to improve and protect water supplies.
Bay Area reservoirs were filled prior to the pipeline closure, which was scheduled to coincide with times of low water usage. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Slowing the flow: Aging Bay Area infrastructure has led annually to massive sewage spills and scores of smaller spills into San Francisco Bay
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 21, 2010 at 7:29 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“SAN FRANCISCO — The flow of untreated sewage that pours into the Bay every rainy season could finally be curtailed by a new state law and a string of lawsuits.
For decades, aging Bay Area infrastructure has led annually to massive sewage spills — and scores of smaller spills — from facilities in the North, East and South Bay and in San Francisco.
More than 170,000 gallons of untreated or partially treated sewage overflowed in the Bay Area during 70 separate incidents over two weeks in late January, California Integrated Water Quality System Project figures show.
The federal Environmental Protection Agency and local nonprofits have launched lawsuits against multiple sanitary and utilities districts and municipalities in a bid to end the spills, many of which could violate the U.S. Clean Water Act. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Cosco Busan operator fined $10 million
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 8:52 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The operating company of the container ship that hit the Bay Bridge in November 2007 was fined $10 million Friday for its role in a 53,000-gallon oil spill that fouled miles of shoreline and killed more than 2,400 birds.
Fleet Management Ltd. pleaded guilty in August to a misdemeanor charge of water pollution and two felony counts of filing false documents with the government to conceal its actions. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ordered the company to pay $8 million to the government and $2 million to a fund for environmental projects in San Francisco Bay.
The sentencing completed criminal proceedings arising from the crash of the Cosco Busan into a tower of the bridge in a thick morning fog on Nov. 7, 2007. Heavy fuel oil reached the bay shoreline and ocean beaches in Marin and San Mateo counties. Government agencies have estimated the cleanup cost at $70 million. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Salt pond restoration tests for hidden danger
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 19, 2010 at 6:19 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“A wide swath of the South Bay’s moonscape of salt flats will see its first tidal waters in generations as a long-awaited restoration project gets under way near San Jose.
The South Bay Salt Pond Restoration Project recently kicked off its 50-year plan to convert 15,000 acres of shoreline into natural marsh, providing habitat for birds, fish and other critters, including people, who’ve been banned from the area for decades.
“We’ll love it if it means we can see more wildlife,” said Anhtuan Truang, a car dealer from Milpitas who was photographing hummingbirds at the shoreline Tuesday. “It’ll be great if people can finally get out here to see nature.”
The first portion of the $400 million project began last month when work crews started demolishing an 80-year-old levee at Cargill’s former pond A8, a 450-acre watery expanse near the mouth of the Guadalupe River. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
San Bruno sewage spills over 5 years reported
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 18, 2010 at 6:13 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The city of San Bruno spilled 1.9 million gallons of sewage and polluted water into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean over a five-year period and should pay $633,600 in fines, the staff of the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board said Wednesday.
San Bruno discharged raw sewage or sewage diluted with storm water into groundwater or storm drains that feed the bay and the ocean 148 times between December 2004 and December 2009, the staff report said. It said 1.6 million gallons of sewage-polluted water was spilled in January 2008, when heavy rains generated wastewater that exceeded the capacity of the city’s sanitary system. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Putting sails on ferries to save fuel
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 16, 2010 at 6:51 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Ferries plying the San Francisco Bay in the future could be equipped with sails to slash the amount of fuel they consume, if Jay Gardner has his way. Gardner co-owns a small startup, based in Napa, that plans to build ferries with tall, solid sails, using the bay’s strong winds to help haul commuters across the waves.
The sails, made of carbon composite materials, would more closely resemble aircraft wings than the canvas rigging of standard sailboats. They wouldn’t eliminate the need for an engine.
They could, however, cut each ferry’s fuel use by at least 40 percent, said Gardner, with Wind+Wing Technologies.
“Especially with the Bay Area and the amount of wind we have, it’s something that really clicks with people,” Gardner said. “Once you get past the initial resistance and start showing them the studies we’ve developed, the light comes on.” … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Chronicle editorial: A Hetch Hetchy pipe dream
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 14, 2010 at 8:38 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, this commentary by John Diaz:
“It might seem irrational in this drought-vulnerable state to even think of permanently draining a High Sierra reservoir that supplies superior-quality water for 2.4 million people in San Francisco and three suburban counties. But rationality does not always count for much in San Francisco politics. A movement is afoot for a ballot measure this year to put San Francisco on a path that could lead to the removal of its dam on the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park.
The restoration of the Hetch Hetchy Valley has long been a dream of an environmental movement that traces its modern origins to John Muir’s fierce and eloquent, but ultimately unsuccessful, early 20th century efforts to persuade the federal government not to turn “one of nature’s rarest and most precious mountain temples” into a water tank for human consumption.
“Restoring Hetch Hetchy is a simple idea with a complicated explanation,” said Mike Marshall, executive director of Restore Hetch Hetchy. “It’s going to be one of those things that people will say, once we’ve done it, ‘Why didn’t we do this before?’ Everyone will be for it after it’s done.”
Complicated does not begin to capture the magnitude of the task. … “
Continue reading this editorial by clicking here.
Rain falls, but Santa Clara County can’t catch it all
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 12, 2010 at 7:44 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Northern California is experiencing a rainy winter, the kind that might end three years of drought. But Silicon Valley has a problem. There’s a hole in its bucket.
Because of concerns that their aging dams could collapse in a major earthquake, five of the 10 reservoirs operated by the Santa Clara Valley Water District cannot be filled to the top until lengthy studies ordered by state and federal safety officials are completed.
So, no matter how much it rains this year, the reservoir system — built in the 1930s and 1950s — isn’t allowed to store any more than 78 percent of the water it was designed to hold. The lost capacity is enough water to fill Lexington Reservoir near Los Gatos twice, or to provide drinking water for 185,000 people for a year.
It’s a bitter irony for the water district, which has urged its 1.8 million customers to conserve water for the past three years. Even though reservoirs are filling, if the rains continue, district officials will be forced to release billions of gallons of precious water into San Francisco Bay because they won’t have anywhere to put it. … “
Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
San Martin well owner sued by Santa Clara water District for nonpayment of groundwater charges
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 12, 2010 at 7:39 amFrom the Gilroy Dispatch:
“A San Martin well owner who refuses to pay his groundwater charges was encouraged by a small claims court decision to delay a case brought against him by the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
Steve Coney owes the public agency about $2,700 in groundwater charges, late fees and interest for about eight acre feet of water he pumped from his well on Renaissance Court over a 12-month period that ended June 2009.
However, he is determined not to pay the “outrageous” bill. He presented Morgan Hill Commissioner Gregory Saldivar last Thursday with arguments upheld in a Santa Clara County Superior Court ruling last year, in which the groundwater charges were found to be in violation of the state constitution. That ruling found that the voters never approved the groundwater charges and other legal violations, and was the result of a lawsuit filed by Great Oaks Water Co. of San Jose.
Coney argued that because the groundwater charges were never approved by voters and they violate the law that created the local agency, he and all of the county’s 4,000 well owners do not have to pay their bills. He added that the water district does not provide a service for the charges, and it does not drill, maintain or repair wells. … “
Read more from the Gilroy Dispatch by clicking here.
Blueprint for the San Francisco Bay’s recovery
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 11, 2010 at 1:46 pmFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“The shores of the Bay for more than 100 years were diked, filled, built on, converted to industrial salt ponds and used as sites for landfills and sewer outfalls.
That was before environmental laws passed in the 1970s.
On Wednesday, the federal government released the latest plan to offset the damage and establish a healthier ecosystem for the plants and animals relying on the marsh areas.
The 50-year tidal marsh recovery plan is being billed as second in size and scope only to the Florida Everglades restoration efforts begun in the 1990s. Whether the draft recovery plan is put into practice will depend on funding and popular will, because it has no teeth and no dedicated money. … “
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
San Francisco Bay’s marsh plan nearly final, but no funds
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 11, 2010 at 6:33 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“San Francisco Bay’s beleaguered shoreline will once again teem with rare shorebirds, harvest mice and native grasses under an ambitious, 50-year restoration plan announced Wednesday.
The effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service calls for dozens of restored marshes from Alviso to Suisun to provide habitat for 17 endangered or threatened plants and animals.
It is the second largest tidal marsh recovery plan ever undertaken in the United States, second only to the ambitious effort to restore the Florida Everglades.
“If the last century was the age of destruction, we’re now in the age of restoration,” said Mendel Stewart, manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex. “And what do you need to recover marsh species? You need marsh.” … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
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).
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