KDRV special report: The Klamath agreements
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 8:09 amFrom KDRV Medford:
“KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Two historic agreements signed by 30 groups in Salem last month are attempting to end decades of water wars in the Klamath Basin between farmers, fishermen and tribal members.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement and the Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement outline a 50-year framework to handle restoration issues, including fisheries programs, in-stream flows and the removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River. The KBRA and KHSA total more than 570 pages.
The dam removal is one of the most contentious issues in the agreements, which says it will cost $450 million to remove J.C. Boyle, Copco No. 1 and 2 and Iron Gate. Another one-billion is built in to restore the 250-mile Klamath River that stretches from Southern Oregon into Northern California. The Klamath River starts at Upper Klamath Lake, where Basin farmers rely on its water for their crops.
Farmer Ed Bair supports the agreement. … “
Continue reading this story (or watch the broadcast) from KDRV by clicking here.
Governor gathers drought data in Klamath Basin
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 8:08 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“Gov. Ted Kulongoski is traveling to Klamath Falls to hear about the prospects for drought and how severe irrigation cutbacks could be after the needs of federally protected fish are met.
He was scheduled to meet Tuesday with farmers, Indian tribes, business people and representatives of state and federal agencies in preparation for requesting a federal drought declaration. … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Times-Standard editorial: The tale of two rivers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 8:01 amFrom the Eureka Times-Standard, this editorial:
“It seems like the most absurd of situations — especially considering that water wars have been a part of the Californian political landscape since its earliest days as a state.
It’s the tale of two rivers. On one side, the Eel River struggles to maintain even a fragment of its historic salmon runs due to a lack of water while another — the Russian River — is having trouble keeping its salmon runs because of too much water. And, it should be noted, some of that extra water is being diverted to the Russian from the Eel River. Billions of gallons each year. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
Comments sought on habitat plan for Sacramento River
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 7:59 amFrom the Central Valley Business Times:
“The public comment period has been re-opened for a proposed new voluntary landowner effort to improve rare species habitat along a 222-mile stretch of the Sacramento River, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.
The draft “Safe Harbor Agreement” between the Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Game on one hand and the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum will be open through April 8. During the initial comment period in late December and early January several people asked for more time to comment, leading to the extension.
The voluntary pact will give landowners along the river the opportunity to gain legal protection from transgressing federal and state Endangered Species Acts when they improve native habitat in the course of ranching and farming operations. … “
Read more from the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.
Growers, regulators craft methods to manage frost water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:32 amFrom the North Bay Business Journal:
“GEYSERVILLE — Winegrape growers that depend on water in the Russian River Basin to protect their vines from frost assert they have a better idea of how much water they’re using and how to limit such use, while wildlife regulators say they’re getting more precise information of water overuse and tools to curtail it.
That’s what a capacity gathering of 168 vineyard and winery professionals braved an Alexander Valley downpour to hear at a Feb. 26 workshop on the nascent Russian River Frost Program. That program was presented to the State Water Resources Control Board in November as way to cooperatively manage water use similar to Napa Valley’s three-decade-old regime.
Key to that management program are accurate information on the amount of water in the creeks and river at any given time before, during and after frost protection and irrigation as well as a good projection of water demand based on the number of acres using water against frost and the water actually used, according to farm bureau representatives from Mendocino and Sonoma counties. That means knowing how many acres of vines are frost-protected with water and having water and stream gauges to monitor use.
“We can show to the water board we are saving water from the maximum amount of water we could use,” Laurel Marcus, executive director of the California Land Stewardship Institute, said at the workshop, which was hosted by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission. … “
Read more from the North Bay Business Journal by clicking here.
Vineyard breakthrough wins water start-up prize
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:30 amFrom Reuters News:
“A Web application that alerts wine grape farmers when their vines are thirsty has won first place in a competition to spur entrepreneurs in the investment-starved water sector, organizers said on Monday.
Fruition Sciences, which operates in both California and France, came first among 50 teams in Imagine H2O’s global competition aimed at building a “Silicon Valley” for water.
Water is a $500 billion business worldwide, but draws a mere 0.5 to 1.0 percent of venture capital and only a handful of investments per year despite growing demand for solutions to widespread water shortages.
The prize rewards the business plans with the greatest promise of breakthroughs in the efficient use and supply of water, and Fruition was able to show significant water savings for nine California grape growers that used the monitor. … “
Continue reading this article from Reuters News by clicking here.
Magalia Dam improvement stalled by funding drought
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 7:31 amFrom KHSL Channel 12:
“Plans to make major safety improvements to the Magalia Dam have hit a road block. Now the county needs to find another way to fix a structure they say is at serious risk.
“There’s potentially an active fault under there, the Magalia fault. The Division of Dam Safety is concerned that if there is an earthquake it will subside, and fail,” said Mike Crump, Butte County Public Works Director.
Crump said if the Magalia Dam failed it would not mean massive flooding, but it would make a major road impassable and could jeopardize the water supply for the entire Ridge. … “
Read more from KHSL by clicking here.
Water flows to Colusa
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 7:25 amFrom the Colusa County Sun-Herald:
“Residents in a south Colusa subdivision are now looking to borrow money from the city in order to solve their water and sewer troubles.
Walnut Ranch residents may have to go as far as putting their homes up as collateral to pay for a $5 million annexation process, but they would embrace the security of having both reliable water and sewer services for a long time to come, city officials said.
The Colusa City Council on Tuesday gave the green light to City Manager Jan McClintock and city attorney Jake Knapp to work out the logistics of the loan, and then bring it back for the council and Walnut Ranch residents to consider. … “
Read more from the Colusa Sun-Herald by clicking here.
Regulators to monitor Russian River frost diversions
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 6, 2010 at 5:28 amFrom the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“With bud break expected next week and the need for frost protection looming, state and federal regulators will be closely watching North Coast grapegrowers to make sure there is no repeat of previous fish kills.
The emphasis on enforcement is meant to avoid the fish-threatening drain on the Russian River that occurred in 2008 and 2009 when growers turned on their sprinklers to protect their vines as temperatures dropped below freezing.
“We have said that the Russian River would become one of the top priorities for enforcement,” said Bill Rukeyser, a state Water Resources Control Board spokesman. “It does not have to be an unauthorized diversion. Even if you have a valid permit, you don’t have the right to suck the river dry.” … “
Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.
Oregon governor seeks aid for farmers ahead of water deal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:00 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“About 1,300 farmers in a Klamath Basin irrigation project are waiting to hear whether drought conditions will leave enough water to plant crops this year without help from a landmark agreement designed to share scarce water between fish and farms.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski is headed to Klamath Falls on Tuesday to be briefed by federal authorities on what is being done to allow irrigation of 200,000 acres along the Oregon-California border while meeting federal requirements for protected fish.
Even if some flexibility can be found to help threatened suckers in Upper Klamath Lake and coho salmon in the Klamath River, “it is likely that drought conditions will require significant reduction of irrigation deliveries to the farming community,” Kulongoski wrote in a letter Wednesday to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Without some good spring rains, as much as 80 percent of the Klamath Reclamation Project could be without water this year, said Greg Addington of the Klamath Water Users Association. … “
Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Commentary: Klamath dam-busting plan shrouded in mystery
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 7:51 am
From Wayne Lusvardi at the California Watchdog, this commentary:
“Reading about the recent signing of Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement by Governors Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, and U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, reminds this writer of the tourist traps advertised on huge roadside billboards which are meant to lure motorists that tour the redwoods on U.S. Highway 101 in Northern California and Southern Oregon. One such tourist venue is the “Vortex of Mystery” that is described as a “glimpse of a strange world where the improbable is the commonplace and everyday physical facts are reversed” – see here: http://www.oregonvortex.com/
Environmentalists have dubbed the Klamath River, that runs 250 miles from the volcanic Klamath Lake in Southern Oregon to an ocean outlet near Del Norte in Northern California, the “upside-down river.” This is because it unnaturally drains water from lakes and rivers to irrigate 200,000 acres of farmland and provides electricity for 70,000 homes in Portland and Seattle. But the Klamath River might be termed upside down for very different reasons if California’s proposed water bill is passed on the November ballot.
The proposed water bill package meant to build new dams for drought relief in California contains a weird and paradoxical provision to fund $250 million for part of the demolition of four dams. It is weird because the dams to be demolished are on the Klamath River in Southern Oregon. And it is paradoxical because it would eliminate clean hydroelectric power on the Klamath River and replace it with costly natural gas-fired power plants that pollute the air and allegedly contribute to “global warming.”
You might ask how a so-called California water bill that was meant to combat drought by building two new dams in California end up demolishing four dams in Oregon? And how could a water bill touted as being so “green” end up so brown? And why would so-called urban elites in Portland and Seattle not more strongly oppose the resulting air pollution from the dam removal project equal to 102,000 cars? … “
Continue reading this commentary from California Watchdog by clicking here.
City searches for ways to replace lost Lake Red Bluff revenue
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 4, 2010 at 6:46 amFrom the Record Searchlight:
“The city is expanding its efforts to soften the financial blow inflicted by the loss of Lake Red Bluff.
The City Council this week unanimously backed the creation of an advisory group to explore potential projects focusing on green energy and river recreation. Comprising the panel will be one member each from eight organizations and government entities, plus a member of the public.
“One of the more interesting aspects of this is the inclusion of the county Board of Supervisors,” City Manager Martin Nichols said Wednesday. That reflects a trend around the country to view counties as regions when it comes to issues affecting an area, he said.
“We need to look at this on a broader scale,” Nichols said. “You want to have a coordinated effort rather than a competitive effort,” especially when it comes to securing funds. … “
Continue reading this article from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
First lawsuit regarding Orland water bottling plant officially sent to court
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 6:42 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“A lawsuit has been mailed to the Superior Court in Glenn County calling for an environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act for the recently approved Crystal Geyser sparkling water bottling plant in Orland.
Paperwork was received by the city Tuesday from Davis attorney William Kopper, on behalf of Friends of Orland and Gregory Appel. Kopper’s firm was one of two groups to file previous appeals after initial approval of the plant. The other was a group called Save Our Water Resources.
Both appeals were unanimously denied by the Orland City Council on Feb. 1. The city has said the plans are not subject to CEQA review because there is no possibility of significant impact on the environment.
The city has placed mitigation measures on the project, including limiting the amount of groundwater use each year and ways to control noise, Kopper noted. … “
Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
State still stingy on water supply: Local cups runneth over, but Napa County expects less from agency
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 6:34 amFrom the Napa Valley Register:
“Despite a rainy and snowy winter in California, the state plans to ship minimal water supplies to cities including Napa and American Canyon.
“After three years of drought conditions and a number of mandated pumping restrictions even a wet year won’t get us out of the woods,” Department of Water Resources Director Make Cowin said in a written statement. “We need increased conservation, a more reliable water delivery system and a comprehensive solution for California’s water crisis,” he added.
The state Department of Water Resources recently increased allocations for the year, but only from 5 to 15 percent of the amount of water agencies requested. If average precipitation continues, the final allocation will likely be in the 35-45 percent range, according to the department.
“(Fifteen percent) is still a very low allocation and we’re still hopeful that this number will continue to go up through March and April, especially as the wet weather continues,” said Felix Riesenberg, Napa County’s deputy district engineer for the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District. … “
Read more from the Napa Valley Register by clicking here.
Group seeks to halt Eel River diversions
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 8:02 am
From the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“An environmental group is asking state officials to halt the century-old practice of shunting water from the Eel River to the Russian River in Mendocino County, a practice that has allowed agriculture to thrive south of the diversion.
The group, Friends of the Eel River, for years has been demanding an end to the diversion, saying it’s destroying fish habitat in both rivers. But a rare reopening of state regulations governing Russian River flows has given the group a new venue for its demands.
It filed a petition on Monday with the state Water Resources Control Board asking for alterations to a Sonoma County Water Agency request to modify instream flow requirements.
Both organizations’ requests aim to improve fish habitat. But Friends of the Eel River’s is drastic, calling for the state to end the Eel River diversion. … “
Continue reading this story from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.
MORE INFORMATION:
Press release: Scientists Confirm Mismanagement by PG&E is Killing Two Northern California Rivers and Degrading Salmon Habitat; Friends of the Eel River Takes Legal Action
Photo of the south fork of the Eel River by flickr photographer junmon603 (Creative Commons).
Santa Rosa may have problem with its pipes: City joins suit alleging PVC used for sewer, water lines may fail after 10 years
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:15 amFrom the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“A whistleblower-fueled federal lawsuit kept secret since it was filed four years ago has raised the specter that a structural and financial time bomb could exist under miles of Santa Rosa streets.
The city earlier this month joined the suit, along with 42 other California cities and water districts and four states. The lawsuit claims the world’s largest PVC pipe producer knowingly produced pipes since 1996 that have a life span far shorter than the 50 to 100 years that was promised.
The impact of the potentially defective pipe could prove costly for Santa Rosa, depending on how much was used by the city and private developers when installing about 100 miles each of sewer and water lines beneath Santa Rosa’s streets since 1996.
Under a “worst-case scenario,” if all the PVC pipe installed was produced by the company and all of it was defective, the replacement price tag could reach from $100 million to $150 million, Utilities Director Miles Ferris said. … “
Continue reading this story from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.
Dan Bacher: MLPA stakeholders draft resolution to address disregard for tribal rights
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 1, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this commentary:
“During a conference call/webinar on February 25, members of the North Coast Regional Stakeholders Group for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative agreed upon the proposed text for a recommendation to the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force on the topic of tribal uses of the ocean.
This is powerful, long needed language that addresses the disregard that MLPA officials and the state of California have demonstrated towards the traditional seaweed harvesting, fishing and ceremonial rights of California Indian Tribes since the process began in 2002 under the Davis administration. The initiative, after being put on hold because of lack of funding, was reinitiated with private funding by the Resource Legacy Fund Foundation under the Schwarzenegger administration in 2004.
That resolution states “That the MLPA Initiative shall appropriately acknowledge that California tribes and tribal communities have aboriginal rights to take marine resources and to use and manage coastal areas for traditional subsistence, cultural, religious, ceremonial, and other customary purposes.” … “
Read more of Dan Bacher’s commentary at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Salmon season to undergo scrutiny
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 1, 2010 at 8:00 amFrom the Eureka Times-Standard:
“There is hope for a decent salmon season after several years of crushing closures driven by troubling returns of spawning chinook salmon to the Sacramento and Klamath rivers.
That hope is tempered, in part, because federal fisheries managers substantially overestimated the number of fish that returned to the vital Sacramento River in 2009. After three years of falling far short of the number of spawning salmon believed necessary to sustain the Sacramento stocks — in two years even without fishing — officials may take a more precautionary approach in allowing angling.
Even with that tighter management, it appears that there will be fish to harvest in 2010.
”There are fish, on paper at least, that could support some fisheries,” said Chuck Tracy with the Pacific Fishery Management Council.
The length, timing and geography of the seasons will also have to be determined based on whether commercial fishermen opt to participate in the fishery or stay out yet another year because there aren’t enough fish to make it worth their while. … “
Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
Event: Chico water forum, March 10th
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 1, 2010 at 7:45 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“The Northern Sacramento Valley Water Forum will present views and information on the Bay-Delta Conservation Plan from 2-4 p.m. March 10 at the Chico Masonic Family Center.
Speakers will include:
* Karla Nemeth of Natural Resource Agency, Bay Delta Conservation Plan, who will provide an overview of the plan and background on what is hoped to be accomplished through this new approach to managing the delta.
* Chuck Hanson will weigh in from a fisheries biologist perspective on just what the plan will bring to the table for the declining fish species in the Delta. … “
Klamath water wars settled with agreements to remove four dams
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:47 amFrom AlterNet:
“Removal of four dams on the Klamath River and the largest river restoration project in U.S. history moved closer to accomplishment last week with the signing of two agreements between federal, state, utility and tribal officials.
The four dams owned by the electric utility PacifiCorp – three in California and one in Oregon – produce enough power for 70,000 people, but they have blocked 350-mile-long salmon runs, preventing the fish from swimming upstream to spawn.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement outlines activities that would restore and sustain wild salmon populations to support in-river and ocean fishing industries and provide water supply certainty to communities and water users in the Basin. … “
Read more from AlterNet by clicking here.
Eagle Lake water tunnel stays, but fight isn’t over
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:44 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“A controversial water tunnel at Eagle Lake will remain as is: a plugged channel with a bypass pipe that carries groundwater and seepage downstream to Willow Creek.
Dayne Barron, manager of the Bureau of Land Management’s Eagle Lake Field Office, announced that the agency will take no action on a proposal to close the bypass pipe, installed in the Bly Tunnel in 1986. … “
Continue reading this story from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Feds fault fish plan: 2 agencies criticize Yuba River proposal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:41 amFrom the Appeal-Democrat:
“The state Department of Water Resources and Pacific Gas & Electric Co. may have to take six additional months to craft a plan to restore salmon habitat on the Yuba River after two federal agencies faulted their proposal.
The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wlidlife Service described several areas of concern with the Draft Habitat Enhancement Plan for the Yuba and three creeks feeding into the Feather River in Butte County.
Among them are the criteria used to compare the plans to other plans, a lack of proof the plans would succeed and missing explanations of how PG&E and Water Resources would overcome obstacles.
Additionally, some parts of the plan would negatively affect the fall-run Chinook salmon, a fish also considered threatened, according to the Fisheries Service. … “
Continue reading this story from the Appeal-Democrat by clicking here.
Landmark Klamath River restoration and dam removal agreements signed
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 26, 2010 at 6:21 amFrom Indian Country Today:
“The world’s largest river restoration and dam removal effort kicked off in a spirit of celebration inside the grand rotunda of Oregon’s Capitol Feb. 18.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Governors Ted Kulongoski of Oregon and Arnold Schwarzenegger of California joined chairmen Arch Super of the Karuk Tribe and Thomas O’Rourke of the Yurok Tribe in California, and Joseph Kirk of the Klamath Tribe in Oregon in signing the agreements beneath a mural depicting Native fishermen at yesteryear’s tumultuous Celilo Falls.
The Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement aims to restore a mountainous land of rivers, tributaries and wetlands spanning the Oregon-California border.
Its sister Klamath Hydroelectric Settlement Agreement, contingent on full funding and scientific study, will open hundreds of miles of the Klamath River closed to salmon for a century. … “
Continue reading this article from Indian Country Today by clicking here.
NorCal water lawsuit unlikely to help, says editorial; While area of origin water rights are important, it could haunt us in the north if we appear too inflexible; On the Public Record shares some further thoughts
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 8:20 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record, this editorial:
“We’re of divided opinions about the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority’s lawsuit against the Bureau of Reclamation over “area of origin” laws. These are the laws that guarantee users at the place where water comes from all they want before any can be moved elsewhere.
The bureau has winked at the law in dry years, sharing the pain by cutting deliveries to the north in order to keep some water moving south. It’s time someone stood up for the rights of the people at the source of the water, although we fear it could backfire.
The problem is laws can be changed, and there already have been rumblings about revamping water rights. There are plenty of city people out there who think farmers get too much water, that century-old laws must be rewritten, and that the solution to the shortage we’re suffering is to cut ag supplies rather than building the additional storage that is really needed.
The lawsuit comes across as greedy in a time of drought: We get all of ours before you get any. It doesn’t seem a good political move in the current environment. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
The On the Public Record blog responds to the editorial:
“ [quoting from further in the editorial]People are going to put one-and-one together, and think Tehama-Colusa is trying to get 100 percent of its contracted water so the 16 water districts it serves can sell it to those farther south.
Perhaps that should be their right, but it just won’t sit well with people who are seeing shortages. And it will give legislators — most of whom come from the dry lands — an easy target at time when they clearly don’t have the vision to actually fix the problem.
I’m not sure what would count as “vision to fix the problem”, unless that is code for “build new dams”. The legislative package shows that they do have a vision of solutions, but they’re boring solutions, like doing a bunch of distributed things like conservation and habitat restoration and setting up a system to evaluate a peripheral canal (but not commit to one!). Maybe boring solutions don’t count as “vision”. I complain about a lack of vision too, but I keep wishing for something a little different. … “
Continue reading from the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Vlamis at head of newly-created water protection group, AquAlliance
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 7:40 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“As water issues in Northern California continue to generate headlines, and legislation, lawsuits affect the environment and the economy, a new group has recently been formed to “defend Northern California waters.”
AquAlliance will be lead by Barbara Vlamis, who is known in Northern California for her 17 years with the Butte Environmental Council.
AquAlliance was formed in January, with a board of directors and environmental advocate Jim Brobeck as water policy advocate.Vlamis said the focus will be on the hydrological region from north of the Klamath headwaters to the Delta, specifically on water issues.
The group will focus on groundwater protection, the Drought Water Bank, Sacramento Valley Integrated Regional Water Management Plan, Bay Delta Conservation Plan, other regional water plans and the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s groundwater strategy planning. “The next three years will be crucial,” Vlamis said at a press conference held at Sycamore Pool at One-Mile Recreation Area. … “
Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
The Chico News & Review has more:
“According to a press release, the new group’s mission is “to defend Northern California Waters.”
“Within just the last three years,” the press release says, “urban and agricultural uses have pumped enough water from Central Valley groundwater basins to fill Lake Mead, which can hold 28.5 million acre-feet.”
With such a draw-down, the alliance says, “family farming of the North State cannot be sustained, the giant valley oaks, blue oak woodlands, and lush riparian habitat will wither away, creeks and rivers will decline, salmon and trout populations will continue to plummet.”
AquAlliance’s executive director is Barbara Vlamis, the longtime director of the Butte Environmental Council. Vlamis was bumped from BEC in a divisive and high-profile firing last year. A group of her supporters formed the alliance in part to give her a way to continue what many environmentalists considered her greatest strength—lobbying on ecological issues, particularly water. … “
Continue reading this article at the Chico News & Review by clicking here.
RELATED COMMENTARY: Water and our way of life – Protecting our water requires supporting advocacy groups, from Doug Alexander at the Chico News & Review
A 21st-century drought revives decades-old law; “The Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority is trying to put teeth in “area of origin” protections,” says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 24, 2010 at 9:02 amFrom the Record Searchlight, this editorial:
“Almost everybody, especially in dry years, complains about Southern California stealing northern water. The Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority is actually doing something about it.
After two years of watching water flow past Sacramento Valley farms and toward points south, the canal authority sued the Bureau of Reclamation this month. The claim? That the bureau has systematically ignored decades-old laws that guarantee full supplies of water to the “area of origin” before it’s pumped elsewhere.
The statutes in question date back to the 1930s, before Shasta Dam was built and the Central Valley Project was developed, but northern water districts have done little to enforce them. The drought of 2008 and 2009, however, brought some of the most severe cutbacks in the history of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority, which supplies 16 ag-heavy water districts from Red Bluff down to Yolo County. About half the acreage watered by the canal authority is planted in permanent tree crops, making steady supplies all the more vital.
“It’s in a time of scarcity that those promises made in 1933 need to be honored,” said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
CDFG reports on Shasta coho declines, calls for increased flows
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 24, 2010 at 8:50 amFrom the Klamath Riverkeeper, posted at IndyBay.org:
“A new CDFG report warns that if poor habitat conditions for threatened coho on the Shasta River are not improved quickly, Shasta coho may face extinction.
The report released last month on juvenile coho considers two out of the Shasta’s three year-classes of coho to be “functionally extinct,” meaning coho will now only migrate to the Shasta to spawn one out of every three years. The last remaining year-class, expected to return to the Shasta for spawning next fall, is also on a trajectory toward extinction. CDFG’s analysis shows that, if left unchanged, low flows, warm temperatures and cattle trampling at the coho’s sole remaining spawning grounds may result in complete extirpation of Shasta coho.
“With tributary irrigation season set to begin March 1st, we fully support CDFG and its partner agencies in acting swiftly to save the last of the Shasta coho,” said Erica Terence of Klamath Riverkeeper. “CDFG has provided great recommendations for improving instream flows and getting cattle out of the Shasta River – we hope they turn into tangible actions as soon as possible.”
Unlike other salmon species, coho live only three years, and spend their entire first year in their natal streams. Dependent on instream migration to find productive habitat throughout the year, coho are particularly vulnerable to low flows, barriers, warm tailwater returns from irrigation diversions, and habitat destruction from cattle grazing and trampling. Coho are currently the only salmon species in the Klamath Watershed protected under the Endangered Species Act. … “
Continue reading at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority sues feds over water allocations
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:17 amFrom redding.com, website of the Record Searchlight:
“A north state water irrigation canal operator is suing the federal government, saying it’s violating the law by sending water south without first fully supplying agriculture here.
“Those were the promises when the Central Valley Project and Shasta Dam were first contemplated,” said Jeff Sutton, general manager of the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority. “Now, in a time of scarcity, those promises have not been honored.”
The canal authority filed suit earlier this month against the Bureau of Reclamation, claiming it is operating the Central Valley Project in violation of U.S. and state law.
Supplying 150,000 acres in Tehama, Glenn, Colusa and Yolo counties, the canal authority is on contract with the reclamation bureau to receive 320,000 acre-feet of water. An acre-foot is enough water to flood one acre of land a foot deep. … “
Read more from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
DWR faulted for Oroville Dam power plant accident
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:12 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“OROVILLE — An investigation of a July 2009 accident at the Oroville Dam power plant found that the Department of Water Resources knowingly put its employees in harm’s way by instructing them to perform a task under dangerous conditions.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health investigation, completed in late January, found the state water agency to be at fault for an accident that exposed five DWR employees to 100- mph “hurricane-like winds,” resulting in the serious injury of one worker.
On the morning of July 22, 2009, the employees began testing two 72-inch river valves at the Edward Hyatt Power Plant, located in a tunnel deep within the Oroville Dam.
The valves are used to control temperature and water flow from the dam to the Feather River.
Shortly after the valves were opened, a 6-foot-tall, 10-foot-wide steel panel near the employees collapsed, sending flying debris toward the workers and creating a vacuum-like force that pulled them toward a tunnel carrying water out of the dam. … “
Continue reading this story from the Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
Commentary: Fork in a river
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 7:44 amFrom John Driscoll at the Eureka Times-Standard, this commentary:
“I remember with unusual clarity pulling into Klamath Glen in 2002, where the smell of rotting salmon was as pungent as the attitude of several Yurok elders I found sitting at a picnic table a stone’s throw away from the Klamath River.
It was the year after water for Upper Klamath Basin farms was largely shut off as the federal government responded to a drought that wildlife agencies believed would otherwise devastate threatened coho salmon and endangered suckers in Upper Klamath Lake. That had sparked widespread protests around Klamath Falls, Ore. But in 2002, the feds shifted their stance, and even sent U.S. Interior Secretary Gale Norton to personally turn on the valve to feed farms — and starve salmon.
To the elders at the picnic table in 2002, it was a brutal blow. The anger was deep, and it was not comfortable to be a reporter in such damaged country. As I hitched a ride in a jet boat upriver, the magnitude of the disaster was staggering, as salmon — whose sole life purpose is to return and spawn another generation — rested lifeless as ghosts in pools. Even the bears and seagulls were sick.
It felt like the beginning of a war. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
SF Chronicle editorial: A dam deal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 9:12 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, this editorial:
“”Hasta la vista, Klamath dams,” joked Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a celebratory gathering for a plan to remove four aging dams straddling the river running through Oregon and California.
Along with vintage Terminator lines, there were Indian chants and warm words among longtime foes at a peace pact at the Oregon Statehouse. The rhetoric and hoopla are deserved. A major Western water war is settled for now, with about 30 groups – farmers, water agencies, environmentalists, and Indian tribes – making nice. It may be the biggest dam removal project ever, designed to restore salmon stocks and the river itself, starting in 2020.
But an undertaking this big and complicated will take years to play out. The $1 billion-plus cost must be guaranteed, not just kicked into the future. Reviving more than 100 miles of dammed-up river requires serious study. The coalition will need to stick together as the project bumps along over the next decade. Then there’s the Klamath-ized version of the “Field of Dreams” adage: If they tear down the dams, will the salmon come? … “
Read more of this editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Post Lake Red Bluff: Dredging, habitat planned after lake
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 9:07 amFrom the Tehama Daily News:
“Discussion about post Lake Red Bluff continued Thursday at the Sacramento River Discovery Center with presentations about mitigation projects from the construction of the pumping plant and the city’s plan for River Park.
Environmental Specialist Andrea Schmid gave an update on the Fish Passage Improvement Project and the mitigation project planned for the area that will be affected by the construction of the pumping plant.
Schmid is with Newfields, an environmental firm working with the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority on the project.
Two major building contracts have already been awarded, and construction of the bridge and siphon should start sometime in March. The pumping plant and fish screen will be built at a later date. Completion is slated for May 2012. … “
Read more from the Tehama Daily News by clicking here.
Tracking the lost irrigation water of Napa Valley vineyards
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 9:04 am
From geology.com:
“Deep cracks in the soil of some Napa Valley vineyards are swallowing up precious irrigation water. Stanford researchers estimate water losses could exceed 10 percent, but are working with growers on ways to stanch the outflow.
A Problem of Lost Irrigation Water
Getting the most out of every drop of water is a high priority for grape growers in the southern Napa Valley, where summers are hot and dry and vines have to be irrigated to make it through the growing season. But Stanford researchers have found that a significant portion of the water applied to the vines zips right by the plants, hardly even pausing.
“We found that about 10 percent of the water that is applied is lost below the vine rooting zone and does not have contact with the soil and vine roots,” said Eve Hinckley, who worked on the project for her doctoral thesis in the Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences at Stanford. “This is a conservative estimate.”
The problem lies in deep cracks that are a chronic feature in the clay-rich soils of the area. Due to the physical and chemical properties of these soils, they naturally swell when wet and shrink as they dry, producing cracks. Hinckley says that tendency is exacerbated by the weekly cycle of irrigating during the growing season, when vines are typically watered for four hours a week. Under a regular regimen of swelling and shrinking, the cracks become more pronounced and water speeds through them without interacting with the soil. … “
Read more from Geology.com by clicking here.
Oak Manor students tour fish hatchery
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 8:55 amFrom the Ukiah Daily Journal:
“Fish scientists are glad that Russian River steelhead trout stocks appear headed higher this year after a devastating die-off in 2009 when only 371 fish made it back from the ocean to their birthplace in Mendocino County. But returning adult fish numbers are still down from the recent high of about 3,700 in 2007.
As of this week, some 450 steelhead have arrived at the Lake Mendocino fish hatchery operated by the California Fish and Game Department where female eggs and male milk are extracted by human midwives hoping to keep the species going.
Margot Royal, an Army Corps of Engineers park ranger at the lake, was one of three rangers who gave some 60 Oak Manor elementary school students a tour of the hatchery Thursday morning.
Before the tour began, Royal explained that of the some 200,000 yearlings produced through hatchery operations here, they hope to see 3,000 return to spawn (lay eggs) as adults. … “
Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal by clicking here.
North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 19, 2010 at 8:25 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
“Invoking the specter of a century-old Los Angeles water grab, Northern California farmers have filed a lawsuit that may escalate the state’s ongoing water crisis.
The farmers say the San Joaquin Valley communities hardest hit by drought and new protections for endangered species in the Delta — including the nation’s largest irrigation district — are nevertheless illegally getting water that belongs to the northerners.
“The last thing we want to see is the Sacramento Valley become another Owens Valley,” said Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority general manager Jeff Sutton. He was referring to the early 20th century raid on the Owens Valley by Los Angeles, an episode made famous by the 1974 movie “Chinatown.”
At issue are guarantees made before California’s two major water projects were built to deliver water through the Delta to parts of the Bay Area, the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.
Those guarantees, known as “area of origin” laws, say that water-rich areas of the state would not end up water poor when the projects started shipping water elsewhere. … “
Aquafornia's Information Desk
Aquafornia's Photos on Flickr
Recent Posts
- Aqua Blog Maven on the road, day 2
- Thursday’s top of scroll: Bass’ choice for new Valley water agency scrutinized
- Cal Watchdog blog: Who’s running the Delta Stewardship Council?
- Peter Gleick: Water infrastructure, but for whose benefit?
- Barry Nelson: Dam advocates make case for the virtual river
- Bill McEwen: Farmers, your name isn’t mud
- Steve Cameron: Pointing out the obvious: “for our water problems to be solved, there must be compromises”
- Alex Brietler’s blog: Delta counties are not ‘obstructionists,’ supervisor says
- Valley Economy: Revised farm job estimates
- California tribes get $1.5 million from feds for conservation
- Commentary: Water quality – an exploration of the myths, lies and misperceptions
- Column: A growing admiration for California’s drought-resistant native plants
- Regional news for Thursday, March 11
- Aqua Blog Maven on the road today!
- Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Delta oversight panel already being undermined, lawmakers fear
Aquafornia's Mission
Aquafornia's mission is to educate readers about the complex and often controversial issues surrounding water in California.
Aquafornia is affiliated with the Water Education Foundation, an impartial non-profit organization, whose mission is to create a better understanding of water issues and help resolve water resource problems through educational programs.
E-mail Newsletter
To receive email announcements from the Water Education Foundation, sign up here.
Web Resources
Agriculture
Climate Change & Water
Conservation
Delta Resources
Employment & Water
Environmental Organizations
Fishing Blogs
Investing & Water
Landscaping
Legal Blogs
Los Angeles River
News
Salton Sea
Twitter Feeds
Water Agencies
Water Blogs
- Aguanomics
- American Water Resources Assn. Blog
- Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard
- Chance of Rain
- Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood
- EDF’s On The Waterfront
- Food and Water Watch Blog
- Great Lakes Law Blog
- H2ONCoast Blog
- Inkstain – jfleck
- On the Public Record
- Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog
- Spouting Off – Mark Gold of Heal the Bay
- Thirsty in Suburbia
- Water Cooler Blog
- Water SISWEB
- Water Words That Work
- Waterblogged
- WaterCrunch
- WaterWired
- Western Water Blog
Water Information
News Article Archives
- Agriculture
- Aquafornia Exclusives
- Biofuels
- Bottled water
- Climate change & water supply
- Commentary
- Conservation
- Delta Issues
- Desalination
- Drinking Water
- Drought Tolerant Landscaping
- Drought, Weather & Snowpack
- Events
- Flood Control
- General Water Issues
- Geothermal Energy
- Grandiose water plans
- Great Green Ideas
- Groundwater
- Hydropower
- Indian Water Rights
- Infrastructure
- International Water Issues
- Invasive Species
- Levees
- Monterey Agreements
- National water news
- Oceans and Beaches (all)
- Odds and Ends
- People in the News
- Rainwater Harvesting
- Recycled Water
- Regional Water Issues
- All-American Canal
- Antelope Valley
- Bakersfield
- Bay Area
- Central Coast
- Coachella Valley
- Colorado River Basin
- Imperial Irrigation District & Imperial Valley
- Lake Tahoe & the Sierra's
- Las Vegas & Nevada
- Los Angeles River
- Northern California
- Orange County
- Owens Valley & Mono Lake
- Riverside – San Bernardino
- Sacramento
- Salton Sea
- San Diego
- San Joaquin Valley
- Southern California
- Southwest Water Issues
- Westlands Water District
- Stormwater & Urban Runoff
- Uncategorized
- Water & Development
- Water & Energy
- Water & Investing
- Water & Population
- Water & the Environment
- Water & Wildlife
- Water Agency News (all)
- Water Banking
- Water History
- Water Legislation
- Water Quality
- Water Rights
- Water Storage
- Water Supply
- Water Technologies
- Water Transfers
- Weather Modification
- Weird & Wacky Water News