Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District takes on Fresno City Council resolution
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 7:00 amFrom the Fresno Bee’s News Blog:
“At the time, it seemed innocuous: Another one of those resolutions that carry no weight — many times introduced by an elected official seeking higher office — and are quickly forgotten and relegated to history’s dust bin.
Not this one.
On Jan. 28, the Fresno City Council approved a resolution objecting to increases in the discharge limits of the Sacramento Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant. The increases shouldn’t go forward, the resolution said, until there is a scientific finding that they won’t harm endangered delta fish and effective ammonia-removal equipment is installed at the plant.
The Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District — which oversees the plant — protested the resolution in a letter to the council, and then sent a representative to speak against it.
But the district is not conceding defeat. … “
Continue reading this article at the Fresno Bee News Blog by clicking here.
SacBee editorial: Editorial: Plain sense vital in the Natomas floodplain
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:38 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this editorial:
“It hasn’t flooded since 1911. So, in some quarters, a certain complacency has set in about the 53,000-acre Natomas Basin.
The reality, however, is that the 43 miles of levees currently only meet a 30-year flood protection standard, the lowest level of flood protection for any major metropolitan area in the United States. A flood could put the area under 20 feet of water.
The bottom line is that Natomas levees don’t meet minimum 100-year federal flood protection standards. So new home construction has been banned since Dec. 8, 2008 (unless homes are elevated 21 feet). That’s a de facto building moratorium until levee upgrades are done – which is not expected until summer 2012.
During this levee upgrade period, potential homebuyers depend on developers, city officials and lenders to follow the rules and protect them from flood hazards. … “
Continue reading this editorial by clicking here.
El Dorado district, Folsom approve joint water project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 19, 2010 at 6:25 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The El Dorado Irrigation District and the city of Folsom have approved a project to enable each to come to the other’s aid in a water emergency.
The two also agreed to evaluate other projects of mutual interest, such as a water intake pumping station at Folsom Lake and a seasonal storage reservoir for recycled water.
In seeking project funding, “if we do these things as a region, we have more political clout with state and federal entities,” said Folsom utilities director Ken Payne.
Folsom will shoulder the design and construction costs for an intertie connecting the two water systems near the Folsom-El Dorado Hills border. Water then could be transferred between the agencies in the case of unforeseen events such as the February 2009 collapse of the pipeline that supplied the city with water from Folsom Lake. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
El Dorado Irrigation District works on restructuring its debt
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 9, 2010 at 6:23 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
” El Dorado Irrigation District officials moved Monday to restructure the district’s debt after approving scaled-back rate increases last week.
District officials over the past month announced a number of steps to boost revenue and cut costs in an effort to minimize rate hikes while maintaining the required debt coverage.
Customer outrage over the rate hikes initially proposed – water and sewer rates would have increased about 80 percent in total over five years – has drawn the attention of state Assemblyman Ted Gaines. The Roseville Republican has asked the Joint Legislative Audit Committee to order an audit of the water district’s finances. The committee is scheduled to consider the request Feb. 17. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Groundwater cleanup at UC Davis Superfund site
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 5, 2010 at 3:47 pmFrom U. C. Davis:
“A chain of chemical reactions between organic waste and naturally occurring chromium appears to explain the long-standing elevated levels of the chemical chromium-6, a human carcinogen, in groundwater at a federal Superfund site on the southern edge of the UC Davis campus, according to university environmental professionals.
But the UC Davis officials emphasize that those chemical reactions and the resulting chromium-6 have not increased concentrations of the contaminant in neighboring drinking-water wells above background levels.
“Based on our sampling, there is no indication that the contamination at the site has affected local drinking water or agricultural uses, but we are going to take steps to make sure that this contaminant is addressed or mitigated,” said John Meyer, vice chancellor for administrative and resource management at UC Davis. … “
More from UC Davis by clicking here.
El Dorado Irrigation District board approves lower rate increases
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 5, 2010 at 7:42 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Customer protests fell short of the number required to prevent hikes in El Dorado Irrigation District water and sewer rates, but the increases will be less than first proposed.
There needed to be a 50 percent plus one percentage protest from ratepayers to prevent the hikes. Instead the percentage protest was 18 percent for water and 21 percent for sewer.
Board members said concerns voiced at community workshops over the past month gave rise to “Plan B.”
Following a rate hearing Thursday evening, board members approved an 18 percent increase for 2010 instead of the 35 percent originally proposed. They also approved a 15 percent increase for 2011 and 5 percent increases for each of the following three years. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Yolo Bypass sees flood of wildlife activity
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 4, 2010 at 8:13 am
That is a great picture! Click on it to look at a slideshow of pictures from the Yolo Bypass that go with this story from the Sacramento Bee:
“The Yolo Bypass is a migratory interchange for man and beast. That’s especially so in a flood.
The bypass has flooded again for the first time since April 2006. The flooding began the weekend of Jan. 23, when the Sacramento River overtopped the Fremont Weir. It did so again on Jan. 28 and 29.
Commuters driving between Davis and Sacramento on the Interstate 80 causeway surely have noticed: They now cross an inland sea, not dry farm fields.
The flooding means migratory waterfowl that use rice farms and managed wetlands at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area have a lot more room to stretch out. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Commentary: El Dorado water board trying to make up for past neglect
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 4, 2010 at 8:09 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary/rebuttal by John Fraser, president of the El Dorado Irrigation District Board of Directors:
“In December, customers of the El Dorado Irrigation District received a notice from EID that signaled significant rate increases for water, wastewater and water recycling services.
The notice generated an angry response from many ratepayers and community groups and caught the interest of the local media. EID regrets that these proposed rate hikes coincide with a bad economy, high unemployment, and an uncertain financial future for many people, families and businesses in the communities we serve.
We are a public agency dedicated to providing high-quality water, wastewater treatment, recycled water, hydropower and recreation services in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner. We strive to provide the safe and reliable utility services our customers deserve at a price they can afford. We also work diligently to ensure that EID meets or surpasses all federal and state laws and regulations regarding the operation of a water and wastewater utility. … “
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
New paper reviewing Delta fish loss released by Sacto Regional County Sanitation District
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 1, 2010 at 7:55 amFrom Claudia Goss at the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District:
“As the independent panel recently appointed by the National Academy of Sciences begins its task of determining whether the pumping restrictions imposed to protect Delta smelt as a result of the federal Biological Opinions should be modified, it is important to remember that the amount of data documenting the loss of hundreds of millions of fish to the water pumps does not begin – or end – with the targeted Biological Opinions. In fact, the 30 years of research conducted on the ongoing fish losses associated with the water projects is voluminous. It is difficult to wade through all of these technical documents to find the dramatic findings and facts that paint such a stark picture of the water project operations’ impact on Delta fish, which perhaps is why they have been lost in the political debate surrounding the Delta.
Attached is a document prepared by for SRCSD by Larry Walker Associates, an environmental consulting firm we work with, which synthesizes data and facts from existing reports and studies to provide a comprehensive look at what is known about the water project operations, the enormous impact they have on Delta fish and how little has actually been done to mitigate these losses. The information is not conjecture or perception – it is based on real data and analysis done by scientists and state and federal agencies. The document simply compiles and condenses the information so that the facts about this issue and what is actually known about it can be better understood. Also attached is a one-page overview of the paper’s key points.
Perhaps another reason many of these facts have been lost in the political debate surrounding the Delta is because the water exporters have mounted an aggressive public relations campaign to shift attention from the impacts of the pumping operations to “other stressors.” Certainly, more research must be done to fully understand all of the stressors that may be affecting the health of the Delta and what action should be taken to address them. More answers are needed so that decisions can be made based on sound science and not because of political rhetoric. We have supported the efforts of CALFED and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board to pursue such research to yield those answers, including providing funding, and will continue to do so. Additionally, SRCSD has made it very clear that if comprehensive, scientific research determines its discharge is adversely impacting Delta fish we will take responsibility to correct the situation.
However, we do not need more answers to the serious fish mortality problems we already know exist at the SWP and CVP. With all the facts that are known, it causes us to ponder why hasn’t more been done to address these well-documented and serious problems?”
Download pdf files:
Key Messages One Pager
FishLossReportFinal
Aerial view of the Freeport Project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 30, 2010 at 6:48 amCheck out photographer Adrain Mendoza’s picture of the Freeport Project by clicking here.
Commentary: El Dorado water utility mismanaged
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 29, 2010 at 7:50 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this guest commentary by former directors of the El Dorado Irrigation District:
” The El Dorado Irrigation District, a utility that serves 100,000 customers, finds itself facing a storm of protest over a proposed 35 percent rate hike. Yet the financial fiasco that district now confronts was not only foreseeable, it was predicted.
In October 2003, the present board placed EID on this collision course when it proceeded to take out $166 million in mostly variable-rate debt to finance an extravagant five-year capital improvement program.
Just before the vote, former director Richard Akin spoke these prophetic words: “A dark cloud of debt will burden EID ratepayers for generations to come.” He then resigned from the board in protest. … “
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
Sacramento water meter work stops; installer investigated
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 24, 2010 at 7:48 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The city of Sacramento has shut off a water meter installation project that’s become the subject of a federal and state investigation.
The city has terminated two contracts with the owner of a water meter installer, Advantage Demolition and Engineering, who cashed city checks for about $65,000 but allegedly failed to pay workers, according to a city Department of Utilities spokesperson.
Advantage Demolition and Engineering, owned by Peter Michael Scott, lists addresses in El Dorado County and Roseville.
The company’s contracts represented about $3.4 million of $22 million in federal funds – half in the form of a grant and the other half, a low-interest loan – that Sacramento was awarded for water meter installation. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
50-cent rate hike eyed for region’s wastewater treatment
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 23, 2010 at 6:41 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The Sacramento region’s wastewater conveyance and treatment district will consider a 50-cent rate increase in March. The move is aimed at raising enough revenue to remain in compliance with bond requirements, according to the district.
The board of directors for the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District is to take up the issue at a March 24 public hearing.
If approved, the increase would take effect on July 1 and boost rates to $20.25 from $19.75 per month for single-family homeowners. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Sacramento’s Pocket absorbs brunt of water project effects, says Sacto city councilman; “These massive and intrusive projects present a grossly disproportionate impact on our neighborhoods”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 10, 2010 at 8:30 am
From the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Sacramento City Council member Robbie Waters:
“Unbelievable as it may be, less than 30 days after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the five historic water bills Nov. 12, the State Department of Water Resources began public scoping on yet another water intake facility proposed for the Sacramento River across from the Pocket.
This one is called the North Bay Aqueduct Alternative Intake Project and would take water from the Sacramento River in the Pocket and deliver it through an 84-inch underground pipeline to Solano County and Napa County water agencies.
Reasoning for the necessity of this state project states that Solano and Napa water agencies currently grapple with less than optimal water quality. “The water is difficult and costly to treat in order to meet drinking water standards,” the state’s Notice of Preparation stated. Why Sacramento residents should suffer so that Napa can have cheaper water is not explained. … “
Read more of Robbie Water’s commentary as published in the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Picture is of the Freeport Project under construction from March of 2009 (by Aquafornia).
Mayor wants federal ban on Natomas development lifted
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:45 amFrom the Sacramento Press:
“The city needs to make headway on flood protection efforts in order for the federal government to lift a moratorium on building in Natomas, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency banned development in Natomas in 2008 because of the threat of flooding. Johnson said at his weekly press conference that flood protection will be one of his priorities in 2010. “We have to make progress so that (FEMA) will lift the moratorium,” Johnson said.
New building in Natomas would generate dollars for the city’s general fund, he said. “If we want to grow revenue, we’ve got to find ways to have more economic development opportunities,” he said. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Press by clicking here.
Seismic retrofit coming for Folsom’s biggest earthen dam
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 18, 2009 at 7:55 am
From the Sacramento Bee:
“A plan to prevent an earthquake from wiping out Folsom Lake’s largest earthen dam has taken a significant turn. Federal officials now plan to replace a major section of the dam’s foundation.
The project involves Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam, the largest of nine earthen saddle dams that enclose Folsom Lake. It is second in size only to the concrete Folsom Dam itself.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation proposes to excavate an area five stories deep and nearly the size of three football fields along Green Valley Road, just below the dam. The goal is to replace unstable soils that could shift in a quake, potentially causing the dam to collapse and devastating Folsom and other areas downstream.
Though the project sounds alarming – it’s not every day that the foundation of a functioning dam is dug out and replaced – engineers say such projects are relatively common. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Sacramento’s water use up despite debut of weekends-only watering law
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 8, 2009 at 6:44 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Sacramento residents used more water this past November than they did during the same month in 2008, despite a new ban on weekday yard watering.
November was the first full month that the city’s new watering rules were in effect. During winter months, residents and businesses are supposed to water only on weekends, a change designed to conserve water when plants need less of it anyway.
In theory, the ban should have caused a significant reduction in the city’s total water use, since outdoor watering accounts for about 60 percent of all water use in Sacramento.
Yet city water customers consumed about 6 percent more water last month than in November 2008, for a total of nearly 2.6 billion gallons, according to city Utilities Department records. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
New operating manual needed for Folsom Dam upgrade
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 6, 2009 at 7:51 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Nearly a billion dollars for a massive new spillway and flood-control gates at Folsom Dam promises a new level of protection for the Sacramento region.
The full impact of one of the nation’s most ambitious dam upgrades, however, won’t be measured for some time because a rewrite of rules governing the reservoir’s flood-control operations is late getting started.
Construction of the spillway is on track, an important achievement given setbacks four years ago caused by unexpectedly high bids for an earlier project design. Now, excavation is nearly complete, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects concrete to be poured in about a year.
But perhaps because of the tight focus on construction, work has yet to start on a new set of rules that will dictate how the dam is managed. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
More Sacramentans to pay metered water rate next month
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 4, 2009 at 6:03 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The city of Sacramento is reminding some of its water customers that they will be billed at a metered rate, instead of a flat rate, beginning with the new year.
The city’s Utilities Department said customers who have a water meter and have received bills that allow a customer to see how the flat rate measures up to the metered rate for at least one year will be converting to a metered rate in January 2010.
Residents who have a meter but who have not had a year of comparative billing will remain on a flat rate until a year of receiving bills with the comparison. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Williams officials asking state water board for $17M loan
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 29, 2009 at 7:24 amFrom the Appeal-Democrat:
“Williams officials will caravan Tuesday, hats in hand, to Sacramento to make a plea to the California Water Resources Control Board for a $17 million loan to build the wastewater treatment plant.
All five members of the City Council, the city administrator, financial consultant and plant engineer hope to quell any lingering concerns the state has about the city’s financial troubles.
The wastewater project was derailed by the state after a Colusa County grand jury investigation uncovered negligent financial controls, city officials said. … “
Read more from the Appeal-Democrat by clicking here.
El Dorado water district willing to talk with critics
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 12, 2009 at 7:35 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The El Dorado Irrigation District general manager says he is prepared to sit down with representatives of an environmental group to try to head off a potentially costly lawsuit.
Jim Abercrombie said the EID board has directed him to meet with representatives of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, which advocates for conservation of California fisheries, to review their claims, district practices and system improvements.
EID officials this week responded to the alliance’s notice of intent to sue for illegal sewage spills, overflows and discharges into creeks that flow into the Cosumnes River and from there to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
They characterized as “ridiculous” the allegations by the alliance of mismanagement of the sewer collection and treatment system. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
From the Gutter to the Tap – Our watershed and stormdrain system
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 11, 2009 at 4:17 pmFrom the Folsom Telegraph:
“What many people may not realize is that roadside ditches, neighborhood curb/gutter systems and parking lot drainage inlets generally carry runoff directly streams, creeks and lakes with absolutely NO TREATMENT. So what ever pollutants that go into the storm drain system, go into our water. This system is part of a larger more complex system, our watershed.
On Saturday, November 14th, visitors to Placer Nature Center will experience our watershed as a drop of water. From high in the Sierras to a spigot in Roseville, our water takes an interesting and complex journey through the streams and rivers of our watershed.
“My Home, My Habits, My Watershed” will include an interactive walk-through of Placer Nature Center’s Watershed Learning Center which is complete with a miniature model of our local watershed. Simple things in our day-to-day life have affects on the quality of our water, participants will learn what they can do to help protect our local streams, rivers, and ultimately, the ocean. …”
Read more from the Folsom Telegraph by clicking here.
Sacramentans urged to cut back on lawn watering for fall, winter
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 1, 2009 at 8:15 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“California American Water urges customers in the Sacramento area to turn off their sprinklers when they turn their back their clocks Sunday.
Irrigation experts encourage outdoor water users to reduce irrigation run times and frequencies during the fall and early winter.
“Many of us continue to irrigate more than we need in September, October and November,” Andy Soule, the company’s general manager, said in a news release. “When compared to the peak water needs of June and July, outdoor water use in November should be reduced by 60 to 75 percent. Shorter days mean less sun and your plants need less water.” …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
New Sacramento winter watering rule: Saturday or Sunday only
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 29, 2009 at 10:29 pmFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Changing seasons means tighter rules on landscape watering: Starting next week, watering will be banned on weekdays in the city of Sacramento.
Sacramento’s water rules, adopted in June, allow watering only on alternate days, based on address, during summer months.
But when daylight saving time ends – this year, that’s this Sunday – watering will be allowed only on Saturdays or Sundays. Odd-number addresses may water on Saturdays; even-numbered addresses get Sundays.
The change in conservation rules is designed to reduce water waste during the cool season, when plants need less water, and reduce city utility costs. The rule is the first of its kind in the city, and officials anticipate a learning period.
“I think what we’re going to see is the same thing we saw when the ordinance went into effect in the first place,” said Jessica Hess, spokeswoman for the city Utilities Department. “There’s always a little bit of an adjustment period when the change happens.” …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Nestle Waters gets partial OK to resume plant construction
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 28, 2009 at 7:54 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Nestlé Waters can resume building its water bottling plant in south Sacramento after City Attorney Eileen Teichert ruled Tuesday the project was exempt from special permits the City Council might pass regulating similar facilities.
City building officials said the company could resume electrical and utilities work at its plant in the Florin Fruitridge Industrial Park today, after part of a stop work order issued Friday was removed. The work stoppage had been ordered while the council considered placing special permits on beverage bottling plants and building officials researched permits issued to Nestlé.
More work at the plant could begin after further inspections, said David Kwong, acting director of the city’s Community Development Department.
A first phase of construction already has been completed at the plant, and Nestlé had been authorized by city building officials to complete a second phase, which includes the electrical and utilities work. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
$1B effort moving forward: Could massive Freeport Project help recharge our groundwater?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 27, 2009 at 6:45 amFrom the Lodi News-Sentinel:
“Driving north from Lodi toward Sacramento on Interstate 5, motorists may wonder what the behemoth plant looming over the Sacramento River in the shadow of a steel water tower is.
It’s a plan for the future of California’s water, and it may help ease the burden on parched groundwater basins in San Joaquin County.
Diesel trucks rumble as they idle, while bulldozers and steamrollers reconfigure the landscape at the intake station of the Freeport Regional Water Project in Sacramento. The intake building is the combined effort of East Bay Municipal Utilities District and the Sacramento County Water Agency. It is scheduled to be finished in March or April of 2010.
The massive project will divert Sacramento River water to a pipeline and canal system, and into San Joaquin County and into East Bay’s pipeline to the Bay Area. …”
Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
Sacramento tells Nestle: Stop building bottled water plant
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 27, 2009 at 6:44 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
” The city of Sacramento has ordered food giant Nestlé to stop work on construction of a new bottled water plant in south Sacramento while the City Council decides whether to impose new planning requirements on such facilities.
The council is scheduled to vote tonight on whether to require special permits for beverage bottling plants – which means they would have to go through public hearings before the Planning Commission and council.
Stricter environmental regulations could also be placed on the projects if the proposed ordinance is passed, said David Kwong, acting director of the Community Development Department.
“With a pending ordinance, the issue of allowing work to more forward came into question,” Kwong said. “This was a prudent measure.” …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
An editorial in the Sacramento Bee questions whether this was a wise move:
” … Nestlé was welcomed by Mayor Kevin Johnson when it signed a lease in July for a building at the Florin Fruitridge Industrial Park. Since then, the reception has been less welcoming. Activists have targeted Nestlé for its efforts to site a bottling plant in McCloud, in Northern California, and for its threat to sue Miami-Dade County, Fla., over ads promoting city tap water.
In recent days, the effort to block Nestlé has gained momentum. Councilman Kevin McCarty is pushing for an urgency ordinance that would apply to new bottling plants, including, possibly, Nestlé. On Friday, a city building inspector issued a stop-work order on Nestlé’s project in south Sacramento, effectively halting it.
While it is difficult to sort out the merits of the stop-work order, the city’s sudden actions, particularly the proposed ordinance, are troubling. Nestlé has already obtained permits and followed established procedures for opening a business. The company claims it has already invested more than $3.7 million and hired more than one-fourth of its 40 employees.
If Sacramento were to suddenly block this plant and run it out of town, it would send a chilling message to every other employer that might want to locate here. …”
Read the full text of this editorial from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Woodland/Davis water agency starts up
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 24, 2009 at 7:10 amFrom the Woodland Daily Democrat:
“The Woodland/Davis Surface Water project Joint Power Agency is organized and ready for business.
The city councils of both cities approved the JPA in September, creating a new government agency to over see the massive water project. Exactly one month later, the authority’s newly appointed board of directors convened its first meeting to elect officers and start work.
Per the authority’s bylaws, Board of Director positions are filled by members of the Woodland and Davis city councils. Representing Woodland on the board are Council Members Martie Dote and William Marble, and Vice Mayor Art Pimentel (alternate). Serving on behalf of Davis are Vice Mayor Don Saylor, along with Council Members Stephen Souza and Lamar Heystek (alternate).
At Thursday’s meeting, William Marble was elected board chairman and Stephen Souza was elected vice chairman, according to a statement from the Woodland Public Works Department.
The Woodland/Davis region is one of the few urbanized areas in California that still depends on groundwater for 100 percent of its drinking water supply, according to Woodland city officials. …”
Read more from the Woodland Daily Democrat by clicking here.
Commentary: Sacramento should cap new bottling plants
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 21, 2009 at 8:30 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Sacramento resident Shaina Meiners:
“Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson recently told The Bee that, “We need to light a fire under the city’s efforts to save water.” Most Sacramentans did not interpret this as meaning we should save water for Nestlé to truck away in disposable plastic bottles.
Nestlé wants to start taking a reported 30 million gallons of local municipal water a year in early 2010, despite objections that there was no public input or environmental review for their proposed water-bottling plant.
An emergency moratorium on beverage-bottling plants in Sacramento would allow for processes in accountability to unfold, answering questions that should have been openly considered in the first place. …”
Read more of this commentary by clicking here.
Sacramento City Council considers special ordinance on water bottlers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 15, 2009 at 8:04 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The Sacramento City Council will discuss whether it should draft an urgency ordinance that would require special permits for water bottling facilities after some members of the community raised concerns over a new Nestlé water plant planned for south Sacramento.
Councilman Kevin McCarty asked Tuesday night for city staff to place the discussion on a council agenda in the near future. He also asked the city’s Utilities Department to explore a system of tiered water rates for commercial facilities.
Councilwoman Lauren Hammond also called for a council discussion on the issue of whether an emergency ordinance should be written to place special permits on water bottling facilities.
Hammond and McCarty are running against one another for state Assembly. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Placerville water, sewer costs jump; council sees no option
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 15, 2009 at 8:02 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Placerville residents will pay significantly more for water and sewer service beginning Friday because of rate increases that some residents termed obscene.
But it could have been worse. By spreading debt payments over a longer period, leaving maintenance staff positions vacant and reducing funding for new pipelines, the City Council adopted an 88 percent hike in sewer rates and a 43 percent water rate increase. That’s down from initially proposed increases of 122 percent and 66.7 percent, respectively.
The changes were little comfort to residents and business owners, who predicted that Placerville will become a city of brown lawns if people can’t afford to water them. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Delta bill could drive up Sacramento sewage rates
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 9, 2009 at 6:34 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Sacramento officials worry that state legislation to reform management of Delta water could subject city ratepayers to steep new sewage-treatment fees. The concern highlights the numbing complexity in water laws now being negotiated by California lawmakers.
At issue is whether the budding water bill, Senate Bill 68, will require the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District to pay for more rigorous treatment.
The last draft of the bill says nothing about Sacramento’s treated sewage or even sewage effluent in general. But Sacramento officials worry it could nevertheless trigger a chain of events harmful to ratepayers.
“It would be a domino effect,” said Stan Dean, chief of policy and planning for the sewer district. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Sacramento Nestle Waters bottling plant draws fire
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 5, 2009 at 6:26 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Sacramento banned bottled water from its City Council meetings last year, but over the summer it welcomed a Nestle Waters plant that would churn out millions of those bottles every week.
With California in its third year of drought and Sacramentans facing watering restrictions, Councilman Kevin McCarty thinks the plant needs a closer look.
“It comes at a bizarre time,” said McCarty, whose district includes the project site in the Florin Fruitridge Industrial Park. “Extreme profits are going to be made with Sacramento water as we’re trying to conserve” it.
Nestle’s Northern California expansion started in a more picturesque place. In 2003, the company signed a contract to build a large, spring-fed plant on the flank of Mount Shasta.
But Siskiyou County locals delayed the project on environmental grounds, and early this year the company began to consider a site in south Sacramento, according to Dave Palais, Nestle’s natural resource manager for the region. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Sacramento exempts major users from water-saving rules
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 1, 2009 at 6:09 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The city of Sacramento apparently is above its own laws, having excused several city operations from the water-conservation rules that apply to local businesses and homes. In August, a Bee investigation found city government was among the most wasteful of Sacramento’s major water users.
This week the city acknowledged that after a new water ordinance passed in May, the Utilities Department, Parks and Recreation and city golf courses were exempted from many of its provisions. They account for the vast majority of water used by city government. In exemption requests to Marty Hanneman, director of utilities, the departments cited budget problems and the need to keep grass green. Some said they could not comply with prohibitions, such as watering be- fore 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m., due to short staffing or sub- standard equipment. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Stimulus flows into Sacramento region: $49M will help speed up installation of water meters, cut rate payers’ costs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 25, 2009 at 6:18 amFrom the Sacramento Business Journal:
“Water is a big deal in the Sacramento region, and a flood of stimulus funding is coming to help meet metering requirements. The region has landed $49.2 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for the installation of water meters.
The stimulus funds are part of the estimated $600 million that will be invested in water metering in the region, according to the Regional Water Authority. But the funds are a “significant part” because they help minimize the burden on rate payers and speed the installation of meters, authority executive director John Woodling said.
Woodland is leading the way on water-meter installation thanks to $14.8 million in stimulus money. All of the city’s 15,000 customers will be on a metered system by 2011, 14 years ahead of schedule.
There are federal and state deadlines to switch customers from flat-rate billing to metered rates. The deadline to get the last water meter installed in California is 2025. Federal law requires municipalities that get their water from federal sources, such as Folsom Reservoir, to meet a 2013 deadline. …”
Read more from the Sacramento Business Journal by clicking here.
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