Polluted groundwater cleanup to begin in Lodi
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 5:34 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“Lodi is on its way to cleaning up the first major portion of its contaminated groundwater.
The City Council late Wednesday awarded a $1.7 million contract to Woodbridge-based Diede Construction, Inc. to construct and operate equipment that will suck pollution out of the ground in central Lodi.
Several pumps will be located in an area bordered by Pine, Oak and Church streets and Pleasant Avenue. Two sites will pump polluted groundwater through a filter, while 18 wells will pump air out of the soil and catch the vaporized contaminants in a filter. … “
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Financing plan to pay for water meter system upgrade approved
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 5:27 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“Property owners in Lodi who must pay to upgrade their water service to a meter-based system will have the option of financing the expense over seven years. The Lodi City Council endorsed the proposed payment plan late Wednesday.
Homeowners also will be allowed to pay in a lump sum next year, and low-income residents may be eligible for payment assistance.
Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce, who voted against the payment plan, said she opposes the water meter program but appreciates city officials’ effort to spread out the cost over several years.
“Thank you for finding a way to soften this tremendous blow to the head,” she said. … “
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Patterson Irrigation District lays new pipelines
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 5:25 amFrom the Patterson Irrigator:
“A months-long job is in the works to expand the Patterson Irrigation District’s water pipeline.
Big blue pipes have been buried underground to form what will soon be a new pipeline extending from the district’s main pump. The pipeline will expand an older, smaller channel that has started to fall apart, according to Peter Rietkerk, the district’s general manager.
“We’re hoping to provide service to lands we formerly served in the past and to pursue other transfers,” Rietkerk said.
When completed, the pipeline will extend from the main pump on Highway 33 down Elfers Road and south on Ward Avenue, totaling about 2 miles. The pipeline will end at the Delta-Mendota Canal, so the water supply the district sends through those pipes will eventually become part of a conduit to which other districts along the canal will have easy access. … “
Continue reading this article from the Patterson Irrigator by clicking here.
A win in uphill fight: An off-road park, once a day away from closing, will stay open after a court ruling
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 5:09 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“A popular off-highway vehicle park that came within one day of closing in December will remain open after a lawsuit by environmentalists backfired this week.
It was a rare win for off-roaders, one advocate said. Many feel they are slowly but surely being cut off from public lands across California. “It’s over, for now,” said Don Amador, representing the off-highway access group BlueRibbon Coalition.
“Land-use wars are never really over,” Amador said. “This one, at least, it looks like we won.”
Environmentalists, including Stockton’s Bill Jennings, filed suit in 2009 claiming that California State Parks never got a permit to account for erosion of soil into a seasonal creek at Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area southwest of Tracy. … “
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Column: Past time to go – Other dams razed, why not deadly Dennett
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 5:00 amFrom the Modesto Bee, this column by Jeff Jardine:
“Everywhere else in the country, it seems, they’re tearing out dams. Big dams. Little dams. Medium-sized dams. Dams built more than a century ago that have long since outlived their purpose and usefulness. Dams that might still produce hydroelectric power but destroy fish populations.
About 800 have disappeared so far, with more ready to go.
In Washington state, they’re getting ready to take out two dams at once on the Elwha River. One is 200 feet high, the other 105 feet high. And on the Klamath River in Oregon and California, four dams will disappear in the largest removal project in history. They’ll all be gone by 2020, according to an agreement reached last year.
Yet in Modesto, the tiny but deadly Dennett Dam remains — or at least the remains of the Dennett Dam remain in the Tuolumne River. … “
Continue reading this column by clicking here.
Westside gets 25% of water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 4:54 amFrom the Hanford Sentinel:
“Drought-starved farmers in western Kings and Fresno counties in the giant Westlands Water District learned Tuesday that they’ll be receiving 25 percent of their historical contracted deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, up from the 5 percent indicated last month.
The decision was announced in a teleconference with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and other officials.
The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation, which operates the giant Sacramento River delta pumps that send water to thirsty Westlands growers, will be trying to get an additional 150,000 to 200,000 acre-feet of water, which could get growers up to 35 percent of their historic contracts.
An acre-foot can supply an average household for 12 to 18 months.
Nobody seemed satisfied with the announcement. … “
Read more from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.
Flow a milestone for thirsty San Joaquin River
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:16 am
From the Stockton Record:
“The San Joaquin River is flowing from Friant Dam near Fresno to the Delta, a symbolic milestone in a process to restore the normally dry stream.
The fact that it’s news that a river runs from the mountains to the sea says something about the history of the San Joaquin.
The last time this happened was 2006, but only because officials were desperately trying to flush swollen Central Valley streams and prevent a flood.
This is the first time in more than a half-century that the river has flowed uninterrupted in a non-flood year, officials said. The river apparently connected with itself late last week at the confluence of the Merced River.
“Dead and buried rivers don’t usually come back to life. This is an important moment,” said Bill Jennings, head of Stockton-based California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. … “
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NRDC Switchboard blog: The San Joaquin River reconnects to the Delta and the sea
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:10 amFrom Monty Schmitt at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“On March 12th, the San Joaquin River was reconnected to the Bay-Delta and the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 60 years using natural river flows. Part of the San Joaquin River Settlement in 2006, the flows being released from Friant Dam this spring, combined with storm runoff from a few small tributary creeks, were enough to re-wet 150 miles of river, join with the Merced River and continue on downstream to the Bay. The goal of these releases in advance of reintroducing salmon in 2012 is to collect data to improve our understanding of the river and begin the process of healing the San Joaquin. … “
Continue reading this post at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
A look at Lodi water meters
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:08 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“LODI – Lodi is on the verge of a five-year, $37 million conversion to home water meters, a state-mandated move to help conserve water.
Thousands of property owners are on the hook for more than $15 million of costs for new meters. Tonight, the City Council will consider a proposal to give people seven years to pay off the cost of their meter, starting in 2011.
Here’s an overview of the issue, the proposed options and the estimated costs. … “
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Turlock farmers to benefit from rainy winter
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:05 amFrom the Turlock Journal:
“Irrigation season starts on Thursday for thirsty farmers in the Turlock Irrigation District, and good news is already trickling down from the Department of Water Resources on the snowpack levels that determine the amount of water farmers will receive.
“We will have a full allotment, however the maximum water available is yet to be determined,” said TID General Manager Larry Weis.
The District establishes its allotment based on data in the March DWR snow survey, which was released on Tuesday but not in time to offer a projected allotment for the Board of Directors’ meeting. … “
Continue reading this article from the Turlock Journal by clicking here.
Historical marker notes the first deep well drilled in the Central Valley
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:01 amFrom the Historical Marker Database, this webpage on a historical marker in Selma noting the first deep well drilled in the Central Valley:
“[Inscription of marker]Groundwater Irrigation Beginnings:
The San Joaquin Valley’s groundwater reservoir was first tapped with a practical pumping plant 4 miles northeast of here on Dec. 12, 1894. William De La Grange of Selma, tired of upstream irrigationists draining Kings River water from the canal he used, drilled a pioneering open bottom well. Using steam power, he pumped 350 gallons of water per minute onto his ranch at the southeast corner of Manning and Bethel Ave’s. The plant attracted great attention. Within several years, groundwater irrigation was common and pumps were being powered by electricity. De La Grange, by 1900, opened Selma’s first well drilling business. … “
Find out more by clicking here.
Cosumnes River Preserve to be expanded
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 16, 2010 at 4:42 amFrom the Central Valley Business Times:
“The Cosumnes River in the Central Valley will be reconnected with its historic floodplain, improving wildlife habitat in a biologically rich region, using $2.2 million in federal stimulus money, according to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Nature Conservancy of California.
“This project is one of many in California designed to benefit the environment and boost local economic investment as part of ARRA,” says Ed Burton, state conservationist for NRCS in California. “This project will have a positive impact on the local community for years to come.”
The project is expected to improve protection for agricultural and urban lands continually threatened by flooding. In addition, the project will offer local job opportunities in order to complete the restoration work. … “
Continue reading this article from the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.
Read the press release from the USDA – Natural Resources Conservation Service by clicking here.
Rules sought to protect the San Joaquin River and bluffs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:41 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A Fresno City Council member is trying to bring regulatory order to a portion of one of the Valley’s most treasured natural resources: the San Joaquin River and bluffs.
Council Member Andreas Borgeas said many government agencies, each with its own rules, regulate the river along the edge of his northwest Fresno district. Those include the counties of Fresno and Madera and the state Department of Fish and Game.
Unless they coordinate their laws and enforcement, he said, the area will remain full of potential public safety hazards.
“The river and bluffs are a prized natural resource, but there’s an entire alphabet soup of jurisdictions overseeing it,” Borgeas said. “The way it’s regulated is broken and needs to be fixed.” … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Our Valley’s economy is endangered, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:29 amFrom the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Case Lawrence, a venture capitalist and longtime Fresno resident:
“Like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our Valley economy is an especially fragile ecosystem and investment capital has long been our most endangered species. Although we have aspired to economic diversity, the truth is that most of our Valley’s capital is still quietly tucked away in farms, orchards, F-150’s and processing plants.
The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn’t reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future.
This is not just an ag problem. Like a living system, the various segments of our economy are connected organically. As our capital base shrinks, so does financing, jobs, population, innovation and philanthropy.
Start-ups don’t get funded, homes don’t get built, city budgets are decimated. Unlike Delta water, the negative fall-out from our capital devaluation will trickle down to every segment of our economy. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Congressman Costa responds to critics of Valley’s economy: “Bringing more water to our Valley is a matter of survival. It is unfortunate that some individuals remain blind to all of California’s water challenges and are incapable of the thoughtful consideration this issue deserves.”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 12, 2010 at 5:35 am
From the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Congressman Jim Costa:
“A lot of people who live outside our Valley are attacking our local economy and our way of life. Their arguments ignore the facts, distort reality, and oversimplify the water-supply crisis that is devastating our farms, businesses and communities.
On editorial pages and across the airwaves, these critics would lead you to believe that water limitations are having little effect on the Valley. Even worse, many individuals continue to assert that attempts at aiding the Valley are merely backroom schemes aimed at stealing resources from other regions without regard to the Delta’s health.
It’s now more critical than ever for all members of our communities to come together to take on our critics and fight for our Valley. Step one is doing away with these dishonest and misguided claims once and for all.
The first page out of our critics’ playbook is to dismiss the impact that water limitations have had on our economy while, at the same time, stereotyping Valley agriculture as a single corporate “agribusiness.” … “
Continue reading Jim Costa’s commentary by clicking here.
Point/Counterpoint: Water and polictics are an explosive mix
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 9:21 amFrom the Visalia Times Delta, this commentary by Tom Fife, titled “Costa is toast over water policy”:
“The fuse is lit on the powder-keg that resides under incumbent congressional Democrats. Their ongoing shenanigans over “Obamacare” and the potential use of a “nuclear option” to pass the wildly unpopular bill will likely blast congressional Democrats out of their elected seats from coast to coast.
One local Democrat congressman likely to be booted is Jim Costa. Costa is hardcore, with a 96 percent party-line voting record. And while a lot of Costa’s votes are small potatoes, his vote to support health-care reform will likely be his undoing. Even in a so-called “safe” district like Costa’s, a vote for the health-care reform bill might well be the final nail in an incumbent congressional Democrat’s political coffin.
But Costa has made things even worse for himself by praising Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for making a “good-faith effort” to deliver federal water to farmers in his district. This on the heels of Salazar’s announced 50 percent reduction in this year’s federal allotment. … “
And this rebuttal by Joe Altshule, titled “Blame on Democrats is misplaced”:
“It’s a shame that when Tom writes about important issues like water, he resorts to political gamesmanship and inflammatory rhetoric.
Before he even gets to his point about water, he throws in the obligatory name-calling and bad-mouthing that have become his hallmark. He says, “The fuse is lit on the powder keg.” Nice explosive imagery there, huh? He continues on with the phrases “nuclear option” and “will likely blast congressional Democrats out of their seats”
Tom never acknowledges that Democrats have ever had a good or decent idea. Never mind that the president has spent a year trying to talk with Republicans, literally begging them to incorporate their ideas into the health-care debate, only to meet with “no” at every turn. Tom ignores the fact that after trying to forge a bipartisan health-reform bill, the president finally took the four major Republican ideas and put them in the bill over the Republicans’ objections. First they were for it, but when Obama likes it, they are against it. Go figure. … “
You can find both commentaries by clicking here.
PG&E backs down; appears ready to comply with SSJID rules for pipeline
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:27 amFrom the Manteca Bulletin:
“PG&E has backed off its threat to take legal action to force South San Joaquin Irrigation District to allow the utility to place a natural gas pipeline in SSJID right-of-way without following SSJID stipulations.
Five weeks ago, PG&E’s plans to install a 24-inch natural gas line running north from West Ripon Road to Woodward Avenue about a quarter mile west of Union Road were blocked by the SSJID board. The elected board was concerned PG&E hadn’t adequately addressed how it would assure the integrity of a key irrigation canal it was tunneling under. Plus the SSJID was alarmed that PG&E assumed it could simply dump water from excavating for the line into SSJID canals without asking for permission or even adhere to environmental laws. … “
Continue reading from the Manteca Bulletin by clicking here.
KQED’s The California Report: Not enough jobs and not enough water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:25 amFrom the California Report:
“The tiny Fresno County farm town of Mendota has one of the highest unemployment rates in California, about 40 percent. That statistic, and the reasons behind it, have put Mendota in the middle of the current battle over the state’s water. Reporter: Sasha Khokha”
Water forums kick off: Series reaches out to Latinos
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 7:12 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“The state’s plan to preserve fish species in the Delta and convey water southbound from Northern California were hot topics at the first in a series of water forums geared to reach San Joaquin County Latinos.
On Saturday, several dozen people showed up at University of the Pacific’s Grace Covell Hall to hear panelists share different views on the water.
The forums are being organized by the Hispanics for Political Action and the Coalition of Mexican American Organizations in an effort to better inform Latinos about the various sides of the California’s longstanding angst over water.
“This is the first time we’ve ever put on this kind of forum for Latinos,” said Michael Villanueva, president of Hispanics for Political Action. … “
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Livingston appeals water ruling: Increased rate will stay in place for now while court drama plays out
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 7:26 amFrom the Merced Sun-Star:
“Residents, who came before the City Council to debate what to do after a judge ruled the city’s controversial water rate plan unconstitutional, were stunned to hear the decision had already been made.
About 45 minutes into public discussion on the matter, City Attorney Jonathan Hobbs leaned forward and informed the audience the city had already filed an appeal of the ruling. Every time a member of the public tried to ask how this had happened or if the council had voted on it, Hobbs merely explained neither he nor the council would comment on pending litigation.
Residents were bewildered. State law requires meetings of legislative bodies be properly noticed and conducted in public. When it comes to legal matters, a body can meet in closed session but must announce if it takes any action. There was no announcement.
“I have never ever seen them make a decision, and not report out of council,” said former mayor Gurpal Samra, a critic of the water rate plan and a leader of a recall effort to oust the mayor and two other council members. … “
Read more from the Merced Sun-Star by clicking here.
Local water officials note that snowpack is key to recharging water supply
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 6:44 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta:
“An “average” rain year wouldn’t make up for three years of Central Valley drought, water watchers say, but something close to it — and a healthy snowpack — would be better than the alternative.
Much better.
“Every year we get that’s average or above-average is certainly a good thing,” said Mark Larsen, general manager of the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District. “We’re in a state of overdraft here in the Kaweah Basin, and every time we see dry years, it’s pretty disheartening.”
With nearly four months left in the rain year, Visalia already has received more precipitation — 7.99 inches as of Thursday — than it did in 2006-07, 2007-08 or 2008-09. During that three-year period, 16.89 inches of rain fell at Visalia Municipal Airport. … “
Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta by clicking here.
Kings County: Above-average snowpack good news for ag
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 6:43 amFrom the Hanford Sentinel:
“Kings County’s huge agricultural sector can breathe easier: Recent storms have boosted the state’s snowpack to above normal, the Department of Water Resources said on Wednesday.
Northern California was at 123 percent, the central Sierra Nevada was at 93 percent and the southern Sierra — which waters Kings County’s fields — was at 109 percent. “It’s looking at lot better than last year,” said Don Strickland, DWR spokesman.
On the Kings, the main river that keeps the county’s $1.7 billion agricultural engine running, the snowpack was 99 percent of average. The Kaweah River, an important water source for big southern Kings County farms like JG Boswell Co. and Hansen Ranches, was at 139 percent of normal. … “
Read more from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.
Merced Irrigation District upbeat about irrigation deliveries; Soggy winter has filled reservoir to near capacity
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 6:26 amFrom the Merced Sun-Star:
“Even though this year’s robust rainy season isn’t over yet, when it comes to water, the Merced Irrigation District is riding high.
And that’s upbeat news for farmers.
Rain and runoff have already filled up MID’s reservoir — Lake McClure — to more than 90 percent of normal, which could make the coming irrigation season a happy one for the district and local farmers.
The district’s board of directors Tuesday gave General Manager John Sweigard the OK to start the irrigation season whenever he sees fit, without any curtailments, according to Hicham Eltal, deputy general manager. … “
Read more from the Merced Sun-Star by clicking here.
Upstream Battle: Scarce water has local farmers squaring off
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:59 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
“Northwest of Manteca, where salmon struggle to survive in the San Joaquin River, farmers face challenges of their own.
Last week, growers in the southern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta told of how their irrigation supplies have been harmed by exports to other parts of California. They also complained about a new push by state regulators to question their right to use the water flowing through the delta.
“We are under attack, and it is a very serious attack,” said John Herrick, a Stockton-based attorney working on behalf of the farmers.
He spoke to a group of Stanislaus County agricultural leaders who headed north on a tour organized by the county Farm Bureau.
It included a stop at the federal pumps that send some of the delta water southward. The pumping has been reduced to protect salmon and other fish, meaning sharp irrigation cutbacks in parts of the western and southern San Joaquin Valley. … “
Continue reading this article from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Merced County pushes forward with long-delayed flood control project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 2, 2010 at 7:11 amFrom the Merced Sun-Star:
“A flood control program for Merced County that was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1944 is still incomplete.
To this day, there’s no flood control structure at Black Rascal Creek to keep the destructive waters from flowing into homes, as they did in 2006.
That work has been stalled because the flood control project has been under evaluation with the Army Corps of Engineers since the late 1990s.
Last week, to move the project forward, the county signed a $95,000 consultant contract with Peterson Brustad, Inc., a company that provides engineering services on water projects.
“They have a very long success record of helping agencies, who, for various reasons, just can’t finish a project,” said Kellie Jacobs, an administrative engineer for Merced County. “This is what they do. And that’s not what we do full time.” … “
Read more from the Merced Sun-Star by clicking here.
RMC Water and Environment planning and managing water meter installation in Lodi
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 7:31 amFrom the Lodi News-Sentinel:
“RMC Water and Environment is in charge of planning, designing and managing the installation of water meters in Lodi. RMC will also be working with Nolte Associates on the project.
The city selected the contractor based on qualifications, instead of strictly price, Public Works Director Wally Sandelin said.
In October, the Lodi City Council voted 3-to-1 to hire and pay RMC $3.25 million for its work on the four-year project. Councilwoman JoAnne Mounce voted “no” because she does not believe the city should pass costs for infrastructure on to residents. Councilwoman Susan Hitchcock was absent from the meeting. … “
Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: Did Davis revise their job numbers down … or up?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“Those of you following the water, farm jobs news stories may find this interesting. From the March 31, 2009 report from the Department of Water Resources and California Department of Food and Agriculture to the Governor (page 17, 19).
A collaborative economic impact modeling effort between the California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), University of California at Davis, and DWR has estimated income and employment impacts from water shortages to irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley based on the current forecasted water project deliveries and estimates of local surface and groundwater water supply availability. The results are as follows:Central Valley farm revenue loss is estimated to range between $325 million and $477 million.
The associated total employment loss is estimated to be between 16,200 and 23,700 full-time equivalent jobs, with the majority of jobs lost in the lowest paying categories.
I just discovered this report from last spring for the first time this afternoon. … “
Continue reading this post from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Reservoirs filling as deluge predicted to continue; Asparagus growers worry muddy fields will hinder harvest
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 6:44 amFrom the Lodi News-Sentinel:
“The steady rains that have fallen recently in San Joaquin County are beneficial for area reservoirs and most farmers, but asparagus growers are worried too much rain could make harvesting difficult in muddy fields.
California has teetered between deluge and drought the past several years. This El Niño year, like the previous one in 2005, is shaping up to be generous with rain and snowfall. Locally, Lodi is receiving more precipitation in recent months than it has since 2005. Clear skies are expected today, but more showers are expected Friday and through the weekend.
As rain continues to fall, Pardee and Camanche reservoirs are gulping up the precipitation, and more is expected this week. While the rain is good news for local cherry and almond orchards, asparagus farmers are in a tentative position. Too much rain can turn fields to mud and make harvesting with tractors difficult. … “
Continue reading this article from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
Nunes needs to be practical in water reform, says editorial: “We urge the congressman to continue his advocacy on behalf of Valley water users, but we also urge him to use means that make the pursuit effective”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 24, 2010 at 9:06 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta, this editorial:
“Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, has long been an advocate for more water for Valley farmers. He has proposed some water measures and revived others that few other policymakers have even considered.
With some skillful maneuvering during the Bush administration, Nunes got a provision in an appropriations bill to set aside funds for study of a new surface water source at Temperance Flat on the San Joaquin River. Getting past that stage has been difficult.
As his Web site makes clear, Nunes holds federal policies and the Congress responsible for the “man-made drought” that has cut water deliveries on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and contributed to devastating economic conditions in the small towns there that depend on agriculture.
Nunes’ approach has typically been stubborn, relentless and uncompromising, and it has led at times to conflict with his own party. He has long been at odds with his colleagues in the California congressional delegation, including some from the Valley. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Visalia Times-Delta by clicking here.
Water agencies to rekindle shared planning?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:08 amFrom the Union Democrat:
“A who’s-who collection of officials from Highway 4 corridor water management agencies and local governments gathered Thursday in an attempt to cut through old animosities and find areas for collaboration.
The meeting was both a nod to growing state and federal pressure for regional water management solutions and the renewing of a collaboration effort halted when California’s budget crisis put a freeze on the grant money funding the work.
The group, seated in intimate proximity around a phalanx of tables in a small conference room at the Utica Power Authority headquarters, included one or two board members, and in some cases staff too, from Calaveras County Water District, Utica Power Authority, Union Public Utility District and Murphys Sanitary District.
There were also two representatives each from the Angels Camp City Council and the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors.
A couple of representatives of the county’s agricultural community were also present: Ironstone vineyards owner John Kautz and Prospect 772 Wines vineyard manager Mark Skenfield, who said he came on behalf of the Calaveras County Agricultural Coalition.
But the biggest presence in the small room was the litany of past battles and former grudges between those present, almost all now settled, but contributing tension nonetheless. … “
Continue reading this post at the Union Democrat by clicking here.
Wastewater among state’s cleanest: Manteca treatment plant earns high marks
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 6:48 amFrom the Manteca Bulletin:
“Manteca’s wastewater treatment plant seven years ago was under intense scrutiny from state water quality control inspectors.
The aging plant used a process that no longer addressed tougher water quality control standards for the treatment of wastewater. The plant regularly failed new state imposed tests involving ammonia.
Today, it is an entirely different story. The wastewater treatment plant just north of the Big League Dreams sports complex now employs a state-of-the-art cleansing process using bacteria and ultraviolet light that is part of a $61.3 million expansion, upgrade and retrofit that started construction in December of 2003. … “
Read more from the Manteca Bulletin by clicking here.
San Joaquin County: Well tests show water levels down
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 8:46 amFrom Stockton Record:
“STOCKTON – More than two-thirds of the wells tested in San Joaquin County dropped last year as groundwater levels continue to recede, according to the latest in a series of twice-a-year reports.
In the most extreme case, one well east of Stockton plunged 13.4 feet from fall 2008 to fall 2009. In some places water levels rose, but on the whole many wells dropped up to 2 feet.
Groundwater within one pocket of farmland mostly between highways 26 and 88 east of Stockton has declined to more than 60 feet below sea level. … “
Read more from the Stockton Record by clicking here.
Environmental organizations: Myths and facts about San Joaquin Valley job loss
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 18, 2010 at 7:51 amPosted by Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, this press release from Zeke Grader, PCFFA; Steve Evans, Friends of the River; Jim Metropulos, Sierra Club; and Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, Restore the Delta:
“Myth: The high rate of joblessness in the San Joaquin Valley is due to agricultural unemployment.
Fact: The subprime mortgage crisis and housing implosion caused most of the job loss in the San Joaquin Valley. UOP studies have estimated that 47,000 construction jobs were lost in San Joaquin Valley, as opposed to 8,500 jobs in agriculture.1
Myth: All of the agricultural jobs lost in the San Joaquin Valley were due to Endangered Species Act related cutbacks of pumping from the Delta.
Fact: The UOP study estimated that 8,500 agricultural jobs were lost in the Valley due to cutbacks in water deliveries, but of those jobs, 6,500 were lost due to the drought, and 2,000 were lost due to the ESA related cutbacks. Many of the 6,500 jobs lost due to the drought are likely to return this year.1
Myth: The Endangered Species Act is preventing storage of spring runoff.
Fact: As of February 10, the Federal share of the San Luis reservoir, one of the main reservoirs supplying the Central Valley, has gone from very low to 81% of the 15 year average. The rest of the Central Valley Project reservoirs are also filling up, and are at 78% of the 15 year average. The reservoirs were at abnormally low levels due to the drought and increased demand, so it takes a while for them to fill.2 … “
Continue reading this post at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Judge Wanger speaks at water meeting
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 18, 2010 at 6:53 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“Federal Judge Oliver W. Wanger knows that many of his legal decisions in the state’s ongoing water wars have earned him a reputation in the agricultural community as “the bad guy in the black hat.”
But Wanger, the keynote speaker at a half-day water conference sponsored by the Madera County Farm Bureau, gave the very crowd that has been stung by many of these rulings a treatise on water history and politics — and how laws passed by Congress have bound him in the ongoing debate.
“I’m not just some judge making an arbitrary ruling,” Wanger said. “We cannot rewrite the law. We can only follow the law.”
These laws include the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and the Central Valley Project Improvement Act — which gave endangered species equal footing with meeting water needs of farms and cities. The laws govern many of the decisions before Wanger in U.S. District Court in Fresno. … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Stockton going after grease where it hides
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 15, 2010 at 6:32 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“STOCKTON – You don’t want to know what’s beneath those manhole covers. But the city does. As part of a legal settlement, Stockton is stepping up inspections of the large underground vaults where grease from restaurants collects and, all too often, overflows onto the streets and seeps into storm drains.
Earlier this week, three city workers pried open a manhole outside north Stockton’s Olive Garden and lowered a straw-like tube into the blackness to sample what’s in there. It was mostly water, with a thin layer of grease at the top – well within standards.
But the same can’t be said for many other grease traps around the city. “We’ve seen some just packed with grease. They hadn’t been pumped in over a year,” said Richard Stiffler, a technical services supervisor with the city’s Municipal Utilities Department. … “
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