Surf, sewage form a combustible mix in Malibu

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on January 7, 2009 at 5:42 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

The perfectly shaped point break at Malibu’s Surfrider Beach lures wave riders from around the world. But the chronically polluted water has given countless swimmers and surfers queasy stomachs, eye infections and nasty rashes.

Long under orders from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board to clean up its coastline, Malibu is eager to begin turning 17 acres of open space on Pacific Coast Highway in the heart of the city into a park that would double as a storm water treatment zone.

Many in the environmental and surfing communities contend the design for Legacy Park falls short because it does not also provide for treating sewage in the Civic Center area, home to the Malibu Country Mart and Cross Creek Plaza, busy havens for well-heeled shoppers and diners.

Legacy Park “was touted as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a state-of-the-art environmental solution to the city’s water quality problems,” said Joe Melchione, an attorney who heads the Malibu Surfing Assn.’s environmental committee. “It’s time for the city of Malibu to grow up and clean up their own mess.” And that, Melchione and others say, should include treating sewage along with storm water.

Malibu City Manager Jim Thorsen counters that studies showed the Legacy Park site does not lend itself to treating wastewater because it contains relatively impermeable clay. Unlike other, more porous soils, clay keeps wastewater from percolating, or draining, through underground layers. Percolation provides a natural cleansing, as soils absorb viruses, oils, metals, excess nutrients and other pollutants from the water. Thorsen said the city must use a phased approach to the water quality problem. It expects to begin building wastewater treatment plants in 2011.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

January 7, 2009 · Filed Under Other Oceans & Beaches Stories, Southern California

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LAKE ELSINORE: Rains replenishing lakes; Precipitation reverses downward trend of water levels

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 26, 2008 at 7:20 am

From the North County Times:

While the economy is putting the squeeze on government spending, Mother Nature is providing some relief in the form of rainfall to the agencies overseeing the lakes after which the cities of Lake Elsinore and Canyon Lake are named.

The sequence of storms that began Dec. 15 has filled up Canyon Lake, causing water to overflow its dam and plummet into the San Jacinto River, which feeds Lake Elsinore. That’s putting representatives of the two cities, as well as the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District in a good mood, especially with forecasts of more rain this week.

“It’s wonderful news,” said Pat Kilroy, the aquatic resources director for Lake Elsinore. “We’re just waiting to see how much wonderful news we get. … I think we may have a merry Christmas, given the weather forecasts. For the city of Lake Elsinore and pretty much the water district, it’s raining money.”

The city and the water district, which share the responsibility of managing the lake, each kick in money to replenish the water supply of the largest freshwater lake in Southern California. The more it rains, the less the city and the district will have to pay to keep the big lake healthy, and the less likely it is that the district will have to buy imported drinking water.

“If we had to buy this water from the Colorado River or the Metropolitan Water District (of Southern California), we’re talking a water value that would be in the millions of dollars,” said Elsinore Valley district General Ron Young, adding that the district is nowhere near that point.

Read more from the North County Times by clicking here.

December 26, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Pechanga, Rancho Water reach agreement on framework for water settlement; Agreement could bring access to water for Tribe, dry year supply of water for Rancho, and millions for regional water supply and quality project

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 17, 2008 at 8:55 pm

From Market Watch:

The Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians and the Rancho California Water District today announced an agreement on a framework, developed with the assistance of the Metropolitan Water District and a team appointed by the United States Department of Interior, that will resolve Pechanga’s longstanding claims to water rights in the Santa Margarita River Basin.

The framework agreement will provide Pechanga with rights to water that are equal to those that were set forth in the original federal court Fallbrook Decree. Pechanga will receive water from the Wolf Valley Basin and other sources as outlined in a new supply agreement expected to be entered into among Pechanga, Metropolitan Water District and the United States on behalf of the Tribe. No other water user in the Santa Margarita Basin will be affected by this agreement.

Pechanga has also agreed to provide a portion of the settlement contribution that they expect to receive from the federal government to the Rancho California Integrated Resource Plan Project, an initiative that will enhance water supply and quality for Southwest Riverside County through 2050. This could result in anywhere from $10 to $20 million in federal funds for the project.

“This framework agreement, while still subject to additional federal review and approvals, marks a historic milestone in our long battle to preserve our water rights,” said Tribal Chairman Mark Macarro. “Generations of Pechanga leaders have struggled to secure our access to this important resource. This agreement will allow all parties involved to avoid costly and protracted lawsuits and finally bring about a resolution to this struggle.”

Read more from Market Watch by clicking here.

December 17, 2008 · Filed Under Indian Water Rights, Southern California

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Los Cerritos Wetlands land swap deal hits a snag

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on December 13, 2008 at 7:12 am

I found this link from the LA Creek Freak. From the Long Beach Telegram:

A credit crunch has forced developer Tom Dean to back out of a land sale that was being brokered by city officials at the site of a formerly planned sports park.

Public Works Director Mike Conway told the City Council Tuesday that Dean no longer plans to buy an eight-acre property owned by Amerigas Propane L.P. that is part of land once slated for a new sports park between California and Orange avenues south of Spring Street. Dean had planned to locate a crane sale business there.

Dean also is the developer with whom the city is negotiating a land swap to allow the preservation of Los Cerritos Wetlands in East Long Beach, but city officials said that deal won’t be affected by the lack of an Amerigas purchase. However, the Amerigas purchase was considered to be the initial step toward the wetlands land swap.

Conway said circumstances have changed since council members voted Nov. 18 to postpone a vote on the proposed Amerigas purchase - a double escrow agreement that would have moved the property from Amerigas to the city to Dean - because they wanted more information. The council was to consider it again Tuesday, but unanimously voted to receive and file the matter, killing the deal.

“The subsequent purchaser’s lending institution has taken a more risk-averse lending policy and have withdrawn their funding for this project and consequently we don’t have a subsequent buyer, so this project is no longer financially viable,” Conway told the council.

Read more from the Long Beach Telegram by clicking here.

December 13, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Scott Slater, leading groundwater and environmental law expert, to serve as Cadiz general counsel

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 26, 2008 at 8:09 am

From Market Watch:

Cadiz Inc. today named Scott Slater, one of the nation’s foremost experts in water policy, groundwater and environmental law, to serve as the Company’s general counsel. With 24 years of experience in the sustainable development and management of water resources, Slater will be the firm’s lead liaison with customer agencies and oversee the company’s environmental and resource management efforts. Under the terms of the agreement with Cadiz, Slater will also continue his practice as a shareholder in the law firm of Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP.

“This is a once-in-a-career opportunity,” said Slater. “The Cadiz Valley Dry Year Supply Project is not only the most important renewable water resource effort in Southern California; it represents the new mindset we have to adopt across the West. With an ongoing drought, the growing reality of climate change and impending cutbacks to local water agencies, we have no choice but to make smarter use of local resources and to conserve every drop we can. Sustainable water deliveries from the Cadiz Project can help local agencies avert severe and worsening supply shortages in the future.”

“Scott’s appointment represents a major strengthening of our team,” said Cadiz Real Estate LLC CEO Richard Stoddard. “Scott has helped design some of the most significant water transactions in California history, and he will be a key strategist in planning the future of our water project. This guy literally wrote the book on water policy and he is already on a first name basis with California’s key customers, decision-makers and stakeholders. At Cadiz, he will take the lead both in strengthening these relationships and in working to maximize the environmental benefits of the project.”

An accomplished negotiator and litigator with Brownstein, Slater has played a major role in a number of California’s most important water transactions, including the negotiation of the largest conservation-based water transfer in United States history on behalf of the San Diego County Water Authority. Slater has worked extensively with California water agencies, utilities and municipalities, including the Chino Basin Watermaster, El Dorado County Water and Power Authority, American States Water Company, the San Diego County Water Authority and the cities of Beverly Hills and Burbank.

Read more from Market Watch by clicking here.

November 26, 2008 · Filed Under Groundwater, Southern California

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Storm puts fire-scarred Southern California on edge

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 25, 2008 at 11:07 pm

From the Associated Press:

Southern Californians living near areas scarred by recent wildfires sandbagged around their homes and in some places were urged to leave them Tuesday as a storm approaching from the Pacific brought a threat of floods and mudslides.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to prepare to aid local organizations in case of disaster.

“The state stands ready to help local governments protect lives and property,” he said.

A low-pressure area about 700 miles off the coast was heading northeast and could bring an inch of rain through Thanksgiving and up to 4 inches in the mountains, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

Flash flood watches were posted through Wednesday evening for areas where grass and brush that normally anchors the soil, helping to prevent mudslides, burned away. Some places could get a half-inch of rain in an hour, the Weather Service said.

Read more from the Associated Press by clicking here.

November 25, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Water policies channeling resources in wrong directions

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 23, 2008 at 7:08 am

This article was submitted directly to Aquafornia by the author Wayne Lusvardi, who has granted permission to reprint the article in full - Thank you, Wayne! It appears in Monday’s Los Angeles Business Journal:

Economist Tom Sowell once aptly wrote that there are no solutions, there are only tradeoffs. This can be no better seen than in the recent enactment of California Senate Bill 375, which will unknowingly trade precious groundwater resources for “smart growth,” anti-urban sprawl policies.

Under this legislation, water will no longer be gold in California; ethereal concepts about reducing global warming and producing green power will be California’s new fool’s gold. As Los Angeles is facing the specter of an 85 percent cut in imported water deliveries from Northern California, it should consider how embracing popular environmental policies has resulted in what is being called the perfect drought.

SB 375 requires regional planning agencies to put into place sustainable growth plans. It will require that new housing development be shifted from the urban fringe, where groundwater resources are more abundant, such as San Bernardino County, to highly dense urban areas near public transit and light rail lines, such as Los Angeles and Pasadena, where local water sources are patchy and often polluted. The environmental intent of SB 375 is to reduce auto commuter trips, air pollution and gasoline consumption.

However, the legislation will unintentionally result in more reliance on imported water supplies from the Sacramento Delta, Mono Lake and the Colorado River for thirsty cities along California’s coastline instead of diverting development to inland areas that have more sustainable groundwater resources.

This can be clearly seen by viewing the California Department of Water Resources map of Groundwater Basins in California. The populous coastal areas of the state have spotty groundwater resources, while the inland areas have the most abundant water basins to sustain new development.

SB 375 makes no sense from even a global warming perspective. Higher temperatures are generated in dense urban areas with more buildings and pavement, and less vegetation. Conversely, suburban and urban fringe areas with less hardscape and more vegetation are generally cooler. This is called the Urban Heat Island Effect. Concentrating housing development in already highly dense urban areas will only worsen the urban heat island effect and thus increase global warming.

Moreover, by virtue of shifting to reliance on imported water supplies, California will need to buy more imported coal-fired and natural gas-generated electricity to pump that water to urban centers located far from the sources of water.

Fortunately, the new law doesn’t yet mandate local governments to comply with the plans. No real changes are expected until regional planning agencies adopt the sustainable-communities growth policies called for in the law three years from now. However, if cities choose not to comply, then state transportation tax funds can conceivably be diverted to compliant cities. That SB 375 is a license for greedy coastal cities in Democratic strongholds along the coast to capture the taxes of inland cities in Republican territory is never mentioned in the media. Environmentalism serves as a cover for politics by other means.

Laws like SB 375 continue dependence on costly imported wholesale water, say at $500 per acre foot (a football field of water one foot high, which is enough to sustain two families per year) compared with cheap local groundwater at roughly $50 per acre foot.

That this piece of legislation was passed by green Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, endorsed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and signed by every state legislator representing Los Angeles (state Sens. Gil Cedillo, Mark Ridley-Thomas, Edward Vincent, Jenny Oropeza and Alex Padilla; and Assemblymen Felipe Fuentes and Lloyd Levine), and without dissent from local water agencies and even air-quality resource boards, is indicative of how environmental policy is based on powerful political-cultural imagery beyond science and common sense. Incredibly, the implementation of SB 375 will even be granted certain breaks for transit-oriented development under the California Environmental Quality Act.

California is shifting from valuing water as gold to a Fool’s Gold Rush to reduce global warming and generate green power. Paraphrasing a Latin proverb, (political) hay is more acceptable to a donkey than gold.

Wayne Lusvardi is a writer and an independent real estate appraiser. He is a former real estate representative for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. He lives in Pasadena.

November 23, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California, Water Legislation

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Long Beach, developer agree to wetlands preservation deal

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 12, 2008 at 5:56 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

Long Beach officials on Tuesday announced a land swap with a developer that would preserve 175 acres of hotly contested urban salt marsh, some of the last remnants of a once vibrant wetland at the mouth of the San Gabriel River.

Under terms of the deal, 52 acres of city-owned land would be traded for acreage lying in the heart of the Los Cerritos Wetlands. The city would then sell the marsh to the Los Cerritos Wetlands Authority for about $25 million. The city would use the proceeds to acquire and develop about 20 acres of property a few miles to the west along the Los Angeles River for recreational space.

“Once completed, this will place the largest privately owned coastal marsh into the public trust,” Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster said in a prepared statement. “Los Cerritos is the final piece needed to complete more than a decade-long effort to restore Southern California’s vanishing coastal wetlands.”

The land swap is the latest in a series of efforts to preserve wetlands that were once a thriving part of Southern California’s coastal ecosystem. Two years ago, as part of a $147-million restoration project, barriers were removed to reconnect portions of the Bolsa Chica wetlands in Orange County with the ocean; populations of fish and shorebirds have exploded.

The Los Cerritos is already home to a variety of bird species. Flanked by supermarkets, movie theaters, motels and power plants, the wetlands remain a critical link along the migratory bird route called the Pacific Flyway, which birds travel from North America to South America.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

November 12, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Water supplies could be reduced in South Orange County; Santa Margarita Water District looking at options to keep water flowing

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 11, 2008 at 5:44 am

From the O. C. Register:

California is in the midst of a severe drought, making mandated water conservation a real possibility for residents of South Orange County. We talked with Charley Wilson, recently reelected to the board of directors of the Santa Margarita Water District, about the drought and its potential impact on water users in the area.

Q. How severe could the water shortage be for customers of Santa Margarita Water District?

A. The Metropolitan Water District indicates a water supply reduction in the range of 10-20 percent next year. For the following reasons, SMWD customers will likely not see this level of impact. The projected water supply reduction may be avoided or stemmed with above-normal precipitation this winter.

Q. What steps is the district taking to keep the shortage from impacting its customers?

A. Since around 40 percent of SMWD’s water demand is for homeowners associations and municipal greenbelt areas, SMWD is working with Homeowner Associations for purposes of developing understandings, and to assist the Board’s consideration of related policy measures, regarding conservation measures and improved irrigation practices.

Read more from the O. C. Register by clicking here.

November 11, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California, Water Supply

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Diamond Valley Lake water level forces closure of boat launches

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 8, 2008 at 6:39 am

From the San Jacinto Valley Chronicle:

Southern California is thirsty - at least that’s what the low water levels at Diamond Valley Lake are showing. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California closed the public boat launch ramps last month because of the water level, which means private boats will no longer be able to use the lake.

Bob Muir, spokesman for the Metropolitan Water District, said even though the boat launch ramps are closed, the public is still welcome to fish the lake. “Fishing is still available from the shoreline. We’ve recently opened up an additional five miles (of shoreline to fish from),” Muir said.

In addition, the public can still rent boats to use at the lake.

The fiscal impact of the closure can’t be determined, officials said. However, revenue from both parking and boat launches last year was $275,000. That amount includes those who paid to park but did not launch a boat. Muir said an average of 1,000 boats a month were launched before the closure.

More from the San Jacinto Valley Chronicle by clicking here.

November 8, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Santa Barbara County’s water supplies in good shape despite drought

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 3:20 pm

From the Santa Ynez Valley Journal:

Santa Barbara County isn’t yet facing a local emergency regarding drought conditions, and local reservoirs are far fuller than its state-controlled counterparts. That was the consensus presented to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Oct. 21, which heard a report on planning for drought due to statewide conditions.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought in June due to low rainfall, reduced snow pack and diminished run-off forecasts.

Currently, Cachuma Lake is at 91 percent capacity and the Gibraltar reservoir is 70 percent full, said Matt Naftaly, water agency manager. In contrast, three vital state reservoirs, Oroville, Shasta and Folsom, all have capacities hovering around the 30 percent mark.

Read more from the Santa Ynez Journal by clicking here.

October 30, 2008 · Filed Under Southern California

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Watershed director describes the good and bad in southland

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 26, 2008 at 6:24 am

From the Chico Enterprise Record:

Conner Everts has been working in water issues for 30 years and has seen a lot of the good and the bad. Everts is executive director of the Southern California Watershed Alliance and co-chair of the Desal Response Group. He shared his perspective Thursday night in Chico as the third speaker of the Code Blue Water Series hosted by the Butte Environmental Council.

Everts said the state is about to go through severe cutbacks in water, and some areas will be better off due to efforts that have already been made.

The city of Long Beach, for example, has had an aggressive water-saving campaign including posting photos of water waste on its Web site. Long Beach also launched a water waste hotline Friday that asks citizens to report overwatering of landscaping.

Everts said there have been many other steps in the right direction, including widespread installation of low-flow toilets, cleaning up dairies and installing water meters. Cistern projects to collect rainwater are being installed at schools for summer irrigation, Everts said. But there is a still a lot of work to be done.

Everts also said that while desalination may have its applications, for water supply, “it is not a simple solution”. Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.

October 26, 2008 · Filed Under Desalination, Southern California

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