Calaveras Dam replacement to begin amid retrofit
Posted by: Maven on September 16, 2011 at 8:10 am
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The days are numbered for the old tower and decorative arches at Calaveras Dam, which holds back the reservoir that is San Francisco’s largest local source of drinking water.
Workers for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will begin shoveling dirt today as part of a $416 million project to replace the 210-foot-high earthen barrier that has collected water from Alameda Creek for 86 years. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
From the Oakland Tribune:
” … On Friday, earthmovers will begin the long work of removing 7 million cubic yards of gravel, rock and other material — enough to build the Great Pyramid of Giza twice, said Dan Wade, project manager for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
One-half of the excavated material will go back into the new dam, and the other half will be disposed in the area.
When the project is finished, the reservoir will be restored to its original size of nearly 100,000 acre-feet, making it again one of the Bay Area’s largest reservoirs. … “
Continue reading from the Oakland Tribune by clicking here.
Photo of Calaveras Dam intake structure by flickr photographer Christina B. Castro.
California Water Commission workshop speakers stress creativity in water storage approach
Posted by: Maven on September 15, 2011 at 8:45 amFrom ACWA’s Water News:
“Speaker after speaker at a California Water Commission workshop today in Sacramento reiterated for commissioners the importance of thinking creatively in solving the state's water storage issues.
Today's task for speakers was to provide commissioners with a historical perspective on water storage projects, an overview of past, present and future projects, and a look at what's ahead with changing conditions and uncertainties in planning, developing and funding.
“We have to change our way of thinking,\” said ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn in opening remarks that set the stage for the first of two workshops on “The Future of Water Storage in California. … “
Continue reading from ACWA’s Water News by clicking here.
Tim Quinn: Water commission begins important dialog on storage
Posted by: Maven on September 15, 2011 at 8:42 amFrom Tim Quinn at ACWA’s Voices on Water blog:
“The California Water Commission convened a workshop today on one of the most important topics facing this generation of water managers: the future of water storage in California.
Students of history know that water storage and delivery systems built by previous generations of Californians fueled the rise of everything from the high-tech enclaves of Silicon Valley to the fertile farmland of the Central Valley to the vibrant cities and industries of Southern California.
These systems remain critical to our state, but we have to change the way we think about them today. As I told members of the commission in my presentation today, our storage needs are changing. How we respond to that change will affect our economy and our environment in the future. … “
Continue reading from ACWA’s Voices on Water blog by clicking here.
Jay Lund: Water storage in California
Posted by: Maven on September 14, 2011 at 8:42 am
From Jay Lund at the California Water Blog:
” “With a larger reservoir, there is some increasing gain with further size, but in a diminishing ratio. : Alan Hazen (1914)
Water storage capacity is an important tool in California's water system for capturing lower-value water for higher-value uses later. Such storage aids water supply, flood protection, hydropower, and recreational uses and helps regulate downstream water quality and supply cold water flows for fish. California has about 42 million acre-feet(maf) of surface reservoir storage capacity and much more storage capacity in underground aquifers (150 million to 1.45 billion acre-feet, depending on how you count it).
Seasonal water storage: In normal years, about 8-14 million acre-ft of water is stored in the wet season and used in the dry season. This compares to roughly 34 maf/yr of average net agricultural and urban water use. Human water use is highest in California's dry summer, so crops and landscapes must be watered from stored winter and spring flows. Roughly 5-8 maf is held in surface reservoirs and 3-6 maf is held in groundwater basins. … “
Continue reading from the California Water Blog by clicking here.
SCWC Blog: Storage – A critical part of water supplies
Posted by: Maven on September 8, 2011 at 8:35 amFrom Richard Atwater at the Southern California Water Committee’s blog:
“Serious concerns about the Delta Stewardship Council's Delta Plan are mounting quickly these days. Over the last few weeks, water leaders and stakeholders across the state have been lodging criticism about the fifth staff draft of the Delta Plan on a number of critical fronts. We'll have some further thoughts on the latest plan draft in my next blog piece but I wanted to highlight today a recent letter submitted to the Delta Stewardship Council on State Water Project and Central Valley Project operations.
Just last week, the State Water Contractors and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority submitted a joint letter to the Delta Stewardship Council taking issue with several inaccurate statements in the draft plan that, according to the letter, “add up to a false portrayal of these two water systems. … “
Continue reading from the Southern California Water Committee blog by clicking here.
Water Commission Hearing to examine storage set for Sept. 14
Posted by: Maven on September 1, 2011 at 8:24 amFrom ACWA’s Water News:
“The California Water Commission will hold the first of two water storage workshops on Wednesday, Sept. 14, in Sacramento. Attendees are asked to RSVP by Sept. 9. … “
Continue reading from ACWA’s Water News by clicking here.
Green Roots blog: Metropolitan Water District report delivers interesting findings on future of California water
Posted by: Maven on August 24, 2011 at 8:11 amFrom the Planning & Conservation League’s Green Roots blog:
“A few months ago a prestigious Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC) delivered its report outlining challenges and opportunities for Metropolitan Water District (MWD) to the year 2060. MWD is the largest supplier of drinking water in theUS, supplying water to 14 cities and 12 municipal water districts that then provide water to 18 million Californians.
In this report, the BRC analyzed risks and opportunity costs of planning under current and plausible future trends in MWD service area for the next 50 years. Most interestingly, the BRC found, “In many plausible future scenarios, the share of imports in the region's portfolio from the State Water Project [Delta water] and Colorado River Aqueduct is likely to decrease\”¦ Under these scenarios, locally developed supplies will need to increase from their current level and transfers from agricultural water users also pursued. [emphasis added] … “
Continue reading from the Green Roots blog by clicking here.
Friday’s top of the scroll: State water board funds Sites Reservoir study
Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2011 at 8:45 amFrom the Colusa Sun Herald:
“For more than three decades, Colusa County's valley residents have called for a foothills reservoir west of Maxwell. Those decades have included more than a half dozen flood years, and an even greater number of drought years for which proponents of the Sites Reservoir argued could have provided some relief.
But in an era when more dams have been torn down than built in the North State, the project has had little political or financial support.
Until now. … “
Continue reading from the Colusa Sun Herald by clicking here.
Utilities and climate scientists team up to prepare for bleak water future
Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2011 at 7:53 amFrom Solve Climate News:
“Ten of the nation’s largest water utilities have teamed up to connect climate scientists and water providers so utilities will have the information they need to prepare for the harmful effects of global warming.
Climate change will create a host of challenges that affect water supply, water quality, stormwater drainage and flood control. Utilities on the coast may need to prepare for rising sea levels. Utilities in the Southwest could face more intense droughts. … “
Continue reading from Solve Climate News by clicking here.
Big snowpack, cooler spring and summer ideal for water users
Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2011 at 8:49 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
“This year has brought the best that water managers could imagine an abundant snowpack and a manageable melt.
Rivers mostly have stayed within their banks as they carried the runoff from the Sierra Nevada to farms and cities in the Central Valley and beyond.
“Things could have gone wrong, but they went pretty well,” Maury Roos, chief hydrologist for the California Department of Water Resources, said Wednesday.
The central Sierra snowpack was 163 percent of average as of April 1, the department reported. Officials warned at the time that a warm spring could speed up the melt and cause flooding. … “
Continue reading from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Yes, we have it pretty good this year in California, but Texas, not so good: Run out of water Dry Texas town heading that way, 500 water systems statewide are under some mandatory drought restrictions, from MSNBC
California Water Resources Control Board to vote on funding Sites Reservoir study
Posted by: Maven on August 12, 2011 at 7:57 amFrom the Willows Journal:
“When Mary Wells' great-great-grandfather founded a western foothill community that eventually became known as Sites, he probably never envisioned his homestead and those of his neighbors ever being underwater.
But a decision Tuesday by the California Water Resources Control Board could lead to an actual beginning of a reservoir that has been talked about for more than 30 years.
“We have to start sometime,\” said Wells, who guided a group of 20 government agency representatives Wednesday on a agriculture tour of the Antelope Valley in western Colusa County. … “
Continue reading from the Willows Journal by clicking here.
Water level behind Oroville Dam dips, just a little
Posted by: Maven on August 12, 2011 at 6:40 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“After months of being at or near the very top of the dam, Lake Oroville is beginning to drop, just a little.
At its fullest, the surface of Lake Oroville is 900 feet above sea level. For months, the lake level has sat at or just inches below that peak. … “
Continue reading from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
RELATED: You can see the levels of all major reservoirs in California by clicking here.
California cities confront water challenges
Posted by: Maven on July 27, 2011 at 8:09 amFrom KQED:
“Scientists and planners expect the Bay Area to face a host of water-related threats in the coming decades due to climate change, including flooding due to rising seas and summer water shortages due to warmer temperatures and a shrinking Sierra snowpack.
A new analysis released Tuesday from the non-profit Natural Resources Defense Council catalogs these threats, for San Francisco, and for 11 other American cities, including Los Angeles. The study also looks at how prepared the cities are to adapt to these climate challenges. It finds, in general, that San Francisco is leading the way when it comes to being prepared.
“San Francisco is doing a good job laying the groundwork,\” said Michelle Mehta, the lead author of the study. “The first step is coming up with really robust science-based plans, and so far San Francisco looks like they are doing a good job of that. … “
Continue reading from KQED by clicking here.
Daily time-lapse view of the Big Tujunga Dam being retrofitted over 21 months
Posted by: Maven on July 23, 2011 at 7:04 amFrom the Los Angeles Daily News:
Embedded from this page at the LA Daily News.
Commentary: Have we lost the will for big projects?
Posted by: Maven on July 22, 2011 at 8:16 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Victor Davis Hansen:
“Our politicians love soaring platitudes followed by little, if any, follow-up. The more Americans are promised shovel-ready stimulus projects, new sources of power and other fantasies, the more we accept that bureaucracy, regulations, lawsuits and impact statements will prevent much from ever being done.
But it was not always so. A hundred years ago, the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project here in the central Sierra Nevada was the nation’s first large effort to generate electricity from falling water to provide electric power for a growing Los Angeles nearly 250 miles away. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Tom Philp: California’s “newest” reservoir – It isn’t in California
Posted by: Maven on July 17, 2011 at 7:18 amFrom Tom Philp at the City Brights blog:
“Just beyond the bright lights of the Las Vegas strip is one of California’s newest water management tools: Hoover Dam and the giant body of water behind it, Lake Mead. Although Hoover Dam has been impounding Colorado River water since 1936, it hasn’t been banking water specifically set aside for Southern California until the last few years. By year’s end, Lake Mead (maximum volume of 28.5 million acre-feet when full) will be storing an estimated 450,000 acre-feet of water on behalf of the southland. That supply, as a comparison, is enough to serve the East Bay for about two years.
Until 2007, Lake Mead was managed as a collective pool to supply the needs of Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico. … “
Continue reading from Tom Philp at the City Brights blog by clicking here.
Southern California: Little space available to store surplus water
Posted by: Maven on July 11, 2011 at 7:45 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“Southern California’s water wholesaler is offering up cut-rate surplus supplies for the first time since 2007, but few local providers can buy in because they are short on storage space.
The bounty comes from abundant snowfall all the way into early summer. Metropolitan Water District of Southern California expects by year’s end to have the highest storage levels since 1928 in its regional reservoirs, including Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet, water resources manager Deven Upadhyay said.
The rosy picture presents a significant turnaround from the previous four years, when reservoirs and groundwater storage basins were depleted by a double whammy of drought and reduced deliveries caused by environmental restrictions on exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … “
Continue reading from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Pervious pavement: Rescuing a reservoir near you
Posted by: Maven on July 6, 2011 at 8:08 amFrom GreenBuildingElements.com (used to be Clean Technica):
“For some reason, watersheds seem to be popular places to put down pavement. Housing developments, grocery stores, and shopping malls require places to drive and places to park, which means those places end up getting paved. Where water used to infiltrate into the soil, trickle down through natural water-filtering aquifers and rejoin the reservoirs that serve our thirsty civilization, now rain falls on oily pavement. Paved areas prevent water from sinking into the soil beneath them and create deluges of polluted runoff that strip away topsoil, contaminate waterways, and eventually disrupt ecosystems for miles around all paved human developments.
The problem is that concrete is impervious to water (otherwise it wouldn't work for lining our wonderfully cool and beautiful summer swimming water in our backyard or local pools). Americans are all into preserving the environment as long as it doesn't interfere with our favorite conveniences, and chief among those conveniences we jealously guard is the convenience of driving everywhere we go. Luckily, there is a simple and brilliant solution that has been here all along. … “
Continue reading from Clean Technica by clicking here.
Water Wired blog: Paper – Evaporation Suppression from Water Reservoirs: Efficiency Considerations of Partial Covers
Posted by: Maven on July 5, 2011 at 7:41 amFrom the Water Wired blog:
“Great post for July 4th – freedom from evaporation losses! But alas, there is suppression. Would George III have suppressed evaporation too
This paper from Water Resources Research [Vol 47, W07506, 8 pp., 2011, doi:10.1029/2010WR009889], sent by Leslie Kryder, caught my eye because I am reading a paper dealing with the topic of evaporation suppression. … “
Continue reading from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
Commentary: Sounding the alarm: New Melones could go dry
Posted by: Maven on July 4, 2011 at 8:49 amFrom the Turlock Journal, this commentary by Jeff Shields, General Manager of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and Steve Knell, General Manager of Oakdale Irrigation District:
“With recent rains filling the State reservoirs and the above average snowpack in the Sierra, Governor Jerry Brown declared California's three-year drought officially over on March 31 of this year. While the “state of emergency\” may be over, the problem is not going away. Anyone who has lived in the Valley for the last decade knows that next year could see a return to below normal rainfalls and snow. Snow in the mountains is critical for the Valley because it is our summer water for homes, businesses, electricity and farming. The snow melts and trickles into streams which empty into our network of rivers and flows into our reservoirs where some of it is stored until needed by our region while the balance flows to the Delta.
Here in our area we depend on the Stanislaus River and storage in New Melones and other reservoirs to balance the needs of the region. New Melones is more than a giant water tank; it is a source of fun for boaters, campers, fishers and others who enjoy outdoor recreation. It brings millions of tourist dollars to our region and many in our communities derive their living from the Stanislaus River and New Melones Reservoir. … “
Continue reading from the Turlock Journal by clicking here.
YouTube: Tear down that dam?
Posted by: Maven on June 30, 2011 at 7:54 amFrom Climate One, posted on YouTube:
“Climate One host Greg Dalton discusses whether California should tear down dams to salvage the dwindling salmon population with Salmon Odyssey panelists Phil Isenberg, James Norton, and Jonathan Rosenfield, Conservation Biologist, The Bay Institute. Of the estimated 1,200 dams in the state, Phil Isenberg states that only 200 are of significant size and California has made efforts to scale back its dams to become more local and regional projects. Jonathan Rosenfield of the Bay Institute argues that compared to tearing down dams, the things humans have done to harm the environment and rivers are “draconian” and that the Bay Institute has been engaged in a 20-year battle to protect the San Joaquin River.”
Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Feds urge more study on Lake McClure expansion
Posted by: Maven on June 15, 2011 at 9:08 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“The Obama administration on Tuesday raised caution over a Merced Irrigation District proposal to expand Lake McClure.
While stopping short of opposition, a top federal land manager warned that the proposal would be an “unprecedented” watering down of the wild-and-scenic protection currently covering the Merced River. The administration urged further study before Congress proceeds with the Lake McClure expansion.
“[It] would result in a wild-river segment becoming more like a lake than a river,” warned Marcilynn Burke, deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management. … “
Continue reading from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
RELATED: Denham points to positive impacts of Valley water storage bill, from the Merced Sun-Star
Fill ‘er up! Lake Oroville ‘functionally full’; Lake Powell rising about 1 foot per day
Posted by: Maven on June 15, 2011 at 8:54 amLake Oroville is now functionally full, reports the Contra Costa Times, and Lake Mead and Lake Powell are also on the rise, reports the Accu-Weather Western Weather Blog:
“Lake Powell which has been rising this week at a rate of 1 foot or so a day. That is an incredible amount of water. A little over a foot of increase in Lake Powell water level is equal to about 118,419 acre feet. Putting that into something everyone can relate to that is somewhere near 38.5 BILLION gallons of water moving into the Lake Powell daily. This has been happening every day since last Thursday. … “
More from the Accu-Weather Western Weather blog by clicking here.
You can check out California’s reservoir levels by clicking here.
Northern California group eyes grant to move Sites Reservoir along
Posted by: Maven on May 23, 2011 at 8:10 amFrom the Oroville Mercury Register:
“After more than a decade, plans for Sites Reservoir are still plodding along.
The latest is that the Sites Joint Powers Authority, formed in August, is applying for a Proposition 204 grant to finish environmental documents so that the proposed reservoir can be included in a water bond vote in 2012.
An off-stream reservoir, near Maxwell, is among a handful of surface storage proposals still on the state’s short list for surface storage.
If the 2012 bond is passed, Sites Reservoir could receive some of that money to move ahead. But any bond money requires a match from water users. Also, other projects are also in consideration, including other reservoirs and groundwater projects, said Kamyar Guivetchi, manager of Statewide Integrated Water Management for the Department of Water Resources. … “
Continue reading from the Oroville Mercury-Register by clicking here.
Coastal Conservancy approves $4.5 million to remove San Clemente Dam
Posted by: Maven on May 22, 2011 at 8:52 amFrom Surfline:
“The California Coastal Conservancy yesterday approved $4.5 million in funding to remove the antiquated San Clemente Dam and to begin work to restore the Carmel River.
San Clemente is the largest dam to ever be removed in California or in the country. Built in 1921, the San Clemente Dam is located approximately 18.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean on the Carmel River. When it was originally constructed the reservoir held over 1,400 acre-feet of water. Today the reservoir is over 90% filled with more than 2.5 million cubic yards of sediment, leaving a reservoir storage capacity of approximately 125 acre-feet. The Department of Water Resources has declared the dam unsafe due to seismic concerns and the fact that an earthquake would pose a huge safety risk, threatening 1500 homes downstream. … “
Continue reading from SurfLine by clicking here.
Paul Wenger commentary: State must find more ways to store water
Posted by: Maven on May 21, 2011 at 7:41 amFrom the Contra Costa Times, this commentary by Paul Wenger of the California Farm Bureau Federation:
“Local development projects such as the Los Vaqueros Reservoir will help California address water reliability and management issues, but the state of California still needs to make significant investments in additional water storage projects. (“Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion called future of water storage,” May 8).
Local efforts have improved water-supply reliability for some of the state’s residents, yet water shortages remain chronic for many Californians.
Under scientific projections for a warming climate, it is estimated that our annual snowpack will diminish while rainfall amounts increase. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Porterville City Council backs off dam repair lobbying
Posted by: Maven on May 19, 2011 at 7:42 amFrom the Porterville Recorder:
“The Porterville City Council does not want to back an effort that will pay for legal, technical and lobbying services to, conceivably, ensure Success Dam's remediation issues remain a priority in the Army Corps of Engineers' book.
In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the council opted not to fork out its share of the costs associated with pushing such effort, known as the Success Dam Seismic Mitigation program. … “
Continue reading from the Porterville Recorder by clicking here.
Sunday’s top of the scroll: Los Vaqueros Reservoir expansion called future of water storage
Posted by: Maven on May 8, 2011 at 8:32 am
From the Contra Costa Times:
“The $120 million expansion of one of the East Bay’s biggest and newest dams is the latest example of a new generation of state water storage projects that have collectively turned the page on an era of enormous dams built in river canyons.
Near Brentwood last week, bulldozers were scraping the top off the dam at Los Vaqueros, built just 13 years ago, in preparation for raising it 34 feet.
Locally built and environmentally sensitive, the expansion of the Contra Costa Water District’s biggest reservoir is a “great example of the innovative thinking that is going on as we evolve into 21st-century water management,” said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. Fifty years ago, water projects involved building a dam in a river to store lots of water and deliver it wherever it was needed, even if it was far away, Quinn said. But times have changed. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Photo of Los Vaqueros Reservoir (from last July, prior to beginning expansion project) by Chris Austin.
Rains soak up Lake Shasta; Water level hits highest point of year
Posted by: Maven on May 3, 2011 at 7:46 amFrom the Record Searchlight:
“April showers were copious in the Cascades but not so impressive around the rest of the north state.
Even so, Lake Shasta filled steadily, hitting its highest point of the year by month’s end.
Shingletown soaked up nearly 5 inches of rain as a series of strong storms midmonth clobbered the mountains east of the Sacramento Valley.
Those storms mostly skipped the west side of the valley. Redding Municipal Airport recorded only 27 percent of its average April rainfall last month and Shasta Dam, 55 percent. … “
Continue reading from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
Flowing it all away: Kings County officials frustrated as lack of storage allows surging water supplies to be lost at sea
Posted by: Maven on April 28, 2011 at 8:29 amFrom the Hanford Sentinel:
“Snowmelt is pouring out of the Sierra, the Kings River is surging and farmers are getting more water than they’ve had in years.
Happy times for Kings County, right Not exactly. Kings may be out of a drought, but now it’s got the opposite problem – too much water and nowhere to put it.
Frustrated local officials are still dreaming of another dam on the Kings River. But because of political and economic roadblocks in Sacramento, it seems more unlikely than ever. … “
Continue reading from the Hanford Sentinel by clicking here.
Contra Costa Times editorial: A tough lesson for EBMUD
Posted by: Maven on April 28, 2011 at 8:12 amFrom the Contra Costa Times, this editorial:
“With his ruling against plans to raise the Pardee Dam in the Sierra foothills, a Sacramento judge has delivered a welcome message to the East Bay Municipal Utility District: Consider cooperating with the Contra Costa Water Distinct on water storage.
Judge Timothy Frawley struck down EBMUD’s environmental impact report for water projects, including a proposed new dam on the Mokelumne River. He said it violates California’s environmental law and that EBMUD should have studied alternatives to building a dam that would have inundated a stretch of the Mokelumne that is popular with kayakers, swimmers and fishing enthusiasts. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
The West’s dams share a dirty secret: silt
Posted by: Maven on April 28, 2011 at 8:03 amFrom High Country News, this commentary:
“Soon after I moved to Colorado from the humid Midwest 20 years ago, I learned that a reservoir is not a lake. My family and I were eager to test our new canoe on the local reservoir, which I’d driven by a month earlier. Its dark waters lapped against a thick conifer forest. I couldn’t wait.
But by the time we got there in late summer, those waters had receded 20 yards from the shore. We had to slog through sucking layers of muck just to launch the boat. The canoeing wasn’t great, either: no branches over the water, no quiet little coves with minnows below and birdsong above, just bathtub rings of barren rock and soil and numerous silt bars that grounded the boat. Every time we got out to push, we sank up to our thighs. … “
Continue reading from the High Country News by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: Cost-benefit analysis, Rep. McClintock, and the PPIC
Posted by: Maven on April 25, 2011 at 7:56 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“Some readers have asked for elaboration on the McClintock/PPIC comparison in the last post. Tom McClintock wrote this in a recent article in the Sacramento Bee:
as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Water and Power I have announced that all projects : including the Auburn dam : will first be evaluated under a uniform cost-benefit analysis that establishes the amortized cost of construction, and annual operations and maintenance balanced against the value of water, hydroelectricity, recreational leases and flood control protection afforded by these projects.
I like that McClintock is focused on cost-benefit analysis, and I especially like that he is emphasizing the importance of a uniform approach to it. However, his description of cost-benefit analysis is not correct. Cost-benefit analysis does not amortize costs into the future and compare them to future benefits. This approach ignores the time to build, and is problematic when benefits are not smooth. The correct way to do cost-benefit analysis is to estimate the full path of costs and benefits and discount them back to a single present value. This is fundamental. Consult any textbook, government guideline for confirmation. … “
Continue reading from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Success Dam safety questioned; Feds back off allowing more water behind dam
Posted by: Maven on April 21, 2011 at 7:53 amFrom the Porterville Recorder:
“A recent decision by the Army Corps of Engineers has some wondering about the safety of Success Dam. Plans by the Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, to raise Success Lake water levels by 10 feet this spring were cancelled recently the Corps cited life safety risks as the reason.
According to Michael Ruthford, the Corps' Project Technical Lead, the decision came after performing a risk assessment, in which life safety was the “paramount driver.
Because of safety concerns, Success Lake has been limited to just 40,000 acre feet maximum storage of water the past several years. … “
Continue reading from the Porterville Recorder by clicking here.
Los Angeles is building underground water reservoirs near Griffith Park
Posted by: Maven on April 19, 2011 at 7:12 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Heading to Griffith Park through an equestrian tunnel under the 134 Freeway, horse riders emerge to an unusual sight: huge yellow earth movers chomping into 15 acres of dirt between the freeway and the park.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is building underground reservoirs that will hold 110 million gallons of water and help eliminate the city’s reliance on open-air reservoirs, including Silver Lake Reservoir. When complete, the two side-by-side Headworks reservoirs will be hidden beneath a new open-space recreation area along Forest Lawn Drive near Zoo Drive. … “
Continue reading from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
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