Desperate measures: 11 ways to get more water in the West
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 22, 2008 at 6:07 amFrom the High Country News:
With water shortages a constant, Westerners are looking at wacky (and not so wacky) ways to squeeze more water out of the sky and land:
1. Tamarisk removal
Tamarisk — which infests some 1 million acres in the West — chokes out willows and cottonwoods, and ruins beaches. It also slurps up lots of water — some say a single tamarisk drinks 200 gallons per day. Estimated cost to remove it? $3,000 per acre, though newer methods, such as tamarisk-eating beetles, are cheaper.2. Logging for water
In 2002, as Colorado was racked by drought, the state proposed something drastic: Clear-cutting its forests to increase runoff. Fewer trees, the theory goes, would result in more snow on the ground — it was proven on a small scale in Wyoming. Most people just laughed at the idea because of the high cost and environmental impacts.
Drought shuts down east Santa Clarita Valley well
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 12, 2008 at 2:23 pmFrom the Santa Clarita Signal:
Sporadic rain this past weekend and the “significant downpour” last weekend came just as plunging drought-critical water levels forced water officials to shut down a sputtering major well in the east end of the valley.
About .25 inches of rain fell on Santa Clarita Valley since the start of the month and less than a week after water officials reported pumping pockets of air out of the Lost Canyon well where Sand Canyon Road meets the Santa Clara River.
“A few weeks ago, air got in the lines and typically when that happens, we shut the well down,” said Mauricio E. Guardado, Jr., retail manager of the Santa Clarita Water Division, likening the incident to a straw sucking up the last few drops of a milk shake.
“Fortunately, there was a significant downpour in the east end where these wells are,” Guardado said.
He shut the well down, “to prevent an overdraft, because we can’t deplete the resource. We want to be able to sustain the appropriate water supply for the future.”
Read more from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.
Policy leaders say more water planning needed for Calaveras County water supply
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 11, 2008 at 6:01 amFrom the Union-Democrat:
Calaveras County’s water supply could be in peril if smart growth policies aren’t adopted to prepare for an explosion in population over the next four decades. That was the message from speakers at a conference titled “Calaveras Water and Land Use: Today and Tomorrow” which attracted a near capacity crowd Saturday to the Native Sons Hall in Murphys.
“The Sierra Nevada watershed supplies more than 60 percent of the state’s water,” said Patricia Hickson of the Sierra Nevada Alliance,”and, the mountain region’s population of 600,000 is expected to grow to 1.5 to 2.4 million by 2040.”
Robert Dean, chairman of the Calaveras County Water District board of directors, told the crowd that Calaveras County must maximize the efficient use of its share of the water supply while protecting its water rights from politically powerful and increasingly thirsty interests elsewhere in California.
Hickson and Laura Podolsky of the Local Government Commission, detailed ways in which planning for future growth can accommodate the growth of population while minimizing the impact of development on the watershed. Most of this would be accomplished, they said, by avoiding sprawl and by recognizing that open space is critical for recharging groundwater and avoiding pollution from runoff.
Read more from the Union-Democrat by clicking here.
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 amFrom 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.
California is facing a water crisis, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 5, 2008 at 5:51 amFrom the Contra Costa Times, this editorial:
The California Department of Water Resources sent out a danger signal recently and we Californians had better heed the warnings. The state plans on cutting water deliveries to their second lowest level in history. Agency officials announced only 15 percent of the water that local agencies have requested will be delivered this season.
The warning is quite clear — barring a miracle, get ready for water rationing and fewer crops from farmers.
Even though we have had some early rain, the situation remains bleak. Regional water officials have urged Californians to immediately reduce their water use to stretch whatever thin supply remains.
One farmer in Kern County called the water projections disastrous. The signs are abundant that the recent drought is beginning to rear its ugly head.
Lake Oroville is the state’s second largest reservoir. Normally it would be half full at the start of November; currently it stands at only 30 percent. The San Luis Reservoir, south of San Jose, is barely over 10 percent of capacity.
In Southern California, the Metropolitan Water District has used more than a third of its reserves.
Low snowpack levels in the Sierra last winter and the deteriorating ecosystem in the Delta that led a federal court to limit water pumping have brought us to what must be considered a crisis.
Read more of this editorial from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
Despite rains, water outlook remains grim
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 5, 2008 at 5:41 amFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
After months without rain, the season’s first significant storms came ashore just as officials warned of rapidly dwindling water supplies and severe shortages next year. State water experts said that rationing is a growing likelihood for 2009, despite the rain that fell over much of the state last week.
The comments came along with an early announcement of a preliminary 15 percent water delivery allocation from the State Water Project, the second lowest allocation in project history. The early warning is intended to provide water districts, cities and farms time for advance conservation planning and crop decisions.
“This initial allocation level has implications for water users at all levels, not just agriculture,” said Chris Scheuring, managing counsel of the California Farm Bureau Federation Natural Resources and Environmental Division. “A substantial portion of the irrigated land we depend on for crops will be fallowed. This isn’t just an issue for agriculture, it’s a food-supply issue for everyone.”
Coverage wrap up: Water deliveries slashed 85%; drought in 2009 could be the worst in California history, officials say
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 31, 2008 at 6:36 amSo many articles this morning across the state regarding the announcement of the initial 15% allocation from the State Water Project. Here’s what they have to say:
From the Los Angeles Times:
State water deliveries could be slashed next year if California continues its dry streak, a move that could lead to widespread rationing.
California Department of Water Resources officials Thursday said water agencies could get as little as 15% of their State Water Project allocations, although that figure could go up if Sierra Nevada rain and snowfall return to normal in the coming months. “We’re clearly making a major call for extra conservation, but also permanent conservation,” said water resources director Lester Snow, who renewed the Schwarzenegger administration’s call for the construction of new reservoirs.
Officials at Southern California’s major water supplier, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, say its board soon will discuss whether to initiate cutbacks. “We are preparing for the real possibility of water shortages and rationing,” said Jeff Kightlinger, the MWD’s general manager.
From the North County Times:
The situation is made worse for Southern California by the rapidly falling level of Diamond Valley Lake in Southwest Riverside County, the region’s primary insurance policy against drought. As a result, Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, said there is a “very real possibility” that the ongoing voluntary call to residents in Southern California counties —- including San Diego and Riverside —- to conserve voluntarily will be replaced by a mandatory cutback by May.
“We are one step away,” said Maureen Stapleton, general manager of the San Diego County Water Authority, which buys water from Metropolitan and distributes it to area cities and water districts. And, Stapleton said, “If there is not a drop of rain and a flake of snow between now and mid-January, I can see earlier action being necessary.”
The [San Diego County] water authority and local providers plan to follow Metropolitan’s lead.
From the Long Beach Press Telegram:
Low water storage levels in the state’s major reservoirs, ongoing drought conditions, a growing population and court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta all are to blame for the water shortage, Snow said. Last year, a federal judge limited the amount of water that can be released from the Northern California delta in order to protect the endangered smelt fish.
Without the delta restrictions, the water allocation would have been about 20 percent, Snow said. He said California needs above-average precipitation over the winter to adequately replenish the state’s reservoirs, many of which are below half or a third full. His department’s recommendation is to “hope for the best and prepare for the worst,” he said. “We’re clearly making a major call for extra conservation,” Snow said.
From the Daily Breeze:
The announcement of the allocation comes a month earlier than normal to give local water agencies additional time to develop plans. Most have anticipated tighter water supplies and have taken steps to try to reduce water use.
The Metropolitan Water District, which delivers supplies to 26 member agencies, gets its water from the State Water Project and the Colorado River. General Manager Jeff Kightlinger said there is the possibility of rationing throughout the region, with the first discussions to take place in November.
“It still sends a solemn message up and down California - we all must immediately reduce water use to stretch available supplies,” Kightlinger said. “Over the past two years, Metropolitan has depleted more than a third of its water reserves to deal with drought and court-ordered cutbacks. This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms.”
Richard Nagel, general manager of West Basin Municipal Water District, said Thursday’s announcement was mostly anticipated but underscores the need for people to conserve. West Basin provides water to most of the South Bay and gets roughly two-thirds of its supplies from the Metropolitan Water District.
West Basin will continue promoting conservation as the allocation figure is re-evaluated this year and next, Nagel said. A final figure is anticipated in April. “Each month they come up with an allocation figure. It could be the same, or it could increase, depending on the snowpack (conditions),” Nagel said. “We’re at 15 percent … we need to get to 50 percent or higher to be in the clear.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Water supplies for agencies such as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and East Bay Municipal Utility District that don’t rely on the state for water won’t be affected the state allocation.
The five Bay Area agencies that receive water from the state are the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Solano County Water Agency, Alameda County Water District, Alameda County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7 and Santa Clara Valley Water District.
The agencies said that while the low allocation is discouraging, they already had made contingency plans this summer. “We actually thought the state would come in at 10 percent,” said Paul Piraino, general manager of Alameda County Water District, which provides water to Fremont, Newark and Union City.
Earlier this year, the district decided to augment its groundwater reserves by moving 10,000 acre-feet of water from its underground reserves in Kern County and an additional 12,000 acre-feet from the San Luis Reservoir. “It’s sort of like putting some money in the bank early … for the not-so-rainy day,” Piraino said.
From the Sacramento Bee:
Sacramentans are not directly affected by the forecast, because they don’t depend on the State Water Project for deliveries. The forecast primarily affects water users in the Bay Area and Southern California.
Yet Sacramento should take heed, because it also depends on the parched Sierra Nevada for most of its water supply. Snowmelt stored in California reservoirs is at its lowest level in 14 years.
“In fact, the entire state is wrestling with very serious drought conditions,” said Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. “Wherever you live in California, start conserving water because you are going to be affected if drought conditions persist.”
From Stockton’s Record:
Farmers in the Central Valley said they will be forced to fallow fields, while cities from the Bay Area to San Diego might have to impose mandatory rationing. Mike Young, a fourth-generation farmer in Kern County, called the water projections disastrous. “For the amount of acres we’ve got, we’re not going to have enough water to farm,” he said.
and
Stockton-area water officials repeatedly have said over the summer that this area has enough water to get by, but that the coming winter will be critical for next year. San Joaquin County as a whole has had difficulty finding new sources of water, and the groundwater on which the area has heavily relied is dropping.
From the Bakersfield Californian:
Kern County Water Agency general manager Jim Beck said between the smelt and explosive Central Valley population growth, there is far more demand for water today than during the last major drought of 1988 to 1992.
That means farmers are going to have to add to the 20,000 acres left fallow this year for lack of water. Beck estimates 90,000 acres in Kern County will be affected next year, including 50,000 not planted at all, and 40,000 acres of permanent crops watered enough to stay alive but not enough to bear fruit.
Groundwater banking has helped ease the water shortage up to now, but because of the Delta issue, “We won’t have opportunities to replenish those supplies for use in future droughts,” Beck said.
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
The state has released an initial allocation projection lower than 15 percent only once, in 1993. However, that 10 percent forecast jumped to a full 100 percent of supply requests thanks to a bountiful winter. But the overall water picture is even more bleak today than it was in 1993. Reservoirs are half-full. Court-ordered protections to save the rare delta smelt in the Sacramento delta will divert as much as 660,000 acre-feet of water, enough for 1.3 million households a year. And climatic changes threaten to further reduce snowpack.
Last year started out promising, but finished with the driest March-through-May ever recorded. The previous year also produced skimpy amounts of snow. “We have the potential in a third year to have the worst drought in California history,” warned Lester Snow, director of the Department of Water Resources.
Snow said it is clear that the state needs more storage and a canal to carry water through the Sacramento delta, which could minimize threats to fish. “The clock is ticking,” he said.
ACWA: Near record-low water allocation paints grim picture for 2009
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 31, 2008 at 5:47 amFrom Marketwire, this press release from ACWA:
Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) Executive Director Timothy Quinn issued the following statement today on the initial 2009 water supply allocations announced by the Department of Water Resources. The department has notified State Water Project contractors that they may receive just 15% of requested deliveries next year — the second lowest initial allocation in the project’s history. SWP contractors deliver water to 25 million Californians and more than 750,000 acres of farmland.
“This extremely low allocation leaves little doubt that we are in critical territory going into 2009. While the State Water Project service area will clearly see major impacts as a result of this allocation, the drought will continue to have a grip on the entire state. And it is likely to get worse before it gets better.
“All Californians have to take this seriously. Though many of the drought actions have been voluntary to this point, we see a trend toward more restrictive kinds of actions. Tight controls on outdoor water use will be the norm, and many Californians will see drought surcharges and higher water rates to encourage conservation.
“Even if it rains tomorrow or we end up with a wet year, we can’t assume these problems will go away. It’s a new day in California water as we deal with both drought and court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries. We have to invest in making our system — and particularly the Delta — more sustainable so we can meet the needs of species and the environment and still have a reliable water supply.”
ACWA is partnering with the Department of Water Resources to coordinate drought assistance and public education efforts. More on ACWA’s efforts and drought response measures is available at http://www.acwa.com/issues/drought2008/water_supply_conditions.asp.
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 450 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.
Grim water supply forecast for 2009 reinforces need for new water delivery system, says the State Water Contractors
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 31, 2008 at 5:38 amFrom Market Watch, this press release from the State Water Contractors:
The bleak water supply forecast for 2009 reinforces the pressing need to build a new water delivery system that will protect the environment and provide a reliable water supply for Californians. Water agencies receiving water from the State Water Project (SWP), one of the state’s primary water delivery systems, may only get 15 percent of their contract water supplies in 2009, according to early forecasts released today by the California Department of Water Resources.
In light of the low predictions, the State Water Contractors also warned today that residents, businesses and farms throughout the state will see significant new restrictions on water use in 2009.
“Even if we have a wet fall and winter, the water won’t necessarily be available to us because deliveries are also being cut to protect fish in the Delta. We are anticipating drastically reduced water supplies, regardless of weather conditions,” said Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors. “The fragility of the Delta ecosystem, combined with the drought we are currently experiencing, makes it imperative for California to agree on a comprehensive, long-term Delta fix. We can’t make it rain, but we can make the system work better to ensure a reliable water supply for Californians and protect the environment.” added Moon.This exceptionally low forecast is due to restrictions placed on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) to protect endangered fish species, and severely dry conditions in California throughout 2008 that are expected to continue into 2009. A ten percent projected statewide allocation for the SWP is the lowest in California history.
This comes at a time when California is already reeling from ongoing hits to the state’s water supply and delivery system. Having been allocated only 35 percent of their contracted water supplies in 2008, state water managers have been facing significantly reduced water deliveries for nearly a year.
Dry conditions have been so bad that Governor Schwarzenegger has formally declared California to be in a state of drought and collectively, reservoirs throughout the state are at the lowest levels in 14 years. San Luis Reservoir, one of the state’s largest reservoirs, is able to hold 2,039,000 acre-feet of water but today only holds a little more than 230,000 acre-feet — a dismal 11 percent of capacity. In addition to drought, instability within the Delta has significantly impacted the reliability of our water supply. Water exports were slashed in 2008 to protect fish species and by mid-2008, 660,000 acre-feet of water had been cut - enough to serve 5.3 million Californians for one year.
California cuts water deliveries to cities, farms
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 3:32 pmFrom the Associated Press and the San Diego Union Tribune:
The state said Thursday it would cut water deliveries to their second lowest level ever, prompting warnings of water rationing for cities and less planting by farmers.
The Department of Water Resources announced it will deliver just 15 percent of the amount that local water agencies throughout California request every year. That marks the second lowest projection since the first State Water Project deliveries were made in 1962.
It could force farmers in the Central Valley to fallow fields and cities from the San Francisco Bay area to San Diego to impose mandatory water rationing.
The state’s reservoirs are low after two years of dry weather and court-ordered restrictions on water pumping out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This year, water agencies received just 35 percent of the water they requested.
Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
Metropolitan Water District General Manager’s statement on initial State Water Project allocation for 2009
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 3:22 pmFrom Business Wire:
Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, issues the following statement regarding the California Department of Water Resource’s initial 15 percent allocation of State Water Project supplies to Metropolitan for the 2009 water year:
“We are preparing for the very real possibility of water shortages and rationing throughout the region in 2009. Over the past two years, Metropolitan has depleted more than a third of its water reserves to deal with drought and court-ordered water cutbacks from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These reserves are rapidly reaching a level that demands careful management.
“While this low initial State Water Project allocation was anticipated, it still sends a solemn message up and down California—we all must immediately reduce water use to stretch available supplies.
“Metropolitan cannot expect any short-term relief from its supply situation if it begins to rain in the Southland, in Northern California or in the Colorado River watershed. The Delta’s serious environmental problems are driving court decisions and regulatory actions that are drastically limiting the ability to move water across the estuary. This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms.
“Throughout its 80-year history, Metropolitan has dependably met the region’s imported water needs. It has been a remarkable era of water stability, thanks to astute decisions that expanded our storage facilities, enhanced conservation and increased local supplies such as recycling. But now we are facing a continuing historic dry cycle and unprecedented environmental challenges in the Delta.
“For many months, Metropolitan has closely monitored weather conditions and water storage levels. If the region faces a shortage in 2009, the district has in place an allocation formula that seeks to equitably distribute supplies, while preserving emergency reserves. Conservation is an absolute necessity. Using less and being more efficient is the new water reality in Southern California.”
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a cooperative of 26 cities and water agencies serving nearly 19 million people in six counties. The district imports water from the Colorado River and Northern California to supplement local supplies, and helps its members to develop increased water conservation, recycling, storage and other resource-management programs.
Long Beach Water Department: State officials project 85% cut to requested state water deliveries in 2009; The initial allocation is second lowest in the history of the State Water Project
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 3:21 pmFrom the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:
Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners are again urging area water suppliers to immediately implement mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, following a dramatic announcement by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) that imported water deliveries to the San Francisco Bay area, the Central Valley and to southern California are initially projected to only be 15 percent of normal. The State’s announcement, which comes each year around the end of November, comes early this year to encourage local water suppliers throughout the state to prepare for what is expected to be another dry year.
The State Water Project delivers water to more than 25 million California residents and more than 750,000 acres of farmland. This year, water contractors requested 4,166,376 million acre-feet of water for the 2009 calendar year, the maximum contractual amount allowed. The actual water deliveries can increase from the initial allocation depending on the year’s hydrologic and water supply conditions. The lowest initial allocation was 10 percent of contractors’ requested amount in 1993, but the number was increased to 100 percent of the requested amount as favorable weather conditions developed. Last year however, the initial figure was 25 percent and it was only increased to 35 percent.
Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the agency that supplies Long Beach with half its water supply, said his agency is preparing for the very real possibility of shortages and rationing throughout the region next year. “Over the past two years, Metropolitan has depleted more than a third of its water reserves to deal with drought and court-ordered water cutbacks from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These reserves are rapidly reaching a level that demands careful management.” Kightliner also stated that his agency can’t count on relief from the situation if it rains here, in northern California or in the Colorado River watershed. “The Delta’s serious environmental problems are driving court decisions and regulatory actions that are drastically limiting the ability to move water across the estuary. This is not a short-term problem that will be washed away with a few good storms.”
Kevin Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, goes further, stating that the State of California, and water supply leaders like the Metropolitan Water District, must do all they can to move communities throughout the State, particularly here in southern California, into mandating strict water conservation requirements, most importantly the prohibition of egregious outdoor watering activities that have been common place in neighborhoods all across southern California. “We need to collectively engineer a major lifestyle change in the way we think about and use water, so that inefficient and wasteful uses, which go on each and every day in our communities, are no longer tolerated. Postponing action is a gamble that we cannot afford to make as a region, considering the consequences that we’ll face short of an above average rain year. We are at a point where southern California simply does not have enough water to meet our demand for it going forward, even in normal hydrologic years.”
In September 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners officially declared that a water supply shortage for southern California, including Long Beach, was imminent, triggering implementation of the Commission’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. Activation of that plan put in place several strict prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water, making those particular uses illegal activities in the City of Long Beach. Long Beach water demand for Fiscal Year 2008 set a new, record 10-year low. That announcement, made earlier this month, means that less water was consumed in Long Beach this past fiscal year, than any other year over the past decade. In fact, Long Beach consumed less water this past fiscal year than the city did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. September 2008 was the City’s 9th record setting month (all 10-year lows) for low water use since the Board of Water Commissioner’s water shortage declaration.
John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners, cites marked human behavior and attitude change as the reason for the city’s record setting year. “This is an entire community coming together and engaging itself in a worthy endeavor. We need other southern California communities to get going, which will be the only way any successful region wide effort is going to be sustained.”
The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.
Water supply falling short; rationing may be necessary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 6:00 amFrom Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:
Inland water agencies could get only 15 percent of the supplies they requested from the State Water Project next year — one of the lowest anticipated deliveries since 1993 — possibly spurring mandatory rationing in some areas, officials said Wednesday.
The state Department of Water Resources is scheduled to announce the estimated allocation of water from Northern California today. But a state expert confirmed it will be 15 percent, and local authorities said that was consistent with what they were told to prepare for.
“We’re anticipating getting a low allocation, possibly a record low,” said Bob Muir, spokesman for Metropolitan Water District, a wholesaler for 18 million customers in the Inland area and other parts of Southern California.
The Department of Water Resources supplies Metropolitan and 28 other agencies.
The announcement follows two dry years and court-ordered reductions in Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumping that cut the amount delivered to suppliers by two-thirds, said Ted Thomas, department spokesman.
The 2008 water year, which ended Sept. 30, was deemed critically dry, with statewide runoff from snowpack at 57 percent of normal. Instead of the normal two-thirds full, the state’s major reservoirs are at about one-third of capacity.
Read more from the Press Enterprise by clicking here.
The Department of Water Resources is expected to release it’s allocation figures today for the upcoming water year - I’ll post it as soon as it is available.
Rubber dam a concrete remedy? Inflatable device could increase drinking-water supply
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 30, 2008 at 5:35 amFrom the San Diego Union Tribune:
The daunting challenge of finding more drinking water for the region while protecting the environment could rest on the air-filled back of an unusual device being considered in North County.
The giant, industrial-rubber bladder, technically called a weir, would direct flows toward a lake and an aquifer at Camp Pendleton, building up enough “new” water to serve the equivalent of at least 11,000 families and reducing demand on other drought-stressed waterways.
“For every acre-foot that we can produce locally, that is an acre-foot of imported water that is available to somebody else in the county,” said Keith Lewinger, general manager of the Fallbrook Public Utility District.
The Bureau of Reclamation worked with the Fallbrook district and Camp Pendleton to develop the strategy during the past five years. The project is designed to resolve legal disputes between the Fallbrook district and Camp Pendleton by increasing the water supply in the region by roughly 5,500 acre-feet in average years and twice that in wet years. An acre-foot is enough to serve two typical families for a year.
The base would get 60 percent to 70 percent of the water, and Fallbrook would get the rest.
Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
California slashes supply to state water districts
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 28, 2008 at 6:21 am
From CBS5:
After two extremely dry years, CBS 5 has learned that California will drastically slash the amount of water it gives to districts statewide.
In what could be the worst crisis in Decades, the California Department of Water Resources tells CBS 5 it will cut supplies to water districts by 85 to 90 percent.
“It’s pretty serious right now…California has had its second critically dry year. We are looking at going into a third potentially dry year. We have actually drawn down our reservoirs…we are actually having difficulties delivering water this year,” said Wendy Marin of the California Department of Water Resources.
From the Sierra, through the mighty Sacramento San Joaquin Delta and along the California Aqueduct, the State delivers water for drinking and irrigation to 25 million Californians each year. There are 29 state agencies that deliver this water and every one will see huge cutbacks beginning January 1st.
Read more from CBS5 by clicking here.
I heard a rumor the allocation could be as low as 15%. The announcement from DWR is expected this week.
The secret’s out: Tons of water in Oregon’s Cascades
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 20, 2008 at 5:49 am
From the Oregon Live:
The most valuable resource in the national forests atop the Oregon Cascades may not be the timber and recreation spots they’re known for, but something else that’s largely invisible: water.
Scientists from the U.S. Forest Service and Oregon State University have in recent years quietly realized that the high Cascades in Oregon and far Northern California contain an immense subterranean reservoir about as large as the biggest man-made reservoirs in the country. The secret stockpile stores close to seven years’ worth of Oregon rain and snow and is likely to become increasingly precious, even priceless, as population and climate add pressure to water supplies.
The reservoir hides within young volcanic rock — less than 1 million years old — in the highest reaches of the Cascades. The rock is so full of cracks and fissures it forms a kind of vast geological sponge. Heavy rain and snow falling on the rock percolate into the sponge, like a river filling a reservoir.
“It’s not just the fact we get a lot of rain in Oregon that gives us copious amounts of water,” says Gordon Grant, a research hydrologist at the U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Northwest Research Station leading the research. “It’s the unique geology — the plumbing system — that allows us to retain much of it.” It’s easily one of the biggest groundwater systems known in a mountainous region anywhere on the planet, he said.
Read more from Oregon Live by clicking here.
Low tide at Berryessa: Islands appear as level dips, but lake not near record low
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 18, 2008 at 5:57 amFrom the Napa Valley Register:
The occasional visitor to Lake Berryessa might not notice it. But to regulars, the lake is looking different these days. The reservoir is at its lowest level in 12 years, exposing increased amounts of shoreline and the one-time hills of the former town of Monticello.
Although the lake dropped 29 feet over the past four years, it remains substantially higher than the lowest recorded levels. September 2008 statistics from the California Department of Water Resources measured the lake at 414 feet above sea level. Statistics from 1959 to the present day show that the reservoir reached its lowest levels in 1992, when it measured 361 feet above sea level.
Currently, Lake Berryessa has more than twice the amount of water as it had during the dry years of 1991 to 1995. “Lake Berryessa is in much better shape than most other lakes in the state,” said Pete Lucero, chief of recreation resources for the Central California area office of the Bureau of Reclamation.
Read more from the Napa Valley Register by clicking here.
Water seen as looming issue for businesses in the Inland Empire
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 16, 2008 at 6:38 amFrom the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin:
Relatively cheap land and proximity to seaside ports have lured businesses to the Inland Empire over the past decade, but a lack of water might overshadow these incentives in the future. Southern California’s drought issues are only intensifying as the years go by. They could raise the price of water for Inland Empire businesses that use hundreds of gallons a day.
“Given the fact that we’re in a drought, water is going to become an issue,” said Bill Carney, president of the Riverside-based Inland Empire Economic Partnership, before speaking at a recent symposium on regional water issues. “A competing region, if they have more available water, will have a distinct advantage.”
Carney and others spoke to a group of local business leaders and water agency officials at the “Water Supply Outlook for Southern California,” an event hosted in San Bernardino by the partnership and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
John Anderson, a board member of the Chino-based Inland Empire Utilities Agency, said the region’s drought conditions, compounded by a growing population, will increasingly weigh on business leaders’ minds. Certain businesses are taking steps to conserve water - laundromats, car washes and paper mills - but several companies don’t realize what the future may hold, he said. “The more we can conserve, the longer it’s going to last before we have to start rationing,” Anderson said at the symposium.
Read more from the Inland Daily Bulletin by clicking here.
Average rain year won’t cut it; still, Sacramento area will fare better than most
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on October 5, 2008 at 6:33 amFrom the Sacramento Business Journal:
California’s new water year started Wednesday with sunny skies and Folsom Lake storage at about half of average for this time of year.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — which manages Folsom, Shasta, Oroville and other reservoirs in the Central Valley Project — classified the water year that ended Tuesday as “critically dry.” It cut back water allowances for municipal and industrial customers with Central Valley Project contracts by 25 percent and irrigation customers by 60 percent.
If Northern California receives average precipitation this winter, the Bureau of Reclamation might be able to provide full contract allocations next year, said Paul Fujitani, chief of water operations in the Bureau’s Central Valley operations office. But if it’s another dry year, water utilities and irrigation districts could face more cutbacks next summer.
“Folsom Reservoir, luckily for us, is one of the easier reservoirs to fill in the Central Valley Project,” Fujitani said. “If we get average (precipitation) this year, that would give us a real good chance of filling up the reservoir.”
Managers of some Sacramento-area water agencies that issued voluntary calls for conservation said they will probably keep those alerts in place for at least the next few months. They want to give the lake a chance to fill if there’s any rain.
But if Folsom fills up and the other reservoirs remain critically low, water contractors in the Sacramento region might still experience cutbacks. The bureau’s allocations apply to all Central Valley contractors, even if there’s more water in one area than another. “An average year won’t solve our problems,” said Shauna Lorance, general manager of San Juan Water District. “We need a very wet year, or several average years in a row.”
Read more from the Sacramento Business Journal by clicking here.
Water savings won’t be enough: Supply crisis continues despite Long Beach’s 10-year low in usage
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 24, 2008 at 5:44 amFrom the Contra Costa Times:
Aggressive conservation has slashed water consumption in Long Beach by 1.6 billion gallons in the past year, dropping usage to a 10-year low, officials said Tuesday. Yet despite the success, further conservation efforts are needed to offset rising water rates and a steep decline in water supplies from a key Northern California source, experts say.
“We need people to understand that we no longer have enough water going forward to even meet normal demand,” said Ryan Alsop, government and public affairs director for the Long Beach Water Department. “There needs to be a paradigm shift in our relationship with water … not only in Long Beach, but everywhere in the region.”
The city and region’s looming dilemma - brought about by years of drought, a growing population and dwindling supply - was the subject of much debate among a few dozen of the state’s top water management experts in Long Beach on Tuesday. The group met at a conference hosted by the Aquarium of the Pacific titled “Priming the Pump.”
Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
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