SSJID sells surplus water for $224,000; Conservation allows district to help two neighbors
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:55 amFrom the Manteca Bulletin:
South San Joaquin Irrigation District has helped two neighbors out and received $224,000 for their efforts. The district had 4,800 acre feet of water left from its Bureau of Reclamation allocation after filling Woodward Reservoir so they could have another irrigation run prior to Oct. 15 as well as take care of municipal water needs through next spring and handle of early 2009 irrigation runs for SSJID farmers.
SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields said the board had numerous offers to buy the water from up and down the state but opted to keep it within San Joaquin County.
The Central Irrigation District north of French Camp took 1,600 acre-feet for agricultural uses at $20 per acre foot. The Stockton East Water District bought 1,600 acre feet at $20 per acre foot for agriculture and another 1,600 acre feet for urban uses in Stockton at $100 per acre foot.
Read more from the Manteca Bulletin by clicking here.
Quenching a neighbor’s thirst: Woodbridge sells Mokelumne water to East Bay
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 17, 2008 at 6:05 amFrom the Lodi-News Sentinel:
The Woodbridge Irrigation District is helping residents in Alameda and Contra Costa counties with their critical water needs by selling them a little more than 6,000 acre-feet of water. The irrigation district board approved the sale on Thursday, while the East Bay Municipal Utility District board approved it the previous day.
The deal calls for Woodbridge to sell at least 6,000 acre-feet for $1.2 million. EBMUD will receive as much as 9,000 acre-feet, based on how much water Woodbridge has available. The additional cost is $200 per acre-foot.
Woodbridge has between 6,000 and 7,000 acre-feet available to sell to EBMUD, according to John Wookey, Woodbridge irrigation District’s assistant to the manager.
The deal is for this year only, through Oct. 15. EBMUD will use the water to help its 1.3 million East Bay customers who are subject to mandatory water rationing this year.
The Woodbridge district, which serves agricultural customers in Woodbridge, Thornton and areas west and south of Lodi, has water to sell EBMUD because Woodbridge had conserved water due to the dry winter, Wookey said.
Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
Coverage wrap up: California revives the drought bank, a program to buy water from farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 5, 2008 at 7:43 am
From the Los Angeles Times:
Saying California’s water reserves are all but gone, state officials on Thursday announced the revival of a dormant 17-year-old program to buy water from Sacramento Valley farmers and sell it to the thirstiest Southern California agencies in case this winter brings a third year of skimpy precipitation. “We’re hoping for the best, that we’re going to have a good storm season and be able to meet the needs of California,” said state Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow. “However, we would be negligent if we didn’t prepare for the worst.”
The bounty of the state’s biggest reservoirs, which supplied the state through the last two dry years with Sierra and Cascade mountain snowmelt, is disappearing. Major reservoirs, including Shasta Lake and Lake Oroville, are now at half of what is typical for this time of year. “There are a number of scenarios where we do not regain our snow pack,” Snow said, “and because our storage is low, we’re really in a lot of trouble.”
State officials said long-range climate predictions indicate that this winter may bring average precipitation or less. “We do have time as we go through the season to make up for the last two years,” said state water resources meteorologist Elissa Lynn, “but it would take a wetter-than-average year. None of the climate models that we have right now suggests a very wet start to the season.”
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Despite its name, the water bank is not a giant storage tank or reservoir. Rather, the system works more like a large-scale water reallocation program. The Department of Water Resources would purchase water from those with full reservoirs, those who can draw on wells, or farmers who may leave their grounds fallow or who switch to less thirsty crops. Generally, those supplies would come from Northern California, where water is more plentiful.
Without those users’ demand, the state would then sell the “extra” water to those areas with the largest need. Beyond uses for health and safety, there are also rules for environmental and economic interests.
For instance, the drought has already cost the agricultural industry about $260 million. As a result, the department said no more than 20 percent of a county’s crop acreage could be idled. In addition, water transfers cannot be made if “unreasonably affecting fish, wildlife or other in-stream beneficial uses.”
On the buyers’ side, users must slash their consumption by 20 percent to participate in the program. Earlier this year in making a statewide drought declaration, Gov. Schwarzenegger called on all Californians to cut water use by 20 percent. Some areas, including the East Bay Municipal Utility District, have instituted mandatory water rationing.
“If we’re looking at a really bad situation, we’re not going to allow someone to have 100 percent water supplies and they’re hosing down their sidewalks, while another area has no fire protection and poor quality water to drink,” Snow said.
From the Sacramento Bee:
The program, however, depends on the ability to pump water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of the state’s water system, where DWR and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operate diversion pumps and canals. Their operations are already limited by environmental concerns in the Delta, where the massive pumps alter water flows and kill millions of fish.
Assuming the water bank becomes necessary next year, DWR will look for safe “windows” within the multitude of environmental factors governing the Delta in which to move the water. That will be challenging. “If we get average precipitation next year, we may not be able to move even all of our own (existing) water,” said Jerry Johns, DWR deputy director.
From the Fresno Bee:
Thursday’s action only covers agencies that get water from the delta, delivered though canals using state and federal pumps. The city of Fresno and most east Valley growers and cities get water elsewhere.
One of the biggest delta water users is the 600,000-acre Westlands Water District on the Valley’s west side. The dry conditions have led some growers in the district to abandon crops. The district will consider using the drought bank program, said spokeswoman Sarah Woolf. “If there’s an opportunity to buy water, I’m sure we would take advantage of it, if it were at the right price,” she said.
Water officials said prices would be set by the private market, but estimated a range of $50 to $125 per acre-foot. Westlands now pays about $100 an acre-foot for water from the federally run Central Valley Project, Woolf said. The state would handle compliance with environmental laws.
Some water agencies have already negotiated private deals. Any new deals must now be negotiated through the state-administered program, officials said.
From the San Jose Mercury News:
One of the most hard-hit water districts in the state this year, the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which serves 1.3 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, is unlikely to buy water from the bank next year because its north Delta water intake will not be completed.
But the Contra Costa Water District probably will buy water from the bank, said assistant general manager Greg Gartrell. The Concord-based district, which serves about 550,000 people, would buy water to keep possible mandatory water rationing to a manageable level, which Gartrell said could be around 15 percent to 20 percent. “It’s possible that even in a normal (water) year, we could be in that situation,” Gartrell said.
In addition to creating the drought water bank, state water officials plan to promote more statewide water conservation, provide financial help for drought programs and other measures.
Read DWR’s press release on the drought banking program by clicking here. Read the ACWA’s response here.
State officials host statewide drought summit; Announce creation of drought water bank
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 4, 2008 at 2:25 pm
From the Department of Water Resources:
SACRAMENTO – State, federal and local water officials gathered today to discuss California’s ongoing drought and ways to alleviate the effects of ongoing dry conditions. At the Drought Summit hosted by the Department of Water Resources (DWR), Director Lester Snow announced the creation of a 2009 Drought Water Bank, a program designed to facilitate water transfers.
“We are in the midst of a drought right now and California potentially faces another dry year in 2009. It’s clear that we must find solutions to our water crisis,” Snow said. “A water bank provides a valuable tool to help provide water to communities who need it most. This is just one of the many ways the state is working to address the drought.”
Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman, Secretary for Food and Agriculture A.G. Kawamura, State Water Resources Control Board Executive Director Dorothy Rice and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Regional Director Don Glaser participated in the summit. Information about the state’s water and reservoir supply, drought modeling and forecasts of future water allocations, financial and programmatic assistance and other efforts to help water contractors, local water agencies, farmers and all state water users cope with the drought. A significant recent action was the expedited funding of $17 million in Prop 50 Drought Assistance Program grants last week to local water agencies and districts to implement water saving projects.
At the Summit, local agencies had the opportunity to share examples of how a lack of water is affecting their communities and made recommendations about how the state can support local water agencies, large and small, as they grapple with the shortages.
On June 4, Gov. Schwarzenegger issued Executive Order S-06-08 declaring a statewide drought, which directed state agencies and departments to take immediate action to address the dry conditions. He also issued a State of Emergency Proclamation for nine Central Valley counties (Sacramento, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare and Kern) to address that area’s urgent water needs.
2009 Drought Water Bank
To implement the 2009 Drought Water Bank, DWR will purchase water from willing sellers, primarily from water agencies upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This water will be transferred using State Water Project (SWP) or Central Valley Project (CVP) facilities to water agencies that are at risk of experiencing water shortages in 2009 due to drought conditions and that require supplemental water supplies to meet anticipated demands. Water acquired by the 2009 program would be available for purchase by public and private water systems in California based on certain needs criteria.
Water supplies from the 2009 Drought Water Bank will be open to all water providers who can obtain water from the Delta either directly or by exchange with other water providers who have access to Delta water supplies from the SWP or CVP.
DWR in coordination with U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will confer with the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and National Marine Fisheries Service as appropriate to meet legal requirements. DWR will provide California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and Endangered Species Act (ESA) compliance for the program, and will require certain environmental safeguards to be included in purchase agreements, depending on the nature of the transfer and location of the transfer water. DWR will hold interactive webinars on the program aimed at buyers and sellers on Tuesday, Sept. 17. For additional information about the details of the Water Bank or on the webinars, please visit www.water.ca.gov/drought or call the DWR Public Affairs Office at (916) 653-9712.
Drought Summit
The organizations participating in the Drought Summit include the Association of California Water Agencies, State Water Contractors, California Farm Water Coalition, League of California Cities, California Urban Water Conservation Council, California Rural Water Association, California Urban Water Agencies, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, East Bay Municipal Utility District, Kern County Water Agency, San Diego Water Authority, Santa Clara Valley Water District, San Luis Delta Mendota Water Authority, Contra Costa Water District and Northern California Water Association. In all, these organizations represent the interests of more than 25 million California water users.
Drought 2008 facts:
- For the Northern Sierra, this spring and summer were the driest on record since 1921. In addition, 2007 and 2008 made up the ninth driest two-year period in 88 years of record keeping for the Northern Sierra.
- Statewide precipitation for the six-month period February through July 2008 was 45% of average – the fourth driest of 114 years on record.
- State reservoir capacities are at severe lows, with Folsom at 31%, Shasta at 34% and San Luis at 13%.
- By the end of this water year (Sept. 30), Lake Oroville will reach its lowest carryover storage since the drought of 1977.
- The water shortage is affecting the state’s economy, slowing down development projects and forcing growers to fallow land. For example, farmers in northern San Diego County are stumping avocado trees and pulling out citrus trees due to water shortages. The Westland Water District reports that one-third of the farmland is being fallowed this year, at a loss of at least 500 jobs. The California Department of Food and Agriculture reports the result of the drought is a $260 million loss to the state’s ag industry this year.
Preliminary information shows that the 2009 water year likely will also be severely dry. State water planners are preparing for a protracted drought by instituting a variety of programs intended to conserve water and stretch the state’s resources. For additional information about the drought, visit the Department of Water Resource’s drought web page at www.water.ca.gov/drought.
ACWA applauds creation of drought water bank; statewide group recommends ways to help mitigate shortages
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 4, 2008 at 2:20 pmFrom Market Watch, who got it from Business Wire:
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today praised creation of a 2009 Drought Water Bank to help alleviate water shortages and assist with meeting local water needs in a potential third year of drought.
The California Department of Water Resources announced creation of the water bank at a statewide Drought Summit today. The summit included state and local water officials as well as ACWA and other water organizations. Participants heard the latest on drought conditions and forecasts for 2009 and discussed ways the state can best support local water agencies as they grapple with the most severe water supply challenges in decades.
Establishing a water bank was a key action recommended by ACWA in a letter delivered today to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The letter called for implementation of a water bank as soon as possible and urged DWR to commit the same level of resources and sense of urgency that characterized a similar bank established in the early 1990s.
“We know from past experience that a water bank can be a valuable tool in times of drought,” ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. “Done correctly, a water bank can provide short-term relief from water shortages while protecting water rights and the long-term interests of water suppliers. We strongly support this action by DWR and stand ready to help it work.”
ACWA’s letter noted that court-ordered constraints on moving water through the Delta will be a challenge for the bank, and suggested that DWR seek to acquire water from sources south of the Delta as well as north of the Delta. The letter offered a number of recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the bank, and called on the governor to seek federal drought relief as well as federal appropriations to purchase and develop alternative sources of water supply, promote water use efficiency and implement conservation programs. The letter is available at http://www.acwa.com/issues/drought2008/index.asp.
ACWA continues to partner with DWR to coordinate assistance to local agencies and step up public education efforts through the California Water Awareness Campaign’s “Nice Save!” program. ACWA also is serving as an information clearinghouse for its members, the media, legislators and others on drought conditions and conservation measures around the state.
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.
DWR announces revival of the “Drought Water Bank” as drought is expected to extend into 2009
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 4, 2008 at 1:32 pmFrom the Central Valley Business Times:
The drought parching California is expected to extend into 2009 and state officials hope efforts announced Thursday will help ease some of the problems.
The Department of Water Resources says it will create a 2009 “Drought Water Bank,” a program designed to facilitate water transfers.
“We are in the midst of a drought right now and California potentially faces another dry year in 2009. It’s clear that we must find solutions to our water crisis,” says Lester Snow, DWR director. “A water bank provides a valuable tool to help provide water to communities who need it most. This is just one of the many ways the state is working to address the drought.”
To implement the 2009 Drought Water Bank, DWR will buy water from willing sellers, primarily from water agencies upstream of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This water will be transferred using State Water Project or Central Valley Project facilities to water agencies that are at risk of water shortages in 2009 due to drought conditions and that require supplemental water supplies to meet anticipated demands.
Water acquired by the 2009 program would be available for purchase by public and private water systems in California based on certain needs criteria.
Click here to read more from the Central Valley Business Times.
Reuters News adds this:
The last time California’s Department of Water Resources set up a water bank was in the early 1990s and the agency plans much more strict guidelines for its new effort, said Wendy Martin, the statewide drought coordinator for the agency.
“We will be paying closer attention to … making sure water is being used for the greatest and highest public service. We’re not going to let people take water and use it for frivolous reasons,” Martin told Reuters by telephone. She noted that agencies buying water through the bank will have to commit to a 20 percent reduction in overall water use.
Schwarzenegger said the program will help ease water shortages if California’s drought presses on and he once again urged lawmakers to agree on a bond bill for financing an expansion of the state’s water storage and delivery infrastructure.
“California’s drought is impacting our economy, our agriculture and our families, and an end to these dry conditions is nowhere in sight,” he said. “While we are taking action to address the state’s drought situation, there remains an urgent need for Californians to step up conservation efforts and for the legislature to pass a comprehensive water plan that will ensure California has the water it needs to keep our economy strong and our people working,” Schwarzenegger added.
More from Reuters News by clicking here.
North San Joaquin to ask Lodi for water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 3, 2008 at 1:35 pmFrom the Lodi News-Sentinel:
A local water district is still hoping to convince the city of Lodi to give it 1,000 acre-feet of water — free of charge — to help replenish the area’s groundwater basin. The North San Joaquin Water Conservation District board voted on Tuesday to send a letter to the Lodi City Council requesting the water and a spot on an upcoming council agenda. The water would be a one-time allocation.
District Manager Ed Steffani told the water board that Lodi hasn’t used water it purchased from the Woodbridge Irrigation District the past five years because the city has yet to construct a water treatment plant.
The North San Joaquin district serves roughly the eastern half of Lodi and rural areas to the north and east.
While the city of Lodi has 30,000 acre-feet of water “banked” in storage, Steffani questions whether the city will be able to store all that water once the water treatment plant is completed. Steffani and North San Joaquin board members have an idea — give 1,000 acre-feet to North San Joaquin for its Calfed-funded recharge project on the Mokelumne River near Woodbridge and Dustin roads.
Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
San Juan Water District announces potential pilot program to transfer water – otherwise unavailable to customers – to pay for infrastructure
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on August 15, 2008 at 10:20 amFrom the San Juan Water District, this press release:
The San Juan Water District is seeking benefits from dry-year surface water supplies that are otherwise unavailable for customer use. As a party to the Sacramento Water Forum Agreement
(2000), the District will forgo some Folsom Lake water during dry years to benefit American River fisheries, wildlife and recreation. During those periods, the District taps into groundwater supplies and implements conservation measures to address local water needs.Once downstream of the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, the District has the right to transfer forgone water for the benefit of its wholesale ratepayers. “We have two choices in dealing with that water,” said Shauna Lorance, the District’s general manager. “We can just let it go with no benefit to our customers, or we can transfer it to other agencies in exchange for resources to fund facilities for dry year water supply reliability.”
Toward that end, the District is entering into preliminary talks with two California water agencies to discuss concepts for a multi-regional water management pilot program. Yesterday, the district’s Board of Directors voted to pursue partnership discussions with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a Central Valley Project and State Water Project Contractor, and the San Diego County Water Authority.
In concept, up to 7,000 acre feet of forgone water could be transferred by the District to partnering water agencies.Proceeds from those transfers would be used to build dry-year facilities, such as groundwater wells and pump stations, which are needed to enact provisions of the Sacramento Water Forum Agreement. In absence of other revenues, the costs for new dry-year facilities would be passed on to customers through future rate increases.
“It’s still very conceptual, but we think a multi-regional approach will benefit our customers,” said Lorance. “We gain revenues to pay for much-needed infrastructure, and participating agencies increase their ability to meet water demands in dry years.”
The pilot program is consistent with statewide policy that encourages water transfers, conjunctive use and conservation measures to mitigate impacts of drought conditions. State policy also promotes cooperation between water districts to address water shortages. As such, multi-regional collaboration could boost local efforts in securing state bond dollars for infrastructure and system improvements.
“We have a very real need to offset costs for dry-year infrastructure projects,” said Dave Peterson, a
member of the District’s Board. “But, we’re also doing the right thing by helping other regions. The health of Bay-Area and San Diego economies are directly related to the health of our local, state and national economies. We can and must be a part of the solution.”Staff from the three agencies will meet in coming weeks to discuss development of the pilot program and talk with interested stakeholders. If approved, the program could be implemented as early as March 2009 for a one-year period, with options for a longer-term agreement if proven successful.
For more information, visit the District’s Web site at www.sjwd.org.
San Juan Water District is a community services district that provides drinking water to more than 265,000 people in portions of Sacramento and Placer counties. In addition to serving retail customers in Granite Bay, east Roseville, and the northeast portion of Sacramento County, the district wholesales water to Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks water districts, Orange Vale Water Company and the city of Folsom (north of the American River) and periodically to Sacramento Suburban Water District.
For a FAQ Sheet on the program, click here.
Water deal leaves bad taste; California transfers contaminated groundwater in drinking water supply for millions
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 11, 2008 at 10:17 amFrom the California Progress Report:
Last week, the California Department of Water Resources announced that it will allow contaminated groundwater to be pumped into the California Aqueduct, which supplies water to millions of Californians, in order to deliver more water to the Westlands Water District in the San Joaquin Valley.
Because the groundwater in question contains high levels of salts, nitrates and selenium, DWR would normally prohibit its transfer within the California Aqueduct. However, due to the Governor’s emergency declaration in June, DWR will make an exception and allow 20,000 acre feet of this groundwater to be transferred, even though it will degrade the water supplies of areas such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside.
In addition to the transfer of millions of gallons of contaminated water via the California Aqueduct, the Westlands Water District is receiving help from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD). MWD announced that it would lend 25,000 acre feet of water to the Westlands Water District this summer. (This announcement came just weeks after Metropolitan Water District, which also serves Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside, instituted a “Water Supply Alert” calling for extraordinary water conservation.) Written agreements require Westlands Water District to “pay back” the lent water by October. However, the Westlands Water District may have trouble making good on those terms if the dry spell of the past two years extends to this fall and winter.
Read more from the California Progress Report by clicking here.
Water flows to drought areas: Groundwater going into aqueduct for water transfers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 5, 2008 at 6:01 amFrom the Capital Ag Press:
More water is flowing to drought-stricken Westlands Water District farmers as state conveyances are being used to transport district groundwater and other water supplies where needed. The Department of Water Resources water transfer agreements have come after Gov. Schwarzenegger’s state of emergency proclamation on June 12 for counties affected by severe water shortages.
Up to 50,000 acre feet of groundwater will be pumped into the California Aqueduct from wells in the Westlands district and delivered to areas where there is no groundwater.
In addition, Department of Water Resources is lending 37,500 acre feet of water to Central Valley Project contractors out of the San Luis Reservoir. An additional 25,000 acre feet are being made available by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the benefit of both Central Valley Project and State Water Project contractors.
Westlands spokeswoman Sarah Woolf said Tuesday, July 1, that the water will be used on permanent crops that were already in a deficit irrigation situation. The water won’t be cheap. Farmers that receive the water will pay fees for conveyance and pumping as well as the acre-foot charge and that may add up to more than $300 per acre foot.
The additional water available will only be a small percentage of the water needed for annual and permanent crops in the district, Woolf said. In June the district noted that 200,000 acres would be idled this year.
Lack of adequate water in the state and federal water systems plus restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta were blamed for the shortages.
The groundwater going into the aqueduct is coming from seven wells in the district that have passed state regulations for water quality. Woolf said as other wells are tested and approved they will add to the water supply, but the process will take more time. No water quality regulations were relaxed, she added.
Read the full text of this story from the Capital Ag Press by clicking here.
Water help coming soon for West Side farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 5, 2008 at 5:54 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
The thirsty West Side of the San Joaquin Valley soon will get a boost in its water supply but not enough to ward off all the effects of the drought.
The California Department of Water Resources this week announced the first water transfers under last month’s emergency declaration by Gov. Schwarzenegger. At least 87,500 acre-feet of water is expected to be moved around to aid areas with severe shortages. An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre 1-foot deep.
The beneficiaries will include the Del Puerto Water District, a 45,000-acre strip next to Interstate 5 in Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. It stands to get about 3,500 more acre-feet, helping to make up for a 10,000-acre-foot shortage, general manager Bill Harrison said. Just when the water will be delivered is not yet known, he said.
“We’re still suffering from shortages and restrictions, and in spite of the emergency declaration, we have seen no real relief,” he said.
Del Puerto is in especially tough straits because its usual supply comes entirely from the federal Central Valley Project. The allotment has been cut to 40 percent this year because of the drought and protections for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, where the wa- ter is pumped into the Delta- Mendota Canal.
Most other districts have access to groundwater or rights to rivers. The Turlock and Modesto irrigation districts, for example, tap the Tuolumne River, though the TID has capped its deliveries this year to help assure a supply for 2009.
Read the full text of this article from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Emergency water transfer deals may help Central Valley farmers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 2, 2008 at 6:14 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
Pumping of groundwater into the California Aqueduct in the Westlands Water District has already begun, and the state’s Department of Water Resources today announced there will be additional sources of water for the State Water Project.
The additional water “will help alleviate pressure on permanent crops,” said Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District, where rationing is under way. “But it’s not going to change the situation in which crops were walked away from.”
DWR is lending 37,000 acre-feet from the San Luis Reservoir, Metropolitan Water District is making 25,000 acre-feet available by deferring deliveries until later in the year, and 50,000 acre-feet will be groundwater put in the aqueduct to be transferred to areas without adequate groundwater.
DWR is also providing funds to step up conservation efforts statewide (from the Central Valley Business Times):
In addition to the water transfers and exchanges, DWR says it will expedite $12 million in grants to water agencies and non-profit organizations to be used for water conservation activities including rebate programs, public education and outreach, leak detection, and retrofit of systems for greater water efficiency.
Of the $12 million, $2 million is earmarked for disadvantaged communities and $10 million for other agencies and organizations.
To help communities finance new investments in water management funding DWR has awarded $6.4 million in grants to 31 public agencies. The money will help pay for development of groundwater management plans and programs, installation of groundwater monitoring wells, studies of groundwater basins, development of groundwater models and data storage systems, and other actions to enhance groundwater management and usage throughout California.
DWR and the State Water Resources Control Board will also award up to $58 million to four Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) efforts, including $6 million to the Kings River Conservation District in the Central Valley.
Read coverage from the Fresno Bee by clicking here; you can find the full text of the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.
DWR announces water transfer agreements
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on July 1, 2008 at 12:33 pmFrom the Department of Water Resources:
More water is flowing to drought-stricken Central Valley farms as a result of new Department of Water Resources (DWR) water transfer agreements. The agreements come after Gov. Schwarzenegger’s State of Emergency proclamation on June 12 for nine counties affected by severe water shortages and his statewide drought proclamation on June 4.
“I continue to push for a comprehensive plan to address California’s water supply issues and the environmental crisis we face in the Delta. The drought has only intensified our need for immediate actions like conservation, increased groundwater storage and financial support for local water agencies and non-profit organizations,” Gov. Schwarzenegger said. “The steps that the Department of Water Resources is announcing today—like expediting $12 million in grants for water conservation—not only represent real action in response to my recent Executive Order, but they demonstrate our unyielding commitment to our immediate water needs and California’s long-term vision to restore the Delta.”
Responding to the Governor’s emergency declaration, up to 50,000 acre feet of groundwater will be pumped into the State Water Project this summer. This water comes from groundwater wells in the Westlands Water District (WWD) and will be transferred to other parts of the WWD service area that do not have groundwater access.
DWR is lending 37,500 acre feet of water to Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors out of the San Luis Reservoir. An additional 25,000 acre feet is being made available by Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for the benefit of both CVP and SWP contractors.
“Thanks to the Governor’s leadership and the tremendous cooperation between water agencies, Central Valley farms will have more water during the peak growing season for many crops,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “These actions will help ease what could otherwise be a dire situation for our farms, our economy and our way of life.”
In addition to the water transfers and exchanges, DWR will expedite $12 million in grants to water agencies and non-profit organizations. The funds can be used for water conservation activities including rebate programs, public education and outreach, leak detection, and retrofit of systems for greater water efficiency. Of the $12 million, $2 million is earmarked for disadvantaged communities and $10 million for other agencies and organizations. DWR will hold an online workshop on the grant program July 8 at 10 a.m. More information on the workshop and the grant program is available at: www.owue.water.ca.gov/finance/index.cfm
To help communities finance new investments in water management funding DWR has awarded $6.4 million in grant funding to 31 public agencies from the Local Groundwater Assistance Program. Funding will support development of groundwater management plans and programs, installation of groundwater monitoring wells, hydro geologic studies of groundwater basins, development of groundwater models and data storage systems, and many other actions to enhance groundwater management and usage throughout California. A listing of the agencies and projects receiving grants is posted at: http://www.grantsloans.water.ca.gov/grants/assistance.cfm
DWR and the State Water Resources Control Board will also award up to $58 million to four Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) efforts. DWR will provide the San Diego County Water Agency up to $25 million and the County of Humboldt up to $2.1 million. The State Water Resources Control Board previously awarded $25 million to the Santa Barbara County Water Agency and $6 million to the Kings River Conservation District. The funding will support a wide variety of water management activities including landscape water efficiency projects, recycled water and desalination projects, groundwater recharge facilities, water and wastewater infrastructure improvements, watershed management activities, and design work for new water management facilities. Additional information about the IRWM program is available at: http://www.grantsloans.water.ca.gov/grants/irwm/integregio.cfm
The Department of Water Resources operates and maintains the State Water Project, provides dam safety and flood control and inspection services, assists local water districts in water management and water conservation planning, and plans for future statewide water needs.
Water rights transfer deal in Washington stirs up concerns in rural communities
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 22, 2008 at 4:40 pmFrom the Associated Press:
Ray Colbert wanted out after five decades of growing apples, but his son didn’t want the farm in northern Washington. No one else did either. So, Colbert sold the last big piece of his operation, an 80-acre parcel, to a buyer far downstate who wanted what came with the land: water from the Okanogan River.
State regulators signed off on the buyer’s request to transfer the rights to the water and let it flow hundreds of miles down river, figuring the deal was good for fish and wouldn’t hurt anyone else’s water supply. Local officials, however, fear such deals will dry out their rural farming community. “If this were to snowball and keep up, Okanogan County would literally dry up. It would dry up its economy, its agricultural production and everything else,” said state Sen. Bob Morton, a Republican whose rural district sprawls across remote northern Washington.
Moving water around the West is nothing new — it’s what enabled apples to sprout in this area in the first place. In Northern California, river water is diverted south to irrigate most of the country’s winter vegetables and keep faucets flowing in the Los Angeles area. Officials in northwest Montana are negotiating a water compact with the Blackfeet Indian Reservation that would allow the tribe to sell water from the headwaters of the Missouri River to any place in the vast swath of the state that lies in the river’s basin.
“There’s no constraint where they can market that water to — hundreds and hundreds of miles,” said John Tubbs, administrator of the Montana Department of Natural Resources water resources division.
Such moves don’t come without dispute. Ranchers and conservationists are fighting a plan to pump billions of gallons of water from rural Nevada and send it to Las Vegas. More fights are likely as farmers find they get a bigger payoff from selling their water than by growing crops, since Western water law allows water rights to be separated from land.
For Colbert, the decision wasn’t difficult. “The Okanogan Valley’s a great place to live. I love it, but it’s a tough place to make a living,” Colbert said. “I’m so relieved to basically be out of these big orchards.”
He shares the concerns of local officials but also says his water right is his to do with as he pleases. “It’s a property, like a truck or a cow, and you should have the right to do as you wish with it,” he said.
Read more from the Associated Press by clicking here.
California needs to remember history of the last major drought in this year’s water transfers and our response
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 15, 2008 at 6:42 amFrom the California Progress Report:
Last Wednesday Governor Schwarzenegger announced that California is officially in a two-year drought and issued an Executive Order directing the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and other agencies to implement an eight point drought response plan, including heightened water efficiency, more water transfers, and updated drought planning. He also called for an $11.9 billion bond that would fund new dams.
Four of the eight points in the drought plan focus on water efficiency. Yet while it reinforces the vital role of efficiency in California’s water management and highlights its potential benefits to our economy, environment, and residents the plan is short on specifics that would distinguish the Governor’s measures from programs already underway. Details on these new measures may emerge as agencies focus on implementing the Executive Order.
While the plan remains vague on water efficiency actions, it clearly instructs DWR to facilitate water transfers in 2008 and 2009. A similar dry year water transfer program was implemented during California’s last major drought in the 1990’s. Unfortunately, that program resulted in dry wells for some Northern California communities, as groundwater pumping increased to replace surface water that was transferred to parched areas in the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. DWR has the opportunity to avoid such unintended consequences as they develop the next set of dry year water transfers.
Read the rest of this article from the California Progress Report by clicking here.
Water emergency closes Kern County to outside deals
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on June 12, 2008 at 10:29 pmFrom the Bakersfield Californian:
A water emergency, declared Wednesday, means Kern County is essentially closed to cities or outside agencies looking to make new water deals here.
Agencies will continue to honor existing water deals, said Kern County Water Agency board member Gene Lundquist. But the emergency declaration will stop any new transfers out of the county. The agency approved the emergency declaration at a special meeting.
“People all over the state are scrambling for water and they’ve gotten the idea that Kern County is the place to get it,” Lundquist said. “It isn’t.”
Read the full text of this story from the Bakersfield Californian by clicking here.
Drought, shortages could mean big payoff for state rice growers, but not such good news for water agencies looking for water transfers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 19, 2008 at 5:58 amFrom the San Diego Union Tribune:
In one of the most volatile years of their farming experience, California’s rice growers eagerly planted a new crop this spring that could reap record profits. Drought in Australia, food riots in Egypt and a shortage of other food grains such as corn because of the move to ethanol are just a few of the complex global ingredients roiling the global market for rice, a diet staple for half the earth’s population.
The immediate fallout has brought surging prices, sporadic panic buying and limits on exports by some countries. Whether those responses are permanent or a temporary reflex will not be known for some time. “There’s no asking the guy who was here before you what it was like and what happened next. We’ve never seen this,” said Tim Johnson, president of the California Rice Commission.
These market shifts also may have broader policy implications as some countries rethink their opposition to genetically modified rice and U.S. taxpayers question why they should subsidize corn, wheat and rice at a time of soaring commodity prices.
At the Richvale Cafe, a tiny diner that substitutes for the backyard fence in the heart of rice country, about 70 miles north of Sacramento, growers are understandably excited. “We’re going to get some returns we’ve never seen the likes of,” said Frank Rehermann, who has been farming for 36 years.
Yes, rising prices for rice is good news for the farmers, but bad news for Metropolitan Water District and others who had hoped to purchase water for urban localities:
Southern California water agencies, shopping for extra water to import from Northern California, also are finding a tighter market. Sacramento Valley rice farmers are positioned to drive harder bargains as long as rice prices remain attractive.
The Metropolitan Water District this year lost deals for more than 23,000 acre-feet, enough water to meet the needs of at least 46,000 households a year. The Los Angeles-based wholesaler paid about $200 an acre-foot for the water it did get, compared with historic prices of closer to $125 to $150.
The San Diego County Water Authority was relieved to be able to lock in more than 20,000 acre-feet at $200 each from rice growers. “We expect the price of Northern California transfers to be higher and supplies more difficult to obtain next year,” said John Liarakos, a water authority spokesman.
Read more on this story from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
Palo Verde farmers to fallow 26,000 acres of farmland under Metropolitan’s water transfer deal
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 30, 2008 at 11:02 am
From the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
Thirsty Southern California cities are turning to water-rich farmers on the eastern edge of Riverside County for additional supplies to make up for the ongoing drought and other restrictions on the life-sustaining resource.
Starting this summer, farmers in the Palo Verde Valley along the Colorado River will forgo planting crops on nearly 26,000 acres, the most land yet under a little-known fallowing agreement with Metropolitan Water District. The pact will double the amount now being sent to MWD and its 18 million urban customers.
In exchange, MWD will pay the farmers $16.8 million each year for 115,000 acre-feet of water — almost 37.5 billion gallons. That’s on top of startup fees the district has already paid the farmers, making it more costly than the water the district traditionally relies on from the Colorado River and the Sacramento Delta.
Metropolitan Water District has to notify the farmers a year in advance of their request for more water, and that decision was made after the Wanger smelt decision in August:
The region, he said, will still be short of water. MWD is projecting a 300,000-acre-foot loss from the Delta decision, and the Palo Verde transfer accounts for only about one-third of that. But MWD officials said the injection of new supplies will help prevent the water district from drawing even more on its stored reserves in such places as Diamond Valley Lake near Hemet.
Read the rest of this story from Riverside’s Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
For a fact sheet from Metropolitan Water District on the Palo Verde water transfer deal, click here.
Castaic Lake Water Agency looks to buy 3.7 million bathtubs of water from Northern California
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 27, 2008 at 9:36 pmFrom Aquafornia’s home base newspaper, the Santa Clarita Signal:
There’s a sale on water right now in Yuba County, and local water officials are expected to take full advantage of the deal.
The Castaic Lake Water Agency Board of Directors is tonight expected to endorse a plan to buy about 850 acre-feet of water - enough to fill more than 3.7 million bath tubs - at a price of between $50 and $125 an acre-foot. The wide price range is due to availability and the cost of moving that much water from Yuba County, north of Sacramento, to the Santa Clarita Valley.
Local water resource officials at the agency began eyeing the available water - which is not part of the water normally supplied to Santa Clarita Valley - as a security investment that would offset any shortage of water in times of drought.
“This is favorably priced water,” Dirk S. Marks, the agency’s water resources manager, said Tuesday. “It’s a good deal, given the nature of the supply. This is a dry year water supply. The price is good compared to buying this water from other places.”
Click here to read the rest of this story from the Santa Clarita Signal.
Water transfers may be good for the farmer, but bad for the taxpayer, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 24, 2008 at 6:02 amFrom the Eureka Reporter, this commentary by Amy Kaleita, public policy fellow for environmental studies at the Pacific Research Institute, San Francisco:
California is currently experiencing one of the most severe periods of water shortage in the last decade, thanks to eight years of drought conditions along the Colorado River coupled with regulatory restrictions and increasing demand. This year’s first survey of the snow pack in the Sierra Nevada, the spring snowmelt that provides another important source of water in the state, estimated a snow depth of less than 60 percent of normal for the season. Prices for water, normally around $50 an acre-foot (3.9 million gallons) of water, may rise to as much as $200 per acre-foot this year.
As a result, farmers who grow annual crops such as rice, cantaloupes and tomatoes around Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley, and who — thanks to state and federal subsidies — are paying only $30 to $60 per acre-foot of water, may make more money by selling their water than by growing and selling the crops that water would normally irrigate. A spokesperson for the State Water Contractor Association, which represents 29 water agencies, noted that “virtually every agricultural district in the Sacramento Valley is thinking about selling their water this year.”
Who can blame them? These farmers are just doing what makes the most economic sense for them. This situation, however, is less beneficial for taxpayers. Because the farmers’ water is subsidized, when they, in turn, sell the water to a municipal supplier rather than using it to grow their crops, the taxpayers are paying for food security they aren’t getting. While it’s difficult to predict the precise impact the water situation will have on food prices, rising prices are a distinct possibility as planted acreage decreases.
Further, when the subsidized water is sold on the open market, the cost of water reflects these artificial prices rather than the short supply and high demand. As this means that city water rates don’t accurately reflect the shortage, the costs won’t necessarily encourage consumers to conserve as much as they would if the water was appropriately priced.
Read the rest of this editorial from the Eureka Reporter by clicking here.