This Week’s Odds and Ends: how to make sprawl bubbles, drug testing of sewer water, and splitting up California into 5 states

Posted by: Maven on August 26, 2007 at 6:52 am

It’s been a busy week for water news, with the Delta Summit and the hearings in Fresno. Be sure to tune in next week when the hearings resume.

Here’s a few interesting pieces I have on my desktop:

How to make sprawl bubbles! New Mexico has many water issues, as does the Southwest, and I came across this by way of jfleck at insktain, who linked to this article posted on Cocoposts regarding a development in New Mexico. Here’s my favorite part:

A recipe for SPRAWL BUBBLES
- Take some relatively flat land in the fast growing west
(the plains in the midwest don’t have that economic ZING)

- trim any natural drainage by channelization
(don’t be shy with that concrete!)

- add as much potable water as you can
(4 – 7 water zones ought to do it)

- use just a pinch of regulation
(or none, depending on political taste)

And Viola! You’ve got a sprawl bubble! Of course some of the best is made in Nevada, but they used soooo much of that subprime yeast how could they not be Number 1 in the nation with 1 foreclosure for every 200 households?

Drug Testing of Waste Water? Talk about big brother watching you … here’s an interesting post on WaterWired about how researchers have been testing the discharge from sewage plants to determine drug use, both legal & illicit:

Oregon State University scientists tested 10 unnamed American cities for remnants of drugs, both legal and illegal, from wastewater streams. They were able to show that they could get a good snapshot of what people are taking. “It’s a community urinalysis,” said Caleb Banta-Green, a University of Washington drug abuse researcher who was part of the Oregon State team. The scientists presented their results Tuesday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

The most common drug excreted was caffeine – no surprise there. An interesting read!

Splitting up California … and last, here’s a blog that Stockton’s RecordNet.com wrote about in a story. I’ve heard that a fringe idea has been bumping around the state about splitting up into two states, but now a blog called Immodest Proposals has written a piece that suggests dividing up California in to five different states: The Bay Area would become Groovy, Northern California would be Lower Cascadia, the Central Valley would be Hill and Dale, Los Angeles would be Lotus Land, and San Diego & the Imperial Valley would be Reagan. From Stockton’s RecordNet article:

I support this proposal heart and soul. Even my gizzard supports this proposal. Mainly this is because of the Delta summit convoked this week by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sen. Dianne Feinstein. One of its worrisome themes, oft-recurring in the governor’s recent rhetoric, was that all Delta stakeholders cannot emerge from the Delta’s crisis with all their interests satisfied. What this means to San Joaquin Valley residents can be summed up in three words: duck and cover.

The unholy SoCal alliance of Lotus Land and Reagan have declared war on Hill and Dale. The warmongers thirst for Delta water.

Restore the Delta, a local activist group, spelled it out in a press release this week: “Over the last year, Restore the Delta staff members have learned how to decode such statements about those who would be unhappy with changes to how the Delta is managed.” The “who” are, “the people of the Delta: the recreation community, fishermen, Delta farmers and landowners, urban Delta water agencies, boaters, and Delta business owners,” the group warns. “Such phrases are code for the idea that the people, culture, and history of the Delta must change and live with a ‘new’ environment. … (We) are being set up to lose to more powerful corporate interests in other parts of the state.”

The beautiful thing about the proposed boundaries of Hill and Dale is that they stretch the Valley state up into the Sierra watershed, source of the Delta’s water. So our state would not only boast “natural wonders” such as Yosemite; it would control two-thirds of California’s water supply.

The region would transform from a politically overmatched afterthought to the Big Dog with its teeth sunk squarely in the rump of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Stockton article suggests putting sandbags in the aqueduct to stop water flowing to the south, and turning it into a waterpark instead, and leasing out the pumps that chew up the smelt to Starkist for tuna making operations.

To read the full text of Stockton’s RecordNet article, click here. To read the post from Immodest Proposals, click here.

California Agriculture: harvest is good, but outlook is unsure for next year

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 9:48 pm

From the California Farm Bureau:

California farmers, especially those in the San Joaquin Valley, are operating on the razor’s edge. Lack of water–due to dry weather conditions last winter along with this year’s regulatory and judicial actions–have cut farmers’ margin for error to zero. Irrigations must be perfectly executed to ensure enough water will be there to finish the crops and get them harvested.

There’s just barely enough water to get through the 2007 growing season, farmers say. But they worry more about next year. There may not be enough water in the system right now to begin work for the 2008 crop year. Some are predicting a “train wreck” if there aren’t heavy rains to compensate for potential water supply cutbacks.

The San Luis Reservoir remains severly drawn down, at only 20% of capacity. Remaining deliveries of water will be made directly from the Delta-Mendota canal, and a Bureau of Reclamation official said that the irrigator’s contracts would be fulfilled, and that water would be supplied until the crops are finished.

From the article:

California farms and ranches use roughly 30 million acre-feet of water a year on about 10 million acres. Historically, the state’s water infrastructure was developed to provide for irrigation. With improvements in water management technology and field practices, farmers are now producing more food per acre with the same, and often less, water.

Population growth and environmental requirements, however, have increased pressure on the state’s water infrastructure and heightened scrutiny of irrigation practices. DWR has found that “agricultural water use, when considered on a broad regional scale, for the most part, is very efficient.”

In times of drought, many farmers rely on groundwater to make up the difference – a practice that is unsustainable. It has been estimated that if the Westlands farmers keep pumping at the same rate, the aquifer will be depleted in two to three years.

What gets planted next year is likely to be affected, with less cotton expected to be planted, and processing tomato production is expected to be cut by at least 50%.

To read the full text of the article from the California Farm Bureau, click here.

Photo by topherous on flickr.

Reuter’s news reports on Las Vegas’s dwindling water supply

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 4:50 pm

Here’s an article released on the Reuters News Network regarding Las Vegas and its water supply. Some may say dwindling, but curiously enough, others do not. From the article:

Two wooden piers that once extended into Lake Mead, Nevada, now loom over a desert landscape, monuments to the insatiable need for water in nearby Las Vegas and other parts. A “No Fishing” sign perhaps 600 hundred yards from the shrinking lake and a ring of white magnesium deposits marks the high water level like a giant, half-full bath tub that has dropped more than 100 feet in seven years.

The dramatic desiccation amid a multi-year Western drought highlights the difficult situation facing Las Vegas, one of America’s fastest growing cities, whose economic future depends on the continued supply of water.

“Las Vegas is growing too fast for its water resources, not, unfortunately, unlike many other Western cities,” said Peter Gleick, co-founder of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment, and Security in Oakland, California. “Las Vegas is a special case for two reasons: it is growing very rapidly and the second is they are really constrained on water supply.”

Or are they? Patricia Mulroy, chief water-getter for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, says Las Vegas is using its existing supplies more efficiently, and in addition, there’s the pipeline project. In stark contrast to what she said a few days ago on Las Vegas News Now, she says this in the article:

She disagrees that Vegas, where on average four inches of rain falls each year, is growing too fast for its water. “We like every other Western city are going through a shift in how we use water resources,” she said in an interview. “It is sustainable for the next 50 to 80 years.”

And she is not alone. Someone else agrees:

“There is enough water in the West to support growth well into the future,” said John Ritter, chairman of the Focus Property Group, which seeks to build environmentally friendly housing. “Vegas in 2000 was probably one of the poster children on how to waste water and today we are probably an example on how to use water efficiently.”

Of course, there’s the fountains at Bellagio and other water features on the fabulous Las Vegas strip, but of those, Mulroy says the casinos only use 7% of the city’s water, and have recycling programs in place. When the recycling programs are accounted for, the casinos only use 3% of the water.

And even though water remains inexpensive for the residents, Mulroy doesn’t think raising the price of water will help motivate people to conserve:

“It would just irritate people,” she said. “To simply throw out a gross rate increase, it’s not going to create the necessary results. I mean look what’s happening with gasoline: people are not using less gas as a result of it.”

Best line in the whole story:

Some environmentalists say Vegas and other Western cities with limited sources should limit growth to preserve water. Mayor Oscar Goodman disagrees, saying the city’s economic boom will fund future water needs. “I hate to be a pragmatist but the bottom line really is that we’ll never run out of water as long as we can pay for it,” he said.

(Aqua Blog Maven is thinking … oh really … ?)

To read the rest of this article from the Reuters News Network, click here.

Bellagio Fountain picture by Steve Cadman and the flickr website. To see more of Steve’s pictures, click here.

Senator Feinstein on today’s Delta meeting

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 4:37 pm

From Senator Feinstein’s website:

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger met today to hear presentations addressing major questions relating to the future of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta is facing a number of serious challenges, including water supply cutbacks, a system of aging earthen levees, as well as critical habitat and species loss, including the rapid decline of the Delta Smelt.

At the meeting, Senator Feinstein and Governor Schwarzenegger brought together more than 30 leading water experts, interested stakeholders and civic leaders to discuss a range of short-term and long-term goals for the Delta. Among the topics discussed were ecosystem restoration, improved water conveyance, increased water storage, and additional water conservation.

The presenters included: Phil Isenberg of the Delta Vision Task Force; Lester Snow, director of the California Department of Water Resources; Joe Grindstaff, Executive Director of CALFED; and Dr. Jeffrey Mount, Professor of Geology at UC Davis.

“The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is on the brink of disaster. And the decline of the Delta Smelt is the canary in the coal mine,” Senator Feinstein said. “We must take action to prevent catastrophe in the future. I’ve been working to help strengthen California’s water infrastructure for well over a decade now. And I look forward to working with Governor Schwarzenegger to develop immediate and sustainable solutions for the future of the Delta. The stakes are simply too high to fail.” Continue reading “Senator Feinstein on today’s Delta meeting” »

Governor makes his case for the Delta

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 4:07 pm

From the Office of the Governor, regarding the Delta:

The stakes are too high to fail.

A healthy Delta is vital to our environment and economy, today and far into the future. Stresses to the Delta’s ecosystem put water supplies for 25 million Californians at risk. The Delta supports $32 billion of agricultural commerce each year; eighty percent of the state’s commercial fish species live in or migrate through the Delta; and it is home to more than 700 plant and animal species, and several threatened or endangered species.

California’s water crisis is so acute that the courts are involved. An evidentiary hearing began in the Fresno courtroom of Judge Oliver Wanger today on the health of the Delta smelt, a fish whose health is considered an indicator of the Delta’s overall ecological well-being. The judge’s ruling, expected later this year, will have significant impacts on the Delta and state water supplies to Southern California, the Central Valley and other parts of the state. Continue reading “Governor makes his case for the Delta” »

Governor & Sen. Feinstein meet to discuss needed fixes for the Delta

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 3:58 pm

From the Office of the Governor:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein met today to hear presentations by California’s top water experts working to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta. Experts and stakeholders discussed plans to improve California’s water infrastructure and fix the deteriorating Delta, which supplies clean water to 25 million people in Southern California.

At the meeting, the Governor and Senator brought together state water experts and more than 30 stakeholders representing water agencies, environmental organizations, businesses, labor groups, the agriculture industry, various municipalities and Delta landowners to discuss California’s water future. Presentations were made by the Department of Water Resources, Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force and CALFED, followed by an interactive question and answer session.

“A healthy Delta is vital to our environment and it is vital to our economy today and far into the future. And that’s why I appointed the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force, to develop a sustainable management program for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. Continue reading “Governor & Sen. Feinstein meet to discuss needed fixes for the Delta” »

ACWA: Existing Delta system does not work for fish, people or the environment

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2007 at 3:52 pm

From the Association of California Water Agencies:

With separate events today putting Delta issues in the spotlight, the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) said the one-two punch of drought conditions and Delta uncertainty already is being felt in many areas of the state. “We are facing some of the most significant challenges to our water system in a half-century,” ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. “Today’s events are just the latest signs that the existing Delta system does not work for fish, people or the environment.”

The Delta, a key ecosystem and the main switching yard for projects that deliver water to 25 million Californians and millions of acres of farmland, was the focus of a high-level summit in Los Angeles featuring U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Governor Schwarzenegger. The summit covered issues such as levee vulnerability, declining fish populations and water quality needs that are raising new uncertainties for the Delta and the state’s water system. “We commend Senator Feinstein and Governor Schwarzenegger for their bi-partisan leadership on water.” Quinn said. “It is this type of bi-partisan support that is need at most critical time to achieve success in the Delta.”

Meanwhile in Fresno, a four-day evidentiary hearing began in U.S. District Court today on what actions should be taken by the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project to better protect Delta smelt, a threatened fish species. A range of actions have been proposed, with potentially serious impacts on water deliveries in the coming months. U.S. District Court Judge Oliver Wanger ruled in May that permits under which the two projects export water from the Delta are inadequate and do not comply with the federal Endangered Species Act. The judge is expected to rule soon on interim actions to protect the fish.

ACWA supports a comprehensive package of investments including additional water storage, Delta conveyance improvements and expanded water use efficiency to address these critical problems.

Association of California Water Agencies website: http://www.acwa.com

Wave power: a new source of renewable energy

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2007 at 9:02 pm

From the High Country News:

Following passage of a statewide ballot initiative last year, Washington’s big utilities were required to beef up their renewable energy sources – not including traditional hydropower. Collar believes that underwater turbines turned by tides at Deception Pass and elsewhere in the Sound can one day provide electricity for up to 60,000 homes. And the Snohomish utility is hardly alone in testing the waters: Up and down the coast, utilities and private developers worried about climate change and oil dependency are putting money into this newest source of power – the Pacific Ocean.

Ocean power in the West is only in the preliminary stages – there are currently no devices in the water on the West Coast – but already environmentalists, fishermen and even divers are gearing up for a battle. Some observers hark back to the West’s one-time embrace of dams. “We heard very similar comments about hydro-power decades ago – it’s cheap, clean, all those nice catchphrases. We’re living with the results, good and bad,” says Clint Muns, director of resource management for the Puget Sound Anglers State Board.

Local environmentalists are concerned about possible impacts to fish as well as to scenery. Deception Pass is not only one of the most-visited state parks in Washington, but also an “outstanding natural area that has every salmon from the Snohomish and Skagit (running) through it,” says Steve Erickson of the Whidbey Island Environmental Action Network. “This is not a place to experiment.”

Oregon and Northern California seem right for wave development, but what about Southern California? The article has this to say:

Southern California has two obstacles: the coastline’s sudden eastward tilt, which blocks some waves, and the Channel Islands. “To get big waves for Southern California, you have to go out 20 miles,” says Bedard.

To read the rest of this story from High Country News, click here.

How much development can our available water supply support?

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2007 at 8:22 pm

An excellent commentary by Gerald R. Walson, that points out that the California water supply is not endless, but finite at some point. Just how much development can our water supply support? From the article:

California’s Water Plan, prepared by the state Department of Water Resources and currently being updated, always seems to imply that our supply of water to support development is endless. Clearly, all of our water problems are exacerbated by development. But the California Water Plan never addresses the crucial questions of what are the limits on our supply of water and what is the ultimate population that can be supported.

Current law says the state must prepare a Regional Housing Needs Assessment that requires local governments to provide their “fair share” of housing of various types to accommodate the state’s population projections. Unfortunately, our water purveyors always seem to step up blindly and say they can supply the necessary water. If this is true, then why is there a growing cry for conservation and current threats of water cutbacks?

If there is not an endless supply of water, at some point there will not be enough water to support additional development. For example, note the agriculture water cutback now projected for 2008. Inevitably, we really will run out of water, and the state’s policy on endless housing to support further population growth will have to be redefined. At some point, “the inn” will be full!

The California Water Plan needs to address this crucial issue now. We need a “water carrying-capacity analysis” to determine what our limiting water supply really is. Then we can analyze the impacts on housing and population. This will enable us to properly plan for the future of our state. Population growth is not an immutable fact of life.

This commentary brought to mind the recent news out of Las Vegas that the water agency now believes Las Vegas will run out of water in three years. In Southern Nevada, there really is little other sources of water to turn to, and the pipeline projects won’t be complete until 2012, at least, and even then, if population trends continue, there is the possibility of a shortage. All of this on a news website featuring ads for brand new Las Vegas condos for $99,900. Does anyone want to bet that this news will bring about a moratorium on new housing permits?

To read the full text of Mr. Walson’s commentary at the North County Times, click here.

Environmental Working Group: Plans for fluorination put children at risk

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2007 at 7:53 pm

From AScribe:

More than 64,000 children a day in Southern California will be exposed to an unsafe dose of fluoride when the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) begins adding fluoride to drinking water in October, according to an analysis by the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

The water district’s plan to add fluoride to the water it supplies to 18 million customers in most of Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, and parts of San Bernardino, Riverside and Ventura counties will put 14.5 percent of children under 1 year old, and 12.5 percent of children 1 to 2 years old, over the recommended fluoride exposure limits published by the National Academy of Sciences’ (NAS’s) Institute of Medicine and endorsed by the American Dental Association. In Los Angeles County alone, more than 40,000 children age 2 and under will exceed the safe dose.

EWG dietary information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and tap water fluoride data from the Centers for Disease Control to model total fluoride exposures from tap water, food and toothpaste for children age 2 and under. It is a conservative estimate because it only counts children in the three largest counties served by MWD, and because some of the 26 local water agencies served by MWD already add fluoride to water after they receive it from the district.

The full report is available at www.ewg.org. It will be formally released at 10:30 a.m. today at a news conference at the New Otani Hotel, 120 S. Los Angeles Street in downtown LA. “The value of fluoride in toothpaste to dental health is clear,” said Bill Walker, EWG’s vice president for the West Coast. “But a substantial and growing body of peer-reviewed science strongly suggests that adding fluoride to tap water is not the safest way to achieve the dental health benefits of fluoridation.”

The group maintains that children drinking fluorinated water are at risk for developing fluorosis, a condition where teeth are stained and tooth enamel permanently damaged.

To read the full text of this article from AScribe, click here.

To read the Environmental Working Group’s report on fluorinated water supplies, click here.

Invasive species in the Delta: another possible reason for the smelt decline

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2007 at 6:34 am

Tomorrow, Judge Wanger’s court will hear testimony and will have to decide how the pumps should be operated while new, more smelt-friendly rules are being written, a job not expected to be complete until April of 2008, at least. As attention focuses on the pumps and the effect of water exports on the Delta smelt population, it is important to note that the pumping of water exports is only one of several factors thought to be responsible for the decline of the smelt.

Toxins, such as herbicides and pesticides, are also thought to play a part. Reports in recent weeks have shown that pesticides, heavy metals, salt and bacteria remain widespread problems in the Delta.

Another possible factor in the decline of the smelt is the issue of invasive plants and species. It has been estimated that over 250 exotic species have become established in the Delta. They arrive there in the ballast of foreign ships, or by fisherman who dump the rest of their live bait at the end of a day, or by those who dump their aquariums of strange fish and amphibians to get rid of them. Once established, it can be nearly impossible to eradicate them.

The Asian clam is of particular concern to the smelt population, and it is thriving in the Delta. There are portions of the Delta where the Asian clam has taken over, completely displacing all other invertebrates, and reducing the biological diversity to zero. The Asian clam is a voracious eater of plankton and zooplankton, virtually eliminating the plankton blooms that fed many species and altering the food chain.

Here’s an article from the San Francisco Chronicle, which ran in February of 2006, and details just how much invasive species and plants have changed the Delta. From the article:

San Francisco Bay and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta constitute the West Coast’s most significant estuary. Historically, it was a great biological engine that steadily churned out millions of metric tons of fish and shellfish. Its vast food web supported everything from phytoplankton to marine mammals. The estuary is hardly moribund today, but its productivity has declined, the inevitable corollary to water diversions, urban development and wetland reclamation for agriculture.

Too, the animals and plants that currently inhabit the bay and delta tend to be “exotics” — invasive species from other continents that have reproduced so exuberantly that they’ve pushed out the local mollusks, crustaceans, hydroids, bryozoans and aquatic grasses. Cohen estimates that at least 250 exotic species have become established in the estuary. Thus, the bay is no longer a native ecosystem: It is a hodgepodge of foreign species that is constantly in flux, and no one knows which ones will gain ascendance where, or for how long.

To read the full text of this archive article from the San Francisco Chronicle, click here.

Stage is being set for Tuesday’s hearing regarding Delta pumps

Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2007 at 5:19 pm

Last week may have been slow for water news, but this week promises to be different. On Tuesday, Judge Wanger is set to hold a hearing regarding how the pumps in the Delta should be operated in the interim while new rules for water exports, presumably more favorable to the Delta smelt and other fish, are being devised. Those rules are not expected to be finished until April of 2008, at the very least.

From the Sacramento Bee:

Environmentalists have an ambitious plan to protect the tiny Delta smelt, but the controversial idea will require time, money and well over 1 million acre-feet of water that Central Valley farmers say they can’t afford to lose.

Now, the stage is set for a courtroom face-off with extraordinary real-world consequences. On Tuesday, lawyers and scientists will bring their clash before a federal judge in Fresno, where they will fight over how to preserve a slender-bodied fish that casts an outsized political shadow. “The time for timid, tentative actions to protect the smelt and other declining species is past,” University of California, Davis, biologist Peter Moyle declared in a legal filing.

In reply, farmers’ attorneys warn of “devastating impacts for agriculture.” Water contractors say that if California suffers another dry year, agriculture on the San Joaquin Valley’s west side could potentially lose all federal irrigation water. “This will result in significant hardship, not only on the landowner but on the local communities and economies that are highly dependent on local agricultural activities for jobs, service and supplies,” Del Puerto Water District General Manager William Harrison stated.

Once the most populous fish in the Delta, the smelt’s numbers have plummeted precipitously in recent years. Environmentalists have reported that 1605 smelt have been killed by the pumps since June, and there is concern for the survival of the species:

“The delta smelt cannot sustain further losses like this if it is to survive,” Natural Resources Defense Council attorneys declared.

But Dan Nelson, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, said, “The tragedy and outrage is that the proposal submitted by environmental groups ignores 95 percent of the causes for a declining fish population in the Delta.” Nelson said scientists have concluded that other factors — such as loss of food supplies and the introduction of foreign plant and fish species — have altered the environment, which in turn has had a greater impact on the smelt numbers. Reducing the water supply to the Central Valley and the Bay Area will bring no long-term benefits to the smelt, he added.

Volumes of briefs have already been filed in advance of the hearing, and some cannot agree on the basic facts. For instance, environmentalists say the smelt is near extinction, while government scientists say there is more than a million smelt still in the Delta. (Aquafornia note: I have not seen any smelt surveys that have shown an abundance of smelt this year; in fact, the last one was alarmingly low.)

The environmentalists plan calls for more monitoring, increased water flows, and more management of irrigation contracts, among other things.

To read the full text of the story from the Sacramento Bee, click here.

Salton Sea pipeline: is it a feasible alternative?

Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2007 at 11:35 pm

Here’s an article on MyDesert.com which was written by an Indio resident, Richard B. Speed. He is not happy with the proposed restoration plan that calls for drying up a major portion of the Salton Sea and creating a smaller, recreational lake only a fraction of the size. Mr. Speed feels the only option worth considering is an option that would save the entire sea. He writes:

We could develop a vibrant recreational economy at a fully restored Sea and take care of the natural life at the same time by means of a water exchange between the Sea and the Gulf of California. The only barrier to such an enterprise is the international boundary. If Baja California were part of the United States the work could already be under way. The project should be developed in a way that permits it to provide significant benefits to both countries. Negotiations with Mexico need not be a problem if we go at it intending to succeed. We should accommodate each country’s desires and produce something each country can be proud of.

There are two ways we could proceed. In the first alternative, we could execute a simple water exchange with water delivery by means of an open waterway (like the California Aqueduct ) in each direction. A successful project will generate a significant increase in population with attendant increased demand on local utilities. To satisfy the water needs under these circumstances we may consider the other alternative in which the Salton Sea water being delivered to the Gulf in the exchange could instead be redirected to a water desalination plant. Such a facility could supply the residential and farming water needs for the foreseeable future. This alternative eliminates the need for a second waterway.

This project presents no unusual engineering challenges since everything involved has been successfully accomplished elsewhere. Either of these alternatives would avoid the colossal damage that could occur to the 40-mile-long dike described in the state’s plan in the event of a major earthquake (see the front page article, Desert Sun, Aug. 3).

Actually, a pipeline at first sounds like a great idea. And as Mr. Speed points out, there’s nothing that would need to be done that hasn’t been accomplished elsewhere. However, upon closer examination, there are many factors that would complicate such a project.

1 – The cost would be about $3 billion to build and maintain. Each pipeline would have to be huge, requiring multiple pumping stations, and annual energy consumption would be large.

2 – Permits and rights of way for construction would be needed from a multitude of agencies and governments, including Mexico. Aqua Blog Maven does not think Mexico would be too eager to cooperate, with the All-American Canal lining and Drop 2 Reservoir project threatening to dry up the productive agricultural region over the border. Aqua Blog Maven thinks that to secure their approval for such a project, something would have to be bargained in return, likely more water from the Colorado, which is already over-allocated and whose every drop is hotly contested.

3 – Parts of the Colorado Delta and the Gulf of California are part of an international biosphere reserve for endangered species protected by an international treaty, and construction of anything through this protected area would be nearly impossible. Routing the pipeline through to the Southern California coast would require the purchase of expensive real estate with owners who have both money and lawyers and aren’t afraid to use them.

4 – The water coming from the Salton Sea has a high potential of introducing exotic and invasive organisms to the receiving waters. Exotic organisms have the ability to colonize receiving waters, and out compete, kill, or infect native species, affecting the health and productivity of the ecosystem, and in some cases, achieve domination of the environment.

5 – Even though the Salton Sea is about 25% saltier than the ocean, and even with using a pipe twice the size of the Alaska pipeline, considering the size of the sea, the pipelines would not be likely to make a significant dent in the salinity of the sea. The pipes just cannot move enough less salty water to make a difference in such a large body of water.

Some have suggested instead of a pipeline, a shipping canal, perhaps. It could be used by boats and boost economic development in the region. But a shipping canal would still be subject to most of the same factors as a pipeline, and in addition, shipping canals are not very effective for moving water.

Having a recreational lake as part of the restoration of the Salton Sea has been a sticking point with some stakeholders in the area who say developing a tourist economy would be an economic boon to the area, providing jobs and economic stimuli to an area that sure could use it.

The current restoration plan calls for building a dike to creating a much smaller recreational lake, and allowing the remainder to dry up, applying dust control measures to the dried lake bed. The plan would cost nearly $9 billion over 75 years, and while there appears to be good legislative support for funding for restoration work, in these times of tight budgets, it is questionable how much money will be available for the Salton Sea. Per the terms of the QSA, some form of restoration must be done.

Unfortunately, the outlook is not good, and not many people seem happy with the restoration plan as proposed. Farmers, the Indian tribe, and the residents have all expressed concerns about it, and support from lawmakers does not appear to be overwhelming. Aqua Blog Maven’s crystal ball does not see much hope on the horizon for such an ambitious restoration plan at this time, especially if it lacks broad-based community support.

For more information on pipelines to the Salton Sea:

Salinity Reduction: What won’t work, From the Salton Sea Authority, a short paper that discusses the pipeline

A Canal to Save the Salton Sea, by FDungan.

Evaluation of Potential Impacts of Environmental Impacts of the Export and Discharge of Salton Sea Water to the Gulf of California or Pacific Ocean – a nearly complete research paper by Charles Keene.

Salton Sea Management – An Evaluation of Salinity and Elevation Control Methods

For more information on the Salton Sea, visit the Salton Sea Authority website.

Desalination article highlights recent advances & discusses drawbacks of the process

Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2007 at 7:55 am

Here’s an article from Sustainable Industries regarding desalination that is well balanced, discussing the recent advances in technology as well as the drawbacks to the process.

Major investments and improvements in membrane technology have improved energy efficiency in recent years, which reduces energy costs, a main component of the high cost of desalinated water. The article highlights the work of GE and Dow in advancing membrane technology, noting that Dow has recently produced the most energy efficient reverse osmosis filter to date. However, up until now, I hadn’t seen any mention of advancements made regarding the briny discharge, but apparently Dow is also working on a new technology to deal with this problem:

Dow also licensed a patent-pending technology in 2006 that could solve the brine problem by diverting salt and mineral supplies created as byproducts of the reverse osmosis process to eventually create gypsum, which can be sold to the building industry. The technology, called Zero Discharge Desalination (ZDD), was developed at the University of South Carolina and not only reduces or eliminates the briny discharge associated with desalination, but reportedly increases the amount of freshwater produced. Dow has not yet commercialized the ZDD process, but it says is looking to do so in the next few years, according to statements released by the company.

This article earns a “recommended reading” tag because it’s a good, balanced discussion on the issue, and features comments from Heather Cooley of the Pacific Institute. Click here to read Sustainable Industries “Water World” article.

More on desalination: Here’s a link to a 5 minute radio report on desalination from KQED (a public broadcasting station in Northern California), called “The Salty Water Solution”. From the website: “Is desalination the solution to the California’s chronic water woes? Four Bay Area agencies think it might be — and are studying whether to build the largest desalination plant in the country.” The website also features a discussion board and some useful web links.

Las Vegas water shortage prediction generates huge response

Posted by: Maven on August 17, 2007 at 10:12 pm

In a follow-up story to the Las Vegas water shortage story posted yesterday, Las Vegas Now (Channel-8) says that the story generated over 100,000 hits and plenty of reader comments. I saw this story referenced around the country in various blogs all day today.

From the follow up story, “Las Vegas Water Supply Needs Alternatives”:

As the water levels at Lake Mead drop to half of what they were seven years ago, Southern Nevada Water Authority general manger Pat Mulroy says the time for talking about water solutions has ended. “Let me put it to you this way. We have to assume that this drought will continue. Any other premise for planning would be irresponsible at this point, said Mulroy.

The SNWA has already approved funding for new pumps in Lake Mead, and is continuing to move ahead on the White Pine County pipeline project:

In the fall, the Water Authority will hire a pipe designer, then buy enough land to store 50 miles of pipe so it’s ready when the project starts construction. Still, the shortages are likely to start in 2010. The first water will not come through the pipeline until two years after that. “We have a groundwater bank in the state of Arizona that will be able to cover the first couple shortages,” said Mulroy.

The news gets worse though. If nothing changes with the drought, Mulroy says without a pipeline bringing drinking water from sources other than Lake Mead, the equivalent of 256,000 people would not have water when doing this in 2010. By 2011, the gap in water use and water supply would affect 404,000 people. The problem rises to half a million people by 2012. “Understand that we cannot conserve our way out of a drought — totally,” said Shari Buck, a Water Authority board member.

Legislation in California requires a developer to find a water supply before the development is approved. Aqua Blog Maven wonders if the news of this impending shortage will mean issuing less building permits, perhaps … ? Well, Aqua Blog Maven won’t rush to place any bets on that one ….

To read the rest of this article, Las Vegas Water Supply Needs Alternatives, posted on Las Vegas Now, click here. To read the follow-up story from Las Vegas Now, click here. To read the many comments submitted by readers regarding the predicted water shortage, click here.

Fish & Game Director Broddrick leaving Aug. 31st

Posted by: Maven on August 17, 2007 at 11:31 am

In a story reported a few weeks ago, Ryan Broddrick, current Director of Fish & Game, will be leaving his post at the end of the month to work for the Northern California Water Agency. Affectionately known as “Brother Broddrick” to those who followed Tom Philip’s now-defunct Waterlog, Broddrick led the agency through difficult times, including the decline of the Delta smelt and the shutdown of the pumps.

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:

Broddrick was the rare exception among DFG directors in that he actually rose up through the ranks of the Department, rather than being appointed from outside of the agency like most directors have been over the years. Broddrick had served as Director for the last 3.5 years, capping over 25 years of service to DFG and over 30 years of state service. He served 3 Governors in appointed positions over his career.

His resignation occurs at a time when the agency is undergoing one of its biggest crises ever as populations of Delta smelt, longfin smelt, juvenile striped bass and threadfin shad continue to collapse because of massive increases in Delta water exports in recent years.

Many believe that his resignation was spurred by the frustration that he and other staff had in getting the Department of Water Resources to comply with the California Endangered Species Act by getting a court-ordered “incidental take permit” to kill endangered and threatened Delta smelt, winter run chinook and spring run chinook. However, in his letter to the Governor and staff, he gave no indication of any disappointment or frustration with the administration.

Dan Bacher’s article includes statements from Broddrick on his administration. No replacement has been named at this time. To read the full text of the article from IndyBay.org, click here.

Things heating up between U. S. Maritime Administration & SF Bay Water Quality Board

Posted by: Maven on August 17, 2007 at 11:08 am

Trouble is brewing between the U. S. Maritime Administration and the San Francisco Bay Area Water Quality board over the mothball fleet of navy ships which are rotting and decaying in Suisun Bay. Four of the ships are scheduled to be towed out to sea and through to Texas to be cut up for scrap, but the hulls must be cleaned first, per Coast Guard regulations.

The cleaning process involves scraping the hulls of the ships, which releases toxic paint chips into the water. The water quality board wants assurances that the cleaning process will not pollute the water, and in addition is demanding that the ships be cleaned above the waterline before they are moved.

From the article posted on Inside Bay Area:

MediaNews reported in June that federal documents show the flaking paint presents a significant environmental threat. Last month the water board asked the Maritime Administration for a plan on how it will clean up the paint. The administration has never cleaned a ship above its waterline before removing it from the fleet. The administration responded Aug. 6 with a one-page letter calling for further review. The letter did not say when a work plan would be submitted. Elias said that is not sufficient. “We didn’t find that it was responsive,” he said.

Meanwhile, bid documents show the administration is moving forward with plans to dispose of the four World War II ships. Bids for moving the ships are due at the end of the month, and it would appear the removal of the vessels from local waters is planned before a clean-up plan is given to the water board.

Elias said the board would have no choice but to attempt to block movement of those ships if the paint on them is not first cleaned up. “That’s what the work plan is for, to (address) the paint,” he said.

The decline of the Delta smelt is thought to be from a multitude of factors, not only water exports but toxins and invasive species as well. To read the full text of the article from the Inside Bay Area, click here.

Odds and ends, and big news expected next week

Posted by: Maven on August 17, 2007 at 8:09 am

This week, it’s been a relatively slow for water news, but expect that all to change soon. On Tuesday the 21st, Judge Wanger’s court will be hearing testimony regarding interim pumping plans for the Delta, plans that will theoretically be in place until new rules can be determined for pumping and water exports – rules that aren’t expected to be finalized until August of 2008, at the soonest. The environmentalists have submitted a plan, and the state has submitted a plan. Both call for a reduction in water exports of at least 1 to 1.5 million acre-feet in the interim. Judge Wanger can rule any time after Tuesday’s hearing. I’ll post the latest as soon as I see it!

Here are some other things that I’ve had on my desktop:

Greenbacks vs. Greenies If you’ve ever wondered what the developers think about the environmentalists, check out this blog post. The writer of this blog has been the executive director of a group of developers who are focused on avoiding ‘ridiculous over-regulation’. He writes, “Nature rules because humans are fools”. Here’s an overview of their opinion of the Clean Water Act revisions, flood control, riparian water policies, water supply, diesel construction equipment, and global warming. Click here to read the Cheat Seeking Missiles blog post, “Greenies Long Planned Victory is Near”.

What is the effect of clearing land on the weather? Here’s an interesting article in the New York Times, by way of jfleck at the Inkstain blog, about a bunny fence in Australia that seems to show that clearing land for crops tends to reduce the amount of precipitation in the area. Click here to read Inkstain’s post, “What Eli did on his summer vacation”.

Did it really happen this way? If so, then call this guy up! In a story from the Daily Telegraph in Australia, it says:

In California, USA, in 1986, Judge Samuel King became so annoyed that jurors were absent from his court because of heavy rain that he issued a decree which stated “I hereby order that it cease raining by Tuesday.”
Amazingly it stopped raining on Tuesday and California suffered a 5 year drought.
In 1991 the judge then decreed “Rain shall fall in California beginning February 27th.” Later that day California had the heaviest rainfall in ten years.

A job I’m glad I don’t have has to be Patricia Mulroy’s job as general chief of the Southern Nevada Water Authority. She has the unenviable job of having to find water where there is none, and with few options, she has been aggressively seeking out water wherever she can find it. Loved by some, hated by others, she’s even been referred to in the press as the “wicked witch of the south”. She writes a commentary in today’s Las Vegas Sun praising the conservation efforts of residents, saying:

All of our efforts would be in vain, however, if not for your willingness to embrace conservation and use our water resources wisely. We at the Water Authority have played our part by working with local water agencies to develop landscaping restrictions for new homes and businesses, crafting a common-sense watering schedule to prevent overirrigation and creating innovative incentive programs such as Water Smart Landscapes, which pays residents and businesses as much as $2 per square foot to replace unused grass areas with water-efficient plants.

You, in turn, have made these programs so successful that communities around the world are now looking at us as a model. We have asked a great deal of you, but neglected to tell you what a fantastic job you have done.

She outlines the accomplishments of residents, noting that the city consumed 18 billion gallons less water in 2006 than in 2002, despite having grown by 330,000 people and accommodating 40 million visitors. All this while the newspapers website features ads advertising brand new Las Vegas condos for only $99,900. You can read her entire commentary in the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.

And, just because it looks cool … The Hard Rock Theme Park is under construction in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and will feature 40 attractions on 140-acres. The signature attraction will be the Led Zeppelin ride, which members of the band helped design. The ride will blast Led Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love” in every car. The Southern California water connection? Uh, none, but it just looked so cool!!! And it is posted on the “watercrunch” site. Click to read, “If You Build It, Led Zepplin will come“.

SNWA says Las Vegas could run out of water in 3 years

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2007 at 5:51 pm

The Southern Nevada Water Authority told a local TV station that unless Las Vegas acts quickly, the city could run out of water in just three years time. The SNWA has estimated that it will cost $45 million to upgrade the pumps at Lake Mead which supply the majority of Las Vegas’s water. The water level at Lake Mead has dropped so far in recent years that the pipeline that draws the water from the reservoir will soon be high and dry. The proposed pipeline from central Nevada won’t be constructed for at least three to five years, and that project still has not received approval.

From the news station:

It also means General Manager Pat Mulroy is getting more aggressive in plans to pipe in drinking water from sources other than the Colorado River. Mulroy said, “The point I was making today is that we have run out of options. We have run out of time to ring our hands about it and try to delay it. If we do that we are putting our own families and our own security in jeopardy.”

Any water projects delays like building a pipeline, or adding the pumps could mean Las Vegas may run out of water anytime after 2010.

A new conservation campaign will be unveiled next month in an attempt to stretch the limited supplies even further. But even with conservation efforts and the new pumps installed at Lake Mead, and the pipeline, Las Vegas could still experience a shortage of up to 64 million gallons per day.

To read the full story from Las Vegas’s Channel 8 Eyewitness News, click here.

Lake Tahoe: seeing & feeling the effects of climate change

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2007 at 11:41 am

A 45-page report has just been released on the state of Lake Tahoe, the most comprehensive report to date. The UC Davis researchers found that climate change is having a profound effect on the lake itself, as trends in the weather are showing less snowfall and more rain; this is making the lake warmer and more hospitable to invasive plants and species; this on the heels of a report released last week that found that the pine trees in the Sierra Nevada forest were dying at an unprecedented rate. From the San Francisco Chronicle:

“Change is a difficult thing, and the lake is changing,” said Geoff Schladow, director of the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center and co-editor of the report. “But I think it is too early to say that our efforts are in vain. We can’t judge each year in isolation. It’s not all doom and gloom.” But there is reason to be concerned about the second-deepest lake in the United States, researchers said. Conditions appear to be getting worse, even as environmental and planning agencies work to reduce runoff from residential and commercial development and improve water quality in the lake.

The most significant finding, according to Schladow, is how much the Tahoe climate is warming. Low temperatures at night have risen 4 degrees on average, and the number of days with temperatures that averaged below freezing dropped from 79 days to 52 days since 1910. The percentage of precipitation that falls as snow has also decreased, from 52 percent to 34 percent in the 96 years studied.

All of this is apparently having a major effect on the lake. The average temperature of the surface water in July has increased almost 5 degrees, from 62.9 degrees to 67.8 degrees since 1999, according to the report. The water temperature was 78 degrees on July 26, 2006, the warmest in Lake Tahoe’s recorded history.

The clarity of the lake has also been reduced, losing 4.5 feet since 2005, due to erosion, urban runoff and pollution. The particles in the water encourage the growth of algae, which in turn absorbs light and increases the temperature of the water. From the article:

Schladow said invasive species of fish have been in the lake for about 10 years, but they mostly hang around marinas. The concern is that warming water will create better habitat throughout the lake for these species.

“The persistent increase in water temperature that we have observed since 1978 is beginning to have noticeable impacts on the entire Lake Tahoe ecosystem,” said Schladow. “The types of algae we see in the lake are changing, and they are starting to be present earlier in the year. The lake is becoming more hospitable to invasive plants and fish, with warm-water species like bass and carp increasingly common.”

To read the full text of the article from the San Francisco Chronicle, click here. You can read or download a copy of the report for free by clicking here.

Nanotechnology: a promising technology for desalination

Posted by: Maven on August 15, 2007 at 11:17 am

As California faces its water supply issues, desalination has been getting a lot of press lately, and many desalination plants are being planned or are under consideration up and down the California coast. While it may seem like an easy answer – hey, look at that big ocean over there! – desalination poses some significant challenges which cannot be easily dismissed or overlooked.

One of the main challenges with desalination is the incredible amount of energy it takes to make desalinated water, which increases the use of electricity, drives up the costs considerably, as well as contributes to global warming. For instance, the desalination plant at Santa Barbara, if it were operational, would supply water for about 15,000 homes while consuming the same amount of energy as a small steel mill; it would take at least six of those plants to provide Santa Barbara’s entire municipal water supply. Besides the enormous amount energy required to push the water through the reverse-osmosis membrane, the membranes themselves require frequent cleaning and replacement.

However, there is technology on the horizon which could reduce the amount of energy required, as well as cleaner membranes more resistant to fouling: nanotechnology. Continue reading “Nanotechnology: a promising technology for desalination” »

The Westlands Irrigation drainage situation explained

Posted by: Maven on August 15, 2007 at 10:25 am

Here’s an article I found regarding the Westlands Irrigation District and it’s drainage problems. It is an opinion article from March of 2003, which I think explains how the drainage situation came about, and as such, gives a little more history to the recent stories about the proposed settlement reported earlier this month.

From the Fresno Bee opinion story, March of 2003:

Large-scale farming on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley grew out of a grand vision: make a parched desert bloom and fill its barren acres with small family farms. That vision was driven – and greatly altered over the years – by political and economic forces. It was America’s public policy to move people westward, and it was America’s pride that we could rearrange nature to bring the water where we wanted it. Later, during the Great Depression, it was a national policy to employ as many people as possible on great public works projects. Out of those forces came the Central Valley Project. It supplies water to the Westlands Water District, which distributes it to member-growers. That has made the desert fertile, and created vast wealth.

Now a harsh reality intrudes: We are likely to see the end of west-side farming in the next 25 to 50 years, at least on its present grand scale. That would mean the end of $1 billion in annual production of cotton, fruits, vegetables and feed, and the loss of some 25,000 jobs, or at least most of them. A whole string of west-side communities could become the 21st-century equivalent of Gold Rush ghost towns.

If nature has a sense of humor, it’s probably laughing at us now. This was the deal: Farmers on the east side of the Valley would get the San Joaquin River water that once flowed all the way to the sea. West-side growers would get other water from up north, by way of the CVP, at a subsidized rate.

But water applied to the topsoil on the west side carries salts and metals with it down through the ground until it hits a nearly impermeable layer of clay. There it backs up, and builds up toward the surface again. When it gets too close to the crops’ roots, they die, and the soil is poisoned.

Click here to read the rest of this article from the Fresno Bee – recommended reading if you want a deeper understanding of the Westlands Irrigation District situation.

Desalination: not just for ocean water

Posted by: Maven on August 15, 2007 at 9:14 am

In California, desalination is getting a lot of press these days, and when we think of desalination, we tend to think of desalinizing ocean water. But desalination can be used for groundwater to salty to drink, or for cleaning up other water sources.

Jfleck over at Inkstain has a post with a link to an article he wrote for the Albuquerque Journal which talks about plans to use desalination for cleaning up groundwater sources in New Mexico. The increase in water supply that would be generated by desalination would likely fuel a surge in population – which reminds me of an earlier Aquafornia post about water development, asking the question is it people before the water or water before the people?

And then, there is the briny discharge: while ocean desalination plants can theoretically discharge the brine back into the ocean, inland desalination presents much bigger challenges for brine disposal.

There is also concern that the groundwater supply being considered would one day be depleted; basing growth on an unsustainable water supply is a risky business, and definitely doesn’t qualify as ‘smart growth’.

To read jfleck’s post on desalination, click here.

Ethanol: exchanging gas guzzling for water guzzling

Posted by: Maven on August 14, 2007 at 11:09 pm

Here’s a research paper posted on IndyBay.org, titled “Corn Ethanol and Unintended Consequences for California”. One of the big issues with ethanol that hasn’t received much attention in the press is that it requires an enormous amount of water to grow the corn and produce the ethanol.

Here’s a post from Tom Philip’s Waterlog regarding the water required to produce corn-based ethanol, which Tom worked out to be more water than we pump from the Delta in a year.

The research paper says this about the potential water impacts:

The large amounts of water required to produce ethanol competes with agricultural needs and has been overlooked or deliberately ignored by leading proponents of ethanol. Corn ethanol requires 3.7 to 5 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of ethanol just in the manufacturing process which does not take into consideration the water needed to grow the corn. …

According to BlueFire, a cellulosic ethanol producer, cellulosic ethanol requires 6 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of ethanol during the manufacturing process, though the energy output is said to be at least 4-5 times greater than for corn ethanol per gallon [telephone conversation with BlueFire, June 2007]. And the future of cellulosic ethanol is an indeterminate number of years into the future—possibly five, six or more depending upon research and costs.

According to this research paper, there are also plenty of other drawbacks to ethanol. Click here to read the full text of this paper on IndyBay.org.

CSPA Press Release: Water Quality Board severely understaffed

Posted by: Maven on August 14, 2007 at 10:34 pm

Here’s a press release from the California Sport Fishing Protection Alliance, posted by Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org, blasting Schwarzenegger’s environmental record and noting that the water quality board is severely understaffed. Dan Bacher prefaces the press release as follows:

While the corporate media completely buys Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s posturing as the “green” governor, his anti-environmental policies are destroying the California Delta and water quality throughout the state. Schwarzenegger is undoubtedly the worst governor ever for California’s fish and the environment. The Executive Officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Regional Board) has acknowledged that the Board is so understaffed that it can’t meet its core regulatory mission of protecting the State’s water quality, according to a press release from the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance. “The Governor proclaims himself to globally environmentally concerned but we’re seeing a major retreat by his Administration’s day-to-day implementation of environmental laws and regulations,” said Jennings. “Rhetoric is meaningless without effective compliance.”

The press release from California Sport Fishing Protection Alliance begins:

The Executive Officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board
(Regional Board) has acknowledged that the Board is so understaffed that it can’t meet its core
regulatory mission of protecting the State’s water quality. This stunning admission came during
Executive Officer Pamela Creedon’s State of the Central Valley Region presentation at the 2
August 2007 meeting of the Board. The Central Valley Region covers nearly 40% of the State’s
land area, provides drinking water to two-thirds of the State’s population and includes reservoirs
storing nearly 30 million acre feet of water. According to State reports, virtually all of the
waterways within the Region are impaired by an astonishing array of pesticides, metals, salts,
pathogens, fertilizers and industrial chemicals.

To read the full text of the press release posted on IndyBay.org, click here.

Salton Sea: The Wildlife Perspective

Posted by: Maven on August 11, 2007 at 6:58 am

Here’s an article posted on the Defenders of Wildlife website, which talks about the incredible diversity of wildlife that would be lost if restoration plans for the Salton Sea should fail:

[Of the Salton Sea Area:] A knowledgeable birder can see 100 bird species in a single day here. There’s not a lot of places you can do that.”

Few places in the country rival the Salton Sea in numbers and variety of birds. More than 400 species have been documented at this 265-square-mile patch of water—the largest lake in the state. Birds come here for the fish and pileworms in the sea and briny mudflats. They come for the marshy waterways that slice through the valley, irrigating and draining farmland. They come because along the Pacific flyway, there are few places left to rest weary wings en route to faraway homelands.

Though birds steal the show, this area is also home to the endangered desert pupfish, rabbits, coyotes and other desert critters. All this in an ecosystem stitched together by castoff threads—old tires that fortify seawalls, non-native fish and third-hand water. It’s far from wilderness, and it’s not always pretty, but somehow for the past century, it’s generally worked for birds.

But perhaps not for much longer. In the next year, Californians will decide the fate of this vital ecosystem, determining whether to spend billions of dollars to save it and choosing among various scenarios for how it should be saved. In none of the potential scenarios will the sea exist in 15 years as it does today. Without restoration, it will die of thirst and drown in salt, leaving millions of birds to find an alternative haven in a state where 95 percent of the wetlands that once sustained them are gone.

To read the full text of this article from Defenders of Wildlife, click here.

Owens Lake, the Lower Owens River, and Mono Lake: Restoration, a work in process

Posted by: Maven on August 9, 2007 at 10:25 pm

The Aqua Blog Maven has returned to her desert AquaPod, and as promised, here’s the latest from the Owens Valley. You can click on any of the pictures to see a larger view.

The effects of the dust mitigation on the 110-square mile Owens Lake, once a white-gray dusty dry alkali bed, are plain to see. The result of the lake being dried up by 1930 due to water diversions to Los Angeles, Owens Lake has the distinction of being the largest single source of PM-10 in the U.S. In 1999, LADWP negotiated Memorandum of Agreement with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District which required LADWP to implement dust control measures on 29.8 square miles of the lake bed by 2006. In spite of the efforts, the Owens Valley was designated again as a non-attainment district in March of 2007, requiring additional measures to bring the area into compliance with federal air quality standards.

So far, using a combination of shallow flooding, seeding of the lake bed, and spreading gravel, LADWP has spent over $500 million to control dust in the Owens Valley – and still, the work is not done. Dust control measures will now be required on an additional 12.7 to 14.6 square miles. By 2010, dust control measures will be active on 42.57 of the 110-square miles dried lake bed. The good news is that the rewetting of Owens Lake has prompted tens of thousands of birds to return to feast on the freshwater shrimp and brine flies. So far, 26 species of waterfowl, 16 species of birds of prey, 33 species of shorebirds, five species of owls, and more have been documented by the Owens Valley Committee.

For more information on DWP’s dust control measures, click here. For an LA Weekly article from March of 2006 on the effectiveness and costliness of the project, click here. To visit the Owens Valley Committee website, click here.

After 20 years of court battles over groundwater pumping in the Owens Valley, in 1997, LADWP entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provided for a number of studies and mitigation projects, including restoration of the Lower Owens River and habitat for waterfowl, control of invasive salt cedar, and management plans for riparian and other sensitive habitats. The Lower Owens River was declared a river again this July, with Judge Cooper lifting the fines levied on the DWP in September of 2005, $5000 per day the DWP did not maintain the court mandated flows, with the final tab totalling $3.3 miilion.

The restoration project was required as mitigation for excessive groundwater pumping from 1970 to 1990 which destroyed habitats and desertified parts of the Owens Valley. The effects of the recently restored Lower Owens River were plain to see, with green vegetation in some areas surrounding the river. For more information on the Lower Owens River Restoration Project, click here. For even more information, here is a website dedicated to the restoration project. To see some great pictures of the restoration work in process, click here.

Up the road past Bishop lies Mono Lake. In 1979, the Mono Lake Committee, the Audubon Society & others brought suit against the DWP to prevent the drying up of Mono Lake. After numerous challenges, additional lawsuits and proceedings, a lake level of 6392 feet above sea level was set, and by 1998, DWP was ordered to implement stream and waterfowl habitat restoration measures in the Mono Basin. Mono Lake has risen 10 feet since the 1990’s, and has approximately 9 more feet to rise before reaching its court mandated level.

Mono lake is surrounded by a unique volcanic landscape. It is home to a vibrant and diverse ecosystem and a vital stop on the Pacific Flyaway that is particularly busy from mid-summer to fall. The birds feast on the brine shrimp and alkali flies that inhabit the waters, while gulls nest safely on the islands. The alkali flies number in the trillions, and darken the shoreline, fleeing in clouds of black bugs away from you when you go near them – oh, if only our houseflies could be so well-mannered! For more information on Mono Lake, click here. To look at a live Mono Lake webcam, click here. Here’s a Wikipedia article with a lot of great information on Mono Lake, with loads of links.

Mono Lake is known for its tufa, which are calcium carbonate spires and knobs that form from the interaction of freshwater springs and alkali water. This tufa was once in the water, and when the lake reaches its court mandated level, it will be again. To find out more about tufa, click here. For a photo gallery of other pictures of Mono Lake, click here.

Judging from how far back this marker was from the shoreline, there’s a long way to go until the lake level reaches up here!

Artificial turf vs. the real thing: the pros & cons of synthetic grass

Posted by: Maven on August 8, 2007 at 7:30 am

Here’s the most in-depth article about synthetic grass I’ve seen to date. The article is dealing primarily with synthetic grass as playing fields for athletes, but the information here would be applicable to home lawns as well. This article is from The Almanac Online:

As drought threatens California and global warming is expected to shrink the natural reservoirs in the Sierra snow-packs, the future of local team sports played on traditional but thirsty grass fields may be in question. Synthetic grass is increasingly poised as a substitute.

The Wildcats of Woodside High and the Bears of Menlo-Atherton High have been playing football and soccer on synthetic grass for five years. A synthetic soccer field is now in the works for middle-school students at Woodside Elementary School. And in Portola Valley, a local leader in official environmental consciousness, the town is planning to look at synthetic surfaces for soccer at Rossotti Field and baseball at Ford Field.

Grass fields still have aesthetic appeal but keeping them healthy means closing them when wet and resting them during off-seasons. Closed fields can be vexing to athletes of all ages seeking places to play year-round. This higher demand is raising the profile of synthetic grass.

• Rain or shine, synthetic grass is ready for action, though on hot days it can raise shoe temperatures and create a chemical smell of rubber tires. (To make the fields soft, recycled tires are frozen, shattered into tiny black pellets, and spread at the base of the “grass” blades.)

• The fields can improve traction and athletic performance, but falls can be harder than on grass and slides can inflict nasty rug burns, though some brands claim to be less prone to burning.

• Synthetic grass is durable and does not need irrigation or recovery periods, but the surface can tear and require attention to keep it soft.

How does synthetic grass measure up? What is lost and what is gained? Are real grass fields already artifacts? How does this trend fit with local concerns about the environment?

To read the rest of this story from the Almanac Online, click here.

Drought conditions bad for beef

Posted by: Maven on August 7, 2007 at 2:48 pm

From the Central Valley Business Times:

The impact of this year’s dry weather may echo through California cattle ranches for years to come. Rangeland grasses have withered from lack of rain, and the California Cattlemen’s Association says many ranchers have chosen to sell off their calves and breeding stock, in order to sustain their ranches.

“Due to the dry conditions that exist, not just in one region of the state but throughout the entire state this year, we’ve seen significant numbers of animals … being sold this year,” says Matt Byrne, executive vice president of the California Cattlemen’s Association.

Well, good news for beef lovers, though. The price of that Porterhouse steak will likely go down ….

To read the full text of the story from the Central Valley Business Times, click here.

Pat Mulroy on Colorado River issues: In her own words

Posted by: Maven on August 7, 2007 at 6:47 am

Here is an article written by Patricia Mulroy, general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, regarding the Colorado River Basin states agreement reached earlier this year. The agreement between the states dealt with how to share shortages in river flows between the seven states. This article appeared in the May 2007 issue of Water Strategist and has been posted on the Water Strategist website, and covers not only the agreement, but how Ms. Mulroy views Colorado River issues in general. Continue reading “Pat Mulroy on Colorado River issues: In her own words” »

Last free-flowing river in the Southwest will soon dry up

Posted by: Maven on August 6, 2007 at 5:26 pm

From the High Country News:

A longtime water expert for the U.S. Geological Survey is predicting that the last free-flowing river in the desert Southwest will stop flowing because of excessive groundwater pumping.

“The San Pedro River will run dry, even if they shut off all the pumps tomorrow,” says Robert Mac Nish, the former district chief of water resources in Arizona for the USGS. “Nothing is poised to take the necessary steps to save the river. Everyone is standing around and wringing their hands and doing studies. In the meantime, the river is going to go dry.”

Excessive groundwater pumping is to blame, says the USGS official. Expansion of a local military base, a key economic engine for the area, is reportedly to blame. There is much more to this story, including a controversial rider attached to a 2003 defense bill that was championed by Congressman Rick Renzi. The rider required that the Fish & Game officials only consider environmental impacts of base personnel, and not any of the possible impacts by the accompanying growth. Private economic activities, such as new wells that would be drilled for private development, which would normally be considered, were prevented from consideration by the legislation.

Mac Nish says groundwater withdrawals over the last 50 years have created a deepening and widening “cone of depression” that has now reached the San Pedro and “will continue to deepen at the river even if the pumps are shut off.” The San Pedro, he says, is only beginning to feel the impacts of past groundwater pumping.

To read the full text of the story from the High Country News, click here.

Bottled Water, Energy Consumption, and Global Warming

Posted by: Maven on August 5, 2007 at 6:32 am

From the Pacific Institute:

The growing consumption of bottled water raises questions about the product’s economic and environmental costs. Among the most significant concerns are the resources required to produce the plastic bottles and to deliver filled bottles to consumers, including both energy and water.

The Pacific Institute estimates that in 2006:

* Producing the bottles for American consumption required more than 17 million barrels of oil, not including the energy for transportation
* Bottling water produced more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide
* It took 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water

To read the rest of the article from the Pacific Institute, click here.

Picture this: drought tolerant plants for your California landscape

Posted by: Maven on August 3, 2007 at 10:32 pm

Are you looking for drought-tolerant landscaping ideas? Here are some great resources that I have found on the web. I especially like to see pictures of the plants, so here are the best resources I could find that included pictures:

I like to see how people have integrated different types of plants together. Here are the winners of the San Diego’s 2007 California-Friendly Landscape Contest – lots of pictures of beautiful landscape ideas! Click here.

The Garden Pages has a lot of pictures of California native & drought-tolerant landscaping – click here.

Here’s the website for the Native Plant Club of Oceanside – great ideas if you live near the coast – click here. What, you say? You live in the desert? Here is an excellent blog by a certified desert landscaper in Arizona called “Water When Dry”. Note this from the low desert – click here to visit her blog. Lots of pictures of plants suitable for the low desert.

Not at the coast and not in the low desert? Want to look at something in between? Here’s a website from the Los Pilatas nursery that specializes in California natives. Extensive database with lots of pictures – click here for the Home Page, and click here for the database (available under the “Plants” tab on the Home page – pull down this menu to find the links to native trees, honeysuckles, sage plants and more).

Here’s a great article on drought-tolerant landscaping with pictures of finished landscapes and lots of good advice – click here for Fallbrook’s The Village News article.

The California Invasive Plant Council has identified certain types of plants you do NOT want to plant, along with suggested alternatives. Click here to visit the page applicable to Southern California. Click here for a map if you live in another area of California.

Here is a website on Xeriscaping which has no pictures but is informative nonetheless.

Here is a website, Dave’s Garden, where you can discuss gardening & plants, as well as exchange or buy plants and seeds from other members. Some pictures, lots of information. This website is based out of Texas but it’s range is far wider than that.

The BeWaterwise website has a section, the Garden Spot, which has a lot of information on landscaping with California natives and drought-tolerant plants – click here. Here’s a list with pictures of the most popular California native plants. Want more to choose from? Here’s a database of about 1500 plants with pictures you can peruse. Good search function makes it easy to find the kind of plants you are looking for. You can find a list of nurseries that sell the plants featured on the website, as well as a comprehensive list of conservation gardens in the Southern California area. There’s a lot of great information and tutorials at The Garden Spot to help you get started.

High Country Gardens, an online nursery that specializes in natives & drought tolerant plants of the west, has packages of plants with garden plans, reasonably priced. You can also order a free print catalog, and the website also features a zone finder and a plant finder to help you out. Lots of resources at High Country Gardens.

There are also a few articles on Aquafornia which you can access by choosing the Drought Tolerant Landscaping category on the right, or by clicking here.

The best time to plant is in the fall, when (hopefully) winter rains will help the plant get established, so now is the time to start planning!

*****
There are many different issues regarding water facing Southern California these days. To find out the latest news about California’s water, visit the Aquafornia home page by clicking here.

Planning & Conservation League: Water is a public resource – don’t give it away

Posted by: Maven on August 3, 2007 at 6:48 am

Here’s an article written by Gary Patton of the Planning & Conservation League, about the proposed Westlands water deal:

Westlands’ lawsuit contends that the Federal Government owes Westlands Water District a drain for the toxic agricultural runoff produced when their selenium laden soils on the west side of the valley are irrigated with Delta water. In 2000 a lower court sided with Westlands and the Bush administration decided not to appeal the questionable ruling. Now, the Federal Government is seriously considering a proposal to give away billions of dollars in public resources, even though the proposed settlement provides no guarantee that the toxic drainage problem will ever be responsibly addressed.

It is ironic that Westlands proposal, in essence, asks for guaranteed water in order to continue irrigating these toxic lands and perpetuating the very problem they sought to address with their lawsuit.

The proposed giveaway would be the largest transfer of a publicly held water right since the Reclamation Act of 1902. It comes at a time when the State is facing critical water crises with several native species in the Delta on the brink of extinction, and water agencies across the state facing reduced water supplies.

To read the full text of this article posted on the California Progress Report, click here.

California Progress Report: the “dam truth”

Posted by: Maven on August 3, 2007 at 6:38 am

Dan Bacher has written an article for the California Progress Report called “The Dam Truth about California Water”. He takes umbrage at Schwarzenegger’s statements that no dams have been built in the last 20 or 30 years, pointing out that Los Vaqueros Reservoir in Contra Costa County was completed in 1997 and filled to capacity in 2001; Metropolitan Water District’s Diamond Valley Lake was finished in 2003, and San Justo Reservoir, part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project, was completed in 1987.

From the article:

There is no doubt that the California dam building frenzy of the period from 1945 through 1970 is long over, but this was because almost all of the suitable on-stream dam sites already had dams built on them or were located on federally designated “wild and scenic” rivers.
As Spreck Rosekrans of Environmental Defense points out, “Water supply development continues in California, though today’s solutions are different from those adopted during the middle of the 20th century. Today there are few practical opportunities to build new dams that would impound the natural flow of a large river. Most of California’s major rivers are either already dammed, protected by law, or too remote to be economically developed.” (See “Recently Developed Water Storage Capacity in California, Environmental Defense, April 2007).

He continues, “Innovative water managers are finding, however, that they can extend supplies in a variety of ways, including increased efficiency, recycling, local storage, groundwater management, and transfers and exchanges with other agencies that have different sources and different needs.”

Dan Bacher points out how aquifers have been recharged and groundwater banking systems have been implemented in recent years, and proposes this:

Building a peripheral canal or constructing economically unfeasible dams will not provide the solution to California’s water problems. The solution is for California and the federal government to take drainage-impaired land in the San Joaquin Valley out of agricultural production and to promote innovative ways of water conservation that will allow California’s fragile water supply to serve both environmental needs and the needs of cities, farmers and industry.

To read the full text of this article from the California Progress Report, click here.

Aqua Blog Maven says hmmm… Maybe Schwarzenegger is saying that no new dams or reservoirs have been built as part of the State Water Project. Out of the three reservoirs that Bacher mentions, one (San Justo) is part of the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project, one (Diamond Valley) was built by Metropolitan Water District, and the third, (Los Vaqueros), I don’t know anything about. It may be another regional project, much like Diamond Valley, perhaps -? A small distinction, perhaps, but likening Schwarzenegger to a Nazi is a little over the top for me.

American Rivers launches campaign against sewage spills

Posted by: Maven on August 2, 2007 at 9:44 pm

American Rivers (AmericanRivers.org) is kicking off a campaign against sewage spills in the nations rivers, complete with an animated video, “Flushie’s Summer Vacation”. Here’s what their website has to say about this new campaign:

Americans count on clean rivers, lakes and streams for drinking water, recreation, economic livelihood and quality of life. However, according to the EPA, sewage overflows from our nation’s crumbling sewer infrastructure systems dump nearly 860 billion gallons of sewage annually.

A Right to Know for Clean Waters is a campaign to tell Congress that the public has a right to be notified when sewage pours into our waterways.

Click here to visit the webpage for the campaign and view the video, “Flushie’s Summer Vacation”. (Er, Aqua Blog Maven recommends you not be eating lunch in front of your computer when you do this!)

Click here to write your representatives to let them know you support The Raw Sewage Overflow Community Right to Know Act, which will require public notification of sewage spills and overflows.

For the AmericanRivers.org website, click here.

Water Development: People before the water or water before the people?

Posted by: Maven on August 2, 2007 at 7:46 am

I have been reading David Carle’s book, “Water and the California Dream”, which discusses how California’s water development and consequent population growth has occurred. There is a quote in the Introduction which really has had me thinking, is it the population growth that drives the need for more water projects, or is it that the water projects allow the population to grow? This is an interesting point to contemplate as we all have heard by now that population projections show that California, in the year 2050, is going to have 25 million more people than we have now. Or so they say.

Mr. Carle points out that population projections are not inevitable, but are a matter of choice, and the biggest beneficiaries of water projects are the few large landholders and developers who have directed California’s development. From the book:

There will be a time, before long, when California voters again hear startling warnings of imminent water shortages and are asked to approve money for yet another water transfer. Will the additional water assure supplies for the present population? Or will it allow unimpeded growth to continue until, once again, demand outreaches supply? ….

Each decade of the twentieth century brought its own pioneers, as successive water development irrigated new waves of population growth. With the people came smog and traffic gridlock, suburban sprawl, and urban crowding, extinctions and endangered species, tocis wetlands and paved-over orchards.

This was brought to mind as I read this editorial from the LA Times:

Projections by the state’s Department of Finance forecast a California that will be virtually unrecognizable from the fairly idyllic place that once captured the world’s imagination. A state already struggling to maintain even its most basic obligations to its current population faces collapse under the weight of such an epic influx of people.

The good news is we’re not there yet.

The bad news is that since the DOF’s projections were released earlier this month, the reaction from civic leaders across the state has been to study how best California can accommodate this population surge, not even considering whether the state should try to prevent it from happening. Relentless population growth and the rampant development that it fuels have become such powerful dynamics in California that the state’s leaders apparently can’t envision any alternative other than to live with it.

The article points out that most leaders and politicians don’t want to confront population growth and the detrimental effect it can have on our quality of life:

And it’s that refusal to seriously consider California’s population growth that has brought the state to where it finds itself today: facing an infrastructure that is crumbling, social services stretched to capacity and a looming water crisis stemming from severe drought conditions.

If this refusal to consider the core impacts of population growth continues for much longer, California may become, within a few decades, a place where basic survival has long supplanted quality of life concerns.

This in fact is the day-to-day reality in many, many places around the globe already.

To read the rest of this thought-provoking article, click here.

Aqua Blog Maven has read plenty of books on California’s water development. My list of recommended reading – in no particular order:

“Cadillac Desert”, by Marc Reisner
“Water and the California Dream”, by David Carle
“Water and Power”, by William L. Kahrl
“The Water Seekers”, by Remi Nadeau
“Salt Dreams”, by William deBuys & Joan Myers

This list is by no means complete as there is still much on the Aqua Blog Maven’s bookshelf to be read, and many more to be bought. There are a few I started reading and found too, well, boring. The list above are those that I have read and enjoyed. Next up: “The Great Thirst”, by Norris Hundley, Jr. and “A River No More” by Philip L. Fradkin.

My favorite so far? “Salt Dreams”. I read it once, which inspired me to visit the Imperial Valley & Salton Sea area earlier this year.

Ten Water Laws of the West

Posted by: Maven on August 1, 2007 at 6:25 am

Here’s an article I found on the internet regarding water laws of the West. It is written by Hugh Holub of “General Delivery University“, which bills itself as America’s Only Genuine Diploma Mill. The ‘University’ offers such programs as the College of Agriculture, where you can ‘learn to grow weeds and qualify for federally subsidized water”, and the Ponzi School of Business which is “sought after by authorities in 37 foreign countries”. Tuition is free!

The “10 Water Laws of the West” looks to the casual observer (me) to be for the most part correct, at least as I understand western water laws to be, and, as is all material on this website, written with a sense of humor and should be worth a chuckle or two. However, I wouldn’t necessarily base a lawsuit on any material contained herein; it is, after all, a website that will allow you to print out any diploma you want.

Click here to read “10 Water Laws of the West”. Click here to visit “General Delivery University”, where you can download and print your fill-in the blank college degree today! And you can even play graduation music while you fill it out. Color printer is suggested.

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