Farmers are not water hogs, but real question is, how much do they use?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2007 at 8:17 pmHere’s a guest editorial from The Vacaville Reporter:
As your editorial, “Drips and drops” (The Reporter, Sept. 21) points out, everyone can play a role in increased conservation and I agree. However, I do not agree with your statement that agriculture uses 80 percent of the state’s water. This is a myth that is repeated over and over again.
California farmers use only 41 percent of our state’s water, according to the California Department of Water Resources. The rest of the water is divided according to urban uses, 11 percent, and environmental uses, 48 percent. Why the media and others continue to trumpet this myth is beyond me.
Well, perhaps it is because of this webpage on the Department of Water Resources website:
California agriculture uses roughly 30 million acre-feet of water a year on 9.6 million acres. California’s vast water infrastructure was developed to provide water for irrigation with agriculture using 80% of California’s developed water supply.
How much do farmers use? DWR says 80%, California Farm Water Coalition says this:
What percentage of the state’s developed water supply is used by farmers? That question has resulted in multiple answers most frequently printed in the news media. The most damaging answer to farmers is 80 percent. Unfortunately, that is an incorrect answer. The correct answer is farmers use only 43 percent of the state’s developed water supply. The largest user of this water is the environment at 46 percent while homes/businesses use the remaining 11 percent.
So who do you believe. Department of Water Resources? California Farm Water Coaliton? There seems to me to be a major discrepancy here. Aqua Blog Maven is confused! Does anyone have any insights?
The editorial in the Vacaville Reporter also goes on to say this:
Your claim that farmers pay “cheap, subsidized prices” for their water is also not true. Contracts and laws require that farmers pay their full share of the costs for delivering water to their farms. Farmers have increased their water use efficiency over the years. During the last three years farmers spent more than half-a-billion dollars to install new drip irrigation systems in the San Joaquin Valley.
To read the full text of this editorial from the Vacaville Reporter, click here. To visit the California Farm Water Coalition, click here.
Republicans pushing water plan
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2007 at 3:53 amFrom the Capital Ag Press regarding Schwarzenegger’s water plan:
It has the backing of major agricultural organizations and water agencies, and a state Republican leader believes he can convince his colleagues in Sacramento to put Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s makeover of the state’s water system before voters next February.
Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines, R-Fresno, along with state Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, are authors of legislation to advance Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion fix for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
“It is one of the most significant policy issues that we can deal with - not just this year but as a broad issue for all of California,” Villines said. “The water delivery system in California was really frankly built in the 1960s. There haven’t been any major changes to it since then. This is an important, critical piece that was left out of last year’s bond package and probably the most important in terms of the growth of the state and the quality of life in the state.”
Villines has introduced a bill that would use $600 million from already approved propositions to help address environmental concerns in the delta.
Schwarzenegger’s bill has the support of California’s farming organizations, such as the Western Growers and the California Farm Bureau Federation:
“New surface reservoirs will bring significant value for urban and environmental water uses. And they will relieve pressure to fallow a lot of farmland during future droughts,” said California Farm Bureau President Doug Mosebar in a statement. “We need to keep farmland producing affordable, locally grown food for our people, and to maintain our rural communities.”
To read the full text of the story from the Capital Ag Press, click here.
Desalination comes with economic and environmental costs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2007 at 3:46 amFrom Health News Digest:
With human population expected to balloon another 50 percent by 2050, resource managers are increasingly looking to alternative scenarios for quenching the world’s growing thirst. Desalination—a process whereby highly pressurized ocean water is pushed through tiny membrane filters and distilled into drinking water—is being held forth by some as one of the most promising solutions to the problem. But critics point out it doesn’t come without its economic and environmental costs.
According to the non-profit Food & Water Watch, desalinated ocean water is the most expensive form of fresh water out there, given the infrastructure costs of collecting, distilling and distributing it. The group reports that, in the U.S., desalinated water costs at least five times as much to harvest as other sources of fresh water. Similar high costs are a big hurdle to desalination efforts in poor countries as well, where limited funds are already stretched too thin.
On the environmental front, widespread desalination could take a heavy toll on ocean biodiversity. “Ocean water is filled with living creatures, and most of them are lost in the process of desalination,” says Sylvia Earle, one of the world’s foremost marine biologists and a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. “Most are microbial, but intake pipes to desalination plants also take up the larvae of a cross section of life in the sea, as well as some fairly large organisms…part of the hidden cost of doing business,” she says.
To read the full text of this article from Health News Digest, click here.
Democrats focus on the Delta; Republicans say a more comprehensive fix is needed
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2007 at 3:42 amFrom the Ventura County Star:
Rather than rush ahead with plans to build two dams and expand an existing one, as Schwarzenegger suggests, the chairwoman of the Assembly’s water committee said this week the state should instead focus all its immediate attention on fixing California’s most important water resource, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. “The delta is dying; that is the immediate crisis, and that’s where the money should go,” said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, D-Davis, chairwoman of the Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
Advocates of the delta-first approach have an important, and somewhat surprising, urban ally: the Metropolitan Water District, which supplies water to 18 million Southern Californians. The district has made delta restoration its No. 1 priority, and the head of the agency that distributes imported water in Ventura County says addressing environmental problems in the delta is more urgent than building new dams.
“We need to move forward incrementally,” said Don Kendall, general manager of the Calleguas Municipal Water District in Thousand Oaks. “We have to take care of the delta.”
Republicans feel that a more comprehensive fix is necessary:
Supporters of Schwarzenegger’s approach, including business and agricultural leaders, say delta restoration is necessary but must be accompanied with more aggressive actions to increase water storage and improve the flow of water from north to south.
Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines of Clovis noted that voters have approved multiple bond measures in recent years to finance habitat restoration, improve watersheds and make other environmental improvements. Those have been sold to voters as “water bonds,” he said, but they haven’t increased the state’s capacity to store and deliver water.
“They’ve hoodwinked Californians and gotten money for environmental restoration,” he said. “I’m not interested in putting out a bond that’s a half-fix.”
The state Senate will begin hearings next week and consider three issues: Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion bond proposal, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata’s $5 billion bond proposal, and plans for spending already-approved bond money for delta restoration.
To read the full text of this article from the Ventura County Star, click here.
Burbank issues “20 gallon challenge”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:40 pmFrom the Burbank Leader:
…dry weather is only part of the story, said Bill Mace, Burbank Water and Power’s assistant general manager. “The problem we are facing is not entirely related to the drought,” he said. “The causes of the crisis are both natural and political. It has been a dry season, but the real issue is the political situation at the delta.”
The San Joaquin/Sacramento River Delta has been the focus of intense court battles in which environmental lawsuits have resulted in decreased water pumping in an effort to revive the floundering fish population. The tiny delta smelt that swim in the river appeared close to extinction before a federal judge stepped in, officials with the Natural Resources Defense Council said.
The ruling resulted in a 30% drop in pumping levels.
“[This] appears to improve the smelt’s chances of survival,” said Kate Poole, the council’s senior attorney. “We can manage the . . . delta to protect fisheries and supply clean, reliable water to downstream users. The key is to use water wisely.”
Burbank, as well as other regional cities, rely on the delta for 15% to 20% of its water supply, Mace said, forcing officials to call for customer reductions. Last year, Burbank relied on the delta for 25% of its water supply.
Jeanette Meyer, marketing manager for Burbank Water and Power, cautioned that customers will not immediately notice a drop in water supply but could feel the effects in the future. “Burbank’s water supply will not be critically short immediately or in the next few months, the problem is real and will be a long-term situation,” she said.
The utility has begun an education program and issued a “20 gallon challenge” to its residents.
To read the full text of this story from the Burbank Leader, click here.
3rd Annual California-Friendly Gardening Festival coming up on October 27
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:35 pmFrom the Mission Times Courier:
The 3rd Annual California-Friendly Gardening Festival, Saturday, October 27, from 9am-3pm, at the Water Conservation Garden at Cuyamaca College, comes at just the right time to help San Diegans learn about water-wise landscapes suited for our semi-arid climate, and to find beautiful drought-tolerant plants that will bring their landscapes to life. The festival comes at the end of another historically dry year, and on the heels of the recent federal court ruling to restrict operations on pumps that supply water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and ultimately to three million San Diego County residents.
“Given the ongoing lack of rain, and the upcoming restrictions on water supplies from the Delta, drought-tolerant landscapes are an increasingly important water conservation measure,” said Marty Eberhardt, executive director of the Garden. “The festival offers a marketplace for drought-tolerant plants from local nurseries, and education about California-Friendly landscapes in a family-friendly environment that promises activities and fun for everyone.”
To read the rest of this article from the Mission Times, click here.
For more information on the Water Conservation Gardens at Cuyacama College, click here.
Want to see California native plants but don’t live in the San Diego area? There are plenty of other water conservation gardens in the southern California area. To view a list and find one near you, click here.
Green “eco-friendly” gardening: small changes can equal big payoffs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:28 pmFrom the San Jose Mercury News:
If your lawn could talk, would it tell of wasteful midday watering or simply cough because of chemical treatments and pollution from gas-powered leaf blowers?
The greenery outside your window may not be as eco-friendly as you think. Yet small changes to your landscape can equal big payoffs in maintenance spending and environmental health.
“In the past couple of years, interest (in native plants) has really spiked,” says Stephanie Morris, a landscape architect for HLD Group, an environmentally responsible landscape architecture firm in Los Gatos. “A huge reason people are interested has to do with water conservation.”
During the past eight years she has noticed that more mainstream customers are joining the discussion on sustainable landscaping. The practice is designed to tread lightly upon the earth by incorporating techniques to conserve water and utilize materials already on site.
For instance, instead of hauling concrete to a landfill, architects can reuse it in either crushed or painted form elsewhere in the new design, Morris said. Landscaping with plants native to California can also be a significant cost saver, Morris says, because the species do not require as much water. While a typical lawn is watered about three times a week for at least 10 minutes-at minimum-an established native garden only needs to be watered once a month.
To read the full text of this story from the San Jose Mercury News, click here.
We’re all in this water battle together
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:22 pmFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune, this editorial:
It appears more than likely that growers will see a 30 percent reduction in a few months. The hardship in North County’s farming community will be real. You can argue, while soaking the lawn or hosing the driveway, that farmers should have prepared for this day. They knew the risk.
But look at this way.
It’s our food on the table. It’s our jobs drying up.
What’s needed is a sense that we’re all in this water battle together.
In “The War,” Ken Burns’ brilliant documentary of World War II, one relives what it felt like when the country pulled together for a common purpose. Rationing was an important part of the war effort. We could use some of that spirit in the face of a possible devastating water shortage.
What’s needed in Southern California in general, and North County in particular, is a recognition that the pain should be shared now, not later. Yes, many farmers and ranchers rolled the dice on the price of water. But if their supply is rolled back severely, we’ll all be losers, not just the farmers who will be forced to stump trees or close nurseries.
To read the full text of the article from the San Diego Union-Tribune, click here.
NBC Nightly News series on water highlights China
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:05 pmFor those of you following NBC’s series on world water issues, the last segment deals with China’s water woes: click here to view the newscast. Click here to visit NBC’s webpage for the series.
More on Chuck Devore’s nuclear power for desalination and the ultimate question of development and population growth
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 3:00 pmYesterday, I posted a link to Chuck Devore’s blog, plus another blogs reaction to it. Today, Chuck Devore posted a response which I will post, but first, here’s an article from the North County Times regarding the Chuck Devore’s proposed ‘nuclear power for desalination’ bill:
A bill introduced earlier this week by Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, would allow the building of a new nuclear reactor at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Part of the power produced by a third reactor at the nuclear plant would be used to run a desalination plant to turn seawater into drinking water, DeVore said. The bill would lift a decades-old ban on nuclear facilities to build the reactor at San Onofre.
If history is an indicator, the bill is unlikely to pass. A similar measure failed to make it out of committee earlier this year. But DeVore said it’s time to talk about giving nuclear power another chance. “What I’m trying to do is offer a real solution, even if the leaders in the Legislature don’t want to,” he said. “Eventually, the people of California are going to take note.”
DeVore, who has championed efforts to lift the statewide moratorium, said the bill would help fix the state’s power and water crunch. “A new reactor could produce about 1,200 megawatts of power,” he said. “My bill would require that 240 megawatts of that power to be designated for seawater desalination. This could provide about two-thirds of San Diego County’s fresh-water needs.”
This is a long post … click the more at the end of this line to continue reading this article, which includes Chuck Devore’s response and the larger question of controlling population growth … Read more
Polls reveal how California’s feel about the water crisis
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2007 at 10:42 amFrom Water Technology Online:
Two new polls, one statewide and one in the San Diego area, have now tallied residents’ opinions about California’s water crisis and what to do about it, and the results should give the state’s political and water agency leaders plenty of food for thought.
In one poll, conducted by Competitive Edge Research, San Diegans were asked about the potential of a water shortage and what conservation efforts they’ve taken. They also were quizzed on whether using treated recycled water was a good option for dealing with shortages, according to a September 27 KPBS report. Water recycling was respondents’ least favorite option, when given a choice of using desalination, mandatory rationing or water recycling to deal with shortages. John Nienstedt of Competitive Edge Research told KPBS that a significant number of respondents, after receiving more information about water recycling, were willing to change their minds.
The “toilet to tap” issue is hot right now in San Diego; the city’s mayor is against it while the city’s attorney is for it.
Meanwhile, a statewide poll that looked at attitudes toward lawn and garden watering found that more than half of the residents polled had no idea how much water they were using, reported The Press Enterprise on September 26.
To read the full text of this article from Water Technology Online, click here.
San Diego’s mayor asked again for more conservation from San Diego residents on Friday. This from the San Diego Union-Tribune:
… do the calls for voluntary conservation work? A new poll suggests the message is sinking in, though not as quickly as officials might have hoped.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they had heard nothing or next to nothing about the San Diego County Water Authority’s “20-gallon Challenge.” The voluntary program asks each person to reduce daily water use by 20 gallons. Its goal is to curb the region’s water use by about 10 percent.
On the other hand, about two-thirds of respondents said the water situation was very or extremely serious. Pollsters said the region appears primed for “bold” measures, such as desalination and mandatory water conservation.
To read the full text of this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune, click here.
Aqua Blog Maven took a poll of 19 adults, and here are my results:
All respondents felt there was reason for concern over water supply issues, divided rather evenly between ‘somewhat concerned’ and ‘very concerned’. All respondents were aware that Southern California is dependent upon imported water, with only two choosing a percentage too low. The twelve respondents who were aware of the Delta also realized its importance to Southern California; the remaining seven were not familiar with it. Although all but one respondent followed news from traditional media sources, only three out of the 19 polled had heard of the recent Judge Wanger court ruling that could potentially reduce southern California’s water supply by as much as one-third. Every respondent was attempting to conserve water in some way.
Of course, it certainly was not scientific, and the results might have been skewed somewhat. One of the respondents works for Department of Water & Power, and another is a utilities engineer, accounting for two out of the three people who had heard of the Wanger court ruling.
Coalition is planning a lawsuit against power plants & Army Corps on behalf of the endangered Delta smelt
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 12:33 pmFrom the San Francisco Chronicle, more coverage on the new lawsuit being prepared on behalf of the endangered Delta smelt, this time against power companies operating in the Delta, as well as the Army Corps of Engineers (the agency who has granted them permits to operate):
Angered by a decision to cut water allocations to save the delta smelt, a group of officials representing agricultural water agencies announced plans Thursday to sue the government, a power generation plant and maybe others they contend are responsible for the demise of the fish.
The Coalition for a Sustainable Delta filed a notice of intent to sue Mirant Delta LLC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for violating the Endangered Species Act.
The coalition claims Mirant’s Contra Costa and Pittsburg gas-fired electric power generation plants suck billions of gallons of water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, harming the ecosystem and killing tens of thousands of smelt and other endangered and threatened species. The Corps of Engineers was named because it is the federal agency that issued the permits to take water out of the delta.
“Until we improve the delta smelt situation, we are going to continue to see cutbacks in the state and federal pumping operations,” said Michael Boccadoro, the coalition’s spokesman. “We don’t think that will solve the problem, because we don’t think the pumping operations are the primary cause.”
To read the full text of the story from the San Francisco Chronicle, click here.
Democrats: local water users should carry “the strong majority” of water project costs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 12:26 pmFrom the Sacramento Bee:
With two competing water plans already on the table, Assembly Democrats weighed in Thursday with their own package of bills to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and increase water supplies. The legislation includes few details at this point. But the bills reaffirm the reluctance of Democrats to use state money to pay for dams — a major part of Gov. Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion plan.
The governor’s proposal, carried by Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, would authorize the state to pay for as much as half the cost of three dams for a total of $5.1 billion. The targeted sites include one east of Fresno, another in Colusa County and expansion of an existing dam in Contra Costa County.
The legislation by Assembly Democrats states that local water users should carry “the strong majority” of water project costs
To read the full text of the article from the Sacramento Bee, click here.
Water resource plan long overdue, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 12:14 pmFrom the Contra Costa County Times:
For too long, California has been unwilling to develop a comprehensive, long-term water-resource plan, and to build the infrastructure necessary to provide a dependable source of water for the future.
Now the state is facing a huge challenge with a growing population, court-ordered reduction in water pumping, a threatened Delta environment, and the possibility of a drought. This is no time for delays and protracted political battles that lead to no results.
That is why Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing a $9 billion bond measure to construct two new dams, expand the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, improve the Delta environment and pay for conservation. Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata, D-Oakland, has a less ambitious plan, but is willing to work with the governor. Perata, like Schwarzenegger, understands the urgency of the situation.
He said, “Now we have a gun muzzle at our temple; unless we take swift action for immediate relief, the court will effectively cut water as much as 60 percent to millions of California consumers and thousands of businesses.”
To read the full text of this editorial from the Contra Costa County Times, click here.
Nature holds on in polluted Los Angeles waterway
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 12:10 pmFrom the Los Angeles Times:
Decades of storm drain runoff and illegal dumping have devastated lower Compton Creek, choking its foliage with trash and lacing its knee-deep water with pesticides and industrial waste. But a surprising variety of wildlife clings to a 1/4 -mile-long stretch of creek hemmed in by a casino, a Metro Blue Line station, a freeway and a mall under construction. Turtles chase minnows in the murky, barely moving water. Green herons stand like sentinels on discarded automobile parts covered with muck. Mallards relax in the weeds.
Wildlife can be found south of this spot, closer to where the creek flows into the Los Angeles River. But that part of the channel is wider, flatter and surrounded by heavy industry, and doesn’t have the same concentration of critters residing there.
Leaning against a rail on an Artesia Boulevard bridge, Ken Frederick of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority took in the scene at the forlorn wetland. “Amid all this mess, nature wants to come back, and we plan to help it along,” said Frederick, a planning analyst for the authority.
The area is one of the few ‘dirt-bottomed’ waterways (no concrete) left in the Los Angeles Basin. Any restoration effort depends upon negotiations with the property owners to agree to sell the portion of the creek. There is hope that enough land can be purchased to create a park for Compton residents. The City of Compton has agreed to maintain it if a deal can be reached.
To read the full text of the story from the LA Times, click here.
“More nuclear power = more water” says Chuck Devore
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 10:02 amFrom Chuck Devore at the OC Blog:
I introduced a bill to allow the construction of a new nuclear reactor at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station for the purpose of powering a major desalination facility.
My bill, ABX2 5, was introduced in the special session on water and would allow a new reactor to be built at San Onofre in North San Diego County. The site, which contains two operating reactors, could host a third if 20 percent of the new reactor’s power is dedicated to water desalination.
A new reactor could produce about 1,200 megawatts of power. My bill would require that 240 megawatts of that power be designated for sea water desalination. This could provide about two-thirds of San Diego County’s fresh water needs. Or, the fresh water could be piped out to San Diego, South Orange County, and Western Riverside County – all areas threatened by the tenuousness of the state’s dwindling water supplies.
To visit the OC Blog, which includes a link to the text of the legislation introduced by Assemblyman Devore, click here.
Here’s a response from the WiLD blog:
Chuck–our dwindling water supplies are due to the massive development boom in Southern California, drought associated with climate change and our unsustainable H2O consumption practices. Nukes=Water. What a nightmare. How about just implementing a green water conservation strategy for California. The irony here is that Chuck introduced the bill because the goal of the energy industry to have LNG plants up and down the coast in California has disappeared.
To read the entire post on the WiLD blog, click here.
Lester Snow: we need to store more water and restore the Delta
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 8:24 amFrom Capital Weekly, an article written by Lester Snow in support of Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion water plan:
California’s population is expected to jump from 37 million to 49 million by 2030, increasing water demand as it grows. Meanwhile, climate change will lead to higher temperatures, a decreased Sierra snowpack and higher peak river flows and flood threats. Without a comprehensive fix to restore the Delta that responds to changing conditions and improved conveyance systems to provide reliable water supplies, California’s future water needs cannot be met.
History should teach us that inaction has a high price. In today’s dollars the 1976-77 drought would have cost the state $6.5 billion dollars. This year, local water agencies are calling for mandatory and voluntary conservation measures to stretch their water supplies. Conservation is vital, but the governor’s plan also provides additional flexibility and tools to handle drought, flooding and environmental risks that are built into California’s water supply system.
Three new surface storage facilities will provide additional water for families, farms, industry and fish. With more storage, we can significantly improve the flexibility of our water management systems to meet future needs and cope with uncertainty and variability. These multiple-benefit projects provide and store water that will be used to help ecosystems, fish and wildlife. They also improve flood protection, flexibility to respond to climate change impacts, recreation, and an emergency water supply.
Snow says these dams will have an operational flexibility that will allow each dam to address many different conditions and needs. “These projects are not the dams of the past”, writes Snow.
To read the full text of Lester Snow’s article on the Capital Weekly, click here.
Hearings on water bills to begin next week
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 7:53 amFrom the California Progress Report:
The California State Senate will begin hearings next Thursday, October 4 at 9:30 a.m. on the water special session when the Natural Resources & Water Committee meets. The panel will consider competing water supply reliability bonds and bills proposing expenditures of previously authorized water bond funds.
The Democrats have introduced three bills meant to complement Perata’s bill:
According to Laird, these bills establish principles for what a final proposal should reflect and address issues including: the immediate crisis in the Delta; a comprehensive strategy that speaks to the state’s water challenges in a timely and cost-effective manner; a safe, clean and reliable water supply for all Californians, particularly disadvantaged communities; and ensuring fiscal responsibility and accountability.
Laird, the leader of the Assembly working group on water said: “These principles will be the lens that any water policy will be filtered through in the Assembly. In articulating these principles, the Assembly is seeking to ensure that anyone who shares in a solution also shares in the sacrifices necessary to bring that solution about. In technical terms, everyone has to give something to get something.”
The Republicans have also introduced two new bills: one for dispersing bond funds and the other, an initiative regarding nuclear energy and desalination.
To read the rest of this article from the California Progress Report, click here.
La Nina conditions appear inevitable
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 7:42 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
La Niña, the oceanic phenomenon that almost always heralds a dry winter in Southern California, now appears inevitable. San Diego County is likely to face its third straight dry year – the ninth out of 10. “It’s a bleak situation,” Noel Stehly, an avocado grower in Valley Center, said about expected water shortages. He was cutting down avocado trees in anticipation of a 30 percent cutback in water deliveries because of a court decision that may limit water supplies to Southern California farmers.
“It should be dry in areas that already have dry conditions,” said Mike Halpert, a forecaster at the Climate Prediction Center in Camp Springs, Md.
The Southeast and the Southwest, both in the midst of droughts, are not likely to get relief if La Niña intensifies as expected.
La Niñas can be costly to local farmers because instead of getting rain for their crops during the winter, they often must pay to irrigate. A rainfall shortage could be particularly troublesome this year because some growers already face the prospect of reduced water supplies. A recent court decision designed to protect the delta smelt, a rare fish in Northern California, could cut deliveries to Southern California farmers. “It’s a bleak situation,” said Noel Stehly, an avocado grower in Valley Center.
The La Nina condition has been building since early this year. A La Nina condition almost always means less rain for the Southwest, more rain for the Northwest. The Climate Prediction Center is likely to officially declare a La Nina condition in about two weeks.
To read the rest of this story from the San Diego Union-Tribune, click here.
Smelt chosen for captive breeding program in attempt to save the species
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2007 at 6:50 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
After fighting for decades to protect the threatened Delta smelt, wildlife officials have begun to move in a new direction: a captive-breeding program in case the fragile fish goes extinct in the wild.
The decision to begin a species rescue program was made cooperatively by state and federal agencies and academics in recent weeks. Officials are still working to fully fund the effort, but it will be based at a UC Davis smelt research lab at the state Department of Water Resources facility near this south Delta town in Contra Costa County.
UC Davis will isolate a separate group of smelt, captured in the wild last year, and breed them to create a genetically strong strain that could be used to replenish the wild population. No decision has been made to actually reintroduce these fish. Officials said that ruling is years away and would first require many answers about whether such fish are compatible with their wild cousins. But the program marks a significant new dimension for management of the smelt — and the Delta itself.
“We’re trying to create a safeguard against extinction, but hopefully the fish will come back in the wild so we won’t have to restock,” said Joan Lindberg, an ecologist and supervisor of the UC Davis Fish Conservation and Culture Laboratory. “The bigger issue is trying to clean up the Delta so the wild fish can continue to survive.
To read the rest of this article from the Sacramento Bee, click here.
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