“More nuclear power = more water” says Chuck Devore
Posted by: 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.
Hearings on water bills to begin next week
Posted by: 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.
Water and population: something’s gotta give
Posted by: Maven on September 27, 2007 at 11:01 pmFrom the American Chronicle, an article on the population projections for the California and the southwest:
Can you imagine California and Arizona’s water crisis in 30 years when they add 42 million and five million people respectively?
What’s driving our water crisis?
While we suffer water problems today, Harris Sherman, director of Colorado Department of Natural Resources, said, “We expect another 2.8 million people in the state by 2030…this is why we’re seeing this fierce competition for water.”
Let’s uncover a greater calamity we face: the Fogel/Martin March 2006 “US Population Projections for 2050″ shows Colorado growing from 4.3 million in 2006 to 9.77 million by 2050. If you think water proves as a crisis today, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Why? Because while we grow by six million, California grows by 42 million or, from 37.5 million to 79.1 million! Arizona, to add another five million, and California–depend on the Colorado River as their lifeblood. Something’s gotta’ give folks!
To read the rest of this article from the American Chronicle, click here.
Should irrigated agriculture move east?
Posted by: Maven on September 27, 2007 at 8:39 amHere’s an interesting post from the WaterWired blog about an editorial which appeared in the New York Times on the 22nd, suggesting that perhaps irrigated agriculture should move eastward, where the rain is. It wasn’t all that long ago, relatively, that the East was a big agricultural producer, with Maine being the leader in potatoes as recently as the 1940′s.
Interesting article and commentary. Check it out by clicking here.
Restore the Delta: Governor’s plan takes water & water rights from the Delta
Posted by: Maven on September 27, 2007 at 7:14 amFrom the California Progress Report, Restore the Delta reports on the special session and the water bond proposals:
To date, we have learned that SB 3xx (referred to as the Governor’s water bond, but actually sponsored by Senator Cogdill, Senator Ackerman, and Assemblymember Villines) allocates over $1.9 billion for support of water agencies working toward the construction of such an alternative conveyance system.
Restore the Delta is 100% opposed to (and will encourage voters across California to reject) any water bond, such as SB 3xx, that promotes this type of alternative conveyance, even if it promises other funding for supposed ecosystem restoration of the California Delta. To put it plainly, the Delta cannot be restored if the Sacramento River is diverted from the Delta. And the promise of ecosystem restoration in trade for new conveyance exemplifies a disingenuous concern for the fate of the Pacific Coast’s most important estuary.
In addition, the Restore the Delta campaign is distressed to learn that the language in SB 3xx moves to revoke the area of origin for the Bay/Delta estuary and all water users within it. We believe that it is an attempt to repeal the Robie decision in D-1641, and would be devastating for the California Delta’s economic and environmental future. In other words, the bill would strip Delta farmers and landowners of their right to Delta water and, thereby, of water quality protections associated with these rights.
Restore the Delta supports Perata’s water bond proposal.
To read the full text of this article from the California Progress Report, click here.
Restore the Delta supports Perata’s proposal
Posted by: Maven on September 26, 2007 at 9:23 pmFrom IndyBay.org:
The Governor’s water bond proposal, sponsored by Senator Cogdill, Senator Ackerman and Assemblymember Villines, is not only a water grab that would destroy the ecosystem, but it is also “a full attack on the people, history, and culture of the five-county California Delta region,” according to Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore the Delta. The coalition is instead supporting SB 1002, Senator Perata’s bill to provide $611 million to improve Delta habitat and infrastructure, including much needed repairs for levees that protect Delta residents, and the drinking water supply for our neighbors in other parts of the state. The organization is also backing Senator Perata’s water bond that seeks to promote regional water self-sufficiency and Delta restoration without providing the means for a peripheral canal (“conveyance system”) that would result in the “final deathblow” to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the largest and most environmentally significant estuary on the West Coast. I urge people to send letters in support of Perata’s two bills, since an entire ecosystem is at stake!
To read the rest of this article from Restore the Delta, posted on IndyBay.org, click here.
One man’s journey into California native landscaping
Posted by: Maven on September 26, 2007 at 6:55 pmHere’s a great article written by a man who converted his water-sucking lawn to California natives, complete with pictures:
LAWN DAY’S JOURNEY INTO DROUGHT
It was lawn-mowing day, but I had forgotten that until a small flat-bed truck pulled up to the curb in front of my house, and my gardener got out. Abel Alegria was a man of such innate happiness that it was his last name. But his cheer darkened to uneasy confusion when he saw I was loading an herbicide sprayer.
“You’re going to do new landscaping?” he asked, choosing his words like a hostage negotiator. “You really don’t need it. We can get rid of these few weeds without killing all the grass.”
“I’m not going to have any grass at all out front, anymore,” I responded definitively, maybe a little more adamantly than I needed to, but I was nervous. “It’s going to be all plants out here—all California native plants. I’ve been studying this, going to meetings. The plants will be pretty. They’ll be natural and they’ll save water.”
Alegria was skeptical, but he struggled not to be judgmental.
“Yeah, well, cool,” he said uncomfortably. “So, you don’t want me to mow the front lawn today?”
“No, I’m going to kill it today,” I emphasized, even more forcefully, as I turned to walk toward the water spigot on the front of the house, leaving Alegria standing in the middle of the yard behind me. “You’ll never have to mow this front lawn again. There’s not going to be a front lawn.”
To read the full text of this article posted on The District Weekly, click here. A good read!
Video tour of a wastewater treatment plant
Posted by: Maven on September 26, 2007 at 6:53 amEver wonder how they treat sewage water? Here’s a five minute video tour of a waste water treatment plant, posted on the “Down to a Science” blog. Click here to view.
California Farm Bureau Federation endorses the Governor’s $9 billion dam plan
Posted by: Maven on September 25, 2007 at 10:40 pmFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
By Dave Kranz
CFBF Communications/News Division
A confluence of forces–including political timing, fish populations, court rulings and the weather–has combined to focus California policymakers’ attention on the shortcomings of the state’s water supply system. Depending on what happens during a special session of the state Legislature now under way in Sacramento, the result could be the first significant statewide investment in new water storage in more than a generation.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who called concurrent special sessions to discuss water supply and health-care reform, unveiled a $9 billion water development proposal last week that includes a $5.1 billion investment in surface-water storage.
The California Farm Bureau Federation board of directors voted to back the governor’s water proposal, which includes investment in new water projects, saying California is long overdue in developing new reservoirs to provide for its people and its environment. Continue reading “California Farm Bureau Federation endorses the Governor’s $9 billion dam plan” »
The ecological benefits of check dams
Posted by: Maven on September 25, 2007 at 10:26 pmFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
As I stood by the check dam at Bear Lake on a beautiful summer afternoon, I was impressed with the forethought of Fred Leighton and others who recognized the many ecological benefits that check dams could provide. Today, we find ourselves struggling to defend the future management of these dams. I would offer that this decision should not be made from a judge’s bench or a federal official’s office, but from the edge of Bear Lake.
Wilderness Watch, a wilderness advocacy group based in Montana, and the High Sierra Hikers Association sued the U.S. Forest Service in 2005 for its Emigrant Wilderness management plan that compromised in allowing six of the total 18 check dams to “deteriorate naturally.” In June of 2006, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California overturned this decision, ruling that no maintenance should occur on any of the small dams. The Forest Service has chosen not to appeal this decision, largely because the agency is sued on so many resource management plans and, as a result, spends more time defending its proposed actions in court than implementing land management activities on the ground. Continue reading “The ecological benefits of check dams” »
The Governor’s press release regarding his water plan
Posted by: Maven on September 25, 2007 at 6:24 amFrom the Office of the Governor’s website, this press release detailing Schwarzenegger’s water plan:
THE GOVERNOR’S WATER PLAN: SECURING CALIFORNIA’S FUTURE
On September 18 the Governor announced a $9 billion comprehensive water infrastructure proposal to be introduced in the legislative special session that he called in response to California’s water crisis.
“Our water crisis has gotten worse with the dry conditions and the recent federal court action that is going to have a devastating impact on the state’s economy and the 25 million Californians who depend on Delta water. We need a comprehensive fix. That is why we are introducing two bills to solve California’s water crisis in both the short and long-term. I look forward to working and negotiating with my partners in the Legislature so we can approve a comprehensive upgrade to California’s water infrastructure.” – Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Statement, 9/18/07 Continue reading “The Governor’s press release regarding his water plan” »
Schwarzenegger Addresses U.N. on Climate Change as He Plans Delta’s Destruction
Posted by: Maven on September 24, 2007 at 8:20 pmBy Dan Bacher:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s address to the United Nations today about global climate change is one of the most blatant examples of hypocrisy that I’ve ever witnessed. Schwarzenegger challenged the leaders of the world’s nations to “solve global warming” as he continues to push the Legislature to accept a $9 billion water bond package that would build an environmentally devastating Delta canal and more dams.
Schwarzenegger addressed delegates and invited guests for the United Nations conference – “The Future in our Hands: Addressing the Leadership Challenge of Climate Change” at the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, NY. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon invited the Governor to speak at today’s special session in July, when they toured a San Jose business that is developing the technology for countries to help reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
“What we’re doing is changing the dynamic, preparing the way and encouraging the future,” Schwarzengger told the U.N. “The aerospace industry built the modern economy of Southern California. The computer industry and the Internet built the economy of Silicon Valley. And now green, clean technology – along with biotech – will take California to the next level.”
While promoting “green, clean” technology, the Governor also included the pandora’s box of biotechnology as a solution to the energy problems of California and the world – without discussing what potential threat biotechnology, particularly transgenic plants, fish and animals, present to the environment. Continue reading “Schwarzenegger Addresses U.N. on Climate Change as He Plans Delta’s Destruction” »
Schwarzenegger & Perata want a rush put on water debate; Nunez says, not so fast
Posted by: Maven on September 24, 2007 at 6:27 amGovernor Schwarzenegger called the legislature into special session to deal with water (& health care) issues, hoping to get the divided lawmakers to agree on one of two competing bond proposals in time for a bond measure to be put on the February primary ballot for voter approval. However, hope for a compromise appears to be fading. From Stockton’s RecordNet.com:
Schwarzenegger and Senate Leader Don Perata, D-Oakland, want the water bond on the February ballot because a federal judge has ordered sizable cuts in the amount of water pumped out of the Delta to begin in December. They argue that voters need to approve the new round of borrowing sooner rather than later so the state can begin work on the projects.
In addition, the governor’s panel tasked with developing a strategy to fix the Delta is expected to release its findings in November; crafting a bond that can accommodate those recommendations quickly could help the proposal’s success.
But Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez says he sees no rush, especially given the enormity of the matter: Water-supply debates have raged with varying degrees of heat for decades in the Capitol, and the proposals under discussion now represent the most expensive state-funded water supply efforts in a generation.
Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion plan includes partial funding for two dams & expansion of a third. Republicans are generally in favor of building dams, but critics have a long list of objections: all the ‘good’ dam sites have already been taken, the dams are not financially feasible, and other methods, such as recharging aquifers and conservation, show more promise in meeting water needs.
Perata’s $5 billion plan is more regionally oriented, allowing localities to choose how to spend their portion of the money on projects that will benefit their region. This could include smaller dams, or other projects, such as stormwater capture or groundwater cleanup.
Schwarzenegger’s appointed Delta taskforce is scheduled to submit it’s findings by January of 2008, and critics say approving money before seeing their recommendations is putting the cart before the horse.
To read the rest of this article from Stockton’s RecordNet.com, click here.
Here’s some information on the two proposed dams: Temperance Flat and Sites Reservoir, and here’s a faq from DWR on the two proposed dams.
The Delta as a deck of cards: being delta deal of information
Posted by: Maven on September 23, 2007 at 10:35 amA primer to the Delta depicted in a deck of cards? Jane Wolff gives us the Delta basics in a most innovative way. By using hand-drawn playing cards and reproductions of USGS maps depicting the delta landscape, the complicated Delta is explained ‘in the cards’ as a game of chance. From Mark Anderson’s review:
The delta itself gathers waters from half the state of California before emptying through the funnel-like Carquinez Strait into the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean. But the systems are so complex, the knowledge so incomplete, and the players often so disconnected from the big picture that the chance readings and incomplete vignettes dealt out in a game of cards are perhaps more effective than any comprehensive explanatory text. In particular, the motif of a card game offers both small, intense insights and illustrates the chance interconnectivity of individual and civic works, natural flows, and catastrophic acts of God. To organize this game, in place of hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs, Wolff give us the garden suit, the machine suit, the wilderness suit, and the suit of toys – and all the possibilities of jokers wild.
To view the pdf file of Mark Anderson’s review of the book, which includes some pictures of the playing cards, click here. To order the book from Amazon.com, click here.
Water and politics in the blogosphere …
Posted by: Maven on September 23, 2007 at 9:33 amAquafornia likes to consider itself the Switzerland of the California water world, presenting all sides of the issues (at least how they are presented through the media) and letting you, the reader, decide. Other blogs are not so wishy-washy. With water issues finally taking center stage in Sacramento during the special session with two competing water bond proposals, there’s been quite a lot of talk about it on various blogs.
Here are some links to interesting discussions involving the political side of our state’s water issues:
Speakout California Weblog (http://speakoutca.org/) gives the progressive or Democratic view:
California politics, like life, cannot exist without addressing our inherent water problems. This state was never meant to house millions upon millions of people in its semi-arid Southern portion. Its Central Valley provides enormous amounts of agriculture requiring huge amounts of quality water. Add to the challenges are antiquated and inadequate systems that exist to protect the Delta regions from flooding their banks and destroying everything in their way.
The economic history of California is the history of gold, railroads and water. Unfortunately, the first two are much more interesting and have captured the state’s and its leaderships imagination much more effectively. The subject is, admittedly, somewhat arcane but is nonetheless, quite important.
So we’ll try to boil this dispute down to its essence: We know we need water, we know we need to shore up our levees and we know we must restore the important Delta area. The battle is over how and how much.
To read the rest of this post, click here. You may have to scroll down to read the part pertaining to water issues.
For another perspective, check out the California Greening Blog (http://cagreening.blogspot.com/). Here’s a snippet of a different view of the special session:
The special session will start when Speaker Nuñez says it starts. So far, he has not said “go.” However, he has taken a few actions. To begin with, we know which members of the Assembly Nuñez named to be working on this: (according to the web site of Assm. John Laird.
* John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) – Lead
* Lois Wolk (D-Davis)
* Juan Arambula (D-Fresno)
* Mary Salas (D-Chula Vista)
* Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael)
* Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank)
* Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles)
* Mike Eng (D-Monterey Park)Let me note three important facts.
* There are more users of Metropolitan Water District water (Salas, Krekorian, Feuer, Eng) than any other. Since we know that the water district favors new dams, this fact will have a large say in the outcome.
* There are no Republicans in this working group. This could be a major problem if a supermajority is needed for anything.
* With the exception of Arambula(known to have been in Nuñez’s dog house over the Temperance Flat Dam which Arambula supports) and Wolk, there are no representatives from the Central Valley and they are split between North (Davis) and South (Fresno).
To check out the rest of this analysis of the special session, click here.
Republicans themselves don’t seem too enthused about Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion dam proposal – that is when they blog about it at all. I can’t find any blog that is supporting his proposal. Apparently, even Republicans tend to think it’s too expensive. Here’s an excerpt from the Flash Report blog:
First and foremost let’s be clear — California has a water infrastructure problem. That is real, and it needs to be dealt with. However, California government also has an overspending problem that is equally real, and a borrowing addiction that has reached tragic proportions.
The plan that has been introduced by the Governor is, simply put, too large. Billions of dollars of proposed borrowing doesn’t even go towards water storage, but rather into a bunch of enviro-programs that are designed to attract the votes of liberal Democrats to the borrowing, not based on actual needs for California.
In addition, there is no effort here whatsoever to change the way that California does business when it comes to infrastructure. Long gone are the days of Democrat Governor Pat Brown, and outlays of substantial general fund dollars to incrementally deal with our state’s infrastructure needs. The “new” model (which has now gone on for decades) is to use dollars that should be for “mortar and bricks” infrastructure instead on liberal social programs. Then when the need is too great, foist borrowing on the already overburdened taxpayers. Even though taxpayers already send enough to Sacramento to pay for infrastructure, they pay again — as do their children — through borrowing.
To read the rest of this blog post from the Flash Report, click here.
If any reader knows of a blog or other internet posting out there that supports Schwarzenegger’s proposal, please email me the link. Without strong support from the Governor’s own party, and considering the strong opposition from the other side, it does not look good for the Governor’s proposal.
Other links you might find interesting:
The Governor has a blog – or should I say, the office of the governor has a blog. Arnold doesn’t write anything himself, but it features politicians and other government officials discussing issues of the day. http://gov.ca.gov/blog
Politics in the Zeros has an article on Southern California’s water woes, questioning why conservation isn’t a part of either proposal:
The State legislature is crafting a new water rescue plan that while it includes funds for badly needed maintenance of the aging water infrastructure, is conspicuous by NOT mentioning, much less mandating, conservation. The simple fact is – people and businesses need to use less water, something that with a little planning, need not be problematic.
Lordy, much of southern California is semi-arid or desert. Yet people insist upon having lush green lawns with a swimming pool and golf courses nearby. Palm Springs, where it routinely gets to be 115 in the summer, has dozens of golf courses. This is psychotic, as is the current practice of importing huge amounts of water to grow rice and cotton in the semi-arid California Central Valley. What are they thinking? That water is a resource that can be plundered endlessly for short-term profit? Apparently.
If governments can’t mandate cutbacks and conservation, and if the people won’t do it, then Mother Nature will do it for them.
Meanwhile, for an altogether different point of view, The Santa Monica Blogger tells us exactly why he’s not going to bother to conserve any water:
Why? There is a shortage of water and electricity due to one thing, and one thing only. That is OVERPOPULATION. In case you need it pointed out to you — and it needs to be pointed out to most people, over and over again — overpopulation overburdens resources.
Now, since I have not spawned (or caused to be spawned) litters of rug-rats in excess of replacement (that I know of), and I am not an illegal alien that has swarmed the border, I say screw it.
Well, at least he’s not afraid to post what he really feels!
Planning & Conservation League endorses Perata’s proposal
Posted by: Maven on September 22, 2007 at 7:26 amFrom the California Progress Report, news from the special session:
The special session is now in high gear with two dueling proposals for new water bonds – SBXX 2 from Senate President pro Tempore Don Perata and SBXX 3 from the Governor (introduced in the Legislature by Senators Cogdill and Ackerman). There are also two proposals for how to direct existing bond monies to Delta restoration – Perata’s SBXX 1 and the Governor’s (introduced by Senator Cogdill and Assembly Member Villines) SBXX 4. Legislators plan to place a water bond on the February ballot for statewide voter approval.
To read the rest of this article from the California Progress Report, which details why the PCL endorses one proposal over the other, click here.
Rainwater as a resource
Posted by: Maven on September 22, 2007 at 6:55 amAs an unusual September rain falls on my house, (well, lately ANY rain in Southern California is unusual) I came across this on the WaterWired blog, and found it most appropriate: A report titled “Rainwater as a Resource”. From the TreePeople website:
Are our cities beyond repair?
TreePeople doesn’t think so.
As part of its T.R.E.E.S. (Transagency Resources for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) Project, TreePeople has been involved in the implementation of several retrofits designed to restore the natural functions of urban sites. From single-family homes to large public sites such as schools and parks, we’ve helped show that integrating nature’s cycles into the urban landscape is not only technically and financially feasible but also highly desirable for individuals and cities alike.
By incorporating stormwater best management practices (BMPs) such as swales, retention grading, cisterns, infiltrators and strategically-planted trees in building and landscaping designs, a multitude of benefits can be realized, including: improved water quality; a decreased risk of flooding; a reduced need for water importation; heat-island effect mitigation; a reduction in contributions to global climate change; and an augmented supply of local groundwater. These are just some of the benefits that are possible when urban sites are allowed to work in concert with nature’s cycles of flood, drought and waste – and together, they create a sharp improvement in the quality of life in the neighborhoods in which we live, learn, work and play.
This report focuses on highlighting solutions to L.A.’s ecosystem problems. To go to the TreePeople website, where you can download a pdf of this report, click here.
Schwarzenegger’s dam deception: wording of his ballot initiative suspect
Posted by: Maven on September 22, 2007 at 6:22 amFrom the California Progress Report:
The Governor wants the Legislature to authorize a new bond issue for dam construction. In fact, he wants the people of the state to borrow more than $9 billion dollars, and to spend at least $5.6 billion dollars of that to build more dams. The measure would also provide funding for a Peripheral Canal or Peripheral Pipe.
While the Governor wants to spend big money on new, economically inefficient and environmentally destructive dam projects, he doesn’t want the voters to know. Hidden in the text of the Governor’s proposal is an unusual provision that would essentially repeal the normal procedures that ensure that voters receive an impartial ballot title and summary. Instead, the summary would emphasize “environmental restoration projects,”even though the vast majority of the funding would be to construct dams!
To read the full text of this article from the California Progress Report, click here.
An alternative view to ‘water rights’
Posted by: Maven on September 22, 2007 at 6:13 amLast Wednesday, Restore the Delta held a meeting on the peripheral canal. Speaking that evening was Dante Nomellini, a water attorney, and Mark Franco, an American Indian, a leader of the Winnemem Wintu tribe of the lower McCloud River, near Redding.
Nomellini’s portion of the presentation dealt with why the peripheral canal should be opposed. He warned that history has shown that promises of environmental protection or Northern California’s water rights will be broken. Once the Delta is no longer needed by water exporters, it will be abandoned.
Franco discussed the difference in the European view of water rights, and the indigenous view of water responsibility. From Stockton’s RecordNet.com:
Franco’s fresh take on the peripheral canal, on the dams proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and on water in general arises from a world view radically different from the European. But his spiritual view meshed with Nomellini’s legal analysis. “They look at water as a commodity to be bought and sold – water ‘rights,’ not water responsibility,” Franco said of big Delta water users, “with no regard for the place that may be left dry.”
That is certainly true. Only Thursday, a publication called Voice of San Diego said the Delta, 450 miles away, is “far enough away that it can seem like little more than a notion, a foreign place.”
This followed a piece Wednesday by journalist Dan Bacher, who nailed the governor’s mind-set: “In Schwarzenegger’s mind, the Delta is not an ecosystem that provides water supply, but a water supply that happens to include an ecosystem.”
The way Franco sees it, humans are not disconnected from the natural world, they are the natural world. They must respect it as they respect themselves. “We have a responsibility to the water,” he said. “It is a living being; … it runs through the Delta like it flows through your body.”
On dams: “If I was to build a dam in your body, which part of your body would you be willing to give up? A dam is like a tourniquet.”
And a peripheral canal is like a “cardiac bypass.” “How’s that going to help your heart?” Franco asked – or help the Delta, the heart of California water?
“You hear that the Delta can’t be fixed,” Franco said. “That may be true. It may be that the water systems of the world may be tired of us … because we’re not respecting them.”
To read the full text of the story from Stockton’s RecordNet.com, click here.
Ethanol production strains midwestern state’s water resources
Posted by: Maven on September 22, 2007 at 5:26 amFrom Environment News Service, a report issued by Environmental Defense regarding the dramatic upswing in ethanol production in the midwest, and it’s affect on their water resources.
Water for irrigation comes primarily from the Ogallala Aquifer. One of the largest in the world, portions of it lie under the states of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. There was concern before that the aquifer was being depleted far beyond its replenishment rate, and a major upswing in ethanol threatens to accelerate the rate of depletion:
New corn ethanol plants currently under construction or planned will increase the region’s ethanol production capacity by 900 percent, the report finds. The area currently hosts only five ethanol plants with combined production of 71.5 million gallons per year, but another nine plants, with 639 million gallons per year capacity, are currently under construction.
Each gallon of ethanol takes four gallons of water to produce, so the authors calculate that the nine plants under construction would increase groundwater withdrawals from some of the most depleted parts of the Ogallala region by an estimated 2.6 billion gallons per year. “This dramatic expansion of ethanol production has substantial implications for already strained water and grassland resources in the Ogallala Aquifer region,” the authors say.
Additional water withdrawals will be required to grow the corn that will serve as feedstock for the ethanol production plants.
The report cites USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service surveys of irrigation rates showing that production of one bushel of corn consumes an average of 2,600 gallons of irrigation water in counties in or near areas of high Ogallala depletion. According to this figure, if only 10 to 20 percent of the ethanol feedstock comes from newly planted irrigated corn acreage near the ethanol plants, water withdrawals from the most depleted parts of the Ogallala region would increase by approximately 59 to 120 billion gallons per year.
This increase is equal to up to 86 percent of the total irrigation water demand of the state of South Dakota and is comparable to the 76 billion gallons of water used annually by the one million customers of the primary water utility for Denver, Colorado, the report states.
What does this have to do with California? Many ethanol plants are being planned for California, too. The Imperial Valley is gearing up for ethanol production, and there has been some concern about the impact on our water resources. For the Sacramento Bee’s column on ethanol & water use, click here.
To read the rest of this article from the Environment News Service, click here.
Radio show highlights California’s water problems
Posted by: Maven on September 21, 2007 at 7:50 amThis was sent to me via email:
Today’s KPFA broadcast of the talk show “Living Room” includes discussion on the California Water Crisis. Guests on the program are Lloyd Carter, former UPI and Fresno Bee reporter who broke the Kesterson wildlife deformity scandal in the Western San Joaquin Valley in the mid-1980s and now an attorney, Tom Stokely, director of California Water Impact Network (c-win.org) and Gary Patton, Executive Director of the Planning and Conservation League (pcl.org). The discussion includes issues related to the governor’s proposed $9 billion water bond.
The water portion of the show starts 23 minutes into the hour long show. You can download it as an MP3 from this site and it will play on your Windows media player. Skip ahead to the 23 minute mark. If you listen at the KPFA website you will have to listen to the first 23 minutes about the protests in Jena, LA.
Click here to go to the KPFA website to listen to the show.
Battle lines drawn between Schwarzenegger’s & Perata’s competing water plans
Posted by: Maven on September 18, 2007 at 11:10 pmFrom the California Progress Report, a news article (not opinion) about both Schwarzenegger’s and Perata’s water plan:
This afternoon the Governor announced that he was proposing $9 billion in “comprehensive water infrastructure’ spending plan and that it would be contained in two bills–authored by Assembly Republican Leader Michael Villines and Republican Senator Dave Cogdill. Before receiving the Governor’s press release, the talk of the town was about a $5 to 6 billion dollar set of bonds.
Neither of these bills announced by the Governor are in print, and there is no indication of whether they are general obligation bonds or revenue bonds. There is no description of them on either the Assembly or Senate Republican sites or that of the Governor’s authors.
Senator Perata has the only bill in print in the special session on water–SB 1 XX (also denominated SB2X 1) which he introduced last Friday and which we’ve already described in some detail in an article on Sunday.
He also has a bill, SB 1002, passed in the regular session that is on the Governor’s desk and ready for his signature or veto.
Click here to read the rest of this article from the California Progress Report, and to read both press releases from the Governor and from Senator Perata.
ACWA praises Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion plan
Posted by: Maven on September 18, 2007 at 11:06 pmThe Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today applauded Governor Schwarzenegger for proposing a new water bond package to improve the state’s water supply and delivery system and address a deepening ecological crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The new proposal will be considered alongside a water package introduced by Senator Don Perata in a special legislative session now under way on water issues.
ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn issued the following statement:
“We commend the Governor for laying out a far-reaching proposal for a comprehensive water package. With these two proposals now on the table, the stage is set for a historic negotiation that can address urgent environmental problems and lead to improvements in California’s water storage and conveyance system with bipartisan support.
This package will be as important to California in 2050 as Governor Pat Brown’s plan for the State Water Project was in 1960.”
Schwarzenegger’s $9 billion boondoggle
Posted by: Maven on September 18, 2007 at 10:35 pmFrom Dan Bacher at the California Progress Report:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office today issued a press release for the $9 billion water bond boondoggle he is trying to ramrod through the California Legislature. For those us of us concerned about the alarming collapse of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, this is very bad news, since the measure will fund the peripheral canal and the building of two new dams and the expansion of an existing dam.
The measure provides for $5.1 billion in surface storage and identifies three sites for this storage – Sites, Temperance Flat Reservoir and the Los Vaqueros Expansion Project. The Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley and Temperance Flat Reservoir in the San Joaquin Valley are included in the bond, in spite of the fact that the water would cost $1,000 to $2,000 per acre foot. Who is going to buy this water?
Schwarzenegger also disguises his plan to build a peripheral canal with his trademark euphemism – the development of a “new conveyance system.” The Governor cannot be truthful with the press and public and just call it for what it is – a peripheral canal or delta canal.
To read the rest of this article on the California Progress Report, click here.
High Country News covers the yuck factor of recycled water
Posted by: Maven on September 17, 2007 at 11:00 pmFrom the High Country News, a timely article on recycled water:
“All we’ve done is recycle the same water on this earth since the beginning of time,” Mike Nivison says. “This [using recycled water] is just a more controlled environment for doing the same thing. I do believe this will be our salvation.”
He’s right, of course: Using water is fundamentally a matter of recycling. Mathematically, you can show that the liquid pouring from your faucet today probably contains some of the same water molecules that George Washington drank in 1776. Remember the water cycle diagram you saw in grade school: Two hydrogen atoms bound to one of oxygen precipitate from clouds as rain or snow, seep into the soil, transpire from leaves, get lapped up by animals, course through streams and rivers, and finally settle, temporarily, in the ocean, only to evaporate once again to start the cycle anew. The idea of reuse is central to our understanding of water – perhaps even a bit compelling, when it comes to sharing molecules with George Washington.
The article covers the history of the San Diego recycled water issue, and a lot more. To read the full text of this article from the High Country News, click here.
Will there be a water deal from the legislature this week?
Posted by: Maven on September 17, 2007 at 8:04 amFrom the California Progress Report, perhaps a major water deal will come as early as Wednesday this week:
No one knows for sure whether a massive multi-billion dollar deal will come together quickly–perhaps by Wednesday–in the special session of the California legislature that is now in session in Sacramento. If they do know, they are not talking.
If agreement is reached and takes place next week, even with the promise that there will be hearings in both policy and fiscal committees before a floor vote, this issue which has such profound implications for the state of California could be done in a day or less, with most of the critical discussions taking place in the closed door caucuses of both parties behind closed doors.
Whatever is passed will have bonds–most probably in the $5 to $6 billion range–which must be approved by the voters as a “general obligation bond” ballot measure–unless a “revenue bond” backed by anticipated payments of those using water is part of the deal, which does not appear likely. General obligation bonds are paid out of the state’s general fund over a period of years and are the garden variety used for most infrastructure of long lasting effect.
This article from the California Progress Report gives the details on Perata’s bill currently being considered in the special session. Any bill passed in the special session will face the voters in the February primary – the deadline to make the ballot is September 27th.
From the article:
There is a feeling amongst some water experts in Sacramento that some of the water districts in Southern California may be becoming a bit more enlightened, perhaps even ahead of the politicians, in wanting to reduce their reliance on the Delta and other water supplies 400 miles to the north. Clean up of vast underground aquifers that can store water closer to where the demand is for its use may be the direction where they will be going and may result in better management of water. While hidden underground and not having the same visual appeal of dams and reservoirs, there is less evaporation and loss of the water–and this may be the direction of plans funded under the other parts of this bond–but they are related to and will have an impact on how the Delta is treated.
To read the full text of the article from the California Progress Report, click here.
However, the San Jose Mercury News does not sound so hopeful that a deal can be reached:
After a year of gridlock, lawmakers say they want to reach deals with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to reform health care and improve the state’s water supply. But a special legislative session called last week by the governor may not result in consensus and compromise. …
On water, environmentalists have locked horns with Republicans over the dams they say are needed to store water. Many Democrats spent most of the year refusing to negotiate, and no deal has emerged, despite a developing drought and a court order that will force the state to stop pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta—which supplies two-thirds of the state’s water.
To read the full text of the San Jose Mercury News article, click here.
Interview with Cynthia Barnett, author of “Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.”
Posted by: Maven on September 17, 2007 at 7:55 amThe watercrunch blog has an interview with author Cynthia Barnett regarding her new book, “Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S.”. From the blog:
I have read several books about water scarcity issues, but they have always been told through a certain western U.S. water point of view. So, it was with great interest when I recently read Cynthia Barnett’s new book, Mirage. Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S., which was published earlier this year.
This book should be a must read book for anyone vaguely interested in water issues. The book flows from start to finish with clarity and fast flowing fluidity. No mind numbing water statistics that you might encounter on this blog. This is a compelling narrative that is part environmental history and part journalism. Personally, she really helped me connect some dots in the historical development of Florida. While the book’s launchpad is from Florida, global water issues are also explored such as the price of water and the bottled-water industry.
Cynthia was gracious enough me to allow me to interview her.
To read the text of the interview on watercrunch blog, click here.
California Infrastructure Videos on YouTube
Posted by: Maven on September 16, 2007 at 9:09 pmHere’s an interesting blogsite I came across today. The blog is called Ten-B Infrastructure & Environment, and this particular post contains three videos.
The first one is an ad from Schwarzenegger’s campaign last year. The second video is a clip from the Cadillac Desert video on the Owens Valley (note: the four-video series is available through the Los Angeles public library system). BY far the most interesting is the third video is a film that was produced by Metropolitan Water District on the peripheral canal back in the 1980′s when it went before the voters.
If you have trouble loading any of the videos, try refreshing the page and then clicking on it.
To visit the Ten-B Infrastructure & Environment blog, click here.
Easy weekend conservation project: Is there algae growing in your gutter?
Posted by: Maven on September 14, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Here is a picture of a gutter filled with algae which was taken around 3pm on a day when temperatures were hovering around 105 degrees. This street is located in Santa Clarita, but I’m sure this is not an isolated problem. I was easily able to find several other streets with the same problem, including my own.
There could be only two explanations for algae growing in the gutter in an arid climate such as ours: either some are watering their lawns too much and/or at the wrong times, or there is a leak.
The Pacific Institute’s report, “Waste Not, Want Not: The Potential for Urban Water Conservation in California”, estimated that up to 32.5% of outdoor water use could be achieved by utilizing efficient irrigating practices. Furthermore, the Pacific Institute estimated that up to 12% of water use is just from leaks. Continue reading “Easy weekend conservation project: Is there algae growing in your gutter?” »
The Governor’s strong arm tactics on water
Posted by: Maven on September 14, 2007 at 10:15 pmFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this week called the Legislature into a special session to push forward his water bond for the 2008 ballot and his health care “reform” package. The Governor, in his mad drive to built an environmentally disastrous peripheral canal and two financially unfeasible dams, is trying to put his water bond measure on the February ballot in order to bypass the needed environmental reviews as required under the law. The Governor’s plan to build a Delta canal to serve the desires of corporate agribusiness and water developers is alarming in light of the current ecosystem crash on the Delta. Due to massive increases in federal and state water exports, the delta smelt is on the verge of extinction and three other pelagic (open water) fish populations – longfin smelt, juvenile striped bass and threadfin shad – have reached record lows. The California Delta-San Francisco Bay Estuary is the largest and most significant estuary on the West Coast of North America and its demise would result in the collapse of chinook salmon, steelhead, halibut, herring, striped bass, green sturgeon and white sturgeon populations up and down the coast.
To read the rest of the Dan Bacher’s article on IndyBay.org, click here.
Long Beach: imminent shortage declared, restrictions put in place
Posted by: Maven on September 13, 2007 at 4:06 pmFrom press release from the Long Beach Water Department, the Board of Water Commissioners today officially declared an imminent water supply shortage, enacting water restrictions citywide. Residents and business owners are asked to immediately:
1. Immediately eliminate over-watering of landscapes and water run-off
2. Reduce showers, and install low flow shower heads
3. Check for potential leaks at home and business
It is now prohibited to:
1. Wash driveways, sidewalks, parking areas, patios, or other outdoor cemented or paved areas with a garden hose, unless attached to a pressurized broom;
2. Irrigate landscape with potable water between 7am and 6pm
3. Irrigate any landscape more than three days per week;
“I’d like to stress that while we continue to communicate our need to conserve more of the water we’re using, it is increasingly clear that what is going to have to take place in not only our community, but throughout Southern California, is a profound lifestyle change in the way all of us think about, and use, water,” stated Frank Clarke, president of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. “Our society is using water inefficiently. The faster we reduce inefficient uses, the longer we will be able to delay or avoid altogether the mandatory cutbacks that will impact us all in a very tangible way.”
To read the full text of the press release from the Long Beach Water Department, which includes a list of helpful water and conservation links, click here.
Indian tribe intends to sue of So. Nev. Water Authority’s Snake Valley pipeline
Posted by: Maven on September 13, 2007 at 2:54 pmFrom the Public News Service, regarding Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plan to pump groundwater from the Snake Valley:
The peer reviewed study in this month’s edition of Bioscience says if the state approves the pipeline and other projects on the drawing board, the proposed amount of water to be taken could be twice the actual amount available in the effected basins in the two states. Residents in affected areas could end up having to pay for water to replace what they currently have. That has Utah’s Goshute Reservation leader Ed Naranjo worried and talking to his lawyers.
“The Southern Nevada Water Authority has been purchasing ranches to the west of us to secure water rights. But for us, this is a reservation and it cannot be sold. People are going to die, animals are going to die, nothing will remain.”
The tribe has notified the Bureau of Indian Affairs they intend to sue.
To read the full text of the story from Public News Service, click here.
ACWA Launches public education campaign
Posted by: Maven on September 12, 2007 at 4:46 pmFrom the ACWA website:
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today announced the launch of a statewide public education program, entitled “California’s Water: A Crisis We Can’t Ignore,” to educate Californians about critical challenges now confronting the state’s water supply and delivery system, including a deepening crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta) and a recent court-ordered massive reduction in our statewide water supply. Information on the program can be obtained at www.calwatercrisis.org.
“We are facing some of the most significant challenges to our water system in a half-century, yet the public is largely unaware of it,” said Timothy Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies, which represents nearly all of the state’s water agencies. “Just two weeks ago, a federal court ordered a massive reduction in our statewide water supply – potentially one of the largest court-ordered reductions in California history. This crisis isn’t coming; it is here and now.”
• The Delta, a key natural estuary and the main pathway through which more than 25 million Californians and 2.5 million acres of farmland receive their water, is broken and vulnerable to a natural disaster that could cripple water deliveries for an extended period.
• Just two weeks ago, a federal court cut water supplies from the state’s two largest water delivery systems by up to one-third to protect an endangered fish – potentially the largest court-ordered water supply reduction in California history.
• The state’s population is growing rapidly, but our statewide water system has not been significantly improved in 30 years.
Despite intense media attention and focus by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and legislators, most Californians have little understanding and awareness of the state’s water problems and their potential impact on our economy, environment and quality of life.
“It’s clear that Californians are largely unaware of the crisis at hand,” added Quinn. “This program is aimed at changing that. Californians need to know that these problems could affect water supplies in nearly every region of the state in the coming months and years.”
Marking the beginning of a multi-million dollar public education program, ACWA today began running radio ads throughout the state – television ads are slated to appear next week. During the next several months, the program will reach the public directly through television, radio and print advertising, as well as the Internet and community outreach. These challenges in our statewide water system could have significant impacts on our quality of life, environment, agricultural production and the general economy – it is imperative the public understands the seriousness of the situation.
The program, funded by voluntary contributions from public water agencies throughout the state, is currently scheduled to run through the end of 2007. ACWA’s public education program launch comes on the heels of the unprecedented federal court ruling and a historic water summit convened last month by Governor Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Feinstein to call attention to the mounting crisis within our statewide water system and the Delta specifically. During that summit, state leaders and experts discussed critical water challenges and pointed to the need for more public education on the Delta crisis and other water issues.
“As public agencies responsible for delivering water on a daily basis, we have an obligation to inform our customers of issues that could affect their water supplies,” added Quinn.
More information on the education program, including an audio file of our new radio ad, can be obtained at www.calwatercrisis.org.
Metropolitan Water District battle cry: quell the quagga!
Posted by: Maven on September 11, 2007 at 8:05 pmFrom Business Wire:
Stepping up efforts to help contain the spread of quagga mussels in key sections of Southern California’s regional imported water system, Metropolitan Water District’s Board of Directors today authorized a range of additional actions aimed at the highly invasive mollusk.
Metropolitan’s board appropriated $5.9 million to design and build chlorination facilities at crucial district reservoirs, including Diamond Valley Lake in southwest Riverside County, and to design isolation barriers along the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct. Along with facility upgrades, Metropolitan will intensify boat inspections at Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Skinner through enhanced training for reservoir operators and marina staff.
“The pace at which we’ve ramped up our comprehensive efforts to control the proliferation of quagga mussels in our water sources that supply 18 million Southern Californians demonstrates how seriously we are taking this threat,” said Metropolitan board Chairman Timothy F. Brick.
“We plan to take whatever actions are necessary to manage the number of quagga in our source waters, particularly along the Colorado River Aqueduct and in our reservoirs,” Brick added. “As the region’s primary imported water provider, we have an obligation to exhaust all available options to help quell the quagga.”
To read the rest of the text of this press release from Metropolitan Water District, posted on Business Wire, click here.
Governor calls a special session to deal with water (& health care) issues
Posted by: Maven on September 11, 2007 at 8:01 pmFrom the Office of the Governor:
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today called the Legislature into special sessions to complete work on two issues: enacting comprehensive health care reform and ensuring a safe, clean and reliable water supply.
“These issues are vital to our state and the quality of life of all Californians. We made great progress on both fronts but budget negotiations took two months longer than we thought and we ran out of time. We owe it to the people of California to finish our work on these important reforms. I have met with the legislative leaders and I have no doubt that if we put in the extra time and effort – and if we have the will – we can achieve the results that the people of California expect and deserve.”
Regarding water issues:
Improving California’s water system, to ensure a reliable water supply for both our environment and our economy, is a top priority for the Governor. A recent federal court ruling significantly restricted water deliveries taken from the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta to the Bay Area, Central Valley and Southern California, which could lead to a more than 30 percent reduction in water supply and possibly result in mandatory rationing. At the same time, California’s population continues to grow, placing additional pressures on future water supply reliability. To protect water supplies for all Californians, the Governor proposed a significant investment in ground and surface water storage, Delta preservation and the development of a new conveyance system.
Tim Quinn of the Association of California Water Agencies issued this statement:
The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today applauded Governor Schwarzenegger for calling a special legislative session to deal with water issues and pledged to work with lawmakers to craft a package that works for the environment and Californians.
ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn issued the following statement:
“We applaud Governor Schwarzenegger’s recognition that the urgent water problems we face require the immediate attention of lawmakers. We are indeed in a dire situation that stems from the ecological crisis in the Delta and the inadequacy of our water conveyance and storage system.
“ACWA also appreciates the time and attention that legislators will devote to this issue. We pledge to do whatever we can to help develop a workable package to protect and restore the environment and ensure high quality, reliable water supplies for Californians and our economy.”
ACWA is a statewide association of public agencies whose 450 members are responsible for about 90% of the water delivered in California. For more information, visit www.acwa.com.
Metropolitan Water District also issued a press release in support of the special session, saying:
“A special session will give California’s water issues the focused attention it deserves,” said Metropolitan General Manager Jeff Kightlinger. “We are optimistic that, with the continued leadership of state Senate and Assembly leaders, a comprehensive package addressing the problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is within reach.”
“A healthy Delta is a key to a reliable water supply for Metropolitan,” said MWD board Chairman Timothy F. Brick. “The continued leadership of the state Legislature and the Governor is paramount to making that happen.
“In the short and long term, continued investment in regional and local resources will help ensure and diversify reliable water supplies to meet Southern California’s future needs,” Brick added.
To read the full text of Metropolitan Water District’s press release, posted on Business Wire, click here.
Farmers ponder the effect of the smelt ruling on agriculture
Posted by: Maven on September 11, 2007 at 4:13 pmFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
Fallout continues from the Aug. 31 federal court decision aimed at protecting delta smelt as farmers and politicians try to translate what the ruling means for agriculture and the state. The judge’s order changes the way water is exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and could end up reducing water supplies for farms and homes by 2 million acre-feet a year.
For growers like Salinas-based Tanimura and Antle who provide vegetables for the fresh market nearly year- round, the delta smelt decision has had a wrenching effect on planting intentions for the coming season.
Gary Tanimura, whose company grows vegetable crops on the west side of Fresno County and relies on Westlands Water District, said, “We’re looking at the worst case scenario–a minimal amount of water next year. Our Huron ranches provide spring and fall lettuce deals. We’re saving water for that acreage. “The biggest change will be cutting back on crops and acreage that we’ve had in the past,” Tanimura said. “We won’t be growing processing tomatoes and peppers, for example, garlic too. We’ll be fallowing some ground because we won’t have enough water to farm all of the ranch. We don’t know how much ground we’ll fallow. We’re looking at well water and how much we can count on there. We’re still working on the numbers and studying all possibilities.”
But the west side of Fresno isn’t the only problem he’ll be facing. The other growing area that will be affected by the delta smelt decision is San Benito County. “If we don’t get good rainfall this winter, another dry year might affect water allocations in that district and impact growers who supply us there,” Tanimura said. “If the water doesn’t get into storage in the San Luis Reservoir, which right now is at the lowest point I’ve ever seen, they won’t have the water supplies they rely on.” Continue reading “Farmers ponder the effect of the smelt ruling on agriculture” »
Mexican Supreme Court to review legality of 1944 water treaty
Posted by: Maven on September 10, 2007 at 7:29 amFrom Mexidata:
Ruling unanimously, Supreme Court justices decided that parties that suffer the consequences of an international treaty could attain legal status in a dispute. Supreme Court Minister Jesus Gudino Pelayo observed that “sociological and agricultural” issues were at stake in the Tamaulipas complaint. Minister Jose Ramon Cassio said that the court would consider the specific water rights of Mexican irrigators who draw water from the Rio Grande.
Tamaulipas farmers from Irrigation District 25 argue that premature water deliveries from the Amistad and Falcon reservoirs on the US-Mexico border resulted in water allotment cutbacks by the National Water Commission this year. ….
Mexican irrigators are receiving support in their legal challenge from the administration of Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores, who recently told farmers that he supported their demands for a rightful share of water. “We will continue dedicating our determination and political will to the question of international water distribution, giving it the highest priority,” Governor Hernandez vowed.
Hey, that’s the Rio Grande, so why, exactly, is this significant, you ask? Because the 1944 treaty with Mexico also determined the allocation Mexico would receive from the Colorado River. Aqua Blog Maven is guessing that any mucking with the water rights of the Rio Grande will also end up affecting Mexican water rights from the Colorado River.
A possible precedent-setting case, the Tamaulipas controversy carries ramifications for Baja California, which receives US water deliveries from the Colorado River under the 1944 treaty. Competition for the river water is growing among municipal, industrial, agricultural and rural users.
On a broader note, the Supreme Court’s action could also impact the negotiation and enforcement of international treaties in Mexico. “The court will have the possibility of establishing novel criteria that will be able to be used for future cases,” said Chief Justice Guillermo I. Ortiz Mayogoitia.
It’s not known when Mexico’s Supreme Court will issue a final ruling on the Tamaulipas water users case.
To read the full text of the story from Mexiwire, click here.
Aging water infrastructure: the looming crisis no one wants to talk about
Posted by: Maven on September 9, 2007 at 6:54 amA reader, JT, posted a comment on the story I posted a couple of days ago regarding San Diego and their recycled water. The city, in spite of all of its water supply issues, is operating their plant at 1/3rd of capacity, and letting the water run out to sea. Mixing the water into the reservoirs is too controversial, and no one is willing to put in the purple pipe.
I had commented that I felt the city make an effort to use this water, by requiring new developments to install purple pipe, and to run pipe out to the largest water users or to city parks. JT commented:
The cost to install underground utilities would be borne by the utility. The end product sold, especially to commercial accounts, would be reinvested into the infrastructure. Oops, I used the “I” word, something we are loath to hear, because we don’t wan to pay now. We would rather pay later in accidents, death and congestion.
JT brings up a good point: our ailing infrastructure, another unpopular thing to spend money on. Politicians would rather be building new schools, libraries or highways instead – ribbon cutting ceremonies in front of sewer lines just lack the same impact. Truth is, folks, that most of our infrastructure in older cities is reaching the end of its useful life, and more problems inevitably lie ahead. Here’s a story from the New York Times that illustrates this:
Local and state officials across the country say thousands of miles of century-old underground water and sewer lines are springing leaks, eroding and — in extreme cases — causing the ground above them to collapse. Though there is no master tally of sinkholes, there is consensus among civil engineers and water experts that things are getting worse.
The Environmental Protection Agency has projected that unless cities invest more to repair and replace their water and sewer systems, nearly half of the water system pipes in the United States will be in poor, very poor or “life elapsed” status by 2020. “I’m not exaggerating,” said Stephen P. Allbee, a project director in the agency’s water division who helped make the projections. “It’s a really, really big public issue, and it’s going to be with us for a long time.”
Local geology or underground hazards are blamed for many sinkholes: weak limestone in Florida, old mineshafts in Pennsylvania. But increasingly, the authorities say, as America’s cities grow older and basic repairs are put off, when the ground gives way the problem is bad pipes.
In its 2005 “Report Card for America’s Infrastructure,” the American Society of Civil Engineers gave water and wastewater infrastructure across the country a D-minus and suggested it would take an investment of $390 billion to bring wastewater infrastructure alone up to par.
To read the full text of the story from the New York Times, click here.
Here’s an article on the same subject which talks about San Diego’s infrastructure problems, although the problems are not just limited to San Diego:
San Diego is assessing the condition of its 33 miles of corrugated metal pipes, which have caused several sinkholes, says Mohammed Sammak, deputy director of the Streets Division. “We put in a majority of our corrugated metal pipes in the 1950s, 1960s and early ‘70s,” Sammak says. The lifespan of each pipe depends on its thickness, the material used to coat it, and the weight of material on top of it.
San Diego has had to repair three major sinkholes in the past year, Sammak says. On June 6, one opened up in the middle of one of the city’s largest intersections. “It happened on a Friday afternoon when traffic was worst,” Sammak says. “It was very, very disruptive.” However, because it was on a public right of way, fixing the sinkhole only cost around $40,000 with city crews doing the work. Another sinkhole that was caused by a city-owned pipe on private property cost nearly $700,000 including litigation fees.
To read the full text of this article from American City & County, click here.
DWR’s Lester Snow addresses Quagga mussel spread
Posted by: Maven on September 7, 2007 at 8:59 pmFrom Business Wire:
State water officials are taking actions to protect California’s State Water Project (SWP) – and other water resources – from an invasive species, the Quagga mussel. The mussel can clog water systems, alter food webs in ecosystems and damage boat engines. Thus far, Quagga mussels have not been found in the SWP, though two major Southern California water systems have tested positive for them.
“To combat the spread of Quagga mussels in California water systems, we urge boaters to wash their boats and drain all water upon leaving a reservoir and before trailering to launch in another lake,” said California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director Lester Snow.
Monitoring of the SWP for the mussel is being expanded, as is outreach to boaters whose trailered vessels can spread the mollusks from lake to lake.
So far, Quagga mussels have not shown up in any State Water Project reservoirs.
To read the full text of this press release from Business Wire, click here.
NRDC: Cities and farms need a healthy Delta for clean water
Posted by: Maven on September 7, 2007 at 8:52 pmFrom the Natural Resources Defense Council press release:
The San Francisco Bay-Delta needs an infusion of fresh, clean water, if California is going to continue to rely on it to supply thirsty farms and cities, according to the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit over the threatened delta smelt. Attorneys and experts at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) say a federal judge’s order to reduce the amount of water pumped from the delta is an opportunity to restore an invaluable resource to millions of Californians.
“The San Francisco Bay-Delta cannot properly perform its vital function of providing clean water for the people of California, if it is so degraded that it cannot even support the tiny delta smelt,” said Barry Nelson, co-director of NRDC’s western water project. “After years of increased diversions of fresh water from the delta, resulting in a sicker and sicker ecosystem, we finally have a judge’s order to give our water supply a break.”
NRDC said the ruling late last week by Judge Oliver Wanger in federal court in Fresno can help improve the quality of drinking water drawn from the delta. It said delta farmers who struggle to irrigate their crops with water that’s too salty from the overdrafting of the delta will also benefit from the judge’s order. In addition, the ruling will help protect the delta recreational fishing economy and the jobs of North Coast salmon fishermen.
“This ruling helps protect our wild salmon – healthy, delicious food that doesn’t require a subsidy to get to the dinner plate – and the jobs of hard working men and women who bring that fish to market,” said Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fisherman’s Associations. Continue reading “NRDC: Cities and farms need a healthy Delta for clean water” »
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