Bad bonds and good legislation: special committee on water gets an earful

Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2008 at 1:20 pm

From the California Progress Report:

On Tuesday, the Assembly Special Committee on Water passed two strong water bills to the Assembly Floor and also heard testimony from many parties who have serious concerns about proposals to place a nearly $10 billion water bond on the November ballot.

The committee’s first order of business was to pass SBX2 1 (Perata), which appropriates existing bond funds for much needed ecosystem restoration, water quality, and water supply reliability projects, and ABX2 7 (Wolk) , which ensures water planning and management will incorporate existing information on the impacts of climate change to water resources. SBX2 1 subsequently passed off of the Assembly Floor on Thursday and ABX2 7 is scheduled to be heard on the Assembly Floor on Friday. Both of these bills have garnered broad support and are priority bills for the environmental community.

The committee then turned its attention to an informational hearing on the Assembly water bond proposal, ABX2 8, and the bond proposed by Governor Schwarzenegger and U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. Both these proposals would provide over $9 billion in bond funds. Both include $3 billion for highly controversial water storage projects including new dams. The informational hearing consisted of several panels of stakeholders giving their input on the water proposals.

Read more from the California Progress Report by clicking here.

South San Joaquin Irrigation District considers anaerobic digester

Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2008 at 7:20 am

From Biomass Magazine:

The South San Joaquin Irrigation District, which provides irrigation water for the agricultural areas surrounding the cities of Escalon, Ripon, and Manteca in California, has begun a feasibility study to determine if the district should build an anaerobic digester to assist area dairy farmers, as well as produce and sell electricity. SSJID is considering a proposal to build a digester for Brasil & Sons Dairy Inc. in Escalon, which has 2,850 cattle that could supply feedstock for the facility.

Because the San Joaquin Valley has air quality problems and dairy operations contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, building an anaerobic digester in the district is not a new idea for the area, according to Jeff Shields, general manager for SSJID. There are as many as 120,000 head of cattle in the valley that contribute to the problem, he said. “Our interest is in helping dairy farmers deal with that,” Shields said. “To the extent that any of those facilities individually or collectively might represent 700 to 1,000 head of cattle, it might make sense for anaerobic digestion to be developed here.”

Read more from Biomass Magazine by clicking here.

Court restores clean water protections in Southern California; Order blocking government enforcement of water quality standards reversed

Posted by: Maven on August 30, 2008 at 7:11 am

From the National Resources Defense Council, this press release:

Ruling on a post-trial motion by environmental groups, an Orange County Superior Court yesterday reversed the part of a July 2, 2008 judgment that blocked the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board from enforcing many water quality standards that control Southern California’s worst source of water pollution, storm water runoff.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), on behalf of itself, Heal the Bay, and Santa Monica Baykeeper, intervened in the case earlier this year after Judge Thierry Patrick Colaw ruled the water board did not follow the proper procedure when it applied water quality standards for Los Angeles and Ventura County waterways to control polluted runoff. The July 2 ruling suspended the water board’s ability to enforce many water quality standards to control storm water runoff pending further review of standards by the board. Water quality standards play a pivotal rule in pollution control because they serve as legal limits on the amount of dangerous pollutants, such as bacteria and toxic chemicals, that can be discharged to local waterways.

In post-trial motions and objections filed this summer, NRDC, Heal the Bay, and Baykeeper argued that preventing the water board from enforcing the standards, even temporarily, would be harmful to the environment and public health. In yesterday’s decision, Judge Colaw agreed that halting enforcement or application of the water quality standards pending review by the water boards could have “unintended consequences which cannot be predicted.”

The environmental groups are reviewing aspects of the July 2 judgment left in place by the Court finding that the water board failed to abide by proper procedure when it applied water quality standards to storm water.

Following is a statement by David Beckman, lead counsel and co-director of NRDC’s Water Program:

“Today’s decision means that California can get back to enforcing indispensable clean water standards that protect people from getting sick at local beaches and wildlife from toxicity in local waterways. These standards protect drinking water supplies, people at the beach, and fish in our rivers, so this is great news for everyone in Southern California.”

Read more from the NRDC by clicking here.

State Board of Food and Agriculture comments on Delta Vision plan: says plan “will imperil California’s food security by discouraging private investment and the adaptive capacity of working farms and ranches to adjust to ordinary growing conditions and climate change”

Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2008 at 7:58 am

Submitted directly to Aquafornia (note: emphasis is included as submitted):

August 28, 2008

Philip Isenberg, Chair
Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force
650 Capitol Mall
Sacramento, CA 95814

Subject: California State Board of Food and Agriculture Comments on the Delta Vision Strategic Plan (Third Draft)

Dear Chairman Isenberg:

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture takes strong exception to the Delta Vision Strategic Plan because it is premised upon false assumptions about agriculture’s role in the Delta, and in California as a whole, in addressing water rights, the public trust doctrine and beneficial use. As currently written, the Delta Vision Strategic Plan will imperil California’s food security by discouraging private investment and the adaptive capacity of working farms and ranches to adjust to ordinary growing conditions and climate change.

We strongly object to the characterization of agriculture’s lawful exercise of water rights as “archaic.” This assumes that agricultural water use is a low priority in comparison to other beneficial uses and working farms and ranches are something of a legacy industry rather than a strategic resource that is important to California’s economy, health and overall welfare. Recasting agricultural water use in this fashion implicates the Public Trust Doctrine and ultimately has a negative impact on private infrastructure investments (such as levees) that provide tangential public benefit (such as flood protection and habitat). Additionally, using the Public Trust Doctrine in this fashion discourages private investments in future sustainable farming and ignores the contribution and foundational investments made by California’s working farms and ranches in the basic infrastructure of the Delta and to the statewide water system.

By dictating water use amounts, the Delta Vision Strategic Plan would deny working farms and ranches the ability to provide food, fiber, fuel, and habitat by eliminating the ability to adapt, not only local growing conditions but to factors such as global climate change. The science of farming is a practice closely tied to nature that does not lend itself to prescribed inputs by government. Similar experiments have taken place in the former Soviet Union and People’s Republic of China which regulated farming inputs and lost their ability to feed their own populations.

In summary, the California State Board of Food and Agriculture emphatically opposes the Delta Vision Strategic Plan’s recommendations that are premised on flawed legal analysis and assumptions about agriculture’s role in the Delta and the state. These misunderstandings of the natural processes that drive farming cannot promote government managed mandated limits to an input as basic as water. In order to reach our mutual goal of achieving a safe, reliable, and abundant water supply we strongly encourage you to properly characterize working farms and ranches in the proper context illustrating their critical, co-equal contributions to food security, energy independence, climate change, and habitat solutions.

Sincerely,

Alfred Montna
President

Perata’s measure to improve state’s water system passes Assembly committee

Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2008 at 6:40 am

From the California Chronicle:

Legislation by Senate President pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) that would fund water storage, reliability and conservation efforts with already approved bond money cleared the Assembly Special Committee on Water.

SB 1XX (Second Extraordinary Session) appropriates $842 million in Proposition 84 and Proposition 1-E dollars that voters passed in 2006. These funds are desperately needed by water agencies to address the current water drought and fire crisis and to provide immediate investments in water supply reliability.

“This bill is the first step to addressing California´s long-term water needs,” Perata said. “SB 1XX gets money out the door immediately so water agencies can tackle the most pressing problems, boost supplies and improve water reliability for all Californians.”

The legislation includes $200 million to help stabilize the Sacramento San Joaquin Bay Delta, the fulcrum of the state´s water supply system. The funding will help prevent catastrophic failure of the Delta´s levees and accommodate pumping restrictions mandated by a federal court ruling. In addition, SB 1XX provides $100 million to help clean up ground water basins in Southern California that can store more water than the entire volume of Lake Tahoe.

Get a rundown of specific projects that will be funded by this measure from the California Chronicle by clicking here.

Above all: San Diego’s Kumeyaay water rights threatened

Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2008 at 6:37 am

From Indian Country Today, an article written by Steven Newcomb of the Indigenous Law Institute, which discusses the history of the Kumeyaay Nation:

Recently, the San Diego Union Tribune published a story about water and the Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation. (”Seeking stable source of water, Sycuan looks to Otay District” [July 3, 2008]) The article explained that Sycuan may decide to ”annex its reservation to the nearby Otay Water District” in order to provide the Sycuan Band with enough water for its future business and community needs. But the story failed to mention the many thousands of years that the Kumeyaay utilized the waters in their homeland for their villages and traditional way of life.

The news story also did not address how difficult it is to get non-Native people to learn about and recognize the full scope of Kumeyaay water rights. This is the result of an assumption that the non-Native society is more entitled than the Kumeyaay to the water within the Kumeyaay territory.

In the book ”Hispanic Law,” (1968) author E. N. Kleffens explains that because of the history of Spanish colonization, Castilian crown law is, in ”varying degrees,” ”still effective with respect to … the law of land and water …” in states such as California (and other places such as New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah).

When the U.S. assumed possession of that portion of Mexico described in the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the laws of the Spanish crown and of the Mexican Republic that were in effect remained in force. A specific legal provision had to be subsequently revised within and by the U.S. system of government.

Steven Newcomb notes that when the U.S. signed the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the laws of the Spanish crown & Mexican Republic were to remain in force, (and Aquafornia notes that in fact, Los Angeles successfully made claims to water rights in the area under the ‘pueblo water rights’), and writes:

… this aspect of Castilian crown law has obviously not been upheld by the United States, by the state of California, or by the City and County of San Diego. Nonetheless, given a Kumeyaay existence that predates the European invasion of Kumeyaay lands by thousands of years, and given that Section 49 of the Laws of the Indies has not been superseded by Congress, the people of California and the City and County of San Diego have a moral obligation and legal responsibility to respect the water rights of the Kumeyaay Nation and of all the indigenous nations of the geographical area known as California (as well as Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah).

Read more from Indian Country Today by clicking here.

Will thirsty states get Great Lakes water? A new compact protecting the Great Lakes is set to pass Congress, but there are a few green critics with serious concerns

Posted by: Maven on August 29, 2008 at 6:10 am

From AlterNet:

For 25 years, residents around the Great Lakes have worried that thirstier regions (or even countries) would make designs on their water. The lakes’ bounty as the single largest freshwater source in the world (holding 18 percent of the Earth’s available surface freshwater) has inspired the eight surrounding states to try to formulate a legal shield ensuring their water stays in their own backyards.

Now, a quarter-century of fitful but fruitful work to come up with a common, enforceable agreement that would ban the export of Great Lakes water in (among other things) pipelines and railroad cars is just one house of Congress away from final federal consent. The long regional nightmare of Great Lakes drained to green golf courses in Arizona is almost over. Business, government and environmental advocates are singing the praises of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Compact.

But a few voices scattered across the region are charging that the compact, as written, will actually facilitate the commercial export of Great Lakes water.

One of the most vocal voices has been Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich. He fired off letters to the U.S. trade representative, the Department of State and the International Joint Commission (a U.S.-Canadian body that administers the Boundary Waters Treaty, which covers the Great Lakes), asking them to comment on the potential for sale of Great Lakes water.

“Ratifying the compact could allow Great Lakes water to no longer be held within the public trust and instead be defined as a product for commercial use,” says Stupak, whose huge northern Michigan district contains more than 1,500 miles of shoreline on Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. “I want to thoroughly understand the lasting impact this compact could have on Great Lakes water for years to come. It took the governors more than three years to get this done, so it is not unreasonable for Congress to take the time necessary to make sure we are not opening the door for the commercialization (of) Great Lakes water.”

What’s all the fuss about? It depends in part on whether any given reviewer of the compact thinks it opens the sluices of the Great Lakes for commercial capture and sale, or is a pragmatic recognition of the reality of an already thriving bottled water industry that dramatically advances sustainable water policy in a region used to water abundance, and waste.

The differences of opinion between supporters and critics of the compact are stark.

Read more from AlterNet by clicking here.

Put down the credit card, says commentary; “Rather than address our problems as a one-time purchase, we need to come up with a steady “stream” of financing that we can use to take on the big, ongoing problems facing our state’s water systems”

Posted by: Maven on August 28, 2008 at 8:04 am

From the California Progress Report, this commentary by Jim Metropulos of the Sierra Club:

It’s great that our state’s leaders want to take on our state’s water woes, and that the California Assembly has dived into this issue with enthusiasm. But right now, they are talking about spending $10 billion for water – and essentially putting that charge on a “credit card” of more bond-money borrowing. Annual payments on existing borrowing already represent the fourth-largest expenditure in the state’s budget.

Rather than address our problems as a one-time purchase, we need to come up with a steady “stream” of financing that we can use to take on the big, ongoing problems facing our state’s water systems:

• A collapsing Delta capable of delivering an unprecedented shock to the 23 million Californians who drink its water;

• Worsening water quality, as bacteria, trash, pharmaceuticals, plastic byproducts and nitrates poison our rivers and streams;

• Costly, unnecessary dam proposals that would cost billions to build and benefit only a few;

• And a complete failure to regulate groundwater, which plays an increased role in drinking water supplies during droughts.

A one-time water bond won’t do enough to address those problems, and it definitely doesn’t provide a consistent, stable source of funding for water.

Read more of Jim Metropulos’ commentary at the California Progress Report by clicking here.

Assemblyman LaMalfa Responds To Democrats’ “Water Bond” Proposal: Notes that plan contains no protections for water rights

Posted by: Maven on August 28, 2008 at 7:53 am

From the California State Assembly Republican Caucus:

Assemblyman Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, today stated his opposition to the $9.8 billion dollar bond proposal considered in the state Assembly’s Special Committee on Water. LaMalfa has long advocated a comprehensive solution to the state’s water supply problems that includes secure funding for new surface storage, but he said this proposal does not meet that standard.

“This so-called “water bond” actually has more funding for environmentalists’ pet projects than it does for projects that would help people,” said LaMalfa. “Of the $9.8 billion in borrowed tax dollars this plan would spend, less than a third would be available to build new surface storage. Even worse, there is no guarantee that a single dollar would actually go to any major storage projects at all. Billions could all be frittered away on habitat projects that not only don’t help a single Californian, but haven’t been proven to work, either.”

The bond plan considered today, Assembly Bill 8xx, is Democrat legislators’ response to Republican calls for a water bond to address California’s water crisis. However, the plan would spend over three billion dollars directly on environmental projects, and billions more could ultimately be redirected to such projects. The Republican plan authored by Assemblyman George Plescia has not been allowed a hearing.

“The need for new surface storage is clear: the North State reservoirs that supply water to much of the state are dangerously low, with Lake Shasta at 45% of capacity and Lake Oroville at a thirty- year low with just 38% of capacity,” added LaMalfa. “We’re already seeing communities in Southern California planning for mandatory rationing next year, and many farmers are being forced to cut back their crops due to water shortages. Relying on entirely on conservation and groundwater is not a realistic option for our state, and it is clear that we need new surface storage for both urban and agricultural use.”

LaMalfa also expressed frustration that this proposal was not the first that failed to include funding for real water supply projects.

“Any water bond measure must contain dedicated funding for new surface storage. Of key importance to us in the North State is protection for area of origin water rights, as well as to provide a comprehensive solution to our water crisis. This plan fails to meet these standards,” LaMalfa said. “California will be home to nearly fifty million people in twenty years and our water supply is already stretched to the limit. We need new surface storage, and I won’t support a bond proposal that fails to provide dedicated funding to increase our supply of water.”

Water washes away Democrats united front

Posted by: Maven on August 27, 2008 at 12:26 pm

Can you stand another story about John McCain’s statement about renegotiating the Colorado compact? Well, here’s another, this one from the blog “DMC @ the Conventions” but this one isn’t as much about McCain’s statement as it is about the background and history behind the issue:

But whether it was a calculated statement, or an inadvertent slip of the tongue, McCain brought up an uncomfortable and, at least among non-politicians, an undisputed truth: Colorado has the water and the lower basin states have the people. To the extent that there is available, unappropriated water in the Colorado River basin, it belongs to Colorado and the upper basin states.

Along with McCain’s home state of Arizona, California and Nevada have struggled as booming populations and regional droughts have exacerbated the impact of stagnant or diminishing water resources. Renegotiation of the compact might substantially benefit Arizona and its neighbors, and might also damage the interests of the upper basin states.

But as Western Water Assessment Director Brad Udall said last year, Colorado and Arizona may be fighting over phantom water. The drought of the past several years, Udall said, had resulted in the loss of 30 million acre feet of water from storage in Lake Mead and Lake Powell, meaning that any unappropriated water in the Colorado exists only on paper. And while last year’s wet winter has improved storage in both reservoirs, the underlying situation is unchanged.

During the Democratic National Convention in Denver this week, Colorado Rep. John Salazar and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano offered very different perspectives about the continuing regional water wars.

“Water is the lifeblood of Colorado,” Salazar said. “That’s a bipartisan coalition. Without water, we don’t have an economy, there’s no more room to develop. (Renegotiating the compact) would devastate this state.”

Napolitano’s position was more nuanced, and she cited the fact that the compact has already been revised. “I don’t think that Sen. McCain was aware of this, but we just redid the Colorado River compact in 2007,” she said. “That was signed. The Colorado River is not the most important source (of Arizona’s water). There are lots of pieces to the water puzzle other than the compact. There’s recharge, growth management techniques, re-use – just ways that we use water more efficiently.

“There are lots of things to the water puzzle beyond the Colorado River, but, as I said, we just reinked new amendments to the Colorado River Compact.”

However ‘re-doing’ isn’t quite the same as renegotiating, this blog post points out, and continues on with a very level-headed discussion of the Colorado compact. A good read – worth the click through. Read more from the DMC@the conventions blog by clicking here.

Desalination closer to reality in California

Posted by: Maven on August 27, 2008 at 12:08 pm

From Discovery News:

California is closer to hosting the largest desalination plant in the country, but not everybody thinks it’s a good idea.

Some environmental groups remain concerned about the impacts of the plant on the coastal environment, despite attempts to mitigate these concerns by Poseidon Resources of Stamford, Conn., the company that wants to build the plant. The plant would turn seawater into drinking water and provide a drought-proof water supply for about 300,000 people.

Whether or not the plant goes forward may have an impact on similar proposals around the country. There are, for example, an estimated 17 other proposed desalination plants just in California. Interest in desalination is likely to grow as pressure increases on the nation’s water supply, especially in the West.

Late last week the California State Land Commission granted the last remaining permit that Poseidon needed to go ahead with construction of the 50-million-gallon-per-day facility in Carlsbad, Calif., near San Diego, which they aim to have running by 2011.

But Marco Gonzalez, an attorney representing the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental group based in Encinitas that focuses on waves and beaches, said Surfrider would continue to work to block the plant’s construction by following up with lawsuits.

“We recognize that desalination is a likely part of our future water supply portfolio,” he told Discovery News. “But our concern is that its time has not yet arrived.”

Read more from Discovery News by clicking here.

Fishery groups take aim at ‘ridiculous’ lawsuit filed by Central Valley water users

Posted by: Maven on August 27, 2008 at 12:02 pm

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:

A coalition of Central Valley water agencies that import water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta re-filed a lawsuit that attempts to blame the beleaguered striped bass for the collapse of delta smelt and Central Valley Chinook salmon — signaling their resolve to confuse the public and blame others for the decline of the Delta fisheries.

Calling themselves the “Coalition for a Sustainable Delta,” the water groups first filed a lawsuit in January 2008 claiming that efforts by the California Fish and Game Commission and California Department Fish and Game to support the striped bass accelerated the demise of endangered salmon and smelt. U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger dismissed the complaint on July 24, 2008 because the Coalition lacked standing to bring the lawsuit. The coalition amended and re-filed their complaint on August 22, 2008.

“This lawsuit is a poorly disguised attempt to deflect attention away from the primary cause of the decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary,” said Bill Jennings, Executive Director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA), one of three fishery groups who have intervened on behalf of the State. “The truth is that the massive increase in the diversion of water in recent years has accelerated the crash of the Delta fisheries. Although many factors such as pollution, urban development, and invasive species affect the Delta, excessive water diversion is the leading cause of the decline in the fisheries.”

Experts also disagree with the Coalition’s premise for the lawsuit. “Delta smelt, salmon and striped bass have successfully co-existed in this ecosystem for more than a century. There is no evidence that recent population declines of either delta smelt or Chinook salmon resulted from predation by striped bass, whose numbers have also collapsed,” says Dr. Tina Swanson, a nationally recognized expert on the delta smelt who is affiliated with The Bay Institute. “In contrast, there is strong scientific evidence that dams, water diversions, pollution and the collapse of the planktonic food web in the upper estuary are harming all the fishes that rely on the Bay-Delta.”

Continue reading “Fishery groups take aim at ‘ridiculous’ lawsuit filed by Central Valley water users” »

ACWA welcomes new water bond bill: calls for legislature to act now to put measure on November ballot

Posted by: Maven on August 27, 2008 at 8:19 am

From Market Watch:

The Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA) today renewed its support for a comprehensive water bond for the November ballot and called on lawmakers to reach agreement on a package before time runs out.

“We are in the midst of a water crisis that threatens our environment and our economy, and it grows worse each day that we delay action on a comprehensive water package,” ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said. “Californians have waited long enough for a solution. The time to move forward is now.”

During the past six weeks, three constructive proposals for a comprehensive water bond have been put forth. In July, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed a $9.3 billion bond, which the ACWA board voted unanimously to support, recognizing that further negotiation would be necessary. Two additional water bond bills were introduced in recent days. AB 8XX (Huffman, Caballero and Wolk) would place a $9.8 billion bond on the November ballot, while AB 9XX (Plescia) would authorize a $9.98 billion bond for November.

Noting that Feinstein and Schwarzenegger deserve credit for jump-starting the process, Quinn said that taken together, all of the pieces for a bipartisan proposal are on the table and urged the Legislature to work out their remaining differences.

“Though there are key differences in the proposals, this is the closest we have been to agreement in three years. The building blocks for success are now before us,” Quinn said. “Polls show California voters understand the urgency of our water situation and they want action now. I urge the Legislature to continue this important work and put a bipartisan water bond before voters in November.”
ACWA also supported the action today by the Assembly Special Water Committee to approve SB 1XX (Perata), which appropriates more than $800 million for projects throughout California from previously approved bonds, and AB 7XX (Wolk), dealing with climate change.

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.

‘Wet’ counties are running dry, too

Posted by: Maven on August 26, 2008 at 2:22 pm

From the California Farm Bureau Federation:

“Everybody thinks the water shortage only affects the San Joaquin Valley and that everything up here is hunky-dory,” Glenn County farmer Mike Vereschagin said. But in the Sacramento Valley, many farmers struggle with water shortages similar to those affecting farmers to the south.

The state’s deepening water crisis is turning Sacramento Valley agriculture upside down. Where the Sacramento River watershed used to provide ample water supplies for farms and cities, today flows to water districts are turning into a trickle. Parts of the region, sometimes referred to as the state’s “wet” counties, suffer from a 60 percent cutback in water deliveries from the federal Central Valley Project, just like neighbors who farm south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Recent federal court decisions relating to protected delta smelt, salmon and steelhead populations have had a statewide impact on water supplies, including water coming from the Sacramento River. Legal experts say the decisions and pending revisions to project operating guidelines have the potential to further tighten water supplies and deliveries to farms.

“Our water district has been trying to get some water transferred from a neighboring district that has available water,” said Vereschagin, one of dozens of Sacramento Valley farmers who responded to a Water Shortage Impact Survey conducted by the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Vereschagin, who is president of Glenn County Farm Bureau and a director of the Orland Artois Water District, said the water transfer started last week, but only after the water district received a call from a staff person at the state Department of Water Resources.

“The caller had no idea that there was a contract water district in the north part of the state that was water short,” Vereschagin said.

Continue reading “‘Wet’ counties are running dry, too” »

Odds and ends: groundwater links, dam arguments, deconstructing the WaterCube, funny TV ads to save water, and a look inside pumping stations

Posted by: Maven on August 26, 2008 at 8:50 am

Bringing you some of the latest in the blog world….

Waterblogged.info gets serious about groundwater in this comprehensive list of groundwater resources available on the web. Getting serious about groundwater is the way for you to move quickly up the ranks from water wanabee to water wonk, and essential for refining your wretched water table manners, as well. There’s even YouTube videos. Check it all out by clicking here.

Actually, dams are attractive, rebuts the Parkway Blog to this recent column in the Sacramento Bee: … dams are the most attractive way to solve the water problems in the state of California—and specifically addressing the provision of a stable water supply to Southern California with water stored behind those dams in Northern California—it is necessary to build the peripheral canal. Build the Auburn Dam and raise Shasta Dam too, he says. Click here for the Parkway Blog.

Aguanomics blog, however, debates economics of the dam question, saying Pricing is the first answer to dealing with water issues. Efficient use is next, and that doesn’t just mean efficient drip systems; it means being efficient in not growing low value, water intensive crops like cotton with subsidized water. The Bee argues for building new dams now (undoubtedly having Sites and Temperance Flat in mind), but fails to mention that the pending studies on the costs, yields and environmental effects of those dams are not complete. That is like having expensive surgery before the Doc has looked at the X-rays. Check out the always interesting Aguanomics blog by clicking here.

Why was the Water Cube so fast? The watercrunch blog deconstructs why so many world records were broken there in this post.

Kudos to the Denver Water Company for these funny water conservation TV ads posted on YouTube: Drunken Flowers and Stop Running Toilets. Not so sure about this one, though: Shower.

A look inside Metropolitan’s Colorado River Aqueduct pumping stations – a photo hound after my own heart! If you like my photo library, you’ll enjoy this look at the nuts and bolts of the system: Click here for Ron’s Log photo gallery.

US invited to learn Aussie water lessons

Posted by: Maven on August 26, 2008 at 6:46 am

From the Australian:

Delegations of US water experts are planning tours to Australia to see how the nation is dealing with its drought problem, including the creation of large water desalination plants.

Former Queensland Premier Peter Beattie addressed a large gathering of US water experts south of Los Angeles today at an event staged by the Orange County Water Association.

“I used my speech to invite the southern California water utilities to come down to Queensland to have a look at our water grid and desalination plant,” Mr Beattie, who recently took up the position as Los Angeles-based trade and investment commissioner for Queensland, said. “We’ve got experiences, skills, technologies and strategies to share with Californians who are battling the same water challenges as Queenslanders.”

Read more from the Australian by clicking here.

Recycled Sewage: Coming to a Tap Near You?

Posted by: Maven on August 26, 2008 at 6:36 am

From National Geographic:

Is recycled sewage water coming to a tap near you? If you live in certain parts of the developed world—including areas of the united States—the answer, perhaps surprisingly, is yes. Persistent droughts and competition for resources are leading to increased use of recycled sewage for drinking water and fertilizer, water experts say.

In developing countries human waste is already used by an estimated 200 million farmers, according to a recent report by the Sri Lanka-based International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Now wastewater use is gaining steam in the developed world too, though in rich countries, the water undergoes a cleansing process before being pumped out to taps. “Wastewater recycling is something we will have to rely more heavily on,” said Shivaji Deshmukh, program manager for the groundwater replenishment system at the Orange County Water District in southern California.

Besides water, there is another benefit to wastewater recycling:

Anders Finnson, deputy managing director of environmental wastewater issues for the Swedish Water and Wastewater Association (SWWA), said recycling wastewater brings other benefits—namely, nutrient-rich solids that can be turned into fertilizer.

Fertilizer prices jumped nearly 50 percent per metric ton over the last year in some places, making human waste a somewhat more attractive substitute.

Sewage sludge contains the same soil-enriching, plant-boosting elements found in expensive chemical fertilizers—nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Often referred to as biosolids, highly treated human feces is used in scattered areas throughout the developed world, where it must meet strict levels for pathogens and heavy metals.

Most biosolids are applied as fertilizer to cereal and grain crops, with occasional applications for forestry operations, golf courses, and other land uses, according to James Clark of Black and Veatch Corporation, a U.S. firm specializing in water recycling.

Read more from National Geographic Magazine by clicking here.

Drier, warmer springs in Southwest stem from human-caused changes in winds

Posted by: Maven on August 25, 2008 at 2:18 pm

From the Western Farm Press:

Human-driven changes in the westerly winds are bringing hotter and drier springs to the American Southwest, according to new research from the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Since the 1970s the winter storm track in the Western U.S. has been shifting north, particularly in the late winter. As a result, fewer winter storms bring rain and snow to Southern California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, western Colorado and western New Mexico. “We used to have this season from October to April where we had a chance for a storm,” said Stephanie A. McAfee. “Now it’s from October to March.”

The finding is the first to link the poleward movement of the westerly winds to the changes observed in the West’s winter storm pattern. The change in the westerlies is driven by the atmospheric effects of global warming and the ozone hole combined.

“When you pull the storm track north, it takes the storms with it,” said McAfee, a doctoral candidate in the UA’s department of geosciences. “During the period it’s raining less, it also tends to be warmer than it used to be,” McAfee said. “We’re starting to see the impacts of climate change in the late winter and early spring, particularly in the Southwest. It’s a season-specific kind of drought.”

Having drier, warmer conditions occur earlier in the year will affect snowpack, hydrological processes and water resources, McAfee said.

Read more from the Western Farm Press by clicking here.

Soboba Band’s water rights conflict resolved under settlement act

Posted by: Maven on August 25, 2008 at 5:35 am

From Indian County Today:

With President George W. Bush’s signing of an act that brings a water rights conflict of more than 150 years to a close for a southern California Indian tribe, Secretary of the Interior Department Dirk Kempthorne and a congresswoman joined the tribe Aug. 15 for a ceremony celebrating its passage.

Under the Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians Settlement Act (Public Law 110-297), signed by the president July 31, the Sobobas, their neighbors in Riverside County and three water districts are guaranteed adequate future water supplies, an exchange of land and millions of dollars from the federal government. The Sobobas will also get $18 million from some of the water districts for economic development and a potential economic stimulus.

”It’s been a very long negotiation, and we thank our former tribal chairmen and council members who fought so hard for this, leaving us to merely dot the i’s and cross the t’s,” Soboba Chairman Robert Salgado Sr. said in a joint press release with Interior.

Calling the Soboba’s decision to hold back using some of its water rights a ”tipping point” in the settlement, Kempthorne praised the tribe’s cooperation.

”By agreeing to gradually phase in increased water use over the next half-century, the Soboba have provided the Eastern Municipal Water District and the Lake Hemet Municipal Water District the time to develop and implement a groundwater management plan to cure the current overdraft in the San Jacinto Basin,” he said in the release.

Read more from Indian Country Today by clicking here.

State Senate passes AB 1806, the fish rescue plans bill

Posted by: Maven on August 23, 2008 at 6:50 am

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:

The California Senate today passed an amended version of Assemblywoman Lois Wolk’s AB 1806, the Fish Rescue Plans Bill, by a vote of 29-8. The legislation, stripped of badly needed fish mitigation provisions, was reconsidered after the Senate voted down the original bill by a vote of to 21 to 18.

The bill will now go back to the Assembly for concurrence in the amendments, probably on Monday or Friday of next week, according to Diane Colborn, Staff Director for the Water Parks and Wildlife Committee.

The original “Fish Rescue Plans” bill included provisions for the mitigation of the enormous damages caused to fisheries and the ecosystem by the operation of the state and federal export pumps on the California Delta. The Westlands Water District, Metropolitan Water District and other water contractors strongly opposed the mitigation provisions.

“I introduced this measure with the aim of preventing another catastrophic fish kill like the one that took place on Prospect Island last year, to protect our state’s declining fisheries, and the commercial and sport fishing industries those fisheries support,” said Wolk (D-Davis). “Today’s vote takes us a step closer to that goal. Discussion on this issue, and the broader effort to save the Delta and its fisheries, continues to move forward. I hope that the fishing community will continue to actively participate in the conversation, and thank them for their support in this effort.”

Read more from IndyBay.org by clicking here.

How low is Lake Oroville? A picture tells the story ….

Posted by: Maven on August 22, 2008 at 6:10 am

Thanks to Dale at the Department of Water Resources for sending me this.  Picture date is July 24th.

$98.3 million contract awarded for construction of Drop 2 Reservoir

Posted by: Maven on August 22, 2008 at 5:42 am

From the Department of the Interior, this press release:

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced today that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded Ames Construction, Inc. of Phoenix and Coffman Specialties, Inc., of San Diego, in a joint venture, a contract of $98.3 million to construct a water reservoir and water delivery project in Imperial County, Calif.

“This project is the culmination of international negotiations and extensive work among representatives of the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation, in partnership and cooperation with lower Colorado River Basin states and the region’s water districts,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “The project will help to ensure efficient and effective water management, benefiting water users by allowing them to capture for future use Colorado River water that would otherwise be lost.”

The project is located just north of the All-American Canal Drop Structure No. 2, along Interstate Highway 8 in Imperial County, Calif., approximately 30 miles east of El Centro, Calif., and 25 miles west of Yuma, Ariz..

The Drop 2 Storage Reservoir and Canal project will include construction of an 8,000-acre-foot reservoir to retain water flows that are not captured currently –they now pass downstream from Imperial Dam at the southern end of the Colorado River. Also to be constructed is a water conveyance system capable of handling flows of up to 1,800 cubic-feet per-second. It involves an inlet structure from the All-American Canal to the reservoir; and an outlet structure that connects the reservoir back to the canal.

“This project will make history for the American Southwest,” Reclamation Commissioner Robert Johnson said. “This contract award signals the next phase of a significant water storage project near our nation’s southern border.”

When completed, this project will provide additional water storage space within the United States to maximize the use of Colorado River water released from Parker Dam to the Canal via Imperial Dam. Work on the project is expected to be completed by August 31, 2010.

The Bureau of Reclamation, an agency of the Department of the Interior, is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits.

Delta Vision Task Force meets today to discuss third draft of Strategic Plan

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2008 at 6:44 am

The Governor’s Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force will meet August 21-22, to seek public comment on the third staff draft of the Delta Vision Strategic Plan.

For meeting materials and agenda, click here.

For the weblink for today’s meeting, click here. For the weblink for tomorrow’s meeting, click here. (Note: these weblinks are also available on the agenda as well.)

For more information, visit the Delta Vision Task Force website at http://www.deltavision.ca.gov/

Delta Restoration Bill – stripped of mitigation clauses – up for second Senate vote

Posted by: Maven on August 21, 2008 at 6:09 am

From IndyBay.org, this commentary by Jerry Neuburger:

Two bills of interest to California anglers will come to the floor of the Senate for a vote as early as today. The first, AB 1806, the Delta restoration and mitigation bill, has already been voted on once, and refused by a vote of 18-21. The bill, authored by Lois Wolk, chair of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee and developed and supported by John Beuttler, Conservation Director, CSPA, has been a focus for the fishing community since its initial proposal in late spring.

AB 1806, in its original form would have provided provisions for fish rescue and relocation plans in the case of an emergency and further, would have required full mitigation for the damages done to the delta fisheries by the pumping process.

When the bill was defeated on its first attempt on August 17, Senator Torlakson, Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee asked the Senate to consider the bill for a re-vote. That motion was approved 39-0. The bill was amended on August 18 and stripped of its mitigation requirements, the sections that were opposed by many of the large and powerful southern California water districts.

While the amended bill could be seen as a compromise by the legislators involved, the principal intent of the bill, that of providing millions of dollars to mitigate for the impacts caused by the state and federal water projects, is a tremendous blow to the bill’s advocates.

With the “objectionable” sections removed, AB 1806 is almost assured of passage but it will be a pale horse compared to what it could have meant to the delta’s fisheries.

Another bill coming to the floor is AB 2175, the water conservation bill, authored by Assembly Members Laird and Feuer. This bill would require the state to achieve a 20% reduction in urban per capita water use in California by December 31, 2020. The bill would require the state to reduce per capita use by at least 10% on or before December 31, 2015.

Surprisingly, the objections to this bill may come from north state Senators since many of the southern California cities are already adopting water conservation policies of their own. In fact, the largest city in the state deemed to a water waster is Sacramento, the state capital.

Read more from IndyBay.org, which includes the text of the bills under consideration, by clicking here.

Delta Vision holds meeting in Oakland tonight regarding Strategic Plan

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2008 at 7:32 am

Finishing up 18 months of work, the Delta Vision Task Force is holding meetings statewide regarding the task force’s Strategic Plan. Mike Taugher gives us some details of the plan in this article from the San Jose Mercury News:

The latest draft, about 100 pages, suggests creating an agency akin to the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission to maintain a balance between the needs of water users and the environment. The final plan is scheduled to be completed in October.

The new agency would have control of some funds and would be charged with ensuring state and federal agencies adhere to the Delta plan, said Delta Vision spokesman Keith Coolidge.

The 18-point plan is meant to revitalize the Delta’s environment, preserve the special characteristics of its geography, end the focus of some agencies on maximizing water supplies and improve the way government oversees the Delta.

“California’s water supply and the Delta ecosystem are both irreplaceable assets of paramount importance to the state’s future,” the draft says. “Neither can be fully secure if the other ails; the ecosystem will remain under stress if water supplies are unreliable, and the water supply will remain vulnerable to interruptions if the ecosystem is unhealthy.”

The plan says the cost of water is likely to increase and it sets out ambitious targets for increased water-use efficiency, new groundwater desalination plants and environmental revitalization.

The strategic plan also calls for the building of a peripheral canal. Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

Tonight’s meeting is in Oakland; upcoming meetings will be held in Chico, Fresno, Ryde & Stockton. For more information, click here.

Delta Vision Task Force will be holding it’s regular meeting tomorrow & Friday to further discuss the Strategic Implementation Plan. For meeting agenda and weblinks, click here.

Restore the Delta says stop the peripheral canal – oppose the Schwarzenegger/Feinstein water bond

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2008 at 5:41 am

From Dan Bacher & Restore the Delta:

A coalition of recreational fishermen, commercial fishermen, Delta farmers, Indian Tribes, conservationists and others concerned about the future of the California Delta is opposing a $9.3 billion water bond proposal that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Assemblyman Dave Cogdill are trying to ram through the California Legislature.

The water bond would result in the design and construction of a peripheral canal that would exacerbate the collapse of salmon and other fish populations on the California Delta, the largest and most significant estuary on the West Coast. Over the next two weeks, the California State Assembly will still be deciding whether or not to place a water bond on the November ballot.

Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla, campaign director of Restore the Delta, is asking everybody concerned about the preservation and restoration of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to call the members of the Assembly Special Water Committee to let them know that you oppose the bond for the following reasons:

1) The peripheral canal will not solve the crisis in the Delta or make more water for California.
2) The Department of Water Resources, while working on projects on behalf of the State Water Contractors, fails to answer for the people of the Delta “How much fresh water is required for the health of the Delta estuary?”
3) The peripheral canal will not restore fish populations, but in fact result in their demise.
4) The peripheral canal will destroy the $ 2 billion Delta agricultural economy.

Read more from IndyBay.org by clicking here.

Do uranium mines belong near Grand Canyon? Mining companies stake claims on federal land adjoining the park, while opponents say drinking water will be at risk

Posted by: Maven on August 20, 2008 at 5:36 am

From the Christian Science Monitor:

On a ragged outcrop just a short walk from a Grand Canyon overlook where millions of visitors annually come to gawk at one of the world’s most stunning vistas sits the old Orphan uranium mine. Soil radiation levels around it are 450 times higher than normal. It’s encircled by a protective fence.

A sign warns: “Remain behind fence – environmental evaluation in progress.” In the canyon hundreds of feet below, another sign by gurgling Horn Creek instructs thirsty hikers not to drink its radioactive water.

Even so, Horn Creek eventually splashes its way to the canyon bottom and into the Colorado River, a vital water source for 25 million people from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to San Diego. In that mighty river, the Orphan’s radioactive dribble is diluted to insignificance.

But what if a dozen or even scores of new uranium mines were leaching uranium radioisotopes into this critical water source? That is what Arizona’s governor, water authorities in two states, scientists, environmentalists, and Congress are all worried about. Should they be?

Everybody from mining-industry officials to environmentalists agrees that the Orphan mine is a poster child for the bad old days of uranium mining going back to the 1950s. Today’s regulations and newer mining techniques make such pollution far less likely, industry officials say, though environmentalists vehemently disagree. The question remains: Is Orphan only a vision of the past – or is it a vision of the future, too?

The US Southwest may be about to find out. Driven by soaring uranium prices and fresh interest in nuclear power, mining companies have staked more than 10,600 exploratory mineral claims – most of them smaller than five acres – spread across 1 million acres of federal land adjacent to the Colorado River and Grand Canyon National Park, a federal official told Congress in June. Most are uranium claims, though some may be for other metals, observers say.

Read more from the Christian Science Monitor by clicking here.

Water shortages threaten farms’ future

Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2008 at 2:32 pm

From the California Farm Bureau Federation:

For Lex Iyer, the shock came in early June, when he learned that water deliveries to his orchard would be cut from 45 percent of contract amount down to 40 percent. For Shawn Coburn, the challenge is to prepare to keep his trees alive–and his employees in their jobs–if allocations drop as low as 10 percent next year.

Iyer and Coburn are among the farmers who described their efforts to cope with water shortages in a survey conducted by the California Farm Bureau. Both grow almonds, a crop that has been among the state’s agricultural success stories in recent years. And both say they worry that water shortages will make that success difficult to sustain.

For the past 12 years, Iyer has farmed almonds near Gustine in western Merced County. He realized that 2008 would not exactly be his year, however, after the federal government announced water cutbacks were necessary due to the drought. “In early June, we were told that there was going to be mandated water rationing and that we would only be able to use seven-tenths of an acre-foot for June, July and August,” Iyer, a first-generation farmer, said. “We said, ‘Seven-tenths of an acre-foot in the three hottest months of the year. That is going to kill our trees,’ and they said, ‘You can’t take your water.’ That was a shock and it left us scrambling.”

Iyer and other irrigators who buy water delivered from the federal Central Valley Project, in both the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys, learned this spring that water deliveries would be cut to 40 percent of contract amount from the 45 percent declared earlier in the year. The CVP cited “extremely dry conditions” in announcing the water cut. Supplies have been further restricted by court rulings reserving water for protected fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Continue reading “Water shortages threaten farms’ future” »

Farm employees press Sacramento for reliable water supplies

Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2008 at 2:29 pm

From the California Farm Bureau Federation:

On a more typical day, Rolando Lopez would have been hard at work in the fields during one of the busiest times of the year in one of the most agriculturally productive regions of the state. But last week he was one of several hundred farm employees rallying at the state Capitol for the second time in less than a month, pressuring lawmakers to find a solution to California’s chronic water problems, which have had devastating effects on farming communities throughout the state. “We’re here for the future,” said Lopez, who works in a vineyard near the Fresno County city of Mendota, one of the hardest hit by the current water crisis.

Carrying a sign that read “Water Is Life,” Lopez said life for many employees of San Joaquin Valley farms has been rough as a result of water cutbacks, which have led some farmers to abandon their fields, plant fewer crops and switch to ones that use less water and require fewer employees.

Lopez said lack of water and work on the farm has forced his employer to cut his hours. Some of his family members have not worked in three weeks and have moved to Fresno and Madera in search of employment. “But all the valley is in the same situation,” he said.

The Aug. 13 rally, like the one on July 23, was held to push legislators to place a water bond measure on the November ballot. A $9.3 billion proposal by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein would include money to build new water storage, bolster conservation, improve conveyance and allow for other updates to the state’s water system. But getting the water bond package on the ballot has been an uphill battle. It already missed the initial Aug. 16 deadline because the state Legislature could not agree on a state budget that has been overdue since July 1.

Continue reading “Farm employees press Sacramento for reliable water supplies” »

NoCal reservoir storage to hit lowest level since 1977 by end of week – Storage headed lower than ’87-’92 drought

Posted by: Maven on August 19, 2008 at 7:55 am

From the Long Beach Water Department, this press release:

LONG BEACH, CA – The Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners has announced that California Department of Water Resources data on northern California reservoir storage indicates that water supply levels in the primary reservoirs that provide water to southern California will be at their lowest combined level since 1977 by the end of this week. Long Beach is again calling on all of southern California to immediately implement mandatory prohibitions on outdoor uses of water, and take other deliberate steps to encourage extraordinary conservation.

“We were pleased to see the recent steps taken by Los Angeles to ratchet up their water conservation, including their implementation of prohibiting certain types of outdoor water use,” stated Bill Townsend, President, Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. Quite frankly, the rest of southern California needs to do the same, and it needs to be done today. Absent historic rainfall this winter, California’s lifestyle and economy are likely to be severely impacted. We need to act responsibly today to minimize the likely impact next year. It is irresponsible to leave it to chance.”

According to Kevin L. Wattier, General Manager of the Long Beach Water Department, aggressive action, statewide, is critical. “While some have questioned the approach we’ve taken on conservation, nearly one year ago now, we felt then, just as we continue to believe today, long-term, mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water need to be a way of life here in southern California. The fact of the matter is that our state would be in a much better position to forestall and lessen the impact of an approaching crisis if more of our water was being saved.”

On August 7th, Long Beach announced that water demand for July 2008 set a new 10-year record low. It was the 7th record setting month for low water use since the Board’s declaration of an imminent water supply shortage in September of 2007. July 2008 water demand was 16.1 percent below the 10-year average water demand; it was 13 percent below July 2007. Fiscal Year 2008 is tracking nearly 8 percent below the 10-year average water use. June was also a record setting month.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City’s Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board issued mandatory prohibitions on certain uses of water. “The Board took the action it did, when it did, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage,” according to Bill Townsend.

The Board’s Declaration was necessitated by the profound impact of a U.S. District Court federal Endangered Species Act ruling, which resulted in a permanent 30 percent reduction in State Water Project deliveries to southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate conditions resulting in drought.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California, retail water supply agency and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

###

Ryan J. Alsop
Director of Government & Public Affairs
Long Beach Water

Against presidential campaign backdrop, international symposium assesses new solutions to U.S. water and environmental conflicts

Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2008 at 1:00 pm

WHEN: 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2008

WHERE: UCLA School of Law Auditorium
385 Charles E. Young Drive, east
Los Angeles, CA 90095
(Thomas Bros. Map Page 632, B-1)

WHAT: A seminar featuring environmental professionals from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority who have worked together to cooperatively solve the region’s environmental challenges, and will be exploring how this model may have application to resolve California’s epic water conflicts and other environmental issues. U.S. presidential candidates have highlighted water scarcity, industrial waste, air pollution and other “trans-boundary” environmental issues in their campaigns.

WHO: Presented by the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies (www.friendsofarava.com). Panelists include Dr. Clive Lipchin, research director at the Arava Institute; Dr. Samer Talozi from the Jordan University of Science and Technology; Nader Al-Khateeb, the Director of the Water and Environmental Development Organization of the Palestinian Authority; and Dr. Shmuel Brenner, a professor at the Arava Institute and a former Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Environmental Protection. Keynote address by Dr. Peter Gleick, co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. Each seminar will be moderated by Jonathan S. Leo, an environmental lawyer and consultant who is also a member of the Friends of the Arava Institute’s Board of Trustees.

COST: Free, but reservations are requested.

CONTACT: David@friendsofarava.org., or call toll-free at 1-866-312-7282

Third draft of Delta Vision Strategic Plan now available online

Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2008 at 6:36 am

From the Delta Vision website:

The third staff draft of the Delta Vision Strategic Plan is now available for downloading. The third plan will be discussed by the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force at its August 21-22 meeting. Public comment can be made to the plan by September 2 for inclusion in the next draft and by September 30 for inclusion in the final draft.

Click here to download the third draft of the Strategic Plan.
Click here for the agenda & meeting materials for the Delta Vision meeting at the end of this week.
Weblinks are included with the meeting materials, and will also be posted later this week.

Carbon farming tested in California Delta

Posted by: Maven on August 18, 2008 at 6:10 am

From the Environment News Service:

Scientists at the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of California, Davis, are exploring a new style of farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that produces not crops but soils that store carbon dioxide.

The research team has won a three-year, $12.3 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to test the concept on 400 acres in the Delta beginning next spring.

Called carbon farming, the project involves building wetlands, which is what nature originally grew in the Delta. Following the Gold Rush, developers “reclaimed” the land for agriculture by constructing levees to drain swamplands and contain the rivers that form the estuary.

Over the past 150 years, conventional farming practices have exposed fragile peat soils to wind, rain and oxygen, liberating carbon from the soil and causing subsidence, or sinking, of Delta lands. According to the USGS, most of the islands farmed in the Delta are more than 20 feet below the surface of the water. They are kept dry and intact only because of the levees.

The carbon farming project aims to rebuild the rich peat soils by re-establishing wetlands. A pilot project by the USGS and state Department of Water Resources has already shown that it can work.

Read more from the Environment News Service by clicking here.

Softener-ban bill: It’s up to Schwarzenegger now

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2008 at 6:50 am

From WaterTech online:

A California anti-softener bill, AB 2270, which received final approval in the state Assembly on August 12 after being passed by the Senate on August 7, now awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.

The bill would amend the water code relating to water quality, giving more latitude to regional water quality review boards in California to ban water softeners in new construction and possibly mandate the removal of previously installed softeners. Current state law allows such programs only after extensive analysis has been done by public bodies. Wastewater agencies and others have sought more control over saline discharges from many sources, including softeners, as a way of meeting regulators’ wastewater treatment discharge requirements.

Opposition from the point-of-use/point-of-entry water treatment industry continues, including the “Save My Softener” campaign, introduced by the Water Quality Association (WQA) and its regional affiliate, the Pacific Water Quality Association (PWQA). The campaign is designed to raise the public profile of their effort to stop enactment of the softener-ban bill. Using a link on the Save My Softener Web site, Californians can send letters to Schwarzenegger urging him to kill AB 2270.

The campaign has been “phenomenally successful,” according to PWQA Director Mike Mecca, who is a former PWQA president and the group’s incoming president.

Read more from Water Tech Online by clicking here.

Holy guacamole! Future not looking so good for California avocadoes…

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2008 at 6:40 am

From Bohemian.com:

Frost, fire and water cutbacks have delivered a mighty punch to the gut of the California avocado industry. Yield is down, as are the farmers. Fruit-set for next season is looking grim, and while growers struggle to regain their feet, a nonstop stampede of Mexican, Chilean and other foreign avocados is flooding the market and deceiving consumers into thinking all’s gravy in the avocado biz.

But it’s not. The base of the problem stems back to Jan. 1, when an emergency court order, intended to protect the threatened Sacramento Delta smelt from death by pumping, called for a 30 percent cutback on water flow from the delta to Southern California. Farmers, in turn, received a prompt 30 percent reduction in irrigation water.

Avocados, a jungle fruit being grown in the desert, require between three and four acre-feet of water per acre per year to remain vibrant and fruitful. (Grapes, by contrast, require just one, as do blackberries.) Thus, the men and women who grow avocados have been put in tight quarters, and to keep at least a portion of their orchards healthy, many have had no choice but to cut down as much as one-third of their trees.

Prospects for next years crop aren’t looking any better. Read more from Bohemian.com by clicking here.

News tidbits: Fresno’s Mayor Autry self-sacrifices for water bond, Lance Armstrong the water guzzling champion, red lionfish invade Caribbean, and professional car washes take action

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2008 at 6:21 am

Fresno Mayor Autry’s mad about the lack of a water bond, so he’s taking matters into his own hands: Yup, folks, he has pledged to not wear a suit and tie until a water bond is passed.  Shocking!  From the Sacramento Bee: “Every meeting until this water deal is done, you’ll see old Bubba in jeans and work shirt,” he said. Self-sacrifice, thy name is Bubba. Yeah, sure, that’ll get some action….

Lance Armstrong, bicycle champion, is also a champion water user, reaching the top of the list of Austin, Texas water users. 38 times the average household use, or 330,000 gallons last month.  Armstrong has a long history of high water use, and the city has ruled out a water leak. New York Times article.

Red lionfish, an adaptable predator, has invaded the Caribbean: The fish are believed to have been released into Florida’s Biscayne Bay in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew shattered a private aquarium and sent six of the fish swimming. The adaptable predators corner fish & crustaceans up to half their size and swallow them in one gulp. “This may very well become the most devastating marine invasion in history,” said Mark A. Hixon, an Oregon State University zoology professor and marine ecology expert who compared lionfish to a plague of locusts. “There is probably no way to stop the invasion completely.” Los Angeles Times article.

Professional car washers, unite! California is a state that likes to be first, and is leading the way with imposing restrictions on car washing. Here’s an article on four lessons learned by car wash owners on how to protect their businesses. “It is my hope that operators will start educating their local water purveyors and municipalities as to the benefits of professional carwashing,” Nix said. “The carwash industry is a solution to the problem of water conservation and water quality.” Professional Carwashing & Detailing article.

Creating drinking water out of thin air: it’s not as crazy as you might think

Posted by: Maven on August 16, 2008 at 6:15 am

From Science on the Environmentalist:

According to U.S. Government estimates, at least 36 states will face water shortages in the next five years, as available supplies decrease due to drought, rising temperatures, population and inefficient management. Tensions created by mandatory conservation restrictions have turned neighbors against each other by reporting to the water police suspected illegal watering based on a lawn that was simply too green.

However, there is some good environmental news. Companies and individuals have developed technologies to capture water vapors in our air to create drinking water or to capture and collect dew.

These water makers may not end the severe water shortage, but they can decrease the demand on our shrinking potable water supplies by providing useful conservation measures for drought-ridden communities. Water makers are providing drinking water to some of our troops in Iraq and have the capability to provide entire small villages with potable water when natural supplies are nonexistent or polluted.

The idea is not new, as throughout history, there have been civilizations that have figured this out. The article discusses the latest technologies that are literally creating water out of thin air. Check it all out from Science on the Environmentalist by clicking here.

San Juan Water District announces potential pilot program to transfer water – otherwise unavailable to customers – to pay for infrastructure

Posted by: Maven on August 15, 2008 at 10:20 am

From the San Juan Water District, this press release:

The San Juan Water District is seeking benefits from dry-year surface water supplies that are otherwise unavailable for customer use. As a party to the Sacramento Water Forum Agreement
(2000), the District will forgo some Folsom Lake water during dry years to benefit American River fisheries, wildlife and recreation. During those periods, the District taps into groundwater supplies and implements conservation measures to address local water needs.

Once downstream of the confluence of the American and Sacramento Rivers, the District has the right to transfer forgone water for the benefit of its wholesale ratepayers. “We have two choices in dealing with that water,” said Shauna Lorance, the District’s general manager. “We can just let it go with no benefit to our customers, or we can transfer it to other agencies in exchange for resources to fund facilities for dry year water supply reliability.”

Toward that end, the District is entering into preliminary talks with two California water agencies to discuss concepts for a multi-regional water management pilot program. Yesterday, the district’s Board of Directors voted to pursue partnership discussions with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, a Central Valley Project and State Water Project Contractor, and the San Diego County Water Authority.
In concept, up to 7,000 acre feet of forgone water could be transferred by the District to partnering water agencies.

Proceeds from those transfers would be used to build dry-year facilities, such as groundwater wells and pump stations, which are needed to enact provisions of the Sacramento Water Forum Agreement. In absence of other revenues, the costs for new dry-year facilities would be passed on to customers through future rate increases.

“It’s still very conceptual, but we think a multi-regional approach will benefit our customers,” said Lorance. “We gain revenues to pay for much-needed infrastructure, and participating agencies increase their ability to meet water demands in dry years.”

The pilot program is consistent with statewide policy that encourages water transfers, conjunctive use and conservation measures to mitigate impacts of drought conditions. State policy also promotes cooperation between water districts to address water shortages. As such, multi-regional collaboration could boost local efforts in securing state bond dollars for infrastructure and system improvements.
“We have a very real need to offset costs for dry-year infrastructure projects,” said Dave Peterson, a
member of the District’s Board. “But, we’re also doing the right thing by helping other regions. The health of Bay-Area and San Diego economies are directly related to the health of our local, state and national economies. We can and must be a part of the solution.”

Staff from the three agencies will meet in coming weeks to discuss development of the pilot program and talk with interested stakeholders. If approved, the program could be implemented as early as March 2009 for a one-year period, with options for a longer-term agreement if proven successful.

For more information, visit the District’s Web site at www.sjwd.org.

San Juan Water District is a community services district that provides drinking water to more than 265,000 people in portions of Sacramento and Placer counties. In addition to serving retail customers in Granite Bay, east Roseville, and the northeast portion of Sacramento County, the district wholesales water to Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks water districts, Orange Vale Water Company and the city of Folsom (north of the American River) and periodically to Sacramento Suburban Water District.

For a FAQ Sheet on the program, click here.

New blogs and web resources to check out!

Posted by: Maven on August 14, 2008 at 5:40 pm

I’ve added a number of new blogs to the Blogroll recently:

Lloyd G. Carter’s Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood - Lloyd Carter’s been around for 35 years, reporting and writing on California’s water issues. This blog is relatively new, consisting of links to various news articles, as well as archives of his news career as well as current articles, radio commentaries, and random thoughts. http://www.lloydgcarter.com/

Environmental Defense Fund’s On the Waterfront blog features posts by a group of bloggers, including Thomas Graff and Linda Harnish. The blog advocates for A balanced approach to western water policy—protecting California’s ecosystems and providing reliable water supplies for our farms and cities. http://environmentaldefenseblogs.org/waterfront/

I didn’t know Aquafornia had a cousin, but apparently so… SanJoaquinValleyfornia bills itself as An Online Chronicle of Policy and Politics in the San Joaquin Valley. The site is very active, posting three times a day – news & political briefing in the morning, mid-day post on Valley issues, as well as an afternoon update. They even post on Saturdays and Sundays, too. (This person, like myself, has too much time on their hands!) A great collection of links. http://www.sanjoaquinvalleyfornia.com/

For those of you concerned about development and water supply, the California Water Impact Network has an 81-page downloadable book called ‘A Community Guide to California’s “Show Me the Water Laws” Including the Urban Water Management Planning Act And Senate Bills 610 & 221. This book is intended to be a layperson’s introduction to California’s water supply system and to the set of laws that govern how local governments must incorporate water supply reliability issues into their planning decisions. Citizens have always played an important role as watchdogs over local decision-making about growth and development. Citizens groups can play an equally important role in protecting their own water supply reliability, by ensuring that land use planners thoroughly consider whether new growth will impact supply reliability for existing residents. Check it out at this California Water Impact Network webpage: http://www.c-win.org/Publications.html

Check out the Water Education Foundation’s redesigned website, where you can download articles, subscribe to Western Water Magazine, and purchase inexpensive booklets on important California water issues.  The non-profit Water Education Foundation’s mission is education, and to that end they offer a variety of variety of publications and videos, three day tours of California’s water infrastructure, as well as programs for school kids.  There’s even a calendar of upcoming water-related seminars and events.   http://www.watereducation.org/

Climate change is already affecting the West’s water

Posted by: Maven on August 14, 2008 at 4:04 pm

From AlterNet:

It’s said our primeval ancestors had a simple arithmetic system: “One, two, three, many.” That describes the focus of many 2008 voters, whose concerns are the economy, energy prices, Iraq, and “those other problems.” As we get closer to the presidential election, most Americans aren’t worried about global warming. Maybe they will be when they turn the tap and no water comes out.

In early August we toured Glacier National Park with the Sierra Club, catching a glimpse of several of the humongous ice fields. In 1910 there were 150 glaciers in the park; now there are 25, which are losing 9 percent of their mass per year. Sometime between 2015 and 2020 they’ll disappear. Locals joke the 1.4 million acres will be renamed “Puddles National Park.”

Worldwide, most glaciers are diminishing. So is the ice pack in places like the North Pole and Iceland. While ice loss is generally regarded as compelling evidence of global warming, most Americans aren’t losing any sleep over it. An April Gallup Poll found that “while 61% of Americans say the effects of global warming have already begun,” only 37 percent are worried about it, roughly the same percentage that were concerned when Gallup first began asking the same question, nineteen years ago.

Why isn’t global climate change seen as a more important issue?

Find out by reading the rest of this article from AlterNet – click here.

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