Governor Schwarzenegger signs legislation to improve water supply reliability and conservation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 2:36 pm

From the Office of the Governor, this press release:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed SBx2 1 by Senator Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-San Francisco), which appropriates $842 million in funding from two initiatives passed by voters in 2006 - Proposition 84 and Proposition 1E. While these funds will help water agencies address the current statewide drought and provide a first step toward investing in water supply reliability, a much more comprehensive plan is needed in order to update California’s water system, which urgently needs increased storage, improved conveyance, a restored and better protected Delta ecosystem and greater water conservation. The Governor also signed four additional bills that will help address our state’s water crisis and further increase water conservation.

“This funding is a band-aid measure that will help water agencies improve their conservation efforts in the face of the state’s current drought but will not solve our long-term water supply problems, which require a more comprehensive solution to ensure that California has the water it needs to keep our environment and economy healthy,” Governor Schwarzenegger said. “I encourage each and every Californian to look at ways to reduce their water usage whenever possible, and this package of legislation will further aid in those conservation efforts which are so critical to California’s water supply right now.”

SBx2 1 also includes $200 million to help stabilize the Sacramento-San Joaquin Bay Delta, help prevent catastrophic failure of the Delta’s levees and accommodate pumping restrictions mandated by a federal court ruling. Additionally, the legislation provides $100 million to help clean up ground water basins in Southern California.

In a signing message on the bill, the Governor expressed disappointment that it provides $200 million less than his proposed January 2008 budget, and because more than $580 million in funding was taken out of his budget and placed into a special session bill, money that would have been available immediately will not be available until March 2009.

In addition to SBx2 1, the Governor has also signed the following bills:

AB 2882 by Assemblymember Lois Wolk (D-Davis) encouraging public water agencies throughout the state to adopt conservation rate structures that reward consumers who conserve water. Current state law authorizes water agencies to promote conservation using rate structures; however, some agencies are concerned that such structures may not meet the requirements of Proposition 218, a state law enacted by voters in 1996 to restrict the use of revenue tools such as water rates to finance local services. This legislation clarifies the allocation-based rate structures and establishes standards that protect consumers by ensuring a lower base rate for those who conserve water and requiring that higher rates for use in excess of the base rate do not exceed the reasonable cost of providing the water service.

AB 3030 by Assemblymember Julia Brownley (D-Santa Monica) clarifies the procedures a local public water district is able to employ when faced with an increase in wholesale water rates. Ultimately, the bill will allow these agencies to respond to rate increases more quickly and efficiently by allowing for automatic adjustments corresponding to changes in the wholesale cost of water.

AB 2356 by Assemblyman Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) will help low-income rural communities avoid a cash-flow crisis by giving the State Water Resources Control Board the authority to disburse up to twenty-five percent of a wastewater infrastructure grant to a disadvantaged community in advance of costs incurred to help them pay their contractors.

SB 27 by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) requires the Office of Emergency Services to establish an interagency “Multi-Hazard Coordination Task Force” to develop an emergency response strategy for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

While these bills signed by the Governor will help further the state’s conservation efforts and make some incremental improvements to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, they represent only one component of the comprehensive package that is needed to upgrade California’s water infrastructure. The Governor continues to urge legislators to pass a comprehensive water plan that can go before California voters.

In July, he and Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a compromise plan to the legislature to update California’s water system and put the state on the path toward restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, expanding water supplies and promoting conservation efforts

The $9.3 billion bond proposal that the Governor and Senator Feinstein have proposed includes the following elements from all stakeholders and is a compromise approach that will move California toward a reliable water future:

Increased water storage to ensure our water supply is more reliable year-to-year and we’re able to capture excess water in wet years to use in dry years

Improved water conveyance to reduce water shortages

Restored Delta ecosystem to allow California to take control of its own water systems

Increased conservation and tools to use water more efficiently

Find out more about Governor Schwarzenegger’s stance on California’s water issues by clicking here.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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Starting today, the Economist debates water: “The Value of H20″

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:44 am

Received directly from the Economist:

Starting today, September 30th The Economist will start a two-week long Oxford-style online debate on the value of water. The proposition is “This house believes that water, as a scarce resource, should be priced according to its market value.”

Some of the issues the debate will cover include: Would water supplies be better managed if it were treated as a commodity, and priced accordingly? Or is water a basic human right that governments should secure for their citizens? As both an industrial input and a prerequisite of life, water has become extremely scarce for roughly a billion people who do not have a constant supply of clean and safe water, so the issue is of extreme importance.

We thought that the topic was highly relevant and that you and your readers would want to know about this debate. Would you be interested in helping us spread the word by posting about the debate? To help, I’ve included opening statements from the Pro and Con notable speakers, and listed the guest participants below.

It’s a great opportunity to engage your readers in a discourse on this timely topic. It’s free for anyone to vote and comment – the only requirement is to register for a pen name first.

Debate Schedule

· September 30th. Opening statements and comments and voting open to the public

· October 1st. Guest Participant post by Dr. Michael W. Hanemann, chancellor’s professor, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, University of California

· October 2nd. Guest Participant post by Anup Jacob, partner, Virgin Green Fund

· October 3rd. Rebuttal statements and Guest Participant post by Colin Chartres, director general, International Water Management Institute

· October 6th. Guest Participant post by Dr. Peter Gleick, president and co-founder, Pacific Institute

· October 7th. Guest Participant post by Peter L. Cook, executive director, National Association of Water Companies

· October 8th. Closing statements

· October 9th. Guest Participant post by Dr. Ashok Gadgil, senior scientist and deputy director, Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

· October 10th. Winner announced

Read the Pro and Con opening statements by clicking here: Read more

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under General Water Issues

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Warming impact: Study looks at climate change and Tahoe; Changes could impact wildlife, clarity, carbon storage

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:37 am

From the Sierra Sun:

The effects of a changing climate are appearing in Lake Tahoe.

UC Davis researchers last week published the first evidence that a warming climate is impacting microscopic plant life in Tahoe — the foundation of the ecosystem in the lake. If the changes continue, the effects could reverberate up the food chain to fish, birds, and land animals dependent on the species below them.

“This will definitely have an effect on zooplankton and fish species,” said Monika Winder, research associate at the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center, and the study’s lead author. “And it may indirectly effect water clarity and carbon cycling.”

What the researchers looked at were diatoms — single-celled plants that both feed the aquatic food chain and store a substantial amount of carbon, Winder said.

And what they found was as the water warms, the difference in density increases, so less mixing of the lake occurs, Winder said.

Read more from the Sierra Sun by clicking here.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Lake Tahoe & the Sierra's

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Nov. 4th Election: ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’: the ugly being no water measure; Jeff Kightlinger of MWD comments

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:34 am

From the California Planning Report, an article about three bond projects, one good, one bad, and one UGLY - ugly because it didn’t happen - the water bond. Jeff Kightlinger from Metropolitan Water District comments:

The UGLY (No Water Bond)

This summer, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Senator Dianne Feinstein proposed a compromise plan to update California’s water system by increasing storage, improving conveyance, protecting the Delta’s ecosystem, and promoting water conservation. Given such bipartisan recognition of a water crisis and the need for an immediate solution, why isn’t there a state water bond on the November 4th ballot?

Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager MWD: The proposal from the governor and Senator Feinstein was a very good proposal. It was balanced and fair. There were also a number of legislative proposals that were quite similar in scope that had some tweaks and changes, but by and large, they were similar. Logic would have said we should be able to get together and find a consensus on one of these bonds. There were a number of reasons we didn’t. One of those reasons was the budget impasse. It became hard to work on water in addition to the budget. The fact that we couldn’t put together a budget until 70 or 80 days late had a definite impact on the water bond.

Another major reason was that some felt it was premature. We know we have a water crisis and a need for water infrastructure; we know we need a water bond and we need the financing for those water projects. However, the governor had launched the Delta Vision project, which is due to come out with a report in October 2008. I think there was some reluctance to put together a bond that was going to deal with Delta issues and move it forward when the Delta Vision’s final report hasn’t yet been released.

Read more from Jeff Kightlinger in the California Progress Report by clicking here.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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New documentary highlights nation’s water infrastructure: Urge your local PBS station to put “Liquid Assets” on the air in your area

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:30 am

From the ACWA:

A new documentary hitting PBS stations in October educates viewers about the critical role that our water infrastructure plays in protecting public health and promoting economic prosperity. A friendly reminder to your local PBS affiliate can help ensure the program airs in your area.

Liquid Assets, a 90-minute documentary produced by Penn State Public Broadcasting, tells the story of essential infrastructure systems: water, wastewater and stormwater. These systems — some in the ground for more than 100 years — provide a critical public health function and are essential for economic development and growth. However, largely out of sight and out of mind, these aging systems have not been maintained, and some estimates suggest this is the single largest public works endeavor in our nation’s history.

The documentary explores the history, engineering challenges, and political and economic realities in urban and rural locations, and provides an understanding of the hidden assets that support our way of life. It tracks how cities and regions are confronting infrastructure rehabilitation, both economically and politically.

Visit http://liquidassets.psu.edu/ for more information and to view the trailer.

Liquid Assets will be released for broadcast on Oct. 1. To request that your PBS station air Liquid Assets, send a letter to your local station. A sample letter and PBS station contact information can be found at http://www.acwa.com/issues/liquid_assets.asp. A community toolkit is available in conjunction with the documentary to facilitate local involvement.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Infrastructure

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O.C. prepares for possible water cutbacks

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:25 am

Here’s a story I posted two days ago that appeared on my news wire with a new date. From the O. C. Register:

The reality of the drought situation and water shortage in California has hit several Orange County cities.

Local governments in recent months have put into action a variety of programs to encourage residents to conserve water. And where that has not worked, cities have mandated conservation. These efforts have come with the realization that failure to do so could eventually hit the cities and residents with higher utility bills and possibly, penalties.

Some cities are adopting resolutions to encourage residents to cut down their everyday water consumption. Others have tiered rate structures, which automatically impose higher rates on those who use more water. Still others slap direct fines and penalties on any type of water wastage.

Conservation could become mandatory as early as next year if the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides roughly half of Orange County’s water, decides to cut back city water allotments in early spring 2009.

If Metropolitan’s board votes in favor of the cutbacks, cities that do not conserve can expect to face fines. And those penalties will likely be passed on to residents. “We’re facing a very challenging time,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “This is as challenging a drought period as we’ve been in.”

Read more from the O. C. Register by clicking here.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation, Drought, Weather & Snowpack

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Activists fight for clean water, burn drugs

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:22 am

From the Oakland Tribune:

Hoping to prevent mutated and sex-altered fish and other aquatic life in Bay Area waters, a crew of environmentalists set up shop in Jack London Square Sunday to collect several pounds of unwanted personal medication for proper incineration.

Many people who find themselves with expired or unwanted meds will simply throw them in the trash or flush them down the toilet not realizing the chemicals are likely to end up in our groundwater, rivers and lakes, or even San Francisco Bay, said Luis Frigo, a spokesman for the Teleosis Institute, a Berkeley-based nonprofit group specializing in green health care issues.

“Ninety percent of senior citizens in this country are taking between one and 10 regular medications,” Frigo said. “And they sometimes switch prescriptions or don’t finish treatments, which leaves all these extra drugs left over. They flush them down, and they have no idea the damage it can do.”

The drug drop-off table was a one-day event leading into No Drugs Down the Drain Week, which will team state and local officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from Oct. 4 to 11.

Read more from the Oakland Tribune by clicking here. For more information on No Drugs Down the Drain Week, visit: http://www.nodrugsdownthedrain.org/

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Drinking Water

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Synthetic sea: We are turning our oceans into a chemical soup - the result being misery and death for billions of organisms, and serious health implications for ourselves

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 30, 2008 at 8:16 am

From the Permaculture Research Institute:

When we throw things away, we must ask ourselves “where is away?” The clip below [take the link to view it], one of the most frightening I have ever seen, will give you an idea of where at least one of these ‘away’ locations is. Much of our oil-based plastic products end up in our oceans, where they slowly break down into smaller and smaller pieces. Although this may sound like a good thing, in reality all it means is that they are more readily taken up by fish, dolphins, whales, turtles, birds and a myriad other organisms. The plastic molecules never actually disappear. Plastic diminishes in size until in appearance it almost perfectly imitates plankton - resulting in a situation where creatures actually compete with each other to eat it. And, worse, in some parts of the ocean the ratio of plastic to plankton is 6:1, and rising.

Read more of this comprehensive article from the Permaculature Research Institute of the USA by clicking here.

September 30, 2008 · Filed Under Pacific Ocean Garbage Dump

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Endangered species law could be altered; Conservationists decry proposed changes to act

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 9:15 am

Coming to you this morning from a McDonald’s in Goleta, with minutes just left on my Wayport Access, here’s an article from Stockton’s Record:

A crashing Delta ecosystem suggests that now is not a good time to tweak the Endangered Species Act, conservationists argue. But federal officials are proposing the first changes in two decades. In a plan up for public comment, the Bush administration wants to grant federal agencies the power to sometimes decide themselves whether a project, such as building a bridge, is likely to harm threatened or endangered species.

Normally those agencies consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Skipping that step would cut down on paperwork and speed up the process.

It would also speed up the demise of animals, birds, fish and plants, the environmentalists say.
“Many aspects of how and when and how much water is moved through the Delta, as well as pollutants that are discharged into the Delta … might very well no longer be covered” by the Endangered Species Act, warned Chris Shutes of the Stockton-based California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, in written comments submitted to the federal Department of Interior.

Read more from Stockton’s Record by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Q&A: Governor’s top water exec, Lester Snow, is hot for $10 billion bond

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 9:02 am

From the Sacramento Bee:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought emergency this summer, and he is negotiating with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and state lawmakers on a $10 billion bond for water storage and conservation.

In the midst of it all is Lester Snow, 57, who has served since 2004 as Schwarzenegger’s director of the Department of Water Resources. The aptly named Snow, a Democrat, previously led the California Bay-Delta Authority, then Cal-Fed, and the San Diego County Water Authority.

Q: Where do things stand on water bond negotiations?

A: I believe some good progress was made late in the session within the Assembly Democratic and Republican caucuses based on the (Schwarzenegger-Feinstein) draft. There’s very little question, especially given the water circumstances now, about getting the bond before voters in the most expeditious way, whether it’s a bond bill at the beginning of session or an initiative.

Read more of this Q&A with Lester Snow from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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Obama & McCain answer DISCOVER’s questions on the environment

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 9:00 am

From Discover Magazine:

While there’s little doubt the economy will be the defining issue in this election, the candidates’ positions on environmental issues can’t be downplayed (after all, what good are $700 billion bailouts if our coastlines are underwater). With the goal of keeping the environment front and center during this election season, best-selling author and DISCOVER contributor Thomas Kostigen put five questions to the two candidates, on topics including climate change, the dwindling water supply, hazardous waste, alt-energy investments, and the private sector’s role in contributing to the clean-up.

As you may recall, both Obama and McCain recently answered 14 questions on science policy from ScienceDebate 2008. While the Obama camp’s answers concerning climate change and alt-energy investments are largely consistent with what ScienceDebate received, this time he includes more detail, including his plans for allocation of the revenue generated by cap-and-trade auctions as well as his proposal to create a $10 billion venture capital fund to bolster clean technology development.

Similarly, McCain’s responses on energy and global warming echo what he told ScienceDebate, including his pledge to instate permanent alt-energy tax breaks (a promise that Obama makes as well) and a vow to “lead by example” in the “greening of the federal government.”

Read more from Discover Magazine by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under National water news

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Cadiz Valley desert water-storage plan renewed

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:54 am

From Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:

The owners of remote desert land have revived a $200 million plan to store water underground to send to Southern California in dry times, although the region’s major water agency rejected the idea six years ago.

Cadiz Inc., owner of land and water rights in the Cadiz Valley about 40 miles east of Twentynine Palms, has secured a 99-year lease to use railroad right-of-way for a 42-mile pipeline connecting to the Colorado River Aqueduct, said Richard Stoddard, chief executive officer of a sister company, Cadiz Real Estate LLC, in a telephone interview.

Water would be diverted from the aqueduct into the Cadiz pipeline and injected into the ground for storage in an aquifer beneath the company’s land. When needed, the water would be returned to the aqueduct and could meet the needs of an estimated 1.2 million people in Southern California, the company contends.

Cadiz Inc.’s announcement surprised officials at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the major buyer and distributor of water in the region. The district, which built and operates the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct that Cadiz wants to use, rejected a similar proposal in 2002 amid environmentalists’ opposition and concerns about costs. In addition, the Colorado River didn’t have surplus water to fill the Cadiz aquifer, district officials said.

“We don’t have any plans to proceed with the (Cadiz) project, and they haven’t discussed their new approach with us,” said Timothy F. Brick, Metropolitan’s board chairman.

And there is a lawsuit pending between Metropolitan & Cadiz regarding the 2002 plans for the project, which Metropolitan backed out of. Read more from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Groundwater, Metropolitan Water District, Water Banking

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On California’s coast, farewell to the king salmon; For the first time there’s no fishing for chinook salmon on the California coast

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:50 am

From the Smithsonian Magazine:

The salmon-boat cemetery in Fort Bragg, a fishing port tucked into shaggy pines about 150 miles north of San Francisco, is full of bleached and peeling hulls. Over the years many California vessels have landed in Bruce Abernathy’s front yard, pitched at steep angles among the weeds, some still rigged with trolling poles. The Anita II, the Dag. Eventually Abernathy’s son David takes them apart with a tractor and chain saw and sells what he can for parts. Sometimes all that’s left is a scrap with a painted-on name: My Pet.

Bruce Abernathy himself doesn’t watch the demolitions. He finds somewhere else to be, or he stays inside his house, with its many framed prints of trim little ships atop frisky seas. The fisherman turned resale man, and lately junk dealer, has “a lot of remorse” about what’s happening outside his window beyond the hot pink rhododendron bush. “I know almost everybody who owned these boats,” he said. “Boats become part of you, like a wife.”

Thirty years ago there were several thousand salmon boats in California. More recently, as the fish became scarce, only a few hundred worked the coast. Then salmon populations crashed, and this year for the first time U.S. officials canceled all ocean salmon fishing off California and most of Oregon, and curtailed it off Washington, a $300 million loss. When I visited Fort Bragg, in late May, the harbor felt about as cheerful as a junkyard. The docks should have quaked with activity, but the mooring basin was quiet except for the hoarse bark of sea lions. The fishermen with the biggest boats hoped to go way out after tuna later in the season; others had already joined roadwork crews or cobbled together odd jobs. Disaster relief money would be on the way, but to many second- and third-generation fishermen, a summer without salmon felt like the end of the line. For the better part of a century the fish supported Fort Bragg, home of the World’s Largest Salmon Barbeque, at which local politicians flip fillets on the grill and tourists come from far and wide to taste one of the most sought-after fish in the sea, the chinook salmon, a.k.a. the king.

Read more from the Smithsonian Magazine by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Salmon

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Fresno mulls buying back lawns to save water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:48 am

From the Belleville News Democrat (in Illinois-?), a story about Fresno, California, which means it must be a slow day for news in Illinois:

Would you sell your lawn to the city to save water and cut your utility bill? Would you buy a house with no lawn or with only water-stingy native plants? Both are possibilities as Fresno, Calif., officials look at ways to conserve water as the city grows. Those ideas, along with more traditional conservation methods, are part of an Urban Water Management Plan approved by the City Council last month.

The plan outlines conservation goals for the city and offers ideas to attain those goals - such as lawn buy-backs.

It doesn’t detail how some of those ideas would work. But the plan “shows us where we are, and where we’re headed,” said Garth Gaddy, Fresno’s assistant director of public utilities.

The plan, which took several years to write, looks at current water usage in Fresno and predicts how growth will affect water resources through 2030, when the city’s population is expected to reach at least 760,000. A second plan - the Metropolitan Water Resources Management Plan - looks even further, forecasting Fresno’s water needs through 2060.

There is no penalty if the city doesn’t follow its plan. But homeowners will see higher water bills if they choose to not conserve after meters are installed citywide by 2013, Gaddy said. Unlike most California cities, Fresno does not charge homeowners for the volume of water they use; an agreement with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, however, requires the city to begin charging a metered rate by 2010.

“We’re offering a lot of carrots with incentives and different programs,” Gaddy said. “But that water bill will be the only stick.”

Read more from the Belleville News Democrat by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation

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Stunned Utah resident billed for 1.4 million gallons of water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:45 am

From Fox News (via the Sisweb):

A Utah homeowner was billed for 1.4 million gallons of water for part of last winter, and even though Rick Baur disputes it, he paid the bill. “I was blown away,” said Baur, an Ogden resident who made good on the $9,700 bill in August. “It’s enough to buy a used car.”

That much water, the Standard-Examiner calculated, is enough to fill a swimming pool at Ben Lomond High School seven times — or a typical home pool 70 times.

The bill was for Dec. 19 to April 4, typically when residential water consumption is at its lowest of the year.

Baur said he irrigates only about a third of his 2-acre parcel and could never use that much water in any season. What’s more, he and his wife didn’t use any water at home from mid-December to early January because they were vacationing in the Virgin Islands.

“Something strange is going on,” said Craig Frisbee, the city’s water utility manager, who said he might issue Baur a hardship credit but nonetheless defended the billing. “When water goes through a meter, they (customers) are obligated to pay for that.”

Purifying Water with Nano-Particles: A company says 3-D nanoparticles boost the efficiency of water purification

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:44 am

From the MIT Technology Review:

Adding nanoparticles to a water purifying membrane can double its efficiency, according to a startup company based in Los Angeles. With global water usage on the increase and fresh water in limited supply, the company, NanoH2O, says its novel approach could make such purification technology a viable solution to a growing problem.

Reverse osmosis–feeding water through a semipermeable membrane to filter out impurities–is widely considered to be the most effective way to desalinate water. But it is very energy-intensive, and therefore expensive, because water has to be forced through the membrane under pressure. A key way to reduce the costs involved is to increase the water throughput for the same pressure. But for many years, improvements in membrane technology have been incremental at best, says Jeff Green, NanoH2O founder and CEO.

NanoH2O has found that adding porous nanoparticles to membranes can dramatically increase the efficiency with which water can be filtered. “Under similar pressure, twice as much water goes through,” says Green. In a desalination plant, this increased permeability would reduce energy requirements by 20 percent, or increase water productivity by 70 percent for the same cost, he adds.

Read more from the MIT Technology Review by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Desalination

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20 Reasons You Should Stop Consuming Bottled Water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 29, 2008 at 8:41 am

From the Web Design School Guide (?), an article on bottled water:

The growing consumption of bottled water has many people taking a closer look at the industry. The association between bottled water and good health is now being questioned, as well as the excessive garbage and costs that store-bought water accumulates. Below are 20 reasons you should stop consuming bottled water.

1. High Cost - You are not getting a good deal when you buy bottled water. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. Some vending machines actually offer 12-ounce bottles of water next to cans of soft drinks, charging the same for each item. This is simply a waste of your money, as water if often available for free from many places.

2. Not Healthier Than Tap Water - Contrary to what marketers would have you believe, bottled water is not the healthy, pure alternative to tap water. Do not buy into this propaganda of fearing tap water, as it was placed in the public’s subconscious in order to sell more bottled water.

Read the rest of this article from the Web Design School Guide by clicking here.

September 29, 2008 · Filed Under Bottled water

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Wildfires leave impact on California water source; Well-managed forests play a critical role in assuring that Californians have abundant, clean water, says commentary

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 6:22 am

From the Union, this commentary by Norman Pillsbury, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of forest hydrology and watershed management at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo:

People used to take air for granted. We breathe it in and out and it sustains our very existence, but people seldom thought about it. This year’s fires have changed all of that.

Similarly, many Californians today take water for granted. Turn the tap and out it comes.

But our growing population has had an affect on water quality and availability. California is putting unprecedented demands on its water supply.

Most Californians live far removed from the front lines of water quality. The vast majority of our water originates in forested watersheds, out of sight, out of mind. Being disconnected from our water sources does not mean Californians can afford to be in the dark about the forest-water connection. The trend of restricting forest management, often in the name of protecting water quality for salmon and other aquatic species, is having serious, negative consequences on California’s water quality.

Well-managed forests play a critical role in assuring that Californians have abundant, clean water. Sustainable forest management can reduce the cost of providing clean drinking water, provide spawning gravels and cool temperatures fish need, and mitigate the affects of storm flooding and mudslides.

Forests where “hands-off” management prevails, conversely, are more prone to overcrowding, wildfire and mudslides that can degrade water quality for years.

Read more from The Union by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Water & the Environment

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Peter Gleick to next president: Deal with the water crisis now

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 6:14 am

From Wired Magazine:

Among the challenges facing the next president, few are more complex—scientifically, politically, and economically—than the unsustainable global demands on fresh water supplies. Sources are drying up in the US and worldwide, raising the specters of hunger, disease, and international conflict. No one has a clearer view of these issues than Peter Gleick, president and cofounder of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland, California-based environmental think tank. So what will the new president need to understand about water? Here are eight slides from Gleick’s hypothetical PowerPoint presentation.

View Gleick’s hypothetical PowerPoint presentation from Wired Magazine by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under National water news

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Governor signs SB 187 to fund initial work at the Salton Sea

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 6:09 am

From MyDesert.com:

Restoration of the Salton Sea got a boost Saturday when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation to help fund initial work to preserve the troubled inland lake.

Senate Bill 187 by state Sen. Denise Ducheny, D-San Diego, would establish the ground rules for spending $47 million in previously approved bond funds to aid the dying sea. Ducheny had intended for the bill to commit the state to a long-term restoration of the sea, which one plan estimated would cost $8.9 billion.

But the measure was amended to limit the state’s commitment to activities outlined in what’s known as Period One of the plan. That period, which runs through 2013 with a $508 million mostly unfunded budget, calls for a variety of work including initial projects to preserve endangered fish populations as well as developing a baseline of data on air, fish, birds and sea sediment, according to state officials.

The governor appropriated $17.8 million from the bond funds from the 2008-09 budget; the remaining funds will have to be appropriated annually. Read more from MyDesert.com by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Salton Sea

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Despite lifting of U.S. ban, new drilling unlikely off California’s coast

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 6:00 am

From the San Jose Mercury News:

It was largely overlooked amid Wall Street’s meltdown, but Congress made a major environmental shift last week when lawmakers dropped a 26-year ban on new offshore oil drilling off the Pacific and Atlantic coasts.

The vote Wednesday in the House of Representatives — and in the Senate on Saturday — dismayed environmentalists and delighted oil companies. Yet experts on all sides of the debate say it will be years — if ever — before any new drilling comes to California. A buzz saw of political opposition, certain lawsuits and existing marine protections all combine to make California perhaps the most difficult place in America to build new offshore oil platforms.

Meanwhile, a new president and new Congress will take office in four months, and Democrats already are vowing to try to reinstate the ban. “The decision will ultimately get made in 2009. And there’s no guarantee that new leasing would ever be approved off the coast of California,” said Warner Chabot, vice president of the Ocean Conservancy, an environmental group in San Francisco.

Industry groups say they hope to expand in California, but understand the challenges. “We now have, at least for the moment, the opportunity to tap huge amounts of oil and gas that weren’t available,” said Joe Sparano, president of the Western States Petroleum Association, an industry group in Sacramento.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Other Oceans & Beaches Stories

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SSJID sells surplus water for $224,000; Conservation allows district to help two neighbors

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:55 am

From the Manteca Bulletin:

South San Joaquin Irrigation District has helped two neighbors out and received $224,000 for their efforts. The district had 4,800 acre feet of water left from its Bureau of Reclamation allocation after filling Woodward Reservoir so they could have another irrigation run prior to Oct. 15 as well as take care of municipal water needs through next spring and handle of early 2009 irrigation runs for SSJID farmers.

SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields said the board had numerous offers to buy the water from up and down the state but opted to keep it within San Joaquin County.

The Central Irrigation District north of French Camp took 1,600 acre-feet for agricultural uses at $20 per acre foot. The Stockton East Water District bought 1,600 acre feet at $20 per acre foot for agriculture and another 1,600 acre feet for urban uses in Stockton at $100 per acre foot.

Read more from the Manteca Bulletin by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under San Joaquin Valley, Water Transfers

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Water saving plan drowns; Council says Pasadena Water and Power’s proposals are insufficient

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:50 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

Pasadena’s plan to cut residential water use by imposing penalties on water wasters has fallen apart amid charges it didn’t go far enough. The city is left essentially where it was in December when residents were asked to voluntarily cut back. Since then, water useage has risen 3 percent.

Residents could have faced penalties for hosing off driveways, using fountains without a recycling device, and watering plants between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. Restaurants would have been barred from serving water to customers unless they asked for it; landscape watering would have been limited to three times a week; and fines would have been imposed for allowing excess water to run onto streets or sidewalks.

But Pasadena Water and Power Manager Phyllis Currie got a grilling when she presented the plan to the Pasadena City Council at its last meeting. Members charged that penalties alone will not work, are set up unequally, and even accused Currie of being ill-prepared to discuss the issue. “I question that people will actually respond to this,” said Councilman Sid Tyler.

Councilman Victor Gordo called the plan “ineffective and totally indefensible” and said the method it uses to impose penalties is unfair. “It penalizes a very narrow group, while leaving untouched larger water users. It targets people with 3-gallon fountains, while leaving alone people with 20,000-gallon swimming pools.”

Read more from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation

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Dropping groundwater levels worry Durham (Butte County) residents

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:46 am

From the Chico Enterprise Record:

Durham residents told Butte County officials last week they are worried about dropping groundwater levels. A meeting was held Tuesday night to talk about the county’s groundwater program and to hear from residents, many who rely on wells for their residential and irrigation water. Leaders of the Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation met with about 35 residents in the Durham area.

For three years, the county has been building upon a groundwater monitoring program that sets up a way for reporting if groundwater use in one area effects wells nearby. That system of monitoring wells is still growing, and it is hoped it will help avoid drought-related problems in the future.

Locally, people are experiencing drops in their well levels. Water levels at Lake Oroville are down. Rangeland is also dry, increasing fire risk and costs for feed for animals.

Water managers know there are some areas where water levels have been noted, but would like to hear from more residents. But more input from citizens will give county water leaders a better picture of what’s going on in the fields and backyards of local residents.

Also discussed at the meeting were the efforts to create a regional voice for the area - Butte, Colusa, Glenn and Tehama counties; two other counties have also joined the discussion. Read more from Chico’s Enterprise Record by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Groundwater

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San Francisco’s new California Academy of Sciences a natural wonder

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:35 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

World-class, unparalleled, greatest, biggest, most diverse, greenest and eco-grooviest. Able to leap tall buildings in a single rave, the new state-of-the-art and state-of-the-planet incarnation of the California Academy of Sciences is generating kilowatts of excitement and kudos.

This weekend marks the long-awaited grand reopening of the academy, which is unusual in that it houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and educational programs under one roof. In commemoration of the very big deal that all of this is, several hundred butterflies were to be released at its Saturday debut in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, starting two days of hoopla that’s set to include music, Chinese acrobats and a Native American blessing.

But the star attraction is the building itself, designed by Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano (Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Pompidou Centre in Paris) and poised to be one of the world’s greenest buildings.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

One of the features of the new academy is a 2 1/2-acre “living” roof. The San Jose Mercury News has more:

Designing the living roof at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco was a natural for the SWA Group, a landscape architecture firm based in Sausalito. The 50-year-old company had designed a planted roof previously, did the master plan for the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and has been at the forefront in creating projects that are in harmony with the land and natural systems. So when San Francisco officials made plans to build a new home for the science museum in Golden Gate Park that embodied the academy’s mission to explore, explain and protect the world, it turned to SWA.

“Our attitude (about the roof) was, the more native and indigenous it became, the better for Golden Gate Park and the academy,” says Lawrence Reed, a principal at SWA. The new complex opens to the public today.

Reed said the 2 1/2-acre living roof design and the redesign of gardens to the east and west of the building took extensive research and work with biologists, arborists and botanists. It is one of the signature features of the academy, which houses an aquarium, planetarium, natural history museum and research and education facility. Once arrayed in 12 buildings, it has been consolidated as a single, two-domed structure with a four-story rainforest and an all-digital planetarium.

Read more from the San Jose Mercury News by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Events

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California warns people not to flush pharmaceuticals

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 28, 2008 at 5:00 am

From the New York Times:

The state of California has a warning for its 36 million residents: Do not flush pharmaceuticals down the toilet or drain, or they may end up in a river near you.

Or, it turns out, even in the drinking water.

State and local officials are teaming with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a ”No Drugs Down the Drain Week,” starting with events Oct. 2. The program recommends that drugs be dropped at special collection sites or tossed in the trash.

The event comes less than two weeks after The Associated Press published an investigative report about the dangers of flushing millions of pounds of unused pharmaceuticals annually by the American health care industry and consumers. The ongoing AP investigation has revealed that tests show the drinking water supplies of at least 46 million Americans contain minute concentrations of pharmaceuticals, including antibiotics, anti-convulsants and mood stabilizers.

Read more from the New York Times by clicking here.

September 28, 2008 · Filed Under Drinking Water

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Odds and ends: Praise for DWP & Nahai, a stream for Griffith Park?, DWR podcasts, salinity management guide, for whom the toll roads, international perspectives on water, and that gotta-go event, the World Toilet Summit & Expo!

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 1:42 pm

Long overdue, more odds and ends!

LA Creek Freak attends DWP Forum on Sustainable Water Supplies, says he is encouraged by the plan and by the leadership of David Nahai: One of the mayor’s very best environmental moves was to hire him to run the DWP. David Nahai is up-front, clear, principled and generous. He continually emphasized that water solutions would be based in partnership and collaboration - with an array of city departments, other governmental agencies, neighborhood councils, community groups, and an engaged public. He frequently voiced praise of (and deferred credit to) the work being done by his staff. He uttered the most stark (for a public official) assessment of the damage caused by L.A.’s thirst for imported water, saying that, in the Owens Valley “we left in our wake an environmental calamity.” Find out more about the forum by clicking here.

Restoration of a running stream through Griffith Park? It’s possible, according to an official who is quoted in the Griffith Park Interrupted Blog: At this time we are having a geotechnical consultant perform an engineering feasability study to intercept the groundwater from hydrogeological formations upstream of the landfill and restortation of a running stream through Griffith Park below the landfill. This may be an opportunity to restablish a water resource through the park and reduce the formation of leachate within the landfill. Find out more from the Griffith Park Interrupted Blog by clicking here.

Check out podcasts from DWR: They are short audio podcasts that answers informative and entertaining questions on a variety of subjects from the many experts in the department on a variety of subjects including carbon capture farming, how much does an acre-foot of water cost, and how water is pumped over the Tehachapi’s. Click here for the DWR Podcast webpage.

Salinity Management Guide, updated for 2009, now available online: The guide is intended for landscape designers, park managers and anyone else using recycled water for landscape irrigation, and is the only database of its kind that provides information on the effects of water quality on plants, soils and water application systems. Check it out by clicking here.

First person accounts of the San Onofre Toll Road hearing: For whom the toll roads, posted on IndyBay: a humorous account of the hearing experience, and Tollway Hearing Theater: Catcalls, dollar-wavers and thumb war amid scores of steadfast speakers, by the Laguna Press Independent.

16 unusual international perspectives on water gives you a look at how this resource is viewed around the world in pictures and text from Eco-Worldly. Click here to check it out.

Not to be missed! The World Toilet Summit & Expo: The premier gotta-go event is coming to Macau November 4 through the 6th. Find out more from Water Wired here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Odds and Ends

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At the new California Academy of Sciences, Cinnabar’s climate change exhibits speak up about state’s environment and future

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 11:21 am

From BlooLoop, this press release from Cinnabar:

“Climate change doesn’t have a fixed outcome - what we do as individuals and as a community will affect the next part of the story,” says Jonathan Katz, CEO of Cinnabar Inc., Los Angeles. “That’s why it was important to design and produce the new “Altered State” exhibits - which account for 10,000 square feet of the 35,000 square feet of exhibits we created for the new California Academy of Sciences - as a participatory guest experience. The issue becomes real in terms of people’s daily lives - the choices we make - and how we perceive California.”

Katz is the executive producer responsible for assembling the team that conceptualized, designed, wrote, fabricated and installed the new exhibits for the Kimball Natural History Museum in the main hall of the new California Academy of Sciences, including “Altered State.” A man with a strong bond to his home state of California, Katz is particularly well-qualified to produce “Altered State,” with twin passions for design and conservation, and professional credentials in each. As part of the Jerry Brown gubernatorial administration in the 1970s, Katz helped implement conservation initiatives such as the Office of Appropriate Technology and the California Conservation Corps. And, as a producer/fabricator of scenery and special effects for movies, television and commercials as well as museums, Katz is known for a bold approach to content delivery, straightforward project management and a track record of getting things done.

“Altered State” provides a museum visitor experience that conveys the urgency and power of its subject with a contemporary approach to information delivery. The exhibits draw upon the findings of research scientists and the institution’s formidable specimen collection, along with live animal displays, media, interactives, and graphic panels to present information authoritatively about how unchecked climate change will alter California in regard to its weather, water, wildlife, wildfires, vegetation, recreation, tourism and economic production. The exhibits invite the museum visitor to join the conversation in a variety of ways.

The new $488 million, 410,000 square-foot Academy is home to the Steinhart Aquarium and the Morrison Planetarium, in addition to the Kimball Museum. The new building itself is a celebrated structure and model of “green” principles - Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano’s “non-museum” (his words) is expected to earn a LEED Platinum certification.

To read the rest of this press release, click here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Climate change & water supply

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Gray water: A do-it-yourselfer installs a rerouting system

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 9:07 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

I was never more excited to do laundry, and it wasn’t because my son and I were running out of clean underwear. I had just installed a system to divert gray water from my washing machine to my xeriscaped frontyard, and I was anxious about whether the $312 and two days I’d spent installing it would pay off.

Considering all the money and political squabbling that goes into getting water to this desert metropolis, it seems silly not to recycle water once it’s here. Especially now. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are telling us to conserve, which I do. I was still using 253 gallons at my home each day, according to my latest Department of Water and Power bill. I just wanted to use less, and recycling my gray water was one way to do it.

Gray water is the wastewater generated from sinks, showers, bathtubs and washing machines. All of it could be used to irrigate plants but, instead, is drained to the sewer in Los Angeles County, where it’s treated and, for the most part, sent into the Pacific.

Read the rest of this story, which describes the procedure the author went through installing her grey water system, by clicking here.

For more information, read the Graywater Guide from the Department of Water Resources by clicking here. You can also find books and products for graywater systems and more at Oasis Designs.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Recycled Water

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Secretary Kempthorne announces $48 Million contract for Folsom Dam and reservoir modification project to improve flood control & safety

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 8:56 am

From the Department of the Interior, this press release:

Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that the Bureau of Reclamation has awarded a $48,745,838 contract for Phase II of the Joint Federal Project at Folsom Dam and Reservoir. The award, which is the second in a series of construction contracts for a new auxiliary spillway at Folsom, went to Oregon Mt. Construction of Redding, California.

“This project significantly enhances flood control and dam safety for downstream communities, including Sacramento,” Kempthorne said. “Because we are doing this work as a joint federal-state effort, the project creates cost efficacies that save American taxpayers a significant amount of money.”

The auxiliary spillway, or Joint Federal Project, represents an unprecedented partnership among Reclamation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Central Valley Flood Protection Board, and the Sacramento Area Flood Control Agency. When completed, the project will address the hydrologic risk to Folsom Dam identified through Reclamation’s Safety of Dams evaluation program. Hydrologic risk refers to possible overtopping of the dams and dikes during an extreme storm event. The project also achieves the Corps’ objective of increasing flood control at Folsom.

The initiative consists of a water-side approach channel, a control structure with six submerged gates, a concrete-lined spillway chute about 3,000-feet long, and a stilling basin which acts as an energy dissipation structure prior to discharges converging with the American River below the main concrete dam. The project will be constructed in three successive phases by Reclamation and the Corps.

The Phase II contract with Oregon Mt. Construction Company includes additional spillway excavation, construction of a stilling basin coffer dam, relocation of a 42-inch water supply pipeline, and ancillary access roads. Work will begin in mid-winter 2008-2009 and will be completed in the summer of 2010. Phase III construction by the Corps will follow shortly thereafter, and the project is expected to be completed by 2015.

In addition to the Joint Federal Project, Reclamation will complete additional dam safety work on Dikes 4, 5, and 6, and the Mormon Island Auxiliary Dam. Additional information on the project is available on Reclamation’s website at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/jfp/index.html.

# # #

Reclamation 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. Visit our website at http://www.usbr.gov.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Central Valley Project, Sacramento

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Monterey Bay marine sanctuary to soon include large undersea mountain

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 8:51 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

The Monterey Bay marine sanctuary off California’s Central Coast will expand its borders to include one of the largest undersea mountains in U.S. waters, President Bush announced Friday.

Speaking at the Smithsonian’s new Ocean Hall exhibit in Washington, D.C., Bush vowed to proceed with the long-awaited expansion of the sanctuary to include the Davidson Seamount, a dormant undersea volcano, and its coral forests. “This 585-square-nautical mile addition will safeguard one of the largest seamounts in the U.S. waters and will protect an extraordinary array of ocean creatures,” Bush said to the applause of ocean regulators and activists.

Once it becomes part of the sanctuary, the seamount will be permanently off limits to offshore oil drilling and mining, and protected from dumping.

This would be the first significant boundary expansion of an existing national marine sanctuary under the Bush administration.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Other Oceans & Beaches Stories

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Dan Bacher commentary: Schwarzenegger: A ‘green economy’ in the wake of a dead delta?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 8:48 am

From Dan Bacher at IndyBay, this commentary:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose horrendous environmental policies have resulted in ecological catastrophe for the California Delta and the collapse of Central Valley salmon runs, today again attempted to delude the media and the public about his environmental record by mouthing off about his “committment to building a green economy.”

Schwarzenegger announced his alleged committment to “green jobs” after he signed AB 3018 by Speaker Emeritus Fabian Nuñez that creates a Green Collar Jobs Council to develop a “comprehensive approach” to address California’s emerging workforce needs associated with its budding “green economy.”

“The green-friendly business climate we are building in California continues to attract more clean-tech and green-tech companies to the state and is ensuring that the job growth in this booming industry will happen in California,” Governor Schwarzenegger claimed. “The Green Collar Jobs Council established by this legislation will capitalize on our state’s clean-tech boom and help transform of California’s workforce to meet the demands of an emerging green economy.”

Unfortunately, anybody who has studied the governor’s actual environmental record knows that the only “green” that Schwarzenegger knows is the money of the powerful, heavily subsidized agribusiness corporations and water developers that he serves.

When he signed California’s long overdue state budget on Tuesday, Schwarzenegger, true to his role as the “Fish Terminator,” blue penciled $3.1 million in funding from a key program run by the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to restore endangered and threatened salmon, steelhead and other species.

Read more of Dan Bacher’s commentary from IndyBay.org by clicking here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Other Delta Issues

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San Diego Museum of Natural History Exhibit: WATER: H2O=Life

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 7:01 am

From the Navy Compass:

Visitors to the San Diego Natural History Museum can now explore the culture, history, and future of water—the essential ingredient in life—in a captivating new exhibition entitled Water: H2O=Life.
The exhibition runs through Nov. 30 and is the exhibition’s only West Coast venue. A special section of the exhibition devoted exclusively to southern California’s water issues will be on display at the Museum for at least two years. That section, titled Water: A California Story, was designed and developed by the Museum.

Water affects the lives of every creature and plant on Earth. Every language has a word for water, and this ubiquitous yet precious substance influences art and cultures around the globe. And even though two-third of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, only three percent of it is fresh water. Out of that three percent, only a small fraction is usable water to sustain life on Earth—much of the Earth’s fresh water is either ice or underground.

Water: H2O=Life is curated by Dr. Exequiel Ezcurra, provost and director of the Museum’s scientific research division, the Biodiversity Research Center of the Californias. “We are part of a complex ecosystem,” says Ezcurra, “and we need to remember that water is a service provided by nature. Just like any other species, we cannot survive without water. However, in order to have water in the future, we need to change how we use water now.”

Aqua Blog Maven has three pictures from the Aquafornia displayed at the museum, which are part of the California display. That’s worth the admission price alone, if you ask me :) Read more from the Navy Compass by clicking here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Events

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O.C. prepares for possible water cutbacks

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 27, 2008 at 6:47 am

From the O.C. Register:

The reality of the drought situation and water shortage in California has hit several Orange County cities. Local governments in recent months have put into action a variety of programs to encourage residents to conserve water. And where that has not worked, cities have mandated conservation. These efforts have come with the realization that failure to do so could eventually hit the cities and residents with higher utility bills and possibly, penalties.

Some cities are adopting resolutions to encourage residents to cut down their everyday water consumption. Others have tiered rate structures, which automatically impose higher rates on those who use more water. Still others slap direct fines and penalties on any type of water wastage.

Conservation could become mandatory as early as next year if the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which provides roughly half of Orange County’s water, decides to cut back city water allotments in early spring 2009. If Metropolitan’s board votes in favor of the cutbacks, cities that do not conserve can expect to face fines. And those penalties will likely be passed on to residents.

“We’re facing a very challenging time,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. “This is as challenging a drought period as we’ve been in.”

Read more from the O.C. Register by clicking here.

September 27, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation

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Water rationing grows increasingly likely for San Diego

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on September 26, 2008 at 6:46 am

From the Voice of San Diego:

For the first time since 1992, San Diego is facing the possibility of water rationing, a step that could happen as soon as January. The threat is expected to loom for years as Southern California readjusts to the tightest drinking water supplies it has experienced in almost two decades.

The Metropolitan Water District, the Los Angeles-based wholesaler that provides about 75 percent of San Diego County’s supply, will consider as soon as January whether to cut deliveries to the 13 million people it serves — including the San Diego County Water Authority, which provides water to the city of San Diego and 23 other local agencies.

While no decision has been made, many believe a 10 percent reduction is a foregone conclusion. Mike Markus, general manager of the Orange County Water District, said he is “fairly certain” that Metropolitan’s board of directors will cut deliveries regardless of whether the winter is wet. That sentiment is increasingly common among water managers throughout Southern California.

“We’re going to run out of water next year, and people don’t have a clue,” said Mark Weston, general manager of the Helix Water District in La Mesa. But water districts don’t want to make water-use restrictions mandatory, he said, until Metropolitan formally declares that it’s cutting back.

Read more from the Voice of San Diego by clicking here.

September 26, 2008 · Filed Under Conservation

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