Sunday’s top of the scroll: California water banking plan backfires; increased storage more promising, says editorial

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:47 am

From Inside Bay Area, this Media News editorial:

There appear to be two fundamental problems that undermine almost any attempt to deliver adequate supplies to users and still protect the Delta: unrealistic water rights and a lack of storage near the Delta pumps.

Former state legislator Phil Isenberg, who chairs the Delta Vision task force, said that the average natural flow of the Delta watershed is 29 million acre-feet. Yet landowners have water rights to 245 million acre-feet. Thus there is always on overabundance of demand for water, many times the supply, complicating the legal obligations to water users.

The second, and arguably most severe, problem confronting California water policy is inadequate storage near the Delta and elsewhere. If there were a large reservoir near the Delta pumps, water could be stored in wet periods for use in dry times, mostly for environmental purposes. Pumping could be temporarily slowed or even stopped to protect fish, and there would not have to be any special water accounts or dysfunctional trading.

Unfortunately, California’s lawmakers do not recognize the severity of the problem and have not approved a major new reservoir for decades, while the state’s population has doubled.

In the meantime, long-term water contracts were signed with the expectation that dams would be built in Northern California. They never were.

As a result, California now faces the prospect of losing much of its agriculture or starving urban users. Perhaps a few dry years might alter our state leaders’ reluctance to invest in water storage, but we remain pessimistic.

Read the full text of this Media News editorial by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Water Storage

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Commentary: Ranch owner: Sites Reservoir is full of promise

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:24 am

From the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Mary Wells, whose land sits on the site for the proposed Sites Reservoir:

When my family purchased our ranch 35 years ago in the small foothill community of Sites, we knew there were discussions to flood our land and make it a reservoir. Even so, we hoped we could continue to ranch here for generations to come. We could not predict back then that California would grow so fast and our state’s needs would be so great that a reservoir would become an essential part of solving California’s current water crisis.

It would be sad to see our land and our neighbors’ land flooded, but I understand that Californians would benefit from storing this water.

For years, California’s leaders talked about solving our state’s water crisis. In drought years they focused on this issue, but public attention faded with the next rainfall. That short-term thinking has created a long-term problem for everyone.

As the great-great-granddaughter of W.H. Williams, the founder of a small town in western Colusa County in the mid-1800s, and being a grandmother, I think about the past but most importantly about the future.

My children and grandchildren sit on tractors and harvesters and on horseback in Northern California, managing our lands. I want their lives to be as good as they are now, where we maintain our roots to the land that sustains us all while protecting California’s environment. This requires unprecedented commitment to resolve our state’s water crisis.

Read more of Mary’s commentary in the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Water Storage

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Barry Nelson on Bill Reilly’s call for leadership from Governor Schwarzenegger

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:21 am

From Barry Nelson, director of the Western Water Project, and the NRDC Switchboard Blog:

On Wednesday, Bill Reilly, the former Administrator of the EPA under President George H. W. Bush wrote an opinion piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, urging the Governor to lead an effort to reform the agencies that manage (or don’t) the San Francisco Bay-Delta Estuary.

Mr. Reilly’s piece is remarkably well timed. For the past two months, bipartisan working groups composed of members of the California legislature have been involved in an intensive, quiet process of education and discussion on Bay-Delta issues. The Delta Vision Task Force, on which Mr. Reilly served as a member, seems to have been successful in shaping the legislature’s initial thinking. Agency reform – referred to as “governance” in water-speak — is a central part of these discussions.

In the next few weeks, legislators including Assemblyman Jared Huffman, Senator Fran Pavley, Senator Lois Wolk and Senator Joe Simitian will take the results of those internal discussions and amend – probably dramatically – their current governance bills, which have already begun moving through the legislature. At the top of Mr. Reilly’s priority list is the creation of a new Council and a plan to oversee Delta management. The Delta is a critical, complex, changing, and vulnerable ecosystem – yet today there is no state plan and no single state agency charged with ensuring its future. The Delta Vision Task Force has several other critical governance recommendations, such as stronger rules governing land use, particularly on below-sea-level Delta islands.

Read more from Barry Nelson’s blog by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Vision Task Force

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Water stakeholders punctuate conference with Capitol rally; “This is not the stuff for the faint of heart”

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:15 am

From the Capital Press:

Attendees of a water-agency conference gathered on the steps of the state Capitol on May 20 to push lawmakers toward a long-term solution to California’s water management.

The rally punctuated an Association of California Water Agencies conference in Sacramento dominated by talk of how the state’s deepening water conflicts might see a lasting solution through collaboration among stakeholders.

“Collaboration is decidedly not the path of least resistance,” said former Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne at a luncheon speech. “If you want to collaborate, get ready for the fight of your life. Fight that temptation (to sue), and stay at the table. This is not the stuff for the faint of heart.”

Read more from the Capital Press by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under General Water Issues

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NRDC report shows how California businesses can cut water use in half

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:13 am

From Reuters News:

Existing technologies and practices can help California businesses save up to 1.3 million acre-feet of water every year — that’s enough to meet the needs of Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, according to a new research.

The Natural Resources Defense Council published a comprehensive report this week about the array of water-saving opportunities available for the commercial, industrial and institutional sector (CII) in the nation’s most populous state.

The release of “Making Every Drop Work: Increasing Water Efficiency in California’s Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional (CII) Sector” comes at a time when water issues are drawing increasingly more attention with California facing its third consecutive drought year. At the same time, it’s working to meet a statewide goal of reducing per capita water use 20 percent by 2020.

Although based on the water-saving potential in California, the report’s recommendations are in many ways universal and the technologies can be applied to other regions. The report estimate’s California’s CII sector is responsible for about a third of urban water use, but technologies such as high-efficiency toilets and fixtures, water meters and sensors, and on-site treatment can cut consumption by as much as 50 percent.

Read more from Reuters News by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation

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Dan Haifley, Ocean Backyard: Can the Pacific’s plastic wasteland be fixed?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:12 am

From columnist Dan Haifley and the Silicon Valley Mercury News:

Project Kaisei is the name bestowed on a fledgling effort — which has its skeptics — to capture plastic waste caught in giant swirling gyres in the north Pacific and turn it into diesel fuel. It is derived from “Kaisei” — an ancient Japanese term for ocean planet.

To be successful the project would have to sweep an area twice the size of Texas, which is alternately called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the plastic vortex, or the plastic continent. It would be a massive undertaking in a harsh environment.

Over 100 million tons of waste reside there — it’s where much of the junk floating down our streams and rivers winds up. Once on the high seas, plastic becomes degraded by the sun and saltwater, breaking it into tiny particles which mostly become embedded below the ocean’s surface.

This June the 151-foot Japanese sailing vessel “Kaisei,” operated by a California-based conservation group called the Ocean Voyages Institute, will unfurl its sails in San Francisco and head seaward to assess how to implement the project. The flagship will be joined by a decommissioned fishing trawler with specialized nets. If they are successful, the next step will be to capture and process the waste.

Read more of Dan’s column from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Pacific Ocean Garbage Dump

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Drought has made reusing ‘gray’ water an increasingly popular and practiced idea

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:11 am

From Riverside’s Press-Enterprise:

When Ardis Beckner-Eggebrecht does her four loads of laundry a week, she uses about 30 gallons of water and saves more than 100. Her secret? Reusing the water from her washing machine to clean several more loads, then dumping it onto the roses, grapefruit trees and grass outside her Redlands home. “I thought, ‘Why are we dumping perfectly good water out?’ ” said Beckner-Eggebrecht, a tanned and toned 75-year-old who scoops countless buckets of spent wash water she collects in two plastic trash barrels and totes them to the yard on wash day.

She and other “gray water” enthusiasts say drought-plagued California is missing an opportunity by not using wastewater from bathroom sinks, showers and washing machines to flush toilets and irrigate outdoors; it does not include the drainage from kitchen sinks, dishwashers or toilets, which are high in organic matter and pathogens.

The topic is gaining attention in light of the state’s water woes, including restrictions on the water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, mandatory cutbacks by water agencies and higher rates to inspire conservation.

Read more from Riverside’s Press Enterprise by clicking here. (Someone should tell Ardis about Enviro Water Boy ….)

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Recycled Water

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Update on California’s water-related legislation

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 7:06 am

From the California Chronicle:

A bill by Assemblymember Bob Blumenfield (D – Woodland Hills) to provide loans to homeowners and businesses for the installation of water conservation systems passed the state Assembly last week. The bill, AB 474, is backed by a broad-based coalition from the California Chamber of Commerce to the Sierra Club.

“My goal is to make it easier for homeowners, businesses and farmers to install innovative water conservation devices such as cisterns, semi-permeable concrete, purple pipes or drip irrigation,” Blumenfield said. “It is clear by the broad support for this bill from business organizations and property owners that the desire to conserve is there, but the financial resources to make it happen are not.”

“This bill will provide a simple, cost-effective way for people who want to reduce their water bills, and conserve to pay the upfront cost to do so,” he added.

More from the California Chronicle by clicking here.

But that wasn’t the only piece of water-related legislation to move forward last week. Traci Sheehan of the Planning and Conservation League gives a rundown of all environmental legislation and where that legislation is in the process:

This past week was another marathon-length sprint for environmental advocates in Sacramento. Many environmental bills faced their first full house vote in either the Assembly or Senate. In addition, the Appropriations committees in both houses revealed which bills that would impose any costs on the state coffers would be allowed to move to the floor. That meant we were out in force – walking the halls of the Capitol, working the phones, and blazing on our keyboards to make sure that environmental and public health protections didn’t get axed. Here’s a run down of many of this year’s top environmental bills.

The following bills passed off the floor in their house of origin and will now move to the second house:

AB 499 (Hill) – Makes clarifying amendments to CEQA to ensure that all parties with a direct interest in a case brought pursuant the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) are aware of the pending litigation and parties with no direct link to the case are not unnecessarily dragged into a lawsuit. (PCL SPONSORED)

AB 1364 (Evans) – Gives agencies the authority to amend contracts and grant agreements affected by the bond freeze to protect the integrity of the projects and also ensures that those agreements remain valid contracts in the eyes of the state. (PCL SPONSORED)

AB 1242 (Ruskin) – Makes it a policy of the state of California that everyone should have access to safe, affordable water for basic human needs.

SB 670 (Wiggins) – Puts a moratorium on suction dredge mining, saving the state $1.26 million annually, until the California Department of Fish and Game completes a new CEQA review and develops new rules that provide protections for threatened fish populations and water quality.

Much, much more on other pending legislation from Traci Sheehan and the California Progress Report by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Water Legislation

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Team tracks currents in San Francisco Bay, hopes to aid cleanups

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:58 am

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

A group of researchers from San Francisco State University since 2006 has been studying how currents move in the San Francisco Bay – hoping to make it easier to navigate and help clean up spills like the one caused by the Cosco Busan tanker. Now, though, the project is in jeopardy because of a cut-off in California coastal-protection funds.

Operating out of the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, a San Francisco State field research station in Marin County, students and their professors use land-based, high-frequency radar devices to track surface water movement in San Francisco Bay and the outlying California coastline. The study is part of the Coastal Ocean Currents Monitoring Program, which looks at tidal movement along the entire California coastline.

The radar devices, which look like large radio antennas, are strategically placed around the bay in places where the public will not easily be able tamper with them.

Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Bay Area

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Nevada Irrigation District officially recognizes local indigenous Native Americans

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:56 am

From YubaNet.com:

In the presence of several tribal leaders and members, Nevada Irrigation District’s board of directors this week unanimously approved a resolution officially recognizing the Tsi-Akim Maidu Tribe. General Manager Ron Nelson said the district was responding to a recent letter to NID’s board from tribal chair Don Ryberg requesting a resolution of support for recognition of the local tribe. “But my relationship with the tribe goes back to my first year with the district when I began having discussions with Don Ryberg,” Nelson added.

Nelson also noted that NID is embracing the role of watershed stewardship more actively, a role that the Tsi-Akim Maidu organization supports. “Most recently we have been involved with the tribe during FERC relicensing. We also have the project to remove mercury sediments in the Bear River. We believe this is consistent with the tribal goal to heal the watershed.”

Speaking before the board, tribal chair Don Ryberg explained the need for the resolution. “The federal government today claims our tribe does not exist – this is because the government failed to terminate our tribes legally,” Ryberg told the board.

Read more from YubaNet.com by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under General Water Issues

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Palmdale Water District board member Linda Godin part of rate hike majority

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:53 am

From the Antelope Valley Press, the next installment in a series of articles profiling each member of the Palmdale Water District board of directors. Today, it’s Linda Godin:

As a volunteer or an elected official, Palmdale Water District Division 3 Director Linda Godin views public service as the foundation that supports communities.

As a single mom who raised two sons, that’s a belief she hopes they buy into and follow. Her oldest son BJ attends Antelope Valley College, and his younger brother Nick just graduated from Littlerock High School with plans to study civil engineering at California Polytechnic, Pomona.

Godin, an account manager at Lamar Outdoor Advertising, was appointed to the water board in November 2006 to fill the seat vacated by former Director Sheryl Sarna, who moved out of the district. She was elected to a full four-year term in November 2007, and her term expires in December 2011.

Godin was part of the majority in the 3-2 vote May 13 for a rate hike that will boost some customers’ bills 65% and others more than 140% for the last seven months in 2009, followed by another increase in January.

Despite 2,122 letters from property owners protesting the raise and an outcry from more than 200 water district customers who packed the board room and spilled into the lobby and an outside yard, Godin, Jeff Storm and Dick Wells voted for the increase, with Raul Figueroa and Dave Gomez voting “no.”

Read more of this article, which includes analysis of the dinner tabs of Washington DC restaurants on a recent trip, by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Antelope Valley

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Burbank community commentary: Data don’t show much water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:41 am

From the Burbank Leader, this commentary by Burbank resident Richard J. Tafilaw:

Councilman David Gordon is playing a shell game with his water facts and figures (“Remarks were off the mark,” May 27). Gordon listed the status of three reservoirs in the State Water Project — Oroville, Folsom and Millerton. The last two are currently in good shape, but the first one isn’t. However, when you take the time to actually look up the capacities of the three you’ll find out that Millerton is a small reservoir, Folsom is medium-sized and Oroville, at 3,537,600 acre feet, is the second largest in the system with a capacity of more than double that of the other two combined.

So, when Oroville is 64% full, even with the other two maxed out, we’re still 1.5 million acre feet shy of capacity for all three together — hardly anything to celebrate. Nor is the news that Shasta, the state’s largest reservoir, is at 69% of capacity and Trinity, the third largest, is at 52%. David failed to mention those frightening figures.

Next, he waved his magic wand and informed us “last week the State Water Project allocation to Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was boosted a full 10% to 40% of normal.”

Now, seriously, read that statement over again and think about what is really being said, that the water allocation was “boosted a full 10% to” — take a deep breath — “40% of normal.” Here again, he’s pretending the figure of “40% of normal” is somehow a marvelous, thrilling prospect — it isn’t!

“Our lawns and landscaping do not belong in this climate, swimming pools are an extravagance, automatic sprinklers are an abomination and Gordon is not doing the people of Burbank any favors by pretending otherwise,” he concludes. Read more of Richard’s commentary by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Southern California

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Small fish causes big problems in the delta

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:40 am

From the Santa Clarita Signal:

A small fish native to the Sacramento Delta is causing water restrictions and driving state water-project officials crazy.

The delta smelt is endemic to the Sacramento Delta. The fish, which measures about 3 inches in length, makes its home in the same place from which a large portion of the state draws its water supply, said Dan Masnada, Castaic Lake Water Agency general manager.

The smelt lives at the bottom of the food chain in the delta where they wield a lot of influence over water policy in the state, Masnada said. “They are the canary in the coal mine for the delta,” he said. “If that species goes extinct, people question whether it’s the domino that takes down the other species.”

Besides being a major food source for other fish, the smelt also provide a measure of the health of the ecosystem, said John Beuttler, Conservation Director for the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance.

Read more from the Santa Clarita Signal by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Delta smelt

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The City of Simi Valley will follow its own water restrictions

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:37 am

This is from Friday’s Ventura County Star (sorry I missed it!):

Simi Valley’s new rule against watering in the daytime doesn’t apply to one of the city’s biggest users — itself. The city of Simi Valley exempted all city-owned properties — as well as parks and school district property — from a proposed new ordinance restricting water usage.

City Manager Mike Sedell said water officials have begun conservation efforts, but because there is a “huge investment in public infrastructure,” some exceptions had to be made. While the public agencies will be in full compliance eventually, he said the city has an obligation to keep parks and city-owned property in good condition. That includes the option of watering during the day.

One 36-year resident of Simi Valley thinks that is hypocritical. Tony Williams said he walked by City Hall recently and saw the sprinklers on during the day. “Why don’t they have to adhere to their own rules?” Williams said while doing yard work in front of his Georgette Place home.

The mayor and the city council say it was a mistake:

Simi Valley councilmembers said they didn’t know they had voted on a restrictive and long-term water conservation ordinance that exempted the city from the rules.

They want to fix that mistake.

Mayor Paul Miller said Friday he wants to correct the ordinance, and hold the city responsible for the same water use rules as residents — including no lawn irrigation during the day. “The city is absolutely going to follow its own rules,” Miller said.

You can read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here and here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation

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San Clemente primed to tighten water consumption

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:28 am

From the O.C. Register:

The water supply in San Clemente is about to drop 12 percent, and civic leaders are asking everyone to use less. To take it a step further, the City Council is moving to tighten San Clemente’s water-conservation law.

This summer, expect some new year-round restrictions on consumption. Also, look for even tighter restrictions, depending on how much of a water shortage there is.

The City Council this month introduced an upgraded conservation ordinance, cautioning that the Metropolitan Water District – San Clemente’s main source – has declared a Stage 2 supply shortage and will cut deliveries to member agencies July 1 by an average of 10 percent. “We are looking at a 12 percent supply gap,” said Nathan Adams, San Clemente’s conservation management analyst.

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

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation, Southern California

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Colorado River Citizens Forum seeks members

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:26 am

From the Imperial Valley Press, this announcement:

The U.S. Section of the International Boundary and Water Commission is seeking applications from community members interested in participating in the Colorado River Citizens Forum.

The CRCF was established in 2003 to facilitate the exchange of information between the USIBWC and members of the public about commission activities in Yuma County and Imperial County.

The CRCF is intended to bring together community members, enabling the early and continued two-way flow of information, concerns, values and needs among the USIBWC, the general public, environmentalists, government agencies, irrigation districts, municipalities and other interested parties. Duties and responsibilities include reviewing and commenting on technical documents and activities associated with USIBWC projects in the area.

Read more from the Imperial Valley Press by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Colorado River Basin

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Lake Havasu’s mayor Mark Nexsen encouraged by river hearing

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 31, 2009 at 6:23 am

From Lake Havasu’s Today’s News Herald:

The Congressional hearing held Wednesday on the Colorado River in Tucson could be a major step forward in the concerns of Lake Havasu City residents being heard. Lake Havasu City Mayor Mark Nexsen called his presence at the meeting a seat at the table and said he was encouraged with what he heard from members of the House Natural Resource Subcommittee on Water and Power.

“I got the overall impression they wouldn’t have had this hearing unless they had something in mind,” Nexsen said, referring to the possibility of future legislation to help with both the water quality of the Colorado River and sewer projects in Lake Havasu City and Bullhead City.

The Colorado River Regional Sewer Coalition has long lobbied for attempts to receive federal funding for both cities’ sewer projects and to assist in preventing pollution threats to the river water. Nexsen called Wednesday’s hearing a possible step in the right direction, citing the statements and responses from subcommittee members were indicative they shared the concerns of Lake Havasu City residents about the future of the river.

He particularly pointed to the efforts of Congressman Raul Grijalva, R-Ariz., whom he said was instrumental in putting together the hearing. “I think (Congressman) Grijalva should be recognized for his efforts,” Nexsen said. “These hearings are not easy to get.”

Read more from Today’s News Herald by clicking here.

May 31, 2009 · Filed Under Colorado River Basin

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Saturday’s top of the scroll: Draft Delta Vision Foundation report card for governor, Legislature mixed; Final ‘report card’ to be announced at Monday meeting

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 8:40 am

From the Contra Costa Times:

Six months after recommending sweeping changes to address California’s water problems and an ecosystem crisis in the Delta, a task force appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the governor has not responded to their report and lacks a comprehensive policy to address the problems.

The draft “report card” released by Delta Vision gives state leaders, including the governor and Legislature, mixed grades saying they have made only modest progress in following through on the task force’s recommendations.

And it notes that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan being pursued aggressively by the governor and many of the state’s biggest water agencies “would not satisfy a single one of the seven goals recommended in the Delta Vision Strategic Plan.”

More from Mike Taugher at the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.

The final report card is set to be announced at a meeting on Monday. Here’s the announcement from the Delta Vision Foundation:

The Delta Vision Foundation (formerly the Governor’s Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force) will hold a public meeting in downtown Sacramento to release a mid-term Report Card on the state’s performance in shaping policy to restore the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta and ensure a reliable water supply for California. The Report Card assesses the progress of the Governor, the California Legislature, and specific policy proposals to adopt and implement key recommendations and strategies identified in the Delta Vision Strategic Plan. The Strategic Plan, released November 2008, is designed to ensure long-term sustainable management of the Delta.

WHEN: Monday, June 1, from 10am to 3pm

WHERE: California State Association of Counties (CSAC) Conference Center
1020 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95814

WHO: Members of the Delta Vision Foundation, including:

Phil Isenberg, Chair

Monica Florian

Richard Frank

Thomas McKernan

Sunne Wright McPeak

William Reilly

Raymond Seed, Ph.D.

John Kirlin, Executive Director

Associated stakeholders

Directions to the CSAC Conference Center:

The CSAC Conference Center is located at 1020 11th Street, 2nd Floor between K Street & J Street. The entrance to the center is located between the Pyramid Restaurant patio and Smith Gallery across from the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament main entrance on 11th Street. The building has a black awning with gold diamonds.

For more information about the Delta Vision Foundation, visit www.deltavisionfoundation.org.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Delta Vision Task Force, Events

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Commentary on AB1408: Californians, imagine new homes that need no new water

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 8:34 am

From AlterNet, this commentary by Doug Linney, president of the Board of Directors of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, a board member of the Planning and Conservation League, and a board member of the California League of Conservation Voters:

In February, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a drought emergency in California, citing two successive years of below-average rainfall and dangerously low runoff from the Sierra Nevada snowpack.

Since then, the water-supply crisis has only deepened, and now it coincides with a recession that has severely damaged the state economy. Few sectors of the economy have been as hard hit as the home builders and construction companies.

Enter Assembly Bill 1408, authored by Democratic Assemblyman Paul Krekorian. This unique bill would offer significant dual benefits for improving our water supply and alleviating the housing slump. Imagine new homes that require no additional water supplies but have the same, or better, amenities than the current housing stock. Imagine builders being able to construct these new homes in areas where, without AB 1408, the lack of water would preclude new development.

Now imagine that the building industry wants this bill killed. It is hard to believe but true — the California Building Industry Association continues to lean on legislators to vote against this bill in the coming days. But why?

Read more of Doug’s commentary by AlterNet by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Water & Development

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New water website to check out, plus: Is air pollution reducing California’s water supply?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 8:19 am

The U.C. San Diego Newsroom has created a website called Water Shortages: The New Normal. The webpage features stories & other resources on water issues, including this story from last month on how air pollution may be affecting California’s water supply:

The Sierra Nevada snowpack that supplies more than 30 million Californians with their water has shown a steady decline over the past century, possibly in part because of the state’s air pollution.

But as drought preparations ramp up across the state, researchers are attempting to verify this hypothesis by analyzing the particles in air pollution and precipitation that descend on the Sierra mountain range. A team including scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego took an unprecedented look in late February and early March at a snowstorm and the chemistry that influenced it in the first of several field studies that will take place where Interstate 80 runs through the Sierras.

“The exciting thing for us is to be able to make coupled aerosol chemistry and state-of-the-art meteorological measurements which should allow us to be better understand the types of air pollution that are impacting cloud and precipitation processes,” said Scripps atmospheric chemistry Professor Kim Prather, who also holds an appointment at UCSD’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Prather is a co-investigator of the CalWater project funded by the California Energy Commission.

Read more from Explorations, an emagazine from Scripps Institution of Oceanography by clicking here. Check out the U.C. San Diego Newsroom webpage, Water Shortage – The New Normal, by clicking here. Hat tip to George for the link!

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Water Supply

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Peter Gleick on desalination: Salt from water, money from pockets?

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 8:09 am

From Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog:

There is always a lot of interest in desalination. I hear it when I give public talks on global and local water issues; I see it in some responses to my blog posts that believe desalination should be much more aggressively pursued; and it is evident in the response to a report the Institute prepared on the pros and cons of desalination. This report has been the single most downloaded report we’ve ever produced, downloaded from our website more than 303,000 times since publication in June 2006. Actually 303,448 as of today. That is a stunning expression of interest.

I also love the idea of desalination, for all of the obvious reasons. It turns a vast unusable source of salty water into high-quality fresh water. It is potentially drought-proof because it does not depend on the vagaries of weather and climate. It offers the opportunity to reduce human devastation of natural aquatic ecosystems if we use desalination to reduce our over-allocation and over-use of other freshwater resources.

But I’m not a blind supporter. Desalination is one of many water solutions in a broad portfolio of options, and it must be considered – in an equal manner – with all of the other choices we have. If it passes economic/financial, environmental, social, and political muster – fantastic. But there are many supporters of desalination who see its advantages but somehow fail to recognize or acknowledge its liabilities. That brings me to today’s Water Number:

Water Number: $2000 per acre-foot (AF). This is the latest estimate just released for the cost of water from a massive proposed desalination facility for the Camp Pendleton area in Southern California.

Read more from Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Desalination

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Recycling bath water takes muscle; Lugging gallon after gallon of the murky water to the garden was a feat until Enviro Water Boy stepped in

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 8:07 am

From the Los Angeles Times:

Even before L.A.’s new water restrictions were scheduled to kick in, I’d been using a bucket to haul the murky bath waters from my dirt-encrusted 6-year-old’s nightly scrub-down into my garden. I was on a mission to save as much water as possible, and the 30 gallons he was defiling every night seemed like an excellent resource.

The upside is I now have a lower water bill — and a raging pair of biceps, just in time for summer! The downside: The routine is a total drag.

Well-intentioned as it was, my enthusiasm for hauling so much water, bucket by sloshy bucket, was on the wane when I heard from the Australian company Greywater Recycler International. Some genius in the land from down under had invented something called an Enviro Water Boy, which promised to recycle my bath water, a.k.a. gray water, without having to futz with any plumbing. It sounded ideal. Clearly, I needed this thing — I wanted this thing — even though I had a hard time conceiving how it would work.

Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Recycled Water

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Tehama County Officials mull groundwater level triggers

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:39 am

From the Red Bluff Daily News:

A plan to monitor groundwater levels and trigger appropriate responses if they drop was the focus Thursday night of a joint meeting of the Tehama County Board of Supervisors and Red Bluff, Corning and Tehama city councils. Public Works Deputy Director Ernie Ohlin gave an overview of the Groundwater Management Act Planning Process and development of groundwater trigger levels and awareness actions.

The idea behind the trigger levels is to give officials information they can use to prepare in case groundwater levels are found to be declining within the county.

AB 3030 Technical Advisory Committee Chairman Allan Fulton and consultant John Ayres explained the trigger levels were set to raise flags when groundwater levels begin to reflect conditions mimicking the 1978 and early 1990s droughts. The committee chose wells for monitoring based on the amount of previous information they had obtained and how likely they were to mirror surrounding conditions.

Read more from the Red Bluff Daily News by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Northern California

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Turf wanted: South Tahoe utility district offers buy-backs for grass

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:38 am

From the Tahoe Daily Tribune:

As many homeowners can attest, all lawns are not created equal. There are those lush expanses of grass that provide the perfect setting for backyard barbecues, a personal dog park, or a multipurpose play field.

Then there are those areas of grass that see little activity, suck up water and require meticulous maintenance to squeak out a living in the sometimes unforgiving Sierra environment.

It is the latter of these two types of lawns targeted by a South Tahoe Public Utility District’s Turf Buy-Back program, said district spokesman Dennis Cocking.

The voluntary turf buy-back is modeled after a Southern Nevada Water Authority program and pays homeowners to remove so called non-functional lawns and replace them with less water-intensive options. “If the only time you’re walking on your lawn is when you’re mowing it, you might have a nonfunctional lawn,” Cocking said.

Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation

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Tuolumne River enthusiasts canoe 236 miles as statement

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:36 am

From the Union Democrat:

With the upper Tuolumne River’s raging rapids behind them, Owen Segerstrom, of Sonora, and Emilio Martinez, of Modesto, along with about 40 others, paddled down an eight-mile stretch of the meandering lower Tuolumne River on Wednesday between La Grange and Turlock Lake. Wednesday’s canoe trip was one leg of the Tuolumne River Trust’s Paddle to the Sea — a 236-mile, three-week journey to bring awareness to the Tuolumne River’s plights by navigating the river and connecting waterways to the Pacific Ocean.

“This is the single biggest outing in Tuolumne River Trust’s history,” said Eric Wesselman, the trust’s executive director, of Wednesday’s excursion.

The journey has already taken adventure addicts down the Tuolumne River’s turbulent headwaters, crashing down the converging, undammed Clavey River and Don Pedro Reservoir. “It (Clavey River) is one of those gems that everyone keeps their eyes on,” Sacramento kayaker Aaron Stabel said. “It’s one of the best runs in California.”

Read more from the Union Democrat by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under San Joaquin Valley

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Running on Empty: Water In the West – Author James Powell to give talk and book signing at Solvang Library June 4

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:35 am

From edhat.com:

Persons who wish to drink, eat or bathe in the future are invited to a lecture by James Lawrence Powell, who will discuss water supply, climate change, and drought in the Southwest, the subject of his sixth book: “Dead Pool: Lake Powell, Global Warming, and the Future of Water in the West.”

The free talk and book-signing will be held on Thursday, June 4, at 7:30 p.m. at the Solvang Library at 1745 Mission Drive. The event is hosted by the Santa Ynez Valley Natural History Society and the Friends of the Library.

Dr. Powell will discuss the history and future of water in the West and examine the looming water crisis facing cities such as Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles, all of which are heavily dependent on the Colorado River for their supply. Lake Powell, a half-empty Colorado River reservoir slowly filling with silt, is the focus of his book.

“We are fortunate to once again host Dr. Powell for a lecture,” said John Evarts, program chair for the SYV Natural History Society. “He is an outstanding interpreter of earth sciences, and his past presentations on other topics have been fascinating.”

Leaky Santa Barbara area reservoir concerns residents

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:34 am

From Santa Barbara’s KEYT Chennel 3:

After nearly $20 million was spent to cover and upgrade the Ortega Reservoir that serves Carpinteria, Summerland and Montecito, a leak has been discovered. The water storage facility is losing about 30 to 50-gallons a minute, into it’s gravel base, and down to a nearby creek. How this is happening is still a mystery, and a costly one at that.

The reservoir serves thousands of residents in Montecito, Summerland and Carpinteria. Areas that are already facing a future of limited water resources.

The water district’s engineers, construction companies and lawyers are all talking about the problem, and how repairs will take place.

KEY News Senior Reporter John Palminteri has more on what this means to the area that’s already very tight on it’s limited water supply.

Watch the news report by clicking here. (The story’s webpage is here.)

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Uncategorized

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Port Heuneme: Ducks being harmed by low water flows, pair say

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:33 am

From the Ventura County Star:

Port Hueneme residents Lita Meyer and Audrey Albert were shocked this week when they saw seagulls killing and eating ducklings in Bubbling Springs stream. The ducklings were dying because the water level in the stream was so low it resembled a “mud flat,” they said, and the ducklings could not go under water to get away from seagulls.

“I witnessed the attack, the ducklings had no place to hide,” Meyer said. “They need to be picked up and put somewhere safe, then put back. I called Wildlife of Ventura and (California) Fish and Game and got no response. I’ll help truck the ducks, do anything to help.”

The city of Port Hueneme describes the area as the Bubbling Springs Recreational Corridor, a drainage control channel that includes landscaping and seven acres of pathways. The corridor connects Bubbling Springs Park to Hueneme Beach Park.

Read more from the Ventura County Star by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Water & Wildlife

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Palmdale Water District workers, salaries on the chopping block

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:28 am

From the Antelope Valley Press:

An e-mail to employees of the Palmdale Water District from General Manager Randy Hill warned of possible layoffs as early as August unless the agency’s financial situation improves.

Employees received the notice when they arrived at work Wednesday morning, with the subject line stating “Serious issues now facing the PWD.” In the e-mail, Hill stated he wanted to update all employees, though he emphasized that nothing has been decided yet. A list of options will be reviewed and discussed with the board of directors, possibly at the June 10 board meeting.

“The city has now filed several legal actions against the PWD and is seeking to prevent our new rates from going into (effect), and to stop us from moving forward with our long-term borrowing through issuing municipal bonds,” Hill wrote, in reference to an injunction Palmdale city attorneys are seeking in Los Angeles County Superior Court, with a hearing date set for June 8.

“Although the board approved a new rate increase, the immediate cash flow we need from borrowing is hampered by city litigation,” Hill stated.

Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Antelope Valley

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Palmdale Water District director known for travel

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:26 am

The Antelope Valley Press continues it’s profiles of Palmdale Water District board members with this article on Dave Gomez:

Airports have become a familiar backdrop for Palmdale Water District Division 5 Director Dave Gomez – a man always on the move.

Gomez won his seat in the November 2005 election when he ran against incumbent Nolan Negaard, a retired teacher who served on the water district board from 1989 through 2005. Since taking over that seat, Gomez has traveled to Sacramento repeatedly for meetings with the California Special Districts Association; to the nation’s capital for conferences organized by the Association of California Water Agencies; and to other venues where seminars take place – all in the name of water district business.

His spending for travel expenses from January through December 2008, including airfare, conference registration fees, hotel stays and meals, plus directors’ meeting stipends, totaled at least $11,844, based on PWD documents obtained by the Antelope Valley Press through a public records request.

Although he has reduced his meeting and travel spending compared to past years, such as 2006, when he exceeded his allocated budget by $10,294, customers have questioned money spent on steak dinners that cost in the neighborhood of $50 or $60 at a time when the water district claims to be running out of funds and has raised some customers’ rates between 65% and more than 140%.

The May 13 board vote of 3-2 in favor of the rate hike had directors Jeff Storm, Dick Wells and Linda Godin voting “yes,” while Gomez and Raul Figueroa opposed the motion.

However, a campaign mailer sent out by Gomez before the hearing, captured attention when it stated he voted against the increase. At a board meeting in which adoption of the new water budget rate structure took place, he voted “no.” At the public hearing to pass the new rates, he voted “no.” But at the financial committee meeting – a two-member team of Gomez and Wells – the two concurred in favor of bringing the new rate model before the full board for approval, according to meeting minutes. When questioned about that, Gomez sat silent.

Read more from the Antelope Valley Press by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Antelope Valley

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Jeff Kightlinger of Metropolitan Water District and Charles Trevino of Upper San Gabriel MWD to speak at Pasadena Sierra Club meeting June 3rd

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:22 am

From the Pasadena Star News:

Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and Charles Trevino, a district director of the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District, will present “The Challenge of Meeting Southern California’s Future Water Needs: Can It Be Done Without Additional Damage to the Natural Environment?” at a Sierra Club meeting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Eaton Canyon Nature Center, 1750 N. Altadena Drive, Pasadena.

More from the Pasadena Star News by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Events

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Water rules slated for the La Crescenta Foothills; Locals could be fined if they repeatedly water their plants more than twice weekly

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:18 am

From the Glendale News Press:

Foothill residents will be required to cut outdoor irrigation back from three to two days a week under new mandatory water restrictions that take effect on Monday. The new rules affect the 32,000 mostly single-family home customers of the Crescenta Valley Water District in the unincorporated county portion of La Crescenta at a time when the Southland’s main water wholesaler is preparing to cut allocations by 10% on July 1.

Under the new restrictions, customers will not be allowed to irrigate their yards more than twice a week, for more than 10 minutes at a time. “Water conservation interns” hired by the district will patrol neighborhoods to spot violations, officials said. Violators of the new rules will get a notice to correct the problem within 72 hours. A second warning would be issued before officials imposed flow restrictors or considered fines, said Christy Scott, a program specialist for Crescenta Valley Water District.

“Our goal is to help people,” she said. “We don’t want to be out there slapping people with fines.”

Read more from the Glendale News Press by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Conservation, Southern California

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$92 million in stimulus money to aid Inland water recycling projects

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:15 am

From the Riverside Press Enterprise:

Water agencies in Riverside and San Bernardino counties will reap more than $130 million in federal stimulus money, primarily for water recycling projects that will create hundreds of construction jobs starting this summer.

The funding is part of $440 million awarded to the state for “shovel-ready” projects. A small percentage of the awards were grants, but most are no- or low-interest loans to be paid back starting a year after project completion. Districts have received preliminary notice of the awards but still must sign contracts making it official.

Many water agency officials said they were disappointed because far less money was dedicated to water infrastructure than what was trumpeted when the Obama administration unveiled plans for the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. In light of the state’s water crisis, much more is needed, said John Rossi, general manager of Western Municipal Water District in Riverside.

“It just wasn’t the money fest that everyone thought it was going to be early on,” he said. “There are easily $1 billion in (needed) infrastructure projects in the Inland Empire, but no funding.”

Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Recycled Water, Southern California

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Development could dry up wetlands, environmentalists say

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:13 am

From the O. C. Register:

Environmentalists are warning that wetlands could go dry and some Surf City homes might sink if the city moves forward with the proposed 111-home Shea Parkside Estates development.

With the City Council set to vote Monday on whether to approve a revised development plan for the property, Bolsa Chica Land Trust officials have released a 250-page report about what they say are significant changes to the property and are asking the council to postpone the vote.

They say water levels have dropped at least partly due to emergency repairs of the nearby Wintersburg Channel, and that the levels could plummet more if the developer proceeds with plans to further reinforce the levee and drain certain areas before building homes on top of it. Environmentalists and neighbors say the draining process may change the water table, causing the preserved wetland habitat on the property to dry up and adjacent homes in the Kenilworth Drive area of Surf City to sink.

The documents are the latest twist in a more than a decade-long battle between environmentalists and Shea Homes, which wants to build on 50 acres near the Bolsa Chica wetlands.

The developer contends the report is the latest tactic by the Bolsa Chica Land Trust to stall a project that has already been scaled back by the California Coastal Commission. The development, which the city originally approved in 2002 with 170 housing units and 3.7 acres of conservation area, is now planned with 111 homes and 23.1 acres of preserved areas.

“These people are not engineers. They’re not licensed,” said Shea Parkside Estates spokesman Laer Pearce. “They are very smart … but they don’t know how soil works…You can’t call for a new (environmental impact report) when a project has less impact than it had when it was originally approved.”

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

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Southern California, Water & Development, Water & the Environment

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San Diegans angry over Children’s Pool seals issue

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on May 30, 2009 at 7:10 am

From the San Diego News Network:

LA JOLLA – Neither the pro-seal group or the pro-”children’s cove” are happy with the way city leaders have handled the battle over the Children’s Pool in La Jolla.

Joe Clary is a La Jolla Resident and would like to see the seals stay. He says, “It just seems rather incredulous that the city would be even considering this at this time.”

Andrew Bergeron, also a La Jolla resident, can’t understand why the city has offered such an expensive plan to chase away the seals who have made the cove their home. “It’s just so ridiculous that the city needs money and that they’re going to spend money on dispersing something that attracts tourists.”

The seal issue was the hot topic Thursday at a forum at the La Jolla Recreation Center on Prospect Street.

Read more from the San Diego News Network by clicking here.

May 30, 2009 · Filed Under Other Oceans & Beaches Stories, San Diego

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