Thursday’s top of the scroll: Sierra snowpack below average despite recent storms
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 8:10 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“California’s first snow survey of the winter showed the Sierra snowpack below normal Wednesday despite a series of storms that has drenched much of the state and pleased ski resort operators.
The state Department of Water Resources reported the findings from monitors located along the 400-mile-long Sierra Nevada. The snowpack, which is the source for much of the water used by California cities and farms, contains about 85 percent of its usual water content for this time of year.
Sue Sims, the water department’s chief deputy director, said the results suggest California may be facing a fourth year of drought.
“Despite some recent storms, today’s snow survey shows that we’re still playing catch-up when it comes to our statewide water supplies,” Sims said in a statement in which she also urged conservation. … “
Read more from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
” … “What we’re finding this year is really pretty close to last year,” said Frank Gehrke, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water Resources, after finishing the last measurement at historic Phillips Station, next to the Sierra-at-Tahoe resort off Highway 50. “It’s a little lower in the north. It gets better as we go south, but we’ve got a lot of winter left. Everything depends on what happens between now and April.”
The water content of the snow – the key measurement for how much water will flow into reservoirs – is 85 percent of normal for this date, according to the average of five measurements. It was 76 percent of normal last year.
The measurement in a field covered in a blanket of white near the privately owned cabin known as Phillips Station is traditionally where the department announces the results of the first snow survey of the season. The spot, at 6,800 feet, normally represents the median of the five spots where snowpack is measured. This year was no different. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
From Stockton’s Record:
” … Gauges in the Mokelumne and Stanislaus river basins, which feed much of San Joaquin County, are even lower on average than their neighbors to the north or south. Most manual snow surveys, however, have not yet been conducted. And most of California’s December-through-March wet season lies ahead, providing hope that the state can avoid another year of drought.
Forecasters also are predicting a moderate to strong El Niño effect this winter. The periodic warming along the equatorial Pacific generally produces heavier-than-normal precipitation in California.
Kathy Hoxsie, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Sacramento, said Northern California has “an excellent shot of getting above-average precipitation” through early March.
“If we have an above-normal year this year, it will really ease the drought conditions,” she said. … “
Read more from the Record by clicking here.
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
” … That figure may seem promising. But it’s actually modest given the gloomy water-shortage picture of the past few years, and big snowmakers are desperately needed if the state has any chance of gaining ground against a four-year drought.
Otherwise, farmland and farmworkers will remain idle. Bans on commercial salmon catches likely will be extended, and ratepayers will have to pay more for less.
The San Diego region’s dependence on the Sierra Nevada snowpack flucuates, but generally between a third and half of the region’s needs are covered by supplies from the north. … “
Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
From the Manteca Bulletin:
“The Department of Water Resources is still sticking to its earlier estimate that they will deliver only 5 percent of contracted water to urban and agricultural users throughout the state including the Bay Area.
South San Joaquin Irrigation District General Manager Jeff Shields concurs with the state’s observations that the drought is far from over. “It is really too early in the season,” Shields said.
Shields noted that New Melones Reservoir – the main storage facility on the Stanislaus River – is so low that it would be tough to fill it up this season. Shields noted the wet “El Nino” weather pattern – should it fully materialize this winter – won’t be enough to break the impacts of three years of drought. … “
Read more from the Manteca Bulletin by clicking here.
MORE COVERAGE:
- Read DWR’s press release on the snow survey
- There’s plenty of snow at ski resorts, says the AP
- No surprises says KQED Climate Watch blog
- Download DWR’s latest drought report to the Governor
Doug Obegi: 2009 California water in review (and hopes for 2010)
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 8:06 amFrom Doug Obegi at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“New Year’s provides a good opportunity to look back on the past year, and to look forward to the next. Here’s my list of 2009’s Good, Bad and Ugly in terms of California water politics, and what I’m wishing for in 2010.
The Good:
A lot was accomplished in 2009:
* New state water policy reform legislation that prioritizes water use efficiency and the Virtual River of modern water supply tools, that reduces reliance on water exports from the Delta, and which includes new protections for the Bay-Delta estuary and its struggling salmon and other native fish populations;
* New federal protections for endangered salmon and steelhead in the Bay-Delta, which will also benefit salmon fishermen in California and Oregon in the coming years; and
* The release of water down the San Joaquin River for the first time in more than 50 years, as part of the effort to restore the river and its historic salmon fishery.The Bad: … “
Continue reading this post at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
‘Back to nature’ cuts flood risks says US scientists
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 8:00 am
From BBC News:
“Reconnecting flood-plains to rivers will help reduce the risk of future flooding, suggest US scientists.
A study by US researchers said allowing these areas to be submerged during storms would reduce the risk of flood damage in nearby urban areas. Pressure to build new homes has led to many flood-prone areas being developed.
Writing in Science, they said the risks of flooding were likely to increase in the future as a result of climate change and shifts in land use.
“We are advocating very large-scale shifts in land use,” said co-author Jeffrey Opperman, a member of The Nature Conservancy’s Global Freshwater Team.
“There is simply no way economically or politically that this could be accomplished by turning large areas of flood-plains into parks,” he told the Science podcast. … “
Read more from the BBC News by clicking here.
Picture courtesy of California Department of Water Resources.
Dan Bacher commentary: USDA data dispels myth that west side growers ‘feed the nation’
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 7:52 am
From Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“The Astroturf campaign by corporate agribusiness over the past year has relentlessly promoted the myth that crops grown on drainage-impaired land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley “feed the nation” or “feed the world.”
The corporate media and even some “alternative” media outlets have bought into this myth in their coverage of the California water wars, portraying the conflict as one between hard-working farmers like those portrayed in the classic Grant Wood painting who only want “feed America” versus “radical environmentalists” who want to protect a “minnow” like the Delta smelt.
The comments of Sean Hannity, in “The Valley Hope Forgot: California Farmers at Obama’s Mercy” show on Fox TV News on September 18, are typical of those that perpetuate the myth that west side San Joaquin Valley farmers “feed America.”
“You are the farmers that have sustained the entire country for decades,” said Hannity, surrounded by hundreds of west side growers, bused-in farmworkers and Central Valley Tea Party activists. “We have generations of farmers here. And they are losing their farms. We have hundreds and hundreds of thousands of acres. We literally have — I met people earlier that now are on food lines because their farms have been shut down.” … “
Read more from IndyBay.org by clicking here.
SalmonAid director responds to 60 Minutes report on California water
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 7:49 amFrom IndyBay.org, this response to the 60 Minutes segment from Mike Hudson of SalmonAid:
my name is Mike Hudson, I’m the President of the Small Boat Commercial Salmon Fishermen’s Association (http://www.sbcsfa.com), a Director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations (http://www.pcffa.org) and the Executive Director of the SalmonAid Foundation (http://www.salmonaid.org).
I’m writing to voice my disappointment with yesterday’s 60 Minute segment about California Water.
1. Mrs. Stahl did not include any of our hard stricken fishermen and fishing related businesses in her report, and to produce a balanced report that would have been necessary (and interesting too). Please read the recent LA Times article “For salmon fishing port, the future is as murky as its waters” at http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-fishing1-2009dec01,0,3780297.story and view the related pictures at
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-1fishing-pictures,0,5768539.photogallery.2. Mrs. Stahl showed an Almond grower grinding up some of his “valuable” trees that took 20 years to grow…. Just the slightest bit of research will tell you that Almond trees live for 20-25 years, and that’s it. So the trees this grower ground up were at the very end of their lifecycle, and drought or no drought – they would have been ground up anyways to make room for new ones. … “
Continue reading at IndyBay.org by clicking here.
Dept. of Interior takes up climate battle: An interview with David Hayes
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 7:38 am
From the National Journal, this interview with Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes:
“With U.S. climate legislation and an international climate agreement both deferred to 2010, the Obama administration is unilaterally pursuing (subscription) several fronts in the battle against global warming. One agency playing a quiet but significant role in this effort is the Department of the Interior, which under Secretary Ken Salazar is working to initiate renewable energy projects on public lands, put more acres of land under federal protection, and work with communities to assess local impacts of climate change.
Deputy Interior Secretary David Hayes spoke to National Journal last month about the agency’s new initiatives, the effects of climate on endangered species, and whether the administration is waging a “war on the West.” Edited excerpts follow.
NJ: What’s the Interior Department up to on climate change?
Hayes: Climate change is hugely important to the Interior Department for, I’d say, three very different types of reasons. One is that we actually have the opportunity to be the leader for the federal government in standing up more renewable energy. We are looking to have by the end of next year under construction between 500 and 900 megawatts of new renewable energy on our public lands. That’s the equivalent of 15 to 30 coal-fired power plants. We are fast-tracking projects in the Southwest…. We are fast-tracking wind projects; we are pushing very hard in cooperation with governors on the East Coast for offshore wind…. “
Continue reading this interview at the National Journal website by clicking here.
Another farmer may sell water to Southern California; On the Public Record runs some numbers
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 7:35 amFrom the Fresno Bee’s News Blog:
“Another farmer may be selling his irrigation water supply to Southern California for millions of dollars. And, again, it involves the Dudley Ridge Water District in Kings County.
The deal would involve the purchase of 884 acres of mostly stone fruit trees by Irvine Ranch Water District. The price would reportedly be $14.3 million, though it is not a done deal, say state officials.
The Irvine district would acquire access to 1,700 acre-feet of water from the State Water Project. One acre-foot — 326,000 gallons — would supply an average family for a year.
The other Dudley Ridge deal this year involved a Bay Area land and farming partnership called Sandridge Partners. The partnership agreed to sell $73 million worth of water rights to the Mojave Water Agency in San Bernardino County. … “
However, it’s not quite a done deal yet. More from the Fresno Bee News Blog by clicking here.
Meanwhile, the On the Public Record blog runs some idle calculations on the numbers, and concludes that the only difference between the two sales is:
” … that Irvine Ranch also bought the land. Since the two transfers are from one SWP contract with Dudley Ridge, they’re equally reliable. The conveyance costs are similar. So I am going to say that the difference in price comes from the value of the land.
($5,200 per acre for just the water right)/($8,400 per acre for the water right and the land) = 0.62 .
I’m thinking that the water right accounts for 62% of the value of agricultural land on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley. … “
More from the On the Public Record blog by clicking here.
Two appeals filed against Orland water bottling plant
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:52 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“ORLAND — Two separate appeals were filed Monday, asking the City Council to take a fresh look at plans by Crystal Geyser to build a sparkling mineral water bottling plant in Orland.
The Orland Technical Advisory Committee approved the proposal Dec. 16, but citizens had stated they would appeal.
A group called Save Our Water Resources has been actively opposing the plant, voicing many concerns — primarily that they believe an Environmental Impact Report under the California Environmental Quality Act is required.
The second appeal came from attorney William Kopper of Davis, on behalf of Matt Vereschagin and Gregory Appel. Neither could be reached Tuesday.
Trish Saint-Evens, a Save Our Water Resources member, said her group has been depicted by some as being “NIMBY” (not in my backyard).
But their position is that “they should embrace an EIR to clear the uncertainty of citizens.” … “
Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
Sutter County adopts rule for water in landscaping
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:48 amFrom the Appeal-Democrat:
“Water conservation plans will be required for future homes and lawns in much of Sutter County — despite leaders’ complaints the state has forced their hands in the matter.
An ordinance demanding water efficiency and irrigation plans for many landscaping projects larger than 2,500 square feet won the Board of Supervisors’ approval Tuesday and takes effect on Friday. But the 4-1 vote was a largely grudging one, marked by board members’ about state intrusion into local affairs.
“We had no way of going to the public, no time to get people’s perceptions, to see how (the costs) affect businesses and communities,” said Jim Whiteaker, the only supervisor to vote against the law. “The state’s gonna do what the state’s gonna do, but as a county we shouldn’t be accepting this.” … “
Read more from the Appeal-Democrat by clicking here.
Mayor wants federal ban on Natomas development lifted
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:45 amFrom the Sacramento Press:
“The city needs to make headway on flood protection efforts in order for the federal government to lift a moratorium on building in Natomas, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Tuesday.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency banned development in Natomas in 2008 because of the threat of flooding. Johnson said at his weekly press conference that flood protection will be one of his priorities in 2010. “We have to make progress so that (FEMA) will lift the moratorium,” Johnson said.
New building in Natomas would generate dollars for the city’s general fund, he said. “If we want to grow revenue, we’ve got to find ways to have more economic development opportunities,” he said. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Press by clicking here.
Hetch Hetchy upgrade: Storage locations to stay safe
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:44 am
From the San Francisco Examiner:
“While efforts are ramping up to rebuild and reinforce lake-size drinking water reservoirs east and south of San Francisco, a blitz of similar work at smaller facilities is well under way inside The City.
The multibillion-dollar Water System Improvement Project aims to protect The City’s drinking-water supply from earthquakes and help the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission catch up on needed maintenance.
The system comprises massive dams and school bus-size pipes east and south of San Francisco that deliver snowmelt from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in the Sierras and some river water. Once water reaches The City, it enters a labyrinth of above-ground tanks, subterranean reservoirs, pump stations and narrower piping.
San Franciscans would rely largely on water stored within city limits for a period of time if an earthquake or other disaster ruptured major pipelines that deliver water into The City. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Hetch Hetchy upgrade: Lighting the way to safer water
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:32 am
From the San Francisco Examiner:
“SAN FRANCISCO — The water 2.5 million Bay Area residents drink will be safer once a $112 million water treatment plant is open in 2012.
The multibillion-dollar Water System Improvement Project aims to protect The City’s drinking water supply from earthquakes and help the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission catch up on needed maintenance.
A portion of that project is a new water treatment site in San Joaquin County, where water will wash over ultraviolet light bulbs designed to kill stomach-infecting bugs before flowing through San Francisco taps.
A 14,000-square-foot building — where water will be treated and disinfected using chlorine, fluoride and other chemicals — is being built to replace the existing facility 8 miles south of Tracy at the Tesla Treatment Plant. The aging plant doesn’t meet modern earthquake, fire or building codes. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Water requirements buoyed: EPA sets guidelines to clean up San Joaquin River Water supply
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:28 amFrom the Chico News & Review:
“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has reached an agreement with the Port of Stockton that will correct deficiencies in the port’s storm-water program.
In a 2008 audit of the port’s storm-water management and control systems, the EPA and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board found deficiencies with the port’s permit program relating to industrial oversight, standard development and toxicity monitoring, according to a press release. The port’s sewer system flows directly and indirectly into the San Joaquin River. … “
Read more from the Chico News & Review by clicking here.
Annual program to store winter river flows begins
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:25 amFrom Water Online:
“Pacific Grove, CA /PRNewswire/ – California American Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District began annual operations of their joint Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) project this month. The ASR project diverts excess water from the Carmel River that would otherwise flow to the Pacific Ocean, and stores the water in the Seaside groundwater basin. High flows in the river typically occur during the winter when the Monterey Peninsula receives the majority of its rainfall. During the dry, summer months when river flows are low and pumping is restricted, the stored water serves as an alternate source of supply.
“This program has tremendous environmental benefits,” said Craig E. Anthony, general manager of California American Water. “It enables us to manage our pumping of the Carmel River aquifer in a way that most benefits the river and its habitat, including the threatened Central Coast steelhead trout.”
Pumping for the ASR program began this year on Sunday, Dec. 13, when river flows reached approximately 190 cfs, and has since been gradually increased to full capacity. … “
Read more from Water Online by clicking here.
Tsunami flood maps show Malibu coastline under water
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:20 am
From the Malibu Times:
“Prompted by the devastating 2004 tsunami that ravaged Indonesia and killed nearly 230,000 people in 11 countries, a new set of tsunami inundation maps for California’s coastal counties was recently released by USC, the California Geological Survey and the California Emergency Management Agency.
The maps are intended to help cities and counties in identifying their tsunami hazard and in emergency evacuation planning. Each map estimates maximum inundation levels brought on by the largest anticipated tsunami event. The maps do not, however, include any information about the probability of a tsunami affecting any area within a specific period of time, due to a lack of known occurrences in the historical record.
In 2005, tsunami warning signs were placed throughout Malibu, and other areas deemed at risk, and a pamphlet circulated that gave such advice as “run from, don’t surf a tsunami.”
Read more from the Malibu Times by clicking here.
Photo of Malibu beach houses by flickr photographer Xposure120 (Creative Commons).
Oceano: Saltwater intrusion effects could be far-reaching
Posted by: Maven on December 31, 2009 at 6:20 amFrom the Santa Maria Times:
“The possibility that saltwater is seeping into the Five Cities aquifer was raised when tests conducted in May and August showed rising levels of chlorides, sodium and potassium in a sentry well in Oceano.
If further tests show saltwater is invading the groundwater basin, it could have serious implications for not only the Five Cities area but also the Nipomo area.
Saltwater intrusion would mean more water is being pumped from the basin than is being replaced, causing seawater to flow in to fill the void.
Once saltwater infiltrates a groundwater basin, it is virtually impossible to remove, and when the dissolved chemicals reach a certain level, the water becomes undrinkable.
Officials cautioned that the tests only show the potential for saltwater intrusion, and more monitoring will be required to verify suspicions. … “
Read more from the Santa Maria Times by clicking here.
DWR announces first snow survey results of 2009/2010 winter season
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 2:05 pm
From the Department of Water Resources:
“SACRAMENTO – The Department of Water Resources (DWR) first snow survey of the 2009/2010 winter season indicates snow water content is 85 percent of normal for the date, statewide. This time last year, snow water content was 76 percent of normal statewide.
“Despite some recent storms, today’s snow survey shows that we’re still playing catch-up when it comes to our statewide water supplies,” said DWR chief deputy director Sue Sims. “Looking at the real possibility of a fourth dry year, we must prepare now, conserve now and act now, so that we have enough water for homes, farms and businesses in 2010 and in the future.”
Governor Schwarzenegger has championed a comprehensive water plan that he signed into law last month. The plan will safeguard the state’s water supply through a comprehensive plan that includes water conservation, more surface and groundwater storage, new investments in the state’s aging water infrastructure, and improved water conveyance to protect the environment and provide a reliable water supply.
While today’s snow survey determined that the water content is higher than last year at this time, it’s too early to ascertain whether improved figures will translate into a better water year than the state experienced last year.
Electronic sensor readings show northern Sierra snow water equivalents at 77 percent of normal for this date, central Sierra at 85 percent, and southern Sierra at 99 percent. The sensor readings are posted at http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cgi-progs/snow/DLYSWEQ.
Storage in California’s major reservoirs is low. Lake Oroville, the principal storage reservoir for the State Water Project (SWP), is at 29 percent of capacity, and 47 percent of average storage for this time of year.
DWR’s early estimate that it will only be able to deliver 5 percent of requested State Water Project water this year to the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Southern California reflects low storage levels in the state’s major reservoirs, ongoing drought conditions, and environmental restrictions on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered fish species. Increased precipitation this winter could increase this allocation level.
DWR estimates that fishery agency restrictions on Delta pumping adopted in the past year to protect Delta smelt, salmon and other species could reduce annual deliveries of State Water Project water by up to 30 percent.
Results of today’s manual survey by DWR off Highway 50 near Echo Summit are as follows:
Location Elevation
Snow Depth
Water Content
% of Long Term Average
Echo Summit ————————–
Lake Audrain
7,450 feet
——————
7,300 feet
30.3 inches
———————
46.5 inches
7.1 inches
—————–
12.5 inches
57
————————-
91
Phillips Station 6,800 feet
38.5 inches
9 inches
75
Lyons Creek 6,700 feet
37.2 inches
10.2 inches
86
Tamarack Flat 6,500 feet
38.5 inches
9.8 inches
84
Importance of Snow Surveying
Snow water content is important in determining the coming year’s water supply. The measurements help hydrologists prepare water supply forecasts as well as provide others, such as hydroelectric power companies and the recreation industry, with needed data.
Monitoring is coordinated by the Department of Water Resources as part of the multi-agency California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program. Surveyors from more than 50 agencies and utilities visit hundreds of snow measurement courses in California’s mountains to gauge the amount of water in the snowpack.
DWR’s California Drought: An Update December 2009 now available
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 2:00 pmFrom the California Water Plan e-News:
“DWR this week published California Drought – An Update: December 2009. Following a dry 2007 and 2008, California has been in its third year of drought. The purpose of this report is to assess 2009 drought conditions and status, in response to a commitment made to the governor as part of implementation of the Feb. 27, 2009, proclamation of a state of emergency for statewide water shortage. The focus of this report is on water supply for the year to date, together with review of drought effects.”
Click here to download this 112-page pdf file from the California Department of Water Resources.
Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Facts, myths and misconceptions about the current El Nino
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:56 am
From Accu-Weather’s Western Weather Blog:
“There is of course a lot of interests about El Nino in the hopes it would bring the rain and snow needed to help the drought conditions in the Southwest this Winter. In todays column I want to give you the facts, myths and misconceptions about our El Nino now going on and about my predictions back in October for this Winter rainfall season.
Fact-El Nino has strengthened since the early Fall. Sea surface temperatures (SST) are now running between 1 and 3 degrees C above-average. Back in early October SST were between 1 and 2 degrees C above normal.
Fact-Most of the anomalies in the central and eastern Pacific are in the 1 to 2 degrees above normal range.
Fact-SST over the last 30 days have increased across the eastern equatorial region.
Fact-Back in October I predicted a better then even chance of a wetter than normal rainfall season on average in the Southwest.
Misconception-All El Ninos bring above normal precipitation to the Southwest. … “
Continue reading this post at the Western Weather blog by clicking here.
RELATED NOTE: DWR’s first snow survey of the season today. Results posted as soon as they are in – check back around 11am.
Peter Gleick: Old water policies limit choices for future
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:51 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Peter Gleick:
“We live in a fragile time and place. Californians started out in 1850 grossly abusing our water resources and we’ve never stopped.
The difference now, however, is that we can no longer get away with it. The complex, archaic system that California cobbled together to satisfy our competing demands for limited water resources is coming apart at the seams. Physically. Ecologically. And politically.
As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, we are faced with two stunningly different alternatives: disaster or reform. The bad news is that efforts at reform are moving too slowly now to rule out disaster.
It took a nine-year severe drought in Australia to transform how that country manages water. It took the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa in the early 1990s to produce a new way of thinking about water rights, allocations and environmental protection. I hope we’ll be smart enough to solve our problems before such extreme events occur, but the signs are not good. … “
Continue reading Peter Gleick’s commentary at the Sacramento Bee’s website by clicking here.
Spreck Rosekrans: 60 Minutes misses opportunity to identify solutions
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:49 amFrom Spreck Rosekrans at the Environmental Defense Fund’s On the Water Front blog:
“CBS’ 60 Minutes began last night’s show with a piece titled “California: Running Dry”. It was perhaps too much to expect comprehensive coverage of our complex water issues within a 13 minute segment. The show began quoting the adage, sometimes ascribed to Mark Twain, that “whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting” and offered only the opportunity to spend up to $40 Billion as a way to solve our problems.
As a result, 60 Minutes missed the opportunity to tell its viewers how we can be smarter, and must be smarter, about using water in places like California if we are to support our farms, cities and fisheries in the 21st century.
Much of the segment was devoted to conversation between CBS’s Leslie Stahl and Governor Schwarzenegger, whom she called “California’s action hero governor”. Stahl tried to make Schwarzenegger choose, asking him if we should not simply let Delta smelt go extinct or take water from farms to support our urban centers. In response, Schwarzenegger was persistently optimistic, insisting that California could have it all. … “
Continue reading this post at the On the Water Front blog by clicking here.
Lloyd Carter: 60 Minutes water piece comments
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:46 amFrom Lloyd Carter at the Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood blog:
“There has been a lot of negative reaction from the environmental community to the 60 Minutes show on the California Water Crisis featuring reporter Leslie Stahl. I posted a comment as did many others at www.60minutes.com One comment was from Joseph Skorupa, a dedicated federal scientist who is familiar with California water politics. Joe is a Clean Water Act biologist in the Environmental Contaminants Branch, Division of Environmental Quality, U.S. fish and Wildlife Service in Arlington, Va., and one of my personal heroes. In allowing me to post his comments below he said to be suree to include the disclaimer that the views expressed are his own and are provided in an unofficial capacity as an interested observer; and they do not necessarily represent the views or policy positions of his agency. I have also posted below Joe’s comments my own email to the 60 Minutes website expressing my dismay at the superficial coverage. … “
Continue reading at the Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood site by clicking here.
Exploring California’s “Water Line”: Sierra crest to the sea along the 38th parallel
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:43 am
From California Coast & Ocean Magazine and written by David Carle (Intro. to California Water & much more):
“We were camped at 10,430 feet above sea level, just east of the Sierra crest, looking at small glaciers clinging to the north slopes of Mt. Conness and North Peak. Wispy clouds turned pink and there was the beginning of alpenglow overhead. It was our first evening on a 17-day trek across California in September 2008, closely following the 38th parallel from our home near Mono Lake to the Point Reyes lighthouse, exploring some of the mountains-to-the-sea watershed that sends water to San Francisco Bay and, finally, out to the Pacific Ocean.
At the slow pace dictated by travel on foot, bicycle, and boat, we explored the 38ºN latitude “water line,” where battles have been fought over dams, aqueducts, and wetlands, and where critical water issues still are being played out. The list includes Mono Lake, the snowpack at the Sierra Nevada crest, Hetch Hetchy, New Melones Reservoir, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, San Francisco Bay, and Point Reyes. At each site we met with experts involved with resource protection and restoration. … “
Continue reading at the California Coast & Ocean website by clicking here. Be sure to check out the photo gallery!
Groundwater mining: The American experience
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:34 amFrom Michael Campana at the Water Wired blog:
“In October 2008 Todd Jarvis and I co-chaired the First International Conference on Nonrenewable Ground Water Resources. It was a landmark event, attended by 55 of the most engaged people I’d ever encountered at a conference venue.
Here is a copy of the conference report.
For our keynote speaker we were fortunate to have Dr. T.N. Narasimhan, Professor Emeritus, Narasimhan1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. Nari is a friend, scholar, gentleman, and one of the world’s foremost hydrogeologists. … “
Read more from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
Cotton farms switch to Pima; California growers can make more money
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:31 amFrom the San Diego Union Tribune:
“There isn’t a Brooks Bros. in Buttonwillow or a Saks in Stratford.
Yet some of the most recognizable names in retailing rely on farms near these mostly anonymous towns in the San Joaquin Valley to produce an exclusive variety of cotton used in high-end apparel.
For that reason, California cotton growers in search of elusive profits have been on a decade-long migration to the Pima variety, easing out the generic acala that at one time helped create vast farming empires.
“We’ve pretty much committed to Pima,” said Hanford farmer Erik Hansen, who didn’t bring in a single bale of acala cotton during the recently ended harvesting season. … “
Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
Making way for salmon; Fish passage barriers removed from streams
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:29 am
From California Coast & Ocean Magazine:
“In 2001, a small miracle occurred in a stream south of the city of Arcata: the salmon came back. Lots of them. The stream, called Morrison Gulch, flows into Jacoby Creek, which empties into Humboldt Bay. Biologists knew it had once been spawning ground for salmon, because for several years they had counted hundreds trying to make their way upstream to mate–600 in one winter alone. But an old culvert under Quarry Road blocked the way; not one fish could make the jump into it from the pool below. Faced with such a barrier, some fish will try to find other places to spawn; others will die of exhaustion from their futile attempt to reach historic spawning grounds.
Then, in August 2001, the County replaced the Quarry Road culvert with a wider one and regraded the stream above and below to raise the channel, allowing the fish to move freely through the new culvert. With the barrier gone, the salmon moved right back into the stream. That winter, biologists counted 70 coho returning to spawn, and the following winter they observed 238 adults and 116 redds (spawning nests). … “
Read more from California Coast & Ocean Magazine by clicking here.
Picture of Muir Woods Creek by flickr photographer Kamasawa (Creative Commons).
Water and drought jokes: How dry is it?
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:16 am
From Thirsty in Suburbia:
“[Thirsty in Suburbia is] taking it easy the last week of 2009 with reposts of some of our 2009 faves!
In case you missed it: In the thick of a blistering 2009 summer, we were inundated with news from far and wide of deep, devastating drought… so of course, that caused us to inquire, “Just HOW DRY is it?”
Drought Turning Texas Dry as Toast: Yesterday I saw this headline on MSNBC (via WaterSISWeb) so that’s my cue to dig up my collection of “It’s so dry…” jokes. … “
Sierra stone basins may be Miwok salt ‘factory’
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 8:07 am
From the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Somewhere in the Sierra Nevada, a granite terrace the size of a football field holds hundreds of mysterious stone basins representing what geologists believe is one of the earliest known “factories” created and used by ancient Miwok Indians to make tons of salt to trade with tribes up and down California.
James G. Moore, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, learned of the strangely pitted terrace from detailed maps made more than a century ago and hiked the region in May to study what he determined were clearly hand-hewn objects.
He examined 369 of the circular artifacts only a few yards from two streams of saltwater fed by a nearby spring and a lake that was equally salty.
Moore and his colleague at the USGS, Michael F. Diggles, believe the circular basins were handmade by the Miwok people in an impressive display of early technology. … “
Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Big Picture: Five years since the Tsunami
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 7:54 am
From the Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog:
“Five years ago, on Boxing Day, December 26th, 2004, a magnitude 9.3 earthquake hit the seafloor of the Indian Ocean, causing tremendous waves of seawater to rush ashore as devastating tsunamis that left 230,000 people dead across 13 different countries – the fifth deadliest natural disaster in recorded history. Over 45,000 of the dead were never found.
Five years later now, reconstruction moves apace, as multiple aid groups have built more than 140,000 homes, 1,700 schools, 3,800 houses of worship and 3,700 km of roads. On this anniversary of the catastrophe, we have collected here photographs of survivors, some rebuilding, some remembering, and seven sets of “before and after” photos (numbers 4-10, be sure to click them to see the transition effect). … “
Do be sure to check out the before and after pictures as mentioned above. The transition effect is very cool! Check out this photo gallery from the Boston Globe’s Big Picture blog by clicking here.
State denies extension for MLPA proposal
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 7:26 amFrom the Eureka Times-Standard:
“The secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency has turned down a request by a tri-county group for more time to draft a proposal for marine reserves along the North Coast.
Secretary Mike Chrisman said that he is denying the request, made by Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District Commissioner Pat Higgins on behalf of the North Coast Local Interest MPA Workgroup. He said that an extension is unnecessary for the group to submit a good-quality first-draft of a network of marine protected areas.
In a Dec. 24 letter, Chrisman said that the North Coast community has more scientific data available at this time than any of the other three regions had at this point in the process. He said that the previous six-week extension, which expires on Feb. 1, gave ample opportunity to draw up the proposal. … “
Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
A Shasta dam story
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 7:24 am
From California Coast & Ocean Magazine:
“You don’t go out fishing on the Sacramento River above Red Bluff without “a cushion for your tush,” according to the locals. The water floating your raft or rowboat is too darn cold, especially when the salmon are spawning. This mid-summer chill isn’t natural in a river you could once walk all the way across in warm shallows, or swim through without turning blue.
But then, not much is natural about the way water flows out of the mountains down into California’s Central Valley anymore.
Ever since workers poured 6.5 million cubic yards of concrete into a canyon above the town of Redding, backing up the waters of the Sacramento, Pit, and McCloud Rivers for 35 miles behind Shasta Dam, Californians have been less thirsty and freer of floods. It’s dams like this that Buford Holt, a biologist with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, says have “made possible a bounty of food production and kept us functioning as a state, because obviously we don’t have any rain for six months out of the year.”
His agency runs the world’s largest water development and management system: the Central Valley Project, with 20 dams, 11 power plants, and 500 miles of canals. Shasta is one of California’s five large foothill dams around the Central Valley that help control floods and store snowmelt for water customers up and down the state (the others are Oroville, Folsom, New Melones, and Friant); hundreds of smaller, private dams criss-cross rivers up in the mountains, built long ago by miners, private landowners, PG&E, and various public entities. … “
Read more from California Coast & Ocean Magazine by clicking here.
Picture of Shasta Dam by flickr photographer Gord McKenna (Creative Commons).
Water is hot topic for tri-county area in 2009
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 7:01 amFrom the Willows Journal:
“Water — and sometimes the lack of it — was a big topic in the tri-counties area during 2009.
The topics swirled around the impact of a judge’s ruling on Red Bluff Lake; how much groundwater exists and how to measure it; how much is used to grow certain crops; and how to protect the area’s water resources.
In February, the attention was on the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District drilling deep wells to help determine where groundwater comes from and where it goes.
“Little is known about how water moves” in the area, said Thad Bettner, the district’s general manager.
In a collaborative project with several water districts, additional goals were to “make better management and longterm sustainability decisions in the valley” and “to drive the science locally and drive our water resources locally,” Bettner said. … “
Read more from the Willows Journal by clicking here.
Restoring life to the Yuba River Goldfields
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:54 am
From California Coast & Ocean Magazine:
“We are on the south bank of the Yuba River, standing atop a gigantic pile of gravel in the midst of a landscape so strange and devoid of life that it calls up images of the moon. The water below us seems to bear no relationship to any real river. It’s oddly blue, very clear, and is confined to a channel between near-vertical gravel walls that, in some places, rise as high as 100 feet on both banks. So eerie is this scene that I can’t actually see the river flowing; it seems frozen in place. Turning to look downstream in the direction of Marysville, I see a vast gray stony field with odd-shaped mounds extending to the horizon, with only here and there a bush or a tree.
This alien yet oddly beautiful place is called the Goldfields. It’s a 10,000-acre wasteland left behind by the Gold Rush in the middle reach of the Lower Yuba River, about 20 miles west of Nevada City. I’m with Derek Hitchcock, an ecologist working with the South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) to restore salmon habitat here. “Ironically,” he says, “the magnitude of the destruction wreaked upon the Yuba watershed in the 19th and 20th centuries has created a unique river system that presents unique restoration opportunities in the 21st century.” … “
Read more from California Coast & Ocean by clicking here.
RELATED STORY: Calling back the Yuba River salmon, also from California Coast & Ocean Magazine
Satellite picture of the Yuba Goldfields by NASA Earth Observatory.
Carnegie SVRA to remain open, at least for now
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:35 amFrom the Tracy Press:
“The owner of a large family ranch that borders the Carnegie State Vehicular Recreation Area has a hand in an environmental lawsuit that aims to limit pollution in the off-road park that flows into Corral Hollow Creek.
Mark Connolly of the Connolly Ranch is a member of California Sportfishing Alliance and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, court records show, the two groups that filed a lawsuit Sept. 17 against the state parks department.
Attorneys for the groups convinced Alameda County Judge Frank Roesch to order the park closed until parks officials produce a plan to limit how much silt and other pollution streams into Corral Hollow Creek, which has shown high amounts of copper, zinc, aluminum and other metals in tests.
The state attorney general’s office appealed the ruling, however, and now the state’s First District Court of Appeal will take up the case. The court also postponed the park’s scheduled closure Tuesday. … “
Read more from the Tracy Press by clicking here.
Merced County agriculture: Lack of water hurt but crop value still was robust this year; Dairy again led the way despite price pressures
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:30 amFrom the Merced Sun-Star:
“Drought. That was the key word in agriculture for 2009.
From worries about enough water to irrigate their crops to cattlemen desperately seeking forage for their cattle, the lack of rainfall hit farmers and ranchers hard.
For three years, Merced County, along with the rest of the state, received less rainfall and snow in the mountains than growers needed.
The drought affected Westside growers the most. The irrigation districts that supply water to that area of the county had to severely curtail water delivery.
“Part of the problem on the Westside was the drought, and part was because of regulatory decisions about the Delta,” said David Robinson, agricultural commissioner for Merced County. “Some of those irrigation districts got very little water.” … “
Read more from the Merced Sun-Star by clicking here.
Manteca needs to act on recycled water policy, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:27 amFrom the Manteca Bulletin, this editorial:
“It’s time to stop pontificating.
The Manteca City Council needs to put in place a concrete policy for water recycling in 2010. It ultimately will make fiscal sense and it will go a long way toward curtailing a future water crisis for Manteca.
And water recycling – complete with the installation of purple trunk pipelines – must be a part of the 1,050-acre Austin Road Business Park development agreement. If the coalition of developers doesn’t agree to do so, then this City Council must not allow the project to annex to the city.
Austin Road Business Park will have an impact on Manteca’s economy – as well as resources and lifestyles – much like an elephant walking across Jell-O. Its presence will be felt by everyone in Manteca. … “
Read more of this editorial by clicking here.
Delta Intertie gets environmental approval
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:25 amFrom the Eureka Times-Standard:
“A plan to connect state and federal canals to improve the reliability of water deliveries across the San Joaquin Valley and beyond has received environmental approval.
The $34 million Intertie Project would connect the Delta Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct using a 500-foot underground pipe and pumps. … “
Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
Canal buoy stringers avoid charges
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:23 amFrom the Imperial Valley Press:
“John Carlos Frey and John Hunter, the two men who illegally entered the All-American Canal to install a buoy line, will not face charges for their actions.
On Nov. 17, the men strung a buoy line across the All-American Canal to raise awareness about drowning deaths in the canal, particularly those of illegal immigrants.
“I think that there is a lack of awareness within the community at large in the Imperial Valley and San Diego County about the fact the canal continues to drown people on a regular basis,” Frey said.
An Imperial County sheriff’s deputy issued the men citations at the canal for breaking a county ordinance.
Frey said the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office rejected their cases based on a “matter of justice.” … “
Read more from the Imperial Valley Press by clicking here.
Fallowing funds distributed to IID farmers
Posted by: Maven on December 30, 2009 at 6:21 amFrom the Imperial Valley Press:
“Farmers who have participated in the Imperial Irrigation District’s fallowing program began collecting their checks from the IID on Tuesday.
The compensation covers years 2005 through 2008. “It’s longer than we would’ve liked or intended, but these are public funds, and they require a thorough and careful process,” said IID Assistant to the General Manager Kevin Kelley.
The IID Board of Directors, which serves as the Local Entity, voted Monday 4-0 to approve the distribution of the $4.08 million in compensation to 37 participating farm service providers. Director Anthony Sanchez was absent. … “
Read more from the Imperial Valley Press by clicking here.
Tuesday’s top of the scroll: Nunes, Hannity & bloggers react to the 60 Minutes story
Posted by: Maven on December 29, 2009 at 8:17 amDid anyone like the 60 Minutes show? Apparently not, if this round-up of commentary is representative of the sentiment. Devin Nunes appeared on Sean Hannity’s show, saying “Seventy-five percent of it was a piece on (Governor Schwarzenegger), which is ridiculous, because he’s been a day late and a dollar short,” the Valley Republican told guest host Tucker Carlson. “The Governor has yet to go back to Washington D.C. to meet with President Obama or Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”
Here’s the clip (hat tip to KMJ Radio):
Bloggers didn’t think much of the program, either. Starting with the On the Public Record blog, in a series of two posts, OTPR says scale is important, especially in regards to the part in the story where they say that 130,000 almond trees have basically become compost:
” … (130,000 almond trees)*(1 acre/105 almond trees) = 1238 ACRES OF TREES!!!!
(1,238 almond acres)/(710,000 acres of almond trees in CA) = 0.0017
That’s almost 0.2% change in the California almond acreage!!!
Even with this devastating loss, the Californian almond harvest this year was 1.6 billion pounds shelled (up from 1.3 billion pounds shelled last year) accounting for 85% of the world’s almond production. C’mon, Sixty Minutes. I know tractors ripping out trees look awesome, but so does the annual Almond Almanac. A few seconds of searching would have given you some perspective on this. It would have told you how big the imminent impact is going to be. And that even with the drought, there were more almonds harvested this year than ever before. … “
Full text of this blog post from On the Public Record by clicking here.
In a subsequent post, OTPR takes issue with the portrayal of “water wars”:
” … Seriously, we are not in a water war. I can tell you this because if it were a war, I’d be on the front lines. I am a water bureaucrat, baby, deep in the trenches of the decades-long water war. In real life, this means I work in a very ordinary cube in ordinary clothing. No one ever takes any shots at me. (Sometimes, someone suggests that I re-phrase something before we release it to the public.) No one took any shots at anyone during the protracted negotiations for the new water legislation. So far as I know, Judge Wanger walks to his car un-escorted and unafraid, which means that we are really and truly not in a water war.
Instead, we’re in an extended, complicated, multi-party conflict over resource use that will be resolved through incremental progress in courts, administrative plans, white papers and legislation (or maybe earthquake-caused collapse of Delta levees). I am sorry if that doesn’t give our Action Governor a boner, but that is not a war. The conflict is not exciting. … “
Aquafornia Note: To me, the term ‘water wars’ is simply much easier to say than “extended, complicated, multi-party conflict over resource use”. And, I don’t know about you, but I do find it exciting and interesting, otherwise I would not bother to write this blog. (I tell people it’s like a football game: the action’s just as brutal but the game never ends.) But that’s me. And probably you, too, if you read this blog regularly! :)
Read the full text of this post from On the Public Record by clicking here.
Emily Green from the Chance of Rain blog says she’s tired of the well worn “whiskeys for … ” cliche:
” … Those instantly overtaken by boredom whenever a speech (tv program, headline, fill in the blank) opens with the threadbare Twain quote “whisky is for drinking, water is for fighting,” be further warned: Lesley Stahl opens with it.
Beyond the cliches, the esteemed news magazine offers a decent potted version of our water woes. An empty promise of a free drink to anyone who counts how many times Stahl called the Delta smelt “tiny.” … “
And what about that Latino Coaliton? Read the full text of this blog post from Chance of Rain by clicking here.
Restore the Delta says they expected better from the network program that went after tobacco so fervently, noting that they didn’t bother to interview anybody who lived in or depended on the Delta, as well as this:
” … Restore the Delta gives Professor Jeffrey Mount an unqualified “A” for saying that farmers need to stop relying on water transfers. But he gets a resounding “F” as in “fragile,” the word he once again applied to Delta levees. The implication, as always: they’re too fragile to be worth maintaining. But Mount knows we have to maintain them, not just for water transfers and farming but to protect infrastructure and manage flooding in the whole region.
Mount’s model of saltwater intrusion was indeed alarming, but the Governor’s conveyance dream will not address the problems of saltwater intrusion into the Estuary and the Delta, especially if it diverts resources from levee management. … “
Read the full text of this post from Restore the Delta by clicking here.
Lloyd Carter took issue with the neglect to mention the drainage-impaired lands of the west side:
” … Not once did she mention the selenium-tainted soils of the Westlands Water District. Drainage water from the Westlands fields contains selenium, which got into the food chain at the Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge 25 years ago and killed thousands of birds and triggered deformities in bird embryos.
Thanks, in part, to an excellent report by 60 Minutes’ Ed Bradley on March 9, 1985, the poisoned evaporation ponds at Kesterson were closed. Sadly, this latest 60 Minutes report on Westlands is far off the mark.
Twenty-five years later the estimated cost for providing drainage to the 600 growers who operate on a thousand square miles in Westlands is set at $2.7 billion.
Leslie Stahl should have asked the governor what he is doing about the drainage problem. Answer? He’s doing nothing. … “
Read the full text of Lloyd Carters remarks by clicking here.
Holly Doremus at the Legal Planet blog says:
” … That story is demonstrably false on at least two different levels. First, while the San Joaquin valley has had a tough economic year, its woes have not been driven by water shortages. According to this independent report from economist Jeffrey Michael at the University of the Pacific, the real culprit is the collapse of the housing market and therefore of the construction industry … ”
…
Second, it’s not true that California agriculture had a bad year across the board. Farming has always been a boom-bust business, as overplanting gluts the market and tough growing conditions deplete it. But 2009 was not a bust year. The California tomato crop, for example, hit an all-time high both in total production and in dollar value at the farm. As for the almond grower that complained to 60 Minutes that he was having to destroy his trees, take that with a grain of salt. Almond trees have a relatively short life-span, so orchards are continually removed and replanted. … “
Read the full text of this post from Legal Planet by clicking here.
Tom Lang (who hails from the Central Valley) seemed to think it was okay, and made this interesting point:
” … It is interesting that Governor Schwarzenegger took the CBS crew to San Luis Reservoir, which was designed and built on the west side of the Valley to exclusively store pumped Delta water as opposed to natural mountain run-off as are a multitude of other dams built on the east side of the Valley. San Luis Reservoir’s low level this past fall (when the reservoir segment was filmed) was entirely due to the pumps being off or operated at low capacity earlier in the year, not a “drought” as the report would have viewers believe.
On a trip past the same reservoir just before Christmas, it was apparent to my wife, Aletha, and me that the lake was being refilled – it didn’t look nearly as empty as when CBS correspondent Lesley Stahl commented on it.
According to the California Department of Water Resources website, more than 800,000 acre-feet of water is being stored in San Luis as of today’s date – up from 473,257 acre-feet at this same time last year. … “
Read the full text of this post from Tom Lang’s blog by clicking here.
E. J. Schultz of the Fresno Bee finds someone else who is happy and sums it up in this post from the Fresno Bee News Blog:
” … So if Northern Californians and enviros are mad, then Valley growers must be happy? Yep.
Water issues are “very complex,” said Sarah Woolf, a Westlands Water District spokeswoman whose brother-in-law was one of a couple farmers interviewed by 60 Minutes. “I think they did a nice job.”
Read the full text of this post from the Fresno Bee News Blog by clicking here.
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