On the road again ….
Posted by: Maven on April 30, 2010 at 4:54 amI’m on the road early today and the blog’s been updated as much as I can. There will be no more updates today, although I’m told there is internet where I am headed, so I’ll update the site over the weekend.
Enjoy your day!
Levee cost-share bill passes Assembly committee
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:53 pmFrom Capitol Alert:
” A bill by Sen. Lois Wolk, D-Davis, to extend the state’s cost-share agreement for Delta levee repairs has passed an Assembly committee on a fast track through the legislature.
The bill has received only unanimous votes in the Senate, and did so again in the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife committee.
The cost-share program was created in 1973 to help maintain levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It reimburses local agencies for up to 75 percent of the costs exceeding $1,000 per mile of any effort to maintain or improve levees. The proportion hinges on the local agency’s ability to pay.
Without Wolk’s bill, the program’s subventions will shrink to 50 percent of costs on July 1. … “
Continue reading this article from the Capitol Press by clicking here.
Shirking responsibility: Despite Huber’s efforts, Legislature hands off Delta canal accountability, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:51 pmFrom the Stockton Record, this editorial:
“Assemblywoman Alyson Huber couldn’t even get a committee second Tuesday on her proposal to require lawmakers to vote before anyone builds a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
That snub says more about the unwillingness of lawmakers to exercise oversight than it does about the El Dorado Hills Democrat’s willingness to take on fellow lawmakers.
All Huber’s bill asked was that before the state goes barreling ahead with a canal to suck water out of the rivers flowing to the Delta, lawmakers stand up and be counted.
That they go on record, as a group and in public. … “
Continue reading this editorial by clicking here.
Barry Nelson: Delta Stewardship Council keys to success – Realistic phasing
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:50 pmFrom Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“Around the world, Americans are notoriously energetic and impatient. That’s both good and bad. I learned this first hand when I taught in China after I finished graduate school more than 25 years ago. I was struck by how common it was for the average Chinese citizen to talk about time in a very different way. My students would regularly say that China would be a world economic power, but that it would take 50 years. (It’s only been 25, so they’re well ahead of schedule.) While I was there, a journalist wrote about an event that leaders in a nearby village considered to be relatively recent. The event was the Manchu invasion, which happened in 1644. Americans, by contrast, feel more comfortable with a planning horizon that stretches somewhere from the coming quarter to the next few years. That approach is not going to work in the Delta. Developing a Delta Plan with realistic phases will be a key to enabling the Council to succeed. These will be long phases.
Let me give a couple of examples. … “
Continue reading this post by Barry Nelson by clicking here.
Fishermen ask Sen. Feinstein to reconsider latest push to undermine salmon restoration plan
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:47 pmReceived via email:
“Today organizations representing the recreational and commercial salmon communities of California asked Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to reconsider her April 26th request to U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to overturn protections for the Sacramento River’s struggling salmon runs. The Secretary Locke oversees the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), which issued a new federal plan in June 2009 to protect the Central Valley salmon runs threatened with extinction.
The plan in question has also provided hope for rebuilding non-endangered, commercially valuable Sacramento fall-chinook salmon runs which recently suffered a massive population collapse, plunging fishing families and businesses along one thousand miles of America’s coastline into a devastating economic disaster due to unprecedented salmon fishing closures. “
Read the letter here: Feinstein_BiOp_Ltr_Final
Western Weather Blog: Southern California and Arizona snow – Big changes coming
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:42 pmFrom the Accu-Weather Western Weather Blog:
“It was hard to convince thousands of drivers this morning trying to negotiate travel through the Grapevine that it is really Spring in southern California. You know the time of year that shorts and t-shirts return as the daily outfit with nice, warm sunshine. Nothing could have been more different today.
Snow fell on the Grapevine this morning, the main route between southern and northern California along the I-5. It snowed hard enough to not only accumulate on grassy surfaces but also on the pavement. With temperatures below freezing by several degrees driving became very slick. The icy roads caused more than 20 accidents and the CHP was forced to close both the north and south bound lanes for several hours. This caused a huge backup on both sides of the pass. Travel has since returned to normal Thursday afternoon but cold winds continue to blow everywhere with gusts over 40 mph. … “
Continue reading this post from the Accu-Weather Western Weather Blog by clicking here.
Digging up saltcedar won’t boost water supplies
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:39 pmFrom the Los Angeles Times Greenspace blog:
“Westerners who’d like to wring more water out of their rivers and streams aren’t going to do it by getting rid of saltcedar, a new federal report suggests. The report, released Wednesday, undercuts the long-held perception that the non-native shrub is the vampire of Western watersheds. For decades saltcedar, also called tamarisk, has been known as an invader with a big thirst that sucked water out of rivers and depleted aquifers, leaving less for people and livestock.
But an extensive review of scientific studies found that the plant uses about the same amount of water as native trees, such as willows and cottonwoods, and isn’t nearly as thirsty as it is has been portrayed in popular accounts. “The conclusion, looking across all of the published literature, is that we haven’t seen clear evidence of a significant increase in water supply for consumptive human use through the removal of saltcedar,” said Curt Brown, one of the report’s editors and research director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. … “
Continue reading this article from the Los Angeles Times Greenspace blog by clicking here.
Plan B: California braces for climate change
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:36 pm
From Wired Science:
“When it comes to environmental regulation, California doesn’t wait for the Feds to ride in and lay down the law. The Golden State led the way on mandating emissions-control equipment in motor vehicles in 1961. It pioneered tailpipe-emissions standards in 1967 and ratcheted them up into the 1990s, prompting the federal government to follow. When the Environmental Protection Agency proved reluctant to tighten fuel-economy standards, California outmaneuvered it in 2002 by limiting carbon dioxide from cars. That decision achieved the same end — and was the first move in the United States to control greenhouse gases.
And so it goes with climate change. By the mid-2000s, when the rest of the country was waking up to the challenge of global warming, California was already pursing an aggressive program to assess the likely damage. According to the state energy commission’s climate research, the U.S. west coast faces sea-level rise of 12 to 18 inches by 2050, and as much as nearly six feet by the turn of the century. Precipitation is projected to fall increasingly as water rather than snow, draining into the sea rather than lying in cold storage until the long, dry summers. Higher-than-average temperatures and more frequent extreme weather promise heat waves, wildfires, droughts and floods. … “
Continue reading from Wired Science by clicking here.
California Farm Bureau Federation endorses Meg Whitman
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 9:32 pmFrom the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert:
“The state’s biggest farm organization, the California Farm Bureau Federation, announced its unanimous endorsement this morning of Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman.
Federation President Paul Wenger said in a statement released by the Whitman campaign, “Meg Whitman will curb regulations that are straining agriculture, update the state’s workplace laws to benefit both employees and employers, and address California’s water problems.” … “
Continue reading from Capitol Alert by clicking here.
Private water suppliers poised to grow as demand set to surge; Global Water Intelligence analysts expect the water supply market to grow about 20% in the next five years
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:48 pmFrom the Guardian.co.uk:
“Private companies are poised for a surge in demand to take over water supplies, despite widespread opposition to privatisation of what is seen as a life-giving public service.
Global Water Intelligence analysts expect the water supply market to grow about 20% in the next five years, and demand is especially strong in North Africa, the Middle East and China, GWI’s publisher Christopher Gasson told the Guardian.
Another big growth area is likely to be the US, where “hundreds” of public water authorities thought to be talking to private operators, said Dan McCarthy, president and CEO of the global water division of engineering group Black & Veatch.
Renewed growth is being driven by poor services and the need for huge investment to repair and expand supplies, which in a recession is even harder for governments and municipal authorities to fund, said Gasson. It is also encouraged by less historical opposition to private suppliers in much of the big-growth regions, and the continuing “marketisation” of China, he said. … “
Continue reading this article from the guardian.co.uk by clicking here.
How one winemaker is staving off a water crisis and making delicious, earth-friendly vino
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:47 pm
From AlterNet:
“When Mike Benziger and his family began growing grapes and making wine in 1970s-era Sonoma County, the prevailing agricultural style could be described as “scorched earth.” Agrichemical concoctions fed the vines, killed the pests, and flattened the weeds; plentiful well water provided easy irrigation.
But such practices not only kill soil, they also deaden wine. Over time, the Benzigers began to rethink modern viticulture. One motivation was improving the product, making it stand out from the gusher of wine coming out of Sonoma. Another was the sinking water table on Sonoma Mountain, where the family keeps its vineyards. Faced with surging water costs, the family began searching for new farming methods that didn’t treat water as a cheap and easy resource. Thus started an odyssey that inspired the family to convert its Sonoma property to biodynamic growing practices in the mid-1990s — and that won Mike Benziger recognition from the NRDC as a “water steward.” I caught up with Mike last week via phone.
Tom Philpott: Tell us about how Benziger saves water. … “
Continue reading this article from AlterNet by clicking here.
Shasta Lake to celebrate history at Damboree
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:43 pmFrom the Record Searchlight:
“This city with a history deeply rooted in the construction of Shasta Dam will celebrate its past Saturday at its 60th Shasta Damboree.
The Damboree, which features a 10 a.m. parade on Shasta Dam Boulevard, includes a pancake breakfast beginning at 6 a.m. at the Shasta Lake Fire Protection District fire station on Ashby Court. Arts and crafts, live music and other activities will run from noon to 5 p.m. at Clair Engle Park near the John Beaudet Community Center.
Those planning to attend are urged to bring chairs or blankets for seating during the live entertainment. … “
Read more from the Record Searchlight by clicking here.
North Central Coast to become part of California’s marine preserve system
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:42 pm
From the Sacramento Bee:
“On Saturday, 153 square miles of ocean between Santa Cruz and Pt. Arena officially become part of California’s new marine preserve system.
This so-called North Central Coast area is the second region of the state to complete the preserve designation process required by the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act. It includes 21 marine preserves, three recreation management areas and six special closure zones.
Boaters and anglers are advised to become familiar with new maps designating the reserves and regulations within each one, because in some cases fishing and other resource harvesting activities are banned or strictly regulated. Fishing is banned completely in about 56 percent of the designated areas, or about 86 square miles. … “
Continue reading this article from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Picture of the Pt. Arena lighthouse by flickr photographer Alan Vernon.
City Insider blog: In San Francisco, Who pulls the strings when it comes to water and power?
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:37 pmFrom the San Francisco Chronicle’s City Insider blog:
“In this town, everything is political, even the water system.
What had looked like a routine vote at the Board of Supervisors this week on $382 million for seismic safety and other upgrades to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s regional water and sewage system turned into a political showdown over a new type of public power agency being set up in the city.
The effort to hold up the payments was defeated, but it still received a sharp rebuke from Mayor Gavin Newsom on Wednesday, who likened the tactic to holding millions of people’s water hostage.
Newsom and Campos were more copacetic at the supes’ 2008 swearing in.“If you are willing to sacrifice thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in investment and put at risk the entire water and sewer system for the entire region, what else are you willing to put at risk?” Newsom said during a speech at an annual development conference at the Four Seasons Hotel. “That should bother you.” … “
Continue reading this post at the San Francisco Chronicle’s City Insider blog by clicking here.
Yokohl Ranch eyes river water
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:36 pmFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A key question regarding the proposed Yokohl Ranch housing project in the undeveloped foothills of Tulare County has been: “Where would the water come from?”
The answer may be coming down the river.
Yokohl Ranch Co., a subsidiary of J.G. Boswell LLC, has proposed building 10,000 homes and three golf courses in Yokohl Valley east of Exeter.
Greg Collins, the city planner for Exeter and Woodlake, reports that he sat down with Yokohl Ranch officials — at their invitation — and was told water for the project would come out of the Kaweah River.
A pipe to deliver it to Yokohl Valley would have to be built. … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
City, ag districts say Kern River water talks going well
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:35 pmFrom the Bakersfield Californian:
“The city of Bakersfield met Wednesday with two local ag districts seeking to mediate a local solution on the Kern River and the big news was that no one stormed out of the room.
City representatives met with officials from North Kern Water Storage District and Kern Delta Water Storage District all day under the guidance of attorney George Martin, who acted as the mediator.
“I think we’re making good progress,” Martin said. “Really, I never would have expected it to go this well. You would have been shocked.” … “
Continue reading this article from the Bakersfield Californian by clicking here.
Commentary: Why we need a citizens advisory group for Whitaker-Bermite property
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:30 pmFrom the Santa Clarita Signal, this commentary by Cam Noltemeyer:
“Last January, a meeting was held to reform the citizen advisory group for the Whittaker/Bermite property. It is a 996-acre, contaminated site – or brown field – in the middle of Santa Clarita. The site was used for the manufacturing, storage and testing of explosives in the 1970s. That activity caused pollution to both the soil in that area and to our water supply.
The state Department of Toxic Substances Control is responsible for overseeing the cleanup. California law gives the public the right to be informed of the cleanup. The state legislators rightly felt the local community would be most knowledgeable and the most affected by any pollution problem, and therefore should be involved in the clean-up process. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Salton Sea Authority meets in El Centro, approves Sea-to-Sea resolution
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:29 pmFrom the Imperial Valley Press:
“The Salton Sea Authority Board of Directors held its meeting in the Imperial Valley on Thursday at the Imperial Irrigation District’s Bill Condit Auditorium in El Centro.
The Board of Directors passed a resolution that encouraged the Utility Solutions Group to investigate the Sea-to-Sea proposal. It involves desalinating Sea of Cortez water and depositing it in the Salton Sea to sustain its water levels.
“We’re excited, happy and moving forward,” said Gary Jennings, of the Utility Solutions Group. … “
Read more from the Imperial Valley Press by clicking here.
Thursday’s top of the scroll: Federal salmon plans for San Joaquin River unveiled in Fresno; Many questions raised on the chinook plan
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:23 am
From the Fresno Bee:
“About 50 people listened Wednesday as federal officials made their long-awaited first announcements in Fresno about plans to restore chinook salmon runs in the San Joaquin River. But there were not a lot of answers to big questions.
Instead, people learned that this was just the first step in designing a specific plan to put fish back in the river by December 2012.
It was still a landmark meeting for restoring the river and salmon runs, which died off after Friant Dam was built in the 1940s.
Spring- and fall-run salmon disappeared in the San Joaquin after the dam was built. As part of a lawsuit settlement, federal officials last year began releasing water from Friant to refill dried portions of the river. … “
Continue reading this article from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
The baby salmon feeding frenzy in San Pablo Bay: Smolts are being devoured by striped bass and sea birds under a controversial state program designed to re-establish the chinook salmon fishery
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:17 am
From the East Bay Express:
“Tanker trucks loaded with thousands of baby chinook salmon arrive each week to the shores of San Pablo Bay. Born in hatcheries upstream, the smolts are released into the murky bay waters in hopes that they will ultimately swim up the Sacramento River to spawn and reinvigorate the state’s once mighty salmon run. But the program sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Game and the Fishery Foundation of California has come under increasing criticism because many of the baby fish are gobbled up by rapacious striped bass and ravenous sea birds as soon as they hit the water.
For years, in fact, appalled fishermen have denounced the effort as one of wasted salmon smolts and the tax dollars used to breed them. Gordon Hough, an East Bay fisherman, said he watched on April 20 as scores of two-foot striped bass and swarming gulls devoured freshly released three-inch chinooks inside the harbor just yards from his vessel. “It seems such a shame to spend all this time and energy raising these fish and then just feed them to the bass and birds,” said Hough, a party boat captain who keeps his vessel Morning Star at the Crockett marina just yards from one of the three salmon smolt release sites. “They let the fish go in the same spot at the same time each day. It took the bass and gulls about one day to figure this out, and the rest of the days, they were waiting.” … “
Continue reading this article from the East Bay Express by clicking here.
Costa and Cardoza take aim at NMFS Biological Opinion; Push Commerce Department to increase water flowing to the Valley
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:16 amFrom the website of Congressman Jim Costa:
“Congressmen Jim Costa (D-Fresno) and Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) today sent a letter to Commerce Secretary Locke, calling on the Department to exercise greater flexibility in implementing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) biological opinion that is diverting water that could be flowing to the Valley into the Pacific Ocean.
“The biological opinions restricting the flow of water to the Valley are flawed and must be reformed,” said Costa. “Until then, the pumps should operate at the highest levels so our Valley receives as much water as possible. Every acre-foot of water is valuable and contributes to the economic health of our region.”
Currently, stored water is being released from Shasta Reservoir, because the reservoir is nearly full, and storage capacity is needed for flood protection. However, this water cannot be rediverted downstream in the Delta due to pumping restrictions imposed under the biological opinion issued by NMFS in June of 2009. As a result, tens of thousands of acre-feet of water are now flowing into the ocean. Flexibility in implementation of the NMFS biological opinion would allow more of this sorely needed water to reach the Valley. … “
Continue reading this news release by clicking here.
Commentary: California’s man-made drought
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:09 am
From Investor’s Business Daily:
“COALINGA, Calif. — Would France rip out its storied vineyards? Would Juan Valdez scorch Colombia’s coffee crop? Sri Lanka its black pepper harvest? China its tea?
With global markets won by nations specializing in doing what they do best, and with regional reputations important enough to drive some nations to protectionism, it’s almost unthinkable.
But then there’s California.
On a springtime drive through the Central Valley, it’s hard not to notice how federal and state governments are hell-bent on destroying the state’s top export — almonds — and everything else in the nation’s most productive farmland. … “
Continue reading this editorial by clicking here.
YouTube: Farm water and corporate agriculture
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:05 amPosted at YouTube from the California Farm Water Coalition:
“The words “corporate agriculture” often depict a large, faceless entity with little regard for people or the environment, all in the name of profits. Meet Jeff and Brenda Boldt and learn how their family farm represents the thousands of “corporate” farms that make up the backbone of California agriculture.”
Barry Nelson: Delta Stewardship Council keys to success – Science and adaptive management
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“The CALFED Bay-Delta Program has taken a great deal of abuse in some quarters. I’ve dished out a little myself, for the program’s failure to wrestle with issues like finance. But most knowledgeable people acknowledge that CALFED played a major role in increasing our scientific understanding of the Bay-Delta ecosystem. The legislation that created the Delta Stewardship Council moved the CALFED Science Program to the Council. Continuing and building that science program is another key to the Council’s success.
During the past 15 years, as a result of major investments in science, we’ve made great strides in our understanding of this complex ecosystem. Scientific investigations have increased our understanding of the flood risks from sea level rise and earthquakes. They’ve helped us understand the causes of the decline of Delta fisheries. An enormous amount of scientific work went into drafting the new Delta biological opinions and into the recent NRC review. Improved scientific understanding and monitoring are allowing better real-time water management decisions. Continuing these investments is essential to the Council’s efforts to plan the future of the estuary. … “
Continue reading this post from Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: Is leverage a reason to vote for or against the water bond?
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 8:00 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“Leveraging additional non-bond revenues is an argument being made in favor of the water bond. This is from ACWA materials.
Q: What other funding would be leveraged if the bond is approved by voters?
A: The $11.14 billion bond measure would leverage an additional $30 billion in local and federal matching funds, for a total of $40 billion in investments in the state’s water system.
In finance, leverage means taking on risk and usually means large amounts of debt. When all goes well, leverage leads to enormous returns, but also creates exposure to huge losses. In the midst of a miserable recession largely largely caused by excessive financial leverage, it doesn’t seem like a good promotional term.
As bond proponents are using it, leverage seems to really mean gaining access to more of “other people’s money.” … “
Read more from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Tim Quinn: Accelerate investments in recycled water – There’s no time to waste
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 7:57 amFrom Tim Quinn at the ACWA Voices on Water blog:
“A U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources subcommittee turned its focus to water recycling projects this week with a hearing on nine bills aimed at securing federal engagement in 14 local water recycling projects, including 10 in California.
I had the opportunity to testify in favor of the bills and remind those in attendance that California is in a deepening water crisis and has an urgent need for recycled water projects and other local resource development strategies. I reminded them of the words of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar when he remarked, during an interview with the Los Angeles Times editorial board in March, that the economy “is going to hell in a hand basket in California unless something happens that is credible with respect to the water supply issues.”
The water recycling projects outlined in bills before the subcommittee are an important part of the comprehensive solution ACWA and its members are seeking. If fully appropriated, the projects would provide a vital new source of water and leverage $371.1 million in local funding. To the extent these projects can be accelerated, the recycled water they would generate would help combat the immediate crisis arising from drought and increasingly stringent restrictions on water deliveries under the Endangered Species Act. … “
Read the rest of Tim Quinn’s blog post at the ACWA Voices on Water blog by clicking here.
Peter Gleick: Smart water meters, dumb meters, no meters
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 7:51 amFrom Peter Gleick at the City Brights blog:
“How is it possible that a place like California, with such a long and painful history of water problems, remains so far behind the curve of smart water management? How is it really possible that things considered basic, fundamental, taken-for-granted in other places are still missing here? And are water managers and users so insular that they really think they’re doing a good job with water?
That’s a rhetorical question: California is not ahead of the curve in anything “water.” It is dealing with 21st century water problems with 20th century (or is it 19th century) water policy and politics. Some remarkable, innovative efforts are underway, but they remain the exception, not the rule.
To what do I refer? Well, it could be the complete lack of comprehensive groundwater monitoring and management — a fact that stuns my colleagues overseas (and even in other states, and even a remarkably high-ranking official in state government here). It could be the inability to figure out how to put in place permanent, comprehensive water efficiency programs. It could be the archaic agricultural water policies. It could be the inability to properly develop desalination in a way the both provides safe, reliable water but also protects the public interest with environmental protection, transparency, and financial rationality.
But no. This time I mean water meters. … “
Continue reading this post from Peter Gleick by clicking here.
Water Wired blog: Barlow’s Bolivia blather
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 7:45 amFrom the Water Wired Blog:
“I love Maude Barlow and T. Boone Pickens. Whenever each opens his/her mouth, I get a good blog post, and today’s post is no exception. It’s like being served up a fastball right down the middle with the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
Reader Brendan Mulligan, himself a Canadian, sent me this item along with some comments. Brendan is a hydrogeologist who works for the University of Calgary’s CARA network in Bolivia. He is working on the project Adapting to Climate Change in the Illimani Watershed in the Bolivian Andes so he knows something about Bolivian climate change and hydrology.
Both Barlow and Amy Goodman were in Cochabamba, Bolivia, for the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth. Goodman interviewed Barlow on her show Democracy Now!, introducing her as someone who will talk about melting glaciers, climate change, and water. The interview lasts for about 12 minutes. … “
Continue reading this post from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
Higher water prices needed globally, OECD says
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 7:40 amFrom the Circle of Blue Water News:
“Water prices should rise to encourage less waste and pollution as well as to fund improvements to supply systems, according to three studies released by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
As fast-growing cities are expanding beyond the limits of their water supply, some experts argue that higher prices will delay the cost of expensive system expansions and maintain existing supply lines.
“Putting a price on water will increase the awareness of the scarcity and make us take better care of it,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria.
The OECD, a network of high-income economy countries, surveyed residential and agricultural water prices in each of its 30 members. A 2008 Global Water Intelligence/OECD survey of water prices in 261 cities found that Copenhagen had the highest combined water and sewer rates globally. … “
Continue reading this article from the Circle of Blue Water News by clicking here.
North Central Coast Marine Protected Areas to take effect May 1
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:30 amFrom the California Department of Fish & Game:
“Twenty-one marine protected areas (MPAs) adopted last year by the California Fish and Game Commission will take effect May 1, 2010 along California’s north central coast. The new regulations are being implemented as part of the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA), which requires that California reexamine and redesign its system of MPAs with the goal of increasing its effectiveness at protecting the state’s marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems, and marine natural heritage.
Regulations for the north central coast MPAs, between Alder Creek near Point Arena in Mendocino County to Pigeon Point in San Mateo County, were adopted by the commission in August 2009 and approved by the Office of Administrative Law in April 2010.
In addition to the 21 MPAs, the new regulations include three state marine recreational management areas (SMRMAs) and six special closures, in total covering approximately 153 square miles (20.1 percent) of state waters in the study region. Approximately 86 square miles (11 percent) are designated as “no take” state marine reserves, while the remaining areas have different take allowances providing varying levels of protection.
Specific details about each MPA, SMRMA and special closure are available at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa.
Statewide there are five MLPA study regions; the north central coast study region was the second to complete the MPA planning process. As mandated by the MLPA, the north central coast planning process (2007-2009) began by examining all existing MPAs within the study region and ultimately led to redesigning them into a new suite of MPAs. The MPAs for the north central coast will become part of a statewide network of MPAs once planning in all study regions is complete.
The north central coast MPAs were designed through a collaborative public process in which 45 members of a regional stakeholder group worked closely with a science advisory team, a blue ribbon task force, the California Department of Fish and Game, and MLPA Initiative staff and contractors to develop a set of MPA recommendations.
More information about the north central coast MPAs can be found on the MLPA Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/northcentralhome.asp.
Calistoga water suit litigants wait
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:29 amFrom the Weekly Calistogan:
“If Judge Ray Guadagni sticks to his guns, a tentative ruling issued Friday will allow a San Diego man to sue the City of Calistoga for an alleged violation of the public trust rather than requiring him to sue a pair of state agencies.
The tentative ruling, which still has to be approved by the judge, reverses an earlier ruling for a motion filed by the City in the Reynolds v. the City of Calistoga lawsuit filed in early 2009. Guadagni’s approval could come today or in the next several days.
“In the meantime, we simply wait,” said plaintiff Grant Reynolds after Guadagni closed the Friday hearing, announcing he’d consider comments by the city’s attorneys, as well as Reynolds’ associate William McKinnon, and Charles Getz, an attorney representing the California Attorney General’s office. … “
Continue reading this article from the Weekly Calistogan by clicking here.
EBMUD ends voluntary rationing
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:25 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“The East Bay’s largest water utility has decided to end its voluntary 10 percent rationing program, in part because of an especially wet rainy season, officials said Wednesday.
The East Bay Municipal Utility District cited a greater runoff last spring and strong conservation efforts by its 1.3 million customers in Alameda and Contra Costa counties in canceling a 15 percent mandatory rationing program last year. On Tuesday, it said the voluntary rationing effort was no longer needed.
“For the time being, we are in great shape with our water supply, but looking far into the future as we must, there are many challenges remaining,” said district board president Doug Linney. … “
Continue reading this article from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Goose population to be controlled at Camanche Reservoir
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:24 amFrom the Lodi News-Sentinel:
“A plan to control the Canada goose population at Camanche Reservoir by destroying eggs and nests has been approved by the California Department of Fish and Game.
In addition to the nest destruction, the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s plan calls for up to 400 eggs to be destroyed by dipping or spraying them with food grade corn oil, which clogs the pores of the shell, effectively suffocating the embryonic gosling. Leaving the oiled eggs in the nest keeps the geese from laying additional clutches, effectively limiting the hatch.
Melanie Weaver, an associate wildlife biologist for the California Department of Fish and Game’s waterfowl program, confirmed that the permit process was underway and said it was approved and legitimate. … “
Continue reading this article from the Lodi News-Sentinel by clicking here.
Westside farmers could benefit from wastewater recycling
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:23 amFrom the Turlock Journal:
“Where wastewater flows, food could grow.
The Turlock City Council made water the primary topic of conversation for their Tuesday evening meeting, entertaining a proposal to enter into an agreement to explore the use of treated wastewater for irrigation.
Support was unanimous for the proposed North Valley Regional Recycled Water Project – which would pipe treated wastewater from the Cities of Turlock and Modesto to the water-starved farmers of Westside’s Del Puerto Irrigation District – but Council members had concerns over the governance of the partnership.
“The infrastructure and the costs and the allocation of costs are easy,” said Modesto Vice Mayor Brad Hawn, who was present to represent the City of Modesto. “It’s always about governance.” … “
Continue reading this article from the Turlock Journal by clicking here.
Here is the story as reported by the Modesto Bee.
Alex Breitler’s blog: ‘Save the Stan’
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:20 am
From Alex Breitler’s blog:
“Two water districts with senior rights to divert the Stanislaus River are launching a PR campaign as they battle the new federal rules to protect steelhead, which the districts say will constrict the amount of water available for farms and cities, and perhaps actually harm the fish.
The South San Joaquin and Oakdale irrigation districts formally launched a website Wednesday to take the debate to the public.
Among their claims:
• New Melones Lake would go empty 13 times over an 80-year period if more water is released for fish. The lake would also drop below 500,000 acre-feet 22 times. The implication is that even senior water rights holders could be affected. … “
Continue reading this post from Alex Breitler’s blog by clicking here.
Visalia wants say in Cal Water rate hike request
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:19 amFrom the Valley Voice Newspaper:
“While the city of Visalia has not taken a position on California Water Service Company’s request for a 63 percent rate hike spread out over two years, it has been frustrated for what it feels is a lack of opportunity to have a say in the process.
“It’s been a very interesting process,” city of Visalia Assistant City Manager Leslie Caviglia told the city council. She said staff actually went to the administrative law judge overseeing the rate hike request and asked to be part of the process, but she said for the city to take a very active role it would have had to hire specialized attorneys and engineers.
Cal Water is seeking approval from the California Public Utilities Commission for an increase that will raise the monthly cost of water for the average Visalia homeowner by more than $17 a month by 2013. Cal Water asked to have its rate raised 21.1 percent in January of 2011, then another 22.3 percent in January of 2012, and finally another 18.2 percent in January of 2013. … “
Continue reading this article from the Valley Voice Newspaper by clicking here.
TreeHugger: The possibilities of the Los Angeles River, untapped
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:14 am
From TreeHugger:
“Best known for chase scenes in movies, the concrete embankments of the LA River destroyed wetlands and disrupted migratory birds’ flights when paved over in an effort to contain flooding. There are efforts underway to revitalize the 51-mile river running through the city. In fact, there’s a world of water in Los Angeles, beyond the mythology of the movie, Chinatown, but like elsewhere, we’re dumping it as fast as possible. In a packed auditorium at UCLA, this past weekend at the annual Festival of Books, a panel of authors and journalists gushed about water issues. Are short showers and turning the faucet off really a drop in the bucket?
At the standing-room-only session, “Water: The Past, Present, and Future of our Most Precious Resource,” had the audience salivating. “LA is not a desert,” insisted author D.J. Waldie, referring to the water table in layers of alluvial fan underneath the metropolis, but you’d never know it. Looking out at the endless expanse of development across the sprawling basin, it’s hard to believe there’s water in them there hills and valleys but what’s clear is that I need to get a rain barrel. … “
Continue reading this post from the TreeHugger blog by clicking here.
Court finds L.A. County discharged polluted water into Malibu beach
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:09 amFrom the Los Angeles Times L.A. Now blog:
“The County of Los Angeles violated the federal Clean Water Act when it discharged polluted water at popular Surfrider Beach in Malibu, according to a court ruling issued Tuesday. Surfrider Beach
The District Court in Los Angeles also found the county liable for discharging polluted water into a marine coastal preserve on the northern edge of the county, one of three dozen designated areas of special biological significance along the California coast.
The decision stemmed from a lawsuit filed by the National Resource Defense Council and Santa Monica Baykeeper. … “
Read more from the L.A. Now blog by clicking here.
Residents on Long Beach island live in fear of sea wall failing: The quaint island community of Naples, with its million-dollar homes, famed canals and pirate statues, is protected by a crumbling concrete berm
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 6:07 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“In exchange for inhabiting an island with quaint canals where kayakers, paddlers and opera-singing gondoliers float past million-dollar homes, residents of this Long Beach neighborhood live with the anxiety of knowing that the only thing protecting their property from the ocean is a crumbling sea wall.
“If the sea wall fails, we’re in real trouble,” said Bob Fletcher, a retired lawyer who has experienced the sinking feeling of spotting ocean water seeping under the floorboards of his Spanish-style home on Rivo Alto Canal.
An engineer recently warned the city that sections of the mile-long concrete sea wall are on the verge of collapse. Long Beach officials are now studying whether to patch up the most threatened walls, as they have for years, or spend more than $9 million to rebuild them. … “
Continue reading this article from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Water agencies revive long-dormant Yuma Desalting Plant
Posted by: Maven on April 29, 2010 at 5:57 am
From the Imperial Valley Press:
“YUMA — Several water agency leaders celebrated the Yuma Desalting Plant’s reawakening at a ceremony Wednesday after the plant spent the better part of 17 years lying dormant.
“It’s truly a momentous occasion, and it marks a significant milestone in the history of water management on the Colorado River,” said Anne Castle, assistant secretary of water and science for the U.S. Department of the Interior.Jennifer McCloskey, Bureau of Reclamation area manager for the Yuma-area office, said the Yuma Desalting Plant’s one-year test run represents a new era of cooperation among the water agencies involved with the project. The plant will begin desalination Monday.
“The significance of today’s ceremony is to sign this proclamation we have, which will signify continuing cooperation with Yuma Desalting Plant and the future of the Yuma Desalting Plant,” McCloskey said. … “
Continue reading this article from the Imperial Valley Press by clicking here.
Aquafornia's Information Desk
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | |||
Click here for full-sized calendar
Aquafornia's Photos on Flickr
Aquafornia's Mission
Aquafornia's mission is to educate readers about the complex and often controversial issues surrounding water in California.
Aquafornia is affiliated with the Water Education Foundation, an impartial, nonprofit organization, whose mission is to create a better understanding of water resources and foster public understanding and resolution of water resource issues through facilitation, education and outreach.
E-mail Newsletter
To receive email announcements from the Water Education Foundation, sign up here.
Web Resources
Agriculture
Climate Change & Water
Conservation
Current Conditions
Delta & SF Bay Resources
- Bay Delta Developments
- Bay Institute
- Bay-Delta Conservation Plan
- Delta Atlas
- Delta Protection Commission
- Delta Stewardship Council
- Delta Vision Foundation
- Delta WaterMaster
- Discover the Delta Foundation
- Restore the Delta
- San Francisco Bay and Delta (Access USGS)
- San Francisco Baykeeper
- San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science website
- San Francisco Estuary Partnership
Employment & Water
Environmental Organizations
Fishing Blogs/Organizations
Investing & Water
Landscaping
Legal Blogs
Legislative Committees - State & Federal
- California State Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife
- California State Senate Committee on Natural Resources & Water
- House Natural Resource Committee, Water & Power Subcommittee
- New State Water Legislation Mandates (KMTG)
- Senate Commitee on Environment & Public Works, Water and Wildlife Subcommittee
- The California Channel
Los Angeles River
Maven's Other Websites
News
Public Policy Organizations
Regional Water Associations
Salton Sea
Stormwater & Flood Control
Water Agencies
- ACWA – Association of California Water Agencies
- Bay Area Water Supply and Conservation Agency
- Contra Costa Water District
- East Bay Municipal Utility District
- Imperial Irrigation District
- Kern County Water Agency
- Long Beach Water Department
- Los Angeles Department of Water & Power
- Metropolitan Water District
- Municipal Water District of Orange County
- San Diego County Water Authority
- Santa Clara Valley Water District
- Sonoma County Water Agencies
- South San Joaquin Irrigation District
- State Water Contractors
- West Basin Municipal Water District
- Westlands Water District
Water Agencies - State & Federal
Water Blogs
- ACWA's Voices in Water blog
- Aguanomics
- Alex Breitler's Blog
- American Water Resources Assn. Blog
- Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard
- Bay Delta Blog
- California Water Blog
- California Water Wars blog
- Chance of Rain
- Chronicles of the Hydraulic Brotherhood
- Delta National Park Blog
- EDF's On The Waterfront
- Greed, Green & Grains
- Green Roots Blog (PCL)
- GrokSurf's San Diego blog
- Inkstain – jfleck
- Klam Blog
- L. A. Creek Freak
- On the Public Record
- Peter Gleick’s City Brights blog
- Restore the Delta's blog
- Southern California Water Committee Blog
- Spouting Off – Mark Gold of Heal the Bay
- State of the Planet Blog
- The California Spigot
- Thirsty in Suburbia
- Tom Philp's Blog
- Valley Economy Blog
- Water Cooler Blog
- Water Librarian's Blog
- Water SISWEB
- Waterblogged (Shawn McKinnon)
- Watering the Desert
- WaterWired
Water Information
News Article Archives
- Agriculture
- Aquafornia News & Exclusives
- Central Valley Project
- Climate change & water supply
- Conservation
- Delta Issues
- Desalination
- Development & Population
- Drinking Water & Bottled Water
- Drought Tolerant Landscaping
- Drought, Weather & Snowpack
- Energy & Water
- Events
- Flood Control/Stormwater
- General Water Issues
- Groundwater
- History
- Indian Water Rights
- Infrastructure
- Innovative Ideas
- International Water Issues
- Invasive Plants & Species
- Investing in water
- Legislation – State & Federal
- Levees
- National water news
- Oceans & Beaches
- People in the News
- Politics of Water
- Recycled Water
- Regional Water Issues
- San Joaquin River Restoration
- State Water Project (DWR)
- Storage and supply
- Transfers
- Uncategorized
- Water Agency News
- Water Banking
- Water Quality
- Water Rights
- Weird & Wacky Water News
- Wildlife & Endangered Species