One more for the scroll: Work on Delta conservation plan far from over, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 10:33 amSomehow I missed this one … From the Contra Costa Times, this commentary by Jill Duerig, general manager of Zone 7 Water Agency and Walt Wadlow, general manager of the Alameda County Water District:
“Nobody said it would be an easy or perfect solution. But a plan that represents our best hope of achieving the coequal goals of restoring the Delta ecosystem and securing reliable water supplies for 25 million Californians, including large portions of the Bay Area, has reached a significant milestone.
After four years of hard work and compromise between diverse interests, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan steering committee has released a draft document designed to finally resolve key conflicts in the troubled Delta. But work on the BDCP isn’t over.
A number of critical decisions remain to be hammered out between water agencies, environmental organizations and wildlife agencies working to reach our collective goals. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Tuesday’s top of the scroll: National Academy of Sciences to hold meeting on Delta next week
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:52 am
From the Sacramento Bee:
“The National Academy of Sciences holds its third committee meeting on issues affecting the Delta in San Francisco on Dec. 8.
Considered the nation’s most esteemed independent science panel, the National Academy was asked by the Department of Interior and members of Congress to review the technical issues surrounding water supply and restoration in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The committee’s 17 members include water, wildlife and legal experts from across the nation. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Picture of the Delta by Chris Austin.
Offshore garbage patch collects plastic, nets, junk
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:42 am
From the Contra Costa Times:
“It might be easier to clean up if the lawn chairs, water bottles and fishing nets all clumped together like a giant island of trash.
But the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is more scattered, which makes things challenging for the crew of a Richmond-based ship trying to find ways to clean up the mess.
“When you are out there you expect to see a sign: ‘Welcome to the Gyre,’” said Nicholas Mallos, a marine debris scientist who sought to dispel popular notions of what the garbage patch is.
“It’s not a floating island of trash. It’s not the size of Texas,” said Mallos, who works for the environmental group Ocean Conservancy. Though not always as obvious as a 3-ton “ghost net” or a floating mass of garbage — which are out there, here and there — the garbage collecting in the oceans is a serious global problem. … “
Continue reading from the Contra Costa Times by clicking here.
You can learn more about Project Kaisei by clicking here.
Bay Delta conservation plan loses support
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:36 amFrom the Sacramento Business Journal:
“On the heels of the withdrawal of support for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan by Westlands Water District, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority has voted to suspend continued funding for the plan.
The authority, which serves 29 member agencies throughout the Bay-Delta, and other public water agencies that rely on water supplies pumped through the Delta, have invested almost $150 million and more than four years toward the plan’s development. It’s estimated it will cost another $100 million to complete the plan, according to the authority. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Business Journal by clicking here.
Tax revenue debate delays Poseidon’s Carlsbad desalination plant
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:35 amFrom the San Diego Union Tribune:
“Science may offer the means for converting seawater into fresh water, but for now the future of a long-planned desalination plant in San Diego County may hinge on something so unrelated as the desire to realign a road.
Operating under the philosophy that a public agency never can be too careful, the host city for the facility is seeking assurances the public-private partnership won’t dry up tax revenues for other needs.
The Carlsbad Municipal Water District is the only agency that hasn’t signed off on a revised water-purchase agreement for the desalination project. A proposal for addressing its revenue concerns — which carry implications of up to $2.5 million a year — reached the San Diego County Water Authority this month. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Uniion-Tribune by clicking here.
Barry Nelson: A water management agenda for the new governor
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:29 amFrom Barry Nelson at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“Over the coming week, NRDC will offer seven key priorities, and specific recommendations, for the new state administration, with a goal of developing a water policy that will benefit all Californians – restoring and protecting California’s environment as well as its economy.
Water policy has always played an important role in shaping California’s history – both its natural and human histories. Today, the Golden State is facing a critical moment in that history. Across the state, clear signs suggest that a dramatic change of direction is needed. Flawed water policies have resulted in severe impacts to California’s rivers and fisheries — with the potential for permanent damage in the coming four years. … “
Continue reading from the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
Tom Philp: The Southland’s new water plan
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:27 amFrom Tom Philp at the City Brights blog:
“How much water does Southern California expect long-term from the North? The answer is embedded in a new 25-year water plan for Southern California that was recently improved by my Board of Directors.
In this Integrated Resources Plan, you won’t find expectations of ever-increasing supplies from Northern California. The plan has as its highest target the retention of a traditional Northern supply via the State Water Project. Meanwhile, conservation emerges to be the region’s largest “supply.” … “
Find out what’s in the plan in the rest of this post by Tom Philp at the City Brights blog.
Helping farmers conserve water
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:20 amFrom the New York Times Green Blog:
“PARIS — A new technology, using sensors on satellites, could help to establish standards for the amount of water that farmers need to irrigate their crops, and help to optimize the use of that water, an increasingly scarce resource.
The technology measures water productivity in agriculture, or the amount of a crop produced by a given volume of water, drawing on remote sensing data and satellite images to measure evaporation and yield. … “
Continue reading from the New York Times Green Blog by clicking here.
Facing the consequences: Global action is not going to stop climate change; The world needs to look harder at how to live with it
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:19 am
From The Economist:
“ON NOVEMBER 29th representatives of countries from around the world will gather in Cancún, Mexico, for the first high-level climate talks since those in Copenhagen last December. The organisers hope the meeting in Mexico, unlike the one in Denmark, will be unshowy but solid, leading to decisions about finance, forestry and technology transfer that will leave the world better placed to do something about global warming. Incremental progress is possible, but continued deadlock is likelier. What is out of reach, as at Copenhagen, is agreement on a plausible programme for keeping climate change in check.
The world warmed by about 0.7°C in the 20th century. Every year in this century has been warmer than all but one in the last (1998, since you ask). If carbon-dioxide levels were magically to stabilise where they are now (almost 390 parts per million, 40% more than before the industrial revolution) the world would probably warm by a further half a degree or so as the ocean, which is slow to change its temperature, caught up. But CO2 levels continue to rise. Despite 20 years of climate negotiation, the world is still on an emissions trajectory that fits pretty easily into the “business as usual” scenarios drawn up by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). … “
Continue reading from the Economist by clicking here.
RELATED BLOG COMMENTARY:
- The Economist calls it quits … , from the Aguanomics blog
The Economist: Climate Change – Adapt, Or Else…, from the Water Wired blog
EarthJustice: Fishing, health and conservation groups act to protect salmon from pesticide peril
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:13 amFrom EarthJustice, this press release:
“Conservation and fishing groups today filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Seattle challenging the continued failure of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect West Coast salmon and steelhead from toxic pesticides.
The suit seeks to force EPA to finally implement measures such as no-spray buffer zones to reduce the levels of pesticides in salmon-bearing streams. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has said these measures are necessary to protect salmon, but EPA has yet to implement any of them.
“This is the fourth time we have had to turn to the courts because EPA has failed to protect endangered salmon from pesticides,” said Amanda Goodin, an attorney with Earthjustice, which is representing the groups. “It’s been eight years since the courts have ordered EPA to comply with the law, but we still don’t have a single safeguard in place to protect salmon from these chemicals.” … “
Continue reading this press release from EarthJustice by clicking here.
Radio show: Scientists must tell the climate change story
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 8:07 amFrom KPBS, “These Days”, a talk show hosted by Maureen Cavanuagh tackles climate change:
“What if the world faced a calamity that scientists predicted and that science might help prevent…but the general public just didn’t understand it? And at the same time, what if powerful political and business interests found it profitable to convince the public that all the scientists were lying?
That, according to climatologist Richard Somerville, summarizes what’s happening regarding the subject of climate change. And he believes it’s crucial that scientists start doubling their efforts to educate the public and policymakers before it’s too late to preserve the ecosystems we rely on.
Guest: Richard Somerville, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Scripps Institution of Oceanography … “
Read the transcript or listen to the show by clicking here.
The secret to desalination is ceramics: Energy Recovery gives us a factory tour with video
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:57 amIf you ever were curious how Energy Recovery’s Pressure Exchanger works, then this post is for you. From GreenTech Media:
“Think of the Pressure Exchanger from Energy Recovery as an industrial Super Soaker.
The company’s energy-efficient desalination system revolves around applying pressure to “slugs” of water. Seawater has to be pressurized to a high level before a desalination membrane can filter out the salt and other impurities.
Seawater fills up a chamber inside of a rotating barrel, which sort of resembles the barrel on a pistol. … “
More, including a video tour of the factory, from Green Tech Media by clicking here.
Bottled water firm closing namesake Fiji business
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:54 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Fiji Water on Monday closed its operations in the South Pacific country that gives the popular bottled drink its name, saying it was being singled out by the military appointed government for a massive tax increase.
A company statement announcing the decision did not say whether the company was shutting down permanently in Fiji, where an acquifer deep underground has been the source of one of the world’s most popular bottled water brands.
The company, owned by California entrepreneurs Lynda and Stewart Resnick, said it was closing its facility in Fiji, canceling orders from suppliers and putting on hold several construction contracts in the country. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
RELATED: Peter Gleick has some commentary on the City Brights blog: Fiji Water: Where bottled water, money, and ethics conflict
Population, immigration, and the drying of the Southwest: Paper explores looming water crisis driven by immigration policy
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:47 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“The looming water crisis in the American Southwest – and the role of immigration-driven population growth – is the topic of a paper published this month by the Center for Immigration Studies and authored by New Mexico journalist Kathleene Parker.
The paper, “Population, Immigration, and the Drying of the American Southwest,” online at http://cis.org/southwest-water-population-growth, explores the link between the possibility of the potentially catastrophic economic and environmental water crisis and the fact that the Southwest is the fastest-growing region of the world’s fourth-fastest-growing nation – a growth rate earlier cautioned against by various presidential commissions. It also looks at how that growth rate is driven by historically unprecedented immigration – legal and illegal – into the United States, the world’s third-most-populous nation after China and India. Immigration is responsible for more than half of the population growth in the Southwest this past decade, and nearly all of the growth in the largest southwest state, California. … “
Shaver dam gets state-of-the-art maintenance
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:41 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“The thin, plastic liner being installed on the face of Shaver Lake Dam isn’t just a tarp from the hardware store — it costs $3.5 million and may last two centuries.
This liner is not a fix for some major problem with the dam, say state dam inspectors who inspect the dam every year. The dam is safe.
This is state-of-the-art maintenance at the largest Southern California Edison lake in this region. … “
Continue reading from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Rainy weather good news for West Kern Water District water supply
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:25 am
From the Taft Midway Driller:
“Recent rain and snow in California have West Kern Water District General Manager Harry O. Starkey beaming.
“We’re off to a good start,” he told his board of directors last Tuesday at the monthly meeting. “The forecast is for additional rain in the Feather (River). We will finish this month above normal.
“We’re tracking right along. It is one of the wettest years on record. The weather forecast is that we are still in a LaNina. We will see how it goes.” … “
Continue reading from the Taft Midway Driller by clicking here.
Picture of the Southern San Joaquin Valley with the Teerink pumps in the distance by Chris Austin.
Los Angeles DWP’s Festival of Lights canceled due to water project
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:23 amFrom KPCC, Southern California Radio:
“Here’s something to consider as you plan your holiday season. To keep the water flowing, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has cut the lights on a 14-year tradition in Griffith Park.
Whether you anticipate the DWP’s annual festival of lights for the mile-long holiday themed display or dread it because of the taillights backing up off Highway 5 – that part of Griffith Park will be dark this year. L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the park, announced the change in summer. … “
Continue reading from KPCC, Southern California Public Radio, by clicking here.
Controversy swirls around WRD’s declaration of water emergency
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:17 amFrom the Signal Tribune:
“On Friday, Nov. 19, the Board of Directors of the Water Replenishment District (WRD) unanimously declared a water emergency that will impact the amount of water its customers– including the Cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill– can hold in reserve. WRD manages the water pumping rights of 43 cities in southeast Los Angeles County, which have a combined population of approximately four million people. Three of those cities– Cerritos, Downey and Signal Hill– strongly oppose the water emergency declaration.
“District staff has received formal requests to declare a water emergency from 21 pumpers representing 55 percent of the water-rights holders in the Central Basin,” said WRD General Manager Robb Whitaker, in his November 19 report to the board. “Additionally, the Central Basin Water Association and the District’s Technical Advisory Committee have both recommended such a declaration.” … “
Continue reading from the Signal Tribune by clicking here.
GrokSurf’s San Diego blog: Keeping Scripps Institute of Oceanography sea-watered
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:14 am
From the GrokSurf’s San Diego blog:
“You might imagine that UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) in La Jolla is a major water user — seawater, that is — but did you know the pier is the conduit for that water? …
The nearly 1100-foot-long pier at Scripps was built in 1987-88 to replace an older pier that dated back to 1915. It not only provides for the launching for ocean-bound research boats and collection of data on ocean and weather conditions, but also is the drinking straw in the ocean for the seawater filtration, distribution, and discharge system that provides the various labs and aquariums (should I write ‘aquaria’?) with the seawater they need. … “
Continue reading from GrokSurf’s San Diego by clicking here.
Barstow: Investigation into perchlorate source could take months
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:05 amFrom the Desert Dispatch:
“Barstow – Water board officials will continue their investigation into locating the source of the perchlorate contamination of Barstow’s tap water but say it is a long and complex process that could take months.
The Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board is heading up the investigation and has already named a potential source of the contamination. Singer said scientists are investigating the site of Mojave River Pyrotechnics to determine if the perchlorate contamination originated from the former company, which closed in the 1980s. … “
Continue reading from the Desert Dispatch by clicking here.
Inktain blog: Earmarks and Western water
Posted by: Maven on November 30, 2010 at 7:03 amFrom the Inkstain blog:
“As we enter a new era of U.S. fiscal austerity, in which some members of Congress push to foreswear the dreaded “earmark” (pork barrel funding), Kitty Felde points out the importance of the practice in western water development:
In Congress, seniority is power. Senate historian Donald Ritchie says small states re-elect incumbents more often than big states. That means long-serving lawmakers from smaller states end up with plum committee chairmanships — and more power to tack on earmarks.
Ritchie cites the example of Republican Carl Hayden. He was Arizona’s first congressman when the state entered the union in 1912. … “
Continue reading from the Inkstain blog by clicking here.
Monday’s top of the scroll: What lurks beneath: Bay Area’s battle with invasive species in ballast water
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 8:09 amWelcome back! I hope your holiday was a good one. Plenty has been posted over the long weekend, so be sure to dig all the way back to Thursday. Getting started with today’s news, here’s this from the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“Twenty feet below the water line, in the bilge of a cargo ship unloading raw sugar at the C&H factory, scientists are testing a high-tech weapon in the fight against invasive aquatic species.
A special ballast water treatment system is purifying the water that whooshes through a pump from the Carquinez Strait into the Moku Pahu, a double-hull bulk carrier that ferries raw sugar from Hawaii to California.
The ballast water balances the ship as the system removes organisms thinner than the width of a hair. If the treatment system performs as expected, it will join a handful of emerging technologies that represent the shipping industry’s best hope for meeting a state deadline to remove exotic species from ballast water discharge — or face stiff penalties. … “
Continue reading from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
La Niña this winter means dry weather
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Last winter was a soaker.
Now water managers worry about drier than usual weather across much of California through March.
What gives?
Last winter delivered a strong El Niño, the official designation for the climatic phenomenon typically associated with balmy temperatures and plenty of rain for many parts of the Golden State. This winter is on track to bring a strong La Niña – effectively the opposite phenomenon that can mean cooler, dry conditions, especially in Southern California. … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Desalination still on back burner for Marin after votes
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:59 amFrom the Marin Independent Journal:
“Not coming to a tap near you soon: desalinated water.
Despite voters’ approval this month of Marin Municipal Water District incumbent candidates who supported studying desalination, and a ballot measure to allow that study to happen, the reality of taking bay water and de-salting it for domestic use in Marin remains murky.
“What we said from the beginning of the campaign is that desalination is not on the table because of current demand patterns,” said David Behar, the water board president who won reelection. “That has not changed.” … “
Continue reading from the Marin Independent Journal by clicking here.
The accidental activist – fisherman fights against declining Pacific salmon population
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:58 am
From the Peninsula Press:
“Mike Hudson never planned to spend years campaigning for a fish’s survival. Sure, as a kid he dreamed of becoming a commercial fisherman. But by the late eighties, he’d turned to a new dream: belting out tunes in a popular punk blues band. Yet at a crowded San Francisco bar one weekend night, while performing onstage with John Lee Hooker’s drummer, a former Beastie Boy and a coterie of go-go dancers, Hudson did something that unexpectedly turned his life back toward fish… he met a woman.
When Yvette first heard Hudson’s voice, she was surprised. She had come with a friend to hear the band and was in the bathroom when the singing started. She thought, “I don’t remember seeing an old black man in the band.” She emerged looking for the voice and found not an old bluesman, but a 25-year-old with a lingering accent from his childhood in Germany. The two met at the bar over intermission, when Hudson stepped in to protect her from another customer who was hassling her. … “
Continue reading from the Peninsula Press by clicking here.
Pasadena Sub Rosa blog: All rivers flow through Pasadena
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:47 amFrom Wayne Lusvardi at the Pasadena Sub Rosa blog:
“The saying “all roads lead to Rome” was literally true in the old Roman Empire, where all roads were built to the capital city. Culturally, the phrase means all paths or activities lead to the center of things. And the political center of imported water in California has historically been the City of Pasadena, located some 400 miles distant from the Sacramento Delta and the Colorado River.
In California, not all man-made rivers or aqueducts lead through the Sacramento Delta. The Colorado River and Los Angeles Aqueducts and the All-American and Coachella Canals don’t flow through the Delta. But every attempt to bring water to Southern California whether via the Colorado River Aqueduct or the long-planned Peripheral Canal to convey water around the Sacramento Delta has somehow involved the elites in the City of Pasadena. … “
Continue reading from the Pasadena Sub Rosa blog by clicking here.
San Diego: Drilling for knowledge – Hydrologists measure the untapped potential of huge regional aquifer
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:42 amFrom the San Diego Union-Tribune:
“Water that may be of high enough quality to drink is stored in a 350-square-mile underground layer that stretches from La Jolla to the international border and from about state Route 125 to west of the coastline. The big mystery is how much, how deep and whether it’s worthwhile for public agencies to drill wells and pump it out.
For the past nine years, researchers with the U.S. Geological Survey have been trying to figure that out by studying the character and groundwater yield of the San Diego Formation, a significant regional aquifer. They’re closing in on the much-awaited answers. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Border sewage plant nears completion; Residents, officials hope to focus on other sources of pollution
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:36 amFrom the San Diego Union Tribune:
“An expanded sewage-treatment plant more than a decade in the making has started processing wastewater in San Ysidro, and the agency in charge said it’s on track to meet a court-ordered deadline for reducing coastal water pollution.
The International Boundary and Water Commission is supposed to comply with U.S. Clean Water Act standards by Jan. 5 at its South Bay treatment facility, which handles up to 25 million gallons of raw sewage a day from Tijuana. … “
Continue reading from the San Diego Union Tribune by clicking here.
Conceived for its beauty, bridge could pose suicide danger
Posted by: Maven on November 29, 2010 at 7:34 amFrom the Las Vegas Sun:
“To look at it is to see only majesty and grace.
The Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, the second highest in the nation, is breathtaking.
But some experts fear it is also potentially life-taking.
Nevada consistently has one of the highest suicide rates in the nation. In 2007, the most recent year that data are available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Silver State had the fifth-highest rate, with 471 deaths. … “
Continue reading from the Las Vegas Sun by clicking here.
Sunday’s top of the scroll: Delta draft making waves
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:40 amFrom the Stockton Record:
“A plan to fix the dying Delta is far from finished, but a 1,742-page “working draft” released last week is the first single document summing up the four-year effort.
It is complex. It is costly. It is controversial.
And the draft plan is flooded with caveats.
Some of the players – water districts, government agencies, environmentalists and others – disagree over how much water should remain in the estuary and whether the plan would help or harm wildlife. … “
Continue reading from the Stockton Record by clicking here.
Dan Walters: Water still on the agenda for Jerry Brown
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:30 amFrom Dan Walters at the Sacramento Bee:
“During the campaign, Jerry Brown was fairly vague on what he would do as governor, especially on how he would resolve the state’s chronic budget problems.
“It will evolve,” one of Brown’s pet phrases from his first governorship, was the unspoken credo of the campaign for his second.
There was, however, a notable exception to Brown’s vagueness – water. He published a fairly specific policy paper on water, reflecting his own extensive experience with its complicated politics. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Don’t allow bullying to derail science in the bay, Delta, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:29 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this editorial:
“Apparently unhappy with where the effort was heading, the Westlands Water District last week abruptly pulled its support for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
Days later another major federal water contractor, the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, followed Westlands’ lead and removed its support as well. San Luis & Delta-Mendota cited escalating costs and a lack of assurance that water agencies would get additional water.
Underway for four years now, the plan is seeking ways to restore the Delta while at the same time build a tunnel or canal to make it easier to deliver potentially more water south of the Delta. Westlands’ contractors have contributed the lion’s share of the $140 million spent on the voluminous studies necessary to formulate a conservation plan that will meet the requirements of state and federal law. … “
Continue reading from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Birds of prey thrive at Jenner headlands
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:25 amFrom the Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
“Hawks, eagles and other birds of prey ride the thermals that stir the air at the Jenner headlands in numbers that bird lovers never imagined.
From a knoll 900 feet above the ocean, with a 360-degree view of the Pacific Ocean, the Russian River estuary and grasslands and the coastal hills, bird-watchers are sighting 90 birds of prey an hour, from broad-winged Golden Eagles to small but swift Merlin pigeon hawks.
“They are a beautiful birds, a lot of them have striking coloration and markings,” said Brook Edwards of Jenner. … “
Continue reading from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat by clicking here.
Fishers hope sagging salmon runs improve
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:22 amFrom the San Francisco Chronicle:
“Commercial salmon fisherman Duncan MacLean, based out of Half Moon Bay, said he would gladly talk about the boom times of his industry — if only he could remember them better. Due to massive shortages in stock, it has been three years since federal officials have allowed a full salmon season, and since 1978 the number of commercial fishermen in the state has fallen from 5,000 to just 341.
“To say we’re on the ropes would be a nice way of putting it,” said MacLean, who has been fishing for nearly 40 years. “This industry has been really hurting for quite some time, and if we don’t get a full salmon season soon the future doesn’t bode well for us.” … “
Continue reading from the San Francisco Chronicle by clicking here.
Column: Water scofflaws can conserve drops, too
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:18 amFrom columnist Larry Wilson at the Pasadena Star News:
“When Tim Brick, the water boss of all that he surveys, dropped in for an editorial board meeting the other day, I felt the need to `fess up’ about my ongoing pattern of liquid criminal behavior.
Brick, Pasadena representative to the outlandishly powerful Metropolitan Water District, is the longtime (and outgoing) chairman of the entity that controls everything that flows to most of Southern California.
He doesn’t control the drought-related restrictions that apply to my own family’s water usage, which are laid down by the Pasadena Water & Power Department. … “
Continue reading this column from the Pasadena Star News by clicking here.
Keep conserving, says editorial
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 7:00 amFrom the Daily Breeze, this editorial:
“The economy may still be slumping along, jobs are still hard to come by and global warming isn’t waning, but at least 2010 was a good water year in California. The combination of intense conservation efforts, a cooler-than-normal summer and average rainfall after several dry years meant Southern Californians received more water and used significantly less in 2010. As a result, the region was able to put water into storage for the first time in four years.
The outlook improved so much this year that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will consider next month ending 18 months of mandatory water-supply reductions. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Daily Breeze by clicking here.
Oceanside: City hopes to produce more of its own water; Desalination could produce half city’s water
Posted by: Maven on November 28, 2010 at 6:58 amFrom the North County Times:
“Plans to make Oceanside less dependent on costly imported water by expanding the city’s desalination program have taken on a new urgency as city officials warn of ongoing water-rate increases.
A consultant hired by the city three years ago has completed a report recommending that Oceanside proceed with the next step toward expanding its desalination operations with a goal of providing up to half of the city’s water needs from local sources, said water utilities director Cari Dale.
“The importance of local supplies is going to be thrust into the forefront,” Dale said. … “
Continue reading from the North County Times by clicking here.
Water diversions are killing the Delta, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on November 27, 2010 at 8:46 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Marc M. Gorelnik is director of the Coastside Fishing Club:
“Re “Peripheral canal can aid fish habitat” (Viewpoints, Nov. 21): California Department of Fish and Game Director John McCamman expresses well the perspective of those who would irresponsibly drain the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta of fresh water. The fundamental issue isn’t where the water is taken – pump or canal – but that too much fresh water is already taken.
For millennia, a hydrologic tug of war has played out in the Delta and San Francisco Bay between freshwater outflows from the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers on the one hand, and the rising and falling tidewaters of the salty Pacific Ocean. This creates a rich estuarine environment that feeds countless birds, amphibians, fish and other animals. Aside from the inherent benefits of a healthy environment, a well-cared-for Delta and bay have great economic value, providing jobs and recreational opportunities for all Californians, rich and poor alike. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Sacramento overdue for upgrade of its treatment plant, says commentary
Posted by: Maven on November 27, 2010 at 8:42 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this commentary by Susan Crawford, a visiting research collaborator at Princeton University Center for Information Technology Policy and a professor at Cardozo Law School in New York:
“California’s water-quality problems are often the underlying challenge to maintaining adequate supplies. Whether it is groundwater salinity in the Central Valley or groundwater contamination in Southern California basins, damage to the quality of water threatens both the environment and the economy.
In Sacramento, a major water- quality problem is the wastewater discharge from the regional treatment facility. It is time to address this problem. Its very real threat to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta poses a threat to California’s overall economic well-being. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Fresno Bee Newes Blog: Looking back at Bay-Delta in 1994
Posted by: Maven on November 27, 2010 at 8:31 amFrom Mark Grossi at the Fresno Bee News Blog:
“After Westlands Water District pulled out of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan this week, I thought it might be interesting to look at two quotes in a story I wrote 16 years ago on this same controversial subject.
The conservation plan’s goal is to assure water deliveries to farm and cities while restoring a dying ecosystem at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. It’s a cease-fire between environmentalists and water users.
The first such cease-fire I can remember was Dec. 15, 1994. … “
Continue reading from the Fresno Bee News Blog by clicking here.
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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.
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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
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- Energy & Water
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- Investing in water
- Legislation – State & Federal
- Levees
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- Uncategorized
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- Weird & Wacky Water News
- Wildlife & Endangered Species