Water Wired: NAS report coming soon & Tim Quinn
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:59 amFrom the Water Wired blog:
“I wandered over to David Zetland’s Aguanomics blog and found his reference to a 10 March 2009 UCB talk given by Dr. Tim Quinn, Executive Director of the Association of California Water Agencies: California Water: Managing Crisis and Opportunity.
Here is a pdf of his slide presentation.
Among other things, Quinn comments on the Peripheral Canal and groundwater, so as we close the door on National Ground Water Awareness Week and await the report of the NAS Bay-Delta Committee I thought this post apropos. One year has not diminshed the relevance or importance of Quinn’s topic.
And speaking of the aformentioned report, we hope to release it to Congress and the agencies on 17 March, and to the public later that same day or on 18 March. Lest you think the report was not vetted, there were eight reviewers whose comments consumed about 27 pages. Virtually all of the comments dealt with minor issues. … “
Continue reading this post from the Water Wired blog by clicking here.
Saving U.S. water and sewer systems would be costly
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:56 amFrom the New York Times:
“One recent morning, George S. Hawkins, a long-haired environmentalist who now leads one of the largest and most prominent water and sewer systems, trudged to a street corner here where water was gushing into the air.
A cold snap had ruptured a major pipe installed the same year the light bulb was invented. Homes near the fashionable Dupont Circle neighborhood were quickly going dry, and Mr. Hawkins, who had recently taken over the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority despite having no experience running a major utility, was responsible for fixing the problem.
As city employees searched for underground valves, a growing crowd started asking angry questions. Pipes were breaking across town, and fire hydrants weren’t working, they complained. Why couldn’t the city deliver water, one man yelled at Mr. Hawkins.
Such questions are becoming common across the nation as water and sewer systems break down. Today, a significant water line bursts on average every two minutes somewhere in the country, according to a New York Times analysis of Environmental Protection Agency data. … “
Continue reading this article from the New York Times by clicking here.
Keeping watch on water: Emerging contaminants in drinking water could be a cause of concern for lab water purification
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:53 amFrom Laboratory Equipment (a trade journal):
“When the Associated Press published results from a five-month study on the presence of pharmaceuticals in drinking water in 2008, the study made headlines across the country. Drugs such as antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers, and cholesterol-lowering medications were found to be present in the drinking water of more than 40 million Americans.
Previous studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey found an average of twenty different drugs in the wastewater streams they examined—everything from caffeine to over-the-counter medications, such as ibuprofen to rare but potent cancer chemotherapy drugs.
In addition to pharmaceuticals, contaminants in drinking water such as perchlorates, pesticides, herbicides, endocrine disrupting chemicals, brominated flame retardants, and personal care products make for a steady stream of news about what is in the water supply.
While such contaminants can be found in drinking water, should they be a concern for researchers? Are these contaminants making their way from the tap into the high-purity water used in the laboratory? … “
Continue reading this article from the trade journal Laboratory Equipment by clicking here.
World population surge imperils environment, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:51 amFrom the Bangor Daily News, this commentary by Kenneth Roy, a member of Mainers for Sensible Immigration Policy:
“The ship Titanic, the crown jewel of the White Star Line, boasted as unsinkable by its owners and foolishly driven by them on that premise to its destruction, is a grave warning to mankind. Our mother ship Earth, captained by fools recklessly ignoring nature’s warnings, is on a parallel course with the Titanic. The population bomb is planet Earth’s iceberg.
America’s rapidly growing population is wreaking havoc on the environment. Because I am a conservationist, I am also a populationist and advocate having a stable population for America and the world.
The pressures associated with population growth are dominating our public discussion with issues such as traffic congestion, school overcrowding, loss of open spaces and increases in municipal taxes, said Robert Puentes, a scholar with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. America has become much more urban and crowded. An average of 84 people now live on each square mile, up from 56 per square mile in 1967. Under President Lyndon Johnson, the U.S. had only five cities with at least 1 million in population. Today there are 44 urban areas of this size. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Comment period extended on ’safe harbor’ plan along Sacramento River
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:47 amFrom the Chico Enterprise-Record:
“Time is still available to make comments on a proposal for the Safe Harbor Agreement along the Sacramento River. The extended comment period will end April 8. The voluntary program allows private landowners to make enhancements to property that benefit wildlife, while receiving protection from violations of the Endangered Species Act.
The program, created between the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the California Department of Fish and Game, has been in the works for about a decade.
For years, there have been efforts to create more habitat along the Sacramento River, after large amounts have been developed and farm land has been established closer to the waterway.
But landowners have voiced concerns that as habitat moves in, property owners could be subject to regulation if endangered species became established. … “
Continue reading this article from the Chico Enterprise-Record by clicking here.
Column: Saratoga town code impervious to common sense
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:45 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“To the casual observer, the 2,388-square-foot lawn behind Ron Hills’ sprawling Saratoga home looks like any other well-tended expanse of grass: lush, manicured, uniformly green.
But upon closer inspection, it’s maybe a bit too uniform. Unlike the other lawns on his 1.5-acre property, this one has not a brown patch or weed to be found, not a single blade of grass out of place.
Which means that either the grounds crew from Augusta National stops by regularly to mow, roll, edge and water it to perfection, or this grass is fake.
Oh yes, it’s fake. Hills actually prefers it that way. And that’s why he’s fighting Saratoga City Hall, which wants him to tear the stuff out.
“It looks like grass, it feels like grass and it percolates,” says the battling 73-year-old retired Lockheed engineer of his nylon, polypropylene and polyethylene turf. “This whole thing makes no sense.”
For the record, Saratoga does not outlaw artificial turf. But it does limit how much fake grass a homeowner can install. … “
Continue reading this column from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Rules sought to protect the San Joaquin River and bluffs
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:41 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A Fresno City Council member is trying to bring regulatory order to a portion of one of the Valley’s most treasured natural resources: the San Joaquin River and bluffs.
Council Member Andreas Borgeas said many government agencies, each with its own rules, regulate the river along the edge of his northwest Fresno district. Those include the counties of Fresno and Madera and the state Department of Fish and Game.
Unless they coordinate their laws and enforcement, he said, the area will remain full of potential public safety hazards.
“The river and bluffs are a prized natural resource, but there’s an entire alphabet soup of jurisdictions overseeing it,” Borgeas said. “The way it’s regulated is broken and needs to be fixed.” … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Don Curlee: Water meetings inspire farmers,’ others’ activism
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:26 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta:
“In recent meetings about the lack of water for farming, the word that prompts the strongest supportive reaction from farmers in the audiences is “revolution.”
Farmers in the Central Valley are frustrated by:
# 1. Failed attempts to persuade members of Congress that the current route of water management in Central California is leading to disaster.
# 2. Backfired efforts to negotiate solutions.
# 3. Water-absorbing federal rules and regulations.
# 4. The constant thirst of environmentalists for more water to protect and maintain fish populations.
This is only a partial list, of course.
At the state level, farmers can’t understand why legislators and policy makers don’t have a better grasp of the need to provide water for all the state’s citizens.
Farmers suspect that environmental extremists had — and continue to have — little or no appreciation for California’s staggering agricultural supremacy and the resulting positive effect it has on the state’s economic well-being. … “
Continue reading Don Curlee’s column by clicking here.
Sub Rosa blog: Pasadena’s waterfall – Raymond Basin in jeopardy
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:22 amFrom the Pasadena Sub Rosa blog:
“In the early 1900s, the Raymond Basin, a huge underground water reservoir that made the development of early Pasadena possible, was overtapped and on the verge of being depleted.
Is Pasadena about to repeat the past, and this time will the precious resources of the basin fall below a safe level in the name of “emergency water conservation?”
Possibly so.
Allow us to explain why, oddly, doing something “green” such as mandating water conservation will have negative environmental impacts that need mitigating.
All across California cities are facing water-conservation restrictions. In response, Pasadena has adopted a New Comprehensive Water Conservation Plan and is about to adopt both new water policing and increased water-rate ordinances in June. But there is a flaw in Pasadena’s proposed plan that could lead to its fall – it is environmentally unsustainable.
We believe that if residents seriously cut back on irrigation in their yards, there will be a profound effect on the Raymond Basin’s replenishment. Simply put, not enough water will seep down from our landscaping, and well-intentioned efforts to “conserve” will backfire. … “
Continue reading this blog commentary from the Pasadena Sub Rosa blog by clicking here.
Santa Ana River’s long-time advocate gets satisfaction
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 5:46 amFrom the Riverside Press-Enterprise:
“When Ruth Anderson Wilson started campaigning to save the Santa Ana River in 1966 from being contained in a concrete channel, people were “laughing, jeering, and really quite nasty,” the 87-year-old activist said. “They said it was a dumb female idea.”
After years of work, Wilson can now have the last laugh when she considers the miles of multi-use trails and acres of public parkland that line the Santa Ana River, and a new plan by the city of Riverside that recommends an ambitious slate of restoration and amenities.
The City Council earlier this month accepted a plan that would restore wetlands and add trailheads, concessions, a visitor’s center and more in dozens of places along the nine miles of river within Riverside city limits. … “
Continue reading this article from the Press-Enterprise by clicking here.
Research: Water imports no shield against drought for Colorado: The fates of the Colorado, Arkansas river basins are intertwined, researchers find
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 5:00 amFrom the Pueblo Chieftain:
“Simply bringing water from the Colorado River to the Arkansas River basin in Colorado does not improve protection against drought.
The surprising finding was shared last week at the Arkansas Basin Roundtable by climate researchers from Western Water Assessment, a hybrid agency that combines Nation Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and University of Colorado resources.
Western Water is studying future water projections for the Colorado Water Conservation Board.
“It has always been thought that if you are bringing in water from both sides of the Continental Divide, you have protection. That is not the case,” said Jeff Lukas, of Western Water. “While they vary from year to year, the dry years and wet years in both basins show a strong correlation.” … “
Continue reading this article from the Pueblo Chieftain by clicking here.
Eel River diversion, frost water challenged
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:44 amFrom the Ukiah Daily Journal:
“An environmental group is hoping to stop the diversion of water through the Potter Valley tunnel from the Eel River and pending frost water regulations. This was the latest from a Thursday night meeting of the Inland Water and Power Commission.
Friends of the Eel River has filed with the State Water Board to save fish by ending Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s diversion of Eel water to a small Potter Valley hydroelectric power plant, water that supplies Potter Valley and Lake Mendocino.
“Friends of the Eel have petitioned the State Water Resources Control Board to take away PG&E’s diversion license for water through the project,” chairwoman of the IWPC Janet Pauli said.
The Sausalito-based Friends of the Eel provided reports supporting their petition, which was announced March 1. The State Water Resources Control Board will be deciding whether to accept or deny the petition. … “
Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal by clicking here.
Fish restoration could be a catch for Rio Vista
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:42 amFrom the Vacaville Reporter:
“Rio Vista, long a hub for levee building and dredging in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, could find its next fortune in fish restoration.
Solano County’s smallest city is being courted by a who’s who of state and federal agencies that see a former U.S. Army property on the waterfront as an ideal home for Delta research. The latest proposal is for a federal fish-breeding project to raise “refuge” populations of several species in case they go extinct in the wild.
“It would be perfect for these uses,” said Rio Vista Mayor Jan Vick. “Nobody has any money for it yet, but we’re pushing because it’s becoming more urgent so research in the Delta can proceed efficiently.”
The property has been eyed for a joint state-federal science center. The city also wants public recreation and interpretive facilities on the site. … “
Continue reading this article from the Vacaville Reporter by clicking here.
Dredging at Mare Island might get nod this year
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:40 amFrom the Vallejo Times-Herald:
“Some 14 years worth of accumulated silt in front of two Mare Island dry docks has about a 50-50 chance of qualifying for removal this year, a regional dredging official estimates.
“It can happen quickly, if everything’s in place,” said Rob Lawrence, staff member with the Dredged Material Management Office in San Francisco. “But bottlenecks can happen if anyone falls behind.”
The Dredged Material Management Office for which Lawrence works is made up of a variety of state, regional and federal organizations, each with a stake in supplying Bay Area dredging permits.
Company officials for California Dry Dock Solutions, also known as Allied Defense Recycling, are in the midst of a lengthy permit application process to dredge the Mare Island Strait. Once the waterway is clear, the company will be able to tow aged and decomposing World War II-era ships to Mare Island for dismantling and recycling, if awarded federal contracts to do so. … “
Continue reading this article from the Vallejo Times-Herald by clicking here.
Land war heating up over Cargill salt ponds
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:38 amFrom the San Francisco Examiner:
“One of the most heated Bay Area land-use battles of the century is shaping up as different interests take sides in a plan to partly develop and partly restore a 1,436-acre salt harvesting site in Redwood City.
Diversified international company Cargill sold most of its Peninsula salt ponds in 2003 for $100 million to government agencies that plan to restore the shoreline habitats to create a sweeping federal wildlife reserve.
But Cargill held onto a site adjacent to the Port of Redwood City, which it values at $200 million, and it has spent several years preparing development plans for the land under a partnership with Arizona-based developer DMB Associates.
The land has been used for commercial salt harvesting since 1901.
The development plans currently include as many as five schools, 63 acres of sports fields, 759 acres of restored habitat, and neighborhood parks and sports fields, 1 million square feet of commercial space and 8,000 to 12,000 new homes. … “
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner by clicking here.
Water leaks here costly, notes commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:36 amFrom the Monterey County Herald, this commentary by Craig E. Anthony, general manager of California American Water:
“The Environmental Protection Agency has named March 15 – 21 “Fix a Leak Week” to encourage everyone to examine their plumbing for unknown leaks.
It’s an important message for people across the country, but having a water leak on the Monterey Peninsula is not like having a leak anywhere else.
That’s because severe restrictions on our water supply necessitate a rate structure where any water used beyond a modest amount is charged at high prices. This both encourages conservation and rewards those who are careful about water use. It has been effective in getting Peninsula residents to reduce water consumption by more than 30 percent over the past 20 years.
This year prices for excess use will be higher than ever. This should drive even further water conservation, which state regulators have demanded of our community. But it could also mean if you leave a leak unattended, you could receive a water bill in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. … “
Continue reading this commentary from the Monterey County Herald by clicking here.
Our Valley’s economy is endangered, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:29 amFrom the Fresno Bee, this commentary by Case Lawrence, a venture capitalist and longtime Fresno resident:
“Like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, our Valley economy is an especially fragile ecosystem and investment capital has long been our most endangered species. Although we have aspired to economic diversity, the truth is that most of our Valley’s capital is still quietly tucked away in farms, orchards, F-150’s and processing plants.
The real value of that capital is vaporizing with every drop of water that doesn’t reach our land and every day that passes without a predictable picture of what those flows will look like in the future.
This is not just an ag problem. Like a living system, the various segments of our economy are connected organically. As our capital base shrinks, so does financing, jobs, population, innovation and philanthropy.
Start-ups don’t get funded, homes don’t get built, city budgets are decimated. Unlike Delta water, the negative fall-out from our capital devaluation will trickle down to every segment of our economy. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
San Diego allowed to continue ocean disposal of sewage
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:22 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News:
“The California Coastal Commission agreed to alter the terms of San Diego’s sewage treatment permit, allowing the city to continue to pump 50 billion gallons of partly treated sewage deep into the Pacific Ocean each year.
The panel voted Friday that the city can avoid the recommendations made by a $2 million study of wastewater recycling options.
The amended permit also removes language that suggested San Diego’s disposal of sewage into the ocean could be creating environmental problems.
The city is operating its Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant under a waiver from the U.S. Clean Water Act granted by the Coastal Commission in October. It’s the third time the city has obtained a waiver from meeting federal standards for treatment of sewage. … “
Continue reading this article from the Silicon Valley Mercury News by clicking here.
Ag needs political voice, says Charles Hoppin, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board at conference
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:21 amFrom the Yuma Sun:
“The keynote speaker for the annual Southwest Ag Summit had a few words of wisdom for those attending: Regulators really don’t care what impact they have on the industry.
The regulatory community, including much of his staff, doesn’t know or understand the issues facing agriculture and “doesn’t give a rat’s …,” said Charles Hoppin, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board.
“They make decisions that impact people’s heritage and their ability to make a living,” he said. “I understand the need for regulation but that horrifies me.”
And that’s why it is so critical that those in the agriculture industry get involved in the political and regulatory processes and ensure that they have a voice in the decisions that impact them, he said.
“You can make a difference if you have a relationship with the politicians,” Hoppin told the some 1,000 people who attended Thursday’s summit, among them 200 high school agriculture and science students. … “
Continue reading this article from the Yuma Sun by clicking here.
Column: Deceptive arguments are being made in California’s water wars
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 2:34 pmFrom the Los Angeles Times, this column by Michael Hiltzik:
“Who needs absinthe, vodka or even a six-pack of beer? Judging from the quality of our debate on natural resource policy, all it takes to addle the political mind in California is water.
We’re talking about the water that flows to us from the mountains and the rivers, via canal or aqueduct, irrigating our fields, maintaining our aquatic habitats, and sustaining daily life in the cities and suburbs.
There isn’t enough of it to be exploited with abandon as we’ve done in the past, and nothing we do will increase the raw volume we receive from nature.
“It’s increasingly apparent that there’s not enough water for everyone to do all the things they want,” says Peter H. Gleick, co-founder and president of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based environmental group, “especially as inefficiently as they’ve done in the past.” … “
Read more from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Saturday’s top of the scroll: Nevada Irrigation District board members question ACWA head on pending water bond: Do coequal values necessarily mean coequal benefits?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 8:13 amFrom YubaNet.com:
“Making a rare appearance on March 10 before Nevada Irrigation District’s board, Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), offered a broad overview of California’s recently approved water legislation and the state’s controversial $11.4 billion bond up for voter consideration in November.
“We represent a large number of diverse public agencies, almost 450,” Quinn began, noting that ACWA membership includes agricultural and urban interests spanning California’s coastal, inland, and Sierra regions. “ACWA’s function is to bring all varied views together into a common interest. We never forget local interests but pretty much check provincialism at the door,” Quinn added, referring to his organization’s over 30-member board. NID’s general manager Ron Nelson is an ACWA director and Region 3 vice-chair.
On the water policy package passed by voters in November 2009, Quinn waxed generally positive. “It is a powerful piece of legislation,” he stated. “While no legislation is perfect — and I don’t like some of the compromises — it is built around the notion of coequal values.” … “
Continue reading this article from YubaNet.com by clicking here.
Laura King Moon commentary: Changes needed to rules governing Delta smelt
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 8:08 amFrom the Silicon Valley Mercury News, this commentary by Laura King Moon of the State Water Contractors:
“This winter, on certain days, it would take only two small fish known as delta smelt to show up at California’s two largest water projects to trigger pumping restrictions causing the loss of hundreds of millions of gallons of water a day. If two more smelt appear the next day, the pumps are cut more, and so on. Since Jan. 1, the State Water Project has lost nearly 370,000 acre-feet of water, enough to serve the residential needs of San Jose for nearly three years.”
This is how the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been implemented on a day-by-day, smelt-by-smelt basis for the water system serving 25 million Californians and the farms that grow half the nation’s fruits and vegetables. The “two-smelt-and-you’re-out” rule is among five layers of water-supply restrictions under the federal and state ESAs. The combined impact is shortage or near-shortage conditions for many regions of the state, regardless of rainfall.
The State Water Contractors strongly support long-term solutions to restoring Northern California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and rebuilding a reliable water system within the ESA. But these pumping restrictions are not rebounding fish populations. The emerging challenge is to address legitimate questions about these short-term rules while moving forward with the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, an effort designed to put the Delta on a more-sustainable path. … “
Continue reading this commentary from Laura King Moon by clicking here.
Commentary: The human cost of the salmon crisis
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 8:03 amFrom the California Progress Report, this commentary by Dick Pool, business owner and a strong advocate of fisheries restoration:
“It’s not exaggerating to say that salmon are my life. As an engineer, I hold numerous patents for salmon tackle. My company, Pro-Troll Products in Concord, specializes in equipment designed especially for salmon angling. I’ve spent the last 30 years fishing for salmon, teaching other people how to fish for salmon, thinking about salmon and volunteering my time and money to organizations dedicated to sustaining these most noble—and delicious — of fish.
I like to think I know quite a bit about salmon, but I admit I’m no biologist. However, I’m familiar enough with the subject to know good fisheries science when I see it. For the last couple of years, I’ve been compiling and analyzing the data included in the National Marine Fisheries Service’s 2009 “biological opinion” for California salmon. This report consists of 800 pages, with 1,500 pages of addenda. Unless you’re a salmon fanatic like me, reading it can be a daunting exercise.
But if eating fresh, local salmon, maintaining a healthy Bay and Delta and supporting the commercial fishermen and small business owners who depend on the salmon fishery are important to you, this report is compelling stuff. It’s by far the best available science on California’s salmon, and it tells us in no uncertain terms what we have to do to save the state’s beleaguered runs. … “
Continue reading this article from the California Progress Report by clicking here.
Congressman Nunes: Unnatural greenies: The two faces of radical environmentalism
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 8:02 amFrom the blog of Congressman Devin Nunes:
“The Natural Resources Defense Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club and others tell us that the reason the San Joaquin Valley needs to be transformed into a desert is because the Delta pumps are destroying the salmon population and the water is desperately needed to save the Delta ecosystem.
To this end, environmental radicals, operating in the name of Gaia, Mother Earth, the wiccan religion and a host of other cult-like organizations, have litigated, legislated and extorted away the water needed for San Joaquin Valley communities.
Yet despite their ability to command the agenda of our government through powerful alliances in Congress, none of the endangered fish have shown signs of recovery. Actually, more species are in danger today than when the water diversions started, according to the EPA. … “
Continue reading this article from Congressman Nunes’ blog by clicking here.
Infospigot blog: California Water: Facts just roll right off
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom Infospigot: The Chronicles:
“Even when we don’t have all the water we want in California, we never suffer a shortage of detailed, interesting information about our water. If you need an example, go and check the California Data Exchange Center, an encyclopedia of constantly updated water statistics maintained by the state Department of Water Resources. If your thirst for water numbers isn’t slaked there, go next to the Central Valley Project’s operations page, produced by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Even bathed in all that data, though, you’re just getting started. If you want to go into advanced studies, you can pore over the California Water Plan, the bible for state water issues.
You get the picture. We’re not hurting for water facts. And you’d think with all that data floating around, at least some would sink in when people talk about water. But when we fight over water, we, or our brains, seem to become impermeable. You can shower them with all the facts and fancy reasoning you want, but it all beads up and runs right off. … “
Continue reading this blog post by clicking here.
The Realist Idealist: Trying to undress my ‘water footprint’
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:50 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“I used to look at my closet and see clothes. These days, whenever I cast my eyes upon the stacks of shoes and hangers of shirts, sweaters and jackets, I see water. Specifically, I see the “virtual water” used to make it all.
It takes 569 gallons to manufacture a T-shirt, from its start in the cotton fields to its appearance on store shelves. A pair of running shoes? 1,247 gallons.
Until last fall, I’d been oblivious to my “water footprint,” which is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce goods and services, according to the Water Footprint Network. The Dutch nonprofit has been working to raise awareness of freshwater scarcity since 2008, but it was through something called the “Green Blue Book,” by Thomas M. Kostigen, that I was able to see how my own actions factored in. … “
Continue reading this article from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Weather update: Nice warm-up coming
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:49 amFrom the Accu-Weather Western Weather Blog:
“Looking ahead to next week the weather event that sticks out will be the big warm-up in California and other places in the Southwest. A big ridge building up aloft will help bring about the warming and it will really feel like Spring is about here. Depending on where you are the warmest weather will occur at different times between early and midweek. … “
Find out what temperatures you can expect by clicking here.
Schwarzenegger’s MLPA initiative officials can’t ever get it right
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:47 amFrom Dan Bacher at IndyBay.org:
“Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) process is an absurd parody of marine “protection” that provides journalists like myself with bizarre stories that almost write themselves.
Over the past year, a contract boat mapping zones for the MLPA killed a blue whale off Fort Bragg, the Governor appointed an oil industry superstar to chair the Blue Ribbon Task Force for the South Coast, and numerous examples of corruption and conflicts of interests have been emerged in the process.
Now the Department of Fish and Game and the MLPA Initiative staff in Sacramento cannot even get it right on the date that the controversial recreational fishing regulations for the North Central Coast go into effect! … “
Continue reading this article from IndyBay.org by clicking here.
$1.5M sewer-fix demand rescinded
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:40 amFrom the Union Democrat:
“A series of state citations that nearly forced Angels Camp to pay for a $1.5 million upgrade to its water treatment plan was formally rescinded in a letter received Tuesday by the city.
The three-page note largely brings to a close an issue that deadlocked the council for months — due to the May 2009 death of Councilman Paul Raggio — and contributed to the resignation of Plant Manager Carol Woolf.
“It’s such a big deal,” said Mayor Jack Lynch. “Everyone is very, very pleased about it.”
Angels Camp had been cited in November by the California Department of Public Health for producing more water than allowed by its permit on 16 different days in July and August of 2007 and 2008. … “
Continue reading this article from the Union Democrat by clicking here.
SacBee editorial: Editorial: Plain sense vital in the Natomas floodplain
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:38 amFrom the Sacramento Bee, this editorial:
“It hasn’t flooded since 1911. So, in some quarters, a certain complacency has set in about the 53,000-acre Natomas Basin.
The reality, however, is that the 43 miles of levees currently only meet a 30-year flood protection standard, the lowest level of flood protection for any major metropolitan area in the United States. A flood could put the area under 20 feet of water.
The bottom line is that Natomas levees don’t meet minimum 100-year federal flood protection standards. So new home construction has been banned since Dec. 8, 2008 (unless homes are elevated 21 feet). That’s a de facto building moratorium until levee upgrades are done – which is not expected until summer 2012.
During this levee upgrade period, potential homebuyers depend on developers, city officials and lenders to follow the rules and protect them from flood hazards. … “
Continue reading this editorial by clicking here.
New treatment facility for San Jose will purify water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:31 amFrom the Mercury News:
“Santa Clara Valley Water District will begin using new treatment methods and build an entirely new facility to bring South Bay residents, businesses and agencies recycled water with less salinity.
The district’s Board of Directors last month approved two agreements with the City of San Jose to build a new advanced water treatment facility that will produce highly purified recycled water and strengthen the integrated management of recycled water.
The first agreement approved by the water district provides a 40-year lease agreement for the five-acre parcel of Alviso land needed for the facility. … “
Continue reading this article from the Mercury News by clicking here.
Monterey County seeks water balance with dams, recycling
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:28 amFrom the Salinas Californian:
“Imagine flooding a football field with 9 inches of water.
That’s an acre-foot of water, or 325,851 gallons. It’s enough to take 8,000 baths and to meet the household needs of three typical Salinas Valley families for a year.
In 2008, Monterey County drew approximately 527,000 acre-feet of water from the ground. More than 90 percent of that watered agricultural crops, according to a 2008 report from the Monterey County Water Resources Agency. Those numbers have held steady for the past 15 years.
Since the 1930s, farmers have been pumping too much water from the ground to irrigate fields of artichokes, strawberries and other crops that form the backbone of the county’s economy. Decades of over-pumping lowered ground water levels and pulled seawater 6 miles inland, said Doug Smith, a hydrogeologist who studies local water issues at California State University, Monterey Bay. … “
Continue reading this article from the Salinas Californian by clicking here.
San Diego’s storm water program proposal is shallow, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:22 amFrom the San Diego News Network, this commentary by Jim Peugh, Conservation Chair of the San Diego Audubon Society:
“The city of San Diego has proposed the Master Storm Water System Maintenance Program (MSWSMP), which is meant to reduce flooding and improve storm water runoff through drainage channels by clearing them of soil and vegetation.
The project could cumulatively impact over 70 acres of wetlands plus 24 acres of natural stream bed, 20 acres of sensitive upland habitat and nine acres of disturbed upland habitat. Passage of the project, as proposed, would give the city a 20-year approval to clear storm drain channels of sediment and vegetation. Many of the targeted drainage channels contain valuable wetland habitat and all help to filter contaminants from urban runoff, which helps protect the water quality of our streams, bays, and beaches. Some help slow runoff that tends to protect downstream homes and streets from flooding. Some help retain water so that it is absorbed by the soil and eventually recharge our ground water resources. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Coastal panel sewage ruling hailed as ‘victory’
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:16 am
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
“Point Loma — San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders won a drawn-out battle yesterday when the California Coastal Commission agreed to alter the terms of the city’s permit for running its main sewage processing plant.
The new document makes it clear the city doesn’t have to follow through on any of the recommendations that come from its $2 million study of wastewater recycling options. It also removes language that suggests San Diego’s disposal of more than 50 billion gallons a year of partly treated sewage into the ocean could be creating environmental problems.
A spokesman for Sanders called the decision a “victory for all San Diegans.”
“It’s a very technical but very important issue,” said Alex Roth, who added that Sanders wasn’t available to discuss it. “We can’t get locked into agreeing to something when we don’t know what the conclusion is going to be. That would be irresponsible.” … “
Continue reading this article from the San Diego Union-Tribune by clicking here.
Commentary: Achieving water security by becoming water self-sufficient
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 13, 2010 at 7:14 amFrom the San Diego News Room, this guest commentary by Jim Bell, an “internationally-recognized expert on life support sustaining development”:
“Many experts are projecting gloomy scenarios of decreasing water supplies and increasing costs, yet the San Diego/Tijuana Region can easily become renewable water self-sufficient and even develop into a net water exporter.
Even if we assume the worst case scenario of zero precipitation and the complete cutoff of all imported water, the region could completely replace all the freshwater currently used by installing solar panels over 4.3 percent of roofs and parking lots. In 2015, 4.3 percent of our region’s roofs and parking lots will be about 9 sq. miles, or 4.5 sq. miles on each side of the border. … “
Continue reading this commentary at the San Diego News Room site by clicking here.
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