Storage
From: Richard
Wilder, Sacramento Bee
Re:
"California needs more water storage to end conflicts, bolster its
economy" (Viewpoints, June 14): I agree with Sen. Dianne Feinstein that we
should increase our water storage capacity. Until this is accomplished and
since we are all in this together, the Bay Area should allow the water it is
receiving from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir be sent to Southern California.
AsSilicon Valley
and San Francisco are financial centers, the cost of desalination for their
water source would be a drop in the bucket. This gesture of shared sacrifice
will inspire the balance of the state to support joint efforts to solve our water
shortage problem.
(Reader comment)
"Hey Mr. "facts"please - or Mike or
Tom or whoever you are --- would you be so kind to tell us..."
Coalition Response... The
California Farm Water Coalition, nor its staff, ever posts comments under a
pseudonym.
Bay Delta
Conservation Plan
From: Dan
Nelson, Modesto Bee
Consumers depend on
a reliable supply of the fresh fruits and vegetables we grow here in the
Central Valley. The produce aisle of any ordinary grocery store across the
country is usually stocked with an unbelievable variety of nutritious food
products, many of which are grown here in California. Our (usually) plentiful
supplies of water, rich soils and one of the few Mediterranean climates on
earth, make California farmers the envy of the world. These dedicated and
efficient family farmers provide almost half of the nation's fresh produce and
a much higher percentage during the winter months.
From: Steve
Knell, Modesto Bee
As general manager
of the Oakdale Irrigation District I can't speak for other irrigation districts
on the topic of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. However, I can speak from a
perspective of our district on the Stanislaus River. The conservation plan is a
complicated subject, so let me provide some building blocks as to the plan.
Groundwater
From: Heather
Hacking, Chico Enterprise Record
Mysteries remain
about the underground world of water in Butte County. But the recent Tuscan
Aquifer Investigation answers some important questions.
Now scientists will
decide what questions to ask in the future about the vast underground body of
water beneath the Sacramento Valley.
Reports from the
$2.9 million, three-year study were presented at the Butte County Water
Commission last week, and previously at a meeting with the public in Chico.
Funding came from Proposition 50.
From: David
Sneed, The Tribune
Deep beneath the
peaceful countryside, the North County's primary water source is facing an
unprecedented crisis.
Over the past 30
years, levels in the underground aquifer have dropped precipitously, 80 to 100
feet or more in some areas.
These declines pose
a profound threat for the region, residents and economy. Rural homeowners are
facing the prospect of losing their homes because their wells are going dry.
Vineyards could lose access to a crucial resource.
From: Garth
Stapley, Modesto Bee
On June 2, water
pressure at the rural home of Peter and Nancy Bakker slowed to a trickle.
Puzzled, they
checked all over the house and yard for leaks or open spigots and found none.
By June 4, the water disappeared altogether.
No more filling a
glass from the kitchen tap. No more washing dishes or laundry. No more showers.
"It's a bad issue," Nancy Bakker said.
Nothing's wrong, a
service man said, with the pump that used to deliver water from their domestic
well. The problem is that the well has been sucked dry by new wells nearby that
are much stronger and deeper.
Transfers
From: John
Holland, Modesto Bee
If your sister asks
for water, how do you say no?
That helps explain
why the Modesto Irrigation District board agreed Tuesday to sell water to the
neighboring Turlock Irrigation District to help it through the dry 2013.
An MID official
referred to the TID as a "sister agency" in recommending that the
sale go through. Other supporters noted how the two have cooperated for more
than a century in managing the Tuolumne River for water and hydropower.
Water Supply
From: Mark
Grossi, Fresno Bee
Massive San Luis
Reservoir will turn into a mud puddle this August on the San Joaquin Valley's
west side - maybe a historic low.
The mud puddle will
be a symbol of frustration in the nation's biggest farm water district,
Westlands Water District, which depends on this unique California reservoir.
For 1.8 million Santa Clara County residents who get water from here, the
shortage threatens both water quality and supply.
From: Marek
Warszawki, Fresno Bee
Boaters and anglers
should expect low water levels this summer in most of the lakes that make up
the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project.
With runoff in the
San Joaquin River drainage forecast to be just 44% of average, water storage
throughout the system is expected to peak at about 64% of normal in mid-July,
according to a memo issued last month by Southern California Edison.
From: Alejandro
D'Avila, Imperial Valley Press
While water
scarcity affects one in three people in the world, Imperial County is a desert
with a reliable water source.
But that
reliability, which comes from the Colorado River, the lifeblood for some 40
million people across seven states, could be compromised in coming decades,
according to a recent study by U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of
Reclamation.
Litigation
From: Heather
Hacking, Chico Enterprise Record
Lawsuits have been
filed to challenge plans for tunnels to divert water from the Sacramento River
and under the delta.
Chico's AquAlliance
has joined a coalition of groups in a lawsuit on the Delta Plan, which sets out
the groundwork for water tunnels around the delta.
"The Delta
Reform Act gave the Delta Stewardship Council a historic opportunity to remedy
40 years of water policy failures," a press release sent by the coalition
Friday states.
Reservoirs
From: Heather
Hacking, Chico Enterprise Record
The Butte County
Water Commission has formed a new committee to track plans for Sites Reservoir.
The idea of
building an approximately $3 billion reservoir near Maxwell has been in the
works for more than a decade. In 2010, the process became more formal, with
formation of a Sites Joint Powers Authority (www.sitesjpa.net).
The group, with
members from water districts and Glenn and Colusa county officials, will likely
release environmental documents on a proposed project this fall.
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