Tuesday, July 9, 2013

News articles and links from July 9, 2013


Transfers

From: Dale Strange, Visalia Times-Delta

Another dry year.

Mark Watte, vice-president of the board of the Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District, the local agency that oversees the surface and groundwater resources of the Kaweah River Basin, pointed something out at the board's July meeting: Water is more valuable than it's ever been. It's a whole new era.

Coalition response...Water transfers involve willing-buyers and willing-sellers. Transfers include those who have an available supply of water and are willing to sell it and those who are willing to pay the price to purchase the water and have it transported. These transfers are usually for a short period of time and must protect the area of origin, including groundwater and the environment. Past water transfers have proven beneficial to water users throughout California and when farm water users are involved, it means that farmers are able to continue growing the food supply that consumers expect to find in their local grocery stores.

Water Supply

From: Dale Yurong, KFSN-30 TV

The drought and pumping restrictions in the Delta have some Valley farmers making very painful cropping decisions.

From: Sara Sandrik, KFSN-30 TV  

The San Luis Reservoir in Merced County is extremely low right now -- and could be on track for the lowest level in its history by the end of the summer. Officials say the lack of water will have a significant impact on agriculture across the Valley's Westside.

Delta

From: Maven, Maven's Notebook

Executive Officer Chris Knopp updated the Council on the progress made in establishing the Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee; staff is also recommending that the Council select a committee chair at today's meeting.

The Delta Reform Act directs the Council to establish a committee of agencies responsible for implementing the Plan.  The point of the committee is to get things moving in the Delta, said Mr. Knopp, so the primary role of the committee is to address individual problems that are stymieing progress by creating a workgroup to develop recommendations.  "The Implementation Committee will then have a clear range of options to select from, and ideally workable solutions will be part of the process, the idea being by focusing energy on specific issues, we can make something happen in a collaborative way among all the agencies, and do it in a very timely way."

Rivers

From: Jim Johnson, Monterey Herald

A settlement between the Monterey County Water Resources Agency and state water board officials has postponed, and likely averted, a hearing on possible revocation of a 55-year-old Salinas River water use permit.

On Friday, the state Water Resources Control Board announced the mid-August hearing had been postponed indefinitely after the board's Division of Water Rights prosecution team notified two board members earlier in the week that an agreement had been reached with the county on the river permit. The state water board had indicated it would consider revoking the permit, which allows the county water agency to divert up to 168,500 acre feet of water per year from the river, due to a lack of progress on projects designed to use the water.

BDCP

From: Nancy Vogel, DWR 

The integrated water management efforts described in our last blog cannot offset entirely the loss of reliability associated with a significant source of water for much of the state:  the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  The unpredictability of Delta supplies puts a large portion of California's economy and population at risk.

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