Friday, November 15, 2013

News articles and links from November 15, 2013


Water Supply

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

If the Imperial Irrigation District's water allocation and senior water rights place it in an enviable position, Westlands Water District's situation is anything but.

Unlike the IID's 3.1 million acre-feet of water, the WWD in central California is allocated 1.15 million acre-feet every year.

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

Local and regional water experts discussed water shortages and conservation at the Barbara Worth Resort & Country Club Thursday.

Most regional water issues boil down to water reliability. Colorado River water users are grappling with the effects of 14 consecutive years of drought.

Farming

From: John Holland, Modesto Bee
From: John Holland, Merced Sun-Star 

Farmers like to think their business is fairly recession-proof, that people will eat even while cutting back on other spending.

A banker speaking Thursday in Modesto had a chart to support this. It showed how the overall stock market, as measured by the S&P 500, stumbled badly in 2008 and stayed down for most of the next half-decade. Meanwhile, a composite of 109 food companies recovered from an initial loss and nearly doubled investor returns in recent years.

Drought

From: John Flesher, SF Chronicle 

Federal agencies will provide better and more accessible information about matters such as long-term weather prospects and soil moisture levels under a program designed to help communities prepare for future droughts and respond more effectively when they happen, Obama administration officials said Thursday.

Reservoirs

From: Christian Hartnett, KCOY-12 TV

The lack of rainfall here on the Central Coast is causing levels to slowly drop at our local water reservoirs.

The Central Coast is in the middle of a dry spell. Rainfall totals are down across the board in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. So far this year, rainfall in Santa Barbara County is at 22% of the normal yearly totals. Water reservoir levels at Lake Cachuma have become a concern, as the lake is only at 44% capacity.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

From: Doug Obegi, NRDC

As the State prepares to release the public draft of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and draft EIS/EIR next month, the public deserves to get accurate information on the potential benefits, costs, and impacts of BDCP and alternatives.  This is one of the essential purposes of NEPA and CEQA, to ensure that decision-makers and the public can make informed decisions on the costs and benefits of a project and compare it to other alternatives. The NEPA/CEQA process is aimed at improving projects by reducing their environmental and social impacts.

Delta 

From: Press Release, USBR

The Bureau of Reclamation will open the Delta Cross Channel Gates on Friday, Nov. 15, at approximately 9 a.m., to allow for recreational boating through the weekend. The gates will be closed on Monday, Nov. 18, at approximately 9 a.m., to meet Bay-Delta flow standards at Rio Vista, Calif., according to State Water Resources Control Board Decision D-1641. The gates will remain closed until further notice.

Conservation

From: Press Release, USBR

The Bureau of Reclamation is making funding available through its WaterSMART program to support new Water and Energy Efficiency Grant projects. Proposals are being sought from states, Indian tribes, irrigation districts, water districts and other organizations with water or power delivery authority to partner with Reclamation on projects that increase water conservation or result in other improvements that address water supply sustainability in the West.

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