Tuesday, November 19, 2013

News articles and links from November 19, 2013


Groundwater

From: Garth Stapley, Modesto Bee

Don't wait for groundwater to go so low that a judge or state officials feel compelled to step in and take over.

That message, in so many words, came through loud and clear from expert after expert at Monday's packed forum addressing the Central Valley's emerging crsis.

From: J.N. Sbranti, Modesto Bee 

Concern about sinking groundwater levels is getting lots of attention this week in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.

Oakdale Irrigation District staff members will make a presentation today about the issue, and researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey will release a new report Thursday about problems caused by overdrafting.

From: Jerry Praugh, Cal Coast News

PRAAGS supported, and still supports, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors' decision to pass the urgency ordinance (UO) covering the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, enacted on August 27. But the ordinance is a stopgap. It's a timeout. It is not a permanent solution to the problem of declining basin levels. In fact, it offers no solution at all.

It's time now to move forward so the county can eventually lift the ordinance and so it doesn't remain in place for years to come, choking the engine that drives our economy, driving property values into the ground and harming the Central Coast life we've all come to know and love.

Delta 

From: Wouter Jan Klerk and Ties Rijcken, California WaterBlog  

The California Delta is one of the world's most complex water systems. As a group of five Dutch students from Delft University of Technology, we were eager to visit the diked islands, or "polders," as we call them in the Netherlands. We wanted to learn how California balances the region's often-competing needs of flood protection, water supply and ecological health.

But we also wanted to contribute something useful to local decision-makers and residents while we were there in the fall of 2012. We had in mind a fun and educational board game that would simulate the interplay between Delta flood risks and development interests.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

From: Alex Breitler, eSanJoaquin

San Joaquin County supervisors want to know what the state will do should the governor's twin tunnels plan not pan out.

The supes posed the question in a recent meeting with California Resources Secretary John Laird.

From: Joaquin Palomino, East Bay Express

State officials recently admitted that they had incorrectly analyzed an alternative proposal to Jerry Brown's giant water tunnels plan, and now acknowledge that it would be $6 billion cheaper than the governor's proposal. The California Natural Resources Agency had previously said that the competing water plan-known as the Portfolio Alternative- would only save the state $3 billion, and as a result, was not viable.

Salton Sea

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

While on a routine visit to the Salton Sea, Imperial Irrigation District employees noticed a green substance growing near the mud volcanoes at the southeastern shoreline of the Salton Sea.

Drought

From: Heather Hacking, Chico Enterprise-Record

It doesn't take much more than a drive through the valley to note it's been a very, very dry season. As the flat land begins to roll into small hills, one wonders what those slow, grazing cows are finding to eat.

Districts

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press  

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors is scheduled to take action on five items when it meets in open session Tuesday.

The board will consider approving service agreements to Davids Engineering to conduct a feasibility study for the lining of the East Highline Canal and to reformulate the IID's system-wide water conservation plan.

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