News, Articles and Links from August 1, 2014

Water Supply

BLOG: How Conservation and Groundwater Management Can Gird California for a Drier Era From: Andrew Revkin, New York Times It's way past time for California to come to grips with the possibility that its extraordinary water woes are the new normal - and essentially the return of the old normal given the state's climate history, in which drought has been the rule and the verdant 20th century the exception. In the weekly update to the U.S. Drought Monitor site yesterday, nearly 80 percent of the state was in extreme or exceptional drought conditions.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: Status quo in Delta isn't working for California From: Mark Cowin, Sacramento Bee  The California Department of Water Resources and its federal and state partners on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan have a legal responsibility to protect threatened species and supply water to millions of Californians. It is important to correct serious misrepresentations of facts around those responsibilities. Natural Resources Defense Council staff attorney Doug Obegi and Defenders of Wildlife program director Kim Delfino assert that DWR "has lost sight of the bigger picture and ignored the need for long-term solutions that work within real fiscal and environmental limits," ("  'Tunnel vision would worsen health of the Delta, California's fish stocks," Viewpoints, July 29).

Groundwater

OPINION: Groundwater can't be regulated without increasing surface supplies From: Dan Nelson, Sacramento Bee Increased groundwater pumping is under growing scrutiny. The devastating consequences of a third year of drought, coupled with over-regulation of surface supplies, have increased momentum in Sacramento for state intervention in local groundwater management. The governor, legislators and others are calling for potentially far-reaching changes in the use and management of groundwater - new fees, new requirements and new bureaucracy to administer it all. Protecting California's groundwater is vitally important for everyone. However, we cannot legislate new approaches to groundwater management in isolation; the surface supply shortages driving the overdraft of groundwater supplies must also be addressed if we are to successfully protect and restore our precious groundwater basins.

OPINION: Groundwater can't be regulated without increasing surface supplies From: Dan Nelson, Sacramento Bee Increased groundwater pumping is under growing scrutiny. The devastating consequences of a third year of drought, coupled with over-regulation of surface supplies, have increased momentum in Sacramento for state intervention in local groundwater management. The governor, legislators and others are calling for potentially far-reaching changes in the use and management of groundwater - new fees, new requirements and new bureaucracy to administer it all. Protecting California's groundwater is vitally important for everyone. However, we cannot legislate new approaches to groundwater management in isolation; the surface supply shortages driving the overdraft of groundwater supplies must also be addressed if we are to successfully protect and restore our precious groundwater basins.

OPINION: Increasing concern over valley water From: Tony St. Amant, Red Bluff Daily News There is increasing concern in the Northern Sacramento Valley that the dwindling well water supply that irrigates the valley's vast fruit and nut orchards and provides water to the large majority of homes and businesses is at risk of being drained beyond recovery. The threat comes from the agribusinesses of the western San Joaquin Valley where farmers no longer have enough local water.

OPINION: Selling Valley's water to hedge funds won't help us From: Neil Hudson, Modesto Bee Last week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack visited the drought-stricken town of Farmerville in Tulare County. Many homeowners' wells there have gone dry due to overpumping of the groundwater basin. In other parts of Tulare County, the land is subsiding from overpumping and the aquifer has disappeared forever. It was reported that Vilsack described an "extraordinary" demand from communities in rural America for capital to invest in wastewater systems, energy projects and infrastructure development.

Colorado River

$11M deal struck to conserve Colorado River basin From: Staff, Associated Press Water providers from four western states and the federal government announced an $11 million agreement Thursday to fund projects meant to counteract critically low water levels in the Colorado River basin, which supplies water to about 40 million people in seven states. The Interior Department said Thursday that local water providers in Arizona, California, Nevada and Colorado will take part in the deal.

Water Use

OPINION: Water czar is key to California's survival From: Denny Freidenrich, Long Beach Press-Telegram  The broken water main that flooded UCLA Tuesday with millions of gallons of water was no comedy of errors. When you combine that one-time event with the state's recent water usage report, well, it's hard to know whether we should laugh or cry. Not only did California fail to meet its projected statewide reduction goal, overall water usage actually increased! Talk about playing with fire (no pun intended). We are on the verge of a catastrophe and no one seems to care.

Transfers

Federal agency determines Merced County groundwater sale has 'no significant impact' From: Ramona Giwargis, Modesto Bee The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Thursday approved the environmental report for a multimillion-dollar proposal to allow the transfer and sale of Merced County groundwater to buyers in Stanislaus County. The federal agency issued a "Finding of No Significant Impact" report, which occurs when an environmental analysis determines that a project has no major impacts on the quality of the environment.

News articles and links from July 24, 2014

Drought

California Water Prices Soar for Farmers as Drought Grows

From: Alison Vekshin, BusinessWeek 

Farmers in California's Central Valley, the world's most productive agricultural region, are paying as much as 10 times more for water than they did before the state's record drought cut supply.

Costs have soared to $1,100 per acre-foot from about $140 a year ago in the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, which represents 700 farms, said Gayle Holman, a spokeswoman. North of Sacramento, the Western Canal Water District is selling it for double the usual price: $500 per acre-foot, about 326,000 gallons (1.2 million liters).

Why the California drought affects everyone

From: Katharine Mieszkowski, Center for Investigative Reporting

California Gov. Jerry Brown has asked restaurants not to serve water unless diners ask for it. He's letting lawns at the state Capitol turn brown. Farmers in the Central Valley are getting just a trickle of the water they usually do. Conspicuous water wasters - commercial and residential - face fines of $500 a day.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: New engineering project last thing the Delta needs

From: Paul Rockwell, Contra Costa Times

Like the Florida Everglades, the Bay Delta watershed is a national treasure. Every Californian has a stake in the outcome of the fierce controversy over the re-engineering of our unique and precious estuary.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan is 40,000 pages long. To keep it simple, the $25 billion water-transfer project is based on a single assumption: that California's water-ecosystem crisis is caused by a lack -- a lack -- of engineering projects in the Delta watershed. As if the Delta needs more steel, more pumps, more cement (and more farmers dispossessed through eminent domain). The peripheral tunnels, the industrial heart of the project, do not replace, they actually augment hundreds of dams, aqueducts and pumps that already send water to corporate farms and cities south of the Delta.

Colorado River

IID officials discuss water use

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

A deceptively simple question was raised at the Imperial Irrigation District's Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday.

If the IID has consumed slightly less than 50 percent of its annual Colorado River water entitlement so far this year, how is the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation projecting an annual over-consumption of nearly 38,000 acre-feet? That projection is especially troubling for IID officials and farmers because any amount of water that the district uses in excess of its entitlement needs to be repaid.

Water Bond 

BLOG: Drought Becomes Top Environmental Priority for Californians

From: Craig Miller, KQED Blog

Drought has moved to the top of the list in the latest survey of Californians' environmental worries. In a statewide poll conducted during the second week of July, more than a third of respondents (35 percent) cited water supply and drought as "the most important environmental issue facing California today." That more than doubled the second most popular response, which was air pollution.

It's the first time since the annual survey was launched in 2000 that Californians have cited water supply as their top concern, according to Mark Baldassare at the Public Policy Institute of California, which conducts the annual "Californians and Their Environment" poll. Even when asked the question in the drought year of 2009, only 18 percent pinpointed water supply as their biggest concern.

Poll finds Californians back smaller water bond

From: Staff, Associated Press

A slim majority of likely California voters support an $11.1 billion water bond slated for the November ballot, but public support would grow if the bond comes with a smaller price-tag, according to survey results released late Wednesday.

The Public Policy Institute of California poll comes as lawmakers are negotiating changes to a funding package for water projects that legislative leaders see as too large and full of pork-barrel spending to win voter approval.

Poll: Public wants water limits

From: Mark Walker, San Diego Union-Tribune  

Drought-conscious Californians say they support mandatory restrictions on water use and back a massive state bond to increase water supplies.http://www.utsandiego.com/news/most-recent/

Those are among the key findings in a Public Policy Institute of California poll that comes as the San Diego County Water Authority is expected to recommend limiting outdoor watering throughout the county to reach an overall cutback in the region's usage of up to 20 percent.

Water Supply

Water: Outlook not good

From: Dennis Wyatt, Manteca Bulletin

A streak of sub-90 degree days has Public Works Director Mike Houghton concerned. He's the man responsible for overseeing Manteca's municipal water system. "My worry is the cooler weather will get people to thinking they don't have to conserve as much," Houghton said. "We are still in the middle of a severe drought."

Groundwater

Madera County seeks more local control on water issues

From: Corey Pride, Merced Sun-Star

As California copes with one of the worst drought years in the state's history, Madera County officials are preparing to take steps to maintain local control of its water issues. Government officials are in the process of forming a Joint Powers Authority and reviewing whether there will be a moratorium on agricultural wells.

Johannes Hoevertsz, Madera County public works director, said varying county interests are being asked to form a JPA. "It's an effort to have local enforcement," Hoevertsz said.

Fisheries

BLOG: Reconciling ecosystem and economy

From: Staff, U.C. Davis Center for Watershed Sciences  

A growing number of ecologists say we need to rethink how we go about "saving nature." We should not attempt to restore a wounded meadow, estuary or wetland to some legendary pristine state, they say. Instead, resource managers should accept that human footprints are everywhere and manage ecosystems for the species and functions we desire.

LOG: Delta smelt rehearing denied

From: Jonathan Wood, Pacific Legal Foundation Blog

This morning, the Ninth Circuit denied a rehearing before the entire court, leaving March's panel decision in place. The denial sets the case up for a petition to the U.S. Supreme Court. Longtime Liberty Blog readers will recall that PLF previously sought Supreme Court review of the case on our Commerce Clause challenge. Although that issue is no longer live, there should be plenty of issues remaining to interest the judges.

California's salmon, steelhead get help

From: Staff, KION

State and federal wildlife officials have unveiled ambitious plans aimed at helping endangered salmon and steelhead thrive again in Central California rivers.

The fish were abundant, migrating from the Pacific through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and up rivers, but dams were built, blocking 90 percent of passageways to their historical spawning areas at the heart of California. By the 1990s, the fish were nearly extinct and given protections under the federal Endangered Species Act.

News articles and links from January 10, 2013

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: Delta needs more protection

From: Stephen Green, Sacramento Bee

Re "Delta tunnels won't hurt Sacramento" (Another view, Jan. 4): Jerry Meral, formerly in charge of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, contends that building massive tunnels under the Delta to divert water southward won't impact water supplying the Sacramento region. He states that "layers of institutional guarantees" ensure that Sacramento's water can never be diverted in that manner.

Coalition response... No one argues that the Delta is in rough shape. When discussing negative impacts it's important to remember that the predators that eat threatened and endangered fish have doubled as a percentage of the overall fish population. At the same time native fish have declined from 18 percent to a meager 4 percent of the population. Sacramento's semi-treated wastewater has also been the cause of thousands of tons of ammonium being dumped in the Delta annually. That has changed the basic chemistry of Delta water and killed off the microorganisms at the base of the food chain that once fed small the fish that have all but disappeared.

Water Bond 

Despite California drought, chances for water bond are evaporating

From: Paul Rogers, San Jose Mercury News

Despite record dry weather, it's looking increasingly unlikely that a multibillion-dollar water bond to pay for dams, conservation and parts of Gov. Jerry Brown's $25 billion plan to build two huge tunnels through the Delta will be placed on the November ballot.

Water agencies around the state have assumed that some kind of measure would go to voters to provide a new river of cash for water projects. But Sacramento political leaders and insiders say Brown, widely expected to seek re-election this year, hasn't committed and has worries it could hurt him politically, particularly as polls have shown shaky support for it.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: Will Delta plan balance water needs?

From: Susan Rohan, Sacramento Bee

Roseville recognizes that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan's goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration are important to the state's future. We know that without a healthy Delta, the water supply for two-thirds of the state will be in jeopardy, but we need to make sure the other one-third of the state isn't left out of the mix. As the city examines the 34,000-page Delta water study, we're looking to see if the state answers our most pressing question: Is there an operations plan for the BDCP? We're hoping that the state has identified how it will manage export and environmental water needs while ensuring our region's water supplies remain reliable. Answering this question in a meaningful, unequivocal answer way will alleviate some concerns from our region and help create a truly statewide plan.

Water Supply

Environmental lawsuit threatened if Stanislaus County doesn't revoke well-drilling permits

From: J.N. Sbranti, Modesto Bee

Two environmental lawyers are demanding Stanislaus County officials immediately stop issuing new water well drilling permits without first reviewing what impacts they could have on the environment.

They also want the county to revoke 61 large irrigation wells approved during the past five months. If Stanislaus officials refuse, the lawyers warn they will file a lawsuit within two weeks, claiming the county has violated provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act.

The lawyers, Jerry Cadagan of Sonora and Thomas N. Lippe of San Francisco, say they are representing Protecting Our Water and Environmental Resources, a group Cadagan recently founded.

TV coverage of State Board of Food and Agriculture meeting on water worries

From: Staff, CDFA

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture met on Tuesday, January 7 to discuss ongoing water worries in the state. Some of the TV coverage of the meeting follows.

Colorado River

Colorado River Drought Forces a Painful Reckoning for States

From: Michael Wines, New York Times

The sinuous Colorado River and its slew of man-made reservoirs from the Rockies to southern Arizona are being sapped by 14 years of drought nearly unrivaled in 1,250 years.

The once broad and blue river has in many places dwindled to a murky brown trickle. Reservoirs have shrunk to less than half their capacities, the canyon walls around them ringed with white mineral deposits where water once lapped. Seeking to stretch their allotments of the river, regional water agencies are recycling sewage effluent, offering rebates to tear up grass lawns and subsidizing less thirsty appliances from dishwashers to shower heads.

News articles and links from October 16, 2013

Water Supply

California Water Series Part 3: Food, Farms and Delta Water

From: Amy Quinton, Valley Public Radio

(This story was previously broadcasted on Capital Public Radio.) 

California is the nation's largest agricultural state. It would not be possible without water from the Delta. Farmers say the water is their lifeblood, but it's been cut back year after year.

California's farms and ranches generated nearly $45 billion in revenue last year. Without water exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to arid Central Valley land, much of the produce we get in restaurants and grocery stores wouldn't come from California.

Water Bond

Perea: California Water Bond Needs Fixing Before It Goes To Voters in 2014

From: Joe Moore, Valley Public Radio

The state's twice-delayed water bond needs more tweaking - and a diet - before it goes to voters in November 2014. That was the message delivered by Assembly member Henry T. Perea on Tuesday, as he spoke on Valley Public Radio's Valley Edition.

Groundwater

Our View: Groundwater erupts as Topic A in Central Valley

From: Editorial Board, Modesto Bee  

The turnout of 200 people at Monday's forum in Oakdale confirms that residents, especially in rural areas, are increasingly concerned about wells going dry and other problems associated with overpumping to irrigate vast new almond orchards. A side benefit of the concern is that people are eager to learn more about water issues.

Colorado River

Feds begin Colorado River drought action

From: Staff, Laughlin Nevada Times

After back-to-back driest years in a century on the Colorado River, federal water managers are giving Arizona and Nevada a 50-50 chance of having water deliveries cut in 2016, reports the Mohave Valley Daily News.

Quantification Settlement Agreement 

Imperial Valley reflects on QSA 10 years later 

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

The nation's largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer was signed 10 years ago today.

And while there is no shortage of opinions on the implementation and effects of the transfer, statements by officials from the San Diego County Water Authority and the Imperial Irrigation District are illustrative of how the Quantification Settlement Agreement is viewed.

Courts

Blog: Ninth Circuit Denies Petition for Rehearing of Area of Origin Decision

From: Staff, KMTG

On October 15, 2013, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order denying the Petition for Rehearing filed by Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority ("TCCA"), which requested rehearing or rehearing en banc of the Ninth Circuit's opinion in the case of Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority v. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, et al., Case No. 11-17199.

Districts

Modesto, Turlock irrigation districts' deadline nears for Don Pedro Reservoir documents

From: John Holland, Modesto Bee  

A milestone is approaching for the effort by the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts to renew their federal license for Don Pedro Reservoir.

News articles and links from September 23, 2013

Bay Delta Conservation Plan 

Who will pay for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta tunnel project?

From: Bettina Boxall, LA Times

Of the many issues hanging over the proposal to burrow enormous tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and replumb the hub of California's water system, the one most likely to make or break the $25-billion project is money.

Just who, exactly, is going to pay for it?

Coalition response...This article is full of speculation that results from water officials and agencies doing their jobs by investigating multiple alternatives. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and its proposed tunnels has been seven years in the development process to create a reliable supply of water for 25 million Californians, many of them in Southern California, and 3 million acres of farmland. Farmers use the water that flows through the Delta to grow a food supply that fills the grocery store shelves throughout the state.

Failure to look at the "what ifs" in relation to BDCP would be a mistake in the planning process and, yet, this article portrays these possibilities as negatives.

The beneficiary pays concept is guiding the discussion of who pays for the construction and operation of the tunnels. In other words, those who receive the water that moves through the tunnels will pay according to the benefits they receive.

BDCP remains the best opportunity to secure a water future for California. It will safeguard the economy and protect the jobs we all depend on.

Column: Buffaloes threaten pristine landscape

From: George Skelton, LA Times

The Brown administration and some water buffaloes want to muck up one of the most unique, mysterious and picturesque areas of California. Muck it up literally.

OK, they're really trying to update California's vital waterworks and prepare the state for the future.

Coalition response...The Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its proposed tunnels provide multiple benefits that will be felt throughout the state, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta which this columnist refers to as a "Huck Finn paradise." The author correctly cites the soil or "tunnel muck" that will result from the underground boring for the tunnels that will be used to shore up the Delta levees. This is a substantial benefit that will not only protect the residents of the region but also those who rely on the water that flows through the Delta in avoiding the consequences of an earthquake.

The cost to Southern California residents for the tunnel construction is estimated at only $3-4 per month per household that will receive BDCP water. Compared to other costs, such as cable TV, a cell phone or even a good latté, that's cheap insurance for something as vital as the water supply that we depend on every day.

Fish and wildlife will also benefit from the Plan. The effect of south Delta pumps that the author says "chomp up fish" will be greatly diminished with the tunnels. The tunnels will deliver water to the pumps and reduce the pull of water and fish from the main channels of the Delta to the pumps.

The sandhill cranes that visit Staten Island are one of the 57 species listed under the BDCP that will receive increased protection and long-term benefits. Characterizing the cranes as "victims" of the BDCP is misleading since they are already scheduled to benefit from planned ecosystem improvements to occur in the Delta region.

There should be no confusion that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will provide benefits to people, farms and business while creating a reliable water supply and restoring the Delta ecosystem. The result is a secure water future for California.

Southern California water users view Delta tunnel plan as key to reliable future

From: Matt Weiser, Sacramento Bee

When it comes to water supply in California, nothing is easy or cheap. Experts will tell you the simple solutions were tapped decades ago, and most new water development projects are about stretching whatever water nature has left.

Coalition response...Matt Weiser does a good job explaining the statewide consequences of failing to invest in our water supply infrastructure. Public water agencies have a responsibility to deliver water to their customers and part of that includes planning for the future. Central Valley agriculture and Southern California businesses provide California with the economic vitality and the food to feed our families like no other place on earth. It takes dependable supplies of water to accomplish those goals and Weiser's explanation of planned system improvements is helpful in understanding that.

Groundwater

Op-ed: California's water house of cards

From: Jay Famiglietti and Sasha Richey, LA Times

Gov. Jerry Brown's Office of Planning and Research convened a meeting this month of groundwater experts from the University of California to determine what is currently known about the state's underground water reserves and how they may be changing in the future. This and other recent overtures from the office are strong indications of the governor's growing interest in the state's complete water picture.

Coalition response...Unreliable surface water deliveries have pushed farmers to groundwater in order to survive. When similar groundwater issues occurred in the 1920's the State and federal governments initiated the water projects that helped farmers continue to produce fresh fruits and vegetables for California and the nation. Today those projects are crippled by environmental regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. A comprehensive solution, such as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which enhances the ecosystem and invests in new water facilities, is what's needed to resolve some of today's groundwater overdraft issues. Doing that should minimize future water supply cuts that have left hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland unproductive and unable to grow the food we all depend on to feed our families.

Central Valley awash in water worries

From: Mark Grossi, Fresno Bee

The state has not declared a drought after two dry winters, but farmers and city leaders in the central San Joaquin Valley don't need an official pronouncement.

Everyone looks at the bottom line in the Valley - the groundwater. Big withdrawals have been made this summer from the already sinking underground water table in the Valley.

Coalition response...Unreliable surface water deliveries due have pushed farmers to groundwater in order to survive. When similar groundwater issues occurred in the 1920's the State and federal governments initiated the water projects that turned California into a economic powerhouse. Today those projects are crippled by environmental regulations, such as the Endangered Species Act. A comprehensive solution, such as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which enhances the ecosystem and invests in new water facilities, is what's needed to resolve some of today's groundwater overdraft issues as well as the water supply cuts that have left hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland fallow and unproductive.

Weather

Anything can happen with the upcoming rainy season

From: Valerie Gibbons, Visalia Times-Delta

After two years of drought Mother Nature is playing it close to the vest when it comes to forecasting the upcoming rainy season.

For the first time in a decade there aren't any El Niño or La Niña conditions in the equatorial Pacific that foretell either an unusually wet or dry winter in Central California. Warming of ocean waters by more than 1 degree can mean an unusually warm, wet winter with high snow levels. Cooling can mean a drier, colder winter with snow levels reaching down into the lower elevations with many storms.

Despite weekend rains, so far, 2013 is driest year in Bay Area history

From: Paul Rogers, Contra Costa Times 

The storm that dampened the Bay Area over the weekend was like an old friend who doesn't visit much anymore.

And with good reason. Despite Saturday's healthy soaking, when it comes to 2013, it's been dry. Record dry.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

MWD's Jeff Kightlinger Supports Bay Delta Conservation Plan Update

From: Q&A, The Planning Report

Last month, the California Department of Water Resources announced changes to the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a series of projects backed by Governor Brown to increase ecosystem restoration efforts and water supply reliability in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley. In the following MIR interview, Jeff Kightlinger, General Manager of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, details the recent adjustments to the BDCP. He also describes how the plan's various environmental, infrastructure, and water-related projects will be funded, as well as his own agency's efforts at conservation, efficiency, and consensus building across the Southern California Region. While aspects of the BDCP have been rethought, Kightlinger makes clear its necessity and statewide significance.

Colorado River

Colorado storms unlikely to improve drought conditions on Colorado River

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

Although recent storms in Colorado dumped a year's worth of rain in under a week and flooded many out of their homes, officials say the magnitude of water is unlikely to improve conditions on the Colorado River in the near term, where 14 consecutive years of drought and urban growth are squeezing water supplies.

Salton Sea

More voices join search for solutions to the Salton Sea problem

From: Ian James, Desert Sun 

With its shores slowly receding and its waters gradually growing saltier, the Salton Sea presents a set of complex dilemmas that have for years defied attempts at partial solutions. Douglas Barnum of the U.S. Geological Survey likens efforts to remedy its looming problems to juggling, trying to keep various balls in the air at once.