Wednesday, September 11, 2013

News articles and links from September 11, 2013


Water Supply

From: Press Release, CFWC

Governor Jerry Brown's continued leadership in resolving California's water problems was the number one request from a panel of farm water representatives speaking during a joint meeting today of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and the California Water Commission.

That answer was in response to a question asked by Craig McNamara, president of the Board of Food and Agriculture, as to what were the top messages that his board could deliver to the Governor.

Executive Director Mike Wade of the California Farm Water Coalition said securing a reliable water future for California is important for jobs and the economy.


From: Pamela Martineau, ACWA

California growers joined local and state water managers Tuesday at a joint meeting of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture and the California Water Commission to examine how the state's water supply and agricultural industry would be impacted by another dry year.

"What California grows is what the world is looking for...," said Craig McNamara, chair of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. "But if we don't have water we can't continue this tremendous record of achievement."

From: Dennis Wyatt, Manteca Bulletin

If California snaps the current dry trend and has average snowpack and rainfall in the water year starting Oct. 1 it won't break the back of the current water crisis.

That's because Bureau of Reclamation water levels behind reservoirs such as New Melones, Friant, San Luis, Folsom, and Shasta are so depleted tit will still be a struggle even with normal precipitation over the next 13 months to replenish storage.

Groundwater

From: Garth Stapley, Modesto Bee

What used to be an encouraging sign of more business for water agencies - people signing up to buy electricity - is starting to scare the Modesto Irrigation District.

That's because the MID also worries about water supply. And those recently asking for scads more power, district leaders fear, are using it to pump - and maybe deplete - groundwater.

From: Kate Campbell, Ag Alert

To increase understanding of groundwater quality and how Central Coast aquifers work, farmers and ranchers in four counties have formed a coalition for cooperative well-water testing to share costs and reporting requirements. The new organization provides services to landowners and growers in Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties, intended to assist with regulatory compliance.

Salton Sea

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

The sparsely populated Owens Valley is the site of some of the highest levels of particulate matter air pollution ever recorded in the United States, with most of it originating from the dried Owens Lake bed.

And while Imperial County's Salton Sea still contains water, it will likely be worse than Owens Lake if the sea is allowed to dry up, said Ted Schade, air pollution control officer with Great Basin Air Pollution Control District.

Delta 

From: Paul Burgarino, Contra Costa Times

The ability to draw water from the Delta without state permits has been a liquid asset for this city for nearly a century.

Antioch leaders made sure Tuesday night to keep it that way.

The City Council agreed to an extension of its 1968 agreement with the state's Department of Water Resources allowing Antioch to draw water from the San Joaquin River 208 days a year for the next 15 years.

Drought

From: Tim Hearden, Capital Press

The persistent drought that has developed in California this year is beginning to take its toll on a variety of commodities.

Honey production, for instance, is way down this summer because of drought and agricultural water curtailments that have caused wildflowers to suffer, said Shannon Wooten, a beekeeper and bee breeder here.

Climate Change

From: Kat Kerlin, Woodland Daily Democrat

California farmers feel more threatened by climate policy than they do by climate change itself, according to a new study from UC Davis.

The study, published in the journal Global Environmental Change, found that the greatest climate risk Yolo County farmers believe they face in the future is not drought, water shortages, or temperature changes, but government regulations.

Meetings 

From: Press Release, USBR

The Bureau of Reclamation today announces three public hearings on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Shasta Lake Water Resources Investigation. The hearings are being held to provide the public an opportunity to submit comments that will be recorded and included in the hearing transcript as part of the official record.

The three public hearings will be held:

* Tuesday, September 10, 6-8 p.m., Holiday Inn, Palomino Room, 1900 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA 96002 * Wednesday, September 11, 1-3 p.m., Cal Expo Quality Inn & Suites, Conference Room, 1413 Howe Avenue, Sacramento, CA 95825 * Thursday, September 12, 6-8 p.m., Merced County Spring Fairgrounds, Germino Building, 403 "F" Street, Los Banos, CA 93635 (enter using the 5th Street Gate).

No comments:

Post a Comment