News articles and links from July 31, 2014

Water Use

OPINION: Why almonds cover California From: Carolee Krieger, San Francisco Chronicle    California produces more than 80 percent of the world's almonds, accounting for an export gross of more than $2.5 billion. Almonds, in short, are a profitable crop. But there's a big problem with these new plantings in the San Joaquin Valley. Almonds are thirsty. California's almond orchards use almost 9 percent of the state's agricultural water supply, or about 3.5 million acre feet. That's enough water to supply the domestic needs of the Los Angeles Basin and metropolitan San Diego combined - about 75 percent of the state's population. Coalition response... Krieger seeks to portray farmers as a villain, but despite her efforts, the fact is California's farmers just don't fit the part. California's 80,000 farms are almost all (96%) family run businesses, & almond farmers are no different. Growing almonds in the San Joaquin Valley actually does make a lot of sense, & they have been grown there for more than 100 years. The San Joaquin Valley is one of the few places in the world where good soil & a favorable climate have come together to allow for incredibly efficient production of a crop the markets demand. Almond farmers have invested heavily in tailoring their farms to grow almonds. From the equipment they buy to the skills they practice, this focus on specialization ensures they are the best at what they do. Far from being a water-wasting crop, almonds are as efficient as the row crops once extensively criticized by environmentalists. The real villains for Krieger this time seem to be the countless professional scientists, engineers, hydrologists, policy professionals, & water managers who came together to find ways to mend what was truly a broken water system during our last major drought with the Monterey Agreement. The agreement is truly that, an understanding that brought diverse parties together. It increased flexibility in water storage, improved urban access to more secure water supplies, & reduced the red tape involved in transferring water where needed. In addition, it arranged for a trade. In exchange for precious water rights, the local, public agencies responsible for daily coordination of water deliveries took over control of the Kern Fan property owned by DWR. These local experts would later turn that property into what is now part of the successful Kern Water Bank.

Other News

Drought

How California Farmers Are Dealing With the Drought   From: Alan Bjerga, Bloomberg Television Bloomberg's Alan Bjerga reports on California's drought and how different areas of the state are dealing with it. He speaks with Mark Crumpton on "Bottom Line."

Running On Empty: Our Epic Drought From: Staff, CBS LA, KNX 1070 [Below are a series of food and agriculture related radio segments being run on KNX in Los Angeles.  Click the link above to browse the full list of segments. You can follow the conversation on twitter: #KNXDrought] Running On Empty: Ice Cream Running On Empty: Food Prices Running On Empty: California Grocers Association's Dave Heylen Running On Empty: Who's Watching The Water? Running On Empty: Two Farmers

West's drought leads to rising prices, shrinking lakes   From: Paul Vercammen, CNN With water sources drying up, farmers are looking for underground springs to support their livelihoods. Steve Arthur works in California's San Joaquin Valley, drilling for water wells on drought-ravaged farms and ranches. "It's just going crazy; people are starting to panic," said Arthur, the owner of Arthur & Orum Well Drilling Inc.

Groundwater

EDITORIAL: Stanislaus County officials finally responding to water crisis From: Staff, Modesto Bee This week, Stanislaus County's leaders and officials have shown more initiative, more compassion and more willingness to help residents than we've seen since the start of our drought and ensuing groundwater crisis.

Groundwater Depletion in Colorado River Basin Poses Big Risk to Water Security From: Sandra Postel, National Geographic Let's step back for a minute and consider the implications of the study released last week on the depletion of groundwater in the Colorado River Basin. For anyone concerned about the future of the American West, the findings of this study - which was published online in the journal Geophysical Research Letters and conducted by a team of scientists from NASA, the University of California-Irvine, and the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado-can make the heart pound.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

Delta tunnel plan called a fish death sentence by key group   From: Carolyn Jones, San Francisco Chronicle The state's plan to build a pair of 35-mile tunnels under the delta would cause the extinction of winter-run chinook salmon, steep declines in dozens of other species and devastate water quality in San Francisco Bay, an environmental group said Wednesday.

Water Supply

California Bill May Jeopardize Water Supply From: Eric Thomas, KABC 7 A controversial bill that could impact where millions of people in the Bay Area get their water is moving its way through Sacramento. The changes are proposed along a stretch of the Mokelumne River in the Sierra foothills. That river provides millions of homes with drinking water from the mountains to the Central Valley and the East Bay. Some people are wondering if a move to save the river could leave others high and dry.

LETTER: Water picture is blurry   From: Rebecca Thompson, Fresno Bee It was with great interest I read the article and editorial on water usage in Fresno. The 20% drop in per capita water usage since the installation of water meters in Fresno is commendable. However, the current Fresno per capita water usage of 240 gallons exceeds the state average of 196 gallons and the United States Geological Survey national average of 100 gallons.

Fisheries

Salmon will only get more water if die-off starts   From: Jeff Barnard, Associated Press A federal agency said Wednesday it will release extra water into Northern California's Klamath and Trinity rivers once salmon start dying from drought-related disease, but not before. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation spokesman Louis Moore said from Sacramento, California, that the decision came under terms of a 2012 emergency water plan, and after consulting with tribes, irrigators and other agencies.

News articles and links from January 3, 2014

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: How does Delta plan fit with drought?

From: Bob Kelley, Sacramento Bee

Re "Low storage brings water ration orders" (Page A1, Dec. 29): My understanding is that Folsom Dam will cut its releases next week. The American River will become lower and with the other dams, such as Shasta and Oroville, low, that means the Sacramento River will drop as well. If the Delta tunnels project were in now, what would the impact be?

Coalition response...  It is a mistake to assume that the twin tunnels are designed to operate all the time under any circumstances. Clearly stated in publicly released documents are examples of operating guidelines that respond to Sacramento River flow. At times when there is abundant water in the river the tunnels will move a fraction of it south into storage for people who have a legal right to use it. When the river is low, tunnel operations would cease in order to address required protections for the Delta. Those operating rules one year ago would have provided enough water to meet the annual needs of more than 4.6 million people. Instead it went to the ocean with no measurable environmental benefit. Read more at www.farmwater.org/exportthrottle.pdf

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

BLOG: Jerry Brown's former point man on water tunnels will work the issue outside government

From: David Siders, Sacramento Bee

Former tunnel plan chief will aid it as volunteer

Jerry Meral, the chief steward of Gov. Jerry Brown's $25 billion water project while deputy secretary of the state's Natural Resources Agency, is going to work for an environmental group supporting the controversial plan.

OPINION: Low lake gives opportunity to increase storage

From: John W. Schuff, Sacramento Bee

Re "Folsom Lake's drop exposes lost town" (Our Region, Jan. 1): The mostly dry bed of Folsom Lake holds vast potential in our drought. Southern California wants to do to Folsom Lake what they did to Mono Lake. We can't let them.

Water Quality 

San Joaquin Valley farmers will get updates on water monitoring

From: John Holland, Modesto Bee

Farmers will meet in Modesto and Merced this month to get updates on monitoring for water pollution from their land.

They belong to the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition, which has been testing the water for about a decade as an alternative to direct, and more costly, regulation by the state.

Water Supply

OPINION: Water rationing brings attention to crisis

From: Lance Johnson, Sacramento Bee

Re "Drought requires water conservation" (Editorials, Dec. 22): California really is facing a third drought year and an unparalleled water crisis. Water conservation has been standard procedure on farms for decades, so The Bee must be calling for urban water rationing.

BLOG: Drought's impacts on California's human condition

From: Todd Fitchette, Western Farm Press

On Jan. 3, California water officials set out to survey the state's snowpack. Word is they packed light and left the snowshoes at home, heading out instead with sunscreen and hats to protect themselves from the sun.

This is not good, folks. While comparisons to the drought of 1976-1977 that nearly claimed Shasta Lake and had other key reservoirs at record lows are noteworthy, we're really in a much worse predicament than we were then as California's population has increased by 16 million to more than 38 million today.

Folsom Dam may cut outflows to conserve dwindling supply

From: George Warren, News10

In a desperate attempt to avoid a water crisis in the coming months, the operator of Folsom Dam may reduce outflows to the bare minimum necessary to protect spawning steelhead trout in the American River.

Bureau of Reclamation Central California area manager Drew Lessard said his staff was in talks with federal and state wildlife officials to determine how much outflows could be cut without harming the winter run steelhead, a federally-protected species.

Meetings 

California Water Commission

From: Staff, California Water Commission

The California Water Commission will hold a meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, January 15, 2014 in Sacramento.

This meeting will be webcast live at: http://cwc.videossc.com/

For more information about the California Water Commission, please visit our website at: www.cwc.ca.gov

East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition

From: Staff, East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition

Modesto: 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday in Harvest Hall at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, off Crows Landing Road.

Merced: 10 a.m. to noon or 1 to 3 p.m. Jan. 15 in the San Joaquin Hall at the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

News articles and links from January 2, 2014

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

OPINION: It's time to rethink our water projects

From: Ed Reeder, Sacramento Bee

Re "Low storage brings water ration orders" (Page A1, Dec. 29): The current drought should make us rethink how to spend our water project dollars. Higher dams and water tunnels might have merit when we have an abundance of water. However, this year if Shasta Dam was twice as high, it wouldn't provide any additional storage.

OPINION: California water used for fracking is a drop in the bucket

From: Beau Goldie, San Jose Mercury News

Paul Rockwell (Opinion, Dec. 30) claims that the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will accelerate a fracking boom in California. The Santa Clara Valley Water District is on record in support of bills that seek tougher restrictions on fracking. Protecting groundwater quality is of paramount importance to us. Opposing the Bay Delta plan because some water is used for fracking is like objecting to paying taxes because you don't agree with every dollar the government spends.

OPINION: Real water issue that urgently need to be addressed in California - the need to increase our water supplies

From: Robert G. Veaco, Stockton Record (subscription required)

Today's must-read letter -- Published Jan. 2, 2014 Both Supervisor Larry Ruhstaller and Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen are to be applauded for setting forth the real water issue that urgently need to be addressed in California - the need to increase our water supplies.

These far outweigh spending unknown billions to build tunnels that send water south to support development of rapidly growing populations occupying physically large counties, including Los Angeles.

Fisheries

OPINION: State needs to save freshwater habitats

From: Mark J Palmer, Sacramento Bee

Re "40 years of swimming upstream to save fish" (Viewpoints, Dec. 29): Peter Moyle has been one of the stalwart researchers of our California freshwater fish species for many decades, helping protect endangered fish species and researching the declines of many species. I'm happy to see he is still active. He could have added that the California Department of Water Resources continues to be a major impediment to protecting endangered river and stream habitats.

Water Supply

Drought prompts three state agencies to discuss ag water transfers

From: Staff, Modesto Bee

Representatives from three California agencies will gather Tuesday in Sacramento to discuss agricultural water transfers and drought preparedness.

"California's farmers and ranchers need to prepare for a potentially significant drought year," warned Karen Ross, who heads the state's Department of Food and Agriculture. "We are looking at scenarios in which considerable land fallowing and unsustainable groundwater overdraft will occur, leading to direct impacts within our rural farming communities."

Water Quality

Nitrate study impact felt by California agriculture

From: California Almond Board, Western Farm Press

The impact of the landmark UC Davis study on nitrates in drinking water, released in March 2012, is being felt throughout California agriculture as state legislators debate legislation addressing safe drinking water issues raised in the report. Gail Delihant, director of government affairs for the Western Growers Association, told those attending The Almond Conference session on rules and regulations that two key pieces of legislation are of particular interest to almond growers.

Water board to consider maximum pesticide loads

From: Staff, Santa Maria Times

A basin plan amendment that would add total maximum daily loads of pesticides allowed in the Santa Maria River and its tributaries will be considered in a public hearing set for Thursday, Jan. 30.

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will conduct the hearing at 9 a.m. in the Watsonville City Council Chambers on the fourth floor at 275 Main St., Watsonville.

Meetings

Building a Water and Energy Efficient California

From: Staff, California Irrigation Institute

What is the future of the water-energy relationship? Can a balance on water use efficiency and energy use be found? Come engage with other water and power professionals as we explore the future of water and energy efficiency at the 52nd Annual California Irrigation Institute Conference!

Thursday & Friday, Jan. 23-24, 2014

Sacramento Arden West Hilton

2200 Harvard Street, Sacramento

News articles and links from December 4, 2013

San Joaquin River 

OPINION: River is wet, but money has dried up

From: Cannon Michael, Fresno Bee

A number of recent articles and blog posts have highlighted salmon being released into the San Joaquin River. From the pictures and glowing prose, one would imagine that the restoration of the river is on its way and proceeding as planned. A closer look reveals a different story whose outcome is far from certain.

Water Transfers

IID approves water-sharing agreement with MWD

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press 

The Imperial Irrigation District is one step closer to participating in a historic water agreement with Mexico.

The Board of Directors approved on Tuesday an agreement with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California in which both agencies will equally share in the costs and benefits of upgrading water infrastructure in the Mexicali Valley that suffered earthquake damage in 2010.

Sacramento River

Project Will Replace Largest Unscreened Intake On Sacramento River

From: Amy Quinton, Capital Public Radio

The cities of Woodland and Davis in collaboration with the agricultural community have joined forces to replace a century-old intake on the Sacramento River.

It's part of a larger regional project that's designed to provide a reliable supply of water and improve water quality for the cities of Woodland and Davis, and UC Davis.

Groundwater Banking 

If water's involved, progress can be drip by drip

From: Lois Henry, Bakersfield Californian

Time for a McAllister Ranch water banking update.  If you're wondering why I keep such close tabs on this water banking proposal, I have two reasons.

First, it's water. Any increase in water storage is of acute interest to this community and Kern's economy overall.

Second, and even closer to my heart, the water banked at McAllister would most likely be from Buena Vista Water Storage District's Kern River rights.

Salton Sea

OPINION: Desalination could preserve the Salton Sea

From: Jerome H. Holmlund, mydesert.com  

The Salton Sea water loss poses a growing environmental and economic threat to the Coachella Valley, Imperial County and the state. Salton Sea dewatering began in 2003, and will significantly increase after 2017, adding to the regional threat. Seaside community health, air quality, wildlife, recreation and tourism have all been affected.

Preservation, not restoration, is the only solution. However, preservation will require water inflow to balance natural evaporation plus limited desalination for the sea to again become an attractive recreation asset. This following brief outline, based on reported costs suggests an overall approach for preserving the Salton Sea.

Water Quality 

OPINION: Water quality work continues after rice harvest ends

From: Roberta Firoved, AgAlert

The rice harvest has wrapped up and the crop has been sent to the dryers for storage in warehouses until delivery to the mills. Rice farmers are collectively taking in the sense of accomplishment that comes with the end of every season. Farmers take pride seeing the results of their hard work in cultivating a crop from seed to grain. The sense of accomplishment is what keeps them farming every year-the anticipation and optimism of what the next year will bring.

Pollution Rules Watered Down?

From: Nick Welsh, Santa Barbara Independent   

A coalition of statewide environmental organizations - including Santa Barbara's Channelkeeper - sued the California Water Resources Control Board, charging that the new conditions imposed on contaminated agricultural runoff do not go far enough in protecting surface streams and underground water supplies from further pollution.

News articles and links from October 22, 2013

Bay Delta Conservation Plan 

Column: Delta water fight starts in SoCal

From: Frank Mickadeit, Orange County Register

Even as our reporter Pat Brennan was writing last Sunday's huge front-page curtain-raiser on the state's $25 billion proposal to radically alter the Sacramento Delta and send more water to Southern California, opposition was conferencing at an Irvine hotel.

I was there. And anybody who thinks this new plan is going to have an easier time getting sign off from Northern Californians than the failed 1982 Peripheral Canal plan did hasn't spent any time listening to Northern Californians with a stake in the outcome.

Coalition response...Without a reliable supply of water flowing to California farms the locally grown food supply that consumers expect in their grocery stores could be threatened. If water supplies continue to be reduced to San Joaquin Valley farmers as in recent years because of federal regulations to protect fish in the Delta, less farmland will be planted and consumers may have fewer choices.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan and its proposed tunnels are designed to provide a reliable water supply that is important to farmers. That is part of the reasoning that farmers and water agencies have already paid more than $140 million to develop the Plan. They recognize the importance of keeping water flowing that they already have a right to receive and are paying the costs to deliver it.

The Plan will also restore the ecosystem of the Delta and increase the habitat for fish and wildlife. This added habitat will not only provide a food supply for fish but also protection from predator fish.

The Plan and its proposed tunnels are vastly different than the 1992 Peripheral Canal. The capacity of the tunnels is only 9,000 cubic feet per second (cfs), compared to 21,800 cfs for the Peripheral Canal. The Plan also provides flexibility to maintain in-Delta water quality with through-Delta operations while the Peripheral Canal was fully isolated with no through-Delta operations. Learn more at http://www.farmwater.org/p-canalcomparison.pdf. 

San Joaquin River 

Blog: River restoration update

From: Alex Breitler, eSanJoaquin

The State Water Resources Control Board on Friday announced that it has approved water-rights changes allowing extra flows to be sent down the San Joaquin River.

"The water rights changes approved (Friday) allow for the dedication of water released from Friant Dam to the river channel to support fish and wildlife and for that water to then be picked up for other uses farther downstream," the board reported in a news release.

Coalition response....Your readers should understand that the estimated cost for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program now exceeds $1.1 billion and could climb over $2 billion, according to the Bureau of Reclamation's 2012 framework document. This means the final cost could more than double the reported $900 million. Funding for the restoration efforts have been difficult to obtain from the federal budget.

While more than $100 million has already been spent for studies, monitoring, application expenses and overhead, not one infrastructure project identified in the Program has been started. These projects are considered necessary to reroute the river channel and provide protection for salmon.

These projects would also safeguard against negative impacts to farmland adjacent to the river. In 2010 when interim flows sent increased levels of water down the river, seepage occurred and farmland was flooded. The federal government was required to pay for the damages encountered by the farmers.

Wouldn't it make more sense to complete these projects before building a hatchery and releasing salmon into the river? Currently, there is no clear path for the fish to reach the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Without these projects it is doubtful that the fish will survive their journey.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan

Experts: State's economy depends on solving water woes

From: Jack Robinson, Sacramento Business Journal 

The state's $25 billion plan to fix the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is a start, experts told a group of civic, government and business leaders Monday. But much more work is needed to prevent water woes from devastating California's economy in the long term.

Salton Sea

IID board to review MOU with county

From: Antoine Abou-Diwan, Imperial Valley Press

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on a memorandum of understanding between the IID, county of Imperial and the Air Pollution Control District regarding Salton Sea stabilization and restoration.

The three agencies have been in litigation over the Quantification Settlement Agreement for about 10 years.

Water Quality

Nitrate pollution continues for decades after fertilizer use

From: Bettina Boxall, LA Times

From: Bettina Boxall, Merced Sun-Star

Nitrates from agricultural fertilizer could continue to leach into groundwater for at least 80 years after initial use, according to researchers who conducted a long-term study of nitrogen uptake.

Using isotope tracers, scientists followed the fate of nitrogen-based synthetic fertilizers applied to fields planted in France with wheat and sugar beets.