In California water news today, San Joaquin Valley farmers think Sacramento water agencies should help pay for Delta tunnels; Governor Brown’s grand water tunnel project runs into financial uncertainty; California wants millions to fund water project; MWD Chief vows Southern California water users won’t subsidize agriculture’s share of twin tunnel cost; Concerned citizens file new lawsuit against Water Fix twin tunnels; California lawmakers OK $4 billion ballot measure for parks and water projects; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Board will meet this morning beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include drinking water fee regulations, water rights fee schedules, a pilot project on expedited claims, and a progress report on discharge requirements for composing operations. Click here for the full agenda.
- Webinar: To Fence or Not to Fence (Out a Stream): Planning Considerations and Design Options for Prescribed Grazing Systems and Functional Riparian Buffers from 10am to 12pm. Click here for more information.
- Webinar: Learn How Santa Clara County Developed a 50-Year Water Resources Plan from 12pm to 1pm. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Has California seen its agricultural ‘heyday?’, Delta tunnels and salmon, Salmon solutions in the Sac Valley, and more …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Enviro groups, CA Indian Water Commission challenge Delta tunnels’ financing; Action needed to improve health of California’s headwater forests; Sites Project comment period extended; Metropolitan, LA County launch new regional recycled water program
DELTA TUNNELS/WESTLANDS VOTE/FINANCING
San Joaquin Valley farmers think Sacramento water agencies should help pay for Delta tunnels: “Some Sacramento-area water agencies would end up paying for a small share of the Delta tunnels under a last-minute alternative funding plan pitched by one of the state’s largest farming groups. Westlands Water District, whose board of directors is scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to help pay for the tunnels, says it needs to spread the costs among a greater number of water districts, both north and south of the Delta, to make the project affordable to the Fresno and Kings county farmers who get water from Westlands. As it stands, Westlands officials have suggested that they can’t afford to pay for their share of the tunnels – roughly a quarter of the $17.1 billion project – unless there’s money from everyone who gets water from the federal government’s Central Valley Project. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: San Joaquin Valley farmers think Sacramento water agencies should help pay for Delta tunnels
Governor Brown’s grand water tunnel project runs into financial uncertainty: “Just months after Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shore up California’s water system with two giant tunnels won key approval from regulators, the $17 billion project is running into potential financial problems. The dozens of agencies that have expressed support for the delta tunnels as a way to ensure that they get more reliable water deliveries, from Silicon Valley to the Central Valley to Los Angeles, are supposed to produce financial commitments in coming weeks. Many, however, appear reluctant to sign on. Officials with the sprawling Westlands Water District in the western San Joaquin Valley, the state’s largest agricultural supplier, voiced concern on the eve of a Tuesday vote that the cost won’t justify the benefit. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Governor Brown’s grand water tunnel project runs into financial uncertainty
California wants millions to fund water project: “Dozens of water agencies and millions of families and farmers would be on the hook for building two giant tunnels to carry Northern California‘s water southward under new plans to shore up funding for Gov. Jerry Brown’s $16 billion project. … It pivots from longstanding state and federal assurances that only water districts that seek to participate would pay for the tunnels, an ambitious re-engineering of California’s complex north-to-south water system. The Associated Press obtained new documents from the state’s largest agricultural water agency and confirmed the expanded funding demands in phone and email interviews with state and local water officials. ... ” Read more from US News & World Report here: California wants millions to fund water project
MWD Chief vows Southern California water users won’t subsidize agriculture’s share of twin tunnel cost: “With decision time approaching for water districts being asked to fund the most expensive water project in California history, the head of California’s largest water wholesaler Monday warned there is no room for subsidies or withdrawal from participation. “All of us have to work together to make this work, and all of us need to pay our share,” said Jeff Kightlinger, general manager of the Southern California Metropolitan Water District (MWD). “California WaterFix” would address a weak link in the state’s aqueduct system by going underground and building more than 30 miles of massive tunnels for transporting water. The state water project, which draws on snowmelt from the Northern Sierra, provides about one-third of California’s water. … ” Read more from KNBC here: MWD Chief vows Southern California water users won’t subsidize agriculture’s share of twin tunnel cost
DELTA TUNNELS – LAWSUITS
Concerned citizens file new lawsuit against Water Fix twin tunnels: “Monday, a coalition made up of three environmental organizations and the California Indian Water Commission announced a lawsuit against Governor Brown’s WaterFix Twin Tunnels. … This coalition is made up of the California Water Impact Network, AquAlliance, the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, as well as the California Indian Water Commission. They said the lawsuit will challenge the way the state plans to pay for the project, claiming that the $11 billion in bond funding the state has proposed won’t be enough to complete the project and taxpayers could be on the hook for decades if it goes through. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Concerned citizens file new lawsuit against Water Fix twin tunnels
DELTA TUNNELS – REGIONAL
Proposed state water project could increase local water bills: “Two 35 foot long tunnels could be installed to divert water from the Sacramento river to cities across the southern portion of the state including Santa Maria. This means on a regular basis, more state water would be available. “On the opposite side of that coin, the costs of that same project would be born by state water contractors including the residents and businesses of Santa Maria,” explains Shad Springer, Director of Utilities for the city of Santa Maria. … ” Read more from KEYT here: Proposed state water project could increase local water bills
Pasadena City Council approves support of California Water Fix: “Despite opposition by a number of consumer and water conservation groups, the Pasadena City Council Monday evening unanimously approved a resolution in support of the proposed $16 billion California WaterFix Program, due to be completed in 2030. The resolution is only a policy statement of support and not an official legislative action. According to a staff report presented by the Pasadena Department of Public Works (PWP), the project proposes to construct a series of reinforced concrete tunnels located up to 150 feet below the Delta and divided into two general sections known as the North Tunnels and Main Tunnels. ... ” Read more from Pasadena Now here: Pasadena City Council approves support of California Water Fix
Consumer advocacy group wants LADWP watchdog fired. Here’s why: “Several groups converged at Los Angeles City Hall Monday with a demand: that the official advocate responsible for fighting for the interests of Department of Water and Power customers be fired. Many took issue in particular with his conclusions on a controversial $16 billion water tunnel project in northern California. Representatives of Consumer Watchdog and other groups say the utility’s official “ratepayer advocate,” Fred Pickel, has not been working on the side of customers. They have launched a campaign to oust him. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News here: Consumer advocacy group wants LADWP watchdog fired. Here’s why
STATE LEGISLATION
California lawmakers OK $4 billion ballot measure for parks and water projects: “Immigration and housing dominated the headlines from Sacramento this year. But with little fanfare, state lawmakers working with Gov. Jerry Brown also approved a sweeping measure to provide $4.1 billion in new funding for parks and water projects — everything from building Bay Area hiking trails to expanding Lake Tahoe beaches to constructing new inner city parks in Los Angeles. The bill, SB 5, passed near midnight Friday and now sits on Brown’s desk. If he signs it, as expected, it would be placed on the June 5 statewide ballot. It also would represent the first statewide parks and water bond to appear on a state ballot in 12 years, since Proposition 84 in 2006, which won approval of 54 percent of voters and provided $5.4 billion. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: California lawmakers OK $4 billion ballot measure for parks and water projects
In commentary today …
If governor signs it, Gray’s new law would add fairness to water disputes, says the Modesto Bee: “The odds were against Assemblyman Adam Gray in his long-shot effort to force additional fairness on decisions made by the State Water Resources Control Board. Most of the board was against him. Its five appointees have virtually unchecked power to decide water disputes – including those the board’s own staff creates. The environmental community was against him. With a majority of the water board almost always on their side, any loss of the board’s prerogative is, by extension, a loss for them. They marshaled support from the Los Angeles Times, among others. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: If governor signs it, Gray’s new law would add fairness to water disputes
In regional news and commentary today …
Oroville: Low lake levels mean houseboats come out – and boat owners aren’t happy about it: “Oroville resident Susan Soto-Henderson paid $700 Monday to have her houseboat moved out of the Lake Oroville Marina at Lime Saddle to the upper parking lot. To get it back in the water, once the lake goes back up, will cost another $700. The cause of the low lake levels is not another drought year, but a decision by the state Department of Water Resources to reach 670 feet by Nov. 1 in preparation for winter. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Low lake levels mean houseboats come out – and boat owners aren’t happy about it
El Dorado County takes regional approach to water rights application: “The El Dorado Water and Power Authority and the El Dorado County Water Agency held back-to-back meetings Sept. 13, with the most important agenda item being an update on EDWPA’s water rights application. Previously EDWPA filed an application with the State Water Resources Control Board for the right to 40,000 acre-feet of water stored in the reservoirs of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District. The application was later withdrawn after it encountered substantial objections from other water agencies and environmental groups. ... ” Read more from Village Life here: El Dorado County takes regional approach to water rights application
Audubon decries proposed A’s stadium as bad for the birds and fish: “A conservation group opposes the Oakland A’s choice for a new downtown baseball stadium as bad for the birds and fish in Lake Merritt. In announcing its opposition Monday night, the Golden Gate Audubon Society said the proposed ballpark near Laney College threatens to degrade nearby Lake Merritt and a channel connecting to the Oakland estuary with contaminants, trash, loud noise and bright lights. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Audubon decries proposed A’s stadium as bad for the birds and fish
Monterey County water agency OK with more Salinas Valley wastewater for Pure Monterey expansion: “In a preliminary move toward expanding the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project, the Monterey County Water Resources Agency board on Monday unanimously agreed “in concept” to allow the use of additional Salinas Valley winter wastewater for conversion to potable water for the Monterey Peninsula instead of flowing into the ocean. The move comes as the Sept. 29 deadline approaches for providing written testimony to the state Public Utilities Commission on a potential expansion of the Pure Water Monterey project to potentially meet a larger portion of the Peninsula’s water supply needs. The recycled water project is already under construction and expects to begin providing up to 3,500 acre-feet of potable water to the Peninsula by 2019, well ahead of California American Water’s desalination plant. … ” Read more from the Monterey County Herald here: Monterey County water agency OK with more Salinas Valley wastewater for Pure Monterey expansion
Old LADWP water tunnel to help with Sierra water glut: “As the near-record snowpack in the Eastern Sierra melts, it is sending far more water down the aqueduct than city water customers can use. Putting some into underground aquifers would allow the city to store some of that water for future use. But, there’s a problem. The city lacked the pipes to transfer water from the aqueduct to a spreading ground in Pacoima. That’s where the $3.3 million rehabilitation of the Maclay Highline comes in. It’s been battered by earthquakes, and abandoned in favor of new water conveyances, but it happens to be in the right place to fill a gap in DWP’s water transport plans. … ” Read more from KPCC here: Old LADWP water tunnel to help with Sierra water glut
San Diego bolsters stormwater enforcement: “San Diego is cracking down on construction sites that pollute waterways. “Developers in the city of San Diego are facing tougher government enforcement at construction sites that have the potential to pollute rivers and streams — including fines and even stop-work orders,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. The new policies were spurred by a deal between San Diego officials and water quality regulators. Under the deal, the city must pay over $3 million and heighten enforcement, the report said. The San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board had argued that that the city was violating its stormwater permit. … ” Read more from Water Online here: San Diego bolsters stormwater enforcement
Breakthrough discovery crucial to Arizona monsoons, water supply: “Summer monsoon storms provide a significant share of the water that allows the southwest United States to thrive. These storms pushing into the desert from more tropical regions to the south can deliver more than half a year’s precipitation. But how do they traverse a region that is also bisected by tall mountain ranges – mountains that suck most of the moisture out of a storm? Thomas Galarneau thinks he has an answer. An assistant professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Arizona, he has published a new study identifying a previously unrecognized terrain feature that may be responsible for passing most of the monsoons that reach Arizona. ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Breakthrough discovery crucial to Arizona monsoons, water supply
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Has California seen its agricultural ‘heyday?’, Delta tunnels and salmon, Salmon solutions in the Sac Valley, and more …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Enviro groups, CA Indian Water Commission challenge Delta tunnels’ financing; Action needed to improve health of California’s headwater forests; Sites Project comment period extended; Metropolitan, LA County launch new regional recycled water program
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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
