Pacific Progressive

Imported Water Supply Shutdown - Jan 25-31

San Juan Capistrano is urging residents and businesses to conserve water by ceasing landscape watering and car washing while its imported water supplier shuts down its plant for a week this month.  The shutdown also impacts other cities in south Orange County.

The Diemer Filtration Plant, the Yorba Linda-based water treatment plant that serves South County, is expected to perform necessary maintenance and upgrades from Jan. 25 through Jan. 31. The facility, owned and operated by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), provides much of all of South County's potable water needs through two regional water pipelines.

The City's groundwater recovery plant, which began operation in December 2004, will help offset impacts of the waterline shutdown that will leave much of south Orange County with little or no imported water. However, the shutdown affects the City's major supply line for all potable (drinkable) water entering the City, and San Juan Capistrano needs to conserve in order to maintain supplies in its reservoirs for drinking, sanitary uses and firefighting.

San Juan Capistrano Water and Sewer Rate Workshop - Dec 9

San Juan Capistrano will host a public workshop regarding proposed water and sewer rate adjustments on Dec. 9, the first of several workshops designed to provide the community with information about how the rate changes will impact them. 

The meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon in Council Chambers at City Hall, 32400 Paseo Adelanto.

The City has to adjust its water and sewer rates due to a 40 percent increase in imported water costs from wholesale water supplier Metropolitan Water District. Rate adjustments will fund the City's long-term water supply strategy; help to maintain and replace water and sewer infrastructure; institute a rate structure that strongly encourages water conservation; and restore and develop sufficient emergency reserves. 

The proposed rate adjustments come after the November completion of a water and sewer rate study and several public meetings with the Utility Advisory Commission and City Council. Based on public discussions, the City Council identified a proposed water and sewer rate adjustment strategy for the community to consider.

New Inland Feeder Completed - Part of 20 Yr Project to Increase Southland Water Storage

Metropolitan Water District has completed the Inland Feeder, a 44 mile long, 12 ft diameter high capacity water delivery system designed to increase operational flexibility for water storage and transport.  The new system is able to take water to the new Diamond Valley Lake reservoir near Hemet and to groundwater storage basins. This allows water to be stored for use during dry periods and emergencies.

This is an example of what we as a state and nation need to be doing more of - building and expanding our infrastructure. This project improves the reliability of water service to millions of California residents and provided good paying jobs which benefited the local economy.  Large public works projects like this are a win-win for everyone.

Here is a short video about the Inland Feeder project, including shots inside the tunnel.

Do You Want to Buy a Water District?

The East Orange County Water District (EOCWD) has put itself up for sale.  The district is selling the retail and wholesale parts separately. EOCWD covers about 10,000 acres and was formed in December 1961.

Why would I want to buy a water district?  

If you buy this district, you can receive water from the Colorado River Aqueduct and the State Water Project.  EOCWD is a contracting agency of the Municipal Water District of Orange County (MWDOC), and is a member agency of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD), which imports water.

EOCWD History

 In July 1985, EOCWD assumed the operations of the County of Orange Waterworks District No. 8 (OCWD #8.)  In 1951, OCWD #8 had acquired the assets of the El Modena Mutual Irrigation Company after the bankruptcy of El Modena Mutual.  The combined OCWD #8 and former El Modena Mutual service area became the "Retail Zone."  The original EOCWD zone is the "Wholesale Zone."

Retail Zone is Mostly Customers

You get customers in Panorama Heights (bounded by Hewes Ave on the west, Foothill Blvd on the south, Newport Blvd on the east, and Crawford Canyon and Chapman Ave on the north.)  You also get 1.5 million gallons of capacity rights in the Wholesale Zone.  Bids to buy the Retail Zone were due by October 1, 2009.

Water Rights Go With Wholesale Zone

Buy the wholesale zone, get water rights.  You will get 16 cubic feet second (cfs) treated water capacity from MWD using the East Orange County Feeder #2, 9.47 cfs treated water capacity to the MWD Allen McColluch Pipeline (AMP), 10.0 cfs in untreated water capacity in the V.P. Baker Pipeline (formerly the Santiago Aqueduct or SAC line), 4.27 M gallons in a 6.0 M gallon below ground reservoir, 1.0 M gallon in a tank reservoir, and 10.0 M gallons in the Andres Reservoir.  Irvine Ranch Water District (IRWD) also owns part of the water coming from the SAC and below ground reservoir.  With this purchase, they will throw in the pumps and transmission lines.  

The service area includes parts of Tustin, Orange, North Tustin, East Tustin, Red Hill, Lemon Heights, Cowan Heights, Orange Park Acres, and Panorama Heights .  The area is east of the 55 Freeway, north of the 5 Freeway, west of Jamboree Road, and south of Santiago Canyon Road.

Bids on the wholesale zone are due by March 1, 2010.  EOCWD is located at 185 N. McPherson Rd, Orange, CA 92869.  

Water Rebate Programs Starting Up Again - Sept 21

Two water rebate programs will be starting up again on September 21, 2009. 

SoCal Water$mart is for residential water customers.  People who live in houses are eligible.  You are also eligible if your apartment, townhome, condominium or mobile home complex has four or fewer dwellings and is not represented by a home owners association.

High efficiency clothes washers, high efficiency toilets, weather based irrigation controllers (smart controllers), rotating irrigation nozzles, and synthetic turf are eligible for rebates under this program. A list of qualifying models and products is on the website.  

Rebates are limited and are first come, first served.  Purchases must be made on or after September 21, 2009 to be eligible for this round of rebates.  The rebates are offered thru the Metropolitan Water District. If your local water agency is not a member or has chosen to not participate, you may not be eligible for the rebate program.  Check the website for all of the details.

Save A Buck is back for commercial users.  This program includes commercial, industrial, institutional, and multi-family water customers.  If your apartment, townhome, condominium, or mobile home complex has five or more units and is represented by a home owners association, this is your program.  

Commercial high efficiency toilets, waterless urinals, commercial and multi-family high efficiency washing machines, connectionless food steamers, air-cooled ice machines, pre-rinse spray valves, pressurized waterbrooms, weather based irrigation controllers, and rotating spray nozzles are some of the products which qualify for rebates.

Each type of user has a separate application and qualifying standards. See the Save A Buck website for all of the details.  Rebates are limited and are first come, first served. Save A Buck is being offered thru the Metropolitan Water District.

Bay Delta Conservation Plan Website Launched

A new website with comprehensive information about the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) has been launched by the California Natural Resources Agency.  The website includes key documents about the plan, information about public involvement, and current news about the project.

Water Supply Forum on Sept 30

What do you know about the water that comes out of your tap? Is it from Sacramento, the ground underneath you or somewhere else?  And are they really going to build desalination plants to turn ocean water into drinking water?

The Capistrano Bay League of Women Voters is having a forum to discuss these issues.  The forum will take place on Wednesday, September 30 from 3 to 5 PM at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion, San Juan Capistrano, CA.  The event is part of the South Orange County Regional Water Forum hosted by the city of San Juan Capistrano. 

Fixing the Delta with Five Bills

“Our first priority when we return in August is to restore the draconian cuts to Health and Human Services.  Our second priority will be to take the next major steps on fashioning a set of solutions to our state’s water challenges: fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta; establishing enforceable water conservation standards; better managing our groundwater and surface water supplies; providing funding for those new investments needed to bring the state’s water system into the 21st century,”  Caifornia Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said.  

Both the State Senate and Assembly are working towards finding a long term solution for the Sacramento River Delta.  Twenty five million Californians (two thirds of the state's population) rely on the Sacramento River Delta for the water they need for their lives and businesses.  

A set of five bills has been offered to bring solutions to the problems with the Delta.  The Delta area faces ecological problems with endangered species, problems with levees which may break and cause flooding, possible ocean saltwater intrusion of the Delta after an earthquake which renders the now salt water Delta unusable for drinking water, and other infrastructure issues.

The five bills being considered are:

AB 39 (Huffman) - Delta Plan

AB 49 (Feuer-Huffman) - Water Efficiency

SB 12 (Simitian) - Delta Stewardship Council

SB 229 (Paveley) - Delta Interim Actions, Water Rights, Groundwater

SB 458 (Wolk) - Delta Conservancy, Delta Protection Commission Revisions

California Water Plan Advisory Committee Meeting Materials Available

Water is critical for California.  Problems with water - who has it, who doesn't, and how to move it, are in ongoing negotiation as the population of the state grows.  The state Department of Water Resources manages works with local water agencies on planning water use.

The most recent meeting was held on August 13, in Sacramento.  During the meeting, topics discussed included Preparing for a Dry 2010, the California Drought Contingency Plan, an update on the work of the Climate Change Technical Advisory Group, Central Valley Flood Management Planning, update on November Tribal Water Summit and results of work on Quantification of Scenarios.

The presentations and documents are available on line.  The next meeting, the Plenary Meeting, will be held on October 14-15, 2009 in Sacramento.  Water is used by everyone, but few people take the time to understand the underlying issues and how decisions being made now will impact their lives in a few months and years.  If citizens better understood water issues, they could discuss the decisions made by local water commissioners and find solutions which work better for their local communities.

Update on California Drought Conditions

California's Department of Water Resources issues monthly updates on California's water supply.  Here are some key facts from the July 2009 report.

•  Statewide precipitation for water year 2008-09 (October 2008 - September 2009) is 17.26 inches compared an average of 21.94 inches.
• Statewide reservoir storage of 83% of average for date, as of end of June 2009.

Storage levels in reservoirs are down.

•  Shasta Reservoir at 52% of capacity, averages 71% of capacity
• Trinity Lake at 48% of capacity, averages 58% of capacity
• Lake Oroville at 45% of capacity, averages 60% of capacity
• Folsom Lake at 65% of capacity averages 87% of capacity
• Don Pedro Reservoir at 81% of capacity, averages 106% of capacity
• Exchequer Reservoir at 58% of capacity, averages 85% of capacity
• Pine Flat Reservoir at 38% of capacity, averages 69% of capacity
• Castaic Lake at 74% of capacity, averages 69% of capacity
• Pyramid Lake at 97% of capacity, averages 103% of capacity
• Millerton Lake at 87% of capacity, averages 132% of capacity
• New Melones at 51% of capacity, averages 84% of capacity
• San Luis Reservoir at 18% of capacity, averages 35% of capacity - San Luis Reservoir stores water which has been transferred thru the Sacramento River Delta for the State and federal water projects.

In the Central Valley, groundwater pumping has increased

California Water Crisis Hearing - August 21 in Fountain Valley

Jose Solorio chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Regional Approaches to Addressing the State's Water Crisis.  On Friday, August 21, 2009, the committee will hold a hearing at the headquarters of the Orange County Water District/Metropolitan Water District of Orange County (OCWD and MWDOC) from 9 AM to 1 PM.  The headquarters are located at 18700 Ward Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.

The agenda includes smart irrigation systems, approaches to tiered rates and water report cards, how to sell conservation, groundwater replenishment systems, seawater desalination, options for near and long-term water sustainability, and building water consciousness in the business community.  An update on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan will also be presented.

If you want to attend, you must reserve a seat.  Call Kim Nguyen at 916-319-2069 or email at kim.nguyen(at)asm.ca.gov to reserve a seat.

Central Valley Groundwater Levels Dropping

A recent study by the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows that the aquifer under California's Central Valley is changing.  The over 400 mile long Central Valley is home to California's agriculture industry.  Under the valley is the nation's largest groundwater basin which contains one-fifth (20%) of all the groundwater pumped in the nation.  

Several sources of data were used for the study:  water well driller logs going back to the early 1900''s, ground water data from 1962 to 2003 and surface water data from 1962 to 2003. 

The USGS study shows the strains California's growing population is putting on the underground aquifer:

•  Groundwater levels are declining in the Tulare Basin portion of the  southern San Joaquin Valley.  More water is being pumped out than is being put into the basin.  The geology of the southern San Joaquin valley, coarse-grained soils and alluvial-fan sediments, make the basin a potential candidate for becoming a groundwater recharge basin.
• Groundwater levels in the Sacramento Valley and the northern portion of the San Joaquin Valley are generally stable.
• Drilling for water, which is driven by the continuing below-average precipitation, is causing groundwater levels to drop.  

As part of the study, the USGS has developed an enhanced computer model, the Central Valley Hydrological Model,  of water flows below ground. The model shows how water flows under ground, in the groundwater basins, and how the flows connect with rivers and other bodies of water on the surface. The Central Valley Hydrological Model provides a new scientific tool to track changes in surface and groundwater availability and make more informed water management decisions.

Why We Have No Water - Timeline of the Current California Drought

A timeline showing milestones in the current California drought is posted by the Department of Water Resources.  The drought timeline starts with the latest Delta Smelt ruling.  The increase in development, population, number of golf courses or other large uses of water are not mentioned.  Does anyone know of a city or county which has ever used a lack of available water as a reason to restrict or reduce development?

March 2007 - Snowpack at 70% of average.

December 2007 - Federal Judge Oliver Wanger issues pumping restrictions to protect Delta Smelt.

May 2008 - Snowpack at 65% of average.

December 2008 - US Fish and Wildlife Service ruling to protect Delta Smelt by curtailing pumping.

March 2009 - Snowpack at 80% of average.

 

San Diego Adds 304,000 Families Worth of Water

The San Diego County Water Authority is raising the San Vicente Dam by 117 feet and adding storage capacity for over 300,000 families in the process.  The dam raising project increases the height of the 220 foot tall structure and adds an additional 152,000 acre-feet of storage to the current storage capacity of the reservoir.  An acre-foot of water is enough water to meet the needs of two single-family homes of four people for one year.

The San Vicente Dam Raise is the final part of the San Diego County Water Authority Emergency Storage Project.  During the last decade the project has been in place, $1.5 billion has been spent on planning and construction of facilities for storage and delivery of an emergency water supply.  

"Our current drought, regulatory restrictions on pumping water from Northern California, and likely changes in precipitation prompted by climate change give stark evidence why San Diego County needs additional storage capacity.  Storage isn't a silver bullet for our region's water reliability, but had this additional storage been available today, it could have significantly reduced the need to cut back water deliveries to member agencies this year." said Water Authority General Manager Maureen Stapleton.

"This project is an excellent example of the kind of new infrastructure California needs to respond to our water supply challenges," said Mike Chrisman, California Secretary for Natural Resources.

Metropolitan Water District Fast Facts

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

www.mwdh2o.com

700 N Alameda St

Los Angeles, CA 90012-2944

213-217-6000

This agency is a water distributor/reseller/wholesaler.  The Metropolitan Water District buys the water and distributes the water to 26 member angencies. The 26 member agencies sell the water to 300 subagencies (local water companies) or directly to consumers.  The FY 2007-08 budget was about $1.98 billion.

Service Area:  About 5200 square miles in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura Counties.

Meetings:  Start at 8:00 or 8:30 AM.  Meetings are at Metropolitan Water District Headquarters, 700 North Alameda St, Los Angeles, CA.  

Meeting dates for 2009:  

• Tuesday July 28
• Tuesday August 25
• Tuesday September 22
• Monday October 12
• Tuesday October 13
• Tuesday October 27
• Monday November 9
• Tuesday November 10
• Tuesday November 24
• Monday December 7
• Tuesday December 8