Pacific Progressive

Orange County Groundwater Basin Could Receive $26 Million in Federal Funding

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (CA-47) announced that she has introduced a bill to help improve Orange County’s access to clean, reliable sources of water. H.R. 5039 would authorize $26 million in federal funding for the expansion of the Orange County Water District’s Groundwater Replenishment System (GWRS). The largest water purification project of its kind in the world, the GWRS takes highly treated wastewater and purifies it to levels that meet state and federal drinking water standards. 

“Orange County is susceptible to severe water shortages due to recurring droughts and dramatic population growth,” said Rep. Sanchez. “Reusing recycled wastewater is a smart strategy that has helped protect our community, and our environment, from periodic water shortages. I am proud to introduce H.R. 5039, which will help ensure Orange County’s water supply is clean, safe, and secure for years to come.”

“Currently, about half of Orange County’s water supplies come from outside the county,” Rep. Sanchez continued. “Expanding the GWRS will allow Orange County to produce its own water without the political, environmental, and legal issues that come with importing water from Northern California and the Colorado River. For the first time, our community has a chance to be truly independent – the manufacturer and consumer of its own water supplies.”

"The Orange County Water District is grateful that Congresswoman Sanchez has introduced a bill to authorize funding for the expansion of the Groundwater Replenishment System,” stated Michael Markus, P.E., General Manager of the Orange County Water District. "The water restrictions and shortages throughout California are having severe impacts on the state and U.S. economy and will continue to get worse if investments are not made in water infrastructure projects."

Specifically, Rep. Sanchez’s bill would amend the Reclamation Wastewater and Groundwater Study and Facilities Act by authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to participate in the planning and construction of the GWRS expansion. The initial GWRS project was similarly authorized and received $20 million in federal funding to support this critical project which produces 70 million gallons per day, and 72,000 acre-feet of pure water every year – enough to meet the needs of 500,000 Orange County residents. The expansion authorized by Rep. Sanchez’s bill would increase that production capacity by 18,000 acre-feet.

Ensuring that Orange County has access to adequate water supplies is one of Rep. Sanchez’s top priorities in Congress. In October 2009, she successfully secured over $49.7 million in federal funding for local water projects, including the continuing construction of the Santa Ana River Mainstem and the ongoing Westminster-East Garden Grove watershed study on flood control. Rep. Sanchez will continue to fight for federal funding to improve drinking water and wastewater systems Orange County.

Sponsors Needed for Children's Water Education Festival

Organizers of the Children's Water Education Festival are seeking businesses and individuals to sponsor the annual event that caters to kids across Orange County.

For the past decade, Orange County has been home to the largest water education festival of its kind. From laboratory experiments to water relays, Orange County children have been learning first-hand about water and our environment, and how they can conserve our limited natural resources. 

The Festival is a free field trip hosted by the Orange County Water District, Disneyland Resort, National Water Research Institute, Municipal Water District of Orange County and Orange County Water District Groundwater Guardian Team.

On March 24 and 25, more than 5,000 fourth, fifth and sixth grade students from across Orange County will attend the Festival at the Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation in Yorba Linda. 

Sponsorship opportunities range and begin at $25.  

For more information, call Gina Pineda at 714-378-3323.

Apply for Seat on Orange County Water District - Due Jan 13, 2010

The Orange County Water District (OCWD), which manages the groundwater in Orange County, has a vacancy in Division 6.  The seat represents Huntington Beach and portions of Fountain Valley and Westminster. The vacancy is due to the passing of Wes Bannister.  Check OC Registrar of Voters to see if you eligible to apply for this seat.

Currently directors include Claudia Alvarez, Philip L. Anthony, Don Bankhead, Kathryn Barr, Denis Bilodeau, Jan Debay, Irv Pickley, Stephen R. Sheldon, and Roger C. Yoh

To apply, submit a letter of interest and/or resume by January 13, 2010 to:

District Secretary, Orange County Water District, 18700 Ward Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.

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.

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.

 

East Orange County Water District Fast Facts

East Orange County Water District (EOCWD)

www.eocwd.com

185 N McPherson Rd

Orange, CA 92869-3720

714-538-5815

Service Area

The district serves the area served by Orange County Water Works District #8.  The company is both a retailer and wholesaler of water. 

Areas Served

Portions of Tustin, East Orange, and unincorporated parts of Orange County.

Meetings

3rd Thursday of the month at 5:00 PM at 185 N. McPherson Rd, Orange, CA 92869-3720

Board of Directors

William VanderWerff, President

Douglas M. Chapman, Vice President

Richard B. Bell

Richard E. Barrett

John Dulebohn

Orange County Water District Fast Facts

Orange County Water District (OCWD)

www.ocwd.com

18700 Ward St

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

714-378-3200

Orange County Water District manages the groundwater basin under Orange County.  The district draws water from the basin for sale and operates the Groundwater Replenishment System to prevent ocean water from creeping into the basin and to allow water recycling.

Service Area

350 square miles of Orange County is covered.  The area served is roughly the area from Irvine and Newport Beach north to the northern county line. http://www.ocwd.com/sitespecific/content/boardofdirectors.aspx

Divisions Served

1 -Garden Grove, Stanton, Westminster, parts of Orange

2 - Orange, Tustin, Villa Park

3 - Buena Park, La Palma, Placentia, Yorba Linda, parts of Cypress

4 - Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Stanton, Westminster, parts of Buena Park, Cypress, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach

5 - Irvine, Newport Beach, Tustin

6 - Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, parts of Westminster

7 - Costa Mesa and parts of Fountain Valley, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Newport Beach, Westminster

8 - Santa Ana

9 - Anaheim

10 - Fullerton

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

15 Water Agencies and Districts Make Decisions for Orange County

There are 15 water agencies and districts which impact daily life in Orange County. The local water districts either distribute water directly to end users (consumers and businesses) or sell the water to other local water companies which push it thru the pipe to come out the taps in your house.  

 

Here's the list!

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California

www.mwdh2o.com

700 N Alameda St

Los Angeles, CA 90012-2944

213-217-6000

Municipal Water District of Orange County MWDOC

www.mwdoc.com

18700 Ward St

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

714-963-3058

Orange County Water District OCWD

www.ocwd.com

18700 Ward St

Fountain Valley, CA 92708

714-378-3200

East Orange County Water District

www.eocwd.com

185 N McPherson Rd

Orange, CA 92869-3720

714-538-5815