Friday, January 30, 2009

The Water Solution

Editorial: Long Beach Press Telegram
The water solution
Posted: 01/29/2009 10:37:57 PM PST

Shortages have become permanent, so pols must adopt Long Beach's plan.
Southern Californians won't have much melted snow in their drinking water this season, which will worsen an alarming shortage. Fortunately, the solution is easy.
At least the Water Department in Long Beach makes it look easy. It seems to be the only big-city agency that is well-prepared for the worst water shortages the region ever has experienced.
Droughts have come and gone, some of them even more severe, but they went away when the rains returned. The present shortages appear to have become permanent.
You're not hearing much about it yet because politicians, who control the big water agencies, haven't been willing to deal with it. While they dawdled, the region's vast storage capacity has been drying up.
Long Beach was the exception. While politicians in L.A. talked a lot about cutting back on water usage, all they managed to accomplish was a saving of 1 percent, and we're exaggerating to be charitable. Long Beach has cut water usage 11 times that much.
Here's what's coming next. The news this week that the Sierra snow pack continues to be below historical averages, together with earlier court-ordered reductions to save the endangered Delta smelt, means that Southern California's giant Metropolitan Water District, among others, will get only a fraction of what it needs from the State Water Project. Consequently in April, when MWD sets its rates and allocation levels, you can expect that consumers will start paying more and getting less.
Many water agencies on the receiving end are looking at rationing and punitive measures, which is a mistake because rationing penalizes those who already have been conserving water. L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa even talks about water police to enforce cutbacks that now are inevitable.
They should take a lesson from Long Beach, whose Water Commission implemented a conservation program months ago. But instead of a punitive approach, it enlisted consumers in the effort. The program, among other restrictions, made watering legal only on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays before 9 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Offenders got a polite letter as a reminder, and consumers began using a phone line to identify offenders.
Wasting water has become socially unacceptable in Long Beach, and residents seem committed to the plan. There have been only four or five repeated offenders, all of them businesses, and all of which surely will quit wasting water in the face of increasingly stiff fines.
When the smaller water allocations do come down from the MWD, Long Beach won't have to do a thing to comply. Its residents, now aware how easy it is to reduce water wastage where most of it occurs, on lawns and gardens, already have begun to use this scarce commodity responsibly.
If the MWD and politicians in places like L.A. and San Diego also had acted prudently months ago, Southern California's reservoirs still would be full, but they didn't, and the reservoirs are emptying rapidly.
Now there is no other choice.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

"The Worst CA Drought in Modern History"

The Worst CA Drought in Modern History"
New snow survey: 49% of normal in northern Sierra

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Department of Water Resources' (DWR) second snow survey of the winter season indicates snow water content is 61 percent of normal to date, statewide, and only 49 percent of normal, to date, in the northern Sierra Nevada. “The low precipitation in January and snowpack results from today’s survey indicate California is heading for a third dry year,” said DWR Director Lester Snow. “We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history. It’s imperative for Californians to conserve water immediately at home and in their businesses.”

Long Beach Water officials, earlier this month, issued a new water supply ALERT for the City of Long Beach and southern California, due to extremely weak precipitation and snow pack in the northern Sierra Nevada; an uneventful forecast for northern California watersheds, including new predictions of dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean; extremely low water supply reserve levels; and the anticipated additional curtailment of imported water deliveries from north to south due to endangered species issues. Today's survey likely means that water deliveries for the Bay Area, Central Valley and southern California will likely be reduced even further in 2009, according to Kevin Wattier, General Manager of Long Beach Water. "State water deliveries into southern California could likely be reduced by more than 90 percent if current conditions persist; the snow season will be over in 60 days."

Long Beach residents are being urged to sustain the City's record breaking reductions in water use, which is 15 percent below the City's historical 10-year average for the Fiscal Year started in October 2008. More importantly, Long Beach Water officials are calling on area cities to engage their residents. "These realities should be a catalyst for southern California water supply managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures," stated John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. "Southern California water suppliers should be practicing for the worst; hope is not an adequate strategy here."

Background:

Precipitation and snow pack for the northern Sierra Nevada, the primary water supply source for the Bay Delta watershed from which southern California receives 30 percent of its imported water, is way below normal for the year. The most recent snow survey, announced today, showed that northern Sierra snowpack was only 49 percent of normal for the year.

Compounding the necessity to conserve, in early December, federal wildlife officials released ADDITIONAL restrictions on pumping from northern California. Last year, restrictions were placed on pumping water through the Bay Delta to mitigate the impact that pumping was having on the Delta Smelt, an endangered fish. A new biological opinion, released on December 15, 2008, supports continuing current pumping restrictions, which have resulted in a 20 to 30 percent reduction in water deliveries, but also adopts ADDITIONAL pumping restrictions that the agency believes will help improve Delta Smelt habitat. These additional restrictions could in some years cut imported water deliveries to the Central Valley and southern California by half, which is a worst case scenario, but entirely feasible. Scientists say that the decline of smelt populations are an indicator of the health of the entire Bay-Delta ecosystem, and representative of a much larger decline in local fisheries, including the longfin smelt, threadfin shad, and Chinook salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service is scheduled to issue a new biological opinion in the coming weeks to protect the Chinook salmon, following last years collapse of the west coast salmon fishing season, and the long-fin smelt is being recommended for the endangered species list by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Even more, the collective storage level of Lake Shasta, Lake Oroville and San Luis Reservoir, the feeders to the State Water Project, are the lowest they've been since 1977. This is a primary reason for the State Department of Water Resources' recent announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Central Valley, and on to southern California, may be 85 percent below what is being requested for these regions this year. Today's snow survey will likely move that percentage higher.

On September 13, 2007, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners issued a Declaration of Imminent Water Supply Shortage and activated the City's Emergency Water Supply Shortage Plan. As a result, the Board of Water Commissioners issued mandatory prohibitions on certain outdoor uses of water. "The Board took the action it did, over a year ago now, to forestall and lessen the impact of an expected water supply shortage," according to Board president, John Allen. The Board's Declaration in 2007 was necessitated by the profound impact of permanent reductions to imported water deliveries into southern California; the dramatic reductions in water storage levels in key reservoirs in northern California; and climate realities.

The Long Beach Water Department is an urban, southern California retail water supply agency, and the standard in water conservation and environmental stewardship.

E-Watering Update - Realtime Irrigation Instruction

LONG BEACH WATER DEPARTMENT The Standard in Water Conservation & Environmental Stewardship
e W a t e r i n g U p d a t e
We're warming up!
Time to turn your sprinklers back on, but not very much. Set your timers to 20%, 2 days a week. Example if you typically water for 10 minutes at each station then set your timer for 2 minutes. Thanks!
Bonus Information:
Did you know... You can join the Long Beach Water Department on:
Ning, Blogspot, Myspace, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook; just visit www.lbwater.org and click on the icons.
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Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Top 10 Reasons for CA Cities to Prohibit Certain Outdoor Water Uses

Top 10 Reasons for CA Cities to Prohibit Certain Outdoor Water Uses

What outdoor uses should cities be prohibiting? Hosing patios, streets, gutters, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and store fronts; Using water on landscaped areas more than three days each week; Watering landscaped areas in the middle of the day for 15, 20 and sometimes 30 minutes, per station; and overwatering to the point of causing run-off.

1. Drought and other natural climate conditions of California
2. Depleted emergency water supply reserves throughout California
3. The permanent reduction to imported water that the Bay Area, Central Valley and Northern California typically recieve from northern California
4. The permanent reduction to imported water that southern California typically has recieved from the Colorado River watershed
5. The anticipated additoinal curtailment of imported water deliveries from northern California to southern California due to endangered species issues; delta smelt, longfin smelt, salmon
6. California Department of Water Resources announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Bay Area, Central Valley and southern California, may be 85 percent below wht is being requested for these regions in 2009.
7. Dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean
8. National Weather Service predicts uneventful forecast (no storms anywhere) for next 10-days
9. Southern California imports half its water...imported water sources are becoming increasingly unreliable.
10. Hope is NOT a strategy!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Citywide Water Use Prohibitions

The following uses of water are illegal in the City of Long Beach:

1. Over-watering/over-irrigating landscaped areas to the point of causiung run-off.

2. Watering landscaped areas between 9:00am and 4:00pm.

3. Watering landscaped areas on any day OTHER than Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

4. Washing down sidewalks, driveways, porches, streets, parking areas or any other paved area.

Please report water wasters at waterwaster@lbwater.org, or by visiting www.lbwater.org

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Shut Off Your Sprinker Systems Today!

Please shut off your sprinklers throught he weekend...you don't need them. You'll get enough precipiation to sustain your landscape through the weekend. Thank you, Long Beach. Stop Wasting Water!

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Friday, January 16, 2009

Today's E-Watering Update: Adjust Sprinkers to 60%

e W a t e r i n g U p d a t e
What warm weather!
Time to turn your sprinkler timers up. Set your timers to 60%, 2 days a week. Example if you typically water for 10 minutes at each station then decrease this to 6 minutes.
Important information & upcoming events:
Information: "Civilization has been a permanent dialogue between human beings and water" ~ Paolo Lugari
Events: Don't forget the landscape class Saturday January 24th, Choosing the best plants for you. If you haven't registered for this class or upcoming dates then do so today by calling 562-570-2300! For more information please visit: www.lbwater.org/conservation/landscapeclasses.html.
We will not share your email address with any other organization. If you wish to unsubscribe at any time just click on the unsubscribe link below, its that simple.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Northern California Precipiation Forecast - NOT GOOD

The 10-Day Feather Basin precipitation forecast shows almost NO precipiation through the end of January 2009. The Feather Basin is the tributary that feeds the Bay Delta watershed, a primary source of southern California's imported water supplies.

A strong, high pressure ridge is forecasted to remain over Northern California this week. Dry conditions and unseasonably warm temps are expected for hte Feather Basin through the weekend. The long-range weather models suggest cooler temps next week. Precipitation is forecast at only 4% of normal through January 26th.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Top 10 Reasons for CA Cities to Prohibit Certain Outdoor Water Uses

Top 10 Reasons for CA Cities to Prohibit Certain Outdoor Water Uses

What outdoor uses should cities be prohibiting? Hosing patios, streets, gutters, sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and store fronts; Using water on landscaped areas more than three days each week; Watering landscaped areas in the middle of the day for 15, 20 and sometimes 30 minutes, per station; and overwatering to the point of causing run-off.

1. Drought and other natural climate conditions of California
2. Depleted emergency water supply reserves throughout California
3. The permanent reduction to imported water that the Bay Area, Central Valley and Northern California typically recieve from northern California
4. The permanent reduction to imported water that southern California typically has recieved from the Colorado River watershed
5. The anticipated additoinal curtailment of imported water deliveries from northern California to southern California due to endangered species issues; delta smelt, longfin smelt, salmon
6. California Department of Water Resources announcement that water deliveries from northern California to the Bay Area, Central Valley and southern California, may be 85 percent below wht is being requested for these regions in 2009.
7. Dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean
8. National Weather Service predicts uneventful forecast (no storms anywhere) for next 10-days
9. Southern California imports half its water...imported water sources are becoming increasingly unreliable.
10. Hope is NOT a strategy!

It's looking horrible, disastrous actually."

Mandatory water rationing possible
Officials describe dry winter as 'disaster in the making'
By ROBERT DIGITALE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT - Santa Rosa


Published: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 11:19 p.m.
With scant rainfall and reservoirs at disturbingly low levels, Sonoma County water officials are warning they may impose mandatory water rationing later this year.

Large quantities of rain would have to fall within the next few months to escape stricter water rules, officials said this week.

“It’s looking horrible, disastrous actually,” said Brad Sherwood, a spokesman for the Sonoma County Water Agency.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Top State Water Official: "a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades"

From Contra Costa Times:
Water crisis has parallels with financial meltdown
By Mike Taugher
Contra Costa Times
Posted: 01/11/2009 03:43:54 PM PST


To understand how California reached its current water crisis, one could look for an analogy in the financial meltdown.

In both cases, credit or water once flowed easily: Four of the five years of highest water deliveries from the Delta's two massive pumping plants were 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

In both cases, lax regulatory oversight was a factor in the collapse that followed: The state Department of Water Resources never obtained an endangered-species permit required under state law, and the two federal permits it and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operated under were invalidated by a judge who found them ineffective and weak.

And in both cases, a bubble formed and burst: By 2007, record pumping levels had contributed to an ecological collapse that in turn led to a court order to slow the pumps.

Although the causes for the collapse of Delta smelt, salmon and other fish species are complex and hotly debated, the fact is that state water managers, given a loose rein by regulators, cranked up pumps in recent years and the fish species that were supposed to be protected — especially Delta smelt — collapsed.

By the time courts stepped in, drastic measures were in order.

Water agencies, under a microscope and facing the threat of further cutbacks and shortages, point to other causes for the Delta's demise. They argue that the collapse is not their fault, or at least not entirely their fault.

They may be partly right. Scientists are investigating the possibility that ammonia discharged from Sacramento's sewer treatment plant might be contributing to the problems, for example, and no one disputes the role invasive clams, plants and fish are having on the delicate ecological balance in the Delta, the West Coast's largest natural estuary.

But the biological analysis that accompanied federal regulators' latest permit, issued last month under court order, concluded that pumping operations lie close to the root of the Delta's problems and the near extinction of Delta smelt.

It emphasized that the pumps not only kill fish directly, they also have a dramatic effect on the Delta's flow of water — the hydrodynamics. And that influences everything.

So, while pollution, introduced species, habitat quality, food availability and other "stressors" are contributing to the Delta's environmental meltdown, "the extent to which these factors adversely affect Delta smelt is related to hydrodynamic conditions in the Delta, which in turn are controlled to a large extent by (state and federal water project) operations," the analysis concluded.

In other words, the other factors that water agencies point to as overlooked contributors to the Delta's demise are, in fact, made worse by agency operations.

The permit has alarmed water agencies because it will cut water deliveries to farms and cities throughout the state below the record levels of recent years. And it comes after two dry years, depleted reservoirs and concern that 2009 could be a third consecutive year without much rain or snow.

Water agencies are also concerned that further restrictions in the coming months might further crimp the water supply. A second permit, to protect salmon and steelhead, is due in March and another Delta fish, longfin smelt, is being considered for listing under state and federal endangered species laws.

As with the financial meltdown, the bursting of a bubble — whether in house prices or water deliveries — is causing pain.

Southern California cities have become more dependent on the Delta as the region's Colorado River supplies were cut due to drought and a 2003 agreement to adhere to the limits set in a 1922 compact with other states.

Meanwhile, major new reservoirs such as the Kern Water Bank near Bakersfield and Diamond Valley lake in Riverside County, which were largely filled with Delta water in the recent boom years, are being drawn down rapidly.

A recent study by a Berkeley consulting firm pegged the cost of restrictions at more than $500 million a year, a cost that could soar to $3 billion in a prolonged drought. Most of that would be felt in Southern California, where water rates could rise and residents see an increased likelihood of water rationing, the study said.

Rationing is possible as early as this summer, depending on the weather, of course. And water agencies are supporting costly fixes that would run into the billions, despite the more than $4 billion spent since 2000 for a plan now largely seen as mostly failed.

How bad is it?

We're looking at what could be "a water supply and delivery crisis the likes of which Californians have not seen in decades," said the state's top water official, Department of Water Resources Director Lester Snow.

He might be right.

Mike Taugher covers natural resources. Reach him at 925-943-8257 or mtaugher@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Friday, January 9, 2009

DRY La Nina Conditions Now Forming in Pacific Ocean

Check out the realtime, animated graphics:

http://www.cpc.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/tools/briefing/

USA Today: Tougher Conservation May Be Needed

From the USA Today:
By William Welch
LOS ANGELES - Skiers are enjoying the early winter snows on California's mountains, but down closer to sea level are big worries that the snowfall and its spring runoff won't be enough to relieve two years of drought. Unless the next few months prove to be wet ones, tougher conservation steps and even water rationing from cities to farms could be ahead for the nation's most populous state. The impact could be felt across the country in higher food prices, officials warn, if water shortages reduce production in the 400-mile-long Central Valley where much of the nation's fruit is grown in irrigated fields.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-01-06-snowpack_N.htm

Report Outlines Big Problems for Imported Water Supplies to So Cal

From the Sacramento Bee:


Federal draft report: Delta system imperils fish
By Matt Weiser
mweiser@sacbee.com
Published: Friday, Jan. 09, 2009 | Page 14A
Salmon, steelhead and sturgeon in the Central Valley are being driven to extinction by Delta pumping systems and upstream reservoir operations, according to a draft federal report.
The National Marine Fisheries Service has not yet released the report, but it was discussed at a meeting of scientists in Sacramento on Thursday.
The impacts are so significant that the agency is also studying whether killer whales in the ocean could be imperiled by declining Central Valley salmon, their primary prey.
The grave findings suggest that California's efforts to serve thirsty farms and cities while sustaining healthy fisheries will only get more difficult.
A final version of the report, called a biological opinion, is expected by March 2. The Endangered Species Act empowers the fisheries service to impose new rules on state and federal water systems to protect the fish.
The state and federal governments operate separate reservoir and canal systems that collect Northern California's snowmelt and distribute it to cities, suburbs and farms statewide. These systems have dammed off hundreds of miles of fish habitat and altered the timing and temperature of river flows.
Given the findings, the fisheries service could require the California Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to change reservoir operations, improve river habitat and divert less water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California. Hatchery practices might have to be changed to protect wild fish.
The details of these forthcoming rules were not revealed Thursday. Officials at both water agencies have seen the full draft but declined to comment on the specifics.
"To take additional hits (in water supply) will be very problematic for us," said Jerry Johns, deputy director of the state Department of Water Resources. "Our goal is to protect these fish species, and we've got to make sure we do that effectively. But we've got to do it in a reasonable way."
The biological opinion has a long and troubled history.
A version completed in 2004 reached similar findings. But a regional director at the National Marine Fisheries Service, a political appointee, altered the final report to show, instead, that the species would not be imperiled by water operations.
Conservation groups sued, and last year federal district Judge Oliver Wanger ruled the agency's actions were "arbitrary and capricious" and violated the Endangered Species Act. He ordered a new report prepared by March of this year, but allowed water operations to continue unaltered until then.
Under current rules, the state Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation coordinate their operations to boost water pumped through the Delta to farms and cities south. One of their tools is to manipulate the timing of water releases from reservoirs, including Shasta, Oroville and Folsom.
Fisheries Service biologists said Thursday that the current system, with its emphasis on water for people, does not provide adequate cold water for spawning habitat in the Sacramento River. This will worsen as climate change and population growth take hold, the scientists said.
"There's not much chance here for spring-run (salmon) in the mainstem Sacramento River," said biologist Bruce Oppenheim. "We just don't have as much water available in Shasta in the future."
The discussion took place before an independent panel of scientists conducting a peer review of the findings for the CalFed Bay-Delta Authority, a joint state-federal agency charged with improving the Delta.
The meeting was highly technical but offered warnings about four protected species: winter- and spring-run salmon, Central Valley steelhead and green sturgeon.
Similar conditions exist in the American River: not enough cold water or habitat for steelhead spawning.
"By the time May comes around, it's really not a suitable place for egg incubation," said biologist Brian Ellrott.
Providing more cold water for fish would mean saving water behind dams for spawning season. This could mean less water for farms and cities in summer and fall.
Under the current system, risks to the fish are numerous. The Bureau of Reclamation, for instance, operates giant gates on the Sacramento River near Walnut Grove to divert freshwater into the interior Delta to freshen supplies available to diversion pumps.
When these gates are open, young salmon migrating to sea stray into waters teeming with predators, including foreign species such as striped bass.
Federal biologist Jeff Stuart said closing the gates almost doubles salmon survival rates.
Other threats include herbicides to control aquatic weeds, entrapment in the suction effect of the water diversion pumps, and rough handling at fish screens near the pumps.
"Basically, if you enter the interior Delta, you're not going to survive," Stuart said.
The biological opinion does not directly consider effects on fall-run chinook salmon, because this species is not yet protected by the Endangered Species Act. But it is declining steeply and affected by the same threats.
The fall-run remains the largest salmon population on the West Coast, vital as ocean-going adults to the commercial fishing industry. It's also a primary food for the southern resident population of killer whale, or orca, an endangered species that ranges from Puget Sound to Monterey. Fewer salmon spawning in Central Valley rivers, then growing into adults in the ocean, could mean hard times for the orca.
Maria Rea, Sacramento supervisor for the Fisheries Service, said her team has not finished evaluating whether California water operations threaten the orca.
________________________________________
Call The Bee's Matt Weiser, (916) 321-1264. To comment on Delta issues, visit our reader forum at www.sacbee.com/delta.

Want to get realtime status of our water supply reserve levels?

Vist http://www.mwdh2o.com/mwdh2o/pages/yourwater/WaterAlert/

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Long Beach Water Board Issues New Water Supply Alert

Long Beach Water Board Issues New ALERT on So. Cal Water Supply; La Nina Conditions Now Predicted
City's water consumption is 15% below historical 10-year average through mandatory conservation; December '08 nearly 25% below historical 10-year average.

LONG BEACH, CA - Long Beach's Board of Water Commissioners has issued a new water supply ALERT for the City of Long Beach and southern California, due to extremely weak precipitation and snow pack in the northern Sierra Nevada; an uneventful forecast for northern California watersheds, including new predictions of dry La Nina conditions forming in the Pacific Ocean; extremely low water supply reserve levels; and the anticipated additional curtailment of imported water deliveries from north to south due to endangered species issues. The new ALERT urges Long Beach residents to sustain the City's record breaking reductions in water use, which is 15 percent below the City's historical 10-year average for the Fiscal Year started in October 2008. More importantly, Long Beach Water officials are calling on area cities to engage their residents. "These realities should be a catalyst for southern California water supply managers to immediately increase action on extraordinary conservation measures," stated John Allen, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. "Southern California water suppliers should be practicing for the worst; hope is not an adequate strategy here."

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Monday, January 5, 2009

H2O House - helpful hints to save water in and around your home!

http://www.h2ouse.org/

Stop Running Toilets!!!

Stop running toilets today!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Fg0ykuQyw

Citywide Water Use Prohibitions

The following uses of water are illegal in the City of Long Beach:

1. Over-watering/over-irrigating landscaped areas to the point of causiung run-off.

2. Watering landscaped areas between 9:00am and 4:00pm.

3. Watering landscaped areas on any day OTHER than Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

4. Washing down sidewalks, driveways, porches, streets, parking areas or any other paved area.

Please report water wasters at waterwaster@lbwater.org, or by visiting www.lbwater.org

Panel Proposes Building Canal Around Delta; No Voter/Legislative Approval

A panel of state leaders is calling for California to begin building a canal to divert water around the Delta by 2011, without approval from lawmakers or voters.

The final report released late Friday by the Delta Vision Committee, made up of five state Cabinet secretaries, thrusts the controversial canal into the top tier of California political battles.

Read the article in the SacBee at http://www.sacbee.com/capitolandcalifornia/story/1513445.html