Special Commentary: Kevin Wattier, GM, Long Beach Water

Not Enough is Being Done to Forestall or Lessen the Impact of Imminent Water Supply Shortage in Southern California


1. - The initial allocation for the State Water Project for calendar year 2009 was set at only 15% of contractual amounts in late October, and has not changed since then
- The primary storage reservoir on the State Water Project, Lake Oroville, is currently only 28% full. Lake Shasta, the primary reservoir on the federal Central Valley Project,
is 29% full. In both cases, this is less than half of normal for this time of year. The only other time Lake Oroville was this low in December in its 40-year history was in 1977.
- In 2007 and 2008, two dry years, the Metropolitan Water District used over half of it's dry-year storage to offset the difference between supply and demand in Southern California.
- Southern California has lost over 30% of it's access to imported water due to endangered species issues (State Water Project and Los Angeles Aqueduct), competition from
other states (Colorado River Water), and drought (all three supplies).

2. - In 2007, federal judge Oliver Wanger in Fresno ruled that the Biological Opinion to protect the delta smelt, a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act, was
invalid. He subsequently implemented interim protections, which had the affect of restricting the amount of water that can be pumped out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by the
state and federal water projects by 20 to 30%. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is scheduled to announce a new, permanent Biological Opinion by Monday, December 15th, as ordered
by Judge Wanger.

3. - Populations of several fish species in the Delta have declined precipitously in recent years, most notably the delta smelt and its cousin the longfin smelt. These two species are critical
elements of the food web and ecosystem in the Delta. Consequently, there are currently several actions under way to further protect these two species:
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a petition to change the status of the delta smelt under the FESA from threatened to endangered, a more protective classification
- The US Fish and Wildlife Service is considering a petition to list the longfin smelt under the FESA
- The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is considering a petition to list the longfin smelt under the CESA, and issued emergency regulations in November to provide
interim protections. These interim protections have the potential to reduce water supplies from the Delta by another 10 to 15%. A final listing decision is expected in February 2009.
- Populations of salmon spawning in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers and their tributaries have also decreased dramatically in recent years, prompting the Department of Commerce
to ban all commercial salmon fishing off the California and Oregon coasts in 2008.

4. - All water agencies and cities in Southern California should take immediate actions to permanently reduce their water demands by at least 10%. This is what is needed to correct the imbalance
that currently exists between water demands and water supplies in Southern California. Just as the reductions in supply are expected to be permanent, the reductions in demand need to be
permanent, not temporary. Mandatory prohibitions on the wasting of water should be a minimum, combined with an aggressive public education campaign to educate all water users of
the need to conserve. Encouraging conversions from grass to California-friendly landscapes through whatever means necessary is the best way to accomplish this reduction in water demand.

Where would you like to put a water-efficient landscape? Let us all know.

If you could, where would you like to see a beautiful, water-efficient, southern California native landscape? Is there a park or other public space, a particular building or business that you'd like to see landscaped? Let us know.

Learn to landscape like the pros...and visit the Aquarium of the Pacific...FREE!

Free Residential Landscape Classes
Save the Water: Grass lawns require more water and chemicals per foot and cause more runoff than almost any other kind of landscape! About 50 percent of the water used at the average home is for landscape irrigation.

Save the Planet: Grass lawns are responsible for much of our urban runoff, runoff carrying lawn clippings, fertilizers and other pollutants into our precious coastal marine habitat.
Drinking water supply in Southern California has been permanently reduced. One of the best ways to reduce our need for water is to transform our grass lawns into a beautiful landscape utilizing attractive drought tolerant plants, reducing runoff, attracting animals like butterflies and hummingbirds, and requiring very little maintenance. Learn how at the following terrific classes.


Landscape Classes - Long Beach Water Department
Classes are from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, come join us and take home a few tips!

Designing Your New LandscapeDates: January 10th ~ February 21st ~ April 11thLocation: Long Beach Water Department, 1800 E. Wardlow Rd.

Choosing the Best Plants for You Dates: January 24th ~ April 25th ~ May 23rdLocation: Aquarium of the Pacific, 100 Aquarium WayParking: Park in the structure and the cost is $6, but admission to the aquarium after the class is FREE!

Your Sprinkler Systems, Soil, Watering Schedule, and FertilizersDates: February 7th ~ May 9thLocation: Long Beach Water Department, 1800 E. Wardlow Rd.

Sign up today: Space is limited, so register today by calling 562-570-2300

Mrs. Nuttington

Mrs. Nuttington is fed up! See the great commercial at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhpevdl2Sng

Long Beach! Sign up to receive your realtime watering schedule electronically! Visit http://www.lbwater.org/pdf/conservation/ewu_homepage.pdf

Justin Rudd's 30 Minute Beach Clean Up - Dec. 20th!

NEXT 30-MINUTE BEACH CLEANUP: Sat., Dec. 20, 10 a.m. (our 115th consecutive month!).

1 Granada Ave., Belmont Shore in Long Beach, 90803. Be sure to be signed-in by 10 a.m. to get a raffle ticket. MAPFree parking (when you enter the lot at 1 Granada Ave. after 9:30 a.m.). Free bags, gloves, refreshments from Duthie Power Services, door prizes from the Aquarium of the Pacific and Aroma di Roma, and volunteer credit forms will be available, too! PLEASE We do provide bags, but we encourage folks to bring their own recycled bags - like a plastic grocery sack. NOTE: DO NOT PICK UP SHARP OBJECTS FROM THE BEACH..

For more info go to www.beachcleanup.org

Long Beach water consumption hitting record lows; November '08 is new record low

Today, the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners have announced that Long Beach water demand for November 2008 has set a new record 10-year low. Long Beach water use this November was 12.1 percent below the historical 10-year average ('98-'07) water use. November '08 water use was 7.9 percent below November '07. November's new record low marks the 11th record setting month for low water use since September 2007. Long Beach water consumption over the last 12 months is tracking at 10.1 percent below the historical 10-year average ('98-'07).
Last month, the Board announced
that the City had a set a new record 10-year low for water consumption for Fiscal Year 2008. That announcement meant that the City had consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08, than in any other year over the past decade. In fact, the City consumed less water in Fiscal Year '08 than it did during the height of the 1987-1992 drought, with mandatory rationing and a population 15 percent smaller than today. The Long Beach Water Department is in its second year of extraordinary, mandatory water conservation due to an imminent water supply shortage in southern California.
"Waste not, want not," says John Allen
, President of the Long Beach Board of Water Commissioners. "Again, every gallon we don't use is a gallon we leave in storage. This is an idea that should have been embraced months ago by every community in southern California. We have been using our storage to water our landscapes, and that storage is at historic low levels as we head into what may very well be another dry year." 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 next year.

Nine Long Beach Residents Win Brand New, Water Efficient Landscape

Nine Long Beach residents have been selected as the winners of the Long Beach Water Department's citywide water-efficient landscape opportunity drawing. Long Beach City Councilmembers randomly selected the winning home in their District at the regularly scheduled Council meeting held Tuesday, December 2nd.

The nine winners will receive a brand new, water-efficient front yard, professionally designed and installed, and paid for by the Long Beach Water Department. Over 1,700 residents entered the drawing via the Long Beach Water Department's website.

50 to 70% of all the water we use in Long Beach is used outside, primarily on our lush, non-native, thirsty landscapes. The best way to conserve vast amounts of water is through water-efficient landscape and irrigation methods, demonstrated through initiatives like this opportunity drawing.