Despite droughts, the recession and natural disasters,
California’s urban population continues to grow.
This population growth means increasing demand for water by urban
areas—home to most of California’s population [see also
Agricultural Conservation]. As of 2012, seven of the most
populated urbanized areas in the United States are in California.
On a warm September morning, Mike Goddard pointed his scope
toward a marshy pond within the Stillwater National Wildlife
Refuge. What Goddard hoped to spot: The many migratory birds
that forage in the shallow shores of the wetlands, once
abundant in this area outside of Fallon. … These species,
known as shorebirds, connect Western Nevada’s patchwork of
wetlands to the rest of the globe. … Yet these lands
have faced numerous threats in recent decades, both in Nevada
and across much of the Pacific Flyway, a major pathway for
migratory birds. Drought and water diversions have meant that
less water is filling many of these arid wetlands. Warming
temperatures have only added to the pressures on shorebirds,
contributing to a decline in Great Basin populations.
Arizona farmers this year benefitted from mitigation water that
otherwise would have cut their Central Arizona Project
irrigation deliveries to zero. They won’t be so fortunate next
year. When the Bureau of Reclamation issued its first-ever
Tier 1 restriction of Colorado River water from Lake Mead,
Arizona’s farmers faced the elimination of their surface water
supplies from the Central Arizona Project (CAP) for 2022. That
portion of CAP surface water, known as the “ag pool,” is part
of a 512,000-acre-foot cut Arizona faced under the restrictions
as part of the Drought Contingency Plan, an agreement designed
to preserve water in the Colorado River system.
The Pumphouse County Natural Area, one of northern Arizona’s
few preserved wetlands, has expanded its borders. Coconino
County Parks and Recreation recently announced it acquired an
important 6-acre parcel in Kachina Village that will be
restored and incorporated into the preserved natural area.
Located immediately adjacent to an Interstate 17 frontage road,
the parcel would have been an attractive site for future
development in the Kachina Village area, but with this recent
acquisition, it will become a protected piece of the wetland
landscape.
Thirty-one years ago, supervisors in San Francisco passed a
landmark piece of legislation as a signal of the city’s
commitment to the environment and conserving water. Any
new buildings that were bigger than 40,000 square feet and
located in designated zones on the city’s west and east sides
would be required to have “purple pipes.” These pipes, which
are literally required to be the color purple, would be
installed to transport waste to a recycled water plant.
… Over the last three decades, San Francisco has seen
more than 70 structures go up with dual-plumbing systems that
separate potable from recycled water. … But there’s just
one problem. … San Francisco never built a recycled water
treatment plant for these buildings.
A top Centennial State official warned Colorado River Basin
states that the system’s federal reservoirs could effectively
empty in a few short years barring aggressive reductions to
water demands. Colorado River Water Conservation District
General Manager Andy Mueller painted a bleak future for the
basin’s seven states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada,
New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — on Friday, during his
organization’s annual conference in Grand Junction, Colo., on
the river’s future. … More than two decades of drought
have significantly diminished the Colorado River, which spans
1,450 miles and supplies water to some 40 million individuals.
The second driest state in the country, Utah, doesn’t
contribute much water to the Colorado River as it flows from
Rocky Mountain headwaters through Canyonlands National Park to
Lake Powell. Utah has a unique position in the middle of
the river basin, geographically and politically, and it wields
less influence than thirstier and more populous states like
Colorado, California and Arizona. Its sprawling urban
centers along the Wasatch Front, which are home to 80% of the
state’s population, are outside of the Colorado River Basin and
are less dependent on the river than cities like Phoenix or Las
Vegas. Only 27% of the water used in Utah comes from the
Colorado River, with the majority of the state’s water supply
coming from other rivers that feed into the Great Salt Lake.
A group of property owners in one San Luis Obispo County
community can’t build homes on their lots due to a severe lack
of water, a federal judge ruled recently. U.S. Central
California District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer made her ruling
on Sept. 6 — dismissing a 2019 lawsuit filed by five landowners
who claimed the Cambria Community Services District and San
Luis Obispo County ruined any economic benefits from their
Cambria properties by effectively refusing to allow them to
develop homes. The landowners — none of whom reside in
California — alleged that the community services district and
county wrongly deprived them access to water and sewer
services, therefore denying their right to build on their
properties.
Recycled water will soon be flowing into a pair of golf courses
in Seaside that will allow clean water to be pumped to
additional affordable housing in the largest city along the
Monterey coast. In the coming weeks, water will be pumped to
irrigate the Bayonet and Black Horse golf courses, both owned
by the city of Seaside, from advanced treated wastewater from
Monterey One Water’s Pure Water Monterey project. Treated water
for the golf courses will result in less water being pumped out
of the over-taxed Seaside Groundwater Basin.
In the parched Colorado River basin, water managers are turning
over every stone looking for ways to keep the taps flowing.
Now, they’re finding more water in some unusual places – shower
drains and toilet flushes. At a sprawling sewage treatment
plant in Carson, California, the occasional breeze delivers a
pungent whiff of a reminder of how used water becomes “reused.”
Here, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is
planting the seeds for a massive new facility, where a
multi-billion-dollar installation could help recycle wastewater
and keep drinking supply flowing for the agency’s 19 million
customers.
The Carpinteria Planning Commission was originally scheduled
Tuesday to discuss the upcoming plans to turn the vacant The
Palms restaurant and connected residential units into a
brand-new hotel, but a last-minute adjustment forced a
postponement, leaving the commission to focus instead on the
first steps of planning a groundwater monitoring wells project
at El Carro Park. The groundwater wells were also originally
intended for a two-part hearing, which would have given the
chance for the commission to approve both the easement allowing
the city to use the land for water wells and the permits
necessary for the actual construction.
California American Water Co.’s effort to build its estimated
$322 million desalination plant on the Monterey Peninsula has
reached an important milestone with a state regulator and now
sets the stage for what promises to be a contentious hearing in
front of the full California Coastal Commission. In a news
release from Cal Am issued late last week, the company said the
Coastal Commission has determined that Cal Am’s application to
build the plant inside the Coastal Zone is complete. The
determination was confirmed Wednesday by Tom Luster, the
Coastal Commission’s lead staff member on the desal project.
Divvying up Colorado River water has been the subject of at
least two letters this week from Republican and Democratic
members of Arizona’s congressional delegation. One note
was sent to the head of the U.S. Department of Interior and the
other to the governor of California. A letter signed by
Republicans Debbie Lesko, Andy Biggs and Paul Gosar calls on
the Interior secretary to quickly help with negotiations
between states that rely on the Colorado River. The
lawmakers also want the feds to make California take water cuts
proportional to its usage.
The Coastside community is facing several problems today:
traffic congestion, a housing shortage and the impact of
droughts on our water supply. Of these three, only the future
prospect of annual water shortages due to the increasing
frequency of droughts is an existential threat to life here.
Housing without a reliable safe potable water supply is
uninhabitable. If we do not solve the water reserve problem
created by droughts, some homes here will have to be
abandoned. -Written by Jim Larimer, a former member of the
CCWD board.
Queen Creek received a long-awaited green light from the Bureau
of Reclamation to finalize a controversial plan to buy water
directly from farmland along the Colorado River. Driving the
news: The Bureau of Reclamation on Friday issued a document
known as a Finding of No Significant Impact for Queen Creek’s
plan. It clears the way for the town and the bureau to sign
contracts and finalize several other agreements for the water,
which Queen Creek could begin receiving as early as January,
utility director Paul Gardner tells Axios. … Why it
matters: The agreement will help ensure a water supply for
Queen Creek as it continues its rapid growth. Its population
went from 26,361 in 2010 to 59,519 a decade later.
Marin County’s code enforcement program is receiving increased
scrutiny following the adoption of an ordinance that prohibits
new building along San Geronimo Creek and its tributaries. In
March, the Board of Supervisors adopted an ordinance empowering
the county to fine residents up to $500 per day for code
violations. In May, the county announced it had reached a
tentative settlement over the ordinance with the Salmon
Protection and Watershed Network, or SPAWN.
California is in a megadrought. Like many other places across
the world, climate heating and unsustainable water usage have
brought California close to a potentially devastating water
shortage. But some help may come from an unexpected place:
economics. … Waste also means opportunity, and the
opportunity Milgrom sees would be transferring water use from
those who value it less to those who value it more (and are
willing to pay more for it).
More than 30 years ago, if you were to visit San Diego County,
you would be struck by the lush green lawns, beautiful gardens,
and many folks washing their cars. The county alongside the
Pacific Coast appeared to be flush with water. But in all
actuality, a major water catastrophe was already in the works.
From 1987-1992, California was hit with a megadrought, and San
Diego, which was at the end of the fresh water pipeline, was in
deep trouble. Fast forward, and today, San Diego is riding
a huge wave of success. The key: those who lived here decided
to reduce the risk of another painful drought from ever
happening again. They decided to spend the money, update
the infrastructure, and create a diverse water portfolio.
About three-quarters of metropolitan areas where more than half
of homes experienced intense drought in August have seen more
people move in than out in recent months, according to a new
report from Redfin, a technology-powered real estate brokerage.
In 34 of the 129 metros (26%) Redfin analyzed, more than 50% of
homes experienced intense drought in mid-August. Twenty-five of
those 34 metros (74%) saw net inflows in the second quarter. A
net inflow means more Redfin.com users looked to move in than
leave.
Data centers are springing up around the world to handle the
torrent of information from the expanding web of devices
ingrained in people’s lives and the economy. Managing that
digital information gusher is big business. It also comes with
hidden environmental costs. For years, companies that operate
data centers have faced scrutiny for the huge amounts of
electricity they use storing and moving digital information
like emails and videos. Now, the U.S. public is beginning to
take notice of the water many facilities require to keep from
overheating. Like cooling systems in large office buildings,
water often is evaporated in data center cooling towers,
leaving behind salty wastewater known as blowdown that has to
be treated by local utilities.
Even in the decades before the West plunged into a 22-year
drought, the proposals to shift water from wetter states to
more arid locations have never been in short supply. There was
the submarine pipeline from Alaska to California. Towing
Antarctic icebergs to make up for shortfalls in drinking water
supplies. A pipeline from Lake Superior to Wyoming. And that
one plan that more or less required an invasion of
Canada. Earlier this year, Utah legislators approved
a study of using the Pacific Ocean to refill the dwindling
Great Salt Lake via pipeline. Dempsey likewise pointed to
suggestions last year by an Idaho radio host who said
the state should use its political influence to “borrow the
Great Lakes.”
The California Department of Water Resources, or DWR, has
released the Draft Environmental Impact Report for the
embattled Delta Tunnel, beginning the 90-day public
comment period from July 27 to October 27 for what
conservationists describe as an “environmentally
destructive project.” According to project opponents,
different versions of this same gigantic and
wasteful public works project — the Peripheral Canal,
the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, the California Water Fix and
now the single Delta Conveyance — have cast a dark, toxic
shadow over California water policy since it was
first decisively rejected by California voters in
November 1982 as the Peripheral Canal.
No one knows exactly why, in the 14th century, the Hohokam
abandoned Pueblo Grande and other settlements across the Salt
River Valley. Two hypotheses (perhaps not mutually exclusive)
are that the Hohokam were laid low by prolonged drought and
that hundreds of years of relentless irrigation salinized the
soil, which in turn led to a collapse in agriculture.
… Today, Pueblo Grande lies at the heart of a sprawling
15,000-square-mile megalopolis with some 4.9 million residents,
which for the better part of half a century has been among the
fastest-growing metropolitan regions in the United
States. Like the previous civilization over which it is
built, Phoenix must rely on maintaining control of that most
precious and fleeting of desert resources: water.
When Contra Costa County supervisors last summer signed off on
125 new homes slated for 30 acres of grazing land in the
oak-dotted Tassajara Valley, they were warned water was going
to be an issue. Officials with the East Bay Municipal Utility
District made clear they opposed extending the agency’s
service boundary to send water to the proposed single-family
subdivision just east of Danville, especially given the ongoing
drought. Supervisors pushed ahead anyway, and the utility
district promptly sued to halt development plans. … The
fight over Tassajara Parks illustrates the challenges the Bay
Area faces in its push to build many more homes to
ease its housing affordability crisis, at the same
time local water systems are under strain by a
warming climate and years of drought.
It’s been a year since two devastating wildfires on opposite ends
of California underscored the harsh new realities facing water
districts and cities serving communities in or adjacent to the
state’s fire-prone wildlands. Fire doesn’t just level homes, it
can contaminate water, scorch watersheds, damage delivery systems
and upend an agency’s finances.
We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls ride over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things.
~John Wesley Powell
Powell scrawled those words in his journal as he and his expedition paddled their way into the deep walls of the Grand Canyon on a stretch of the Colorado River in August 1869. Three months earlier, the 10-man group had set out on their exploration of the iconic Southwest river by hauling their wooden boats into a major tributary of the Colorado, the Green River in Wyoming, for their trip into the “great unknown,” as Powell described it.
In the universe of California water, Tim Quinn is a professor emeritus. Quinn has seen — and been a key player in — a lot of major California water issues since he began his water career 40 years ago as a young economist with the Rand Corporation, then later as deputy general manager with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, and finally as executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. In December, the 66-year-old will retire from ACWA.
Owens Lake is a dry lake at the terminus of the Owens River
just west of Death Valley and on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada. For at least
800,000 years, the lake had a continuous flow of water, until
1913 when the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
(LADWP) completed the 233-mile Los Angeles
Aqueduct to supplement the budding metropolis’
increasing water demands.
This 25-minute documentary-style DVD, developed in partnership
with the California Department of Water Resources, provides an
excellent overview of climate change and how it is already
affecting California. The DVD also explains what scientists
anticipate in the future related to sea level rise and
precipitation/runoff changes and explores the efforts that are
underway to plan and adapt to climate.
Many Californians don’t realize that when they turn on the
faucet, the water that flows out could come from a source close
to home or one hundreds of miles away. Most people take their
water for granted; not thinking about the elaborate systems and
testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state. Where drinking water comes from,
how it’s treated, and what people can do to protect its quality
are highlighted in this 2007 PBS documentary narrated by actress
Wendie Malick.
A 30-minute version of the 2007 PBS documentary Drinking Water:
Quenching the Public Thirst. This DVD is ideal for showing at
community forums and speaking engagements to help the public
understand the complex issues surrounding the elaborate systems
and testing that go into delivering clean, plentiful water to
households throughout the state.
A companion to the Truckee River Basin Map poster, this 24×36
inch poster, suitable for framing, explores the Carson River, and
its link to the Truckee River. The map includes Lahontan Dam and
Reservoir, the Carson Sink, and the farming areas in the basin.
Map text discusses the region’s hydrology and geography, the
Newlands Project, land and water use within the basin and
wetlands. Development of the map was funded by a grant from the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Mid-Pacific Region, Lahontan Basin
Area Office.
As the state’s population continues to grow and traditional water
supplies grow tighter, there is increased interest in reusing
treated wastewater for a variety of activities, including
irrigation of crops, parks and golf courses, groundwater recharge
and industrial uses.
The 20-page Layperson’s Guide to Water Marketing provides
background information on water rights, types of transfers and
critical policy issues surrounding this topic. First published in
1996, the 2005 version offers expanded information on
groundwater banking and conjunctive use, Colorado River
transfers and the role of private companies in California’s
developing water market.
Order in bulk (25 or more copies of the same guide) for a reduced
fee. Contact the Foundation, 916-444-6240, for details.
The 24-page Layperson’s Guide to Integrated Regional Water
Management (IRWM) is an in-depth, easy-to-understand publication
that provides background information on the principles of IRWM,
its funding history and how it differs from the traditional water
management approach.
Despite droughts, recession and natural disasters, California’s
urban population continues to grow.
This population growth means increasing demand for water by urban
areas—home to most of California’s population [see also Agricultural
Conservation]. As of 2021, three of the nation’s 10 most
populated cities are in California.
This printed issue of Western Water features a
roundtable discussion with Anthony Saracino, a water resources
consultant; Martha Davis, executive manager of policy development
with the Inland Empire Utilities Agency and senior policy advisor
to the Delta Stewardship Council; Stuart Leavenworth, editorial
page editor of The Sacramento Bee and Ellen Hanak, co-director of
research and senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of
California.
This printed issue of Western Water discusses low
impact development and stormwater capture – two areas of emerging
interest that are viewed as important components of California’s
future water supply and management scenario.
This printed issue of Western Water examines the
changed nature of the California Water Plan, some aspects of the
2009 update (including the recommendation for a water finance
plan) and the reaction by certain stakeholders.
This printed issue of Western Water explores some of the major
challenges facing Colorado River stakeholders: preparing for
climate change, forging U.S.-Mexico water supply solutions and
dealing with continued growth in the basins states. Much of the
content for this issue of Western Water came from the in-depth
panel discussions at the September 2009 Colorado River Symposium.
This issue of Western Water asks whether a groundwater
compact is needed to manage this shared resource today. In the
water-stressed West, there will need to be a recognition of
sharing water resources or a line will need to be drawn in the
sand against future growth.
This issue of Western Water examines the continuing practice of
smart water use in the urban sector and its many facets, from
improved consumer appliances to improved agency planning to the
improvements in water recycling and desalination. Many in the
water community say conserving water is not merely a response to
drought conditions, but a permanent ethic in an era in which
every drop of water is a valuable commodity not to be wasted.
When water and growth was featured in the May/June 1995 Western
Water, the debate in the California Legislature was about whether
a local water district should have any say when it came to
providing water to new developments. Of the four bills before
state lawmakers, it was Sen. Jim Costa’s SB 901 that cleared the
Legislature and was signed into law. The bill established a
voluntary link between water and land-use planning by requiring
planning departments to consult with local water purveyors about
the availability of new supplies.
