In a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) on Water Conservation and longterm water management, Mountain Counties Water Resources Association thanked the SWRCB for scheduling the  forthcoming April 20 Public Workshop to consider modifications to the extended emergency urban water conservation regulation. The Mountain Counties Water Resources Association also encouraged the SWRCB to revisit the emergency regulations and to consider a regional approach applicable to a region’s local water supply conditions.  “The SWRCB should consider those regions where local water supply conditions have returned to normal and rescind the drought restrictions in those areas”, said John Kingsbury, Executive Director, MCWRA.  Further, as we move forward, there are four key foundational points that the SWRCB should consider relevant to long-term water management decisions as we move beyond this drought.

1. Long-term water management policy is most appropriately developed and administered by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) as the lead agency in managing the state’s Urban Water Management Plan/Water Shortage Contingency Plan process. Long-term water management solutions are most appropriately developed and administered at the local water district level.

2. California Water Action Plan, Action No. 2 is to “Promote Local Urban Conservation Ordinances and Programs.” Local water districts by design are increasingly conserving water by prohibiting certain types of wasteful water use. Local water districts are also pioneering incentive programs.  These actions by local water districts are foundational in Action No. 2, which is to promote local water district programs.

3. The SWRCB should encourage and support investments in drought-resiliency and ongoing water-use efficiency and leave discretion with local water agencies to choose appropriate management strategies.

4. Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM), administered by DWR enables self-identified regions to integrate and implement water management solutions for their region, which again is a foundation of Action 2 in the California Water Action Plan. The fundamental principle of IRWM is that “regional water managers, who are organized into regional water management groups (RWMGs), are best suited and best positioned to manage water resources to meet regional needs.”

Clearly the intent of these foundation points is to preserve local control over water management decisions.

Respectfully, the SWRCB is encouraged to affirmatively support the long-term water management policies of DWR and affirmatively support and preserve local control over water management decisions.

See more: April 2016 – SCWRB Comments and longterm management

Echoed by South Tahoe Public Utilities District’s (STPUD) general manager Richard Solbrig, “Put succinctly, STPUD believes that hydrologic and hydrogeologic conditions in the Tahoe Basin support the recission of the emergency regulations for local water purveyors that rely on this watershed”.

See more: South Tahoe PD Emergency Conservation Regulations 4-8-16

Mountain Counties Water Resources Association (MCWRA) would like to welcome the Urban Water Institute (UWI) as our newest member.

The Urban Water Institute, Inc., was incorporated as a nonprofit public education organization in the State of California in 1993, with the Mission to provide non-partisan information of timely and pertinent interest to the water resource industry, including public agencies and private firms, with particular emphasis on water economics, management and resource policies as they affect consumers and the general economy.

Board of Directors
The Institute is governed by a volunteer board of 34 directors drawn from hands-on policy makers, elected officials and industry leaders who are active in the water resources industry.

John Kingsbury, MCWRA Executive Director: Together we have been nurturing our urban and rural relationship for the past few years and I am delighted and very excited that the Urban Water Institute has joined our membership.  This is significant for our Association.  In fact, this is such a good relationship, my Board of Directors authorized MCWRA becoming a member of the UWI. The relationship didn’t happen overnight.  It took several trips to southern California, making presentations, meeting with the UWI Board of Directors, a tour of the King Fire for our colleagues from the San Joaquin Valley and southern California, highlighted by a 1/2 day program at the El Dorado Irrigation District.  That meeting and the tour program was made possible because of the sponsorship and coordination efforts of our Associate member Gywn-Mohr Tully of Tully & Young and interest and participation by several other partners here in the Mountain Counties.  What was significant during the tour that culminated in the 1/2 day meeting was the opportunity for northern CA water managers to network with San Joaquin Valley and southern CA water managers.  We connected!  We are very much interested in building on our shared interests, raise awareness of those interests, and work together for our common good and that of the state.

UWI program in southern CA on a new way to look at Watershed Management

from left: John Kingsbury, MCWRA Executive Director, Martha Conklin, PhD., Roger Bales PhD, Jim Branham, Executive Officer, Sierra Nevada Conservancy

King Fire Tour

More on King Fire Tours

When:  Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Where:  The Ridge Golf Course and Event Center in Auburn

Time:  Doors open at 9:00 a,m, – Program starts at 9:30 a.m.

Hear from speakers in the morning and a panel discussion in the afternoon.

Why Sites Reservoir now – What does it mean to Northern California, California Agriculture, and the effects of climate change, past, present, and the future! – You won’t want to miss it!

• Sites Project Authority – the proposed Sites Reservoir would be a large offstream reservoir in the Sacramento Valley in Northern California
• San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority represents approximately 2,100,000 acres of 29 federal and exchange water service contractors within the western San Joaquin Valley, San Benito and Santa Clara counties.
• Westlands Water District is the largest agricultural water district in the United States, made up of more than 1,000 square miles of prime farmland in western Fresno and Kings Counties.

The announcement of guest speakers, more details, and registration to follow – –Save the Date

By: John Kingsbury, Executive Director

Recovering from this historical drought would no doubt cause change in people’s behavior. Right?  While Californians can take full credit for willingly sacrificing their landscape and adjusting habits to save our water supply for another year, did we learn much from this exercise?  Water districts, agriculture and home consumers did. However, for regulators of the state and federal reservoirs, not really.

In the midst of our recovery, the state’s largest storage reservoirs, Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom are flushing millions of gallons of fresh water to the sea.  Senator Dianne Feinstein and several congressional Republicans argued that the water should be captured for agricultural purposes.  And, at the same time, this additional fresh water could be diverted and put to beneficial use by both north state and southern California homes. Yet regulators over the state and federal reservoirs see it differently and let the water head to the bay.

Certainly Californians have learned to use water efficiently, improve water use technologies, and recycle our waste water, but we missed the opportunity to “bank” flood water.

We are in a drought with landscape irrigation restrictions.  Many ground water basins are in a deficit. Yet flood water is being allowed to flow past those who have complied with water restrictions and the impacted underground water storage reservoirs.  The answer is not to continue with landscape restrictions, higher water rates, and a change in the quality of life, but to implement measures to capture and store winter excess flood flows as a water “bank” for later use in the summer and the fall.

Development of new and expanded surface storage facilities to store and “bank” the flood water and increase injection of this water into the aquifers should be one of the state’s top priorities for utilization of existing voter approved state water bond funds. But, to date, there is little movement to do so.

This missed opportunity is inexcusable.

While the drought conditions that formed the basis of the Governor’s proclamation and Emergency Urban Water Conservation Restrictions exist in some parts of the state, water suppliers within the watersheds of the Mountain Counties yield normal water supply conditions.

The El Dorado Irrigation District (EID), Georgetown Divide Public Utility District (GDPUD), Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) and Nevada Irrigation District (NID), have lifted their drought emergency declarations because of normal water supply conditions. Due to the present hydrologic conditions each district has declared the drought in their service area over, and has called upon the State Water Resources Control Board to remove the drought restrictions in their region.

El Dorado Irrigation District Comment Letter.pdf  – …every reservoir upon which the District relies is full or will fill, and the District anticipates again having surplus water available for transfer in 2016.  It is time to return local control to agencies like the District that have attained normal water supply conditions.

Georgetown Divide PUD   – Stumpy Meadows Reservoir levels have more than doubled in the past 90 days and have now reached 100% of the 20,000 acre feet capacity limit.

PCWA – Letter to Felicia Marcus RE Emergency Conservation Regulations  – PCWA will have access to full supplies for all of its existing retail and wholesale treated water customers….and enough carryover storage in all project reservoirs and groundwater basines to meet demand in 2017, even it is is a dry year.  PCWA believes that hydrologic conditions in the American and South Yuba river systems support the rescission of the emergency regulations for local water purveyors that rely on these watersheds.

Nevada Irrigation District  –  NID’s water supply has rebounded strongly after four years of drought. Precipitation at Bowman Reservoir (elev. 5,650 ft.) reached 69.34 inches on Mar. 20, which is 127 percent of average for the date.

NEWS CBS and Fox 40 recently interviewed Ross Branch, Public Affairs Manager for PCWA and reported on this subject:

March 24, 2016: CBS’s report on PCWA’s request to ease drought restrictions:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/03/24/placer-water-officials-call-on-california-to-ease-drought-restrictions/

March 24, 2016: Fox 40’s report on water conservation despite reservoir releases:

http://fox40.com/2016/03/24/water-conservation-measures-remain-in-place-despite-major-reservoir-releases/

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On April 20, 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public workshop to receive input on the potential modification of the current Emergency Regulation for Statewide Urban Water Conservation. This will be an informational workshop only and the State Water Board will take no formal action. Public Workshop Notice.

Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) and Nevada Irrigation District (NID) have requested the State ease water restrictions in their service areas.  Despite full reservoirs, average and above average snowpack in the northern Sierra, and increased reservoir storage releases to the ocean from Shasta, Oroville, and Folsom, the emergency drought water regulations continue to impact the region.

“Adding to the debate over Northern California’s winter stormwaters, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and congressional Republicans asked President Obama on Thursday to increase the volume of water pumped through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the drought-stricken San Joaquin Valley.  Feinstein, D-Calif., and a group of California House Republicans led by Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy called for increased pumping in a pair of letters to the White House. … ”  MORE FROM MAVENS NOTEBOOK

On April 20, 2016, the State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public workshop to receive input on the potential modification of the current Emergency Regulation for Statewide Urban Water Conservation. This will be an informational workshop only and the State Water Board will take no formal action. Public Workshop Notice.

NEWS CBS and Fox 40 recently interviewed Ross Branch, Public Affairs Manager for PCWA and reported on this subject:

March 24, 2016: CBS’s report on PCWA’s request to ease drought restrictions:

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2016/03/24/placer-water-officials-call-on-california-to-ease-drought-restrictions/

March 24, 2016: Fox 40’s report on water conservation despite reservoir releases:

http://fox40.com/2016/03/24/water-conservation-measures-remain-in-place-despite-major-reservoir-releases/

Contact:  Rem Scherzinger, (530) 273-6185

or:  Dave Carter, (530) 265-NEWS

GRASS VALLEY  –  With well above average precipitation, full reservoirs and a mountain snowpack, the Nevada Irrigation District is hoping to breathe a little easier this year.

The NID Board of Directors on Wednesday (Mar. 23) rescinded its drought emergency declaration of a year ago and voted to ask the State Department of Water Resources to ease the water use restrictions faced by NID’s potable water customers.

Under the current state mandate, which extends to October, NID must reduce consumption by treated water users by 33 percent (from 2013 baseline levels).  The District will request approval to be placed in a 4 percent conservation tier, based on adequate treated water supply.

Chip Close, Water Operations Manager, said the district plans normal water deliveries to irrigation water customers who are not covered by the state mandate.  Meanwhile, NID will continue to encourage treated water conservation.    The NID Board also declared that surplus water would be available this year.

NID’s water supply has rebounded strongly after four years of drought.  Precipitation at Bowman Reservoir (elev. 5,650 ft.) reached 69.34 inches on Mar. 20, which is 127 percent of average for the date.  The month of March alone produced 21 inches.

NID reservoir storage jumped to 239,420 acre-feet by Mar. 20, which is 90 percent of capacity.  The current snowpack is expected to melt and bolster reservoir levels through much of the year, making the year a good recovery year for hydroelectric power generation and public recreation.

NID supplies more than 27,500 treated drinking water and irrigation water customers in Nevada, Placer and Yuba counties.  The district provides watershed stewardship, produces renewable energy and offers public recreation at its reservoirs.

More NID NEWS

Contact:

Joel Metzger, Public Information Officer/Customer Relations Manager

Desk: (209) 754-3123 |Mobile: (209) 768-6270

Thousands of Calaveras County Water District customers won’t pay more for water and wastewater services this fall with the Board of Directors’ decision Wednesday to cancel a rate increase planned for September. The increase would have raised monthly water rates by $5.11 and wastewater by $3.84.

“I’m pleased we were able to move forward with the critical projects in our Capital Improvement Program without raising rates,” said Dave Eggerton, CCWD general manager. “We were able to prevent an increase of $8.95 per month for customers who have both water and wastewater service.”

The rate increase would have been the third since 2013. It was initially scheduled for September 2015 as part of a five-year rate plan, but the sitting Board postponed it for one year before eliminating it Wednesday.

Read More

Contact:

Einar Maisch, General Manager (530) 823-4860 or: Ross Branch, Public Affairs Manager (530) 823-1937

AUBURN, CA – In a letter addressed to the Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) requested that emergency drought regulations, which have been in effect since last May, be rescinded. The content and purpose of the letter were discussed at PCWA’s Board of Directors meeting on March 17.

“At the last State Water Board meeting regarding emergency drought regulations, the Board directed staff to continually monitor data and determine if conditions warranted a rescission or adjustment of the regulation,” said General Manager Einar Maisch. “This letter provides Water Board staff with recent and relevant hydrological conditions, and demonstrates that drought conditions no longer exist in the watersheds that service the region.”

Click link to view letter: PCWA – Letter to Felicia Marcus RE Emergency Conservation Regulations

The Association of California Water Agencies, California Municipal Utilities Association, Mountain Counties Water Resources Association, Northern California Water Association and State Water Contractors provided comments on the California Water Commission’s draft Water Storage Investment Program quantification regulations.

Click link to view letter: ACWA-CMUA-MCWRA-NCWA-SWC comment letter WSIP quantification regulations (031416)

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