CCWD chief warns of water grab

SoCal, Delta thirst for Sierra resource

Concern is growing about the future of water supplies throughout the foothills, especially in light of a new Central Valley Delta water plan being rolled out and a continuing population increase throughout the state.

Members of the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association who hail from 15 counties on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada are increasingly concerned about their ability to satisfy the potential demand for escalating reliable flows of water to Central and Southern California.

“We have to be proactive and we have to be engaged,” said Mitch Dion, general manger of the Calaveras County Water District. “This is not the kind of thing you can stand on the sidelines for.”

Northern Sierra Nevada rivers and streams provide an estimated 40-to-60 percent of the water for the state of California, depending on the year.

Dion said the amount of water southern California uses from the Sierra foothills depends largely on how much water the Colorado River can provide.

“Southern California depends on the Colorado and the State Water Project,” Dion said.

Water is transferred from the northern California mountains through two large multi-facility water projects: The Central Valley Project began in the 1930s and is managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The State Water Project began construction in the 1950s and is managed by the Department of Water Resources. The water flows through the San Joaquin Delta starting in Sacramento and is routed into the Delta Mendota Canal and the California Aqueduct via the Tracy Pumping Station near Tracy and the Banks Pumping Station near Livermore, according to MCWRA.

Southern California uses a blend of Colorado and Sierra Nevada water.

“We used to say it’s about 50/50,” Dion said. “That is no longer true. In some years, when the Colorado has more water, then it’s less expensive to take water from the Colorado and they will opt to use that water. However, water coming from the Sierra has much better quality, so they alternate.”

This system puts an increased burden on the Sierra water resources during drought years when the Colorado is low.

The waters from the Sierra are used for domestic consumption, irrigation, livestock, fire protection, commercial and industrial enterprises, wildlife habitat, flood control, hydroelectric energy and recreation, according to MCWRA.

There are two main issues causing MCWRA members anxiety: population increase and the Delta Plan.

The California Department of Finance forecasts the state population will exceed 50 million by 2049. By 2060, the forecast is that there will be 15.4 million more people living in the state, a 39 percent increase over 2010. The largest increases will be in the inland counties of the Central Valley and Southern California.

Dion said he’s not as concerned with population increase as he is with the Delta Plan.

“Much population growth will be organic to people here having children from within the state, as opposed to the large migrations of people we’ve seen in the past,” he said. “We will likely have growth of several hundred thousand per year.”

The Delta Plan, required by legislation passed in 2009, is scheduled for adoption by the end of 2013. It has co-equal goals of enhancing the Delta ecosystem and providing a more reliable water supply. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Reform Act of 2009 also created the Delta Stewardship Council as an independent state agency to “develop, adopt, and commence implementation of a comprehensive resources management plan for the Delta.” The Delta is a 1,300-square-mile inland estuary. It is home for 500,000 people. Agriculture, fishing and water recreation are the major economic activities.

In recent years, threatened and endangered fish populations such as salmon and smelt have declined. Water deliveries to the south were curtailed and lawsuits ensued.

It is the Delta Plan that causes Dion the most concern, because it could directly impact Calaveras County. He said the powers-that-be are looking at “under-utilized” water rights throughout the state and may look to “realign” them.

“Primarily, this is the result of a federal court decision, which eliminated the southern portion of the San Joaquin contributors,” Dion said. “Now they are looking at Stanislaus, Tuolumne and the Merced as primary contributors. All water flowing to the Delta is not created equal. The Stanislaus does not enhance a lot of fisheries on the San Joaquin. In my opinion, there is a possibility an undue burden could be placed upon Calaveras resources in order to balance out statewide issues.”

Without an added burden, mountain counties will already be taxed to provide traditional amounts of water in light of below-average precipitation throughout the Sierra.

On March 22, the Department of Water Resources announced that due to a combination of restrictions to pumping to minimize harm to native fish and a drastically reduced snowpack in the mountains, water deliveries are estimated at 35 percent of the total requests this year.

The notice said water content in the snowpack is 56 percent of normal.

Dion said with water shortages, Delta concerns and water rights in jeopardy, Calaveras County organizations must be vigilant to protect their interest.

“Ultimately, looking at how we make our economy work with the tourism base we currently have and protecting quality of life, we have to be vigilant in making sure our rights as a county are protected. Working with neighboring agencies is crucial.”

While Calaveras County only uses a fraction of its water rights currently, it may use much more in the future.

“We must protect our economy and the future and not limit the options and potential for our county to have a viable economy that is more diversified than it already is,” Dion said.

“We are working with our associations, through our primary activist, ACWA (Associaton of California Water Agencies), and independently with legislatures to make sure the elements that go with our water resources are foremost in their mind.”

There are also challenges within Calaveras, and other counties, when it comes to infrastructure.

The water conveyance systems in the Sierra Nevada date from mining operations that began with the Gold Rush. Hundreds of miles of ditches, canals and flumes carry water through isolated areas. Today, these systems are managed by water districts and agencies that are faced with upgrading and replacing their conveyance systems and meeting state standards for both treated water and waste water. With smaller populations and no industrial bases to support the systems, they struggle to meet the demands for their customers and statewide requirements.

“Water is vital to the environment, economy and our way of life in this state,” said John Kingsbury, MCWRA executive director. “Ongoing adaptive water management is critical to counter climate change effects in the Sierra Nevada, the state’s largest natural winter reservoir. The experts provide us with the best available science. It is our job to analyze the data, determine the risk, and act responsibly if we are to provide a lasting legacy for future generations that ensures a vibrant economy and healthy quality of life inseparable from this special landscape.”

 Contact Joel Metzger at joel@calaverasenterprise.com