ACWA’s eNews is a weekly roundup of California water news and events.
State Officials Release Draft of BDCP Fiscal Analysis – $5 Billion Benefit Estimated
MILPITAS – State officials released a draft fiscal analysis of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) during a press conference in Silicon Valley Wednesday, revealing estimates that new conveyance facilities in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could bring a $5 billion net benefit to the agricultural and urban water districts expected to pay for most of the project.
Commemorative Gold Edition of California’s Water Now Available
A commemorative Gold Edition featuring all 25 segments of the California’s Water series is now available.
Produced by iconic public television personality Huell Howser and underwritten by ACWA and its members, the first-of-its kind series has taken viewers on an educational journey through California water since its launch in 2006.
New Effort Looks at Future of Colorado River
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Tuesday kicked off phase one of a new collaborative effort to solve future water shortages on the Colorado River.
Local, state and federal officials from the seven Colorado River Basin states began meeting in San Diego this week at the U.S. Geological Survey’s California Water Science Center to outline a framework of “next steps” that could eventually lead to projects that deliver quantifiable water savings.
Assembly Approves Bill Moving State’s Drinking Water Program to State Board
An ACWA-opposed bill that would move the state’s drinking water program from the Department of Public Health to a new division of the State Water Resources Control Board cleared the Assembly on May 28 and is now headed to the Senate.
AB 145 by Assembly Member Henry Perea (D-Fresno) was approved on a 45-24 vote on the Assembly floor after a brief debate in which some Assembly members spoke in opposition to the measure and called for further discussions with the author to address concerns raised by opponents, including ACWA and its coalition partners.
San Luis and Westlands File Legal Challenge to Delta Plan
The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority and Westlands Water District on May 27 filed a legal challenge to the recently adopted Delta Plan, claiming the plan fails to achieve the coequal goals mandated in the 2009 Delta Reform Act.
The water agencies filed a petition for a writ of mandate in Sacramento Superior Court seeking to require the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) to revise the Delta Plan “to be consistent with the 2009 Delta Reform Act,” according to a press release issued by Westlands.
Retail Conservation Pricing Workshop Set for June 19 and 26
ACWA, in partnership with the California Urban Water Conservation Council, the Department of Water Resources and others, will co-host two BMP 1.4 Retail Conservation Pricing workshops on June 19 at the West Sacramento Civic Center Galleria, and June 26 at the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Los Angeles.
The all-day workshops will include panel discussions and small group listening sessions where participant feedback will be collected.
Topics to be addressed include:
Delta-Related Bill Held in Senate Appropriations Committee
An ACWA-opposed bill dealing with reduced reliance on the Delta was held in the Senate Appropriations Committee May 23.
Dry Conditions, Warmer Temperatures Fuel Early Wildfire Season
With 2013 proving to be a second dry year for most of California, state fire officials are bracing for a potentially severe fire season.
Dry conditions have already triggered an early start to this year’s wildfire season, and the outlook calls for above normal potential for significant wildfires in much of the state, according to recent bulletins from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) and the Intragency Fire Center.
Since January, CAL FIRE has responded to nearly 1,600 wildfires, a 50% increase from last year at this time.
Gov. Brown and Scientists Call for Action on Climate Change, Global Environment
Gov. Jerry Brown joined scientists from throughout the world May 23 in issuing a call to action on the environment and releasing a list of environmental issues policymakers must address to avoid reaching a “tipping point” of harm to the planet.
ACWA Region 8 Event – What Lies Beneath? A Look at Groundwater in Southern California
Thu, 06/13/2013
Location:
Carson, CA
ACWA Region 8 Presents
What Lies Beneath?
A Look at Groundwater in Southern California
MCWRA & ACWA Region 3 Joint Program – June 19, 2013
Wed, 06/19/2013 – 10:00am – 2:30pm
Location:
Auburn, CA
MCWRA & ACWA Region 3 Joint Program
Hosted by Placer County Water Agency
– Statewide Water Issues – Upstream Interests –
Please join us for the next MCWRA and ACWA Region 3 joint program on Statewide Water Issues – Upstream Interests
Northern California Tour
Wed, 10/16/2013 – Fri, 10/18/2013
Location:
The tour begins and ends at Sacramento International Airport
The Water Education Foundation’s 3-day, 2-night Northern California Tour travels the length of the Sacramento Valley, a major source of water for California. Stops include Oroville and Shasta dams, Red Bluff Fish Passage Improvement Project, Feather River Fish Hatchery, Clear Creek restoration site, GCID’s fish screen and Delevan Wildlife Refuge. Other highlights included a houseboat cruise on Shasta Reservoir. Participants learn about water supply management, farming, flood Sacramento International Airport.
San Joaquin River Restoration Tour
Thu, 11/07/2013 – Fri, 11/08/2013
Location:
The tour begins and ends in Fresno
The Water Education Foundation’s 2-day, 1-night San Joaquin River Restoration Tour explores challenges associated with restoring flows and a Chinook salmon fishery to the San Joaquin River from below Friant Dam to the confluence with the Merced River. The tour includes stops at Friant Dam, Interim San Joaquin River Salmon Conservation and Research Facility, Chowchilla Bifurcation and Canal, Mendota Pool, Sack Dam, Sand Slough Control Structure, and the Merced National Wildlife Refuge.
