ACWA eNews for March 4, 2015

ACWA’s eNews is a weekly roundup of California water news and events.

 

ACWA Legislative Symposium Focuses on Groundwater Adjudication, Prop. 218 Changes

ACWA’s 2015 Legislative Symposium held in Sacramento today focused on key water issues being addressed this legislative session, including the streamlining of groundwater basin adjudications and possible changes to Proposition 218.

The day-long conference, held at the Sacramento Convention Center, offered more than 140 attendees an opportunity to hear differing perspectives on water issues facing lawmakers this term. ACWA Vice President Kathy Tiegs opened the conference with welcoming remarks.

DWR and USACE Seeking Stakeholder Input on Sacramento River Basin Watershed Study

The Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Sacramento District seeking input from interested stakeholders for a jointly-led watershed study covering the Sacramento River Basin called the Central Valley Integrated Flood Management Study.

Stakeholder events are currently being planned and are expected to be scheduled early this year. USACE says the goal of the events is to facilitate discussions on water resources challenges and focus on goals, objectives and possible solutions that could be recommended by the agencies to address the challenges.

 

DWR Says Statewide Snowpack at 19% is Lowest Since 1991

The Department of Water Resources’ third manual snow survey of the season showed the state’s snowpack at disappointingly low levels on Tuesday.

The statewide snowpack was at just 19% of average for the date — the second-lowest statewide snowpack recorded in early March since 1991’s reading of 18%. In January the statewide snowpack was at 25%.

U.S. Reps. La Malfa and Garamendi Introduce Sites Reservoir Bill

Saying that it’s time to move forward with plans for the Sites Reservoir, U.S. Reps. Doug La Malfa (CA-01) and John Garamendi (CA-03) have introduced HR 1060, legislation aimed at accelerating feasibility studies for the project. Located in Colusa and Glenn counties, the Sites Reservoir is a proposed off-stream reservoir that could store as much as 1.8 million acre-feet of water.

Californians’ Water Savings Dips in January, an Exceptionally Dry Month

Californians’ water savings dipped in January to 8.8% from a high of 22% in December and record-breaking dry weather is being eyed as a possible culprit for the drop.

That was one of the take-aways from today’s meeting of the State Water Resources Control Board where officials parsed water production data for January and brainstormed how they could keep the water conservation messaging on point as the state lurches through another drought year.

The savings rate is calculated by comparing water production data from the same month in 2013.

 

Rains of December and Early February Allow Slight Increase in SWP Deliveries

The California Department of Water Resources today announced that the storms of mid-December and early February have allowed officials to make a small increase in water deliveries to most customers of the State Water Project, bumping the allocation from 15% to 20%.

OEHHA Updates Public Health Goal for Perchlorate in Drinking Water

The Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) today published an updated public health goal (PHG) for perchlorate in drinking water of 1 part per billion (ppb), citing new research related to the health impacts of perchlorate on infants.

“This updated public health goal reflects infants’ increased susceptibility to the health effects of perchlorate,” said OEHHA Director Dr. George Alexeeff. “It is set at a level that would provide health protection for people of all ages.”

Reclamation Announces Initial Zero Water Allocation for Many Ag Users North and South of Delta

California’s continuing dry conditions have prompted the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to announce a second year of a zero initial water allocation for many agricultural users north and south of the Delta. Senior water rights holders will be receiving some water but at diminished quantities, officials announced today.

 

Mokelumne River Salmon Defy Drought with Help from East Bay MUD and CDFW

More than 12,000 Chinook salmon defied the drought last fall and returned to the Mokelumne River to spawn, creating the river’s fifth-largest run in 74 years, East Bay Municipal Utility District announced this week.

Sacramento Region Uses Less Water Despite Drier, Warmer Weather

The Sacramento region used less water in January compared to the previous two years despite the dry and warm weather, according to local water use data submitted to the State Water Resources Control Board and the Regional Water Authority.

According to a press release from RWA, water use in January 2015 dropped 18% compared to the same month last year, and dropped 3% compared to January 2013, the year the State Board uses for comparison. RWA represents water providers in Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado and Yolo counties.

Vast Majority of California Voters View Drought as “Extremely Serious”

California’s ongoing drought is viewed as “extremely serious” by a larger percentage of people today than in 1977 and more people think the state’s storage and supply facilities are lacking.

 

California Water 2015: Where Are We and Where Do We Need to Go?

Thu, 03/05/2015 – 7:30pm9:00pm
Location:

Symantec 350 Ellis Street, Building E, Room #102, Mountain View, CA, 94043

Felicia Marcus will give a sense of California water’s setting (basic hydrology, infrastructure, etc), discuss the drought’s impacts and the state’s actions to address them, and will talk about how California water management is changing (and needs to change) to cope with the impacts of climate change, population growth, and future food security.

Registration is $10 per person

Water Education Foundation Lower Colorado River Tour 2015

Wed, 03/11/2015Fri, 03/13/2015
Location:

Lower Colorado River through Nevada, Arizona and California

This three-day, two-night tour follows the course of the lower Colorado River through Nevada, Arizona and California, and includes a private tour of Hoover Dam.

2015 WateReuse California Annual Conference

Sun, 03/15/2015Tue, 03/17/2015
Location:

Millennium Biltmore Hotel 506 S. Grand Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90071

The WateReuse California Annual Conference is the premier statewide conference devoted to sustaining supplies through water recycling. The conference is designed for individuals, organizations, and agencies that are associated with or interested in the design, management, operation, and use of water recycling facilities and projects in California. The conference will feature technical presentations, technical tours, receptions, an awards luncheon, the annual Gordon Cologne Breakfast, the town hall session, and the ever popular exhibition component.

 

California Water Policy Conference

Thu, 03/19/2015Fri, 03/20/2015
Location:

Roberts Environment Center (REC), Claremont McKenna College, 888 Columbia Ave., Claremont, CA

California Water Policy 24

The Roberts Environmental Center at Claremont McKenna College

Our 24th Year

Water Education Foundation -The Challenges of the 2015 Drought: Water Project Operations

Thu, 03/19/2015
Location:

Alice Peters Auditorium (PB 191) at the University Business Center on the CSU Fresno Campus.

Free One-Day Briefing Cosponsored by California Department of Water Resources and Water Education Foundation

In cooperation with Center for Irrigation Technology at CSU Fresno

Water year 2015 follows the record-dry three-year period of 2012-2014. Last year’s severely dry hydrology resulted in water allocation cutbacks to State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project contractors. As we approach the end of 2015’s rainy season hydrologic conditions are better than last year, but drought impacts remain.

 

ACWA 2015 Small Hydro Workshop

Thu, 03/19/2015 – 8:00amFri, 03/20/2015 – 12:30pm
Location:

Sacramento

ACWA’s 2015 Small Hydro Workshops are set to take place at 2 LOCATIONS!

March 19 – SACRAMENTO
ACWA Office, 910 K Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95814

March 20 – FRESNO
1274 W. Hedges Ave, Fresno, CA 93728

ACWA 2015 Small Hydro Workshop

Fri, 03/20/2015 – 8:00am12:30pm
Location:

Fresno

ACWA’s 2015 Small Hydro Workshops are set to take place at 2 LOCATIONS!

March 19 – SACRAMENTO
ACWA Office, 910 K Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95814

March 20 – FRESNO
1274 W. Hedges Ave, Fresno, CA 93728

ACWA Region 5 Spring Event

Sun, 03/22/2015
Location:

San Jose, CA

ACWA Region 5 Event

Silicon Valley Water Forum

       March 22 & 23, 2015 | San Jose, CA

Water Education Foundation Executive Briefing

Wed, 03/25/2015
Location:

Sacramento at the Red Lion Inn

2015 Executive Briefing

The Foundation’s annual Executive Briefing features speakers from water stakeholder groups, the Legislature and governmental agencies that play important roles in making policy decisions about water. The 31st Annual Executive Briefing will be March 25, 2015 in Sacramento at the Red Lion Inn.

 

19th Annual Children’s Water Education Festival

Wed, 03/25/2015Thu, 03/26/2015
Location:

University of California, Irvine

The 19th annual Children’s Water Education Festival, the largest of its kind in the United States. The event is presented by the Orange County Water District, Disneyland Resort, National Water Research Institute, and the Orange County Water District Groundwater Guardian Team.

Water Education Foundation 2015 Anne J. Schneider Lecture

Wed, 04/29/2015 – 4:00pm7:00pm
Location:

Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento

The 2015 Anne J. Schneider Lecture will be held on April 29, 2015 at 4 p.m. at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. A reception will follow.

Dan Dooley, a distinguished policy leader and attorney known for successfully bridging the environmental and economic considerations in natural resources conflicts, will speak on “The Future of Agriculture in the Central Valley.”

 

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