News from Ecobility

Delta Smelt: Why is such a Small Fish so Important to California?

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 11:25:30 -0800

The Delta Smelt have been known to stop the flow of water from the California Delta to over 25 million people as thousands of acres of land that feed to world. Yesterday, The Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-delta-smelt-20110202,0,527655.story) published an informative piece on the history of the research on the fish as well as why many see the importance in the protection of the species.

Inherently, the article brings up strong points regarding the uniqueness of California with an analogy to large retail box stores replacing the mom and pop shops that we hear so much about. It also shows how the complex issues surrounding the protection of this species are but a small part in the overall economic and political factors that shadow the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Issues include the entrenched and productive agriculture in the Delta, impacts of treated sewage effluent on water quality from up river metropolitan areas, the high risk and costs associated with the dikes that protect Delta properties, the impacts to freshwater supplies from the encroachment of seawater, the need for water in the agriculturally thirsty western San Joaquin Valley, and the extended reach of southern California to replenish dwindling water supplies to support its swelling population. As stated many times before, it behooves all Californians to be informed on the issues before we cast our opinions and votes as to how we move forward with managing our water resources, the true lifeblood of California.

Seawater the New Drinking Water?

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:38:34 -0800

Desalinization of seawater is a process that has been under development globally over the last few decades. Processes have primarily been divided between reverse osmosis and distillation. In the mid 1970s, distillation was used in the U.S. to attempt to remove salt from seawater through evaporative processes. However, the cost of energy at that time made the process largely economically infeasible. The development of reverse osmosis systems offered promise in the U.S. and has been the primary mechanism that has been under development for the past 30 to 40 years. Luckily these systems were desired in the Middle East where energy costs were disproportionately lower than the high cost of water supplies.

Desalinization plants have been rapidly growing in arid environments in proximity to the oceans. Five years ago virtually no operational plants were operating in Australia whereas today nearly every major metropolitan area in the country is either in the process of constructing or operating a desalinization plant. In contrast, desalinization in California has been very limited until recently due to a myriad of regulations with numerous government agencies as well as critics proposing that these systems are still to costly. A Carlsbad plant has been in development for over 10 years with hopes of being in construction in early 2011. A number of additional plants are in the planning stage along the California coast. As more of these plants near the permitting stage, California will need to streamline the process to encourage development while protecting the environment. Green jobs and needed water supplies will need to be weighed against the increased cost of our water supplies and the trickle down cost of goods in the future. For more information please see http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-desalination-20101204,0,4922065.story.

Chromium in Hinkley - The Sequel

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 18:12:00 -0800

The spread of chromium in groundwater was big news in the 1990s with the releases from PG&E becoming public through the advocacy of Erin Brockovich for the residents in Hinkley, California. The Los Angeles Times reports that over $333 million was paid out to residents to settle lawsuits. PG&E has been working on mitigating the plume and established containment boundaries that it monitors regularly. Although remediation continues on the plume, in recent months it has been reported that the plume has migrated approximately 1800 feet beyond the containment boundary. This information has sparked health and property concerns by local residents. The California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Lahontan Region is overseeing the activities of PG&E and has reported that the current level of effort by PG&E is insufficient and that more work is required to contain and mitigate the plume. For more information see http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-hinkley-chromium-20101115,0,4878497.story

Water Wars in California?

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 19:29:00 -0700

The water wars are heating up in California as drought conditions have been prolonged. Will the water needs of the big cities trump the requirements of the “bread basket of the world”? Although some see this as north versus central versus south and others a rural-big city issue – and all environmental protection versus the economic standard of life, water in California fractionates in many directions and is a major issue both directly and indirectly in the upcoming elections. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times entitled “Fresh battle between local water adversaries” isn’t fresh at all but a snapshot of issues statewide. Surplus water in the agriculture regions of the Imperial Valley has promulgated water management officials of the Imperial Irrigation District to meet the terms of a long –standing agreement. The agreement is interpreted by the district as requiring the release of water into the rapidly depleting Salton Sea for any water savings from fallowing farmlands or implementing water conservation measures. This move has in turn caused major backlash from the Metropolitan Water District that claims any excess water must be released to them for their customers in Southern California (reference). Both reference a 2003 water agreement brokered by past presidential administrations but each has a different interpretation of the agreement and the water lawyers are in the starting blocks waiting for the gun. It is well known that water rights in the West are complex in comparison to the typical riparian rights in much of the country but California takes it to a whole new level. Our forefathers attempted to meld both the riparian, appropriative, and prescriptive rights and over the years we have added adjudication to the mix. All have seen the classic movie “Chinatown” the story set in the background of Los Angeles appropriating water from the Owens Valley in the 1920s, but note to all: You can change the names, perspectives and date but these types of controversies in California live on. There has to be a new movie somewhere on this topic in the works but I suspect we will have to wait to include the upcoming election results into the story. In the meantime, we all need to be aware that water is an essential component of this state’s sustainability and growth. See the Los Angeles Times article at http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/18/local/la-me-water-20101018

Point of Use Water Treatment & Grants Approved

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 16:01:00 -0700

Governor Schwarzenegger signed California Assembly Bill 2515, sponsored by State Assembly Member Manuel Perez allows the state public health department to enact emergency regulations to govern the permitted us of point of entry or point of use water treatment by public water systems in severely disadvantaged communities in lieu of expensive centralized treatment. The bill was designed with the Coachella Valley in mind where high concentrations of arsenic in groundwater in the east side of the valley where thousands of mobile home residents rely on local well water where high concentrations of arsenic have been detected. The bill also provides a mechanism for emergency funding for the purchase of point of use and point of entry treatment filters that range from $135 to $300 per household. The bill remains in effect as a short-term solution with grant money available until January 2014. Local officials state that the long-term solution is a $22 million pipeline to the west valley where supplies are centrally treated but that such an endeavor is still years off for completion.

Original story.

Legislature moves CARB toward transparency

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:51:00 -0700

SB1402 signed by Governor Schwarzenegger that will require the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to make available to the public alledged violations, penalties and final agreements of parties. The bill is seen as means of requiring the CARB to explain its fines and become a more transparent agency. Senator Bob Dutton of Rancho Cucamonga, who introduced the Act said “The problem is that there was nothing that held CARB accountable in how the penalties were determined or the reason the violation”.

Original story.

Governator honest about new CEQA bills

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:40:00 -0700

California Governor signs and says AB 231 and SB1456 are 99% garbage and doesn’t make a dent into the problems caused by the spaghetti-like requirements of CEQA. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), California’s version of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) is the regulatory process required for public and private developments to assess potential impacts proposed activities will have on the environment. The process is important in protecting the state’s environmental resources and quality of life of its citizens but the process is often lengthy and often contradictory to the objectives of the Act.

Original story