WesternWaterBlog

Hope rises for clouds on horizon

By Alex Breitler

STOCKTON - There they were Friday, three little words in next week's weather forecast: "Chance of rain."

Stockton should be nearing the end of a historic dry spell that blessed us with short-sleeve afternoons, but also mucked up air quality, killed grass needed to sustain cattle and compelled farmers to ask for unprecedented water deliveries in the middle of what should be the wettest month of the year.

Today marks 30 days since measurable rain fell in the city. When the streak ends - next Thursday, if current forecasts prove true - it will be the second-longest dry spell on record during a rainy season, falling short only to a 41-day mini-drought in December 1962 and January 1963.

WHAT IT MEANS

The 30-day dry streak has been felt across the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada:

• The lack of storms created a toxic brew of air pollution, triggering repeated bans on fireplace burning from Stockton to Bakersfield. Conditions may improve if rain materializes Thursday and Friday.

• Rural water districts are making rare January deliveries of water to farmers.

• There is still, however, lots of water in reservoirs from last winter. So there should be enough to get through this year.

• Rangeland is dry, causing problems for ranchers.

• Ski resorts are closed or only partially open. Mountain passes remain open, even Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park, which has never been open past Jan. 1.

• The state has prohibited outdoor burning in Calaveras and eastern San Joaquin counties due to high fire danger.

• Unusually warm daytime temperatures in the 60s will likely drop into the 50s with arrival of rain. And unusually cold nighttime temperatures in the 20s and 30s may climb into the 40s.
With a pathetic 1.63 inches of rain since July, Stockton is behind the pace of even the driest year on record, 1975-76.

But we've been bailed out before.

"We're just looking at the sky, hoping," said 64-year-old Darrel Sweet, a fifth-generation cattle rancher near the Altamont Pass.

"It's unbelievably dry," Sweet said Friday, standing on a bronze hillside with only the slightest hint of green undergrowth remaining from storms last October. "If it rains soon, this'll all come back. But it'll take more than one storm."

That's what everyone is hoping for - from the bare Sierra Nevada ski resorts to the parched San Joaquin Valley farms.

In an effort to draw customers - even though it's not fully open - Bear Valley Ski Resort is hosting a "beach party" this holiday weekend with horseshoe tournaments, volleyball and an outdoor barbecue. Guided hikes have been added to a list of midwinter recreational opportunities.

Lower down, the South San Joaquin Irrigation District on Sunday will start shipping water to farms around Manteca, Ripon and Escalon, amidst concern that orchard trees may be in danger.

"We've got soil moisture probes in the ground, and 30 to 40 inches down there is zero moisture content in the soil," said Jeff Shields, the district's general manager. "These root structures, the trees and grapes - let alone the shallow crops - they're just not getting anything."

Almond trees, especially, need water as they begin to awaken from winter dormancy, Shields said.

The last time South San Joaquin delivered water during the winter was late January 1990, he said. The risk is that deliveries next summer might be cut off earlier than normal, if winter can't get its act together.

There is reason to believe that it might.

The cold-water La Niña phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean usually means wet in the Pacific Northwest and dry in the Southwest. Stockton, somewhere in the middle, can go either way.

To date, storms have passed far to the north. But now the jet stream is shifting in our direction.

While it's too soon to know how long it will linger - the National Weather Service says it can't predict how much rain will fall next week, let alone next month - the federal Climate Prediction Center expects above normal rain and snow for at least the next two weeks.  Go to this article

SSJID may one day serve farms north of FC Road

By Dennis Wyatt - dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com 209-249-3519  
     
Some 7,000 acres of farmland north of French Camp Road and east of Highway 99 could one day be served by South San Joaquin Irrigation District with both water and retail electricity.

That possibility is being raised by the staff of the San Joaquin County Local Agency Formation Commission as part of a municipal services review plan being processed as a precursor for the district to possibly secure approval to pursue acquisition of PG&E’s retail power system.

The area is sort of a no-man’s land that is within the Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District but is situated in such a manner that the CSJWCD is unable to serve it. The area - a rich segment of almost all prime farmland - is served almost exclusively by wells tapping into a dropping underground aquifer.

The municipal services report being presented to the LAFCo board Friday as part of a status report on the SSJID’s application to add retail electricity to its service forte also includes a suggestion that the SSJID and CSJWCD merge.

The rationale is that the SSJID has adequate financial resources to help serve the CSJWCD even if it is allowed to go into retail power sales. The LAFCo report does note that the district wouldn’t have enough water to meet all of the needs of both districts but could go a ways in improving the delivery of irrigation water to CSJWD farmers. The massive district is generally bounded by Highway 4 on the north, the county line on the east, Highway 99 on the west and the SSJID on the south.

SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields said that while the district he oversees may have the financial ability to make such a merger work, the vast majority of the CSJWD is situated where the district’s facilities would be unable to serve it. Also - as the LAFCo report points out - while SSJID has adequate water rights for future and existing needs within its existing boundaries they don’t have enough of a surplus to takeover the entire CSJWD.

Shields pointed out that Stockton East Water District is already discussing merger possibilities with the CJWD. The Stockton East buys surplus water from SSJID when it has it available.

Shields noted that the district has never entertained any thoughts of merging with the CSJWCD but it would consider at some point in the future the possibility of annexing the 7,000 acres.

If that happened, it would go a long way toward helping assure the long-range viability of farming on the 7,000 acres north of French camp Road.

A final decision on SSJID’s application to enter retail power sales is expected in early 2012.

If the LAFCo board vote is affirmative, SSJID then would immediately enter into negotiations with PG&E to acquire the retail delivery system within the SSJID boundaries. Should a mutual agreement not be reached, SSJID is empowered under the state constitution to use eminent domain and have the court set a fair price.

A study commissioned by LAFCo reaffirms SSJID’s contention that it can indeed lower rates 15 percent across the board as well as upgrade the power distribution system and put in place service that meets customer demands.

Dec. 4, 2011 12:09a.m. EST SSJID may one day serve farms north of FC Road Dennis Wyatt Manteca Bulletin
Some 7,000 acres of farmland north of French Camp Road and east of Highway 99 could one day be served by South San Joaquin Irrigation District with both water and retail electricity.

That possibility is being raised by the staff of the San Joaquin County Local Agency Formation Commission as part of a municipal services review plan being processed as a precursor for the district to possibly secure approval to pursue acquisition of PG&E’s retail power system.

The area is sort of a no-man’s land that is within the Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District but is situated in such a manner that the CSJWCD is unable to serve it. The area - a rich segment of almost all prime farmland - is served almost exclusively by wells tapping into a dropping underground aquifer.

The municipal services report being presented to the LAFCo board Friday as part of a status report on the SSJID’s application to add retail electricity to its service forte also includes a suggestion that the SSJID and CSJWCD merge.

The rationale is that the SSJID has adequate financial resources to help serve the CSJWCD even if it is allowed to go into retail power sales. The LAFCo report does note that the district wouldn’t have enough water to meet all of the needs of both districts but could go a ways in improving the delivery of irrigation water to CSJWD farmers. The massive district is generally bounded by Highway 4 on the north, the county line on the east, Highway 99 on the west and the SSJID on the south.

SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields said that while the district he oversees may have the financial ability to make such a merger work, the vast majority of the CSJWD is situated where the district’s facilities would be unable to serve it. Also - as the LAFCo report points out - while SSJID has adequate water rights for future and existing needs within its existing boundaries they don’t have enough of a surplus to takeover the entire CSJWD.

Shields pointed out that Stockton East Water District is already discussing merger possibilities with the CJWD. The Stockton East buys surplus water from SSJID when it has it available.

Shields noted that the district has never entertained any thoughts of merging with the CSJWCD but it would consider at some point in the future the possibility of annexing the 7,000 acres.

If that happened, it would go a long way toward helping assure the long-range viability of farming on the 7,000 acres north of French camp Road.

A final decision on SSJID’s application to enter retail power sales is expected in early 2012.

If the LAFCo board vote is affirmative, SSJID then would immediately enter into negotiations with PG&E to acquire the retail delivery system within the SSJID boundaries. Should a mutual agreement not be reached, SSJID is empowered under the state constitution to use eminent domain and have the court set a fair price.

A study commissioned by LAFCo reaffirms SSJID’s contention that it can indeed lower rates 15 percent across the board as well as upgrade the power distribution system and put in place service that meets customer demands. Go to this article  

Check out this case concering an irrigation district!

PICCININI v. OAKDALE IRRIGATION DISTRICT

JONATHAN PICCININI et al., Plaintiffs, Cross-defendants and Appellants, v. OAKDALE IRRIGATION DISTRICT, Defendant, Cross-complainant and Respondent.

No. F060990.

Court of Appeals of California, Fifth District.

Filed January 4, 2012.

Mayol & Barringer, Bart Barringer; Law Offices of Michael Abbott and Michael L. Abbott for Plaintiffs, Cross-defendants and Appellants.

O'Laughlin & Paris, William C. Paris III and Katie J. Shea for Defendant, Cross-complainant and Respondent.

---

  

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

OPINION

HILL, P. J.

Plaintiffs and cross-defendants (appellants) appeal from a judgment declaring the obligations of the defendant and cross-complainant, Oakdale Irrigation District (OID), to deliver water to them under a prior judgment obtained by the predecessors in interest of appellants. Appellants contend the judgment and the statement of decision on which it is based contain ambiguous findings that do not adequately resolve the issues presented. OID cross-appeals from the judgment, contending the judgment erroneously requires it to supply water to appellants year round, rather than only during irrigation season, and it improperly adjudicates a duty to supply water to nonparties to the litigation. We modify the judgment to eliminate the requirement that OID deliver water to the water distributor for the town of Knights Ferry and, as so modified, affirm the judgment.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Plaintiffs, owners of real property in the vicinity of Knights Ferry, filed a declaratory relief action against OID, alleging they enjoy water rights pursuant to agreement and to the decision of the Stanislaus County Superior Court, which was affirmed on appeal in Brooks v. Oakdale Irrigation District (1928) 90 Cal.App. 225 (Brooks). Plaintiffs sought an interpretation of the decision in the Brooks case, and a judicial declaration that the decision entitled them to a continuous and perpetual flow of four cubic feet per second of water across their lands and required OID to refrain from interfering with the flow of water across their lands when performing maintenance of the ditches and canals that carried the water.

OID cross-complained against plaintiffs and other property owners, alleging it is a political subdivision of the state and provides water service for irrigation and other purposes in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. The cross-complaint alleged OID and the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) share a pre-1914 appropriative right to divert certain water from the Stanislaus River between March 1 and October 31 of each year, a right which was confirmed by a 1929 decree of the San Joaquin County Superior Court. That right was based in part on the conveyance to OID and SSJID of the Schell Ditch and the water rights associated with it; the Schell ditch delivered water to certain landowners in the vicinity of Knights Ferry, whom OID referred to as the Knights Ferry water users and who were the predecessors in interest of appellants. The Knights Ferry water users were not located within, or customers of, OID or SSJID.

Water district's power proposal gets a boost

By Alex Breitler/Record Staff Writer

MANTECA - A water district's plan to oust Pacific Gas and Electric Co. as the south county's electrical provider is economically feasible, according to a new independent report.

The municipal services review and an accompanying draft environmental impact report signal the start of the next round of an ongoing feud between the South San Joaquin Irrigation District and PG&E, which have battled eight years for the right to serve homes and businesses in Manteca, Ripon and Escalon.

The latest report, written for the San Joaquin Local Agency Formation Commission by the consulting firm Mintier Harnish, relies on a disputed finding earlier this year that the irrigation district greatly underestimated the annual cost of the takeover.

Nevertheless, the new report concludes: "Based on an assessment of SSJID's existing budget and projected budget, it is anticipated that the district has the financial ability to continue providing its existing services (i.e., irrigation, water and drainage) and to provide retail electric services."

Jeff Shields, manager of South San Joaquin, said that conclusion was expected.

"We saw the (earlier) report, and I think we were surprised," he said. "But it really does paint a worst-case scenario."

It is important to remember, Shields said, that the district board reserves the option not to purchase the system if it does end up being too expensive.

A PG&E spokeswoman said the utility is "thoroughly reviewing" both of the new documents, which have been posted to the LAFCO website.

The water district suffered a setback last February when a different consultant determined that the district's estimate of $1.6 million per year to take over the PG&E system was too low. The actual cost would be $15 million per year, PA Consulting Group found.

The district disputed the methodology used in that report, but said that even if the cost is higher than expected, it will still be able to offer customers lower rates than PG&E. That's because the district will have $20.1 million in annual revenue from hydroelectric power generated by three dams on the Stanislaus River to absorb the higher cost, the district says.

The point of the newest reports is to provide LAFCO the information it needs to make a decision whether to accept the irrigation district's proposal, said James Glaser, commission's executive officer. While the Mintier Harnish report finds the district's proposal to be financially feasible, there will also be other factors to consider, Glaser said.

The irrigation district paid for the report, but LAFCO provided oversight and the report is considered an independent document, Glaser said.

He said a workshop will be held to discuss the matter at LAFCO's regular meeting at 10 a.m. on Jan. 20 in the county Board of Supervisors chambers in downtown Stockton.

A decision could come next spring or summer.

Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/breitlerblog.  See this entire article

PG&E water tests may be examined

By Steve Johnson - sjohnson@mercurynews.com

Latest headlines, original coverage, images and videosThe rupture of a PG&E pipe during a test Sunday, causing a mudslide that shut down part of Interstate 280, raises questions about whether future tests should be modified and if the burst gas line -- the same one that exploded in San Bruno in 2010 -- needs more scrutiny, according to a top state regulator.

In addition, a prominent Bay Area lawmaker said he wants Pacific Gas & Electric's records on another Peninsula pipeline to be carefully reviewed before the state agrees to boost its gas pressure level to meet winter demand.

While saying the public shouldn't be alarmed that the Woodside pipe ruptured during a test, the fact that several breaks have occurred on line 132 is perplexing, said Paul Clanon, executive director of the California Public Utilities Commission, adding, "that's really what we're scratching our heads about."

Clanon said he wants to know more about why the pipe that split open Sunday on a knoll north of Woodside Road released so much water, causing debris to tumble down onto the freeway, closing two lanes for an hour.

"I am a little surprised about the amount of damage, " he said.

Moreover, Clanon said he's concerned about line 132 because in addition to the latest failure and the Sept. 9, 2010, San Bruno explosion -- which killed eight people and destroyed 38 homes -- a pressure test on Nov. 4 turned up a tiny leak near the border of Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

However, he insisted, the "good news" is that the test did what it was intended. "This is a line that had a weakness that was previously undetected and can now be fixed."

He also said he saw no reason why PG&E shouldn't be allowed to increase the pressure this year on line 101, which like line 132 runs up the Peninsula from Milpitas, assuming the utility can demonstrate such an increase would be safe. PG&E had cut the pressure by 20 percent in a number of its transmission lines as a precaution after the San Bruno catastrophe, but says it needs to restore the pressure in line 101 and a couple of connector pipes to meet the anticipated increase in demand for gas during cold weather.

PG&E officials say line 101 should pose no public concern, because the company already has tested portions of it with water and determined the pressure is safe on other portions by examining the pipe's construction and other relevant documents. But Assemblyman Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, said he would oppose letting the company increase the line's gas pressure until he has a chance to review PG&E's test results to make sure the pipeline is safe.

Given what has been learned following the San Bruno disaster, "how can we be confident" in what the company says

View Pipeline bursts in a larger mapabout its pipelines, he said. "I certainly want to make sure that we've checked and double checked those records."

The incident in Woodside was the third time a pipe has failed during the water-pressure tests, which state regulators have ordered PG&E to conduct following the San Bruno tragedy. On Oct. 24, a major pipe feeding gas to the Bay Area from interstate lines ruptured in a welded seam near Bakersfield.

Line 132 -- most of which was installed more than a half century ago -- has been a particular source of anxiety since the San Bruno blast. That accident has been linked to poor pipe welds, while the cause of the "pinhole" leak discovered Nov. 4 and Sunday's incident are under investigation. However, the Woodside pipe that ruptured appeared to have a "gouge" in it, apparently from having been hit by some sort of machine, according to Kirk Johnson, PG&E's vice president of gas engineering and operations. He said the pipe was being examined and the company hopes to resume the test by Friday or Saturday.

The pipe's maximum allowable operating pressure is 400 pounds per square inch, but it normally operates at 375 psi and has been running at 300 psi since the 2010 explosion. When it ruptured during Sunday's test, water was forced into the pipe at 550 psi.

Despite that failure and the two others during recent water tests, Johnson said PG&E saw no reason for the PUC to balk at letting PG&E return the pressure on line 101 to its normal level for the winter.

"We're very confident," Johnson said. "We believe that we've shown in every way that the pipeline is safe."

Washington state pipeline safety expert Richard Kuprewicz agreed that just because a pipe undergoing a test springs a leak -- even a big one like Sunday's rupture -- is no reason for the public to panic.

Kuprewicz, who is consulting with the consumer group The Utility Reform Network, said he needed to know more about why the pipes failed. But based on what he's heard so far, he added, "I'm not to worried," because pushing pipes to the breaking point is the whole idea behind the test.

However, Patrick Pizzo, a metallurgical failure expert and professor emeritus at San Jose State, said while its good to find pipe flaws during such tests, it should send a worrisome message to PG&E and state regulators because "we now know that these flaws are more common in the system than perhaps they assumed initially."  See this article in full

SSJID may squeeze more water from plant

By Dennis Wyatt
Managing Editor- dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com -209-249-3519  

Cutting edge technology employed by South San Joaquin Irrigation District may give the cities of Manteca, Ripon, Lathrop, and Tracy more of one of California’s most precious resources - water.

The SSJID board on Tuesday is being asked to spend $45,000 to have Forsgren Associates conduct an analysis of the Nick DeGroot Surface Water Treatment Plant and the transmission pipeline system to determine how much additional capacity is available.

The system originally was designed with conservative estimates on the flow that could go through the pipeline based on resistance to water movements. At the same time, the cutting edge technology used in the latest Zenon membrane technology has significantly increased the amount of water that can be treated at the plant as it is now built on Dodds Road west of Woodward Reservoir. The membranes remove microscopic organisms to make the water safe for drinking.

The study will determine how much more water capacity the three original cites are entitled to - Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy - and what capacity that could be made available to Ripon. That city is planning use water from the plant in the coming years.

Ripon already has negotiated to pay to use part of excess capacity that the other three cities are paying for under the original arrangement.

A future expansion of the plant will add additional capacity to treat water.

The additional capacity is critical as the availability of water in California tends to limit growth.

In the case of the treatment plant, the cities have a solid source of water from SSJID’s historical rights on the Stanislaus River watershed.

The end result of the study will mean future costs of securing treated water will be lower since existing plant capacity can generate more water than projected. That in turn lowers the per unit price for treating water and ultimately makes water less expensive than originally anticipated for end users. See this article 

Delta Plan lacks specifics but sets foundation for new water policy

By Mike Taugher/Contra Costa Times

A blueprint for the Delta's future and much of California's water supply falls short of the detailed road map sought two years ago by lawmakers because dozens of plans expected from other agencies are not done, the head of the agency in charge of the blueprint said Friday.

Lawmakers ordered up a Delta Plan as part of sweeping reforms passed in 2009 to reverse ecological decline in the estuary and to stabilize California's water supply. It is intended to strike a new balance between environmental protection and demands for Delta water.

So far, the plan does not contain details like the number of acres of new marsh needed or how much water is available to pump from the Delta, largely because the other work is not done, said Joe Grindstaff, executive director of the Delta Stewardship Council.

"We don't have the technical information needed to make those decisions," Grindstaff said.

Some of those unfinished plans include studies of how to improve the delivery of water around the Delta, flood protection and the regional economy, Grindstaff said. The council nevertheless strove to meet its deadline and wrote a plan to serve as a general foundation to supplement when the other studies are finished, Grindstaff said.

The blueprint developed by Grindstaff's staff is superior to alternatives written by environmentalists, the water industry and Delta representatives, according to a 2,200-page analysis released Friday.

While lacking specifics, the plan so far indicates its authors believe California's thirst has prevailed over environmental needs. It would step up requirements to use water more efficiently and urges state regulators to develop standards that almost certainly would send more water flowing through the Delta into San Francisco Bay. It would also restrict development in the Delta.

One of the lawmakers who was key to pushing the reforms two years ago praised the council's work even if it falls short of earlier expectations.

"The schedule was not going to be realistic and I think the Stewardship Council, commendably, wanted to get it done on schedule anyway," said Assemblyman Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael.

But Association of California Water Agencies Executive Director Tim Quinn said the lack of specifics in the plan makes it impossible to know which plan is best. He also said the environmental report did not adequately consider the industry's proposal.

The Delta Stewardship Council will accept comments on the Delta Plan's environmental impact report through Jan. 3. Two public hearings are scheduled Nov. 17 and Dec. 15 in Sacramento, and field hearings may be scheduled. The plan could be considered for adoption next spring. More information about the environmental report, including how to submit comments and links to the report itself are at: http://www.deltacouncil.ca.gov/draft-eir.

Major points

• The proposed Delta Plan written by the Delta Stewardship Council recommends a number of enforceable policies. Here is a rough summary of some of them.
• All water delivery actions, land development covered by the plan should balance water needs and environmental protection, be developed with best available science.
• Taking or moving Delta water in a way that harms the environment requires the recipient to comply with conservation and planning steps.
• Delta water sales and contracts must be done openly.
• The State Water Resources Control Board should set standards for the amount of water to flow through the Delta. n Restoration of wetlands should be consistent with habitat types.
• Local land use plans should avoid or offset disruptions they cause to wetlands that could be restored.
• Projects must be evaluated for their potential to foster invasive species and any problems found must be avoided or offset.
• No new construction on Delta floodplains unless increased risk of flood they cause is offset.
• No development on portions of the Yolo Bypass, the Consumnes-Mokelumne River confluence and the lower San Joaquin River floodplain bypass should not be developed.  See this article.

Calif. farmers face off on new delta water system

By GOSIA WOZNIACKA/www.businessweek.com

FRESNO, Calif.

California farmers are split over proposals to send more water from Northern California to the state's southern regions.

Two-thirds of Californians rely on water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and farmers rely on it to cultivate 4 million acres.

But the decline of fish species has triggered regulations that limited pumping in recent years. So farmers and urban water users south of the delta have rallied around plans for a new canal or tunnel. They say the new system would capture and divert river water around the delta to ensure an adequate supply.

Delta farmers argue the plans would primarily benefit water districts. They fear diverting more water could ruin their farms and hurt the ailing delta.  Officials hope to agree to a plan by June.  See this article

Voter-Approved First 5 LA Program Spends $200 Million of Taxpayers Money without Oversight

By Stephen Kruiser

As the Los Angeles Times reports, a recent independent audit of the First 5 LA Commission revealed massive problems with the agency, including lack of accountability, spending oversight or competitive bidding.  First 5 LA is part of a statewide program created in 1998 by Prop 10, a measure which was supposed to use funds from a tobacco tax to promote health and education of young children.  According to the audit, it’s not exactly fulfilling its mission.  From the Times:

An audit by Harvey M. Rose of San Francisco found First 5 LA's commission was unable to monitor money that was being spent "since monthly programmatic expenditures are not presented relative to a budget." Auditors also concluded the agency was overstaffed while under-spending on programs for children.

So, First 5 LA is spending too much on public employees and not enough on kids.  Not to mention doling out $200 million without a competitive bidding process and operating with such a lack of oversight that there’s no way to determine if the agency has signed agreements "for inappropriate purposes or with unqualified vendors or grantees”.  Sounds like standard operating procedure in California, which has seen similar accountability and oversight problems with other initiative-created agencies as well. 

And yet, former pro Tem and career politician Don Perata is pushing another measure – the so-called California Cancer Research Act – to create yet another unaccountable bureaucracy with six political appointees that can spend nearly a billion each year, including millions on staff salaries and pensions and overhead.  With huge budget problems and public pension costs spiraling out of control, the last thing California needs is another big-spending bureaucracy with no oversight or accountability.

The measure is slated for the June 2012 ballot in California.  

A lesson about water

This article appeared in the Dessert Valley Times.

The hearing was conducted by State Engineer Jason King who will rule on SNWA’s application to tap into 126,000 acre-feet of Groundwater in the Spring, Cave, Delamar and Dry Lake valleys.

Critics of the plan, including the people who live in the region from where the water would be drawn, cite potential environmental damage, and point to the problems created when Los Angeles began taking water from Owens Valley in California, draining Owens Lake.

Supporters of the plan, including those from the construction and tourism industry, say the water is needed to save the economy of Las Vegas, and predict disaster if Las Vegas suffers a water shortage.

There’s a lesson here: don’t build more than your water supply can support.

The Virgin Valley appears to have a water supply that will allow for a growing population, but estimates vary on how much growth that supply will support.

The Virgin Valley Water District is considering embarking on a phased study to determine how much water it really has. While it’s almost impossible to determine exactly how much water is available, technology should yield fairly accurate estimates. The City of Mesquite has a dog in this fight — its growth will eventually be determined by how much water is available.

Getting the water from a distant source is not the answer — sticking your straw in someone else’s glass doesn’t go down well these days. A case in point happened a few years ago when someone tried to sell Arizona water to the VVWD, which got the people in the Arizona Strip stirred up.

People get in trouble when they live beyond their means, as do countries. Just as we should live within a fiscal budget, so should we live within a water budget, planning and building according to resources available.  See this article!