The Colorado River deal announced Monday is more of a temporary reprieve than a solution to plummeting water supplies. The deep water cuts for California, Arizona and Nevada will tide over thirsty residents and farmers only until the end of 2026. The real reckoning comes when operating agreements expire for Lake Mead, which feeds the Colorado’s water to Southern California and the two other lower-basin states, and Lake Powell, which regulates the flow into Lake Mead while serving Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kristiene Gonghttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKristiene Gong2023-05-23 10:16:382023-05-23 10:27:04Opinion: Colorado River Water Deal Gives California Another Reprieve. For Now
After nearly a year of intense negotiations, California, Nevada and Arizona reached a historic agreement today to use less water from the overdrafted Colorado River over the next three years. The states agreed to give up 3 million acre-feet of river water through 2026 — about 13% of the amount they receive. In exchange, farmers and other water users will receive compensation from the federal government.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kristiene Gonghttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKristiene Gong2023-05-23 10:16:322023-05-23 10:24:33Colorado River Deal: What Does It Mean for California?
The Klamath River begins in Oregon, draining the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, and slices through the northwestern corner of California before flowing into the Pacific Ocean. The Colorado River begins in Colorado, draining the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, before meandering southwesterly and emptying into Mexico’s Sea of Cortez – if there’s any water left after California and other states have tapped the river for irrigation and municipal supplies.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Kristiene Gonghttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngKristiene Gong2023-05-23 10:14:132023-05-23 10:25:01Opinion: California Taxpayers on the Hook to Save Two Unhealthy Western Rivers
San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl today issued the following statement regarding a new consensus-based plan to conserve water on the Colorado River:
“This consensus-based plan was offered to replace alternatives Reclamation is considering under its draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), released in April to consider changes to the river’s near-term operations. Those existing alternatives, one of which would bypass the Colorado River priority right system so important to California, would potentially mandate reductions to the Lower Basin.
“With the new proposal, Reclamation has announced it is temporarily suspending the SEIS process to allow more time to analyze the Lower Basin proposed plan. As a result, the May 30 deadline for comment letters on the draft SEIS is no longer in effect. As part of its announcement, Reclamation stated it plans to complete the SEIS process later this year.
“The Water Authority applauds the efforts of California, through the Colorado River Board of California, of which the Water Authority is a member, for working closely with the other Lower Basin states to develop a consensus proposal to submit to Reclamation. The Water Authority has been a long-time advocate of collaboration on the Colorado River, and today’s announcement appears to be a positive step in that direction.
“The Water Authority continues to review this proposal, which relies upon voluntary and federally compensated conservation as opposed to mandatory reductions, to make sure it best serves California, protects our region’s Colorado River supplies, and provides equitable, realistic solutions in the near term that will keep the river flowing for all users. If that end is achieved, we can then focus our attention on planning for the river’s long-term operations in a balanced Basin-wide approach.”
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngMike Lee2023-05-23 10:13:322023-05-23 12:20:01Water Authority Issues Statement on Consensus-Based Plan for the Colorado River
May 22, 2023 – San Diego County Water Authority General Manager Sandra L. Kerl today issued the following statement regarding a new consensus-based plan to conserve water on the Colorado River:
“Today, the Lower Colorado River Basin states, California, Arizona, and Nevada, provided the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation with a plan to conserve up to 3 million acre-feet on the river through 2026 to address long-term drought and protect elevations in Lakes Mead and Powell, the two critical reservoirs the Lower Basin depends on for its river supplies.
“This consensus-based plan was offered to replace alternatives Reclamation is considering under its draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), released in April to consider changes to the river’s near-term operations. Those existing alternatives, one of which would bypass the Colorado River priority right system so important to California, would potentially mandate reductions to the Lower Basin.
“With the new proposal, Reclamation has announced it is temporarily suspending the SEIS process to allow more time to analyze the Lower Basin proposed plan. As a result, the May 30 deadline for comment letters on the draft SEIS is no longer in effect. As part of its announcement, Reclamation stated it plans to complete the SEIS process later this year.
“The Water Authority applauds the efforts of California, through the Colorado River Board of California, of which the Water Authority is a member, for working closely with the other Lower Basin states to develop a consensus proposal to submit to Reclamation. The Water Authority has been a long-time advocate of collaboration on the Colorado River, and today’s announcement appears to be a positive step in that direction.
“The Water Authority continues to review this proposal, which relies upon voluntary and federally compensated conservation as opposed to mandatory reductions, to make sure it best serves California, protects our region’s Colorado River supplies, and provides equitable, realistic solutions in the near term that will keep the river flowing for all users. If that end is achieved, we can then focus our attention on planning for the river’s long-term operations in a balanced Basin-wide approach.”
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SDCWA-200x200-1.png200200Mike Leehttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngMike Lee2023-05-22 16:13:522023-05-22 16:41:06Water Authority Issues Statement on Consensus-Based Plan for the Colorado River
Through a partnership between the Vallecitos Water District, San Diego County Water Authority, and the County of San Diego, landscape makeover projects in unincorporated areas can take advantage of water-use efficiency rebates as well as professional expertise to maximize conservation and cost savings.
The Waterscape Rebate Program applies to residential, commercial, and agricultural customers who make landscape upgrades to improve the region’s climate resilience and reduce the flow of pollutants into waterways.
The landscape makeover project solicited input from homeowners to provide new amenities. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Multiple homeowners associations within the Lake San Marcos area of the Vallecitos Water District have benefitted from qualifying projects. The scale of these projects and potential savings make them especially successful.
The most recently completed project within the Vallecitos Water District was undertaken by the Mall III Homeowners Association. HOA members had discussed the idea for nearly 15 years. The availability of the County and Vallecitos Water District support helped determine whether the makeover would be effective and cost-neutral.
Agency partnerships pay off
“This has been a terrific partnership between the County of San Diego, the San Diego County Water Authority, the Vallecitos Water District, and the community of Lake San Marcos,” said Chris Robbins, public information/conservation supervisor for the Vallecitos Water District. “This story focuses on the Mall III Homeowners Association, but the Panorama HOA and Sunrise Pointe HOA already participated in the program. Two other associations, Fairway Knolls and Fairways HOA, are currently in the process right now. All these HOAs will be saving water and money, while also improving the water quality of Lake San Marcos.”
The Mall III HOA landscaping before undertaking its recent makeover project. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Mike Kesler, Mall III HOA Board President, said getting an internal consensus among their homeowners through actively soliciting ideas from homeowners to learn what was important to them was critical in completing this project.
“We found some folks wanted trees. Other folks didn’t want trees because they would block the view,” said Kesler. “Knowing that ahead of time and being able to deal with that in the plan made it easier for people to vote yes on the project. And I think that’s important.
“It took us quite a while to get to a layout that accomplished our goals of saving money and beautifying the area that was net zero from a cost standpoint.”
Consensus building accomplishes savings goals
New pathways and riverbeds to channel water runoff help protect area watersheds. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
To make applying for rebates easier for large landscapes, the County added a Landscape Optimization Service, a unique technical assistance program for large-scale landscaping projects. The program helps applicants with large landscapes, such as HOAs and commercial properties, to navigate the requirements, overcome any barriers, and maximize their rebate eligibility.
In addition, the Vallecitos Water District offers its customers a free assessment of current water use to determine whether investments in irrigation upgrades could be helpful to help HOA boards and other decision-makers determine whether their investment in landscaping projects are cost-effective.
“It’s been a great program for us to pursue and to implement, ” said Mall III HOA Board Member Dave Engel. “We had a need to save water, and to do it in a smart way, which is what this rebate program allows. When those two come together, I think it’s a good match.”
Rebate programs helped to make the Lake San Marcos Mall III HOA project cost-neutral for homeowners. Photo: Vallecitos Water District
Rebate amounts can vary. Multiple rebates can be stacked together, including $3 per square foot for turf replacement, $60 per smart controller station, $65 per rain barrel and up to $450 per cistern. The County of San Diego offers $1 per square foot for landscapes planted with California native plants.
Water customers in unincorporated San Diego County can determine their eligibility at: SanDiegoCounty.gov/WatershedRebates. More information on the Landscape Optimization Service can be found here. The program is actively recruiting new participants.
The Waterscape Rebate Program helps protect local waterways by reducing pollutants that enter storm drains. When irrigation systems overflow from landscaping, runoff may carry pollutants like pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers into the storm drain system and cause the same negative effects as runoff from rainfall. Reducing turf helps reduce irrigation use and runoff. HOA landscapes are potentially significant contributors.
Learn more about the County of San Diego Watershed Protection at its website.
(Editor’s note: The Vallecitos Water District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/MALL-3-Before-After-845.jpg404845Gayle Falkenthalhttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngGayle Falkenthal2023-05-22 15:24:532023-05-22 15:24:53Makeovers Conserve Water, Saves Costs for Lake San Marcos HOAs
A deal has been reached to conserve at least 3 million acre-feet of water in the Colorado River through 2026, the Department of the Interior announced on Monday. More than half of that would be saved by the end of 2024.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Andrea Morahttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngAndrea Mora2023-05-22 12:02:032023-05-22 12:03:25Colorado River Basin States Reach Historic Deal on Water Cutbacks to Stave Off Crisis
It’s Earth’s original disrupter — a recurring climate pattern so powerful that it can drive global average temperature to record highs, and generate both cliff-crumbling storms and crop-destroying droughts across the planet.
Now, after a long hiatus, El Niño is showing signs of a strong return in 2023.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Andrea Morahttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngAndrea Mora2023-05-22 12:01:322023-05-22 12:03:36El Niño is Likely Returning, Bringing Danger for California and the World. ‘We Need to Be Prepared’
Snow is melting earlier, and more rain is falling instead of snow in the mountain ranges of the Western U.S. and Canada, leading to a leaner snowpack that could impact agriculture, wildfire risk and municipal water supplies come summer, according to a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder.
https://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.png00Andrea Morahttps://www.waternewsnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/WNN-Horizontal-White-Blue2.pngAndrea Mora2023-05-22 12:00:582023-05-22 12:05:52Earlier Snowpack Melt in the West Could Bring Summer Water Scarcity
It was 2019 when Jennifer Dell purchased and moved into her home on a corner lot in a San Marcos neighborhood. The front yard was “scruffy grass,” as she put it, with a large oval raised planter in the center, made of concrete retaining wall blocks that held — and still holds — three soaring palms.
Dell, who grew up in Vista with four younger siblings, was raised by a mother who was a lifelong gardener and a father who was handy at fixing stuff around the house. She decided she’d learned enough from them to feel confident in taking on what seemed like an overwhelming project — creating a haven of privacy with waterwise landscaping befitting a SoCal garden — and the result was winning the Vista Irrigation District’s 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest award.
(Editor’s Note: This is the seventh in an occasional series in The San Diego Union-Tribune on winners of the annual WaterSmart Landscape Contest, conducted in partnership with the San Diego County Water Authority. To learn about entering the next contest, visit landscapecontest.com. For details on classes and resources through the WaterSmart Landscape Makeover Program, visit sdcwa.org/your-water/conservation/. Landscape rebates are available through the Socal WaterSmart Turf Replacement Program at socalwatersmart.com. The Vista Irrigation District is one of the San Diego County Water Authority’s 24 member agencies that deliver water across the San Diego County region.)
