by Eric Peterman, originally posted on December 6, 2016
If the federal water rights sought by the Bureau of Land Management for the San Pedro subwatershed are granted by an Arizona court, existing residential wells near the river could be shut down and real estate development would be stopped, Cochise County Supervisor Pat Call said in a Herald/Review interview.
Call traveled to Phoenix Nov. 14 to be deposed in a state court proceeding that will define the water rights for Fort Huachuca and the BLM in the San Pedro subwatershed — an area that stretches north from the Cochise County border with Mexico and spans parts of Palominas, Hereford, Sierra Vista, Huachuca City, Whetstone and Benson.
The case is part of the four-decades long Gila River water rights adjudication and has been “activated” for trial proceedings in a Maricopa Superior Court for three weeks in November, 2017. Lawyers from the Arizona Attorney General’s office — representing the State Land Department — and the federal Department of Justice are preparing to argue the case.
“If the DOJ is successful here, the BLM said four years ago at an Upper San Pedro Partnership meeting that if they get their federal reserved water rights they will begin shutting down any residential wells installed since 1988,” Call said.
Fort Huachuca will be the first federal agency to have its request for about 7,600 acre feet in the subwatershed decided by the state court, Call said.
“They have the seniority because they have records and claims that go back to 1877,” he said
The BLM case would be next in line, with the federal agency seeking more than 44,000 acre feet in water rights. An acre foot is defined by the volume of water needed to cover one acre of surface area to a depth of one foot, some 325,851 U.S. gallons.
Call estimated that more than 3,000 privately-owned wells have been installed since 1988 in the San Pedro watershed.
“This isn’t Fort Huachuca doing this, and it’s not the local BLM office. This is the Department of Justice,” Call said. “That means that any political influence we have, or contacts, don’t count any more. This is way up in DOJ.”
Fred Breedlove, director of the Natural Resources Division in the Arizona Land Department, said the agency is opposed to the BLM water rights request because of its impact on land values.
“The real impact will be on all the land that is outside of the SPRNCA (San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area),” Breedlove said. “Because of the volume of water rights being requested by the BLM, there may not be enough water available to sell and develop state-owned properties in the area.”
Call said the San Pedro case is the first that will be decided in the Gila River adjudication.
“We’re kind of the test case, but after us, this will move all over the state deciding water rights for federal agencies for other tributaries that are part of the Gila River,” Call said.
The prominence of being first has drawn the involvement of other organizations in the case. Mining companies in the state, including Freeport McMoRan, have joined the state case in opposing the BLM request. The Salt River Project — which provides water to most of the Phoenix area — supports the federal government rights request.
The SRP is a federal reclamation project, which awards federal water rights to the agency.
“The SRP wants the federal government to get the water rights it wants, because that decision would help them secure the water rights in the northern part of the state like the Verde area,” Call said.
Call said an attorney has been retained by the City of Sierra Vista, Pueblo del Sol and the Liberty Water Company to join in contesting the BLM’s water rights request. Call, who is the former Executive Director of the Cochise Water Project, said Cochise County Supervisors may consider sharing in the legal costs to oppose the federal agency’s request.
Call said a Superior Court decision favoring the BLM would have a significant economic impact on all of Cochise County.
“If the BLM is granted this request, then there can be no further development or building of new homes. Fort Huachuca can’t grow, and if that happens then the Army is going take it some place it can grow,” he said.
The supervisor also pointed to the irony of the BLM request, which he argued will someday, “dry up the river.
“We have the long-term solution that will save the San Pedro,” Call said. “Whether the BLM will consider that solution is another issue.”
He pointed to the network of aquifer recharge projects that county supervisors, The Nature Conservancy, The Hereford Natural Resource Conservation District, Sierra Vista, Walton Family Foundation and the Cochise Conservation and Recharge Network have developed along the San Pedro.
“When the cone of depression expands and flattens out, then it will be these aquifers that will be drawn down, not the river,” Call said.
Cochise County has earned national recognition for the first of four recharge projects to be completed. The Palominas Recharge Project has been in operation for two monsoon, and was completed in 2014. The county also acquired the Mansker property as part of that project. Other recharge areas include the Horseshoe Draw project, Sierra Vista’s Environmental Operations Park, Bella Vista and the Riverstone property.
Mesa residents may experience cloudy water in December, January during maintenance
originally posted on December 5, 2016
MESA – If you’re in Mesa, you may notice some changes to your water into the new year.
According to the City of Mesa, customers east of the Loop 101 to Val Vista Drive and north of Baseline Road might experience cloudiness from their faucets.
In December and January, scheduled maintenance could cause these changes. Maintenance should be completed with regular service resuming in February 2017.
If your water turns cloudy, don’t worry — it’s still safe to use.
“Our water distribution system is pressurized, causing any air that is present to be dissolved in the water until the pressure is released at the tap,” Water Quality Supervisor Ken Marshall said in a media release. “Dissolved air in the water has a cloudy or milky appearance, but it is safe to drink and will not damage plumbing or appliances. Residents can rest assured that their water continues to meet all state and federal water quality standards.”
To get rid of the cloudiness, fill a pitcher and put it in the refrigerator to allow the air bubbles to disappear.
If you have questions, call the Water Quality Division at 480-644-6461.
Indiana water infrastructure needs $2.3B in urgent work
by Dan Carden, originally posted on December 4, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS — The state’s aging water infrastructure needs $2.3 billion in immediate repairs and $815 million a year in additional maintenance spending to protect human health and stem the loss of some 50 billion gallons a year that never make it to a customer.
A new Indiana Finance Authority report, commissioned by the General Assembly, found the state’s 554 independent water systems are struggling to maintain quality service as water pipes, mains and other underground assets reach or exceed their useful lives.
“Leakage from these old mains has recently become urgent,” the report declares. “If Indiana addresses the problem now, the cost of maintaining the system will not cause societal or economic disruption.”
Indiana has more than 46,000 miles of water pipes operated by community water systems that serve 4.76 million Hoosiers, or 72 percent of the state’s population.
A majority of Indiana’s pipes were installed after World War II, though some still in use date back to the 1890s, and have been “overused, undermanaged and need to be replaced,” according to the report.
Moreover, at least some of the pipes are made of lead, or other metals now corroded by age, and potentially are releasing chemicals into distributed drinking water that can cause kidney damage, anemia, hypertension and abnormal brain development.
“In some utilities, there is no inventory of lead service lines. In others, these lines are clustered in the older parts of town where customers do not have the financial resources to pay for replacement,” the report found.
“The risks posed are unprecedented, and the problem is challenging because of the unforeseen difficulty of locating the problem pipes.”
Continued use of older pipes also causes water leaks — the average age of a ruptured water main is 47 years — which contributes to the pre-consumer waste of a mind-boggling 50.7 billion gallons of water each year from the 248.3 billion gallons supplied across Indiana.
Water systems of all sizes in the state report nonrevenue water, that which never makes it to a customer, comprises between 19 and 24 percent of the water they produce, which is in line with national averages.
The total cost of Indiana’s nonrevenue water is $54.6 million a year, according to the report.
Lake and Porter County communities primarily are served by medium (3,301-10,000 customers), large (10,001-100,000) or very large (more than 100,000) water systems, while outside Michigan City most LaPorte County water comes from small systems (3,300 or less customers).
The report found customers of larger water systems, and providers overseen by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission, paid less for their water than Hoosiers buying water from small providers, mostly due to per capita operating costs for smaller systems that are more than twice that of larger systems.
As a result, the average customer unit retail cost for water was lowest in the mostly urbanized northern third of the state, while central and southern Indiana residents paid more due to the proliferation of small water systems outside of metropolitan areas.
At the same time, Lake County water systems reported they need to spend at least $400 million to bring their infrastructure up to nationally recognized acceptable levels.
That’s the most for any county in the state and about one-sixth of Indiana’s $2.3 billion immediate repair need.
The report suggested ongoing annual water infrastructure maintenance across Indiana will cost an additional $815 million a year.
In total, Indiana currently spends about $16 billion a year for education, health care, transportation and all other state services.
“Indiana’s relationship with drinking water systems will need to evolve if the utilities are going to move beyond this critical funding deficit,” the report said.
It recommends Hoosier lawmakers devote general fund appropriations, potentially from new taxes, to help meet the state’s immediate water infrastructure needs, particularly older pipe replacement.
The report also urges the regional consolidation of local water systems to reduce costs, standardization of water asset management and the appointment of a state water czar to coordinate improvement and financing efforts across the numerous agencies responsible for water oversight.
“The goal is for the state to begin working to support the assets that improve everyone’s life and the health of the natural environment,” the report said.
State Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, who helped commission the report as former chairman of the Senate Committee on Environmental Affairs, said the results shine a needed light on how Indiana manages a necessity that’s often taken for granted.
“This information will serve as the foundation for our discussions during the 2017 legislative session as we seek ways to protect customers, ensure the health and safety of every Hoosier and protect an asset that is critical to the economic well-being of our state,” Charbonneau said.
California’s new water conservation plan focuses on cities
by Ellen Knickmeyer and Scott smith, originally posted on December 1, 2016
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – California officials crafting a new conservation plan for the state’s dry future drew criticism from environmentalists on Thursday for failing to require more cutbacks of farmers, who use 80 percent of the water consumed by people.
Gov. Jerry Brown ordered up the state plans for improving long-term conservation in May, when he lifted a statewide mandate put in place at the height of California’s drought for 25-percent water conservation by cities and towns.
Ben Chou, a water-policy analyst with the Natural Resources Defense Council, criticized state planners for not mandating any new water-savings by farm water districts.
“There’s been a huge difference all along in what urban water districts have been required to do and what ag water districts are required to do” regarding conservation, Chou said.
Under the governor’s order, state agencies this week released the plan for a long-term water diet for California. They anticipate climate change to cause the Sierra Nevada snowpack – one of California’s largest sources of water – to decline by half by the end of the century.
Flint Residents Are Still Fighting For Access To Clean Drinking Water Two Years Later
Federal and state officials say the cost of door-to-door bottled water delivery is too high.
by Rachaell Davis, originally posted on December 2, 2016
It’s been more than two years since the lead water crisis left the people of Flint without access to clean drinking water, but the fight to get things back to normal is far from over.
The city of Flint has joined the state of Michigan in their fight against a federal court injunction requiring that Flint residents receive current and accurate information about the levels of lead contamination in their tap water, as well as door-to-door deliveries of bottled water, filter installations and water line replacements free of cost to residents.
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While it would seem the ask stated in the injunction is more than reasonable––and above all else, necessary––attorneys for the city say the requirement, issued by U.S. District Judge David M. Lawson, is “overboard, and moreover, the city lacks the resources required to comply,” according to MLive.
State and federal officials also argue that the city’s water condition is “improving,” although they continue to caution residents against drinking non-filtered tap water due to the possibility of heightened lead levels. Another concern officials have is the potentially high cost (estimated at over $10 million) to taxpayers in order to implement the provisions stated in the injunction.
ACLU attorneys maintain that the current bottled water delivery program in place has proven inadequate for residents, many of whom lack access to the transportation necessary to pick up the water from designated delivery sites.
No toilet, no drinking water, children wash utensils in Guna school
by Purvi Jain and Yogendra Lumba, December 2, 2016
Even though Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission had made recommendations on November 22 regarding upgradation of food facilities in primary schools, the government primary school in Chachoda, Guna, has failed to follow the same.
Following a report that students in a government school was made to eat their mid-day meal on the ground, the rights commission had set guidelines that workers should be hired for cleaning utensils in the schools, clean drinking water facilities should be provided, mid-day meals should be served in a clean surrounding, and the number of plates, glasses and other utensils should be more than the number of students.
However, even after repeated recommendations, the school in Guna has not made the arrangements. Students are compelled to wash utensils after their meals and are made to fetch water for the same from a nearby water tank.
The school, reportedly, is in a dilapidated state, and it neither has water facilities nor a toilet in the school building.
When brought the matter to notice, sub-divisional magistrate Chachoda Abhay Singh Kharari said he will immediately take action on the same.
A latest survey by the non-governmental organisation Child Rights and You reveals that in 27% of schools across MP, mid-day meal was either not being cooked inside a designated kitchen, or schools did not have a kitchen space. Around 77% schools had no water facility in the toilets, and about 8% of schools have no toilets at all. In 49% of schools, toilets are unused.
The survey also stated that 14% of schools do not have access to safe drinking water and hand pumps are used to draw water in most of the schools.
PREVIOUS CASES THIS YEAR
Hindustan Times, October 19 edition reported that Rozra Chakkar government primary school has only 12 plates for 47 students. Three to four students are forced to eat their meals from a single plate.
-On September 30, a photograph was published on two Class 5 students of government primary school in Chhatarpur preparing mid-day meal, prompting the district authorities to order an inquiry into the incident.
March 2016, it was reported that Veeran Ahirwar, Class 3 student in a school in Damoh, drowned in a well when he went to fetch water after his mid-day meal.
Dhaka, Bangladesh, on its way to clean water but with a long road to go
by Robert Mitchell, originally posted on February 11, 2017
Water is flowing plentifully into Bangladesh, but all is not hydraulically well in the 8th largest country in the world. With nearly half of its population exposed to unsafe water and slow water-poisoning, Bangladesh is firmly tackling one of its most endemic problems. But it will be no easy task, and providing safe water to all Bangladeshi will find most of its hampers within the country, not outside.
With its rain season, and the slopes of central Asian mountains, Bangladesh has all the water it could hope for, sometimes too much. But national and international observers, for years, have been blowing whistles and raising flags regarding the very unsafe composition of the water. While it is agreed upon that almost all of the population has access to water, it is considered that barely half has access to clean water. The WHO estimates that « 97% of the people of Bangladesh have access to water and only 40% percent have proper sanitation. With a staggering 60% of the population that has to endure unsafe drinking water, the nation is in danger. The availability of this water greatly fluctuates throughout the year as the warmer season brings massive amounts of water in frequent monsoons and the cooler season brings drought. The infrastructure cannot adequately deal with the barrage of water in monsoon season so the water is not saved for the drier months. Of the water that is available, over 80 percent is used for agriculture»
The causes are not only Bangladeshi, although environmental regulations will be part of the upcoming project. Almost all of the water available in Bangladesh (the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna) flow through India and China before arriving into Bangladesh. In both these countries, soaring demography and rising industrialization, often unfettered with environmental regulations, have caused downstream waters to be contaminated with all sorts of health-endangering chemicals. In a 2016 study produced by the Chinese Water Resources Ministry itself, it was revealed that « The Water Resources Ministry analyzed samples drawn in January from 2,103 wells used for monitoring in the country’s major eastern flatland watersheds […] The ministry said that of those samples, 32.9% were classed as suitable only for industrial and agricultural use, while 47.3% were unfit for human consumption of any type. » And the Indian side is even worse.
The Bangladeshi government, headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Rasina, has therefore launched an international request for proposals, in view of creating a partnership which will bring clean and safe water to the most vulnerable area of the country, Dhaka. Within the framework of the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project (DESWSP), Veolia was retained by Bangladesh’s Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (DWASA) as it was the only contender to offer a technically suitable solution. The project is backed by the Asian Development Bank and the European Investment Bank, two independent and financially powerful partners which will ensure the project is duly carried out. The aim of this project is triple: it must ensure health security, demographic development, and economic growth.
Indeed, Bangladesh has greatly reduced it child mortality rate over the past half-century (from 240 per thousand in the 1960s to about 40 in our decade), but it is still greatly superior to western countries, much of which is caused by unsafe water. Access to clean and safe water was an important point of tension in Bangladesh, as in many developing countries, with many citizens in rural areas claiming to having their health jeopardized in favor of the rich urban parts of the country. Finally, with 80% of the country’s water being used for agriculture, access to clean and safe water would have a dramatically positive impact on the country agricultural output, a well-known indicator of macro-economic performance. Concerning the Dhaka Environmentally Sustainable Water Supply Project, the European Investment bank details in a press release: “In line with the European Union mandate guiding the EIB lending mandate for Asia, the project will promote the development of social and economic infrastructure; it will improve availability, quality and reliability of water supply services in Dhaka, with positive health and environmental benefits for the population.”
David Zetland, senior water economist for Aguanomics, points out « The fourth economic category for water classifies it as a public good, a term that may remind one of “for the public good” but actually refers to the way that everyone can enjoy a public good without fear that one person’s enjoyment denies pleasure to someone else. Most water in the environment – waterfalls, rainbows, glaciers and the ocean – falls into this category. We can play in it or look at it without end, all of us. » The enjoyment of this public good will be now the new step in Bangladesh’s economic transition.
However, it is a safe bet to say that if fixing the water problem in Bangladesh were easy, it would have been done a long time ago. Once again, the government will probably have to fight off its own administration’s grip on the strategic resource which is water. Whether the administration of water be centralized or decentralized, it hasn’t worked actually. So, the government is letting a private partner in, to help solve the crisis. During PM Sheikh Hasina’s first premiership, she had to tear away the telecommunications sector from the administration to enable it to develop. Once more, the government will have to rise to the challenge, as the PM says, «to ensure safe water for hundred percent of the population”.
Water is a democratic resource. It is unreasonable to hope for a stable society and a thriving economy when nearly half the population in the country is risking water poisoning every day. With clean water, benefiting both the population and the agriculture, Bangladesh will have a much better chance at harnessing the great economic upheaval of its two giant neighbors, India and China, and become the economic key-player it has the potential to be.
Water line broke during blizzard
originally posted on February 11, 2017
WESTERLY — As if the blizzard was not enough, town crews braved the elements Thursday to repair a broken water main. A 6-inch cast iron pipe in the vicinity of Babcock and Stone Hill roads burst at about 12:30 p.m. The water cutoff also affected nearby Eddy Street, and Brown and Benny Drives. The broken pipe was repaired and water service restored at about 6 p.m. The same line has experienced problems in the past. About 60 residences were affected.
Cast iron pipe, which makes up about 60 percent of the town’s system, does not hold up well under severe temperature variations, said Town Manager Derrik M. Kennedy. Much of the pipe was manufactured in the 1960s. As part of their response, town crews went door-to-door to explain the situation to residents.
— Dale P. Faulkner
Sinking Land Threatens Vital California Water Canal
The 444-mile California Aqueduct provides water to 25 million people and nearly one million acres of farmland
originally posted on February 09, 2017
Land in the Central Valley is sinking so much from over-pumping of groundwater in the drought that water officials plan to press for new laws to limit well drilling to slow the damage.
Jeanine Jones of the California Department of Water Resources said Thursday that sinking land threatens to limit up to one-fifth of water deliveries to central and Southern California as part of the state’s vital north-south water project.
The 444-mile California Aqueduct provides water to 25 million people and nearly one million acres of farmland. Officials said that since 2015, sections of the concrete canal have dropped more than two feet in places.
“The rates of San Joaquin Valley subsidence documented since 2014 by NASA are troubling and unsustainable,” said DWR Director William Croyle. “Subsidence has long plagued certain regions of California. But the current rates jeopardize infrastructure serving millions of people. Groundwater pumping now puts at risk the very system that brings water to the San Joaquin Valley. The situation is untenable.”
A previous report prepared by NASA showed record rates of subsidence, the gradual sinking of land, particularly near the Central Valley communities of Chowchilla and Corcoran, according to the DWR. More NASA aerial radar mapping showed the sinking caused by groundwater pumping caused the Aqueduct to drop by more than two feet near Avenal in Kings County, reducing how much water can flow through the segment, according to the DWR.
San Joaquin land subsidence isn’t a new problem — it was first observed in the 1920s — but authorities have heightened concerns due to the NASA research results and heavy reliance on groundwater for irrigation during California’s historic drought. Aqueduct problems due to sinking land have required repairs to canal linings, bridges and other structures along the canal’s path.
Drought conditions have eased after January’s strong winter storms. Eleven percent of the state remains under severe drought, down from 82 percent at this time last year, according to Thursday’s Drought Monitor report.
Evacuations ordered below Oroville Dam after a hole is found in its emergency spillway
originally posted on February 13, 2017
Workers are expected on Monday to begin repairing erosion at the emergency spillway at Lake Oroville that threatened to flood downstream towns and forced more than 100,000 people from their homes Sunday.
Officials said they would use bags of rocks to try to plug the hole at the emergency spillway. Preparations were underway Monday morning, with workers gathering supplies for the repair job and trucks bringing in rocks and other materials.
They emphasized the situation remains dangerous at the reservoir and urged residents in communities along the Feather River to evacuate to higher ground.
The flood danger emerged suddenly when a hole developed Sunday in the auxiliary spillway that was being used to lower the levels of the full-to-the brim reservoir, the second-largest in California
The erosion could undermine the concrete top of the spillway, allowing torrents of water to wash downhill into the Feather River and flood Oroville and other towns in Yuba, Sutter and Butte counties.
Sunday night, officials said the threat had diminished because the lake level had dropped and water was no longer washing over the emergency spillway.
But the situation at Oroville remained precarious. The two main avenues for getting water out of the lake – the unpaved emergency spillway and the main concrete spillway – were both damaged.
Both spillways are separate from Oroville Dam itself, which state officials continued to say was not in danger. The main spillway, a long concrete chute off to the side of the dam, has a gaping gash in it that forced officials to reduce releases last week.
Gov. Jerry Brown late Sunday issued an emergency order aimed at speeding up state aid for the Oroville efforts.
“I’ve been in close contact with emergency personnel managing the situation in Oroville throughout the weekend and it’s clear the circumstances are complex and rapidly changing,” Brown said in a statement. “I want to thank local and state law enforcement for leading evacuation efforts and doing their part to keep residents safe. The state is directing all necessary personnel and resources to deal with this very serious situation.”
Earlier in the day, Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said that the hole was developing near the lower edge of the emergency spillway and eroding “at a rather significant rate.”
“There was significant concern that [the hole] would compromise the integrity of the spillway, resulting in a substantial release of water,” Honea said. “We had to make a very critical and difficult decision to initiate the evacuation of the Oroville area.”
Those in Oroville, a city of about 16,000 people, were asked to flee northward toward Chico, along with Gridley and Biggs. In Yuba County, those in Marysville and other communities in the county’s valley floor were urged to take routes to the east, south or west. In Sutter County, evacuations were ordered for Yuba City, Live Oak, Nicolaus and all communities around the Feather River basin.
“This is not a drill. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill,” proclaimed a Sheriff’s Department statement posted on social media. Authorities urged residents to contact neighbors and family members and reach out to the elderly and assist them in evacuating.
To slow the erosion on the emergency spillway, state Department of Water Resources officials doubled the flow of water down the main spillway to 100,000 cubic feet per second. The rapid increase drastically reduced the water coming over the emergency spillway.
The dam itself is structurally sound, officials said.
The evacuations marked a dramatic turn of events at the Oroville Dam, located about 75 miles north of Sacramento.
For several days, officials have been trying to figure out how to get water out of Lake Oroville after the main spillway was damaged. A massive hole was discovered last week on the main spillway and eventually spread across the full width of the concrete-lined channel.
Saturday marked the first time the emergency spillway was used since the dam was finished in 1968, and until Sunday afternoon it seemed to be working well. But water from rain and snow continued to flow into Lake Oroville at a rapid pace, causing water levels to rise to emergency levels.
Lake Oroville is the linchpin of California’s state water movement system, sending water from the Sierra Nevada south to the farms across the San Joaquin Valley and cities in the Southland.
Video from television helicopters Sunday evening showed water flowing into a parking lot next to the dam, with large flows going down the damaged main spillway and the emergency spillway.
Officials feared a failure of the emergency spillway could cause huge amounts of water to flow into the Feather River, which runs through downtown Oroville, and other waterways. The result could be flooding and levee failures for miles south of the dam, depending on how much water is released.
“We’re going to continue to flow water down the spillway and lower the lake,” said Eric See, a spokesman for the Department of Water Resources. “You’re going to see the lake dropping over the next several days.”
Officials emphasized that despite the damage to the spillways, the dam itself was not at risk of failing.
“Believe me, in the last several days there have been a lot of eyes on it,” said Bill Croyle, acting director of the water department. “Oroville Dam is not in any way a part of the damage that occurred.”
Officials have estimated it could cost $100 million to $200 million to repair the damage to the spillways and other features.