ANNOUNCEMENT: Final Environmental Document Allows Transfer of Recaptured San Joaquin River Restoration Program Flows to Pleasant Valley Water District in 2017.
The FONSI is based on the analysis of potential impacts analyzed and disclosed in the 2013 Recirculation of Recaptured Water Year 2013-2017 San Joaquin River Restoration Program Flows Environmental Assessment.
The district is located in southwestern Fresno County and provides groundwater to approximately 35,000 acres for irrigation of agricultural lands.
The water will be conveyed through existing facilities from San Luis Reservoir through the San Luis Canal and Coalinga Canal, and then to local conveyance facilities.
The water will be used for irrigation purposes in-lieu of pumped groundwater.
The proposed action is consistent with the SJRRP’s Water Management Goal, to reduce or avoid water supply impacts to Friant Division long-term contractors, by providing an additional mechanism to recirculate, reuse, exchange or transfer recaptured Restoration Flows.
If you encounter problems accessing the document online, please contact the Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.
More information on the San Joaquin River Restoration Program is available at www.restoresjr.net.
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WaterWorld Weekly Newscast, May 8, 2017.
The following is a transcript of the WaterWorld Weekly Newscast for May 8, 2017.
Hi, I’m Angela Godwin for WaterWorld magazine, bringing you water and wastewater news headlines for the week of May 8.
Coming up… ASCE publishes new stormwater guidelines ‘Living Map’ compiles water financing ideas Diamond wastewater technology strikes gold at Edison Awards Water data available from Bureau of Reclamation for download, use The American Society of Civil Engineers has released three new standards that provide updated guidelines for urban stormwater systems.
But researchers from Stanford believe they can help.
The Stanford team has created a “Living Map” of innovative ways to finance water projects in the United States.
The map shows case studies of successful water financing efforts around the country designed to be implemented at various scales.
The case studies feature a wide variety of mechanisms — some are market-based systems like credit and permit trading, others use grant funding, bonds, end-user fees, or a combination of all of the above.
To learn more, visit Stanford’s Water in the West program online at waterinthewest.stanford.edu.
Designed to treat highly contaminated industrial wastewater, DIAMOX wastewater treatment technology from Element Six is an electrochemical cell that utilizes synthetic industrial diamond electrodes to mineralize dissolved pollutants in the water — without the use of additional UV or chemicals.

CRS Report: ‘Central Valley Project Operations – Background and Legislation’.
Click on the graphics to enlarge them.
This represents an improvement from one year prior to that date, when 73% of the state was in severe drought conditions, and two years prior, when 92% fell under this designation.
Stress on water supplies due to drought resulted in cutbacks in water deliveries to districts receiving water from federal and state facilities, in particular the federal Central Valley Project (CVP, operated by the Bureau of Reclamation) and the State Water Project (SWP, operated by the State of California).
In 2015, California mandated a 25% reduction in water use for nonagricultural water users, and overall SWP deliveries were limited to 20% of contractor requests.
For the first time in years, initial water allocations for most CVP water contractors were 100%.
Previous cutbacks to CVP deliveries (in particular during periods of increased precipitation) have caused some to criticize Reclamation’s management of the CVP and question the extent to which factors beyond limited water supplies (e.g., restrictions to protect endangered species and water quality) influence water management and the quantity of water delivered to contractors.
They argue that congressionally directed changes in the operation of the CVP that would result in increases to water allocations are needed.
Legislation enacted in the 114th Congress (Subtitle J of S. 612, the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation [WIIN] Act) incorporated provisions from multiple California drought-related bills that had been considered dating to the 112th Congress.
Congress may consider this and similar legislation, as well as oversight of CVP operations and implementation of WIIN Act CVP provisions.

Arizona water director: I won’t support CAP board’s drought plan.
Mark Henle/The Republic My Turn: The Central Arizona Water Conservation District wants to gamble with water levels in Lake Mead, and that’s just not smart.
Droughts of 30 or even 50 years are not unknown phenomena.
Two board members of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) recently called for the state’s water managers to rally around a new proposal created by CAWCD staff to (theoretically) protect Arizona’s water in Lake Mead.
This risky gambit lacks a fundamental aspect of credibility and statesmanship that Arizona needs to maintain with our neighbors in Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada and California.
A prudent plan – a DCP-Plus plan — would conserve and store enough water in Lake Mead so that a buffer, well above the shortage trigger elevation, is reached.
The Arizona Department of Water Resources is committed to a collaborative approach to water management among all Arizona water users who hold entitlements to Colorado River water.
The Arizona water users who rely on the river have supported my efforts to represent them as DCP negotiations ensued.
It’s simple: I won’t support their plan As director, I am charged with signing the DCP on behalf of the state.
That “Plus plan” is the lynchpin for support by Arizona’s water users when I appear before the state Legislature.

Knight’s legislation would clean contaminated water.
In an effort to recycle contaminated water in the Santa Clarita Valley, Congressman Steve Knight (R-Antelope Valley) introduced a bill Tuesday to treat areas contaminated by perchlorate.
Under the House of Representatives Bill 2116, known as the Perchlorate Reclamation and Water Replenishment Act, the Secretary of the Interior would develop projects with local water agencies to capture, treat and distribute recycled water affected by perchlorate.
“While California’s water outlook has improved this year, we still must take steps to ensure we have a clean and abundant water supply in the Santa Clarita Valley,” Knight said in a statement.
“This legislation is a local priority that would bring relief to communities.” Multiple water wells in the Santa Clarita Valley are currently unused because of perchlorate contamination, Knight’s office said.
This bill would assist communities nationwide with the contamination, but would prioritize water districts that have previously taken steps toward solving contamination issues.
Castaic Lake Water Agency General Manager Matt Stone said in a statement that the agency is a proponent of the bill.
“Communities like ours that have been impacted by perchlorate contamination will now have resources to help replenish lost water supply,” Stone said.
“We look forward to working with him as this legislation moves through the process.” Last year, Knight introduced the Castaic Drinking Water Act to authorize the Bureau of Reclamation to participate in perchlorate cleanup.
gender@signalscv.com 661-287-5525 On Twitter as @ginaender

Drought busted: Bureau of Reclamation boosts water allocation to 100 percent for west-side farmers.
They received a 5 percent allocation last year, causing them to fallow at least 200,000 acres in the Westlands Water District.
With one of the wettest winters in years, “there shouldn’t have been a question mark … this is something we should have seen in February.” What changed the bureau’s mind?
“Following the California Department of Water Resources exceptional March 30 snow survey results, Reclamation is pleased to announce this increase to a 100 percent allocation for our South-of-Delta water contractors,” acting regional director Pablo Arroyave said in a news release.
“However, as Gov.
The Central Valley Project was designed to deliver full supplies in all types of water years with allocations to be made in mid-February so farmers can make planting decisions, Westlands said.
From 2014 to 2015 the allocation was zero.
In 2016, farmers got 5 percent but were told it could not be used during the irrigation season, the water district said.
“For farmers who had to make planting decisions several months ago, (Tuesday’s) announcement of an increase in supply comes too late in the season to aid their operations,” Westlands said in a news release.
We look forward to a timely, adequate allocation for the next growing season.” A pair of Valley congressional leaders applauded the full water allocation but also recognized the need to improve the water system.

REDDING, Calif. – Farmers under the Bella Vista Water District were relieved to find out they would be receiving 100 percent of water allocations, but are still paying off costs from drought years.
Robert Nash of Nash Ranch in Redding said their main crops are hay, grains, and pumpkins.
"The pumpkins need a lot of water, and if we have alfalfa hay, that takes a lot of water," Nash said.
The irrigation for his crops come from the Bella Vista Water District and a pond on his ranch.
"We store rainwater, rain run-off there, it’s by permit, and there’s about 400 acre feet there that we can store and use, as well," Nash said.
Nash added that in 2015 Bella Vista Water District was not granted any water for farms, forcing him to cut back on irrigation.
Although it has been a wet winter, there is still a long road ahead to recovery for farmers.
"Irrigation is expensive, and we’ve had a couple years of drought.
So we’ve gotten used to not irrigating, and so, it’ll take a couple years to get things ramped back up into an irrigated crop rotation," Nash said.
However, he’s optimistic about the upcoming year and will be planting 20 percent more crops than previous years.

To implement the California Water Fix project, the Bureau of Reclamation and Department of Water Resources must obtain the State Water Board’s approval of petitions to change certain elements of the Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) water right permits and licenses, including most notably adding new points of diversion.
That part concluded in December; part 2 will address the effects of Water Fix project on Fish and Wildlife, including Delta flow criteria that might be included.
“Keep in mind that the Water Fix process that we’re talking about here is a State Water Resources Control Board process and it’s focused on a water rights concept and that is a change in point of diversion.
It’s just a water conveyance project that needs a change in point of diversion.”
“I do think it is dual conveyance; in fact, if we were to shift all the pumping to the north, then the projects couldn’t meet the water quality control plans and the ag salinity standards in the south Delta would not be met, so I think what it does do is give flexibility.
He reminded that the water quality control plan criteria and the regulatory constraints on the Department aren’t being changed, and in order to meet the Southern Delta water quality criteria that are currently a condition of the state’s water rights permits, they will have to maintain some pumping from the south Delta, because it’s that pumping from the south Delta that artificially draws fresh water into the south Delta and helps to provide for protection of agriculture in that region.
The 2006 Water Quality Control Plan itself indicated that alternative conveyance was part of the solution.
… Water Fix proposes it’s going to operate a certain way, and yet in the drought years, it says we’re not going to operate the way that we said we would and we’re not going to tell you how we’re going to operate.
So things are bad now; this actually is worse.” Stuart Somach then turned to Stephanie Morris and asked if the NEPA/CEQA documents explain project operations, and is it appropriate to look to those documents to understand the deficits the other panelists are talking about?
It probably could happen but it’s not likely to happen nor do I think it would happen because the Department and the Bureau don’t want to take those risks because they have contractual obligations that they have to meet in the following years and more importantly, they have water quality control plan requirements that they have to meet in the following years, so they are much more conservative then Kevin’s modeler would be and frankly, probably my modelers.” “The concept embedded in these materials include realtime operations and adaptive management as part of this, but the question, isn’t there a ‘trust me’ quality to that?” asked Stuart Somach, directing the question to Tripp Mizell.

Arizona, in general, has fared better with only 15 percent of the state still experiencing drought conditions after the wettest winter in seven years.
Although there has been rain, the threat of a water emergency still looms in the region’s future, said Briana Morgan, Lake Havasu City water conservation specialist.
We’ve been experiencing this for more than 16 years, and concern is growing,” Morgan said.
If this continues for the next decade or so, and if our demand stays where it’s at now or increases, we definitely will reach a critical point.” Lake Havasu’s water supply is almost exclusively tied to the Colorado River and Lake Mead with an annual water entitlement set at 28,581 acre feet.
“Last year demand came in at 10,899 acre feet of water.
“The Bureau of Reclamation is projecting by January 2018 we will be at 1,102 feet, which is 25 feet above the shortage declaration, but, there are a lot of variables and we always have to keep our eyes open,” she said.
“Cuts are looming because Arizona’s bank for 40 percent of its water supply coming (from) Lake Mead are being drained faster than it can be filled,” the report stated.
“Most other cities usually target outdoor irrigation first and that makes sense,” Morgan said.
“We need water flowing into our homes much more than going to our lawns.” “If we factor out commercial irrigation, residential use is still between 60-70 percent,” Morgan said.
This is the biggest area of improvement for our city and for our state.”

The Bureau of Reclamation is scheduled to incrementally increase releases below Nimbus Dam starting Monday at 8 a.m., from 5,000 cubic feet per second to 15,000 cfs by Tuesday at 10 a.m., to manage Folsom Reservoir inflow. Please be aware, operational adjustments will be made as necessary and may occur on…