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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=headline1><FONT face=Tahoma
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<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">IRRIGATION
RUNOFF REGULATIONS:<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Water program's
depth at issue; </SPAN></FONT></B><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Chairman of
quality control board wants to explore expanding discharge enforcement to ground
water<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns =
"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on"><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Fresno</SPAN></FONT></B></st1:place></st1:City><B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> Bee –
8/5/05<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By Dennis
Pollock, staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Regulators of a state program that deals with pollution
from irrigated farmland will begin a discussion today on a policy change that
could significantly broaden enforcement, especially in the
Valley.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">In an e-mail to members of the Central Valley Regional
Water Quality Control Board and others, Chairman Bob Schneider said he plans at
today's meeting in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Sacramento</st1:place></st1:City> to ask the board's staff to consider
whether discharges into ground water should be included in the
program.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The 3-year-old program now applies to those who
discharge into surface water, not into the water
below.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Considerable controversy has arisen over who does or
does not discharge. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"To date, the [Irrigated Lands Conditional Waiver
Program] has not included ground water," Schneider writes. "This has created
confusion over the issue of who is a discharger, particularly in the sandy loamy
soils in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San
Joaquin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Some farmers have asserted that
they have no surface runoff from either their irrigated water or from surface
water and that all water is percolated into the
soil."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Frustrated with what they say is a lack of clarity in
the state's enforcement actions, Valley farmers and industry leaders said
broadening the definition will only further muddy the
picture.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Kenneth Landau, the board's assistant executive officer,
emphasized that the ground-water issue "is not an agenda item, and it's not a
formalized discussion. Board members can bring it up, but they can't have a
deliberation."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Schneider could not be reached to comment Thursday.
Another board member, Al Brizard, said any discussion of the ground-water issue
would be brief and that any action could be years
away.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">A retired farmer living in Groveland, Brizard said he
understands frustration among growers faced with the relatively new regulations
after decades of not facing such controls: "Sometimes we don't have answers
yet."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The dispute over whether a farm's irrigation water runs
off the property is particularly acute in the Valley where rainfall levels are
low and the farms are often far removed from surface
water.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Landau said he believes the board has given "very clear
guidance" on what it means to be a discharger of waste on irrigated land.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"If the person is in an area that floods, it meets that
criteria," he said. "Some may feel you're a discharger only if you have big
pipes carrying the water away, but it can be accidental, brought about by
rain."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Dave Orth, who is on a steering committee for a
coalition of growers addressing the runoff issue in the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">South</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Valley</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, disputes the idea that definitions
have been spelled out in detail.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"We have struggled with a lack of clarity," said Orth,
who is also general manager of the Kings River Conservation District. "We're
becoming increasingly frustrated with the regional board and its
staff.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"Their presumption is that all farmers are guilty and
that coalitions must take action to help the farmers correct the problem. Our
position is that there aren't always problems and not all farmers are guilty.
These definitional problems have existed from Day
One."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Liz Kanter, a spokeswoman for the state Water Resources
Control Board, said growers "have been fantastic" in their efforts to address
the issue of water pollution, particularly through a coalition system that
includes thousands of farmers.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">She acknowledges that some informational meetings
involving board representatives, agricultural commissioners, growers and other
"stakeholders" across the state have turned contentious.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"It's OK to disagree," she
said.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Kanter said answers to many questions, including who is
a discharger, can be found on the Web site <A
href="http://www.waterboards.ca.gov" target=_blank><FONT color=#003366><SPAN
style="COLOR: #003366; TEXT-DECORATION: none">www.waterboards.ca.gov</SPAN></FONT></A>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Parry Klassen, a <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Selma</st1:City></st1:place> farmer and executive director of the
Coalition for Urban-Rural Environmental Stewardship, said the Web site
definition "is not specific enough. It's a confusing definition that has nothing
I can take out to my peach orchard in terms of an exact definition of whether I
discharge in a dry climate."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">He believes low rainfall in the Valley, coupled with the
fact that farms may be miles from any surface water, accounts for less
likelihood of runoff than in other parts of the water board's vast region,
ranging from the state's border with <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State> to
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Bakersfield</st1:place></st1:City>.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Madera</SPAN></FONT></st1:place></st1:City><FONT
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"> grower Kenneth Helms said a board staff
member spent about 15 minutes at his farm and told him water would run off part
of his property on one side of Avenue 51/2, but not from property on the other
side of the street.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"I've been here 35 years and have never had water run
off any of my property," he said. "It can't go anywhere. He said, 'If it rains
10 inches in an hour, you would have runoff.' I asked him, 'When was the last
time that happened?'"<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">For the past three years, Helms has used drip irrigation
to water his vineyard three-eighths of a mile north of the <st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType> near <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Skaggs</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Bridge</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. "It just soaks right in," he
said.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Robert Rolan, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Madera</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> agricultural commissioner,
sympathizes with growers such as Helms.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">"It's very difficult for growers to comply with
something they don't understand," he said. "We're not mindless bureaucrats. The
main frustration is that the program has essentially been vague. It's a train
wreck."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Rolan said that if the board proceeds to broaden its
enforcement definition to include ground water, it will "rip away whatever
lingering fabric there was holding this business together. The overriding issue
is they [the board and its staff] have no credibility. This is absolutely going
to undermine any level of compliance that was
building."<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">In March, the regional board mailed about 50 letters to
growers in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Madera</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">County</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>, including Helms,
telling them they were not complying with the program. Growers were warned they
could face fines of up to $1,000 a day.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Landau said no fines have yet been levied and it's
anticipated there will be "nothing immediate" in terms of such
sanctions.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Klassen said thousands of farmers in the Valley who
irrigate their land have not yet joined watershed coalitions that monitor runoff
in waterways and collaborate to fix toxicity problems. Eight coalitions
regionwide collect more than $2 million from their members annually to support
the monitoring.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Starting as soon as next month, additional money from
growers in the waiver program will be used to add 22 staff members to the
regional board for inspections and enforcement, grower assistance and education,
reviewing monitoring reports and other activities.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Under the new fee structure, coalition groups that
collect and pay fees for landowners pay 12 cents per acre.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Members of coalition groups where the group does not
collect fees pay $100 per landowner, plus 20 cents per acre.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Individual growers who are not members of a coalition
pay $100 per landowner, plus 30cents per acre. #<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><A
href="http://www.fresnobee.com/business/story/11036746p-11797540c.html">http://www.fresnobee.com/business/story/11036746p-11797540c.html</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=vitstoryheadline2><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=vitstoryheadline2><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=black size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN></FONT></SPAN>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=headline1><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"></SPAN></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=headline1><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Fines may be in the future for
agencies that violate water rule</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><B><FONT face=Tahoma
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><B><FONT face=Tahoma
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Stockton</SPAN></FONT></B></st1:place></st1:City><B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> Record –
8/9/05<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By Dana Nichols,
staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Officials in the state and federal water agencies that
pump Delta water to <st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place> could
soon face fines of up to $1,000 a day if they violate salt pollution standards
for the Delta.<BR><BR>The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operates Friant Dam, which
most years blocks fresh water from reaching the Delta, leaving only salty
irrigation runoff in the lower San Joaquin much of the year.<BR><BR>Both the
Bureau and the California Department of Water Resources operate enormous pumps
near <st1:City w:st="on">Tracy</st1:City> that send Delta water south, drawing
salty <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> water deep into the
Delta.<BR><BR>The State Water Resources Control Board has drafted an order
telling the DWR and the Bureau to comply with tighter salt pollution standards
that went into effect April 1.<BR><BR>The board could instate the order Oct. 24
when it holds a hearing on the pollution violations.<BR><BR>Delta farmers are
the chief victims of the violations because they irrigate with Delta water, and
high salt levels can damage or even kill their crops.<BR><BR>Officials with DWR
and the Bureau have asked for three more years to comply with the rules. They
say their agencies were unable to complete construction of $100 million worth of
operable barriers that would have allowed them to control water flow in the
Delta and reduce the amount of salt that penetrates the estuary.<BR><BR>Jerry
Johns, deputy director of DWR, said that thanks to record rainfall and snow melt
this year, the salt pollution is under control at the moment because enough
water has been flowing down rivers to dilute it.<BR><BR>If there is less rain,
next year will be the earliest that the tighter rules might force the agencies
to pump less water south or dump more fresh water from reservoirs.<BR><BR>Johns
said it is ironic, given the good conditions at the moment, that the state board
may issue a cease and desist order. He said the issue only came up because DWR
and the Bureau in February put the state board on notice that they wouldn't have
the operable barriers ready and couldn't meet the standard for several more
years.<BR><BR>"We were trying to do the good government thing," Johns
said.<BR><BR>Farmers, environmentalists, and some state regulators say that the
agencies do have options for reducing the salt pollution, including releases of
fresh water from dams upstream.<BR><BR>Rather than releasing fresh water from
Friant, however, the Bureau chooses to dilute the pollution by releasing water
from New Melones Reservoir on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Stanislaus</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Those releases hurt <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Stockton</st1:place></st1:City> by reducing the
amount of New Melones water the city can purchase.<BR><BR>The order prepared by
the State Water Resources Control Board would require the two agencies to
complete their operable barriers by 2009. Meanwhile, the order would require the
agencies to report to the board on what they are doing to control the pollution,
including curtailment of water exports from the Delta and releases of fresh
water from dams.<BR><BR>The late irrigation season in September and October is
typically the time of greatest danger for Delta farmers, when river flows drop
and the lower <st1:place w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:place> carries the most
irrigation runoff.<BR><BR>Even if the order goes into effect on Oct. 24, that
might not be in time to help Delta farmers this year.<BR><BR>Dante Nomellini, an
attorney for the Central Delta Water Agency, said he has little faith that the
state board will act decisively to enforce the pollution rule.<BR><BR>"There is
kind of a mixed signal coming out of the board," Nomellini said, noting that the
board's Water Rights Division Chief, Victoria Whitney, on July 1 wrote a letter
in which she said she would allow the Bureau and DWR to continue violating the
salt standard until 2009.<BR><BR>Central Delta and several other water agencies
have filed petitions asking the board to review her decision.<BR><BR>Dick
Stevenson, chief of the Water Rights and Contracts Division for the Bureau of
Reclamation, said environmental documents due out later this month on the
proposed operable barriers would shed more light on what it takes to control
salt flows in the Delta.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR>"The state board makes these orders and we make
every effort to comply with the orders that the state puts down," Stevenson
said. #<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><A
href="http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS01/508090348&SearchID=73216742410862">http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS01/508090348&SearchID=73216742410862</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P class=MsoNormal><SPAN class=headline1><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Fines may be in the future for
agencies that violate water rule</SPAN></FONT></B></SPAN><B><FONT face=Tahoma
size=4><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><B><FONT face=Tahoma
size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">Stockton</SPAN></FONT></B></st1:place></st1:City><B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma"> Record –
8/9/05<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 14pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">By Dana Nichols,
staff writer</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Officials in the state and federal water agencies that
pump Delta water to <st1:place w:st="on">Southern California</st1:place> could
soon face fines of up to $1,000 a day if they violate salt pollution standards
for the Delta.<BR><BR>The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation operates Friant Dam, which
most years blocks fresh water from reaching the Delta, leaving only salty
irrigation runoff in the lower San Joaquin much of the year.<BR><BR>Both the
Bureau and the California Department of Water Resources operate enormous pumps
near <st1:City w:st="on">Tracy</st1:City> that send Delta water south, drawing
salty <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:PlaceName>
<st1:PlaceType w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> water deep into the
Delta.<BR><BR>The State Water Resources Control Board has drafted an order
telling the DWR and the Bureau to comply with tighter salt pollution standards
that went into effect April 1.<BR><BR>The board could instate the order Oct. 24
when it holds a hearing on the pollution violations.<BR><BR>Delta farmers are
the chief victims of the violations because they irrigate with Delta water, and
high salt levels can damage or even kill their crops.<BR><BR>Officials with DWR
and the Bureau have asked for three more years to comply with the rules. They
say their agencies were unable to complete construction of $100 million worth of
operable barriers that would have allowed them to control water flow in the
Delta and reduce the amount of salt that penetrates the estuary.<BR><BR>Jerry
Johns, deputy director of DWR, said that thanks to record rainfall and snow melt
this year, the salt pollution is under control at the moment because enough
water has been flowing down rivers to dilute it.<BR><BR>If there is less rain,
next year will be the earliest that the tighter rules might force the agencies
to pump less water south or dump more fresh water from reservoirs.<BR><BR>Johns
said it is ironic, given the good conditions at the moment, that the state board
may issue a cease and desist order. He said the issue only came up because DWR
and the Bureau in February put the state board on notice that they wouldn't have
the operable barriers ready and couldn't meet the standard for several more
years.<BR><BR>"We were trying to do the good government thing," Johns
said.<BR><BR>Farmers, environmentalists, and some state regulators say that the
agencies do have options for reducing the salt pollution, including releases of
fresh water from dams upstream.<BR><BR>Rather than releasing fresh water from
Friant, however, the Bureau chooses to dilute the pollution by releasing water
from New Melones Reservoir on the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Stanislaus</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">River</st1:PlaceType></st1:place>. Those releases hurt <st1:City
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Stockton</st1:place></st1:City> by reducing the
amount of New Melones water the city can purchase.<BR><BR>The order prepared by
the State Water Resources Control Board would require the two agencies to
complete their operable barriers by 2009. Meanwhile, the order would require the
agencies to report to the board on what they are doing to control the pollution,
including curtailment of water exports from the Delta and releases of fresh
water from dams.<BR><BR>The late irrigation season in September and October is
typically the time of greatest danger for Delta farmers, when river flows drop
and the lower <st1:place w:st="on">San Joaquin</st1:place> carries the most
irrigation runoff.<BR><BR>Even if the order goes into effect on Oct. 24, that
might not be in time to help Delta farmers this year.<BR><BR>Dante Nomellini, an
attorney for the Central Delta Water Agency, said he has little faith that the
state board will act decisively to enforce the pollution rule.<BR><BR>"There is
kind of a mixed signal coming out of the board," Nomellini said, noting that the
board's Water Rights Division Chief, Victoria Whitney, on July 1 wrote a letter
in which she said she would allow the Bureau and DWR to continue violating the
salt standard until 2009.<BR><BR>Central Delta and several other water agencies
have filed petitions asking the board to review her decision.<BR><BR>Dick
Stevenson, chief of the Water Rights and Contracts Division for the Bureau of
Reclamation, said environmental documents due out later this month on the
proposed operable barriers would shed more light on what it takes to control
salt flows in the Delta.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR>"The state board makes these orders and we make
every effort to comply with the orders that the state puts down," Stevenson
said. #<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><A
href="http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS01/508090348&SearchID=73216742410862">http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050809/NEWS01/508090348&SearchID=73216742410862</A><o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
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