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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000>DWR's early
forecast is essentially meaningless, as I blogged <SPAN
class=056425716-03112008><FONT color=#0000ff> Friday</FONT></SPAN>. But the
Chronicle did run a front page story.</FONT> <BR><A
href="http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/"><U></U><U><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#0000ff>http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/</FONT></U></A><B></B><B></B>
</DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<P><B><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=6>State prepared to slash water
deliveries</FONT></B> <BR><A href="mailto:myi@sfchronicle.com"><U><FONT
face="Times New Roman" color=#0000ff>Matthew Yi, Chronicle Sacramento
Bureau</FONT></U></A><B></B> <BR><FONT face="Times New Roman">Friday, October
31, 2008</FONT> <BR><B><FONT face="Times New Roman">(10-31) 04:00 PDT
Sacramento</FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman"> -- </FONT><BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">The state could cut as much as 85 percent of the water
it delivers to local suppliers, the second-lowest allocation estimate in
modern California history, officials said Thursday. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The water allocation estimate is the first for
2009 by the state Department of Water Resources, which plans to update its
figures each month through spring. Water delivery could be increased if the
Golden State's two-year drought ends with a wet winter in the coming months.
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The decision could have an impact on agencies
all over California that receive some of their supply from the state. Those
agencies serve 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. In the
Bay Area, five water agencies would be affected.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">While the estimate paints a grim picture that
could force local water agencies to ration or farmers to let their fields sit
idle, it's close to a worst-case scenario, said Lester Snow, director of the
state water agency.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"It's really a hope-for-the-best,
prepare-for-the-worst (scenario)," he said in a conference call with
reporters.</FONT> <BR><FONT face="Times New Roman">The lowest water allocation
estimate dates back to 1993 at the end of the state's last severe drought. The
Department of Water Resources initially estimated it would deliver just 10
percent of the contracted water to local water districts, but a wet winter
followed, and the state ended up providing 100 percent.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">But the state faces new challenges beyond just
a possible lack of rain and snow this time around, Snow said.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">One is a recent federal court ruling that limits the
pumping of water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, a move to protect
the endangered smelt.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The other is population growth, which is
putting more pressure on the state's water supplies in the midst of the
drought, Snow said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Water supplies for agencies such as the San
Francisco Public Utilities Commission and East Bay Municipal Utility District
that don't rely on the state for water won't be affected the state
allocation.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The five Bay Area agencies that receive water
from the state are the Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation
District, Solano County Water Agency, Alameda County Water District, Alameda
County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 7 and Santa Clara
Valley Water District.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The agencies said that while the low
allocation is discouraging, they already had made contingency plans this
summer.</FONT> <BR><FONT face="Times New Roman">"We actually thought the state
would come in at 10 percent," said Paul Piraino, general manager of Alameda
County Water District, which provides water to Fremont, Newark and Union
City.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Earlier this year, the district decided to
augment its groundwater reserves by moving 10,000 acre-feet of water from its
underground reserves in Kern County and an additional 12,000 acre-feet from
the San Luis Reservoir.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"It's sort of like putting some money in the
bank early ... for the not-so-rainy day," Piraino said.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">The Alameda County Flood Control District also is
benefiting from large groundwater storage, said Boni Brewer, the district's
spokeswoman.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Her agency has socked away about 90,000
acre-feet of water in its local groundwater basin, which should be enough for
its 200,000 customers in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore and parts of San Ramon,
even if drought conditions continue next year, she said.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Local water agency officials say they also
have diversified their sources of water since the last major drought of the
late 1980s and early 1990s.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">David Okita, general manager of Solano County
Water Agency, said about only 25 percent of his agency's water is drawn from
the state. The agency also takes water from the nearby Lake Berryessa and from
local runoff.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Still, local water officials say they are
keeping their fingers crossed that the coming winter will be a wet one and the
state will have more water to give.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Despite such contingency plans, if the water
picture doesn't change, agencies may consider mandatory rationing, which EBMUD
imposed on its users in May. EBMUD required its customers to cut water usage
or face a drought surcharge. That effort has resulted in about 11 percent
conservation, said Andy Katz, the district's general manager. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">A more drastic impact has been on California's
biggest industry, agriculture, farm officials say.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">The state's crop losses totaled nearly $260 million
this year as farmers either let their fields sit idle or abandoned their
crops, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's latest
figures.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"The upshot is inevitable," said Chris
Scheuring, California Farm Bureau Federation's water expert. "Farmers are
going to do some fallowing."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">And consumers at grocery stores are likely to
be affected in the form of higher food prices or seeing certain produce on
store shelves for a shortened amount of time if farmers decide to reduce their
planting.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"This is not an agriculture issue, it's a
food-supply issue," Scheuring said.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">But all that said, water officials say that while they
hope rains and snowfall return to the state this winter, Californians also
should do their part to cut back water usage.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">"We're clearly making an extra call for
conservation of water across the state," Snow said.</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Times New Roman">E-mail Matthew Yi at </FONT><A
href="mailto:myi@sfchronicle.com"><U><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=#0000ff>myi@sfchronicle.com</FONT></U></A><FONT
face="Times New Roman">.</FONT> <BR><A
href="http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/31/MN7713RHJI.DTL"><U><FONT
face="Times New Roman"
color=#0000ff>http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/10/31/MN7713RHJI.DTL</FONT></U></A>
<BR><FONT face="Times New Roman">This article appeared on page</FONT><B> <FONT
face="Times New Roman">A - 1</FONT></B><FONT face="Times New Roman"> of the
San Francisco Chronicle</FONT> </P><BR>
<P><FONT face="Comic Sans MS" color=#0000ff>Spreck Rosekrans</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#008000>Environmental Defense Fund</FONT> <BR><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" color=#ff0000>415-293-6082</FONT> <BR><A
href="http://www.edf.org"><U></U><U><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#0000ff>http://www.edf.org</FONT></U></A> <BR><A
href="http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/"><U></U><U><FONT face="Comic Sans MS"
color=#0000ff>http://blogs.edf.org/waterfront/</FONT></U></A> </P>
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