GROUNDWATER AND THE CVP IN THE WESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Transcription

1 GROUNDWATER AND THE CVP IN THE WESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY Presentation to Water For 7 Generations Conference Sierra Nevada Brewery Chico November 30, 2012 Tom Stokely, California Water Impact Network tstokely@att.net

2 The 1955 House and Senate Committee Reports on the 1955 Act clearly stated that the destination of the Trinity s water would be the San Luis Unit and Sacramento Canals Unit of the CVP.

3 JACK W. RODNER 1953 MANAGER OF WESTLANDS WATER DISTRICT

4 TRINITY RIVER DIVISION EXPANDS CVP PLACE OF USE TO HIGHLY SELENIFEROUS SOILS IN SAN LUIS UNIT

5 Drainage a Requirement of the SLU Act Before Water Can Be Delivered 1960: The San Luis Act is signed into law, authorizing Reclamation to sell water to Districts within the San Luis Unit of the CVP contingent upon the following: The Secretary of the Interior has received satisfactory assurance from the State of California that it will make provision for a master drainage outlet and disposal channel for the San Joaquin Valley... which will adequately serve... the drainage system for the San Luis Unit or has made provision for constructing the San Luis interceptor drain to the delta designed to meet the drainage requirements of the San Luis Unit... The San Luis Drain was never completed and was terminated at the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge

6 CADILLAC DESERT- WATER AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF NATURE, Program 3- THE MERCY OF NATURE 1997, KTEH-TV Foundation We went ahead with the Westlands project before we solved the drainage problem. We thought we knew how to solve the drainage problem. We thought the Kesterson Reservoir could be flushed on out into the Delta. We didn t have it solidified. So I made a terrible mistake by going ahead with Westlands at the time we did Floyd Dominy- Commissioner of Reclamation, (on delivering water to Westlands where drainage and selenium contamination problems persist today)

7 CREATION OF DRAINAGE WATER An illustration of how water that drains from irrigated fields is collected and removed to maintain long-term, sustainable salt and water balance in the root zone of irrigated lands. The San Luis Drain at Kesterson

8 Corcoran Clay Barrier Drainage is needed due to the impervious Corcoran Clay Barrier which separates the confined and unconfined aquifers and ponds contaminated drainage within the unconfined portion.

9 SWRCB D-1641: The SWRCB finds that the actions of the CVP are the principal cause of the salinity concentrations exceeding the objectives at Vernalis. The salinity problem at Vernalis is the result of saline discharges to the river, principally from irrigated agriculture, combined with low flows in the river from upstream water development. Page 83

10 THE CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT IMPROVEMENT ACT, (h)LAND RETIREMENT. The Secretary is authorized to purchase from willing sellers land and associated water rights and other property interests identified in paragraph (h)(2) which receives Central Valley Project water under a contract executed with the United States, and to target such purchases to areas deemed most beneficial to the overall purchase program, including the purposes of this title.

11 THE CENTRAL VALLEY PROJECT IMPROVEMENT ACT, 1992 (cont) (B)are no longer suitable for sustained agricultural production because of permanent damage resulting from severe drainage or agricultural wastewater management problems, groundwater withdrawals, or other causes. CURRENT STATUS: CVPIA LAND RETIREMENT OFFICE IS CLOSING

12 BUREAU S PLAN FOR SAN LUIS DRAINAGE The Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) in March 2007 signed a record of decision for an invalley disposal option that would retire 194,000 acres of land, build 1,900 acres of evaporation ponds, and develop a treatment system to remove salt and selenium from drainwater. Source: U.S. Geological Survey Admin. Report (5/08)

13 ECONOMICS OF SAN LUIS DRAINAGE Alternatives that retire the most land provide positive cost/benefit (+$3.6 million/year) (Source: USBR) Alternatives that keep the most land in production provide negative cost/benefit (- $10.14 million to -$15.6 million) (Source: USBR) Add in crop subsides and lose another $10 million/year (source: EWG.org)

14 RECLAMATION RECOMMENDATION: INCREASE SUBSIDIES Increase San Luis Drainage authorization by $2.69 Billion Reduce/eliminate O&M Charges Defer interest on O&M and capital charges Separate accounting on drainage charges Source: USBR San Luis Drainage Feasibility Study (2008)

15 BUREAU S PLAN FOR SAN LUIS DRAINAGE (cont) The treatment sequence of reuse, reverse osmosis, selenium bio-treatment, and enhanced solar evaporation is unprecedented and untested at the scale needed to meet plan requirements. Source: U.S. Geological Survey Admin. Report (5/08)

16 SUBSIDENCE FROM GROUNDWATER OVERDRAFT California Aqueduct/Delta Mendota Canal Intertie necessary due to subsidence

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18 RECLAMATION RESPONSE TO OVERDRAFT:DRILL MORE WELLS! Funds 32 wells in Upper DMC area Funds 4 wells in San Luis Water District Funds 7 wells in Tranquility ID, Fresno Slough WD, and James ID Allows use of DMC for groundwater pumping

19 WHERE ARE THE GOOD SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS?

20 STATEWIDE SOLUTIONS: Environmental Water Caucus Reduced Exports Plan Water Availability Analysis- eliminate paper water Public trust balancing, includes Benefit/Cost analysis Enforce existing water quality regulations Limit Delta exports to 3 MAF/Year

21 STATEWIDE SOLUTIONS (cont.) Improve Delta levees to PL standards Maintain reservoir cold water pools Revoke SWP Monterey Agreements - reinstate urban water preference and State ownership of Kern Water Bank

22 STATEWIDE SOLUTIONS (cont.) Increased efficiency and water conservation, stormwater capture Screen existing diversions Plan(s) must meet ESA/CESA recovery standards

23 Tom Stokely