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Rains help water supply, but worries remain
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Area water experts breathed a sigh of relief as the first drops of rain began to soak the Mother Lode over the weekend, but a dry summer could still be on the horizon.
The storms brought roughly eight inches of precipitation to the foothills and have so far quelled fears of an oncoming water crisis, but water management experts say the region is still well below expected storage levels for this time of year. In an interview prior to the meeting, Kampa said that as late as November the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was predicting a wetter-than-usual rainy season in the foothills. October storms and a persistent low pressure zone gave every indication that La Niña weather conditions that created record snowfalls in 2011 would return this winter. Far from being concerned about a water shortage, PG&E struggled to quickly release its water reserves along the Stanislaus River as a flood control measure, Kampa said. The utility company controls the flow of water into Lyons and Pinecrest reservoirs, which provide nearly all of the drinking water in the district. “Water just kept flowing in as they were trying to run down reservoir levels,” Kampa said. But the expected water surplus failed to materialize, and storage at Lyons Reservoir, which can hold up to 5,600 acre feet of water, fell below 2,100 acre feet. The bone-dry month of December forced district experts to begin hashing out a plan to prepare for water shortages in the peak summer months. As a result, PG&E cut the flow of water down the Philadelphia Diversion Ditch, which funnels water from Pinecrest Reservoir to a hydroelectric power station on the South Fork Stanislaus River. The utility initially cut the flow of water away from Lyons Reservoir from 50 cubic feet per second, down to 20 cubic feet per second. The flow of water down the diversion was stopped completely on Friday to allow more water into Lyons, according to district engineer Tom Scesa. “TUD has been working carefully with PG&E since December, closely monitoring flows in the South Fork Stanislaus River and the district’s water storage levels,” Scesa said in a prepared statement addressing water concerns. “The district has reduced water flows in our ditch system to a minimum in an effort to hold as much water in storage as possible, while still being able to maintain quality water to our water treatment plants.” Additionally, the flow of water out of Lyons was reduced from 10 CFS to 5 CFS to help maintain storage levels, Kampa said. He said the district has to maintain a minimal flow to keep the river healthy and to prevent damage to the district’s Gold Rush-era ditch water-delivery system. “There’s nothing more we can do to use less water in the system. It’s completely dependent on the weather,” Kampa said. TUD is also trying to avoid buying water in excess of the district’s annual allotment from PG&E. The district could wind up paying $250 per acre-foot of water from Pinecrest, which would amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month during the peak season, Kampa said. So far, the district has seen about half the 17 inches of rainfall that is typical for this time of year. While the latest storm did much to improve the region’s water supply, more precipitation is needed before the snowpack will be robust enough to keep reservoirs full into the dry season, Kampa said. “If we get one more storm like the one we just had, we’ve almost got it,” He said. TUD has more than 44,000 customers in Tuolumne County. The district owns and operates 15 water treatment plants, 71 treated water storage tanks, two wastewater treatment plants, 330 miles of water pipeline and roughly 57 miles of open ditches. Calaveras County water concerns The surprisingly dry winter has caused an entirely different set of worries in Calaveras County. The Calaveras County Water District has access to more water than its 17,000 customers can drink, according to General Manager Joone Lopez. The extra water is used to generate electricity, which the district then sells to Central Valley communities to help offset its operational costs. Lopez said there is enough water in the system that CCWD customers aren’t in any danger of service interruption for the time being. But a sustained dry spell could mean the district will have to shoulder higher costs as it looks for ways to upgrade aging infrastructure and meet increasing regulatory demands. “We’re hoping this is a fluke year and doesn’t continue,” she said. Runoff into New Hogan Reservoir is particularly important because falling water levels can cause water quality problems that make the district’s filtering system to work harder. In addition, the reservoir has to have enough extra room at the start of the rainy season to prevent flooding down stream. “It’s a delicate balance we have to strike between flood control and water supply,” Lopez said. She said the district is already practicing many water conservation measures and recycles water for use on golf courses in Saddle Creek, La Contenta and Forest Meadows. CCWD provides water to residential and commercial customers through five independent water systems located throughout the county. “We’ve done as much as we can, which makes our options limited,” Lopez said. |
