Download e basin update October 2008

E-Basin Update
A Publication of the Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Renew and Recycle
Serving the Cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario and Upland,
as well as Monte Vista and Cucamonga Valley Water Districts.
Water Conservation Tip:
Beginning in October,
Solar Power Launch
homeowners should
progressively cut back on
their watering time by 10
percent every three weeks
until winter rains arrive, while
maintaining proper soil
moisture.
On Wednesday, October 15th, Chino Basin
leaders joined the Inland Empire Utilities
Agency (IEUA) launch its Solar Power
Project where 2.5 MW of solar energy is
being installed at three of IEUA’s recycled
water facilities and 1 MW of solar energy
will be installed at the Inland Empire
Regional Composting Facility located in
Rancho Cucamonga.
“
The green power project is being built
under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA)
approved by IEUA’s Board of Directors
with the SunPower Corporation of
Richmond, California.
From L to R: Tom Love-Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Terry Catlin-Vice President Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Wyatt
Troxel-President Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Ernest Yeboah-Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Richard Atwater-Inland
Empire Utilities Agency, Dennis Yates-Mayor City of Chino, Bill Kruger-Councilman City of Chino Hills, Martha Davis-Inland
Empire Utilities Agency, Earl Elrod-Councilman City of Chino, Steve Maguin-LA County Sanitation District, Patrick SheildsInland Empire Utilities Agency, Corey Calaycay-Representing Senator Bob Margett
“Solar is proven green technology. It is
100% renewable. It is emission free,
helping to combat global warming, and the
environmental benefits of the solar panels
being installed at IEUA facilities is
equivalent to planting over 422 acres of
trees and removing about 300 cars each
year from our streets and highways.”
Wyatt Troxel, IEUA Board President
The solar project is
funded in part
under the state’s
innovative California
Solar Initiative.
Landscape Alliance
Soil that contains a large amount of organic
matter can also retain much more moisture. Imagine
pouring a cup of water over a pile of small stones.
Now think about pouring a cup of water on a clump of
moss. When water is applied to soil with lots of
organic matter in it, the water is held in place so it’s
available to plant roots when they need it. One
hundred square feet of good, loamy soil can absorb
about 90 gallons of water, whereas 100 square feet of
sand can only absorb 60 gallons.
How to Garden in a Drought:
Think Like a Plant!
Article by Dutch Gardens
www.dutchgardens.com
In times of drought it can be very difficult to make
sure plants get the water they need to survive, much
less thrive. With wells running dry, reservoirs
running low, and water bans in effect in many areas,
we have no choice but to minimize the amount of
water we give our plants. So how can we keep them
happy and healthy while using little additional water?
One last note about roots. Absorbing moisture is the
task of the youngest, most tender part of a plant’s root
system—the growing root tips and root hairs. When
moisture conditions alternate radically between wet
and dry, these root hairs get stressed and damaged.
Covering the soil surface with a thick layer of mulch
reduces water loss due to evaporation, and just as
importantly, helps maintain a consistent moisture
level in the soil to keep delicate root hairs healthy.
Try thinking like a plant. If you understand how a
plant gets and uses water, it’s a lot easier and actually
find of fun, to figure out how to create and maintain a
water-efficient garden.
All About Roots
Most plants absorb very little moisture through their
leaves. Almost all the water they need has to get
absorbed through their roots. So the more roots they
have, the better equipped they are to find and absorb
moisture. A well-developed root system with lots of
little sponge-like root hairs is a plant’s best insurance
for survival in drought conditions.
All About Leaves
Plants don’t absorb very much water through their
leaves, but they do lose water through their leaves. In
fact, 98% of the water absorbed by a plant goes out
through the microscopic pores (called stomates) on
the plant’s leaves. This “exhaling” of carbon dioxide,
called transpiration, is a necessary part of the plant’s
metabolic process of absorbing soil nutrients.
Transpiration also helps plants cool themselves in hot
weather.
For a plant to develop a good root system, the roots
need to be able to push out into the soil. And to do
that, they need to be working in loose, friable soil—
not one that is hard and compacted. Gardeners can
help create good conditions for root growth by
breaking up hard-packed soil with a fork, and most of
all, by adding organic matter. Mixing organic matter
in with native soil particles loosens up the soil and
makes it much easier for roots to stretch out in all
directions.
That said, there are several ways to minimize the
amount of moisture your plants lose through their
leaves. Start by protecting them from excessive sun
and heat. Late-day sun is especially hot, so it’s a good
idea to provide your plants with a little afternoon
shade. Make use of the trees in your yard, put up a
lattice roof over your deck plants, or just plant wisely
so tall plants provide some shade for shorter plants.
Organic matter—such as compost, peat moss, and
shredded leaves—works in two other important ways
to help roots access moisture. Adding these materials
will make your soil more porous, so water that’s
applied to the soil surface won’t run off but rather will
move down into the root zone.
http://www.ieua.org/alliance.html
the sun goes down and the air temperature
begins to cool, the plants will resume their
normal functions and the leaves will perk up.
Another important way to reduce moisture loss
through your plant’s leaves is to protect them
from wind. [One option is to build a fence: a
fence protects an area about one to three times
it’s height. Another option is to plant shrubs
and trees to create windbreaks. Also, by
grouping potted plants together, they’ll protect
one another from wind, provide a little shade
for their neighbors and as they transpire, they’ll
also keep the surrounding air a little more
humid.]
More information can be found at
http://www.dutchgardens.com/How%
20to%20Garden%20in%20a%
20Drought/5346,default,pg.html
Remember that droopy leaves on a hot afternoon are
not always cause for alarm. In hot sunlight, some
plants are able to close their stomata and reduce
transpiration. It’s a natural defense mechanism. Once
Upcoming Events
Thursday, Nov 13
9:00 am - 11:00 am
Thursday, Nov 20
Wednesday, Dec 10
Breakfast Education Meeting:
Maloof Residence
Water Conservation Rebates and
Educational Programs
Technical Meeting: Final review
of the Regional Model Water
Efficient Landscape Ordinance
Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Board Meeting
Inland Empire Utilities Agency
Landscape and Water
Conservation Fair
The Landscape and Water Conservation Fair
was held on Saturday, October 25th at the Chino
Basin Water Conservation District. The Fair
featured a California friendly® Plant Sale,
Raffles and Exhibits, Landscape and Irrigation
vendors, water conservation information,
pumpkin patch, Paul Cash Environmental Magic
Show, and much more!
Participating Agencies include: Metropolitan
Water District of Southern California, Inland
Empire Utilities Agency, Chino Basin Water
Conservation District, Cucamonga Valley Water
District, Monte Vista Water District, San
Antonio Water Company, Fontana Water
Company, Cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Upland
and Ontario.
State Reservoirs at Lowest Since 1994;
Local Officials Say Rationing Could
Come Early Next Year
By: North County Times
Excerpt from aquafornia.com
October 21, 2008
The amount of water being stored in California
reservoirs is at its lowest point in 14 years,
underscoring the severity of a worsening drought that
could prompt providers to order rationing in San
Diego and Riverside counties as early as January.
Steve Nemeth, who tracks storage levels for the state
Department of Water Resources in Sacramento, said
that 15.84 million acre-feet of water was sitting in 150
reservoirs spread throughout the state at the end of last
month.
The shaky condition of Southern California’s lifeline
is dramatically illustrated by the retreating shorelines
of North County’s Lake Henshaw, which is barely
half full, and giant Diamond Valley Lake in
Southwest Riverside County, which is 59 percent
full.
http://aquafornia.com/archives/5129
By: Capital Ag Press
Excerpt from aquafornia.com
October 23, 2008
Millions of ducks and geese have begun winging
their way south to California’s rice fields - but
the birds are finding less water to rest in because
of a two-year drought that is expected to stress
the rice farmers as much as their avian visitors.
Nemeth said the last time the total was that low was in
September 1994, when reservoirs collectively held
15.76 million acre-feet.
An acre-foot is enough to sustain the water needs of
two families of four for a year.
Officials say the steep decline is the result of a string
of dry winters in the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky
Mountains, the state’s two major water sources. And
it didn’t help that a federal court last year ordered a
sharp reduction in deliveries to Southern California
from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to prevent the
slaughter of tiny fish called delta smelt.
Drought Stresses Rice Farmers,
Waterfowl; Fewer Flooded Fields
Means less Money from Hunting
Leases
Whitefront geese flock over the Delevan National
Wildlife Refuge, southwest of Chico, CA, earlier this
month. Biologists expect more ducks and geese to
concentrate on state and federal refuge this year because
of California's drought, which has driven water costs so
high many rice farmers who would otherwise flood their
fields-providing habitat for waterfowl plan to disc them
under instead.
Sacramento Valley rice farmers have flooded
their fields after harvest ever since the state
largely barred them from burning their leftover
rice straw; flooding rots the straw, which farmers
can turn back into the soil come spring.
This year water supplies are so short some
farmers may not be able to get water for
decomposing the rice straw after October 31, and
most of those who can will see prices soar.
“I think what you’re going to see is people
flooding up and getting the water deep before
October 31 and hope it holds - or they’ll hope for
rain,” said Don Bransford of the Glenn-Colusa
Irrigation District, which oversees the water
supplies for roughly 100,000 acres of rice in the
valley.
Phil Nickerson runs the West Valley Flyway
Club, a duck club within the irrigation district.
He said in his area, only about 7,500 acres are
expected to be flooded. Last year irrigators
flooded 25,000 acres.
http://aquafornia.com/archives/5156
Drought Summary
Dry weather continues to persist
throughout California.
Drought ranges
throughout California from
moderate drought to severe drought with
severe drought increasing throughout
RP 5 Solids Handling Facility
ACWA’s California Waters Chino Basin 1 Desalter Episode
IEUA Board of Directors
Wyatt Troxel, President
Terry Catlin, Vice President
Gene Koopman, Secretary/Treasurer
John Anderson, Director
Angel Santiago, Director
Richard W. Atwater
Chief Executive Officer/ General Manager
From Left to Right: Richard Atwater-IEUA, Huell Howser-Huell Howser Productions, Manuel Moreno-IEUA
Education: The Tool to Conserve
6075 Kimball Avenue . Chino . California . 91708 . 909-993-1600 . www.ieua.org