As the drought in California drags on, things that have not happened for decades or ever in some instances are starting to happen. For the first time since the Department of Water Resources (DWR) started conducting the spring snow surveys, the survey found no snow in April. Despite Governor Brown’s presence and a media frenzy surrounding the April survey, DWR cancelled the May survey because “Lack of snow at Phillips Station [the survey site in the Sierra Nevada Mountains] renders survey moot.” In early May, the State Water Resources Control Board warned that senior water rights are “likely to be curtailed later this year due to extreme dry conditions.” On May 20th, State Water Resources Control Board Engineer Kathy Mrowka confirmed at a hearing that the Board will send curtailment notices to senior water rights holders in the San Joaquin River Watershed by the end of the week. The State has not curtailed senior water rights since the 1970s. Continue reading
Tag Archives: drought
Green Lawns, Fines, and Water Pricing: How do the Pieces fit Together for Water Prices in California?
What do Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and Jessica Simpson have in common besides their omnipresence on television and in the tabloids? A recent CBS Los Angeles report found that, despite the Governor’s mandatory water restrictions in early May, these celebrities still have beautifully green manicured lawns at their LA-area homes. The article points out that while the new water reductions are mandatory, the $500 penalty for not complying with the usage reductions is “pocket change” for celebrities such as Kardashian. (Indeed, Kardashian apparently spent an estimated $12 million at her 2014 wedding to rapper Kanye West. She could pay the $500 fine for 80 months just to equal the $40,000 her high heels at the wedding cost.) Elsewhere in Los Angeles, the landmark Mormon Temple in West LA stopped watering the vast lawn on the 13 acre site about a month ago when Governor Brown began discussing water restrictions. Continue reading
Water Rights Curtailments in California – How Deep Will the Cuts be in 2015?
Since Governor Jerry Brown announced sweeping new mandatory water reductions in an executive order in early April, the news media and blogging communities have been quick to point the finger at many different types of water users as the “culprit” and “poster child” of the drought. As I mentioned in my last post, new land development is now in the crosshairs of water issues in the state. In addition, articles have pointed the finger at everything from swimming pools, green lawns, almonds, rice, bottled water and breweries in the Golden State, saying that they all have been a contributor to the State’s declining water supplies. Continue reading
Land Development: The Next Target in the Crosshairs of the Drought?
Since California Governor Jerry Brown issued an Executive Order mandating water reductions amid the state’s relentless drought, two things have interested me. First, the finger-pointing between water interests began almost immediately. Former Hewlett Packard CEO and Senate Candidate Carly Fiorina called the current situation “The Man-Made Water Shortage in California.” Other articles such as a piece in the LA Times argue that Governor Brown’s Executive Order went too easy on agricultural interests. (In my opinion, however, this argument does not hold water. Governor Brown ordered a 25% mandatory water reduction aimed mostly at municipal users. The order does not specifically order reductions in agricultural water use. In most cases however, the drought conditions are curtailing agricultural water use far beyond 25%. As I wrote in a post in March, the State Water Contractors are only getting 20% of State Water Project deliveries. The State Water Project Draft Reliability Report assumes a long-term average delivery rate of 58%, so this year’s allocation is significantly lower than average. For the second year in a row, the Central Valley Project will deliver no water to most agricultural users for a 100% reduction in supplies.) Continue reading