WaterSource - Oct. 8

October 8, 2013

In This Issue

Bay-Delta Conservation Plan Review Extended

Storms Boost Colorado River Supplies

Climate Change Tours

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Bay-Delta Review Process Extended

The California Natural Resources Agency has pushed back the date for the release of the Public Draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement. The documents will be released November 15* and the public comment period has been extended to 120 days.

As a result, the Water Authority Board has extended its timetable for analyzing the proposed strategies for restoring the Bay-Delta that are the heart of the plan. The Board will extend its review into early 2014. Once the Board's review process is complete, the Board will consider submitting an official comment letter on the EIR/EIS, and it may also adopt a position on one or more project proposals.

For more information about the Water Authority review of the BDCP, click here.

To learn more about the BDCP process, click here.

*State and federal government agencies are jointly preparing the BDCP, so the shutdown of the federal government could delay that process. Updated schedule information will be posted here.

Historic Storms Provide Unexpected Boost to Colorado River Supplies

The historic and disastrous storms that pounded Colorado recently did have a significant silver lining - giving an unexpected boost to the Colorado River, the source of more than half of San Diego County's water supply.

While most of the rain fell on the east slope of the Rocky Mountains, enough fell into the Colorado River watershed to deliver a projected 800,000 acre-feet of water into Lake

Powell - an amount of water roughly equivalent to the annual needs of 1.6 million typical Southern California households.

Last month, the Bureau of Reclamation estimated that inflow into Lake Powell would be 970,000 acre-feet between Aug. 1 and Dec. 1. Thanks to the storms, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration increased the projection to 1.8 million acre-feet.

While the added supplies will help improve storage levels in Lake Powell, storage overall will remain low as a result of drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin that have lasted for much of the last decade. Water Authority staff will continue to closely monitor supply conditions locally, in Northern California and in the Colorado River Basin in the coming months.

Water Authority Hosts Tours for Climate Education Partners

The Water Authority recently hosted two tours at Olivenhain Dam and the Lake Hodges Pumped Storage Project in collaboration with the Climate Education Partners initiative.

Funded by The National Science Foundation, the Climate Education Partners is a partnership between the University of San Diego, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the San Diego Foundation and several other local educational institutions.

Tour participants learned how the Water Authority is managing for the potential impacts of climate change, including building more carryover storage, promoting water conservation, reducing our greenhouse gasses and long-term supply planning.

To learn more about how the Water Authority's planning efforts factor in potential climate change impacts, click here.

To learn more about the Water Authority's Climate Action Plan that is under development, click here.

Like the Water Authority on Facebook and Win Tickets to Botanic Garden

The Water Authority will give away pairs of tickets to the San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas to the first five people who "like" the Water Authority's Facebook page AND post a comment or water-related photo with a caption stating what water means to you.

Examples of photos include, but are not limited to:

Water-efficient landscapes
Body of water
Water conservation efforts
Smart irrigation techniques
Creative art shots of water

Note: All comments and materials posted by the public must comply with the third-party social media sites' Terms of Use.

The San Diego County Water Authority works through its 24 member agencies to provide a safe and reliable water supply to support the region's $188 billion economy and quality of life of 3.1 million residents.