The Field Poll: California's Drought Situation

The latest statewide Field Poll dealing with the state's water situation, completed in early April among 1,000 registered voters throughout California, was released today.

Main Findings:

Nearly all California voters (88%) believe the state is undergoing a serious water shortage.
However, there is no clear consensus about whether the situation is due more to a lack of water
storage and supply facilities in the state, or users not using existing supplies efficiently enough.
Statewide, 27% cite the former, 37% the latter and another 24% say both are equally responsible.

By a 54% to 30% margin most Californians believe agricultural users, who currently consume about
three-quarters of the state's fresh water supply, can reduce its water use without creating real
hardships by changing crops and using water more efficiently. The average (median) amount that
voters feel agricultural users could save by taking these measures is 10%.

Voters are divided when asked whether the state should be allowed to bypass existing
environmental regulations protecting fish and the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin
river delta region if residents or farmers face serious shortages during dry years. Currently 49%
agree that the state should be allowed to bypass these regulations at such times, while 44% disagree.

Voters currently favor asking users to voluntarily cut back their water use by 20% over imposing
mandatory water rationing greater than two to one (67% to 27%) as a way to reduce water use.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/16/6327692/field-poll-drought-responses-split.html#storylink=cpy

The complete poll along with tables and methodology can be found here:
http://field.com/fieldpollonline/subscribers/Rls2468.pdf

Help Your Trees Survive The Drought

Lake Del Valle

I spent a lovely day at Lake Del Valle today and took some pictures to share. I know we have heard a lot in the news about the lake level. However, I am happy to report that the storage in Lake Del Valle has reached 39,600 acre feet (elevation 702.6 feet). The lake is expected to be full by April 15.

Lake Del Valle is an artificial lake located 10 miles southeast of Livermore, California on Arroyo del Valle (Spanish for "creek of the valley") in Del Valle Regional Park. The lake is formed by Del Valle Dam, completed in 1968. Del Valle Dam and Lake Del Valle are features of the South Bay Aqueduct, which is part of the State Water Project. The Lake serves as off-stream storage for the South Bay Aqueduct, which serves Zone 7. The East Bay Regional Park District operates water-oriented recreation, hiking, horseback riding, and nature study at Del Valle Regional Park.

Guided Boat Tours are now operating on Saturdays and Sundays at 1pm and 3pm. Tours last approximately an hour and a half. Adults $5, children 1 year and up and seniors $3. Sign up at the Lake Marina. For more information about Del Valle Regional Park, visit http://www.ebparks.org/parks/del_valle.

Living Arroyos Logo Design Competition for High School Students

Are you a high school student or do you know one in the Tri-Valley?  Living Arroyos needs a logo, and they need your help!  Check out the information in the flyer below and enter the competition! The winner gets their artwork displayed on their website, t-shirts, and literature.  Plus you could win $150!

Clean Water Program Now Accepting Grant Applications

The Clean Water Program is inviting applications for its 2014 Community Stewardship Grants, designed to facilitate community-based actions that enhance and protect the health of local waterways. Proposed projects must be aimed at storm water pollution prevention in Alameda County and contain a community or public outreach element. This year’s grant cycle focuses on litter reduction projects in particular. Funding requests between $1,000 and $5,000 per project will be considered, for a total available budget of $20,000. Eligible applicants include teacher and student groups, youth organizations, homeowners associations, community groups, environmental groups and other non-profit organizations. Deadline for submissions is April 10, 2014.


“The Clean Water Program’s mission is to protect creeks, wetlands and the Bay. One specific goal is the reduction of the amount of litter entering local creeks and the Bay by 70% by 2017, compared to 2009. That’s why we’re particularly interested in anti-litter projects for this year’s grant cycle,” explained Clean Water Program Manager Jim Scanlin.



Community Stewardship Grants support community-based projects designed to protect waterways in Alameda County, like this creek cleanup organized by a past grantee.Since its beginnings in the late 1990s, the annual grants program has funded some 100 grassroots projects. Activities range from creek cleanups and restoration, wildlife habitat improvement and rainwater harvesting to outreach and education. Outreach projects typically address practices to reduce storm water pollution such as litter prevention, Integrated Pest Management, proper household hazardous waste disposal etc. Outreach methods include art projects, events, trainings, videos and printed materials, among others.



Sample projects funded in recent years:

• Alameda Point Collaborative, a low-income housing community in Alameda, is developing an after-school program for its resident youth that teaches watershed pollution prevention and involves kids in monthly cleanups and anti-litter outreach to the community.
• Cycles of Change in Oakland trained high school students as “watershed ambassadors” who led groups of 3rd through 8th graders to educate small businesses near Lake Merritt about their shared watershed and how to prevent storm water pollution.
• The Alameda Creek Alliance recruited and trained volunteers to monitor, clean up and restore creek habitat, and reach out to creek-side residents through the StreamKeeper Program, aimed at the restoration of salmon and steelhead trout to Alameda Creek

For more information about the Clean Water Program Community Stewardship Grants and projects funded in the past, and to download an application packet please click here.


The Clean Water Program Alameda County is your local government and community working together to protect creeks, wetlands and San Francisco Bay. Zone 7 is a member agency. The Program educates the public on how to keep businesses and homes from contributing to storm water pollution, and also coordinates its activities with other pollution prevention programs, such as wastewater treatment plants, hazardous waste disposal, and water recycling.