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.

New Water Regulations for the City of Pleasanton

On March 18, the Pleasanton City Council adopted an urgency ordinance making changes to the City's Water Conservation Plan. The City Council declared a Stage 1 water shortage, aiming to have a voluntary reduction of 20%. The summary of the water prohibitions listed below are now in effect.


To protect and preserve the community water supply the elimination of wasteful water uses is essential at all times, regardless of water supply level.

 Pleasanton customers shall observe the following regulations on water use:

• Use potable water for irrigation of landscape in a manner that does not result in runoff or
  excessive flooding on patios, driveways, walkways or streets.
• Schedule regular irrigation of lawn and landscape between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.
  the following day. Watering is permitted at any hour if a hand-held nozzle or drip irrigation is
  used. Special landscapes are exempted.
• Limit the use of water for washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways, patios, or other hardsurfaced areas to prevent excessive runoff or waste.
• Use water for mobile or machinery washing, preferably from a hose equipped with a shutoff
  nozzle, in a manner that does not result in excessive runoff or waste.
• Repair potable water leaks from breaks within the customer' s plumbing system within eight
  hours after customer is notified or discovers the break.
• Reduce other interior or exterior uses of water to minimize or eliminate excessive runoff or
  waste.
• Restaurants are requested to serve water to their customers only when specifically requested.

Stage 1: 20% Voluntary Reduction.

There is sufficient uncertainty concerning water supplies for this year or in the next few years that it would be prudent to conserve local water supplies so that these supplies may be used to meet water demands, in future years.

 The following restrictions shall be applicable during a Stage 1 activation of the water shortage contingency plan:

• All of the normal supply level restrictions, in Section A, above, shall continue to be mandatory
  during Stage 1.
• There should be no hose washing of hard- surfaced areas. Use bucket and broom to wash down
  hard-surfaced areas if necessary for the benefit of public health and safety.
• Should not irrigate landscaping on consecutive days or more frequently than 1 day per week
  October— March, or 2 days per week April—September. Additionally, running irrigation
  during periods of rain is discouraged.
• Commercial customers should post water conservation messages on bathroom lavatory mirrors.
• Swimming pools, spas, fountains, and ponds should be leak proof. Any leak should be repaired
  in a timely manner after notification by the City, but should not exceed 72 hours.
• Cover pools when not in use to reduce evaporation.
• Use of water in non-recirculating decorative ponds, fountains, and other water features is
  discouraged.
• Using potable water for construction is discouraged if a feasible alternative source of water for
  construction exists.

For more information, please call the City of Pleasanton's Water Conservation Division at (925) 931-5504.

DWR Press Release: April 1 Snow Survey

 

News for Immediate Release

 

March 27, 2014

 

Contacts:
Ted Thomas, Information Officer – (916) 653-9712
Ted.Thomas@water.ca.gov
 
Doug Carlson, Information Officer – (916) 653-5114
Paul.Carlson@water.ca.gov

 

 

April 1 Snow Survey Will Reveal Whether Recent Precipitation

Has Reversed March’s Steady Decline in Sierra Snowpack

 
 
SACRAMENTO – Department of Water Resources surveyors will head back up the mountain on Tuesday, April 1 for their monthly on-the-ground snow survey with an expectation of finding growth in the snowpack due to this week’s storms throughout much of California.
 
However, the first significant precipitation in weeks likely will be too little and too late to have much impact on this year’s severe drought. Snowpack and rain measurements are so far below normal for this time of year that even sustained rainfall over the next several days, as is predicted, won’t end the drought.
 
Today’s (3/27) snowpack water equivalent as measured electronically by 99 sensors in the Northern, Central and Southern Sierra Nevada range is 7.1 inches, only 25 percent of the date’s average of 28.3 inches.
 
Rain measurements show the same pattern. Average rainfall at eight monitoring stations in Northern California is just 55 percent of the average for this date, and the average at five stations in the San Joaquin watershed is even less – 43 percent of their average.
 
Northern California reservoirs – Shasta, Trinity and Folsom (Bureau of Reclamation facilities) and Oroville (State Water Project) – are well below their historic storage levels for this date at 58, 68, 67 and 61 percent respectively.
 
DWR Director Mark Cowin said this week’s storms are providing some short-term gains, but the drought is far from being broken. “It’s as important as ever for Californians to conserve water,” he said. “We can do that by allowing Mother Nature to water lawns and landscapes and by turning off our automatic sprinklers to save water.”
 
Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. declared a state of drought emergency on January 17 and called on local water suppliers and municipalities to implement their water shortage contingency plans. He also directed State officials to respond to the state’s drought conditions by taking all necessary actions, including facilitating water transfers and reducing water use at government facilities. Visit Drought.CA.Gov to learn more about how California is dealing with the effects of the drought.

Electronic snowpack readings are available on the Internet at:

 

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/snowapp/sweq.action

 

Electronic reservoir readings may be found at:

 

http://cdec.water.ca.gov/cdecapp/resapp/getResGraphsMain.action

What Does A 20% Reduction in Water Use Look Like?

California Water Action Plan Public Meeting on 1/30/14

 

DSRSD President Geogean Vonheeder-Leopold and I brainstormed and collaborated to put this workshop in motion. We are so pleased that all of the agencies in the Tri-Valley decided to join us in co-hosting this timely and important public event. I hope that you will be able to join us.

 

 

Water is one of the most important public policy issues of 2014. The Tri-Valley’s water providers and cities have invited California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird to brief local civic, business, and community leaders on the California Water Action Plan, which addresses the state’s most pressing water issues and lays a foundation for sustainable management of our limited water resources. The plan is available online at http://resources.ca.gov/california_water_action_plan.



Secretary Laird’s presentation will be held at 6 p.m. on January 30, 2014, in the Dublin City Council Chamber at 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin, and includes time for questions from the audience. The event is open to the public and will be recorded for later broadcast on Tri-Valley Community Television.



Implementing the California Water Action Plan will require close coordination and collaboration across all levels of government, business, agriculture, and the public. The plan outlines many actions that affect the Tri-Valley: water conservation, increased local and regional self-sufficiency, increased water storage, flood protection, and ecosystem restoration. An important component is the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, which strives to achieve the co-equal goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem restoration.



Please join us on January 30^th to learn more about the challenges and opportunities affecting our local water supply.  Seating is limited for this event. If you are an elected official, please let us know you are planning to attend so we can introduce you at the meeting. Contact Sue Stephenson, Community Affairs Supervisor at Dublin San Ramon Services District, at 925-875-2295 or stephenson@dsrsd.com. 



Sincerely,

Tim Sbranti, Mayor City of Dublin	Bill Stevens, President Zone 7 Water Agency Board of Directors
John Marchand, Mayor City of Livermore	Georgean Vonheeder-Leopold, President Dublin San Ramon Services District Board of Directors
Jerry Thorne, Mayor City of Pleasanton	Frank Vallejo, District Manager California Water Service Company, Livermore Division
Bill Clarkson, Mayor City of San Ramon

Governor Brown Declares Drought State of Emergency

SAN FRANCISCO – With California facing water shortfalls in the driest year in recorded state history, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today proclaimed a State of Emergency and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for these drought conditions.

“We can’t make it rain, but we can be much better prepared for the terrible consequences that California’s drought now threatens, including dramatically less water for our farms and communities and increased fires in both urban and rural areas,” said Governor Brown. “I’ve declared this emergency and I’m calling all Californians to conserve water in every way possible.”

In the State of Emergency declaration, Governor Brown directed state officials to assist farmers and communities that are economically impacted by dry conditions and to ensure the state can respond if Californians face drinking water shortages. The Governor also directed state agencies to use less water and hire more firefighters and initiated a greatly expanded water conservation public awareness campaign (details at saveourh2o.org).

In addition, the proclamation gives state water officials more flexibility to manage supply throughout California under drought conditions.

State water officials say that California’s river and reservoirs are below their record lows. Manual and electronic readings record the snowpack’s statewide water content at about 20 percent of normal average for this time of year.

The Governor’s drought State of Emergency follows a series of actions the administration has taken to ensure that California is prepared for record dry conditions. In May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights. In December, the Governor formed a Drought Task Force to review expected water allocations, California’s preparedness for water scarcity and whether conditions merit a drought declaration. Earlier this week, the Governor toured the Central Valley and spoke with growers and others impacted by California’s record dry conditions.

A PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY

WHEREAS the State of California is experiencing record dry conditions, with 2014 projected to become the driest year on record; and

WHEREAS the state’s water supplies have dipped to alarming levels, indicated by: snowpack in California’s mountains is approximately 20 percent of the normal average for this date; California’s largest water reservoirs have very low water levels for this time of year; California’s major river systems, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, have significantly reduced surface water flows; and groundwater levels throughout the state have dropped significantly; and

WHEREAS dry conditions and lack of precipitation present urgent problems: drinking water supplies are at risk in many California communities; fewer crops can be cultivated and farmers’ long-term investments are put at risk; low-income communities heavily dependent on agricultural employment will suffer heightened unemployment and economic hardship; animals and plants that rely on California’s rivers, including many species in danger of extinction, will be threatened; and the risk of wildfires across the state is greatly increased; and

WHEREAS extremely dry conditions have persisted since 2012 and may continue beyond this year and more regularly into the future, based on scientific projections regarding the impact of climate change on California’s snowpack; and

WHEREAS the magnitude of the severe drought conditions presents threats beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to combat; and

WHEREAS under the provisions of section 8558(b) of the California Government Code, I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist in California due to water shortage and drought conditions with which local authority is unable to cope.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the state Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, section 8625 of the California Government Code HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in the State of California due to current drought conditions.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:

1.State agencies, led by the Department of Water Resources, will execute a statewide water conservation campaign to make all Californians aware of the drought and encourage personal actions to reduce water usage. This campaign will be built on the existing Save Our Water campaign (www.saveourh20.org) and will coordinate with local water agencies. This campaign will call on Californians to reduce their water usage by 20 percent.

2.Local urban water suppliers and municipalities are called upon to implement their local water shortage contingency plans immediately in order to avoid or forestall outright restrictions that could become necessary later in the drought season. Local water agencies should also update their legally required urban and agricultural water management plans, which help plan for extended drought conditions. The Department of Water Resources will make the status of these updates publicly available.

3.State agencies, led by the Department of General Services, will immediately implement water use reduction plans for all state facilities. These plans will include immediate water conservation actions, and a moratorium will be placed on new, non-essential landscaping projects at state facilities and on state highways and roads.

4.The Department of Water Resources and the State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board) will expedite the processing of water transfers, as called for in Executive Order B-21-13. Voluntary water transfers from one water right holder to another enables water to flow where it is needed most.

5.The Water Board will immediately consider petitions requesting consolidation of the places of use of the State Water Project and Federal Central Valley Project, which would streamline water transfers and exchanges between water users within the areas of these two major water projects.

6.The Department of Water Resources and the Water Board will accelerate funding for water supply enhancement projects that can break ground this year and will explore if any existing unspent funds can be repurposed to enable near-term water conservation projects.

7.The Water Board will put water right holders throughout the state on notice that they may be directed to cease or reduce water diversions based on water shortages.

8.The Water Board will consider modifying requirements for reservoir releases or diversion limitations, where existing requirements were established to implement a water quality control plan. These changes would enable water to be conserved upstream later in the year to protect cold water pools for salmon and steelhead, maintain water supply, and improve water quality.

9.The Department of Water Resources and the Water Board will take actions necessary to make water immediately available, and, for purposes of carrying out directives 5 and 8, Water Code section 13247 and Division 13 (commencing with section 21000) of the Public Resources Code and regulations adopted pursuant to that Division are suspended on the basis that strict compliance with them will prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of the emergency. Department of Water Resources and the Water Board shall maintain on their websites a list of the activities or approvals for which these provisions are suspended.

10. The state’s Drinking Water Program will work with local agencies to identify communities that may run out of drinking water, and will provide technical and financial assistance to help these communities address drinking water shortages. It will also identify emergency interconnections that exist among the state’s public water systems that can help these threatened communities.

11.The Department of Water Resources will evaluate changing groundwater levels, land subsidence, and agricultural land fallowing as the drought persists and will provide a public update by April 30 that identifies groundwater basins with water shortages and details gaps in groundwater monitoring.

12.The Department of Water Resources will work with counties to help ensure that well drillers submit required groundwater well logs for newly constructed and deepened wells in a timely manner and the Office of Emergency Services will work with local authorities to enable early notice of areas experiencing problems with residential groundwater sources.

13.The California Department of Food and Agriculture will launch a one-stop website (www.cdfa.ca.gov/drought) that provides timely updates on the drought and connects farmers to state and federal programs that they can access during the drought.

14.The Department of Fish and Wildlife will evaluate and manage the changing impacts of drought on threatened and endangered species and species of special concern, and develop contingency plans for state Wildlife Areas and Ecological Reserves to manage reduced water resources in the public interest.

15. The Department of Fish and Wildlife will work with the Fish and Game Commission, using the best available science, to determine whether restricting fishing in certain areas will become necessary and prudent as drought conditions persist.

16.The Department of Water Resources will take necessary actions to protect water quality and water supply in the Delta, including installation of temporary barriers or temporary water supply connections as needed, and will coordinate with the Department of Fish and Wildlife to minimize impacts to affected aquatic species.

17.The Department of Water Resources will refine its seasonal climate forecasting and drought prediction by advancing new methodologies piloted in 2013.

18.The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection will hire additional seasonal firefighters to suppress wildfires and take other needed actions to protect public safety during this time of elevated fire risk.

19.The state’s Drought Task Force will immediately develop a plan that can be executed as needed to provide emergency food supplies, financial assistance, and unemployment services in communities that suffer high levels of unemployment from the drought.

20.The Drought Task Force will monitor drought impacts on a daily basis and will advise me of subsequent actions that should be taken if drought conditions worsen.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this Proclamation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 17th day of January, 2014.