Mayor, county official: City should be able to weather impact of State Water Project cutbacks

By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

Carl A. Torgersen, deputy director of the Department of Water Resources, announced last week his department has decreased State Water Project contractor allocations to zero.

Benicia city officials may have preferred to receive state water plan allocations, said David B. Okita, general manager of Solano County Water Agency.

But the city has other — though possibly more expensive — water source options, Okita said.

While Torgerson’s Friday announcement sounds severe, the deputy director in November declared an initial 2014 State Water Project (SWP) of only 5 percent.

In that earlier announcement, he said 208,628 acre-feet of water would be approved for long-term contractors, who had asked for more than 4.72 million acre-feet. And he warned last year that his department might revise allocations if hydrologic and water supply conditions changed.

Torgerson had cited the same conditions that led to eliminating the allocation to zero; concerns for Delta and longfin smelt and salmon also were expressed.

And again, allocations may change depending on worries about the water supply, he said.

Okita said Benicia gets some of its water from the SWP, and gets some supplies from Lake Berryessa. But Benicia can piece together water service from a variety of sources, including buying water from other agencies, he said.

He added that city water users may want to conserve not only because the state is in a drought, but also because the cost of water could increase.

Benicia Mayor Elizabeth Patterson has been a planner and has worked on the Delta Protection Commission. She has retired as an environmental scientist who worked with the California Water Plan for the Department of Water Resources.

When Gov. Jerry Brown announced in January the state officially was in a drought, Patterson said Benicia and local water agencies “have planned well” to cope.

She said she had hoped city officials could present a program at Tuesday’s City Council meeting. However, Public Works Director Melissa Morton resigned to accept a district manager position in Vallejo, and Patterson agreed to give the interim director, Steve Saloman, until Feb. 18 to give the Council a report on water use.

She said Benicia gets its water not only from the SWP but also from Lake Barryessa and the Solano Irrigation District, as well as through Area of Origin agreements that supplement SWP allocations.

“We are a member of the Solano County Water Agency and I am the city’s representative,” she said.

She said Solano County has good groundwater, too.

Other Northern California cities are reporting they are running out of water, particularly in upper Sonoma County and in Mendocino, and may need to drill wells in the future, Patterson said. That’s because their water portfolio isn’t as diverse as Benicia’s.

All the same, she encouraged residents to assure their water supply through conservation.

Meanwhile, Okita said there is plenty residents can do, such as replacing lawns with drought-tolerant plants. Though it’s been dry, he said the switch could be accomplished now, with careful planning.

In addition, Solano County is offering a rebate of up to $1,000 to help people change out their lawns.

Residents also can have their water use at home analyzed and learn what changes they can make to save money.

Okita said other suggestions are available at www.solanosaveswater.org.

Many of the tips have some from Southern California, where many people have cut back on their water use, he said.

Residents also can ask for guidance from lawn specialists and landscapers, he said.

Water barrels and cisterns could supplement conservation, Okita added: “Every little bit helps.”

But California doesn’t get rain throughout the year, and he said a barrel that collects water during an entire wet season would be dry early in summer, with no hope of refill. “It just doesn’t rain in summer,” he said.