By Theresa-Marie Wilson
Water availability and conservation measures were the topic of the first ever South County Water Symposium. About 200 concerned citizens and elected officials attended the event to hear subject specialists discuss the outlook for a resource we all need to survive. The Arroyo Grande & Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce hosted the event.
The cities of Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and the Oceano Community Services District were among the agencies represented during the public meeting that also featured vendors offering conservation-minded tips to reduce water usage on a daily basis.
In April, following four years of devastating drought conditions, California Governor Jerry Brown issued statewide mandatory water restrictions with an overall 25 percent target reduction.
The target for Arroyo Grande was 28%, which the city has met, and for the month of July there was a 41% reduction.
“It is a testament to everybody’s consciousness of water conservation and willingness to step up and continue to do their part,” said Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill.
All cities in the area have had success bringing down water use.
not count on that,” said Arroyo Grande Mayor Jim Hill. “What need to do is develop the habits that we are seeing right now with these great conservation numbers and make sure that those numbers translate into long-term savings.”
To put things into perspective 97 % of the earth’s water is salt water leaving 3% fresh water, some of which is frozen. Of the water supply used by the average household 55% is used in the yard, 30% is used in the bathroom, 10 % for laundry and 5 % in the kitchen.
Water storage began at Lopez Lake in 1969 when the dam was built with a holding capacity of 52,000 acre-feet. Due to mudslides and sediment over the years, capacity has dropped to about 50,000 a.f.
Water in the lake is currently at about 31.4 capacity or 16,833 a.f. At 20,000 a.f. the county’s Low Reservoir Response Plan kicked into gear meaning should levels drop to 15,000 a.f., a 10% reduction of water released to municipalities using Lopez water.
“If it doesn’t rain by spring of 2016, we are probably looking at 10,000 a.f.,” said engineer Jim Garing of Garing Taylor & Associates. “That would mean an additional 10 % reduction to municipal agencies.”
The immediate goal is to maintain what is called healthy and safety water or the amount of water needed for drinking, washing dishes, taking showers and baths, flushing toilets and fighting fires.
That would equally about 50 gallons per person per day compared to consumption of 100 to 150 per person per day during normal times.
Seawater intrusion in groundwater is also a serious concern for cities along the coast.
Six sentry groundwater wells in South County are used to measure elevation and quality. The years from 2007 to 2009 showed the lowest water elevation levels that have ever been seen since monitoring began. In one of the wells there was a chloride spike in the summer of 2009.
“If you think of chloride have a background level of 50 parts per million, by October, it was at 700,” said Garing. “We have had a dramatic increase in an indicator that could be indicate seawater intrusion.”
Rainfall in 2010 brought the chloride amount back to normal levels, but that rain did not continue.
“This fall we are looking at seeing drought water levels at the coast lower than they have ever been for three years running,” said Garing. “There is great concern about that if it doesn’t rain.”
PG&E Meteorologist John Lindsay said changes in climate have also impacted the snow pack. In the Sierra Nevada, levels are at an all time low.
“Going forward, climate models indicate a potential loss of 60 to 80 % of California’s overall snow pack by the end of the century. That’s about a third of the water that California utilizes.”
Strong El Nino storm conditions, caused by increase seawater temperatures, are predicted for this winter and could bring in 140 percent of normal rainfall such as in 1982-to1983 when the 2,700-foot Unocal pier was destroyed in Port San Luis.
“We have been collecting seawater temperatures at Diablo Canyon since 1976,” Lindsay said. “Previously, the all time record seawater temperature was 66.7 degrees back in 1983 and 66.2 degrees back in 1997. This last October, we got up to 67.58 degrees.”
Still climatologists are unsure what the rainfall result will be because of a warm “blob” of water off the Pacific Northwest.
“Everybody is pretty much throwing their hands up,” said Lindsay. “Everybody is saying equal chance of above normal rainfall or equal chance of below normal rainfall because of that warm blob. Historically we have never seen this type of scenario setup before.
Lindsay said he is also worried about too much of a good thing—meaning rainfall amounts that could lead to flooding.
“When it does rain, we are seeing rainfall intensities and rainfall episodes are becoming greater,” said Lindsay. “It is simple physics, warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, and when that water vapor condenses it releases heat and that’s what really drives storms.”
Check out water saving mechanisms available through your municipalities that can put cash in your wallet. Ask your city staff or visit their website for rebate programs including cash for grass, low flow toilets and high efficiency washing machines.
