Salty canal plan debated
Environmentalists fight growers' plan to pump ground water into aqueduct.
By E.J. Schultz / Fresno Bee Capitol Bureau
06/11/08 22:27:59

SACRAMENTO -- Environmentalists say they will fight a proposal by Valley farmers to pump salty ground water into the canal that delivers drinking water to millions of south state residents.

Growers in the west Valley are pitching the plan as a way to boost dwindling water supplies. If it were pumped into the California Aqueduct, water could be moved to farmers who don't have access to wells.

Something needs to be done quickly, the drought-stricken farmers say, or they will have to lay off more workers and abandon more crops.
In an emergency declaration last week, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors urged Gov. Schwarzenegger to temporarily "relax the water quality standards" to enable piping of ground water into the aqueduct.
The 444-mile concrete canal sends delta water to Southern California cities and Valley farms, but has rarely been used to transfer farm water within the west Valley.

The administration says all that's needed is a finding that the blended ground-delta water meets quality objectives specified in state water contracts. State officials are trying to work out an agreement with water customers. But environmentalists say growers would have to go one step further -- apply for a federal permit under the Clean Water Act that could take months to approve.

Bill Jennings, executive director of the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, said his group would immediately sue if water were pumped without a permit.

"It's not something the governor can wave his wand and make it happen," said Jennings, a longtime water-quality advocate.

The proposal is a temporary solution to get growers through the summer, said Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for the Westlands Water District. The district's supplies have been cut as a result of the dry spring and pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect fish.

In addition to making well water more broadly available, the plan would allow it to be used on crops that currently cannot tolerate it easily.
Blending ground water with aqueduct water would reduce its salinity. Some crops -- notably almonds, the most prevalent permanent crop on the west side -- do not tolerate salty water.

"Every day that we delay this, additional crops will be abandoned," Woolf said.

But some critics say the salinity issue raises important concerns.
"The well water, from our point of view, is going to contain substantial contaminants ... and lots and lots of salt, which are not things you would normally add to your water supply," said Mike Jackson, an environmental lawyer who represents the sportfishing alliance.

State water officials counter that federal permits are not required for most ground water pumping. "The possible exception might be if there is some direct hydrological link between the surface water and the ground water, but that is not the case for the [Valley proposal]," a Department of Water Resources spokesman said in an e-mail.

Westlands would have to get support from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which is the state's largest water customer. Metropolitan uses the aqueduct to supply drinking water to 18 million residents.

"We're willing to cooperate, but we want to make sure we don't in any way jeopardize what we're trying to do," said Roger Patterson, an assistant general manager at Metropolitan.

If too much salty water makes its way southward, it could damage pipes and hinder water recycling efforts, officials said. There are also health and taste considerations. People on low-sodium diets are especially at risk.

The amount of ground water pumped in would not be enough to significantly alter water quality, Woolf said.