Water is hot topic

Water — and sometimes the lack of it — was a big topic in the tri-counties area during 2009.

The topics swirled around the impact of a judge's ruling on Red Bluff Lake; how much groundwater exists and how to measure it; how much is used to grow certain crops; and how to protect the area's water resources.

In February, the attention was on the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District drilling deep wells to help determine where groundwater comes from and where it goes.

"Little is known about how water moves" in the area, said Thad Bettner, the district's general manager.

In a collaborative project with several water districts, additional goals were to "make better management and longterm sustainability decisions in the valley" and "to drive the science locally and drive our water resources locally," Bettner said.

He said it was important that state legislators have "a good understanding of how our groundwater works."

On April 4, Red Bluff settled a lawsuit with the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority.

The settlement, approved by a 3-2 vote, allowed the agency to proceed with a $160 million irrigation pump project that would protect fish, especially salmon, and permanently keep up the gates at Red Bluff Diversion Dam — meaning no more Lake Red Bluff.

Jeff Sutton, the authority's general manager, said the Fish Passage Improvement Project would be finished by the end of the 2012 irrigation season.

Not long after that, the Tehama-Colusa Canal Authority received nearly $110 million in federal money for the project.

The project will cost an estimated $200 million, Sutton said. Under the Central Valley Improvement Act, the federal government will cover 75 percent of the cost and the state will cover the rest.

The Canal Authority and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reportedly worked together to find the best system to protect the declining fish population while maintaining the flow of irrigation water needed to sustain north valley agriculture.

"This project will create and protect over 10,000 jobs while also ensuring healthy and sustainable fish populations for generations to come, said Kenneth LaGrande, authority board chairman.

And while there were reports that agricultural crops such as rice, almonds, walnuts and other require far less water than generally believed, the lack of rain had farmers, ranchers and urban interests very concerned.

The Sacramento River and surrounding lakes were low and some stream bed were completely dry or almost dry.

Glenn County Water Resource Coordinator Lester Messina commented on the "increased scrutiny of restrictions on water."

Discussing the need to collect data about how much water is in the underground aquifer, Larry Domenighini, a former Water Advisory Committee chairman, noted that "water is a complex issue. We can't defend ourselves without information. Water is a finite source that requires infinite management."

Between the counties and the state Department of Water Resources, data on groundwater is being collected at regular intervals.

While some farmers were very concerned about the drought — many cutting back on irrigation — others were more reflective.

Joe Taylor, for example, remembered 12 years ago when his almost dry pond had flooded the road.

By the end of the year, stories focused on well-monitoring programs being established.

Yet, as the year drew to a close and the North State saw some wet storms, there was growing hope the drought my finally be over.

The National Weather Service in Sacramento predicted a wet winter, with storms rolling through the valley consistently into the springtime.

Contact Lydia Harris 934-6800 or lharris@tcnpress.com.