Butte County Water & Resource Conservation

With all the drought talk, you have probably heard that the last couple years have held historically

dry conditions: 2013 was California’s driest calendar year, water year 2014 was the third driest in

119 years of record, and recently, January 2015 ended as the driest January on record in places

throughout the state. Other than hoping and praying for rain and snow, there’s little we can do

to pull ourselves out of the drought. Adaptation and strategic water management on many levels

by water managers will likely be crucial again this year. Yet, well owners can also take important

action to prepare for another dry summer and irrigation season.

Time to schedule your annual water well checkup! Just as you check your furnace or smoke de-

tector batteries seasonally, spring is a good season to have an annual water well checkup before

the peak water use season begins, according to the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).

This is a good practice in a normal year and especially during this drought period.

Why is it a good idea to have my water well checked annually? An annual checkup by a qualified

water well contractor is the best way to ensure problem-free service and quality water. Your well

log can tell you the depth of your well and information about its construction, but only a visit by a

well contractor can determine where your pump is set in relation to current water levels and if it

is possible to lower it further within the well should water supply reliability problems arise.

Preventative maintenance usually is less costly than emergency maintenance, and good well

maintenance — like good car maintenance — can prolong the life of your well and related equip-

ment. NGWA further recommends you test your water whenever there is a change in taste, odor,

or appearance, or when the system is serviced.

Schedule your annual water well checkup. Well ownership comes with the responsibility of keep-

ing the water well in good working order. A check of your well by a qualified water well contrac-

tor may include:

A flow test to determine system output, along with a check of the water level before and

during pumping (if possible), pump motor performance (check amp load, grounding, and line

voltage), pressure tank and pressure switch contact, and general water quality (odor, cloudi-

ness, etc.).

A well equipment inspection to assure it’s sanitary and meets local code.

WELLS >> page 5

Inside this issue

Chico Groundwater Forum ................................ 2

Hydraulic Fracturing Update ............................... 2

Smartphones 4 Water ................................. 5

Meeting Schedules ............ 6

Lake Oroville Storage ......... 6

Current Water Conditions ............... 6

Special points of interest

Water Commissioner Grundmann appointed to the Butte County Planning Commission

NSV IRWMP Technical Advisory Committee solicitation closed

Telemetry bids for real time monitoring closed

March, 2015 Volume 16, Issue 3

WaterSolutions

“To manage and conserve water and other resources for the citizens of Butte County”

By Christina Buck

Is your well ready for another dry year?

How much water are YOU using at home?

H2ouse.org provides an inter-

active home tour experience.

Take the tour to investigate

your water saving opportuni-

ties in each area of your home.

Click on each location to show

you both the facts and specific

advice, including future trends

Water use calculator

How much water are you using

at your home? Use the calcu-

lator at http://

www.waterbudgets.com/

ConserVision/CUWCC/

DataInput.htm

to get a water budget for the

inside and outside of your

home. A water budget tells

you the right amount of water

you should be using. Compare

the water budget to your actu-

al water bill and see how much

water you could be saving.

Then try the Water Use Calcu-

lator again with more water

efficient landscaping added

and see the difference in sav-

ings $$ this can make.

On March 12th, a forum on Butte County Groundwater will be held at the Chico City Council

Chambers from 6 to 8 PM. The forum is cosponsored by Butte County, the City of Chico and

AquAlliance. The forum will provide an update on local groundwater issues and the challenges

and opportunities to sustain our water resources. The program will include a status of ground-

water conditions, updates on state and local efforts to better understand and protect ground-

water and an update on federal and state water transfers from the Sacramento Valley. The

forum will feature a new film about the Owens Valley from CSU Chico, entitled Never Enough.

The film is a cautionary tale about where some of Los Angeles' water comes from. The stark

landscape of the Eastern Sierras, Mono Lake and Owens Dry Lake illustrate the consequences

of efforts in the early 20th century to move water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles. The

Owens Valley averages 5 to 7 inches of rain per annum – by contrast, the LA basin receives ap-

proximately 10 to 15 inches. Emphasis is on the results of 100 years of water transfers from

this region and the abiding sense of loss felt by the Paiute-Shoshone people whose ancestors

first settled in what is now the Owens Valley. Viewers are introduced to locals with unique in-

sight into the grass roots impacts of decisions taken far, far away. Tribal elders speak about

how reverence for the ecosystem has been replaced by market economies. Biologists share

frank assessments of the economic consequences of mismanaged water resources. Discussions

with environmentalists demonstrate that beyond the passionate rhetoric, long-range priorities

are essentially consistent with those of other interest groups, e.g., farmers, municipalities and

even some industries dependent upon natural resources such as timber, tourism and commer-

cial fisheries. In short, what is presented are oral histories from keen observers who are part of

key transformations that illustrate the relationships between people and water in rural and

urban communities.

“Never Enough...a cautionary tale about ...consequences of efforts in the early 20th century to move water from the Owens Valley to Los Angeles.”

2

Chico Groundwater Forum By Paul Gosselin

For over a year, Butte County has engaged in a dialogue and debate on the risks from hydraulic

fracturing and whether restrictions should be imposed in the County. The views on hydraulic

fracturing and its impacts have run from “harmless” to “disastrous”. In February 2015 the

Butte County Board of Supervisors directed the Department of Development Services and

County Counsel to draft an ordinance that would require a conditional use permit for projects

intending to use hydraulic fracturing practices and to prohibit the introduction of waste into

wells. Also, an initiative intending to prohibit hydraulic fracturing in Butte County remains

scheduled to be on the June 2016 ballot. Reports and information on the potential impacts

from hydraulic fracturing in California continue to become available. Later this spring, the State

of California expects to release an independent scientific review of the risks from hydraulic

fracturing. Locally, you have an opportunity to hear about the science and risks to groundwater

from hydraulic fracturing. On March 24th Dr. Todd Greene, Chico State, will present a seminar

entitled, “Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) and Its Potential Impacts to Groundwater Resources”.

The Seminar will be held at Chico State, Physical Sciences Building, Room 202 at 5:00PM. The

seminar is sponsored by the Association of Geological and Environmental Students and Chico

State University’s Center for Water and the Environment. For more information please visit

CSU’s Center for Water and the Environment website at http://www.csuchico.edu/cwe.

Hydraulic Fracturing Update By Paul Gosselin

Keeping up with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

The Sustainable Groundwater

Management Act (SGMA) is

comprehensive and complex.

Navigating through the details

of the Act can be a challenge.

Fortunately, new information

and resources are continuing

to be produced to make it

easier. The Water Education

Foundation produced “The

2014 Sustainable Groundwa-

ter Management Act: A Hand-

book to Understanding and

Implementing the Law”. The

guidebook provides a good

overview and reference on the

SGMA. You can view the

guidebook through the De-

partment’s SGMA webpage.

Additionally, the Department

of Water Resources has

launched a Sustainable

Groundwater Management

Act website that provides an

easy path to reference materi-

als, technical information and

the latest information on the

SGMA. http://

www.water.ca.gov/

groundwater/sgm/index.cfm.

DWR has continued to im-

prove the information though

its Groundwater webpage

http://www.water.ca.gov/

groundwater. You can get to

the DWR webpages, the Wa-

ter Education Foundation

SGMA handbook and other

information through the de-

partment’s webpage at http://

www.buttecounty.net/

waterresourceconservation.

5

Can U help?

We’re just launching our first pilot project in Mozambique, and we need 100 SmartPhones to monitor water levels and flows at over 250 key sites within the country! You can donate your used SmartPhones by shipping them to:

SmartPhones4Water 3881 Benatar Way, Suite G

Chico, CA 95928

S4W exists to leverage the power of SmartPhones to enrich lives in the developing world by improving our understanding and management of water resources.

Here is how it works:

Donate phones to S4W.

S4W separates usable phones from unusable phones.

Unusable phones are shipped to our professional phone recycler.

S4W wipes usable phones, makes necessary repairs, and provides them to S4W monitor-ing personnel.

We have an incredible opportunity to put accurate and accessible water monitoring technolo-gy straight into the hands of local water managers. Your old SmartPhone (iPhone 4 and above; Android with 3 MP camera or better) can make a difference in water resource management in the developing world.

A test of your water for coliform bacteria and nitrates, and anything else of local concern. Other

typical additional tests are those for iron, manganese, water hardness, sulfides, and other water

constituents that cause problems with plumbing, staining, water appearance, and odor.

It’s also advisable to:

Keep hazardous chemicals, such as paint, fertilizer, pesticides, and motor oil far away from your

well, and maintain a "clean" zone of at least 50 feet between your well and any kennels and live-

stock operations.

Maintain proper separation between your well and buildings, waste systems, and chemical storage

areas.

Periodically check the well cover or well cap on top of the casing (well) to ensure it is in good repair

and securely attached. Its seal should keep out insects and rodents.

Keep your well records in a safe place. These include the construction report, and annual water

well system maintenance and water testing results.

The Department of Water Resources Northern Region office will be measuring water levels in the moni-

toring well network throughout Butte County during March. This and historical water level data will be

accessible from the Water Data Library (http://www.water.ca.gov/waterdatalibrary/). You can use

their station map to check out water level conditions in your neighborhood. Wellowner.org is also a

valuable resource with a variety of information for well owners.

Thanks to NGWA for providing content for this article.

Wells >> continued

Meeting Schedules

Water Commission

4/1/2015, 1:30 p.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers 25 County Center Drive

5/6/2015, 1:30 p.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers 25 County Center Drive

Board of Supervisors

3/10/2015, 9:00 a.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers

3/24/2015, 9:00 a.m. Board of Supervisors Chambers

Department of Water & Resource Conservation

308 Nelson Avenue Oroville, CA 95965 Phone: 530-538-4343 Fax: 530-538-3807 E-mail: bcwater@buttecounty.net Website: www.buttecounty.net/waterandresource

Water & Resource Conservation Staff

Paul Gosselin, Director Vickie Newlin, Assistant

Director Christina Buck, Water

Resource Scientist Autum Kirk, Administrative

Assistant , Senior

Water Commission

George Barber, Chair DC Jones, Vice-Chair Larry Grundmann John Lane Brad Mattson Ryan Schohr John Scott David Skinner Ernie Washington