Inyo officials concerned about environment, water agreement

inyosupervisors4-16Inyo County’s response to the Department of Water and Power pumping plan reveals that water levels in all well fields are below the baseline expected to protect the environment. The letter also reveals that vegetation is below baseline in five of seven well fields. Is this a condition that can go on without serious consequences? We talked to three of the five Inyo Supervisors.

Supervisor Jeff Griffiths did push to reduce pumping in the Big Pine area, but he also said there is no criteria for when we attempt to cut back on pumping. He said, “I had no procedure to fall back on.” Asked how he feels about delays on the critical revision of the pumping management section of the Long Term Water Agreement, Griffiths said, “I feel that the DWP strategy is to delay, and they are very good at it. The question is what should we do. I will look for that answer.”

Supervisor Matt Kingsley was not in attendance at the Board meeting which addressed the pumping plan. He said he needed to look into the situation further but commented that “DWP is starting at a more reasonable place.”

As for the pattern of lowered water tables and diminished plant life, Supervisor Mark Tillemans said, “This continuing pattern should be, and is of concern to us all. I’m doing my best to learn what my role is,” he said, “and how to most effectively implement positive change regarding this matter.” Tillemans called it a complicated situation and said, “The Water Agreement does not have effective dispute procedures.”

At least 30 years ago, citizens warned the Supervisors that the Water Agreement language would never protect the Owens Valley environment. The awkward processes in that agreement have proven to be of little help. Supervisor Jeff Griffiths said he is trying to “get better procedures in place to resolve disputes and revise the Green Book”, which is the pumping management plan in the Water Agreement. Said Griffiths, “We need to make groundwater management functional.” He added that it is very distressing to him – the lack of the Supervisors’ ability to solve anything.

Griffiths also pointed to the Black Rock area north of Independence which is now in a dispute process with DWP. This issue has dragged on for more than three years, and, as Griffiths said, “Groundwater dependent vegetation is gone and won’t come back.” He also said, “The current method of delay, delay, delay does not serve Inyo. Impacts happen before action can be taken,” he said.

We also placed calls to Supervisor Chair Linda Arcularious, who did not return the call. Supervisor Rick Pucci did return our calls, but we did not connect with him for his comments on groundwater issues.

More on the pumping plan when the Inyo-Los Angeles Technical Group meets Wednesday morning at 10am at the Inyo County Water Department Conference Room in Independence. At that meeting, staff members will talk about pumping and about DWP’s proposed reduction in irrigation for this runoff year. DWP has also requested a reduction of mitigation project water supply for this year.

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Phiilip Anaya
Phiilip Anaya
9 years ago

The Interim Management policy (IMP) of the Water Agreement, which superseded the Drought Recovery Program (DRP) for the 2007-2010 runoff years limited pumping to 57,412 acre feet per year( AFY). The Inyo County Water Dept has recommended, in it’s “Comments to the 2013 DWP Proposed Operations Plan” document, pumping be… Read more »

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

Saudi Arabia is spending 66 billion dollars on desalinization plants over the next 10 years. Their latest plant will produce 158 million gallons per day, about 35% of what LA uses. Perhaps they will sell us water when they run out of oil.

Mark
Mark
9 years ago
Reply to  Tim

And they’re probably building it with our tax dollars too

Desert Tortoise
Desert Tortoise
9 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Desalinization is a terrible way to provide fresh water. It has three irredeemable flaws. Number one is the huge amount of electrical energy required to operate any kind of desalinization plant. This state does not begin to generate enough electricity to make desalinization on a large scale practical, and I… Read more »

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

DT, I read about all those negatives as you did and realize desal is not without very high costs. The thing that caught my attention was how they propose to redistribute the plankton and salts so they wouldn’t kill sea life. Still, it’s happening half way around the world and… Read more »

Desert Tortoise
Desert Tortoise
9 years ago
Reply to  Tim

Forget desal. Even if the salts are redistributed what happens to all the other pollutants that come out of the process? HAZMAT, that’s what, all destined for special disposal facilities. And don’t forget all the electricity necessary. Purify sewage and pump it back into the aquifer. It’s cheaper and has… Read more »

MJA
MJA
9 years ago

I think Inyo County should insist the pumps be shut off until the well water is above the baseline health level of the environment. Unless they are stopped, the Valley will continue to die. =

Themis
Themis
9 years ago

If the dispute resolution process in the Water Agreement is gridlocked by DWP semantics, why not sue them for failure to complete mitigation as required by the CEQA Guidelines (California Code of Regulations Title 14, Sec. 15097)? “….however, until mitigation measures have been completed the lead agency remains responsible for… Read more »

Philip Anaya
Philip Anaya
9 years ago
Reply to  Themis

Really like your post Themis. Being the namesake that you are “the embodiment of divine order, law and custom”, your words, “Justice for the Valley must be pursued” says it all. “Doing nothing is not an option” is truth beyond all of that. I have been reading today. This is… Read more »

Philip Anaya
Philip Anaya
9 years ago

The Inyo County comments Document on LADWP Proposed Annual OperationsPlan for Runoff year 2013-14 is available at this link:

http://www.inyowater.org/documents/InyoCommentson2013-14LADWPproposedAnnualOperationsPlan.pdf

Tim
Tim
9 years ago

What are they going to do about it?
DWP figures it’s the same thing they have done for the past 100 years.