Peace amid the water wars: S.J. County, East Bay MUD reach deal
STOCKTON — Here’s something to be thankful for today: A landmark peace treaty in one of this region’s most enduring water wars.
San Joaquin County and the East Bay Municipal Utility District are the primary players behind a deal announced late Tuesday.
“This has been in the works for decades,” county Supervisor Larry Ruhstaller said Wednesday.
In essence, East Bay MUD will provide water to the county during both dry and wet years and commits $4 million to an experimental groundwater banking project somewhere in the northeast county.
In exchange, during dry years, the utility will be able to export a portion of that groundwater to its 1.3 million customers in the East Bay.
All parties are dropping longstanding legal protests to various water-rights applications pending before the state.
It is one of those rare moments in California water where there is a marriage to celebrate instead of a divorce to litigate.
“We all have got to be working together and trying to find a solution rather than just pointing the finger at everyone,” said Joe Valente, a farmer who sits on the board of the North San Joaquin Water District east of Lodi. “People’s egos have got to go. Let’s work together and get something done.”
The animosity between local water interests and East Bay MUD dates back to 1956, when the utility received a water right on the Mokelumne River. Ever since, much of the river has been exported to the Bay Area.
San Joaquin County was left dry. State officials told the county to look elsewhere for water — namely, the American River. But the Auburn Dam was never built, and a canal to send river water south was never completed.
So it was in 2007 that San Joaquin County vehemently protested a request by East Bay MUD for more time to make full use of its Mokelumne River water right. The county went so far as to accuse East Bay MUD of attempting to “hoard” water, making it unavailable for others.
This week’s agreement, privately negotiated for more than two years, is remarkable for its dramatically different tone.
“The fact that we’re all on the same page, I think everybody benefits,” said Fritz Buchman, deputy director of the county’s Public Works Department.
The nitty-gritty details:
• Starting next year, East Bay MUD will provide up to 6,000 acre-feet of water in dry years to the North San Joaquin district. Historically, that area has struggled to obtain river water and has leaned heavily on fragile groundwater.
Today, the district has a water right but only during wet years. Receiving a small amount of river water during dry years will help persuade farmers to use less groundwater, Valente said.
• East Bay MUD also will send North San Joaquin up to 8,000 acre-feet of water during wet years. If North San Joaquin can’t use it, then that water could be made available to the Stockton East Water District, which provides the city of Stockton with a portion of its water supply. Stockton East would have to build the infrastructure needed to divert that water, though.
• If San Joaquin County’s pending request to draw water from the Mokelumne River someday is honored by the state, East Bay MUD would allow some of that water to be stored in upstream Camanche Lake, for a fee.
• The county, the utility and four local water districts drop their protests on pending water right applications. This means the county no longer will be opposing East Bay MUD’s request to take more Mokelumne River water in the future, but with the state having given out more water rights on paper than water that actually exists, there is no guarantee the utility’s request will be granted, anyway.
• East Bay MUD will dedicate $4 million to a pilot groundwater banking project. Water will be stored underground during wet years; when it’s dry, up to half of that water would be extracted and sent to the Bay Area to avoid shortages.
Both parties win, the county says; East Bay MUD gains a more reliable water supply during droughts, while the county simultaneously squirrels away water below ground. The county also would own the facilities.
The agreement allows for East Bay MUD to deliver that groundwater to other parties, but the county would have a say in how that happens, Buchman said.
No site has been selected — officials say they want to be careful that the groundwater bank doesn’t harm nearby well owners.
And they’ll have to cut through some red tape to make it happen. San Joaquin County has an ordinance forbidding the export of groundwater without a permit, and no such permit has been issued. Local water leaders refused to grant a permit when a similar groundwater bank was proposed in the late 1990s.
Much has changed, said Brandon Nakagawa, the county’s water resources coordinator.
The latest groundwater concept has been discussed publicly for two years and vetted with different interest groups. Last time, officials say, the process was not as sound.
Also, water leaders in the late 1990s were questioning why they should help their water rivals from the East Bay.
“A lot of their issues stemmed around, what was East Bay MUD’s contribution to the health of our groundwater basin? The feeling was they were just using us,” Nakagawa said.
And that’s where the new deal comes in. Now the utility is contributing — both water and money. That sweetens the arrangement for San Joaquin County.
The San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, for example, opposed the proposal in the late 1990s.
But Bruce Blodgett, director of the farm bureau, said Wednesday that his group is “encouraged” by the new arrangement, though he added many details still have to be worked out.
“You think about all the fits and starts, all of the times where we seem to always run into a problems,” Blodgett said. “But this time everyone sat there and negotiated in good faith and came up with a proposal. It’s a great first step to finally get more water stored here.”
Contact reporter Alex Breitler at (209) 546-8295 or abreitler@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/breitlerblog.
http://t.recordnet.com/article/20141.../101089/A_NEWS
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