Effort may improve Yolo water; Project proposes using Sacramento River supply in Davis, WoodlandSacramento Bee - June 25, 2006 By Pamala Martineau Effort may improve Yolo water; Project proposes using Sacramento River supply in Davis, Woodland Sacramento Bee – 6/26/06 By Pamela Martineau, staff writer Davis and Woodland residents -- and UC Davis students -- have long complained that their drinking water tastes lousy. Now, officials in those communities are looking to the Sacramento River to help improve the quality of the drinking water, while ensuring there is enough water for future growth. The Davis-Woodland Water Supply Project is a long-range effort by the cities of Davis and Woodland -- as well as UC Davis -- to take surface water from the Sacramento River and mix it with groundwater to improve area drinking water. The effort also seeks water to meet the needs of future population growth. Communities in Yolo County rely solely on groundwater for drinking needs. The water has high levels of nitrates and minerals that leave a bad taste in some people's mouths. Treated water from the Sacramento River is much purer. "With the surface water we have a better handle on making sure it is better tasting," said Davis Mayor Ruth Asmundson. "In general, most people think that surface water tastes better because it doesn't have the dissolved minerals," said Cathy Lee, a utility engineer for the city of Woodland and one of the planners on the project. Groundwater also is being depleted in some areas of Yolo County, and the pumping is causing land subsidence in other areas. Groundwater also may not fulfill the drinking water needs of the additional 100,000 people that planners project will live in Yolo County by 2025. "But we primarily need better water," emphasized Jacques DeBra, senior utility resource specialist for Davis and one of the lead planners on the project. "We would still do this project if we weren't growing." Purer surface water also helps the jurisdictions meet state and federal standards for cleaner wastewater discharge. The water does not require such extensive cleaning as groundwater. The surface water effort is multipronged and long-range. Planners don't expect any water from the Sacramento River before 2015. Water rights from the river must be secured from the state. The environmental effects of the water intake and treatment facilities -- as well the impact that taking water will have on habitat -- must be studied. And the project must be funded; DeBra said it could cost anywhere from $350 million to $400 million. Participating jurisdictions now rely on groundwater from intermediate depths of about 300 feet to 600 feet. In an effort to improve quality, they are starting to tap into deeper aquifers, which tend to be purer. Once the project is up and running, planners hope to supplement the groundwater each year with from 24,000 to 58,000 acre-feet of treated surface water from the Sacramento River. Planners predict that by 2040, the participating agencies will need up to 58,000 acre-feet of water to meet demand. An acre-foot is enough water for an average family of five for a year. To secure those water rights, officials have submitted applications to the State Water Resources Control Board. City planners and county officials are quick to point out that the county's effort to purchase Conaway Ranch -- with its rights to 50,000 acre-feet of Sacramento River water a year -- is a separate effort and not connected to the water supply project. Officials can't say that the Conaway water won't someday be used for the municipal project, but the priority for Conaway water is for the ranch itself, they said. "We need to make sure we know what the demand for the water is on the ranch first," said Yolo County Supervisor Mike McGowan, stressing that the county has no plans now for the water other than for agricultural uses on the ranch. DeBra said that switching to more surface water would also help farmers in Yolo County by freeing up more water from the aquifers for agricultural uses. DeBra added that the entities involved in the water project are working to ensure that there isn't a negative environmental impact from the taking of the water. Public hearings on a draft environmental impact report on the proposed project -- which will address the water transfers effect on special-status fish and other species -- are expected to be held this fall. PROJECT SUMMARY Background: Davis and Woodland residents have complained for a long time about lousy-tasting drinking water. What now? Officials want to take surface water from the Sacramento River and mix it with groundwater to improve water quality and meet the needs of a growing population. Forecast: Don't expect any water from the Sacramento River before 2015 because: • Water rights from the river must be secured from the state. • Environmental impact must be studied. • The $350 million to $400 million Davis-Woodland Water Supply Project must be funded. #
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