State officials turned off the spigots of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta Thursday, cutting off a fifth of Santa Clara County’s
water supply to save an endangered fish.
Gilroy – State officials turned off the spigots of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Thursday, cutting off a fifth of Santa Clara County’s water supply to save an endangered fish. But despite a strongly-worded press release warning of future water wars, officials say there’s plenty to go around – for now.
County reservoirs can quench homes and businesses this year, but the stoppage could imperil creek life and drain groundwater if the pumps close again, said Susan Siravo, spokesperson for the Santa Clara Valley Water District.
“In the short term, it’s not serious,” said Meenakshi Ganjoo, a public information representative. “But if the problem continues and they shut down longer, yes – it could be.”
The shutdown has “doubly threatened” county water, according to a Water District press release that cited San Jose’s 12-foot drop in the 1900s, when depleted groundwater sunk the land.
“In a worst-case scenario,” the release warned, “water users throughout the state could find themselves fighting over water in storage – state against federal, irrigation against urban.”
The pumps will be closed for seven to 10 days to allow delta smelt to migrate past the pumps, which have sometimes sucked in and killed the 2-inch-long endangered fish. Less than two weeks ago, smelt populations hit an all-time low, prompting worries that the species could be snuffed out unless pumps were paused. Delta smelt are considered a key indicator of the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, and are protected under the California Endangered Species Act.
Water officials say groundwater basins are flush and reservoirs are averaging 60 percent full, keeping water flowing freely to residents. But local fish such as steelhead trout may suffer as the district saves its reservoirs for human consumption, releasing less water to recharge creeks and streams, said Siravo. If the situation worsened, forcing the district to dry the recharge ponds, warm-water fish and the birds that prey on them would suffer.
“We’re already experiencing a dry year,” added Herman Garcia, president and founder of the environmental group Coastal Habitat Education and Environmental Restoration. “Every available hour and day, we’ve been looking for disconnected pools where steelhead trout may be stranded, to recover and transport them to the Pajaro River … We’re trying to keep up, but a lot of fish are still dying.”
Consumers won’t feel the squeeze this year, said Siravo: No mandatory conservation measures are planned, though the water district urges residents to voluntarily leave sprinklers off until dusk, upgrade to high-efficiency washers and toilets, and take shorter showers. Nor will farms suffer, said Jenny Derry, executive director of the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau.
“Many farmers have been putting money and technology into reducing their water use,” said Derry. South County agriculture uses 25 percent of the county’s water – about 25,000 acre-feet per year, said Siravo. “It’s economics: The less water you use, the less money you pay to pump it from under the ground.”
Water officials were already bracing for reduced flows from the delta: The pumps supply 250,000 acre-feet of water to Santa Clara County in a typical year, but a dry winter had reduced the expected flow to 160,000 acre-feet. (An acre-foot translates to a football field full of foot-deep water, and can supply two five-person families for a year, said Siravo.)
The decision only shuts the state-owned delta pumps, which provide 20 percent of Santa Clara County’s water, said Ganjoo. Other pumps are federally controlled. South County does not directly receive delta water, but the shortage will indirectly drain South County as other areas deplete the San Luis Reservoir and San Pedro groundwater recharge ponds.
As the flow to Santa Clara County slows, the water district is pumping farmers for higher fees. Officials have proposed cutting discounts for reduced water and fertilizer use, bumping some farmers’ costs from $14 to $21.50 per acre-foot – a roughly 50 percent increase. Frustrated farmers have criticized the water district for the salaries that eat 40 percent of its $240 million budget. Meanwhile, other residents say the district hasn’t made adequate use of the Anderson Reservoir.
“They should consider letting more out of Anderson to supply South County,” said Bob Cerruti, a member of the San Martin Planning Advisory Committee. “When there’s a drought, let recreation come last.”
News of the shut pumps worried Tom McMahon, owner of Gilroy’s Brite N Clean laundromat. Even though McMahon has installed high-efficiency laundry machines – which cost three times as much as their less-efficient counterparts – he still uses 140,000 to 150,000 gallons of water per month, he said.
“Any significant increases in water [prices] have an immediate and profound impact of the profitability of the business,” McMahon remarked. “Water and sewer costs use up 25 percent of my income.”
Ganjoo said the stoppage underscores a larger problem: The county’s reliance on Delta water. The water district has pushed conservation measures such as recycled water usage – in Gilroy, wastewater keeps the Gilroy Sports Park and Christmas Hill Park green, and will soon be sprinkled onto Gilroy Golf Course, said Senior Maintenance worker Chris Weske – but such efforts haven’t weaned the county from imported water. Nor have suggestions for a new South County reservoir to expand surface water supplies materialized.
“We’ll always need to rely on Delta water to a significant extent,” said Siravo.
