Groundwater Forum March 12, 2015

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Butte County’s Groundwater
– 2015 Update –

News ReleaseOn March 12, 2015, Butte County, the City of Chico, and AquAlliance will host a forum to provide the public with an update on local groundwater issues and the challenges and opportunities to sustain our water resources. The main features of the program will be the current groundwater conditions compiled from over 100 wells, updates on state and local efforts to better understand and protect groundwater, a new film about the Owens Valley from CSU Chico entitled Never Enough, and an update on federal and state water transfers from the Sacramento Valley.

Speakers include:

  • Paul Gosselin, Director, Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation
  • Christina Buck, PhD., Water Resource Scientist, Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation
  • Jesse Dizard, PhD., Professor at CSU Chico
  • Barbara Vlamis, Executive Director for AquAlliance

“With very dry conditions for the third straight year, we want our residents to have information on the status of Butte County groundwater and how our communities, economy, and the environment may be impacted,” stated Butte County Supervisor Maureen Kirk.

What: Butte County Groundwater Forum
When: Thursday, March 12, 2015, 6pm to 8:30pm
Where: Chico City Council Chambers, 411 Main Street in Chico
Who: Butte County, City of Chico, AquAlliance

Background Information

Information about Butte County’s Groundwater Monitoring: http://www.buttecounty.net/waterresourceconservation/GroundwaterLevels.aspx

Information on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act:

The film, Never Enough
This 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. Emphasis is on the results of 100 years of water transfers from this region averaging 5-7 inches of rain per annum – by contrast, the LA basin receives approximately 10-15 inches – and the abiding sense of loss felt by the Paiute-Shoshone people whose ancestors first settled what is now the Owens Valley. Viewers are introduced to locals with unique insight 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 Tribal elders speak about how reverence for the ecosystem has been replaced by market economies.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 commercial 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.

Water Transfers
The Bureau of Reclamation and San Luis/Delta Mendota’s 10-Year Water Transfer Program

Other transfers