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Stockton Taps into the Delta: Agreement Gives City Water Rights

Posted on: Friday, 23 December 2005, 12:00 CST

By Warren Lutz, The Record, Stockton, Calif., The Record, Stockton, Calif.

Dec. 23--The city of Stockton sits along the largest source of drinking water in the state. Now it finally can take a sip.

This week, state water officials gave the city its first permit to take water out of the Delta under a plan that could eventually hydrate as many as 300,000 future residents.

It also ends decades of watching other cities acquire water rights from the Sierras while Stockton had to buy water from other sources to meet its needs.

"It's an incredible milestone and accomplishment for the city," Municipal Utilities Director Mark Madison said. "Merry Christmas to the city of Stockton."

The city plans to take water out of the San Joaquin River at Empire Tract and pipe it 13 miles east to a new water treatment plant on Lower Sacramento Road. From there, the city would send the water into its existing system.

About 23 million Californians drink water that originates from the Delta, much of which is pumped to the southern part of the state from large pumps near Tracy.

The irony of being surrounded by the largest water source in the state -- the California Delta -- yet not being able to tap into it makes the water permit something of a historic event, some say.

"I think it's good for the city," said Dante Nomellini, attorney for the Central Delta Water Agency. "A good part of the rest of the state has been taking water out of the Delta."

"It's certainly a move toward more independence," said Morris Allen, who was the utilities director when the city applied for the permit 10 years ago.

Treated Delta water would relieve the city's dependence on other water sources, particularly groundwater.

Currently, the city relies on two suppliers for its water: the Stockton East Water District, which provides treated surface water to residents on the north and south ends of Stockton, and the California Water Service Co., which serves mostly central Stockton.

But the city releases treated wastewater into the Delta, and state law allows the city to take as much water as it puts in.

The current permit allows the city to take 33,000 acre-feet of water a year from the San Joaquin River, about enough water for a city the size of Lodi.

Still, officials don't yet know how they will pay for its estimated $172 million cost of drawing out and treating the Delta water. Madison said the city is weighing its options, which include federal funds, grants and having residents pay hookup or user fees.

The water itself is free.

"This is not a contracted purchase," he said. "The cost we incur will only be for the facilities or the hardware to make use of that water."

The project could be expanded to provide as much as 125,000 acre-feet of water in the future, enough water for an additional 300,000 residents, officials said.

While praising the project, Dale Stocking, president of the San Joaquin chapter of the Sierra Club, said the city shouldn't take more water than it currently needs.

"We have concerns that the city would use this water to justify additional or increased development beyond the 1990 General Plan," Stocking said.

Madison said it won't.

"Over time, if new plans are developed, that will obviously trigger the need for more water," he said.

Contact reporter WarrenLutz at (209) 546-8295 or wlutz@recordnet.com

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Copyright (c) 2005, The Record, Stockton, Calif.

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Source: The Record

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