An excerpt.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 4:12 PM PDT
Let's make a deal
By: Raheem Hosseini
(Editor's note: This is the second in a four-part series.)
When it comes to preparing for future water needs, both Folsom and El Dorado Hills face the same problem.
"We're on granite," Folsom Utilities Director Ken Payne said of the two communities.That means that while communities like Roseville, Citrus Heights, Fair Oaks and others have groundwater supplies to use when surface water dries up during drought years, Folsom and El Dorado Hills have nowhere to bank the excess water they collect during the winter months.
"They have an alternate supply," Payne said of these communities. "We don't.
"With rampant growth and foreboding climate changes, more and more communities are looking at alternate ways to obtain the water they need. This includes storing excess water during wet years in naturally occurring ground water basins several thousand feet deep.
"The problem is there really aren't that many places to store it this time of year," Maury Roos, chief hydrologist with the state Department of Water Resources, said of banking water for dry years.
Since both Folsom and El Dorado Hills evolved into communities from literally rock-hard foundations, the standard method of conjunctive use is out of the question.
To solve this conundrum, Folsom and El Dorado County are forging somewhat divergent paths.
The El Dorado Irrigation District, El Dorado County Water Agency and a community-based advisory committee are collaborating on drought preparedness plans for each water agency on the western slope of the county, said EID director of communications Deanne Kloepfer.
Climate change scenarios will also be considered. The plans are scheduled for completion in 2007.
