NCSD Half Truth #3: "There is no capacity in the State Water pipeline"

NCSD often makes statements like "There is no capacity in the State Water pipeline".

This is not true.

There is capacity in the State Water Pipeline.

NCSD had non-public meetings with other agencies about useing the State Water pipeline. But you hear NCSD board members say:

Ed Eby said it would cost $64 million.

11/7/11 Dave Congalton Podcast audio trimmed to just the NCSD segment 20mb

0:11:25	Ed Eby, Chart called the top 6 solutions
0:11:30	The first of those is the state water pipeline, runs right through Nipomo, why don't we grab on to that
0:11:38	The problem is the train left the station in 1991 when the people in Nipomo voted against that, everybody subscribed to the state water pipeline it's full everybody owns the water the water in it.
0:11:47	we could get back on it now it would cost us 64 million dollars to buy other peoples water that is not the best deal.

James Harrison said it would cost $48,000 per acre foot.

Oceano Community Services District meeting 12/14/11 item 10 c audio 39 mb

1:18:45

if we got water out of the pipeline in Nipomo it would cost $48,000 per acre foot

There are no public record details of the numbers above but clearly it is possible.

To acquire space on the state water pipeline enties like Solvang are asking for recovery of all past costs and transfer of all future obligations.

Short term unused capacity:

Although no one wants to give up the long term use of the state water pipe line capacity. In the short term there is unused capacity in the pipe because of the following.

1. Everyone on the pipe is not taking their full entitlement.

2. The state system does not have the capacity to deliver full entitlement of water in all years. In dry years when water is needed here the water delivery will be lowest and unused capacity will be highest, (see 2008 and 2009 which were very dry years.)

3. The average annual water delivery is expected to be 61-63% of entitlement.

Chart of used and unused capacity in the pipe that goes past Jackos by the NCSD system, and Orchard road by the GSWC system.

Source of data Table 3-3 Page 24, 2011 Central Coast Water Authority 2010 Urban Water Managment Plan

Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
Santa Barbara Capacity	42986	42986	42986	42986	42986	42986
Santa Barbara used Capacity	23344	23678	26112	18391	15452	17775
Santa Barbara Unused Capacity	19642	19308	16874	24595	27534	25211
Year	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010
SM+GSWC+Guad Capacity	18975	18975	18975	18975	18975	18975
SM used Capacity	13268	13128	11711	7792	7779	10277
GSWC used Capacity	194	586	189	233	249	246
Guadlupe used Capacity	404	476	437	348	39	0
SM+GSWC+Guad Unused Capacity	5109	4785	6638	10602	10908	8452

Long term new capacity:

On top of that capacity there has also been a study of the extra capacity above the engineered capacity, that is a result of the pipe being in standard sizes. For example if the design required a 22.5 inch pipe the next standard size would be 24" and so there would be 1.5" of extra capacity

See 2011 Capacity Assessment of the Coastal Branch, Chorro Valley and Lopez Pipelines

Coastal Branch pipeline capacity assessment results (increasee in annual capacity)

There is unused water to put in the State Water pipeline and trade for capacity:

San Luis Obispo has ~17,000AF of water entitlement that it does not have a contracted capacity to bring in to the county.

In 2010/2011 2465 AF was sold for $50 per acre foot to Zone 3, see San Luis Obispo County Flood Control and Water Conservation District Zone 3 Advisory Committee page 21

So in the short term if a problem were to develop in Nipomo there would be water to and pipe capacity that the court could order be used while a desal plant was constructed.

Ocean used the San Luis Obispo entitlement and unused capacity to move extra water in 2010:

See the WRAC agenda 3/1/2010

Grover beach has the same plan, 2/22/10 public record request page 12 pdf page 25

Nipomo Water

Documents and informatin realted to water in Nipomo.