El Dorado seeks one-time purchase of capital water

In a move to provide El Dorado County with a degree of drought protection, the El Dorado Water and Power Authority will seek a one-time purchase of water from the city of Sacramento.

The move is not related to a more ambitious plan to gain more American River water from the city, either by long-term purchase or by law.

The proposed purchase of 15,000 acre-feet would benefit El Dorado Irrigation District customers. Under a 2005 "cooperation agreement" between the water and power authority and Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the irrigation district may use reservoirs in SMUD's Upper American River Project to store up to 15,000 acre-feet as a hedge against drought.

An acre-foot is the amount of water that will cover an area of 1 acre to a depth of 1 foot. Average homes in the El Dorado Irrigation District use between 0.58 and 0.80 acre-feet of water annually.

With water remaining in district reservoirs from last year, the agency will have adequate supplies this year, said district director George Osborne. But a second dry winter could result in water shortages in 2008.

Osborne said having the additional water available could mean salvation for El Dorado County's agricultural community in a dry year.

Sacramento holds the rights to water from El Dorado County's watershed that flows through SMUD's hydroelectric system on the Upper American River.

The El Dorado Water and Power Authority also seeks a long-term purchase agreement with Sacramento that would allow El Dorado County water purveyors to deliver up to 30,000 acre-feet annually through SMUD's facilities. If such a pact can't be achieved, the authority has indicated it will pursue area-of-origin water rights through the state Water Resources Control Board to boost El Dorado County's water supplies to meet growing demands.

But Osborne said the 15,000 acre-feet sought for drought protection is a separate matter.

Gary Reents, director of Sacramento's Utilities Department, has said that the city's contract with the federal Bureau of Reclamation stipulates that any water from the Upper American River Project that Sacramento does not use reverts to the bureau. El Dorado County water officials, he has said, should be negotiating with the bureau for the 30,000 acre-feet.

Reents said through a department spokeswoman Monday that he could not comment on a one-time purchase for drought protection because his department had not received the proposal.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Cathy Locke can be reached at (916) 608-7451 or clocke@sacbee.com.