In California water news today, California water diverters scramble to satisfy new reporting rules; California can’t win as monster storm threatens crops; As drought fades, an inland sea roars back to life; Kings County officials unhappy about water proposal; How a ‘rain shadow’ left this reservoir parched after all these storms; California tree die-off prompts review of management policies; California Forest Watershed Alliance Unveils Policy Platform With Website and Video; Trump Administration backs off plan to scrub climate pages from EPA website; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets this morning at 9am. Agenda items include DWR project updates and recent events, a 2017 update to the 2012 Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, and an annual DWR inspection briefing. More information, including webcast access, is here.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
California water diverters scramble to satisfy new reporting rules: “A crucial deadline passed quietly on January 1 that has big repercussions for the future of California’s water. It was the first of several deadlines that enforce new requirements for water diverters to precisely measure and report the amount of water they take from the state’s streams. Some 12,000 people and businesses that hold state water rights, large and small, are bound by the new rules. These water users were required in the past to report their water use. But there were few requirements to ensure accurate reporting. As a result, the information reported to the state has been spotty, unreliable and difficult to access. ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: California water diverters scramble to satisfy new reporting rules
California can’t win as monster storms threaten crops: “January’s monster storms and flooding in California inundated farmlands up and down the state, dealing a blow to crops of vegetables, citrus and nuts. While the series of tropical storms benefited some drought-stricken areas of the state, the heavy rains brought flooding to vineyards in Northern California and harvest delays further south for vegetable growers. Some citrus and nut growers were hurt too, including the loss of trees during strong winds. … ” Read more from CNBC here: California can’t win as monster storms threaten crops
As drought fades, an inland sea roars back to life: “Most of the time, motorists driving on Interstate 80 between Davis and here look out on vast tracts of farms and wetlands. But over the last two weeks, something remarkable has happened in what is known as the Yolo Bypass. Runoff from epic rains and snow has filled the open space with water. Now, drivers on the freeway pass over miles of water on their trek, making the interstate appear like long bridge over a wide lake. And that’s exactly how engineers envisioned it when they built it about a century ago. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: As drought fades, an inland sea roars back to life
Kings County officials unhappy about water proposal: “What happens when an agricultural water district in Kern County proposes to capture Kings River floodwater and use it on farmland near Bakersfield? It gets Kings County officials and farmers worked up. That’s what has taken place since Semitropic Water Storage District, with an office in Wasco, announced last month that it will prepare an environmental impact report on a proposal to build a huge ponding basin near Kettleman City to capture flood releases from Pine Flat Dam and pump them into a water bank in Kern County. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Kings County officials unhappy about water proposal
How a ‘rain shadow’ left this reservoir parched after all these storms: “It’s rained so much across California that the state’s biggest reservoirs are filled to levels not seen in years. At least six of the state’s major reservoirs are now holding more than 100% of their historic average, and massive Lake Shasta is so replete with water that dam operators opened spillway channels for the first time in six years this month. But then there’s thirsty Lake Cachuma. The Santa Barbara County reservoir this week was filled to just 13% of its historical average and 9% of its capacity. How is it possible that Southern California can get walloped by one of the wettest winters on record and still have the lowest reservoir level in the state? ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: How a ‘rain shadow’ left this reservoir parched after all these storms
California tree die-off prompts review of management policies: “Despite recent storms, California is still grappling with a massive tree die off from drought, wildfires and a beetle infestation.102 million trees are dead or dying in the state – and that’s a conservative estimate. California has spent $190 million since last June on the problem. Agencies have also removed 423,000 dead trees from areas where they pose a safety threat. But members of the state’s Tree Mortality Task Force told the Little Hoover Commission the problem won’t be resolved soon. It will likely take decades. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: California tree die-off prompts review of management policies
California Forest Watershed Alliance Unveils Policy Platform With Website and Video: “An unprecedented, urban-rural collation called the California Forest Watershed Alliance (CAFWA) stepped publically into the state’s water policy arena today, unveiling a new website and an educational video detailing a set of proactive priorities to help protect California’s forested watersheds. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: California Forest Watershed Alliance Unveils Policy Platform With Website and Video
ICYMI: Westlands irrigation drainage deal gets extended for one year so Congress can act: “Westlands Water District and Justice Department officials have given themselves, and Congress, another year to finish a controversial irrigation drainage plan. In a new court filing, attorneys for the government and the Rhode Island-sized water district conceded that Congress had failed to meet the Jan. 15 deadline for legislation. They noted they had consequently revised the agreement, extending the deadline to Jan. 15, 2018; after which, if Congress hasn’t acted, either party can back out of the deal. “The United States and Westlands continue to believe that implementation of the Westlands Settlement is in the public interest, as well as in the interests of Westlands and its landowners, and American taxpayers,” attorneys stated in the filing Monday with the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. … ” Read more from McClatchy DC here: Westlands irrigation drainage deal gets extended for one year so Congress can act
Trump Administration backs off plan to scrub climate pages from EPA website: “The Trump administration on Wednesday backed away from plans to take down some climate-change information from the Environmental Protection Agency’s website, which employees said had been planned for this week. But political appointees are exerting more oversight over the agency’s scientific communications. Doug Ericksen, spokesman for the Trump team in charge at the agency, told The Hill in an interview Wednesday that officials are reviewing all “editorial” parts of the EPA’s website and discussing possible changes, not necessarily looking to take down all climate data. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Trump Administration backs off plan to scrub climate pages from EPA website
In commentary today …
Drought or not, water conservation must remain the norm, says the Sacramento Bee: They write, “After five years of drought, California is in the midst of one of the wettest years on record. The Sacramento River is swollen, the Yolo Bypass looks like a lake, Sierra snowpack is accumulating and large reservoirs are filling. And as inevitably happens when rain falls, local water agencies, San Diego’s among them, are calling on the state to lift restrictions on water use. But the rainy season doesn’t end until April. Whether it keeps raining or not, April would be soon enough to make a declaration one way or another. Even if Gov. Jerry Brown does declare an end to the drought, the next dry spell could be upon the state before we know it. In part because of climate change, in part because of greater demands on water, Californians must not go back to water-wasting ways. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Drought or not, water conservation must remain the norm
In regional news and commentary today …
Bay Area: Wild unexpected consequences of the recent storms: “Bears as houseguests, wayward seal pups, and tide pools of bubblegum-pink nudibranchs. All of these odd occurrences are related to the storms that have pummeled the Bay Area in recent weeks. Besides the obvious rain mishaps — BART delays, flooding, soaked hairdos — there are countless consequences from this stormy season beyond the dampening of spirits and clothing. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Bay Area: Wild unexpected consequences of the recent storms
All gates closed on the Sacramento Weir after first-in-a-decade opening earlier this month: “Officials have closed all the gates of the Sacramento Weir, stopping the flow of water that helped flood the Yolo Bypass west of Sacramento. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: All gates closed on the Sacramento Weir after first-in-a-decade opening earlier this month
San Joaquin County: The refuge that sadly became refuse: Michael Fitzgerald writes, “We all support farming – rah, rah, farming – but the interests of ag and the greater public good do not always align. As leaders should recognize. Based largely on ag’s opposition, for instance, Uncle Sam just killed most of a proposed expansion of the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge into San Joaquin County. A wildlife refuge is a preserve for plants, animals and fish. It’s also a public resource. Refuges usually afford opportunity for hunting, fishing, hiking and other activities. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: San Joaquin County: The refuge that sadly became refuse
Irrigation Districts rejoin Friant Water Authority after drought strains the relationship: “Madera Irrigation District and Hills Valley Irrigation District have joined Friant Water Authority, which operates and maintains the Friant-Kern Canal. Additionally, the board of directors Thursday selected three new officers. Both districts once belonged to the authority, but Madera left two years ago when Friant Division contractors of the Central Valley Project received no water in the drought. With the districts rejoining, the Friant Water Authority now represents the largest portion of the Friant Division federal water contractors in both acreage and amount of water. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Irrigation Districts rejoin Friant Water Authority after drought strains the relationship
Tulare County Supervisors approve property purchase for Monson water well: “A project to bring a well to Monson took a step forward Tuesday. And Lala Luengas, who has lived in the northern Tulare County community for 42 years, couldn’t be happier. “We are thankful to all the people who have done so much and for all the help we have received,” she said. On Tuesday, county supervisors approved the purchase of an .81-acre property at 10736 Simpson Drive, where a municipal well will be built. The purchase is for $35,000 and the county will use emergency funds that will be replaced with grants. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here: Tulare County Supervisors approve property purchase for Monson water well
Litany of fines should be a thing of the past for Paso Robles wastewater plant, says Phil Dirkx: He writes, “Last Friday, the city of Paso Robles (my hometown) was fined $495,000. It seems our new wastewater treatment plant was guilty of polluting the Salinas River 173 times. The fines were levied by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. I read about it in Tuesday’s Tribune. Those 173 river pollution incidents occurred between Oct. 3, 2013, and June 27, 2016. That’s when Paso Robles was building its $49.6 million wastewater treatment plant and breaking it in. ... ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Litany of fines should be a thing of the past for Paso Robles wastewater plant
San Diego water officials declare drought over, plead with state regulators to lift regulations: “Water officials in San Diego County announced Thursday that the region’s drought has ended. The San Diego County Water Authority, the region’s water wholesaler, made the announcement in an ongoing effort to convince regulators in Sacramento to lift emergency drought regulations on urban water districts throughout the state. “I think it sends an important message to residents and businesses that we have not been experiencing drought conditions here in San Diego County,” said Dana Friehauf, water resources manager with the authority. “We’re requesting the governor and state water board rescind the state emergency regulations. … ” Read more from the U-T San Diego here: San Diego water officials declare drought over, plead with state regulators to lift regulations
Precipitation watch …
Dry weekend ahead; next chance for precipitation on Tuesday: From the National Weather Service: “High pressure over the west coast will bring fair skies over the coming weekend. Some morning fog will be possible in the valley each day but light north winds will likely keep it at a minimum. Enjoy the nice weather this weekend. The next chance of widespread precipitation will start next Tuesday night with precipitation lasting through the end of the week.”
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
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About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
