In California water news today, Sierra Nevada snowpack is biggest in 22 years – and more is on the way; Release or store? Agencies manage reservoir flows; Planning for drought still important, experts say; New hurdle will extend Oroville Dam relicensing saga; Sites Reservoir project takes a step forward; Two meetings set on Sites Reservoir project; Controller: California water district misspending “shocking”; Trump official says climate change skeptic no longer part of NOAA transition team; and more …
In the news today …
Sierra Nevada snowpack is biggest in 22 years – and more is on the way: “After a month of huge blizzards and “atmospheric river” storms, the Sierra Nevada snowpack — source of a third of California’s drinking water — is 177 percent of the historic average, the biggest in more than two decades. The last time there was this much snow on Feb. 1 in the Sierra was in 1995. Pete Wilson was California’s governor, “Seinfeld” was the top-rated show on television and Steve Young had just led the 49ers to a blowout win in Super Bowl XXIX. In a breathtaking shift for a state that had been mired in five years of punishing drought, 25 feet of new snow has fallen on Heavenly ski resort in South Lake Tahoe since New Year’s Day. Freeways and schools across the Sierra have been closed at times, and firefighters are having trouble finding fire hydrants. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Sierra Nevada snowpack is biggest in 22 years – and more is on the way
Release or store? Agencies manage reservoir flows: “Following years of drought and with 2017 shaping up to be what the California Department of Water Resources calls “one of the wettest years ever,” some observers have wondered why water agencies are not storing more water in reservoirs for future use. Because preventing loss of life and reducing property damage from flooding becomes a top priority during strong storms such as those that reached the state in January, agencies say they must release water from reservoirs to make room for anticipated runoff from subsequent storms. At the same time, the agencies say, they work to fill reservoirs, serve municipal and agricultural water customers, create hydroelectric power and help fish. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Release or store? Agencies manage reservoir flows
Planning for drought still important, experts say: “Though 2016-17 turned out to be a wet winter, university and industry experts urge ranchers to continue to plan for drought in how they manage their pastures and feed. Knowing when to water and which animals to give the highest-quality supplemental feed could help cow-calf operations through the next drought, University of California Cooperative Extension advisers say. Such measures may include irrigating pasture with limited water in the spring, when the crop demand is greater, rather than the fall, said Larry Forero, a UCCE adviser based in Redding. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Planning for drought still important, experts say
New hurdle will extend Oroville Dam relicensing saga: “A long-awaited milestone in the years-long process to relicense Oroville Dam was reached last month, with the approval of the biological opinion by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That was believed to be the last loose end, and it was thought that might allow the license to be approved this spring by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which could clear the way for a renewed burst of funding to the area in a few months. Oroville and the Feather River Recreation and Park District were poised to receive $3.4 million, and an additional tens of millions of dollars over 30-50 years. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: New hurdle will extend Oroville Dam relicensing saga See also: Where does Butte County stand on lawsuit over Lake Oroville?
Sites Reservoir project takes a step forward: “Efforts to create a new reservoir in Northern California took a step forward Tuesday. The Sites Project Authority issued a “notice of preparation,” which is the first step in the environmental review process. “Californians made a bold and innovative decision to invest in new water storage when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1 in 2014,” Authority board president Kim Dolbow Vann said in a statement. “The Sites Project makes sense for California — which is why it has strong, diverse and bipartisan support across the state — and why it is important to move this environmental review forward.” … ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: Sites Reservoir project takes a step forward
Two meetings set on Sites Reservoir project: “The Sites Joint Powers Authority will host two public scoping open house meetings this month to gather comments from stakeholders and the public about the environmental review process for the proposed project. “Californians made a bold and innovative decision to invest in new water storage when they overwhelmingly approved Proposition 1 in 2014,” Kim Dolbow Vann, JPA board president and Colusa County supervisor, said in a press release. “The Sites Project makes sense for California — which is why it has strong, diverse and bipartisan support across the state — and why it is important to move this environmental review forward.” … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: Two meetings set on Sites Reservoir project
Controller: California water district misspending “shocking”: “An irrigation district in central California’s prime farming region gave its employees free housing, interest-free loans and credit cards that the workers used to buy tickets for concerts and professional sports games, possibly breaking the law, state officials said Tuesday. Employees at Panoche Water District based in Firebaugh used the credit cards to buy season tickets to Raiders and Oakland A’s games and attend a Katy Perry concert, officials said. The state Attorney General’s office will next decide whether to file criminal charges, and auditors will also consider sending the case to state and federal tax authorities, said a spokeswoman for California State Controller Betty Yee. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Controller: California water district misspending “shocking”
‘Planned retreat’ enters climate change dialog: “As sea levels rise, U.S. communities have several strategies to cope with the effects of climate change, the president of the National Academy of Sciences said yesterday. There’s triage for high-dollar assets, like airports and military installations and even the Statue of Liberty, Marcia McNutt said. But more and more, she added, “organized retreat” is a part of the conversation. That strategy, once politically unpalatable, has emerged from the shadows in recent months as scientists, community leaders and governments try to figure out how to move people out of the way of coastal flooding and other hazards. ... ” Read more from Scientific American here: ‘Planned retreat’ enters climate change dialog
Trump official says climate change skeptic no longer part of NOAA transition team: “The Trump administration moved Tuesday to distance itself from a leading climate-change skeptic who was part of the team leading the transition for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – an appointment that had alarmed NOAA employees. An official with the Department of Commerce, the agency overseeing NOAA, said Kenneth Haapala no longer had a role in the transition and did not take part in meetings about potential appointments. The official, who contacted McClatchy but spoke only on the condition of anonymity, citing departmental policy, was unable to say when Haapala had stopped serving on the transition team. … ” Read more from McClatchy DC here: Trump official says climate change skeptic no longer part of NOAA transition team
In commentary today …
Stockton East Water District: State Water Board ignores everyone but themselves: ” … The Board released a Substitute Environmental Document which described three unimpaired flow regimes (40 percent, 50 percent, or 60 percent) for the Tuolumne, Merced, and Stanislaus Rivers (Phase 1). … The board’s dismissal of legislation: The SED states that the economic impact of pumping groundwater to offset the loss of surface water from the Bay Delta Plan would be “significant and unavoidable”. This contradicts the intent and implementation of SGMA. If the 40 percent unimpaired flow were to be implemented, there would not be any water available for groundwater recharge and conjunctive uses. The groundwater basins levels would continue to decline, resulting in deeper pumping levels and poorer water quality. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Stockton East Water District: State Water Board ignores everyone but themselves
In regional news and commentary today …
Judge set to order feds, tribes to work together on new Klamath River flow plan: “A federal judge is set to issue an order in the coming weeks for two federal agencies and a group of local tribes and environmental organizations to work together to develop a new water flow plan for the lower Klamath River. The decision comes after a six-month-long legal dispute over whether government-controlled dam releases on the lower Klamath River were adequate to prevent die-offs of juvenile coho salmon, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Studies by tribal fisheries researchers found that up to 90 percent of juvenile Klamath River coho salmon became infected by an intestinal parasite in 2014 and 2015 — significantly higher than the 49 percent allowed under the agencies’ own biological opinion. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Judge set to order feds, tribes to work together on new Klamath River flow plan
Feather River releases hiked to make room for new storm: “After a few nice days, stormy weather is due to return Wednesday night and stick around into next week. In preparation for that, the Department of Water Resources kicked up releases from Oroville Dam by a third Tuesday afternoon, to make room for runoff in Lake Oroville. The lake has actually been dropping slowly since Jan. 26, when it reached an elevation of 855.66 feet, about 44 feet from the level considered full. When the increased releases began at 1 p.m. Tuesday the lake was down more than two feet from that high point. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Feather River releases hiked to make room for new storm
Rare crabs deposited on Sonoma Coast by unusual ocean conditions: “A small bunch of tiny red crustaceans that ought to be hanging out a thousand miles south of here came ashore on Salmon Creek Beach last week, the final remnants, it seems, of a wave of southern species brought north by unusually warm ocean conditions over the past few years. The 18 pelagic red crabs now living at the UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab are the first ones reported this far north since 1985, when an isolated sighting was recorded in Fort Bragg, according to Eric Sanford, a UC Davis professor of evolution and ecology. But those who follow life along the Pacific Coast may recall seeing images of the spidery, vermilion-colored creatures as they came ashore by the thousands last year in Monterey and a year prior, when beaches on both the Central Coast and in and around Orange County were covered in blankets of bright red crabs. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Rare crabs deposited on Sonoma Coast by unusual ocean conditions
Eel River Recovery Project to complete toxic algae study: “The Eel River Recovery Project met its fundraising goal of $5,000 through a crowdfunding website, and doubled that with outside donations, for a study analyzing the patterns of cyanotoxins, commonly known as blue-green algae, in the Eel River. The more than $10,000 raised will pay for the processing of data collected over the past three years to answer questions about how toxic algae varies between wet and dry years in terms of location and duration of noxious blooms, including whether water flow or temperature can predict when blooms occur. ... ” Read more from the Willits News here: Eel River Recovery Project to complete toxic algae study
Roseville, Placer County to help fund $4.4 billion reservoir: “Roseville City Council voted unanimously last week to help fund the development of a large off-stream reservoir in Colusa County. The Sites Reservoir is 10 miles west of Maxwell and the expected to be complete by 2029, according to the project’s website. The facility’s entire estimated cost is $4.4 billion. Roseville has allocated $70,000 to put toward the project. City spokesman Maurice Chaney said Roseville’s contribution will cover technical and modeling support in developing the project, as well as operational plans that the project requires. … ” Read more from the Press Tribune here: Roseville, Placer County to help fund $4.4 billion reservoir
New board will meet on groundwater plan for Turlock Irrigation District farms and cities: “A new board will start its work Thursday on assuring that well pumping can sustain itself on farms and in cities in the Turlock Irrigation District. The board, serving a zone from south Modesto to north Merced County, is one of many that will carry out a 2014 state law aimed at preventing overdraft. The meeting will deal with basics such as a proposed first-year budget of $106,000, how to staff the agency, and its bylaws. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: New board will meet on groundwater plan for Turlock Irrigation District farms and cities
Santa Ynez Valley cities joining water exchange plan: “The Santa Ynez Valley’s two cities have agreed to enter a water exchange program that will help them preserve at least a portion of the state water they’ve had put away for days without rain. Buellton City Council voted 4-0, with Councilman John Connolly absent, to join the water exchange program worked out with the Municipal Water District by the Central Coast Water Authority, a joint-powers agency that serves as a wholesale distributor of state water to 24 water purveyors in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Solvang City Council voted 5-0 to join the exchange program, too, but the city decided to roll the dice and only commit part of its carryover water in the hope of coming up with more than if all of it went into the program. ... ” Read more from the Santa Maria Times: Santa Ynez Valley cities joining water exchange plan
‘Paleo channel’ finding could mean more water from Dana Point desalination plant: “The South Coast Water District may have room for a larger well system for its proposed desalination facility in Dana Point, meaning that more potable water could be produced for customers. At a meeting last week, consultant Mark Donovan, a senior engineer with GHD, Inc., told South Coast’s board that an ancient river channel topped with younger sediment — known as a paleo channel — at the mouth of San Juan Creek is larger than “orginally anticipated.” … ” Read more from the LA Times here: ‘Paleo channel’ finding could mean more water from Dana Point desalination plant
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …
Sign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …
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.
