In California water news today, Bill would speed up review of proposed reservoir; Is California’s drought over? Depends on how deep you dig; Low numbers of Sacramento and Klamath river salmon point to poor season; Scientists: Ukiah Valley drinks from a large, renewing water source; Rain falls and Cachuma fills, but it’s a long road out of drought for Santa Barbara County; Glendale’s water rates violate state law, judge rules; Invasive mussel species detected in water pipeline connecting Silverwood, Perris Lakes; Clean Water Rule repeal cannot come at the stroke of a pen; Climate, other programs get deep cuts in EPA budget proposal; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Public Workshop for the Delta Plan Amendment for Conveyance, Storage and Operations from 1pm to 5pm in Diamond Bar: The Delta Stewardship Council will hold a workshop to gather comments on a draft amendment to better improve the way water moves across the Delta (conveyance), improve the amount of water stored above and below ground (storage); and improve the way the system is operated to maximize water supply and environmental benefit (operations). Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Bill would speed up review of proposed reservoir: “Citing recent events at Oroville Dam, two congressmen have introduced a bill to speed up approval of a new reservoir in Northern California. The bill, HR1269, would accelerate federal review of the proposed Sites Reservoir and give officials a better chance at funding for the project under Proposition 1 bond funding, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale. “The recent incident involving the Oroville Dam is testament to the fact that California needs better water infrastructure,” LaMalfa said in a statement. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight here: Bill would speed up review of proposed reservoir
Is California’s drought over? Depends on how deep you dig: “Hien Nguyen points to a spot on the siding of her San Jose home as high as her armpit. That’s how high the water rose last week when Coyote Creek came for her house. “Everything destroyed!” says the 70-year-old. “All gone.” Inside, the flood filled her bathtub with mud and sludge. The house smells like a wet sock that’s been left in the washer for a week. “Terrible!” she says, shaking her head. Nguyen is aware of the irony: after six years of saving every drop of water, she’s among hundreds living in a shelter because floods ravaged northern California, threatening dams like the one in Oroville. ... ” Read more from CBC here: Is California’s drought over? Depends on how deep you dig
Low numbers of Sacramento and Klamath river salmon point to poor season: “Recreational and commercial fishermen attending the annual salmon fishery information meeting in Santa Rosa on March 1 received grim news from state and federal biologists – they will see reduced salmon fishing opportunities in both the ocean and the Sacramento and Klamath River systems, due to low returns of spawning fish to the rivers last fall. The pre-season numbers unveiled by Dr. Michael O’Farrell of the National Marine Fisheries Service estimate only 230,700 Sacramento River fall run Chinook adults and 54,200 Klamath River fall run adults will be in the ocean this year. ... ” Read more from the Elk Grove News here: Low numbers of Sacramento and Klamath river salmon point to poor season
Scientists: Ukiah Valley drinks from a large, renewing water source: “The Ukiah Valley’s residents and farmers have a consistently renewing source of water thanks to a vast underground aquifer believed to hold more water than Lake Mendocino, scientists told the Ukiah City Council Wednesday. “There is no overdraft, or mining of the aquifer,” said Sam Sandoval Solis of UC Davis, who was hired by the city to evaluate the valley’s water supply along with Maritza Flores Marquez. “We have some periods of drought, but the supply is balanced, because half of the time there is more water in than out, and the other half of the time there is more water out than in.” ... ” Read more from the Lake Record-Bee here: Scientists: Ukiah Valley drinks from a large, renewing water source
Rain falls and Cachuma fills, but it’s a long road out of drought for Santa Barbara County: ” … There is no more extreme or exceptional dryness to be found, but despite plentiful rain, most of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties continue to be the epicenter of what remains of the drought, which is still considered severe in the region. As of Thursday, Santa Barbara County had seen 168 percent of the rain it normally receives by this time of year. Lake Cachuma, a historically important source of water for the South Coast, has shot up from 7-percent capacity to 47-percent capacity. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Rain falls and Cachuma fills, but it’s a long road out of drought for Santa Barbara County
Glendale’s water rates violate state law, judge rules: “Last week, a judge ruled against the city of Glendale for violating Proposition 218 in creating its current water rate-pricing structure first adopted in 2014, in a lawsuit brought by the Glendale Coalition for Better Government. In late March, the same Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, James Chalfant, ruled in favor of the same petitioner, the coalition, when he decided that the city must repay nearly $57 million for violating Proposition 26 for an unauthorized transfer of funds from its utilities to the General Fund. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Glendale’s water rates violate state law, judge rules
Invasive mussel species detected in water pipeline connecting Silverwood, Perris Lakes: “Water distribution agencies from across Southern California reacted with alarm after state officials announced recently that free-floating microscopic larvae of an invasive mussel had been found in water samples collected from a State Water Project pipeline that connects Silverwood Lake and Lake Perris. State Project water from Silverwood Lake supplies numerous water agencies in the region from five pipelines, one of them is the Santa Ana pipeline — where the larvae were found — which travels 28 miles to connect the reservoirs of Silverwood Lake and Lake Perris. … ” Read more from the Redlands Daily Facts here: Invasive mussel species detected in water pipeline connecting Silverwood, Perris Lakes
Clean Water Rule repeal cannot come at the stroke of a pen: “When he ordered two federal agencies to review an Obama administration rule that defined which water bodies are regulated by the Clean Water Act, President Trump inserted himself into a debate that has churned for more than three decades. If the president hopes for a quick resolution through an executive order, he is mistaken, according to law experts. An attempt to withdraw the Clean Water Rule must go through the same process that was used to develop the rule: public comments, hearings, agency response to the comments. That process would take at least a year or two, says William Andreen, a professor at the University of Alabama Law School. Rescinding the rule will be a “daunting task,” Andreen, an EPA Region 4 lawyer during the Carter and Reagan administrations, told Circle of Blue. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Clean Water Rule repeal cannot come at the stroke of a pen
Climate, other programs get deep cuts in EPA budget proposal: “The Trump administration would slash programs aimed at slowing climate change and improving water safety and air quality, while eliminating thousands of jobs, according to a draft of the Environmental Protection Agency budget proposal obtained by The Associated Press. Under the tentative plan from the Office of Management and Budget, the agency’s funding would be reduced by roughly 25 percent and about 3,000 jobs would be cut, about 19 percent of the agency’s staff. ... ” Read more from the Associated Press here: Climate, other programs get deep cuts in EPA budget proposal
In commentary today …
George Skelton: California’s reservoirs are filled with gunk, and it’s crowding out room to store water: “Let’s say you owned a four-bedroom house, but one room was useless because of clutter. You’d probably eventually take a deep breath and clear out the crap. You’d reclaim the room. That’s pretty much the situation with many reservoirs in California. They’ve got too much gunk in them. And it’s crowding out space for water storage. But you don’t hear any deep breaths being taken in Sacramento. There’s no serious thought of removing the junk — silt, sand, gravel — and making more room for storm runoff. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: California’s reservoirs are filled with gunk, and it’s crowding out room to store water
Oroville Dam’s close call shows regulatory need to account for climate change, says Nicola Ulibarri: She writes, “After the near-catastrophe at Oroville Dam, it’s time to strengthen the regulatory process to ensure safer operation of dams. Stronger federal regulations are vital for state- and locally owned dams. Oroville is operated by the California Department of Water Resources, an agency in a wealthy and progressive state. If DWR’s capacity and expertise didn’t prevent the spillway failure, a state with fewer resources might have been less lucky. DWR built Oroville in 1968 and applied for its new operating license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in 2007. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Oroville Dam’s close call shows regulatory need to account for climate change
Plenty more news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for March 6, 2017
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Notice of proposed rulemaking for 1,2,3 TCP; Updated FAQ on SGMA GSA formation; Ninth Circuit holds that 2013 Trinity River releases were lawful; Poseidon Water calls on State Water Board to advocate for renewable energy-powered water infrastructure
- CALENDAR NOTES: Water for People, Water Education Foundation’s Executive Briefing; Spring 2017 Report on the Sierra Nevada and Bay Area Water; California Water Policy Conference
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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.
