In California water news this weekend, Oroville spillway work continues; water increased at Thermalito Afterbay outlet; Oroville Dam: Photos taken weeks before spillway broke show something wrong; River flow debate has turned on how best to help fish; Stunning turnaround: San Luis Reservoir, nearly empty in August, now full for first time in years; California is about to explode with a spectacular wildflower display; Color Me Dry: Drought maps blend art and science – but not politics; When is a drought over? A wet California wants to know; Snow ‘reservoir’ in good shape – this year; What led to California’s drought-busting rain this winter?; ‘California Heist’ looks at the state’s water supply; and more …
In the news this weekend …
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
Oroville spillway work continues; water increased at Thermalito Afterbay outlet: “About a dozen men wearing orange or chartreuse shirts were working on the sloped face of the Oroville Dam spillway Saturday afternoon. Machinery and hoses were scattered across the upper portion of the spillway and large lighting equipment was available. The Department of Water Resources has said the work continues 24 hours a day. Three men wearing reflective vests, looked like specks to the naked eye as they walked on the exposed bedrock once covered by sheets of concrete. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Oroville spillway work continues; water increased at Thermalito Afterbay outlet
Oroville Dam: Photos taken weeks before spillway broke show something wrong: “Something was wrong with the Oroville Dam spillway weeks before the Department of Water Resources noticed a hole in the concrete. Two photos taken by photographers from this newspaper show discoloration and possible damage to the concrete of the spillway at the spot where a gaping hole opened Feb. 7. Those pictures were taken Jan. 13 and Jan. 27. When asked for a response to the photos, California Natural Resources Agency deputy secretary for communication Nancy Vogel wrote in an email to this newspaper, “Oroville dam was frequently inspected by multiple state and federal agencies. Reports of those inspections did not reveal any major causes for concern. … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here: Oroville Dam: Photos taken weeks before spillway broke show something wrong
River flow debate has turned on how best to help fish: “Thousands of salmon have begun their lives not in sparkling mountain streams but in plastic trays stacked 16 high in a building. The Merced River Hatchery, near Snelling, has assisted Mother Nature since 1970. It removes eggs from adults that have returned after a few years in the Pacific Ocean, then rears the young until they are ready for their own journey to the sea. Upgrading the hatchery is part of a plan the Merced Irrigation District devised in response to a state proposal to sharply increase releases from Lake McClure. The district also offers to restore natural spawning beds and floodplain, and to control introduced bass that prey on the native Chinook salmon. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: River flow debate has turned on how best to help fish
Stunning turnaround: San Luis Reservoir, nearly empty in August, now full for first time in years: “Last summer it was a jarring symbol of California’s historic five-year drought. San Luis Reservoir — the vast lake along Highway 152 between Gilroy and Los Banos, the state’s fifth-largest reservoir and a key link in the water supply for millions of people and thousands of acres of Central Valley farmland — was just 10 percent full. A parched expanse of cracked mud, littered with old beer bottles and millions of tiny clam shells, San Luis was at its lowest level in 27 years. But in a stunning turnaround that highlights the state’s recovery from the drought, the reservoir christened by John F. Kennedy in 1962 is now completely full for the first time in six years. Its water level has risen 192 feet — nearly twice the height of Oakland’s Oracle Arena — in seven months. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Stunning turnaround: San Luis Reservoir, nearly empty in August, now full for first time in years
California is about to explode with a spectacular wildflower display: “California’s parched, drought-stricken landscape was soaked this winter by ceaseless storms, creating the perfect conditions for a spectacular floral display. In coming weeks, wildflowers will bloom in colorful profusion, carpeting the state’s undulating hills and grassy valleys, especially in Southern California where the desert landscape and climate is especially suited to floral growth. “The southern California deserts are having the finest spring bloom since the ‘once in a lifetime’ bloom of 2005,” said Richard Minnich, a professor of geography in the Earth Sciences Department at the University of California, Irvine. “In this world of invasive grasses and mustards that outcompete our native wildflowers, this year’s outstanding bloom is not only a result of heavy rainfall this winter, but also the collapse of invasive species during drought over the past 5 years.” … ” Read more from SF Gate here: California is about to explode with a spectacular wildflower display
Color Me Dry: Drought maps blend art and science – but not politics: “If tracking California’s epic drought has become an obsession for you, as it has around here, you’ve no doubt spent some time poring over the multi-colored maps known as the U.S. Drought Monitor. The maps have vividly portrayed the dry times according to how parts of the state were classified; blood-red for “exceptional drought,” bright crimson for “extreme drought.” Recently and rapidly, the weekly maps have retreated to less alarming tones of beige and yellow, for “moderate drought,” or just “abnormally dry.” But who are the artists behind this parched palette — and what are they basing it on? … ” Read more from KQED here: Color Me Dry: Drought maps blend art and science – but not politics
When is a drought over? A wet California wants to know: “The Hollywood Reservoir is nestled in a basin surrounded, usually, by dusty brown hillsides, broken up by the occasional dry wisp of shrubbery. Not these days. After yet another burst of rain the other day, the hills were transformed into lush fields of knee-high grass, spotted with purple flowers. And the reservoir? As high as it has been in years. In Northern California, snow could be seen on top of Mount Diablo outside San Francisco last weekend. Across the state, dams are under siege and reservoirs are overflowing. The snowpack in the Sierra Nevada — a source of water once winter ends and the dry months settle in — was nearly twice its normal level last week. (And that was before even more snow arrived.) … ” Read more from the New York Times here: When is a drought over? A wet California wants to know
Snow ‘reservoir’ in good shape – this year: “Mitch Brown jammed the blade of his loader into a two-story pile of snow outside Donner Ski Shop, the sports rental store he runs. From there, Old Highway 40 toward bustling ski resorts was lined with walls of snow more than 20 feet high. “It snowed nearly 24 feet in 12 days,” Brown said recently. “We’ve been working 18-hour days to clear it.” This winter’s bumper crop of snow – on the heels of the worst drought in 500 years –underscores the threat to this central source of water for western Nevada County and most of California. … ” Read more from YubaNet here: Snow ‘reservoir’ in good shape – this year
What led to California’s drought-busting rain this winter? “This winter has been one of the wettest and snowiest on record for California, but what caused so many storms to slam into the state? The weather pattern this winter has been very beneficial for the exceptional, multi-year drought that has plagued the state, filling water reservoirs and almost completely eliminating the drought in just a few short months. “It has been a very interesting winter across most of the United States with very stormy and chilly weather in the West,” AccuWeather Long-Range Forecaster Jack Boston said. ... ” Read more from Accu-Weather here: What led to California’s drought-busting rain this winter?
‘California Heist’ looks at the state’s water supply: “Don’t be fooled by all the rain and snow this winter. Historically, another drought is likely around the corner. As “Water & Power: A California Heist,” a National Geographic documentary, airing Tuesday, makes clear, the state is facing problems that go deeper than filling its reservoirs. The documentary from Marina Zenovich (“Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired”) and executive produced by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney digs into the complicated questions of California’s water rights and the powerful interests that have controlled them. … ” Read more from the Daily News here: ‘California Heist’ looks at the state’s water supply
In commentary this weekend …
We can find water solutions together, say Don Nottoli and Kathy Miller: They write, “The Bee’s editorial, “A flood policy for both deluge and drought” (March 5), poses an interesting question that has stymied policymakers for more than a decade relative to genuine statewide water solutions: “Could the state kill two birds with one stone by spending judiciously on flood easements in places such as the undeveloped farmland … paying landowners to let low-lying farmland flood naturally so that drought-shriveled aquifers can recharge?” The answer is yes, when judiciously and strategically applied. The Delta Counties Coalition has advocated this message for nearly 10 years, but it’s been lost because of a focus on the twin tunnels. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: We can find water solutions together
Mike Dunbar: When it comes to water, what’s worse: Conspiracy or incompetence? He writes, “What’s worse? Believing in a conspiracy theory or embracing incompetence? Let’s start with our favorite “conspiracy.” Turns out, it’s Felicia Marcus’ favorite, too. This theory says the State Water Resources Control Board isn’t being honest in explaining why it wants to double or triple the amount of water it takes from our region. The state says its only goal is to help native fish species flourish. But many people believe the state is conspiring to send more water from here to faraway places. Sending our “water wealth” (to quote the Modesto arch) somewhere else sends the wealth with it. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: When it comes to water, what’s worse: Conspiracy or incompetence?
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Below ground pools: Sacramento County wrestles with governing its groundwater: “For the first time in California history, government regulation is being applied to the pools of water hiding underground. Between 1920 and 2013, Californians drained an estimated 41 trillion gallons of groundwater, or 441 billion gallons annually, from beneath the Central Valley, the largest aquifer in the state. That pace increased dramatically during the five-year drought: Up to 1.96 trillion gallons were pumped per year, when frantic farmers and ranchers tapped the earth to make up for what no longer fell from the sky. … ” Read more from the Sacramento News & Review here: Below ground pools: Sacramento County wrestles with governing its groundwater
Bay Area: Photos: After winter rains, the hills of Northern California are velvety green: “The Bay Area is beginning to look a lot like Ireland. With Mother Nature’s sprinkler system operating at full blast this winter, Northern California’s dry, brown hills are glowing a bright emerald green. The velvety blankets of grass covering undulating landscapes are a photographer’s delight, and in the gallery above we share SFGATE readers’ images of the lush terrain. ... ” Read more from SF Gate here: Photos: After winter rains, the hills of Northern California are velvety green
San Joaquin River likely to stay swollen until mid-summer: “After weeks of heavy rain, the San Joaquin River just south of Tracy remains very swollen. Trees remain submerged as far as the eye can see. It paints a good picture of just how wet this winter has been. Looking down over Highway 132, near Interstate Highway 580, you can get a true sense of the scale. Typically, the San Joaquin River near Manteca is about 200 feet wide, but now after weeks of historic rainfall, it’s much wider. ... ” Read more from CBS Sacramento here: San Joaquin River likely to stay swollen until mid-summer
On golden pond: “The drought-busting storms of 2017 were a mixed blessing for humans, but the ancient crustaceans swimming around in Central Valley vernal pools certainly benefited. So, too, will the dozens of species of wildflowers that soon will ring the pools — and any people who make the extra effort required to witness this fine but fleeting phenomenon. “This is going to be a great year,” said Eva Butler, head of the nonprofit Sacramento Splash, which offers tours at Mather Field. “I guarantee it. It’s going to knock our socks off.” ... ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: On golden pond
Wary Tranquility residents watch weakened levee as flood threat recedes – for now: “Where the Fresno Slough spreads like a miniature Mississippi and the tules along the banks grow head-high, the frog hunting used to be good. Jimmy Marchini was farming cotton, alfalfa for seeds and sugar beets on land bordering the slough in the days when the frogs – delicacies at fancy restaurants – were in abundance. Word spread about the tasty amphibians and people came from all over to catch them, including a scouting troop that had the son of actor Jerry Lewis as a member. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Wary Tranquility residents watch weakened levee as flood threat recedes – for now
Fearing flooding, Corcoran raises levee: “On a map, the Cross Creek levee is a line drawn in a protective half-circle around Corcoran. On the ground, it’s a big dirt embankment designed to keep water from reaching town when the old Tulare Lake re-fills in exceptionally wet years. How much water do officials think will come out of the hills this year on the four rivers – Kings, Kaweah, Tule and Kern – that flow into the old lake bottom? Consider this: Officials are raising 14 miles of levee, including the entire Cross Creek levee north and south of town and the Tule River levee south of town. Together, they protect some of Corcoran’s must vulnerable areas. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Fearing flooding, Corcoran raises levee
Inyo Supervisors draw the line on LADWP wells: “The Inyo County Board of Supervisors has challenged the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to conduct an environmental study on the impact of two new wells in the West Bishop area or face legal action. The decision was announced to an empty board room following the Supervisors’ closed session meeting Tuesday. As of Thursday afternoon, there was no response from LADWP. The basis for the request was the changing conditions in the impacted area since the original California Environmental Quality Act studies were done in 1991. LADWP has maintained that study covered the two new wells identified in the Long Term Water Agreement and no review was necessary. … ” Read more from Sierra Wave here: Inyo Supervisors draw the line on LADWP wells
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
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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.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend
