In California water news today, DWR unveils plan to replace Oroville Dam spillway; Oroville Dam fix to span two years, but some key work due before winter rains; Oroville disaster may have been caused by weak soil under spillway; Mighty LA water agency wants a share of Sites Reservoir – and is willing to pay; California storms: This rainy season now ranks 2nd all time in 122 years of records; Delta could be designated state’s first National Heritage Area; Scientists link California droughts and floods to distinctive atmospheric waves; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
DWR unveils plan to replace Oroville Dam spillway: “The state Department of Water Resources Thursday outlined its plans for repairs and replacement of the Oroville Dam spillway by Nov. 1, with the undamaged top chute as the priority. At an afternoon press briefing, DWR Acting Directory Bill Croyle said the lower portion of the spillway would also be repaired by Nov. 1 to withstand a maximum outflow of 100,000 cubic-feet per second. The department wants to repair the top chute because the upper spillway impacts the bottom portions. However it might not end up being replaced as design plans are still fluid, Croyle said in response to a reporter’s question. ... ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here: DWR unveils plan to replace Oroville Dam spillway
Facing a tight deadline, state outlines initial repair plans for Oroville Dam spillway: “State officials said Thursday that they hope to sign a contract for reconstruction of the heavily damaged Lake Oroville spillway by April 17. “We’re working very fast,” said Bill Croyle, acting director of the Department of Water Resources, which is under intense pressure to get the spillway in shape before the start of next winter’s rainy season. Although Croyle said the department has to conduct in nine months design and construction work that would normally take several years to complete, he expressed confidence that it was possible. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Facing a tight deadline, state outlines initial repair plans for Oroville Dam spillway
Oroville Dam fix to span two years, but some key work due before winter rains: “State officials sketched a two-year recovery plan Thursday for the battered Oroville Dam spillway, revealing a blueprint that’s far from complete, still in need of a price tag and certain to leave the structure partially damaged as the next rainy season approaches. The plan unveiled by the Department of Water Resources will proceed in phases and won’t be finished until 2018. Notably, the giant ravine that’s been carved out of a nearby hillside, the result of water boiling out of the fractured spillway in recent weeks, could be used again next winter to handle excessive water releases. Nonetheless, Acting DWR Director Bill Croyle said the 3,000-foot-long chute will be functional next winter. … ” Read more from Sacramento Bee here: Oroville Dam fix to span two years, but some key work due before winter rains
Oroville disaster may have been caused by weak soil under spillway: “The destruction of Oroville Dam’s main spillway in February likely occurred because it was built on highly erodible rock, according to several experts interviewed by Water Deeply. If confirmed by a forensic investigation now underway, rebuilding the spillway will require a much more expensive and time-consuming effort. The Oroville spillway was ripped apart in February as California Department of Water Resources (DWR) released water from the dam to make room for heavy storm runoff into the reservoir. It’s an important reminder that no matter how carefully built and maintained a dam might be, it will always remain vulnerable to unknowns. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Oroville disaster may have been caused by weak soil under spillway
Mighty LA water agency wants a share of Sites Reservoir – and is willing to pay: “Southern California’s most powerful water agency is prepared to invest in Sacramento Valley’s proposed Sites Reservoir, a move that could broaden support for the $4.4 billion project but also raise alarms about a south state “water grab.” The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California would pour $1.5 million into pre-development work at Sites if Metropolitan’s board accepts a recommendation made by its executive staff Wednesday. The board plans to vote on the investment next Tuesday. Metropolitan could increase its investment later in the project, which has the backing of Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration. ... ” Read more the Sacramento Bee here: Mighty LA water agency wants a share of Sites Reservoir – and is willing to pay
California storms: This rainy season now ranks 2nd all time in 122 years of records: “California’s current rainy season can no longer lay claim to being No. 1. After relatively modest rainfall in March, this season now ranks as the second wettest in 122 years of record-keeping, according to data released Thursday by federal scientists. Between October 2016 and March 2017, California averaged 30.75 inches of precipitation, the second-highest average since such records began being kept in 1895, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: California storms: This rainy season now ranks 2nd all time in 122 years of records
Delta could be designated state’s first National Heritage Area: “Congress will yet again consider whether the Delta should be designated as California’s first “national heritage area.” But don’t get too excited. This is the fourth go-around. “Hopefully, the fourth time will be the charm,” said Erik Vink, director of the Delta Protection Commission, the state agency that would manage such a designation. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Delta could be designated state’s first National Heritage Area
Scientists link California droughts and floods to distinctive atmospheric waves: “The crippling wintertime droughts that struck California from 2013 to 2015, as well as this year’s unusually wet California winter, appear to be associated with the same phenomenon: a distinctive wave pattern that emerges in the upper atmosphere and circles the globe. Scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) found in a recent study that the persistent high-pressure ridge off the west coast of North America that blocked storms from coming onshore during the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15 was associated with the wave pattern, which they call wavenumber-5. Follow-up work showed that wavenumber-5 emerged again this winter but with its high- and low-pressure features in a different position, allowing drenching storms from the Pacific to make landfall. … ” Read more from PhysOrg here: Scientists link California droughts and floods to distinctive atmospheric waves
Potent storm unleashing rain, strong winds across western US into the weekend: “The biggest storm in the western United States since this past winter will press inland with disruptive rain, snow and winds through Saturday. Winds will be strong enough to cause tree and power line damage. The rain and mountain snow will be heavy enough to trigger flooding, mudslides and major travel disruptions. Wind gusts to 70 mph will stir up seas and cause erosion along the coasts of Northern California to Washington. Gusts to 60 mph are anticipated farther inland across Oregon, Nevada, California, Washington and eventually Utah and Arizona. ... ” Read more from Accu-Weather here: Potent storm unleashing rain, strong winds across western US into the weekend
In commentary today …
We depend on lakes we can’t fill to the brim, says the Oroville Mercury Register: They write, “April 1 is a telling date in California water policy each year. All the measurements — snowpack, water in reservoirs — are compared to that date. And this April 1, there was something very interesting to note. We all know it’s been a wet winter, but on April 1, most of California’s reservoirs were not full. We know there are some other issues in play with Lake Oroville — just 76 percent full at the end of the day April 1 — but most of the other lakes were down too. Shasta was 89 percent full, Trinity 90 percent, Folsom just 60 percent. It was like that all the way down the Sierra: New Melones, 76 percent; Don Pedro, 86 percent: McClure, 67 percent; Millerton, 40 percent … ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here: We depend on lakes we can’t fill to the brim
Water allocation decree signals scorched earth fish strategy, says Dennis Wyatt: He writes, “Our faucets are at the mercy of bureaucrats beholden to a New California Order where fish trump people. If you don’t believe that consider this: The Stanislaus River watershed is experiencing its biggest precipitation weather year since 1908 with the snowpack — as of April 1 —expected to yield 2.5 million acre feet of water when all is said and done. Statewide the snowpack is trending well above normal. The Bureau of Reclamation and State Department of Water Resources are struggling to clear space in reservoirs for the massive spring runoff. It is against that background that the Bureau last month decided that farmers with federal contracts south of the Delta will only receive 65 percent of their water needs in the upcoming growing season. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Water allocation decree signals scorched earth fish strategy
Government takeovers of water system don’t deliver results, says David Sosa: He writes, “The City of Claremont has been trying to take ownership of the local water system from Golden State Water Co. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge recently rejected the takeover effort, finding that the city could not provide water at lower rates and would not invest more in infrastructure than Golden State Water. The judge also concluded that water quality could be adversely affected by the proposed takeover. The Claremont City Council has spent more than $6 million in legal fees and other costs in its takeover effort. Now the court has ruled that the city must also pay $7.6 million of Golden State Water’s legal fees. ... ” Read more from the Daily Bulletin here: Government takeovers of water system don’t deliver results
Water agency requires fiscal reform, says Mark Muir: He writes, “As working families across the San Diego region struggle to make ends meet, the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has no such concerns. That’s because the MWD can tax and raise rates at will – and it has done precisely that. Several steps removed from nearly 20 million residents it serves, MWD overcharged ratepayers $847 million more than the agency’s budgets said was needed from 2012 to 2015. … ” Continue reading at the San Diego Union Tribune here: Water agency requires fiscal reform
How you can tell Trump doesn’t care about water: He’s supporting the ridiculous Cadiz project, says Michael Hiltzik: He writes, “It was obvious even during the presidential campaign that Donald Trump didn’t know much about water policy and didn’t have much inclination to learn. Now we have some hard evidence that his ignorance won’t keep him from stepping into a water policy quagmire. The evidence comes from an Interior Department ruling that appears to be aimed at clearing the way for a controversial, environmentally dangerous and largely pointless private water project out in the Mojave Desert. As my colleague Bettina Boxall reported Wednesday, that agency on March 29 reversed two earlier rulings that had effectively blocked the 43-mile pipeline that Cadiz Inc. would have to build to carry water from its desert landholdings to Southern California users. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: How you can tell Trump doesn’t care about water: He’s supporting the ridiculous Cadiz project
Scott Pruitt undermines the EPA with scientific ignorance, says David Horsey: He writes, “Donald Trump’s foreign policy and legislative agenda may be a confused mess due to amateurism, impulsiveness and understaffing, but his administration’s attack on the environment is operating with the focus and zeal of the Spanish Inquisition. Led by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, the Trump team is moving quickly to return national environmental policy to a pre-scientific age. The Trump administration’s proposed federal budget would whack the Environmental Protection Agency especially hard — a 30% cut. Even some big corporations that are less-than-enthusiastic fans of the EPA are worried the budget stinginess will be problematic for their operations because there won’t be enough staff at the agency to process and approve the applications needed to move ahead with environmentally sensitive projects. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Scott Pruitt undermines the EPA with scientific ignorance
In regional news and commentary today …
Reclamation answers Siskiyou County on flow increase decision: “Representatives from the United States Bureau of Reclamation visited Siskiyou County this week to discuss recent water releases on the Klamath River and how the agency can better communicate with the county directly when releases will be coming. Klamath Basin Area Office Manager Jeff Nettleton and Water Operations Chief Jared Bottcher went before the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday in response to letters the board had sent regarding a decision to increase Klamath flows on Feb. 10. BOR had issued a press release on Feb. 9 announcing that it would increase river flows below Iron Gate Dam in order to comply with a judge’s order in lawsuits filed by the Hoopa and Yurok tribes. ... ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: Reclamation answers Siskiyou County on flow increase decision
The ‘last generation of salmon fishermen?‘ “California tribes and fishermen stated Thursday they will be calling on Gov. Jerry Brown to declare a fisheries disaster because of the dismal forecast for this year’s salmon season. “There is a lot of tears and there’s a lot of questions about how am I going to feed my family?” Yurok Tribe General Counsel Amy Cordalis said during a Thursday teleconference, relaying concerns brought up by tribal members. “People are in distress.” These statements came exactly a year after top state, federal and tribal officials gathered at the mouth of the Klamath River to sign a renewed agreement to remove four dams from the river. The agreement seeks to improve water quality for fish and downstream communities such as the Yurok, Karuk and Hoopa Valley tribes. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: The ‘last generation of salmon fishermen?
Audubon Society fights oyster farm in Humboldt County: “The Audubon Society sued a Northern California conservation district for approving expansion of a commercial oyster farm in Humboldt Bay, claiming it will hurt Canada geese, Western sandpipers and other migratory birds. The National Audubon Society and the California Waterfowl Association sued the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District in Humboldt County Court, and named Coast Seafoods Co. as a real party in interest. …. ” Read more from Courthouse News Service here: Audubon Society fights oyster farm in Humboldt County
Santa Rosa breaks rainfall record: “Not with a deluge but a steady rainfall, the record precipitation total for Santa Rosa was broken Thursday night, officially making it the city’s wettest year since record keeping began in 1902. The storm brought heavy winds to the North Coast, felling numerous trees and bringing down power lines overnight. According to the National Weather Service, more than 55.75 inches of rain have fallen since Oct. 1, enough to swamp the previous record of 55.68 inches in 1983. ... ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Santa Rosa breaks rainfall record
Salinas Valley ag industry coalition agrees to pilot replacement drinking water program: “A coalition of 21 Salinas Valley landowners, agricultural companies and operators have reached an agreement with state water regulators to provide replacement drinking water for some 850 rural Salinas Valley residents whose small water systems and domestic wells have been contaminated with nitrates. Without admitting responsibility for the contamination, the Salinas Basin Agricultural Stewardship Group has agreed in cooperation with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to supply drinking water for up to two years starting this month to those whose water exceeds state and federal nitrate standards, according to a release issued Thursday. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Salinas Valley ag industry coalition agrees to pilot replacement drinking water program
Group of Paso Robles landowners get go-ahead to form groundwater district: “A group of North County landowners who want to manage their own water took a big step Thursday toward forming a district for part of the Paso Robles groundwater basin — despite claims they would export water and that this would create too many local agencies. The San Luis Obispo Local Agency Formation Commission voted 5-2 to allow 168 owners of about 38,000 acres east of Paso Robles to form the Estrella-El Pomar-Creston water district. The decision came after landowners in the area spent about a year drafting plans for their own district in order to comply with the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and to develop their own solutions to water shortages that the agricultural community is facing. ... ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Group of Paso Robles landowners get go-ahead to form groundwater district
New opt-in water district to manage Paso Robles groundwater: “Thursday the San Luis Obispo local agency formation commission – better known as LAFCO – voted in favor of an application to form a new water district in the Paso Robles Area. In a five-to-two vote, the LAFCO commissioners approved the formation of the Estrella-El Pomar-Creston Water District, or EPC for short. The EPC district covers about 40,000 acres east of Paso Robles. The district will be in charge of partly managing the Paso Robles groundwater basin, considered a high priority basin by the state. It’s listed as critically overdrafted. … ” Read more from KCBX here: New opt-in water district to manage Paso Robles groundwater
San Luis Obispo County Supervisors vote to spread groundwater costs to all taxpayers is unfair, says Phil Dirkx: He writes, “The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday to assist some people on the verge of violating a state law. Those people own property in or near five different groundwater basins in this county. The state law in question was passed in 2014. It says many groundwater basins must have pumping management plans by June 30. If they miss the deadline, the state may step in and regulate them. Many people who own water-basin property in this county have neglected, forgotten or declined to draw up pumping management plans. ... ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: San Luis Obispo County Supervisors vote to spread groundwater costs to all taxpayers is unfair
New homes in Fresno get slapped with $4000 fee: “Despite staunch developer opposition, Fresno City Council members on Thursday supported a new fee that imposes a charge of $4,246 for every new single-family home to provide water for future growth. The vote was 5-1, with City Councilman Garry Bredefeld opposed. The fee is actually a combination of charges that will allow the city to improve its ability to treat surface water, build infrastructure to distribute water to new development, and dig new wells and increase the capacity to recharge a groundwater basin that is overdrafted. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: New homes in Fresno get slapped with $4000 fee
Environmental risks could boost costs for those buying Cadiz water: “A top executive of one of the big three bond rating companies warned Thursday that while the Southern California water suppliers may benefit from a new source in the Mojave Desert, it is not without risk. “Even with California’s drought conditions easing, water utilities in especially dry areas will need to balance the benefits of additional supply with its potential risks as they plan for the next drought,” said Doug Scott, managing director for Fitch Ratings in New York. Scott’s remarks were aimed at Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc., which plans to transfer ancient groundwater in a remote part of San Bernardino County’s Mojave Desert to parts of Orange County and other locations. ... ” Read more from the San Bernardino Sun here: Environmental risks could boost costs for those buying Cadiz water
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Today’s announcements …
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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.
