In California water news today, Drought busted: Bureau of Reclamation boosts water allocation to 100% for westside farmers; California water allocations hit 100%; here’s why farmers are still miffed; Jerry Brown’s administration blocks public review of Oroville dam records; Oroville Dam: Leaders, locals give DWR director an earful; Lake Oroville rising, close to where DWR said main spillway may be used; Operators ready reservoirs to hold large snowpack; From extreme drought to record rain: Why California’s drought-to-deluge cycle is getting worse; Swollen streams continue to flood farmland; California farmers say rain is a good thing, but too much can delay planting, harvest; Big LA water agency antes up for a share of Valley’s Sites Reservoir; Groundwater overpumping is reducing the San Joaquin Valley’s ability to store water; The river that supplies most of San Diego County’s water is most endangered in the US, report says; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Implementing SGMA – How Are We Getting There?
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Final California water conservation plan and proposed legislation released; Reclamation releases 2017 Klamath Project Operations Plan; Met board OKs planning role in Sites Reservoir
- REACTIONS to Reclamation’s updated Central Valley Project allocation of 100% water supplies for South-of-Delta contractors
- WATER SUPPLY INDEX for April 1st
Drought busted: Bureau of Reclamation boosts water allocation to 100% for westside farmers: “The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is boosting the water allocation for farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to 100 percent for the first time since 2006. The announcement Tuesday comes only weeks after the bureau told disappointed growers that they would receive 65 percent of the contract supply from the Central Valley Project. They received a 5 percent allocation last year, causing them to fallow at least 200,000 acres in the Westlands Water District. “That should have been a no-brainer – 100 percent allocation,” said Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive officer of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. With one of the wettest winters in years, “there shouldn’t have been a question mark … this is something we should have seen in February.” ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Drought busted: Bureau of Reclamation boosts water allocation to 100% for westside farmers
California water allocations hit 100%; here’s why farmers are still miffed: “Central Valley farmers learned Tuesday they will get a full allocation of water this year for the first time since 2006. But their celebrations were muted. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation said it will provide a 100 percent allocation to Central Valley Project customers this year, including the large agricultural districts in the San Joaquin Valley. Just a year ago those districts got a 5 percent allotment, and three weeks ago the farmers were told their deliveries might not top 65 percent this year. The announcement came four days after Gov. Jerry Brown declared an official end to the drought practically everywhere in California. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California water allocations hit 100%; here’s why farmers are still miffed
Jerry Brown’s administration blocks public review of Oroville dam records: “Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is using federal security regulations written to thwart terrorism to deny public access to records that experts say could guide repairs to the Oroville Dam and provide insight into what led to the near catastrophic failure of its emergency spillway. The administration also is blocking public review of records that would show how Brown’s office handled the February crisis at Oroville Dam that led to the two-day evacuation of nearly 200,000 Northern Californians. Days after the evacuation orders were lifted in February, The Sacramento Bee filed requests to the state under the California Public Records Act. … ” Read more from Sacramento Bee here: Jerry Brown’s administration blocks public review of Oroville dam records
Oroville Dam: Leaders, locals give DWR director an earful: “Many of the stories of woe surrounding Oroville Dam have been heard before — promises of the past were broken; local governments lost money; and local residents suffer when new problems occur. The difference Tuesday was that acting director Bill Croyle of the Department of Water Resources was in the room to hear the complaints first-hand. After a presentation during the Butte County Board of Supervisors meeting, Croyle talked with a few members of the audience who wanted to share more specifics. He said he attended the meeting to get the full overview of events, as well as to hear from citizens. His focus has been on repair and future plans of the spillway, and hearing the history of the dam from the county’s perspective was important, he said. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Oroville Dam: Leaders, locals give DWR director an earful
Lake Oroville rising, close to where DWR said main spillway may be used: “With inflow into Lake Oroville about double the rate of release, the lake level is rising and is close to the point where the Department of Water Resources earlier indicated it might put the damaged main spillway back into use. ... ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here: Lake Oroville rising, close to where DWR said main spillway may be used
Operators ready reservoirs to hold large snowpack: “As Gov. Brown declared an official end to the California drought emergency last week, reservoir operators continued preparations to handle runoff of a Sierra Nevada snowpack that stood at roughly 170 percent of average at the start of the week. The governor’s order maintained water-reporting requirements and prohibitions on practices such as hosing off city sidewalks and irrigating ornamental turf on public street medians. It also ordered state agencies to continue requiring agricultural and urban water suppliers to “accelerate their data collection, improve water system management and prioritize capital projects to reduce water waste.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Operators ready reservoirs to hold large snowpack
From extreme drought to record rain: Why California’s drought-to-deluge cycle is getting worse: “California’s climate has long been dominated by cycles of intense dry conditions followed by heavy rain and snow. But never before in recorded history has the state seen such an extreme drought-to-deluge swing. Experts and state water officials say California is seeing more of these intense weather swings as temperatures warm, which has profound implications for the droughts and floods the state may face in the generations to come. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: From extreme drought to record rain: Why California’s drought-to-deluge cycle is getting worse
Swollen streams continue to flood farmland: “Even though the calendar turned to spring more than three weeks ago, the impact of winter storms lingers in California orchards, vineyards and farmland near the state’s swollen streams. West of Modesto, the Tuolumne River elbowed its way into one of Nick Blom’s walnut orchards. The trees have been in water up to 2 feet deep for almost three months, he said. “I think they’re pretty much going to be done,” Blom said. “They’re starting to bloom, but without any oxygen down at the root zone, I think they’re probably going to be finished here in a little bit.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Swollen streams continue to flood farmland
California farmers say rain is a good thing, but too much can delay planting, harvest: “Les Wright oversees all of Fresno County’s crops. He’s the agricultural commissioner here. Often he’s meeting with growers and ranchers on their farms, but today he’s fielding calls from his Fresno office. The reason? He says farmers are busy doing office work because the rain means they can’t be in the fields. “Some are welcoming more rain, others aren’t,” Wright says. “I was talking to one of the major growers out on the Westside and they were trying to mud-in their onion seed because it was so wet.” ... ” Read more from Valley Public Radio here: California farmers say rain is a good thing, but too much can delay planting, harvest
Big LA water agency antes up for a share of Valley’s Sites Reservoir: “The water agency that supplies drinking water to Los Angeles agreed Tuesday to contribute $1.5 million toward the planning of Sites Reservoir in the Sacramento Valley, giving the agency a toehold in a potentially valuable storage project. The board of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, as expected, approved the expenditure by a unanimous vote. If the agency eventually decides to contribute to the construction project itself, it would entitle Metropolitan to control up to 50,000 acre-feet of storage in the reservoir. Sites, to be built on the Glenn-Colusa county line, would store up to 1.8 million acre-feet. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Big LA water agency antes up for a share of Valley’s Sites Reservoir
Groundwater overpumping is reducing the San Joaquin Valley’s ability to store water: “Decades of over-pumping groundwater have irreversibly altered clay layers in parts of California’s Central Valley, causing the ground to sink and permanently reducing its capacity to store water, a new satellite remote sensing study shows. The research, published by Stanford scientists online in the journal Water Resources Research, reveals that land in the state’s San Joaquin Valley (roughly the southern half of the Central Valley) sank nearly three feet (85 cm) during a recent drought due to over-pumping. This translates into a permanent loss of natural water storage capacity of between 336,000 and 606,000 acre feet; an acre-foot is equal to 326,000 gallons. For comparison, the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir that supplies water to San Francisco (and Stanford) has a capacity of about 360,000 acre-feet. ... ” Read more from Stanford News here: Groundwater overpumping is reducing the San Joaquin Valley’s ability to store water
The river that supplies most of San Diego County’s water is most endangered in the US, report says: “The Colorado River — which supplies about two-thirds of San Diego County’s drinkable water — on Tuesday was named the most endangered river in the U.S. by a leading conservation group. American Rivers’ annual report, published since 1984, ranks the 10 most threatened rivers nationwide. The group said it tries to spotlight rivers that are subject to influential policy decisions, not necessarily the most polluted. This year, it chose the lower portion of the Colorado River for greatest attention based on ongoing concerns about dwindling flows due to increasing water consumption and adverse impacts from global warming. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: The river that supplies most of San Diego County’s water is most endangered in the US, report says
What’s at stake in Trump’s proposed EPA cuts: “What is at stake as Congress considers the E.P.A. budget? Far more than climate change. The Trump administration’s proposed cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency budget are deep and wide-ranging. It seeks to shrink spending by 31 percent, to $5.7 billion from $8.1 billion, and to eliminate a quarter of the agency’s 15,000 jobs. The cuts are so deep that even Republican lawmakers are expected to push back. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, the chairwoman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pointedly reminded Mr. Trump last month that his budget request was just “the first step in a long process.” … ” Read more from the New York Times here: What’s at stake in Trump’s proposed EPA cuts
In commentary today …
What California should learn from a decade of extremes: Jay Lund writes, “California is a land of extremes – where preparing for extremes must be constant and eternal. The past six years have demonstrated California’s precipitation extremes. From 2012 to 2015, California endured one of its driest periods on record. And 2016 was an additional near-average year, classified into drought because water storage levels were so low. It seems likely that 2017 will be the wettest year on record in northern California and one of the wettest years ever in most of California. Most of California so far has over 160 percent of average precipitation, with over 150 percent of average snowpack. Reservoirs are now about 2 million acre-feet above their long-term average for this date (having been about 8 million acre-feet below average two years ago). … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: What California should learn from a decade of extremes
Thomas Elias: California groundwater supplies remain a mystery: “In this remarkable water year, which ended more than five years of severe drought in most areas of California, there are still plenty of noteworthy water questions to contemplate and act upon. Here’s the central one: Three years after California passed what’s often called a landmark groundwater regulation law, no one knows how much under-surface water remains accessible to wells and no one has a clue about how much replenishment the state’s supplies actually got from the winter’s massive storms. It’s easy to see that many of our once-depleted reservoirs are back at peak levels, again drowning abandoned towns, buildings, corrals and other structures sacrificed decades ago to the need for water storage. But groundwater remains a mystery. … ” Continue reading at the Ventura County Star here: Thomas Elias: California groundwater supplies remain a mystery
Lois Henry: OK, done with drought; on to the next disaster: “I thought now might be a good time to mention the dark side to the “end of California’s drought” — fire. I know, I’m such a buzzkill. All this rain is filling up reservoirs, replenishing our water table and reviving the ski industry but it’s also making lots and lots of grass grow all over the state. Including around the trunks of more than 102 million dead trees in our forests. More than 2 million of those dead trees are right here in Kern County, BTW. Though fire experts say there are too many variables to predict whether this summer and fall will bring big fires, they all mentioned the massive and growing “fuel load.” … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here: Lois Henry: OK, done with drought; on to the next disaster
Why I’m running a thousand miles for water awareness: Mina Guli writes, “I’m running through a slot canyon in the Grand Canyon, and feeling exhilarated, almost intoxicated. I am on the first leg of a crazy quest that will see me run 1,049 miles (1,688km) to raise awareness about our global water crisis, and I’m having what can only be described as a spiritual moment. It feels like I’ve left my body and am looking down at myself moving through this narrow, winding ravine. The canyon is bone dry, but it was forged by water. There was a time when this space was a raging river – a mighty fluid force that, over time, carved away at the rocks that now tower over me. When you’ve run in the driest regions on Earth, and spoken to people who’ve managed to eke out some kind of survival in the most water-scarce contexts, running through a place created by the sheer force of water is overwhelming. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Why I’m running a thousand miles for water awareness
In regional news and commentary today …
Council recommends full closure of Klamath salmon season: “The top West Coast fishery council has recommended the full closure of the sport and commercial Chinook salmon fisheries near the Klamath River for the 2017-18 season. The Pacific Fishery Management Council’s recommendation Tuesday was expected after it forecast the lowest return of Klamath River Chinook salmon on record, with about 12,000 fish expected to return. “We have made the tough decisions and implemented fishery restrictions to protect salmon stocks while providing at least some opportunity for commercial, recreational, and tribal ocean salmon fishing along much of the West Coast,” Council Chairman Herb Pollard said in a statement. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Council recommends full closure of Klamath salmon season
Water releases into the Sacramento River to increase with April showers: “The water level at Shasta Lake is slowly going up as another round of wet weather hits the Northstate. Since October 1, 2017, the Bureau of Reclamation has received 88.91 inches of rain at the dam. Officials said that’s not a record but more than the area has seen in awhile and helping to keep the lake full. Denise Delacruz was visiting the dam with her husband Tuesday. Both are in the Northstate on vacation and didn’t expect so much rain in April. “We were hoping for a little more sunny weather for our trip, maybe one day of rain but no, it’s going to be raining for the rest of our trip,” said Delacruz. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Water releases into the Sacramento River to increase with April showers
Stockton: ‘Dream’ comes true for water future: “In the end, it wasn’t very controversial. Nineteen years after San Joaquin County water interests overwhelmingly rejected a water-sharing plan with rival East Bay Municipal Utility District, a similar plan earned the unanimous approval of the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday. The 5-0 vote shows how times have changed since 1998, as increasing state regulations force Californians to address unsustainable groundwater use, and the state grapples with an increasingly volatile climate. One thing is for sure: Whoever coined the cliche “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over” (it likely wasn’t Mark Twain) never heard of the newly approved DREAM project, which has widespread support. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: ‘Dream’ comes true for water future
Turlock Irrigation District: Surface water supply project moving forward: “The Stanislaus Regional Water Authority and Turlock Irrigation District are looking to take the next step in constructing a water treatment plant that will provide drinking water to Turlock and Ceres with hopes to begin working on a component of the project in September. The origins of the Surface Water Supply Project began in 1987 when TID initiated discussions with the SRWA regarding a drinking water project that would help offset deteriorating groundwater quality and supplement groundwater supplies by providing a portion of TID’s Tuolumne River surface water. … ” Read more from Turlock Irrigation District here: Turlock Irrigation District: Surface water supply project moving forward
Santa Barbara County sends water supply project list to Governor with hopes for state financial aid: “Snapped to attention by six years of drought, Santa Barbara County has sent a list of water supply improvement projects to Sacramento with hopes that the state will help finance it. Last fall, a state task force asked the county to put together a slate of projects to boost local water supplies’ drought resiliency, enhance long-term water planning and help inform California’s own water planning. The county Office of Emergency Management convened an “action working group” to fulfill the task force’s request, which culminated in a February report outlining seven projects that would either bring in additional water or enhance and protect existing supplies. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Santa Barbara County sends water supply project list to Governor with hopes for state financial aid
LA tap water as clean as bottled water, LADWP report finds: “City residents can stop paying for bottles and home water filters, according to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. In its annual drinking water quality report, the department found that the nearly 160 billion gallons of drinking water provided, met or exceeded all drinking water standards for health, cleanliness and safety. Measures to improve water quality include major investments in underground infrastructure, including the city’s second ultraviolet disinfection plant under construction in Granada Hills. … ” Read more from KABC here: LA tap water as clean as bottled water, LADWP report finds
Coachella Valley: Drought over, but golf courses still working to conserve water: “No one knows the exact date the most recent drought in California began, but it ended last Friday. That was the day Gov. Jerry Brown officially lifted the drought emergency for the state after a winter that saw record rains, reservoirs filled to capacity and the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada Mountains well above historic averages. In a coincidence of timing, the governor’s statement came just three days after the Coachella Valley Water District announced its third round of rebates for desert golf courses that are willing to replace thirsty turf for desert landscaping. Brown’s announcement doesn’t change the CVWD’s goal of water conservation in the desert, said Katie Evans, conservation manager for the water district. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Coachella Valley: Drought over, but golf courses still working to conserve water
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Implementing SGMA – How Are We Getting There?
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Final California water conservation plan and proposed legislation released; Reclamation releases 2017 Klamath Project Operations Plan; Met board OKs planning role in Sites Reservoir
- REACTIONS to Reclamation’s updated Central Valley Project allocation of 100% water supplies for South-of-Delta contractors
- WATER SUPPLY INDEX for April 1st
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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.
