In California water news today, Trump’s border could have lasting effects on rivers, water supply; Tahoe got so much snow, you can ski all summer; Google’s data center raises stakes in South Carolina’s water wars; Truckee River out of Lake Tahoe has the highest flows since 2006, prompting advisory; Assembly bill carries renewed hope of improvements for Clear Lake; Napa County loses lawsuit over Carneros area flood gates; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Trump’s border could have lasting effects on rivers, water supply: “The giant wall that President Donald Trump wants to build on the border with Mexico will cost billions of dollars, disrupt numerous communities and sever the migration routes of hundreds of wildlife species. The wall, intended to halt illegal immigration, would also block many rivers and streams. This consequence has not yet been discussed much. The wall itself could restrict water flow important to farms and cities on both sides of the border. This could worsen water pollution and lead to flooding disasters. It might also change groundwater recharge in areas fed by rivers. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Trump’s border could have lasting effects on rivers, water supply
Tahoe got so much snow, you can ski all summer: “Don’t have Fourth of July plans yet? How about a ski weekend … at Lake Tahoe? That’s what Andy Wirth, chief executive officer of Squaw Valley, is proposing after an historically snowy winter that surpassed 700 inches of snowfall this week. He’s so sure that this season’s snowfall will stick around, he’s hoping to stay open straight through the summer months and into the 2017-18 winter season. “I’ll drop something on you that you may not be expecting,” Wirth told Truckee Tahoe Radio on Saturday. “We are actually considering staying open through the summer and fall so it becomes the ’16-17-18 season. We’re taking a hard look at that. Maybe we spin Shirley [a lift on the mountain’s back side] through the summer, ’cause there’s so much snow up there.” … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: Tahoe got so much snow, you can ski all summer
Google’s data center raises stakes in South Carolina’s water wars: “Endless emails, map requests, web searches, and everything else we do online requires the use of energy-hungry, water-guzzling data centers. For Google, that enormous thirst for water is causing controversy near Charleston, South Carolina, where the tech giant hosts a sprawling data center complex. Google wants to draw 1.5 million gallons per day from an aquifer to help cool the servers at its facility in Berkeley County. The data center already uses about 4 million gallons of surface water per day, the Post and Courier newspaper reported. … ” Read more from Mashable here: Google’s data center raises stakes in this state’s water wars
In commentary today …
Making a case for stringent review of Mojave groundwater harvesting project: write, “As the public-at-large and environmental protection representatives to the Bureau of Land Management’s Desert Advisory Council, we balance and defend the interests of the California Desert’s diverse residents while protecting the land’s sensitive natural resources. To that end, we have a duty to voice our strong opposition to the Cadiz Water Project, a stance we share with several of our fellow advisory council members. The Cadiz Water Project would pump at least 50,000 acre-feet per year for 50 years, around 16 billion gallons annually, from the desert aquifer to send to urban water districts for the profit of Cadiz, Inc. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Making a case for stringent review of Mojave groundwater harvesting project
In regional news and commentary …
Truckee River out of Lake Tahoe has the highest flows since 2006, prompting advisory: “The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a flood advisory for a section of the Truckee River where it flows out of Lake Tahoe. Water managers increased the flows out of the lake Friday at the dam at Tahoe City, due to the near-record snowpack in the Tahoe Basin. The weather service says minor flooding is expected along the river from Tahoe to Squaw Creek near the Squaw Valley ski resort. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Truckee River out of Lake Tahoe has the highest flows since 2006, prompting advisory
Assembly bill carries renewed hope of improvements for Clear Lake: “Cloud-shrouded mountains towered above the glistening waters of Clear Lake on a recent April day as pelicans dove for fish and pairs of grebes dashed side by side across the water in a mating ritual. But not all is pristine on the lake, which suffers from chronic problems with algae overgrowth and mercury contamination from old mining operations, issues that have plagued the ancient lake for decades. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Assembly bill carries renewed hope of improvements for Clear Lake
Napa County loses lawsuit over Carneros area flood gates: “It’s the flap over the flap gates, two large, cast-iron flaps installed in 1959 on a culvert that goes under remote Milton Road. They are designed to prevent flooding in a part of south Napa County dominated by the Napa River, sloughs, wetlands and levees. The Napa County Superior Court has sided with a Carneros region family that claimed Napa County’s failure to maintain the flap gates in a culvert caused salt water damage to their grazing land. ... ” Read more from the American Eagle here: Napa County loses lawsuit over Carneros area flood gates
Salinas Valley groundwater agency faces off with Marina Coast, Greenfield over boundaries: “In a battle over water management, Salinas Valley’s new groundwater sustainability agency will ask the state to include the disputed Ord Community and Clark Colony mutual water system under its oversight despite competing claims by the Marina Coast Water District and city of Greenfield. On Thursday, the agency’s board voted to submit a notice of intent to the state Department of Water Resources to form an agency covering the entire Salinas Valley groundwater basin except for the jurisdictional boundaries of Marina Coast and Greenfield, while including the Ord Community and Clark Colony. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Salinas Valley groundwater agency faces off with Marina Coast, Greenfield over boundaries
Montecito Water District purchasing storage space in Central Valley: “The drought may be easing a bit, but the Montecito Water District is taking no chances. Last week, the agency’s board gave the green light to buy storage capacity in the Central Valley to bank away extra water in case it sees a revival of the last several years of scarcity. The district is currently working with the Semitropic Groundwater Storage District in Kern County to buy 1,500 “shares” of storage, which means it could store 1,500 acre-feet of water there. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Montecito Water District purchasing storage space in Central Valley
Kern River, powered by wet winter, could kill again: “In 2011, the last big water year on the Kern River, its flows claimed 15 lives. Young. Old. Strong. Well-educated. Brave. Funny. The river didn’t care. They got in. They didn’t come out. A Californian analysis of several years of data leading up to 2011 showed the more water in the river, the more people who drown. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here: Kern River, powered by wet winter, could kill again
Senator Wilk amends water district bill to reflect the role of agencies: “Responding to concerns voiced here and in Sacramento over apparent omissions that involve at least two local water retailers, Senator Scott Wilk has amended his bill accordingly. Amendments to SB634 were put across the desk earlier this week by the committee staff, Eileen Richter, the senator’s representative told The Signal Friday. The senator could not be reached for comment Friday; however, his words on paper amending SB634 were lauded by Santa Clarita Valley water officials as paving the way to a brand new era of uniformity and increased efficiently in how water is distributed throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. … ” Read more from The Signal here: Senator Wilk amends water district bill to reflect the role of agencies
Metropolitan Water District approves agreement for Lake Perris water recovery project: “The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has authorized an agreement with the state Department of Water Resources for planning and preliminary design of a water recovery project at Lake Perris. The Metropolitan Water District board vote April 11 authorized general manager Jeff Kightlinger to enter an agreement with DWR for planning, environmental analysis and review and preliminary design of a State Water Project water recovery project at Lake Perris. The vote also authorized MWD staff to perform preliminary design of a conveyance pipeline to deliver the recovered water to the Colorado River Aqueduct and appropriated $1.5 million for that preliminary design. ... ” Read more from Valley News here: Metropolitan Water District approves Lake Perris water recovery project
Eastern Municipal Water District begins service to county water company customers: “Eastern Municipal Water District began providing water service to customers who have been transitioned from the now-defunct County Water Company of Riverside in a rural area of Menifee. The start of service marks the end to a yearslong process that involved the construction of a new water system in the area, the County of Riverside serving as an intermediary and legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown to protect the public agencies that took action on behalf of the homeowners in the area. “This is a landmark moment for these residents and one in which we are proud to have taken an active role in,” EMWD Board Member Ron Sullivan said, who represents the area. “Because of the efforts of all involved, the residents of this community will now have access to a safe and reliable water supply for generations to come.” ... ” Read more from the Press Enterprise here: Eastern Municipal Water District begins service to county water company customers
Seven North San Diego County landfills leaking contaminants: “Seven former North County dumps are leaking contaminants into surrounding groundwater as the decomposing remains of decades’ worth of waste seep out of the unlined soil beds, water officials said in a series of recent interviews. However, water quality officials said they know of no drinking water supplies in North County that have been contaminated by landfills. Because most residents receive piped water through the San Diego County Water Authority, “the risk to most county residents is very small or negligible, while local water supplies located in more rural areas may be at a somewhat elevated but unquantified level of risk,” said John R. Odermatt, a senior engineering geologist for the California Regional Water Quality Control Board’s San Diego region. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Seven North San Diego County landfills leaking contaminants
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
And lastly …
“Pretend you are a river. Pretend you are the mist who falls so fine—so gentle—that nothing separates water and air. … ” (Source)
The River – A Deep Ecology Visual Poem from Last Leaves on Vimeo.
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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.
