In California water news today, ‘We are very, very sorry.’ State water officials face frustrated Oroville crowd; Meeting with DWR lasts more than four hours; DWR not worried about foam in the diversion pool; Rain ends, but flooding danger looms if snowpack melts too quickly; Newly identified climate pattern may have caused California’s drought; ACWA, member agencies oppose water conservation budget trailer bill; Environmental groups sue EPA over rollback of pollution rule; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
‘We are very, very sorry.’ State water officials face frustrated Oroville crowd: “Cindy Messer apologized Tuesday to several hundred grim Oroville residents who had been ordered to run from their homes three months earlier. They sat rigidly in their seats inside the Oroville Municipal Auditorium at the first public meeting Messer’s agency, the Department of Water Resources, has hosted in Oroville since the February crisis at the dam. Some sternly crossed their arms as they stared Messer down. “We are very, very sorry for the disruption of your lives for the fear and the anger and the uncertainty I believe that you have lived with for the last several months – for all of the heartache and the stress that you went through during the emergency and the evacuation that followed,” said Messer, a chief deputy director at the DWR. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: ‘We are very, very sorry.’ State water officials face frustrated Oroville crowd
Meeting with DWR lasts more than four hours: “Well over 300 people turned out for the Oroville Spillways Community Meeting held last Thursday at Butte Hall in the fairgrounds. The 5:30 p.m., informational sharing was not explained well in advance and those coming at that time were surprised they had to wait an hour for the meeting to begin. This was a time for people to ask Department of Water Resources personnel questions but people were anxious to get the meeting started. … ” Read more from the Gridley Herald here: Meeting with DWR lasts more than four hours
DWR not worried about foam in the diversion pool: “The foam spotted in the diversion pool below Oroville Dam remains a mystery, but it’s not a great concern to the Department of Water Resources. Foam happens naturally in rivers, often from decaying plants in the water. The same can be found along the shores of oceans, a DWR spokewoman said. With so much work being done on the Oroville Dam spillway, when foam was spotted April 20 and 21 in the diversion pool, it was worthy of a question or two. An Mercury-Register photographer snapped pictured of the foam after an Oroville resident contacted the newspaper. DWR had taken pictures of the foam the day before, said Bryan Smith, supervising engineer with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, when reached for comment April 24. … ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury-Register here: DWR not worried about foam in the diversion pool
Rain ends, but flooding danger looms if snowpack melts too quickly: “The rain has largely stopped after one of the wettest winters in California. But as spring temperatures begin to climb and snow in the Sierra Nevada melts, the threat of flooding has communities across the Central Valley on edge. The storms that set a rainfall record in Northern California have left a vast layer of mountain snowpack, which now sits at almost 200% of average for the first week of May. In some areas, the snow is 80 feet deep, according to state and NASA reports. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Rain ends, but flooding danger looms if snowpack melts too quickly
Newly identified climate pattern may have caused California’s drought: “What caused the worst drought in California history? This question will haunt the state’s water managers, even as they begin to put the five-year drought behind them. Now a pair of federal researchers may have the beginnings of an answer to the question. In two new papers, they describe a new wave pattern in the upper atmosphere that may be responsible both for the long drought and the freight train of storms that ended the drought this winter. The scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have given this new pattern the somewhat sleepy name “wavenumber-5,” or Wave-5 in abbreviated form. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Newly identified climate pattern may have caused California’s drought
ACWA, member agencies oppose water conservation budget trailer bill: “ACWA and representatives of nearly 40 local water agencies turned out in force to oppose a budget trailer bill on water conservation heard May 3 in the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #3 on Resources and Transportation. The subcommittee did not vote on the budget trailer bill – identified as 810 Water Conservation as a California Way of Life on the Department of Finance website – but left it as an “open issue” for potential action later. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: ACWA, member agencies oppose water conservation budget trailer bill
Environmental groups sue EPA over rollback of pollution rule: “Environmentalists and public health advocates are going to court to fight the Trump administration’s move to rewrite Obama-era rules limiting water pollution from coal-fired power plants. A coalition of about a dozen groups filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The action challenges the decision by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt last month seeking to rewrite the 2015 water pollution regulations. ... ” Read more from the Associated Press here: Environmental groups sue EPA over rollback of pollution rule
In commentary today …
California’s water crisis is dangerous, just like Flint’s. Will the state clean it up once and for all? Jacques Leslie writes, “The lead-poisoned drinking water crisis in Flint, Mich., has gotten all the headlines, but California has a water contamination problem that endangers far more people, and it has existed for decades. State officials knew for a generation that many Californians lack access to clean, safe drinking water, yet, disgracefully, they did not begin to address the issue until five years ago. The state Legislature is now poised to chalk up a historic achievement as it negotiates Senate Bill 623, which would establish a fund to subsidize adequate water treatment for most of the roughly 1 million Californians who still need it. It’s the last step in enabling small, impoverished water systems throughout the state to deliver clean water to their customers. … ” Continue reading at the LA Times here: California’s water crisis is dangerous, just like Flint’s. Will the state clean it up once and for all?
State’s Oroville recovery focus should be more than just spillway, says the Chico Enterprise-Record: They write, “In the first opportunity for Oroville residents to ask direct questions of state water officials in the city where the spillway disaster unfolded, a crowd of about 300 people fired off many good questions. They got a lot of good answers, too. At the end of it all, one thing was obvious: The state has much more to do than fix a spillway. The state Department of Water Resources, which hosted the meeting Tuesday and manages the Oroville Dam and hydroelectric project, has been focused on repairs to the spillway. That makes sense. It’s an enormous project and the clock is ticking toward the rainy season that should start in about six months. The state needs to get a temporary fix in place, pronto. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: State’s Oroville recovery focus should be more than just spillway
In regional news and commentary today …
Squaw Valley to stay open for summer skiing in shorts past July 4: “Squaw Valley announced Wednesday that for the first time, the resort will stay open through the summer for skiing and snowboarding as long as the snow lasts. To accomplish this, the resort will move snow around with machines and skiers will have to walk a short distance from the aerial tram to the snow in July and beyond. “To many of our guests, the idea of summer skiing and riding is a novelty, but with the season we’ve had here we can provide a surface for skiing and riding that guests will want to enjoy not just once, but weekend after weekend,” said Andy Wirth, Squaw Valley CEO. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Squaw Valley to stay open for summer skiing in shorts past July 4
Marin County: Study says building, fish can coexist: “Additional building in the San Geronimo Valley watershed would cause significant cumulative harm to fish habitat, but the impact could be mitigated to a “less-than-significant” level, according to a new county environmental analysis. The analysis released this week complies with a court order that the county submit additional environmental analysis on whether the 2007 Marin Countywide Plan adequately studied the effect future buildout in the San Geronimo watershed could have on threatened and endangered fish. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin County: Study says building, fish can coexist
Soquel Creek, Santa Cruz agencies discuss water sharing costs: “Even as Soquel Creek Water District has highlighted its pursuit of a water recycling facility to meet long-term customer water supply needs, a parallel cooperative effort with the city of Santa Cruz remains in the works. Tuesday, Santa Cruz Water Director Rosemary Menard offered a presentation to the Soquel Creek Water District board that gave “soft” cost projections for the city to pipe its extra winter river water supply across the district boundary. Primarily, the water sharing plan calls for the city to help its neighboring district reduce its need to pump from already taxed groundwater supplies. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Soquel Creek, Santa Cruz agencies discuss water sharing costs
Los Osos residents could be fined $5500 a day for failing to connect to the sewer: “Los Osos residents who fail to connect to the county sewer system could face a maximum state penalty of $5,000 a day and a county penalty of up to $500 day for violating wastewater ordinances. As of Wednesday, the county identified about 365 Los Osos property owners who have yet to connect to the year-old sewer system, as mandated by the county to bring the community into compliance with state water code. That’s about 10 percent of the total number of hookups required in the community. It does not include 98 low-income residents whose connection costs will be paid for by the county. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Los Osos residents could be fined $5500 a day for failing to connect to the sewer
Local agencies join to manage Atascadero groundwater: “Long-term local management of Atascadero groundwater is starting to take shape under the California Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). On May 2, the SLO County Board of Supervisors entered into a memorandum of agreement with the Templeton Community Services District, Paso Robles, Atascadero, Atascadero Mutual Water Company, and a few other small water entities to form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the Atascadero basin. Like all basins subject to SGMA’s requirements, members of the Atascadero GSA will have to work together to write a sustainability plan that ensures healthy groundwater levels for decades into the future. … ” Read more from New Times SLO here: Local agencies join to manage Atascadero groundwater
Santa Barbara County Board seeks clarification on reacquired state water use: “On May 2, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to approve a tentative agreement to make the Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA) the lead agency on reacquiring more than 12,000 acre-feet of surplus water from the state. But first, the supervisors wanted to know if the water was going to be used as a drought buffer or get used to supply more development in the county. How the reacquired water would be used and how much of that cost would fall on ratepayers concerned 1st District Supervisor Das Williams. According to a county staff report, reacquiring water would cost up to $30 million and increase the potential for state rate hikes. Although, it’s not clear how much the rates would go up. … ” Read more from the Santa Maria Sun here: Santa Barbara County Board seeks clarification on reacquired state water use
Indian Wells Valley Water District’s advancing through pilot test: “About 4,000 Indian Wells Valley residences are fitted with digital meters that automatically relay water use information to the IWV Water District, according to IWVWD Chief Financial Officer Jennifer Keep. Keep spoke at the monthly IWVWD plants and equipment committee meeting on Tuesday afternoon, offering them an update on the Automated Metering Infrastructure pilot project. The pilot project tests the new AMI system to ensure it’s accurate and to work out any bugs before instituting it district-wide. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Water District’s advancing through pilot test
Fountain Valley prefers local control of water use: “The city of Fountain Valley opposes proposed legislation that would centralize management of statewide water conservation with the State Water Resources Control Board and instead supports bills that allow local control. After Gov. Jerry Brown ended the drought-related state of emergency across most of California in April, Assemblywomen Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) and Laura Friedman (D-Glendale) proposed bills to maintain water restrictions that Brown implemented last year. The council opposed Friedman’s bills and backed Rubio’s. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Fountain Valley prefers local control of water use
How does the Inland Empire’s last wet season compare with previous ones? “It took one wet season for much of the Inland Empire — and Southern California, for that matter — to turn an extreme drought into a moderate one. No small feat for a seven-month span. In the dry years leading up to this wet season — which is measured here between Oct. 1 and April 30, Californians asked, “What has to happen to pull us out of a drought?” and forecasters painted a picture of almost the exact wet season from which we just emerged. ... ” Read more from the Inland Empire Daily Bulletin here: How does the Inland Empire’s last wet season compare with previous ones?
Metropolitan Water District GM defends agency from San Diego County Water Authority’s accusation: “Monday the general manager of the largest water district in the state, possibly in the country, maybe the world, came to the little Valley Center Municipal Water District board room to defend his agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, from the ankle biting attacks of the much smaller San Diego County Water Authority. He also came to update Valley Center about the state of water supply in the Golden State. Representatives of the two agencies have been team tagging each other at board rooms around San Diego County for several weeks. Two weeks ago, the general manager of the Authority, Maureen Stapleton, spoke before the VC water board, laying out a laundry list of accusations of financial malpractice if not actual malfeasance. … ” Read more from the Valley Roadrunner here: Metropolitan Water District GM defends agency from San Diego County Water Authority’s accusation
Delicate vernal pools restored in San Diego County: “Those drenching winter rains that ended California’s six-year drought, painted San Diego’s Proctor Valley green this spring. The Chaparral Lands Conservancy’s David Hogan stands in the heart of the expansive landscape and sees a window into the region’s past. “Proctor Valley is special because it’s such a large relatively intact chunk of natural habitat lands so close to the city just east of the subdivisions in Chula Vista, right now,” Hogan said. “It’s really unique to have this much intact native habitat still around, anywhere close to San Diego.” … ” Read more from KPBS here: Delicate vernal pools restored in San Diego County
Along the Colorado River …
Quartzite: Colorado River water to be leased for $1.8 million; Council moves forward with CAWCD agreement: “At a special meeting of the Quartzsite Town Council, held on May 1 at Town Hall, council members voted to approve that staff move forward with a leasing agreement of the town’s 1,070 acre-feet Colorado River water entitlement to the Central Arizona Water Conservation District (CAWCD) for an initial term of 25 years in the contracted payment amount of $1,819,000. The vote was 3 to 2, with councilmembers Steve Shue and Jerald Kinkade holding the only dissenting votes. A preceding motion to table the matter until after a proposed public presentation during the winter season failed 3 to 2, with Shue and Kinkade holding the only affirmative votes. … ” Read more from the Quartzite Times here: Colorado River water to be leased for $1.8 million; Council moves forward with CAWCD agreement
War of words in Arizona over water in Lake Mead: “Officials in Arizona have reached an impasse on a multistate agreement aimed at storing more Colorado River water in Lake Mead, but Southern Nevada Water Authority chief John Entsminger said he is confident the deal will still get done. Since 2015, Nevada, California and Arizona have been negotiating a drought contingency plan to keep Lake Mead from shrinking enough to trigger a first-ever federal shortage declaration and force Nevada and Arizona to cut their use of river water. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here: War of words in Arizona over water in Lake Mead
The Colorado River: How a river rules the West: “In Southern California, where I’ve always lived, every gallon of water comes with a few drops of guilt. Over the decades, we’ve become used to droughts and cutbacks. Many of us fret over every car wash, every long shower, every thirsty philodendron on the mantle. … But it turns out that water-friendly do-gooding isn’t as simple as conserving and replacing grass with stones and saguaros. Journalist David Owen traveled across the West for his fascinating new book Where the Water Goes: Life and Death Along the Colorado River about the intricacies of water in our vast desert out here, and he reveals that upright behavior isn’t enough. … ” Read more from the Christian Science Monitor here: The Colorado River: How a river rules the West
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
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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.
