DAILY DIGEST: State asks federal taxpayers to fund repairs at Oroville dam; Oroville Dam problems may point to systemic industry issues; Climate change erodes thin safety margins at NorCal dam; CA courts Trump for tunnels project; and more …

In California water news today, Oroville Dam: With bills rolling in, state borrows heavily; California asks federal taxpayers to fund repairs at dam; Oroville Dam problems may point to systemic industry issues; Climate change erodes thin safety margins at California dam; California courts Trump for drought-stemming tunnels project; The overlooked risk of levees as rainfall rises; Sharks are thriving in Southern California, but dying in San Francisco Bay, experts say; and more …

In the news today …

Oroville Dam: With bills rolling in, state borrows heavily:  “California is borrowing up to $500 million to pay for the crisis at Oroville Dam, although it expects to be reimbursed for its costs.  The Department of Water Resources obtained a $500 million line of credit last week to cover expenses connected to the spillway fracture at Oroville, including the permanent repairs. DWR obtained a separate $300 million credit line last week to cover other capital improvements for the State Water Project beyond Oroville.  Federal money is expected to pay for much of the repairs. President Donald Trump in early April approved a request for $540 million in winter storm repair funds for California, including $274 million to deal with the short-term emergency at Oroville. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Oroville Dam: With bills rolling in, state borrows heavily

California asks federal taxpayers to fund repairs at Oroville dam:  “California is asking the federal government to pay 75 percent of the hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs to the badly damaged spillways at the nation’s tallest dam, a state water agency spokeswoman said Monday.  The question of whether taxpayers or the water contractors that get water via the Oroville Dam would foot the biggest share of the bill has been one of many contentious ones in the aftermath of this winter’s damage at the dam, which is an anchor of the state’s water supply system. ... ”  Read more from SF Gate here:  California asks federal taxpayers to fund repairs at Oroville dam

Oroville Dam problems may point to systemic industry issues:  “On May 3, California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) released the fourth report by an independent board of consultants examining what went wrong during the Oroville Dam emergency in February and outlining the reconstruction of its damaged spillways.  In February, a gaping hole formed in the Oroville Dam spillway as the state released excess water from the reservoir in anticipation of more rain. After an earthen emergency spillway also eroded away, authorities evacuated 188,000 people from the surrounding area, out of fear of an uncontrolled release from the dam. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Oroville Dam problems may point to systemic industry issues

Climate change erodes thin safety margins at California dam:  “As catastrophe loomed at Northern California’s Oroville Dam in February, Tom Stokely’s mind drifted 140 miles north to another troubled behemoth.  Stokely watched as nearly 200,000 residents were evacuated below Oroville when the emergency spillway America’s tallest dam began to erode, threatening to unleash a 30-foot wall of water.  “I thought, ‘Boy, they are a lot better off than at Trinity!'” Stokely said, referring to Oroville’s cousin to the north, Trinity Dam.  “At least they’ve got an emergency spillway.”  Stokely, 61, is the former natural resources planner for Trinity County, where a 538-foot earthen monolith impounds California’s third-largest reservoir. ... ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Climate change erodes thin safety margins at California dam

California courts Trump for drought-stemming tunnels project:  “California Governor Jerry Brown is lobbying the Trump administration on a massive water project he hopes to implement in his state.  The fate of the controversial twin-tunnels project in California appears to rest in the hands of the Trump administration.  “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, President Donald Trump’s chief land manager with control over vast amounts of the United States, met with Gov. Jerry Brown [in April],” discussing the Delta tunnel project, among other issues, according to The Sacramento Bee. … ”  Read more from Water Online here:  California courts Trump for drought-stemming tunnels project

The overlooked risk of levees as rainfall rises:  “Thousands of miles of levees stretch across the U.S., built to keep swollen waterways from inundating towns, farmland and critical infrastructure. But, as the residents of Pocahontas, Ark., found out this week when drenching rains caused the Black River to overtop and breach the local levee system, living behind a levee is not an absolute guarantee of protection.  The river’s waters rushed over the earthen berm, spreading out over six miles and sweeping into homes, turning roads into rivers and likely causing millions of dollars in damage.  The event is one of many in recent years that underscore the often overlooked flood threat that remains to communities even when levees are in place, experts said, particularly when the levees aren’t well maintained and communities lack the funds to fix them. ... ”  Read more from Salon here:  The overlooked risk of levees as rainfall rises

Sharks are thriving in Southern California, but dying in San Francisco Bay, experts say:  “The California coast is teeming with young sharks, as warming waters and abundant food have created the ideal conditions for feeding, according to experts.  In Southern California, great white sharks have begun to arrive after spending the winter off Baja California. Recently, one of the sharks bit a chunk out of a mother’s leg as she swam off San Onofre State Beach. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here:  Sharks are thriving in Southern California, but dying in San Francisco Bay, experts say

In commentary today …

From fishers to foxes, illegal pot grows are poisoning wildlife in Northern California forests, says Jane Braxton Little:  She writes, “First it was Pacific fishers, poisoned and dead. Then it was bears and gray foxes. The more Mourad Gabriel looked the more carcasses he found.  His decade-long scientific research has now established a clear connection: Illegal marijuana cultivation is threatening the viability of fishers and taking an unknown toll on other forest wildlife.  If there is a threat to public lands in Northern California greater than the GOP commitment to transferring vast stretches to private ownership, it is pot farms.  “An armed industry is taking over our national forests,” said Gabriel, a wildlife disease scientist and executive director of Integral Ecology Research Center. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  From fishers to foxes, illegal pot grows are poisoning wildlife in Northern California forests

In regional news and commentary today …

Oroville Dam: Town working hard to battle spillway safety fears:  “With Feather Fiesta Days under way, the Oroville Chamber of Commerce is getting phone calls with questions about Oroville’s safety. Calls are coming in from people elsewhere in California who are thinking about a visit and aren’t sure what’s going on with the spillway.  Anglers from the big cities, boat fanatics, antique hunters, campers, hikers and other tourists are questioning the safety of Oroville and Lake Oroville after February’s spillway crisis. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Oroville Dam: Town working hard to battle spillway safety fears

Towering, remote Sonoma County forest preserved with $4.5 million from local taxpayers: “Deep in northwestern Sonoma County’s thickly forested mountains, about 10 miles from the coast and a world away from the bustle of any population center, Mike Young walked beneath a towering canopy of redwood and Douglas fir trees he’s come to know well over the past several decades.  He was leading a small group last week on a tour of his remote property, an expanse of forest that feels untouched. The trees were too numerous to count and soared hundreds of feet into the sky. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  Towering, remote Sonoma County forest preserved with $4.5 million from local taxpayers

Advocates say Berryessa fish at risk; state says not true:  “Advocates of the Lake Berryessa salmon and trout fisheries said the state is killing off those populations by diverting the number of fish traditionally planted there to other lakes.  “They (state Fish and Wildlife officials) are misappropriating our resources,” said Cameron Smith, known as Captain Cam, who is a Vallejo native and Benicia resident. “I started up my (fishing) roots with my grandfather and father at Lake Berryessa when I was 6 months old.”  Smith said what was once a healthy fish planting program of about 300,000 kokanee salmon, California king salmon and trout has been severely reduced and puts the lake’s fisheries at serious risk. ... ”  Read more from the Daily Republic here:  Advocates say Berryessa fish at risk; state says not true

Pure Water Monterey recycled water project hailed at groundbreaking; challenges remain:  “Lauded as a model for regional collaboration and innovation, and even the “wave of the future” for the rest of California, the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project was universally praised by a group of dignitaries at a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.  But a key official acknowledged the already complex project still faces a number of hurdles before it begins construction or operation, including potential cost overruns that could end up on Monterey Peninsula water bills and a complicated discharge permit. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Pure Water Monterey recycled water project hailed at groundbreaking; challenges remain

Sacramento State is fixing 43 drinking water fountains and water sources with high lead content:  “Sacramento State consultants have identified 43 water fountains, bottle filling stations and sinks that must be repaired or replaced due to high lead levels, according to new reports released Monday.  The university initially shut down 85 sinks and fountains with lead levels above 5 parts per billion on Jan. 13. That came after students and professors found high lead levels when they tested 449 sinks and fountains over three days in January as part of a research project. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Sacramento State is fixing 43 drinking water fountains and water sources with high lead content

‘Sobering’: How sea level rise could swamp Stockton:  “Waves lapping up against the steps of City Hall. Nearly every seat at Stockton Ballpark submerged. And in Brookside, rooftops jutting out of the water like reefs in the ocean.  A worst-case sea level rise increase of 10 feet to 12 feet by the year 2100 would utterly transform Stockton as we know it today.  Climate Central, a New Jersey-based climate science nonprofit, recently published maps depicting what this unlikely, yet still “plausible,” scenario might look like. And they’re eye-opening. … ”  Read more from the Stockton Record here:  ‘Sobering’: How sea level rise could swamp Stockton

San Joaquin Valley: 1 in 5 say access to clean water is a problem:  “According to a new survey of San Joaquin Valley residents conducted by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at Fresno State, 1 in 5 adults, or 20 percent, said that access to clean drinking water is a problem.  The survey was conducted in late March just before Gov. Jerry Brown declared the emergency drought status for the state was over, but left the order in place for Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties.    The survey found that individuals registered as Democrats and Independents in the Valley were more likely to identify access to drinking water as a problem than Republicans. Twenty-five percent of Democrats and 18 percent of Independents, or those who have no party preference, said it is a problem, while only 9 percent of Republicans did. … ”  Read more from the Porterville Recorder here: San Joaquin Valley: 1 in 5 say access to clean water is a problem

Snowmelt threatens to flood San Joaquin, Mokelumne River:  “Flooding in San Joaquin County has already cost millions of dollars worth of damage and now high water levels along rivers and reservoirs in the area are keeping emergency management teams on alert.  Bill Lindstedt is finally getting the chance to walk back into the Manteca Sportsmen Club, a shooting range that was completely under water after recent storms hit Northern California. … ”  Read more from CBS here:  Snowmelt threatens to flood San Joaquin, Mokelumne River

Nestle faces backlash over collecting water from drought-hit California:  “Backlash is growing over where the world’s top bottled water producer gets its supplies. Nestlé collects millions of gallons a year from springs in Southern California, an area prone to drought.  As the company tries to meet the rising demand, activists are voicing their concern.  In the San Bernardino Mountains outside Los Angeles, an intricate maze of pipes collects and funnels tens of millions of gallons of water each year, CBS News correspondent Mireya Villareal reports.  … ”  Read more from CBS News here:  Nestle faces backlash over collecting water from drought-hit California

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• BLOG ROUND-UP: Facing extinction II: Making hard decisions; Bringing big and small farms together to manage water; Peter Gleick on science and politics; Conservation relies on profitability; and more …
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Farmers, environmentalists create first-of-its-kind chinook salmon restoration project; Delta Conservancy’s 2017-2022 Strategic Plan now open for public comments; Court to hear appeals in San Diego County Water Authority litigation over illegal MWD Rates
• Bulletin 120 and Water Supply Index forecasts for May 1, 2017
• OROVILLE UPDATE: Spillway Work Continues, Construction Update

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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.