In California water news today, Wastewater-to-agriculture is first of its kind; New tool to help planners talk about water demand; Investigation: California’s water crisis; Climate Change wreaking havoc on the West’s key water supplies; Oroville Lake releases being reduced today; Nevada Irrigation District joins Groundwater Sustainability Agency; Irrigation district honored for water rights fight; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Resources Control Board meets beginning at 9am. Agenda items include an update on current hydrologic conditions, consideration of a proposed resolution to adopt the Drinking Water For Schools Grant Program, and consideration of a proposed resolution to adopt and emergency regulation for implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Click here for the full agenda.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Bloggers on Oroville Dam, Delta smelt salvage, Water law and drought, Stockton and sea level rise, and more …
- CA WATER COMMISSION: Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation update
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: DWR and Reclamation Recirculate Draft Environmental Document for Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project
Wastewater-to-agriculture is first of its kind: “Water recycling for agricultural use is about to get a major boost through a massive reuse project in California that marks some first-evers. “Starting as early as December, [Modesto] will sell its highly treated wastewater to struggling nearby farmers. When it’s up and running, Modesto’s experiment should be California’s largest wastewater-to-agriculture reuse project, and it will mark the first time recycled water flows through a federal canal,” Grist recently reported. ... ” Read more from Water Online here: Wastewater-to-agriculture is first of its kind
New tool to help planners talk about water demand: “No matter how efficient a new development may be, growth always comes at a price, with increased demand for water one of the more tangible costs. In areas already experiencing water scarcity, it’s also potentially one of the biggest challenges to long-term sustainability. That’s why the Alliance for Water Efficiency, Environmental Law Institute, and River Network recently released a tool to help communities plan for water-neutral growth. The Net Blue Ordinance Toolkit, developed with input from seven geographically diverse regions of the U.S., is designed to meet different water needs when drafting an ordinance to require developers to offset new water demand. Another automated worksheet helps developers calculate exactly what kind and scale of offsets they’d need. … ” Read more from Next City here: New tool to help planners talk about water demand
Investigation: California’s water crisis: “The drought is officially over in California, but our water crisis is not. Eyewitness News investigates the proposed solutions that aim to help our water supply for the long-haul. “What’s interesting from last year is we were simultaneously in a drought emergency and we were in a flood emergency, and so it was kind of an interesting thing for Californians to try to wrap their head around,” Harry Starkey, District Manager for the West Kern Water District said. ... ” Read more from Bakersfield Now here: Investigation: California’s water crisis
Climate Change wreaking havoc on the West’s key water supplies: “Fears over how climate change will manifest itself in the United States typically center on coastal areas, where predictions of a rising sea prompt predictions about disappearing beaches from Los Angeles to Miami to the Jersey Shore. But two recent studies make the case that the American West and its precarious water supply represents the true canary in the coal mine when it comes to the disaster of climate change. The first study explores the diminishing flows of the Colorado River and what it means for the 40 million people who rely on the formerly abundant water source. The second looks at snowpack trends in the mountains of the American West and concludes that recent declines throughout the region are due to rising temperatures and not consistent with historical fluctuations. … ” Read more from Courthouse News Service here: Climate Change wreaking havoc on the West’s key water supplies
In regional news and commentary today …
Oroville Lake releases being reduced today: “Releases from Lake Oroville into the Feather River were reduced Monday morning, with further reduction likely in the week ahead, according to the Department of Water Resources. DWR had been sending 25,000 cubic feet of water per second down the damaged main Oroville Dam spillway, and another 5,000 cfs through the Hyatt Powerhouse under the dam. At 9 a.m. Monday the release down the spillway was reduced to 20,000 cfs. Flows through the hydroelectric plant were unchanged. The bulk of the water — in excess of 22,000 cfs — has been flowing down the portion of the Feather River adjacent to downtown Oroville, with a smaller amount diverted to the Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay. … ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury-Register here: Oroville Lake releases being reduced today
Nevada Irrigation District joins Groundwater Sustainability Agency: “The Nevada Irrigation District has adopted a resolution approving a Memorandum of Agreement that unifies nearby water districts hoping to promote groundwater sustainability. NID will join the cities of Lincoln and Roseville, Placer County Water Agency and Placer County in forming the West Placer Groundwater Sustainability Agency. … ” Read more from the Union-Democrat here: Nevada Irrigation District joins Groundwater Sustainability Agency
Irrigation district honored for water rights fight: “Byron-Bethany Irrigation District has received statewide recognition for the legal battle on water-rights issues it has waged against the State Water Board. The local irrigation district was presented the Excellence in Water Leadership Award of the Association of California Water Agencies during this week’s ACWA meeting in Monterey. Receiving the award on behalf of BBID were board President Russell Kagehiro and General Manager Rick Gilmore. … ” Read more from the Tracy Press here: Irrigation district honored for water rights fight
California cracks down on last beachfront sand mining operation in the U.S.: “Moving in on the last coastal sand mining operation in the United States, California regulators are ordering a Mexican-based company to obtain permits and pay state royalties for its Monterey County plant or shut down — amid a chorus of complaints that its causing significant erosion of beaches along Monterey Bay. The facility, known as the CEMEX Lapis plant, has been in operation since 1906 and is located between Marina and Moss Landing. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: California cracks down on last beachfront sand mining operation in the U.S.
Inyo County: Report from Standing Committee: “The Los Angeles/Inyo County Standing Committee meetings are usually good for a few attention-getting headlines, but with the mass quantities of water headed down the mountain, most of the contentious pumping/export issues have, at least for now, melted away. The one zinger at Thursday’s meeting in Independence came from California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Nick Buckmaster and his critique of the Lower Owens River Project operation plan. His comments mirrored those of the LORP consultants’ annual reports. The primary difference being: this year the water is available for serious pulse flows to scour the river channel. But, Buckmaster said, the tulles will just come back. Another difference: the difficulties were well stated in front of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s top dogs. … ” Read more from the Sierra Wave here: Inyo County: Report from Standing Committee
Why Huntington Park is suing the Central Basin water district: “The law adding three water professionals to the Central Basin Municipal Water District Board of Directors is under challenge again — this time from the city of Huntington Park. Huntington Park’s lawsuit, like the one filed in February by former Pico Rivera Councilman Ron Beilke, alleges that the law is unconstitutional. The measure “violates fundamental voter rights protected by the California Constitution, California’s Water Code and California Elections Code, by depriving voters the right to be governed by ‘elected’ board members,” Huntington Park City Attorney Arnold Alvarez-Glasman wrote in the lawsuit filed May 5. … ” Read more from the Pasadena Star News here: Why Huntington Park is suing the Central Basin water district
Groups concerned about impacts of SoCal desalination project: “With water supply concerns still fresh following California’s severe drought, top Democrats in the state are lining up behind a controversial ocean desalination plant in Orange County that would convert seawater into freshwater. State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon was the latest to back the Huntington Beach project this week. He joins U.S. Senators Kamala Harris, Dianne Feinstein and others in support. Environmental groups, however, continue to say this kind of desalination project is wrong for California, even after the state put more stringent standards in place. Sean Bothwell of the California Coastkeeper Alliance says a lot of wildlife would end up dead. ... ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Groups concerned about impacts of SoCal desalination project
Along the Colorado River …
How the Colorado River’s future depends on the Salton Sea: “California’s largest lake, the Salton Sea, is an accident. It was created in 1905 when a levee broke on an irrigation canal, flooding a giant desert playa. Today it has become a sticking point in negotiations between three states over the future of the Colorado River. The three states – California, Arizona and Nevada – are in the midst of negotiating a drought contingency plan (DCP). It would commit each state to reducing diversions from the Colorado River in order to prevent Lake Mead from shrinking to disastrously low levels. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: How the Colorado River’s future depends on the Salton Sea
And lastly …
United Arab Emirates to tow iceberg from Antarctica to relieve drought: “In the midst of a scorching drought that climatologists say may last another 25 years, the United Arab Emirates is planning to tow an iceberg from Antarctica to the shores of the Middle Eastern nation, the U.K. Express reported Friday. … ” Read more from the Times-Picayune here: United Arab Emirates to tow iceberg from Antarctica to relieve drought
Pastor trying to walk on water like Jesus eaten by three crocodiles: “‘We still don’t understand how this happened because he fasted and prayed the whole week’ … ” Read more from World Net Daily here: Pastor trying to walk on water like Jesus eaten by three crocodiles
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Bloggers on Oroville Dam, Delta smelt salvage, Water law and drought, Stockton and sea level rise, and more …
- CA WATER COMMISSION: Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation update
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: DWR and Reclamation Recirculate Draft Environmental Document for Fremont Weir Adult Fish Passage Modification Project
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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.
