DAILY DIGEST: Despite a wet year, some California wildlife areas miss out on water; The myth of the desert metropolis: Los Angeles was not built in a desert but are we making it one?; Farmer faces $2.8 million fine for plowing field; and more …

In California water news today, Despite a wet year, some California wildlife areas miss out on water; The myth of the desert metropolis: Los Angeles was not built in a desert but are we making it one?; Farmer faces $2.8 million fine for plowing field; Drought erased 25 cubic miles of Central Valley groundwater; California’s ‘iconic’ native fish facing extinction, with climate change a major cause; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife will meet this morning at 9am.  Click here for more information.
• The California Water Quality Monitoring Council will meet from 10am to 4pm.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

Despite a wet year, some California wildlife areas miss out on water:  “On April 11, the United States Bureau of Reclamation announced that all of its California Central Valley Project water customers will receive 100 percent of their contract supplies this year, for the first time since 2006.  This is a remarkable turnaround after five lean drought years, during which some of its agricultural customers received no water at all. But the bureau didn’t mention one group of customers missing out on this liquid largesse: wildlife refuges.  There are 19 state and federal wildlife refuges spanning California’s Central Valley, from Willows to Bakersfield. They provide some of the last habitat for migratory birds and hundreds of other wetland species, in a state that has lost 95 percent of its historic wetland habitat. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Despite a wet year, some California wildlife areas miss out on water

The myth of the desert metropolis: Los Angeles was not built in a desert but are we making it one?  “The question is posed like this. You’ve probably heard it or asked it yourself. Perhaps at a cocktail party. Probably not in LA—but hey, maybe even here in the heart of the folly.  Why on Earth would you build a city for millions of souls in a desert?  Someday, and maybe sooner rather than later, the water is going to run out, and Los Angeles will dry up and blow away.  Alex Prud’homme, author of Ripple Effect: The Fate of Water in the Twenty-First Century, prophesied that Perth, Australia, “could become the world’s first ‘ghost city’—a modern metropolis abandoned for lack of water.” And, he warned, “similar fates may await America’s booming desert cities: Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Los Angeles.”  Prud’homme’s description of Los Angeles as a “desert city” has a distinguished lineage. ... ”  Continue reading at BOOM Magazine here:  The myth of the desert metropolis: Los Angeles was not built in a desert but are we making it one?

Farmer faces $2.8 million fine for plowing field:  “A farmer faces trial in federal court this summer and a $2.8 million fine for failing to get a permit to plow his field and plant wheat in Tehama County.  A lawyer for Duarte Nursery said the case is important because it could set a precedent requiring other farmers to obtain costly, time-consuming permits just to plow their fields.  “The case is the first time that we’re aware of that says you need to get a (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) permit to plow to grow crops,” said Anthony Francois, an attorney for the Pacific Legal Foundation. … ” Read more from the Redding Record Searchlight here:  Farmer faces $2.8 billion fine for plowing field

Drought erased 25 cubic miles of Central Valley groundwater:  “A recent study says California’s Central Valley – one of the most productive agricultural regions in the world – lost 25 cubic miles of groundwater during the drought that ran from 2012 through last year.  Led by a group of UCLA professors, geologists studied the loss of groundwater in the Central Valley, where there are an estimated 10,000 private wells siphoning water from aquifers below the arid but soil-rich valley. ... ”  Read more from the Courthouse News Service here:  Drought erased 25 cubic miles of Central Valley groundwater

California’s ‘iconic’ native fish facing extinction, with climate change a major cause:  “On a tree-shaded bend in Dutch Bill Creek at Monte Rio, three technicians from the Sonoma County Water Agency huddled on a gravel bar to examine the day’s catch, all in the name of science and a sustained campaign to restore one of California’s most endangered fish.  Retrieving 163 coho salmon smolts, or young fish, from a wooden fish trap set in knee-deep, clear flowing water, the crew bathed the four- to six-inch salmon in a bucket of Alka-Seltzer solution, briefly numbing them for easier handling.  The technicians measured, weighed and counted the year-old, hatchery-bred fish before releasing them to continue a perilous journey to the nearby Russian River and out to the Pacific Ocean. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  California’s ‘iconic’ native fish facing extinction, with climate change a major cause

In regional news and commentary today …

Construction work ramping up at Oroville Dam Monday:  “Construction is ramping up at the Oroville Dam Monday, in the rush to repair the damaged spillway before rainy weather hits.  Flows down the spillway have completely stopped to make way for the construction season. Work has begun on road construction and slope stabilization, but Kiewit Infrastructure West Co. is expected to step up the efforts Monday. … ”  Read more from KRCR here:  Construction work ramping up at Oroville Dam Monday

Oroville residents urge city to ask for more from DWR at town hall:  “Residents raised their voices at a town hall Monday, letting the city council know their opinions about the city’s relationship with the state Department of Water Resources and the Supplemental Benefits Fund.  This comes as some councilors have considered exiting the settlement agreement, which over 50 entities, including the City of Oroville, signed with DWR back in 2006. The city went into the agreement with the promise of about $61 million coming through the Supplemental Benefits Fund, or the SBF, with most of the money going to recreational projects and improvements along the Feather River. … ”  Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here:  Oroville residents urge city to ask for more from DWR at town hall

State orders inspection of Paradise ridge dams:  “It’s been more than 100 days since the spillway at the Oroville Dam began to crack. The weeks following resulted in confusion about authority and even concern for safety, as Oroville and other towns were evacuated in case of flooding.  Now the Department of Water Resources has sent Paradise Irrigation District a letter saying that the Magalia Dam and Paradise Dam are among the State’s infrastructure that needs to be evaluated.  It reads, “To strengthen the State’s inspection program, the Governor has ordered detailed evaluations of dam appurtenant structures, such as spillways.” … ”  Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here:  State orders inspection of Paradise ridge dams

Drought over, Russian River and Lake Sonoma ready for summer visitors:  “With the unofficial start of summer looming over the Memorial Day weekend, outdoor enthusiasts and recreational businesses alike are looking forward to returning to Sonoma County waterways rejuvenated by record rains after five years of drought.  The winter deluge transformed Lake Sonoma, the region’s major reservoir, opening more areas to explore in the lake’s twin arms that reach deep into wild country northwest of Healdsburg.  The ever-popular Russian River also has new surprises in store for boaters and swimmers. Beaches on the lower river drew sizable crowds last weekend, raising businesses’ hopes for a profitable season in the tourism-oriented region. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  Drought over, Russian River and Lake Sonoma ready for summer visitors

Kent Lake water flow study to look at fish impact:  “With one report saying the state is facing an unprecedented loss of fish species, a local group has won $158,000 to look at how water released from Kent Lake affects local coho salmon and steelhead trout.  The Marin Municipal Water District — the agency that operates the Kent Lake reservoir — is under a 1995 state Water Resources Control Board order to release water periodically to aid federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout. Peters Dam was built across Lagunitas Creek in 1954 to create a water supply, but resulted in less water for the species. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Kent Lake water flow study to look at fish impact

EBMUD snafu will bite ratepayers in the pocketbook:  “Putting salt on the wound, a snafu is going to cost East Bay water customers an extra $120,000 just to be told their rates likely are going up this summer.  The East Bay Municipal Utility District is spending the money to resend to all its 385,000 account holders a notice of a proposed 19 percent rate increase after discovering the first mailing omitted 15,000 to 20,000 customers.  “There was a logistical error in how the data was processed,” said EBMUD spokeswoman Andrea Pook of the mailing list.  “You never want mistakes to happen. The silver lining is that we took steps to make all our customers get notified.” … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  EBMUD snafu will bite ratepayers in the pocketbook

Miscommunication brings Dixon back to groundwater talks:  “After learning that Rio Vista will in fact be participating in the Solano Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), Dixon is revisiting its decision to not participate in the agency’s joint powers agreement (JPA).  The Dixon City Council voted 5-0 in April to form its own GSA in order to comply with the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act by June 30.  The decision was based in part on Public Works Director and City Engineer Joe Leach informing the council that Rio Vista had chosen not to participate in the Solano GSA. Without Rio Vista, Dixon would be the only municipality participating in the larger group, and so Leach recommended the city go forward with its own exclusive GSA. ... ” Read more from The Reporter here:  Miscommunication brings Dixon back to groundwater talks

Climate change taking toll on clarity of Lake Tahoe water:  “Climate change is causing Lake Tahoe to warm sooner in the spring than it has historically, disrupting the normal mixing of shallow and deep water and undercutting gains made in reversing the loss of clarity of the cobalt mountain lake, scientists say.  “Climate change is impacting not only Lake Tahoe’s water quality, but also the health of its forests and its recreation-based economy,” said Joanne Marchetta, executive director of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency, which regulates the lake covering 191 square miles (495 sq. kilometers) along the Nevada-California border. … ”  Read more from the AP here:  Climate change taking toll on clarity of Lake Tahoe water

Yosemite access from Tioga Pass may not be clear until July:  “Plowing a road that cuts through the high Sierra after a record year for snowfall is no easy task in Yosemite National Park. Crews are working hard on clearing Tioga Road, the main artery that connects Yosemite Valley with Highway 395 in the eastern part of the Sierra.  “At some of the deepest areas we have over 100 inches of standing snow in the high country which means we have no plows, we have other equipment that our road specialists are using to cut into the snow bank, blow it out, clear one lane and then come back to clear another lane with the plow,” said Jamie Richards with Yosemite National Park. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  Yosemite access from Tioga Pass may not be clear until July

Owens Lake: ‘Wildlife viewing site at a world class level’:  “As thousands of migratory birds cycle through Owens Lake this spring, Friends of the Inyo and partners Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), Inyo County, Eastern Sierra Audubon, Audubon California, Metabolic Studio, and Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, brought the community together to enjoy and celebrate the massive return of birds to Owens Lake.  The festival, held April 28-30, brought 150 people together to enjoy the astounding
landscape, experience the wonder of birds travelling between continents, and connect to the natural and cultural history of the lower Owens Valley. Of the 150 participants, half attended the festival from outside Inyo and Mono Counties, and some came from as far away as Oregon, Washington, and Canada. ... ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  Owens Lake: ‘Wildlife viewing site at a world class level’

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• BLOG ROUND-UP: Groundwater overdraft is a fixable problem; The myth of water wasted to sea; Better information can help the environment; Relationships and incentives the secret ingredients for better resource management; and more …
• ANNOUNCEMENT: Central Valley Regional Water Board to hold climate change workshop on June 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.