DAILY DIGEST: Panelists lecture DSC over draft amendment; In wine country, restoring salmon habitat after more than a century of dams; 160,000 acres covered in Klamath “Takings” class action; Water officials cautiously optimistic about summer algae blooms; and more …

In California water news today, Panelists lecture DSC over draft amendment; In California wine country, restoring salmon habitat after more than a century of dams; How will the salmon survive?  Fisheries in a warming California; Klamath River: 160,000 acres covered in “Takings” class action; Shasta: Water officials cautiously optimistic about summer algae blooms; Design teams compete for best solution to sea-level conundrum; Oakland targeted in bid to cut trash flow into SF Bay; DPC approves two Great California Delta Trail segments; and more …

In the news today …

Panelists lecture DSC over draft amendment:  “The Delta Stewardship Council put together two panels for discussion of the Delta Plan draft amendment on conveyance, storage options and the operation of both, receiving some harsh criticism. … ”  Read more from the Delta Confluence here:  Panelists lecture DSC over draft amendment

In California wine country, restoring salmon habitat after more than a century of dams:  “Wander out the back door of the tasting room at Truett Hurst Winery in Sonoma County, California, and follow the dirt path to the red Adirondack chairs next to Dry Creek. Look just downstream to the side channel that splits off the main waterway. You will see sets of interwoven logs and overturned trees with roots that splay along the banks. These aren’t the result of a particularly rough storm—they are there by design. As Dry Creek rushes by, these logs and root beds point the way to a newly excavated side channel—prime habitat for spawning and juvenile salmon. … ”  Read more from Yes Magazine here:  In California wine country, restoring salmon habitat after more than a century of dams

How will the salmon survive?  Fisheries in a warming California:  “Earlier in May, scientists released a report warning that as many as three fourths of California’s 31 types of native salmon and trout might go extinct within 100 years. The ominous forecast made headlines nationwide as reporters and editors highlighted the main takeaways – that climate change and a variety of human activities, including agriculture and development, would make most of California’s rivers and lakes where salmon and trout live uninhabitable for the fish, most of which need cold, clean water.  But there is a bright side to the report that isn’t being widely discussed. Even as California’s human population surges toward 50 million by 2050 and the climate grows hotter and drier, it might still be possible for people to share the landscape with salmon and trout. … ” Read more from KCET here:  How will the salmon survive?  Fisheries in a warming California

In commentary today …

Trump pick would drain the Delta, says the San Jose Mercury News:  “Donald Trump was elected to the drain the swamp, not the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  The president’s choice of David Bernhardt to serve as deputy Interior Department secretary would be a disaster for California’s environment and water quality. The former lobbyist for the mammoth, water-sucking Westlands Water District is the last person the state should want representing it on crucial California water issues. ... ”  Continue reading at the San Jose Mercury News here:  Trump pick would drain the Delta, says the San Jose Mercury News

In regional news and commentary today …

Klamath River: 160,000 acres covered in “Takings” class action:  “As of May 19, 1,151 Notice of Appearance forms covering 3,523 parcels and more than 160,000 acres on Klamath Project land are now under review by the United States as part of the class action lawsuit surrounding the “Takings” case.  The case stems from the shutoff of irrigation water to Klamath Project property owners or lessees by the Bureau of Reclamation in 2001. The trial’s closing arguments adjourned May 9 – roughly three months following a trial that lasted more than a week at the Federal Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. … ”  Read more from the Herald & News here:  Klamath River: 160,000 acres covered in “Takings” class action

Shasta: Water officials cautiously optimistic about summer algae blooms:  “State officials with the Water Resource Control Board are on high alert this summer, after a record number of blue-green algae blooms last year.  Clint Snyder with the Central Valley Water Quality Control Board said the algae will blossom during the heat of the summer and the state was hit hard last year because of the drought.  “We’re trying to be cautiously optimistic this year,” said Snyder. He adds they don’t really know how the algae will grow this year but are hoping for the best. … ”  Read more from KRCR here:  Shasta: Water officials cautiously optimistic about summer algae blooms

Design teams compete for best solution to sea-level conundrum:  “An ambitious design competition that seeks to make the Bay Area a model for how to prepare for sea-level rise kicks off this week.  The competition, dubbed “Resilient by Design,” will select 10 interdisciplinary teams to tackle 10 sites around the bay, with at least one in each county. Each team will focus on a single site and prepare a design response that is intended to be not just visually cool, but scientifically and economically feasible. … ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  Design teams compete for best solution to sea-level conundrum

Oakland targeted in bid to cut trash flow into SF Bay:  “A deluge of trash is flowing through Oakland’s storm drains and depositing so much litter in San Francisco Bay that regulators are threatening to levy fines if the city doesn’t do something to tidy up.  Despite spending millions of dollars over the years on garbage cleanup, Oakland has the Bay Area’s worst record for limiting the rubbish that pollutes creeks, lakes and the bay, according to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board. ... ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  Oakland targeted in bid to cut trash flow into SF Bay

DPC approves two Great California Delta Trail segments:  “The Great California Delta Trail has a long way to go until its completion, but the DPC designated two more segments of the plan on May 18. ... ”  Read more from the Delta Confluence here:  DPC approves two Great California Delta Trail segments

Modesto: Nope, the wet winter didn’t wash away the state law on sustainable groundwater use:  “Groundwater users in cities and on farms can learn Wednesday about the state law mandating sustainable use.  A pair of identical workshops in Denair will deal with early steps for groundwater planning in a zone from south Modesto to north Merced County. It is one of many areas around the state that have about a quarter-century to assure that the water pumped out does not exceed recharge of the aquifers. … ”  Read more from the Merced Sun-Star here:  Modesto: Nope, the wet winter didn’t wash away the state law on sustainable groundwater use

Record-breaking wet weather makes the Merced River very dangerous, officials say:  “With fast-melting snow in the mountains adding to the Merced River, authorities are asking recreational swimmers to stay out of it this summer.  Northern California saw one of the wettest winters on record, and all that precipitation caused snow in the Sierra Nevada to build up quickly.  Warming temperatures are causing melting snow to flow into the Merced River. The cool river may be inviting, but it’s dangerous, according to Nancy Koerperich, the Merced County fire chief. … ”  Read more from the Merced Sun Star here:  Record-breaking wet weather makes the Merced River very dangerous, officials say

Santa Barbara’s desal plant turning seawater into drinking water:  “Santa Barbara residents are now drinking treated seawater when they turn on their taps. City officials announced Tuesday the Santa Barbara water distribution system now includes water from the city’s long-shuttered – but recently reactivated – desalination plant.  Production at the Charles E. Meyer desalination plant is in the start-up and testing phase. When fully up and running, the plant can produce up to three million gallons a day. That’s about a third of the city’s total demand. … ”  Read more from KCBX here:  Santa Barbara’s desal plant turning seawater into drinking water

With just a drip of funding for stormwater capture, LA County weighs property tax:  “Looking to tap property owners, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved moving forward with a plan to consider a parcel tax to help fund an ambitious stormwater capturing system to bolster local drinking water supplies.  An early analysis of how to develop infrastructure that best captures stormwater found that while the county is capable of building a viable system, there is little to no funding for it. ... ”  Read more from the Daily News here:  With just a drip of funding for stormwater capture, LA County weighs property tax

Why San Diego pays some of the highest water rates in the State and country:  “San Diego has some of the most expensive water in California – and in the country.  A typical household in San Diego County pays about $80 a month for water, whereas the national average is less than $40, according to a recent survey by the American Water Works Association.  Water in California is more expensive than elsewhere, but San Diego still has among the steepest rates in the state, another recent survey found. The priciest supplies are found in Santa Barbara and other communities along the state’s central coast.  By all indications, water prices in San Diego will keep rising. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Why San Diego pays some of the highest water rates in the State and country

San Diego County Water Authority floats a radical idea in strange public poll:  “The San Diego County Water Authority is floating a radical idea to upend how 19 million Southern Californians get their water.  The agency paid for a poll last month that asked voters whether they would support the state seizing control of water supplies across the region, including much of the water used in San Diego.  The $31,000 poll is part of an aggressive $220,000 campaign the Water Authority is waging against another public water agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. … ”  Read more from the Voice of San Diego here:  San Diego County Water Authority floats a radical idea in strange public poll

Along the Colorado River …

Feds issue permit for new large dam on Colorado River headwaters:  “The United States Army Corps of Engineers have given a water agency in Colorado’s Front Range the green light to build a large dam and reservoir to divert and store water from the Colorado River – the first such project that has been permitted in decades.  The $400 million Chimney Hollow dam and reservoir is designed to “firm” water supply to nearly a dozen quickly growing communities in Colorado’s Front Range communities, north of Denver. In water parlance, firming refers to making a variable water supply secure. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Feds issue permit for new large dam on Colorado River headwaters

And lastly …

This really IS a Grand Canyon: NASA releases stunning photos snapped from space:  “Filled with steep ledges and mountains of different colored rocks, the Grand Canyon is an iconic geologic landscape that people come from all over the globe to lay eyes on.  However, NASA has released an image of the formation from a viewpoint that is out of this world.  The student-controlled EarthKAM camera aboard the International Space Station has captured a photograph of the Grand Canyon from low Earth orbit, which shows the details of its ridged edges that stretch for miles and snow capped mountains that sit to the north. … ”  Check it out from the Daily Mail here:  This really IS a Grand Canyon: NASA releases stunning photos snapped from space

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• METROPOLITAN BAY-DELTA COMMITTEE: Committee members discuss Delta Plan amendments, prepare for California Water Fix decision
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: BBID-backed water reform bill passes Assembly; New infographic on water use and efficiency in the Sacramento region; State Lands Commission publishes Huntington Beach desal project enviro docs
• JUNE CALENDAR EVENTS: Golf courses, the environment and water conservation: The new reality; O. C. Water Summit: Finding water; A symposium on statewide water conservation; CA water quality health indicators and data science symposium
• CAL WATER FIX: Ruling letter denying motion to exclude rebuttal exhibits offered by LAND

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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.