In California water news today, California’s Delta poised to become massive carbon bank; Report: California ‘dodged a bullet’ with snowmelt flooding; 5 things to know about the Oroville Dam; Advocates continue to fight for Delta’s future; Bill to expand buffers near Wild and Scenic Rivers dies in Assembly; and more …
In the news today …
California’s Delta poised to become massive carbon bank: “There’s a time bomb ticking in California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas, the Delta is a network of some 70 islands protected by more than 1,000 miles of levees. The soil on these islands is some of the richest farmland in the world because it is composed of organic material: decaying plants that accumulated over millennia. ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: California’s Delta poised to become massive carbon bank
Report: California ‘dodged a bullet’ with snowmelt flooding: “Experts say the state was able to “dodge a bullet” with snowmelt due to cooler weather this spring, according to what is believed to be the last hydrology update for the season from the California Nevada River Forecast Center and National Weather Service. A press release said there was limited snowmelt flooding this year despite the significant snowpack that had accumulated by the beginning of the season. The report said the main area of concern this spring was the San Joaquin River system, but current and projected conditions lead experts to believe it will not exceed monitor stage again this season. ... ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: Report: California ‘dodged a bullet’ with snowmelt flooding
5 things to know about the Oroville Dam: “The Oroville Dam has been making headlines for decades, but especially since a damaged spillway in February forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. Here are some things you may not know about the dam: 1. It’s the tallest dam in the U.S. At 770 feet high, the Oroville Dam tops Hoover Dam and downtown Sacramento office towers. It fares less well against the world’s tallest dams – the Jinping-I Dam in China towers over it at 1,001 feet. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: 5 things to know about the Oroville Dam
Advocates continue to fight for Delta’s future: “Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla of Restore the Delta had the unenviable task of competing with opening night of the NBA finals when she brought The Roadmap to Stopping the Delta Tunnels presentation to the Antioch Community Center on June 1. Despite the competition, nearly 50 concerned citizens, some driving more than an hour to attend, gathered to hear an update on the current progress made in the effort to stop the Delta tunnels, as well as an overview of the upcoming activity. … ” Read more from the Brentwood Press here: Advocates continue to fight for Delta’s future
Bill to expand buffers near Wild and Scenic Rivers dies in Assembly: “Legislation that would have expanded buffers around state-designated Wild and Scenic Rivers has died in the California Assembly. The state Cattlemen’s Association and other farm groups opposed the bill by Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, to limit certain activities within a quarter-mile in each direction from designated rivers. The bill might have severely impacted grazing and accessing water rights, the CCA said in a legislative newsletter. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Bill to expand buffers near Wild and Scenic Rivers dies in Assembly
In commentary today …
Tuolumne non-flow measures are fine, but in-stream flows remain critical, says Peter Drekmeier: He writes, “Regarding “TID backs river proposal by San Francisco” (Page 3A, June 7), the Tuolumne River Trust is not opposed to the non-flow measures proposed by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and endorsed by Turlock Irrigation District. However, we are skeptical that these measures, in the absence of adequate instream flows, will revive the Tuolumne River ecosystem. … ” Continue reading from the Modesto Bee here: Tuolumne non-flow measures are fine, but in-stream flows remain critical
As California leads the way in battling climate change, farmers and ranchers are key players, say Sherwood Darington and Greg Rawlins: They write, “In April, Gov. Jerry Brown declared California’s record drought over. But farmers statewide won’t forget it, and they know there are ongoing challenges such as weather extremes and increasingly intense drought-flood cycles. California is demonstrating international leadership on climate change. The state has created jobs and balanced the budget while staying on track to meet the ambitious 2020 greenhouse gas reduction targets established under Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. One area of California’s emerging leadership on climate change is the role our farms and ranches play. ... ” Read more from Monterey County Now here: As California leads the way in battling climate change, farmers and ranchers are key players
In regional news and commentary today …
Yuba-Sutter: Legislature rejects $100 million for levees: “State Sen. Jim Nielsen and Assemblyman James Gallagher were unable to persuade a legislative committee to allocate $100 million for levee repairs, Nielsen said Thursday night. “The failure to prioritize our state’s infrastructure is incomprehensible,” Nielsen said in a statement. “Millions of Californians depend on water that passes through these critical water conveyance systems.” Nielsen blamed legislative Democrats for rejecting funding to repair the state’s water infrastructure severely damaged from the failure of the Oroville Dam spillway. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: Yuba-Sutter: Legislature rejects $100 million for levees
A year after Measure AA passed, funding still a challenge for SF Bay wetlands: “Last year, on June 7, the nine counties of the Bay Area passed a ballot measure called Measure AA. The measure placed a $12 per year parcel tax on local landowners to be directed towards wetlands restoration. Environmental advocacy nonprofit Save the Bay “realized in 2003 that the main limiting factor in getting these already acquired areas restored to tidal marsh was money,” said David Lewis, the organization’s executive director. Save the Bay came up with the idea of Measure AA and the regional authority that regulates it, the San Francisco Bay Restoration Authority. … ” Read more from KQED here: A year after Measure AA passed, funding still a challenge for SF Bay wetlands
Stockton: ‘Drought surcharge?’ What drought? About that fee on your city water bill: “Those who diligently read their city of Stockton water bills might have noticed a strange line item: A drought surcharge, amounting to 23 cents per unit of water consumed. Only the thirstiest among us would use enough water for this charge to exceed more than several dollars a month. But the drought is over. There’s no doubt about it. Gov. Jerry Brown said so himself on April 7. What gives? This may be mostly an issue of dubious wording. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Stockton: ‘Drought surcharge?’ What drought? About that fee on your city water bill
Salinas River no longer flowing naturally so water will be released from dam: “After exactly six months of the Salinas River’s natural “live stream” flow, officials have confirmed that the river is beginning to go dry. On Wednesday, the county’s Public Works Department confirmed a dry section of the river at the north end of Atascadero, south of Graves Creek. The dwindling natural river means the county will resume releasing water from Santa Margarita Lake (aka Salinas Reservoir Dam) to maintain a minimum flow in the channel, as directed by a 1973 ruling. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Salinas River no longer flowing naturally so water will be released from dam
A fight over water in the Mojave desert: “A company’s vision to pump water from the Mojave Desert and sell it to thirsty Southern California cities had looked to some to be a long shot. Cadiz Inc., which owns about 50 square miles atop a major aquifer in the Cadiz Valley, has pushed proposals to tap the water since the 1990s. The latest iteration has been mired for years in a thicket of regulatory and legal hurdles. But a series of developments has invigorated backers of the project, which involves both federal and state jurisdictions. … ” Read more from the NY Times here: A fight over water in the Mojave desert
Up at Lake Oroville …
The latest drone video from Department of Water Resources:
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …
Sign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …
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.
