In California water news this weekend, Illegal pot grows: Dangerous for species, agencies, and recreationists; Measuring the snowpack goes high-tech with airborne lasers and radar; Budget moves forward with some spending on water projects; AquAlliance files lawsuit to prompt DWR to release asbestos details; State adopts fee schedule under groundwater act; Column: James Gallagher keeps pressure on Oroville saga; Santa Rosa: New oversight on groundwater; Yuba County Water Agency in final stretch of relicensing; Lake Tahoe authorities crack down on illegal fences running into the water; Stockton: One last hope for ‘dying slough’?; Tioga Pass Resort damaged by record snowpack; closed until further notice; and San Diego: Otay Water District sues City of San Diego for overcharges
In the news this weekend …
Measuring the snowpack goes high-tech with airborne lasers and radar: “Every year for almost half a century, California snow surveyor Pat Armstrong has trekked the rugged Sierra Nevada with three simple tools: a snow core tube, a scale and a notebook. For as long as he can remember, state water officials have relied on the accuracy of those tools to deliver crucial data on the size of the Sierra snowpack and its ability to sustain a growing population. “It hasn’t changed in a hundred years,” Armstrong said of the survey. But there is a growing belief that this low-tech process alone is becoming too unreliable to accurately manage California’s water needs. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Measuring the snowpack goes high-tech with airborne lasers and radar
Budget moves forward with some spending on water projects: “The budget plan finalized by lawmakers on Thursday included funding for water projects, after some haggling over the details. Gov. Jerry Brown had asked for $387 million from the water bond approved by voters in 2014 to pay for flood control, but lawmakers trimmed the request to $111 million. The change was acceptable because it will still allow projects to move forward on schedule, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for Brown’s Department of Finance. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Budget moves forward with some spending on water projects
Illegal pot grows: Dangerous for species, agencies, and recreationists: “If while hiking in the pristine wilderness of a northern California wildlife refuge you run into a dump site, back out quickly and quietly and return to safety, as it may be more than a toxic hazard, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service advises. You most likely stumbled onto an illegal pot grow and could be in imminent danger from armed guards posted by the criminal organizations that run these sites, the agency warns. “Some of the illegal grow sites are encountered by members of the public that are recreating in remote areas – people like hikers, campers and hunters. However, most public land users are not aware of what is happening on our public lands,” Jane Hendron with the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office told Courthouse News. ... ” Read more from the Courthouse News here: Illegal pot grows: Dangerous for species, agencies, and recreationists
AquAlliance files lawsuit to prompt DWR to release asbestos details: “Was there more that the public doesn’t know about the discussion of asbestos at the work site for the Oroville Dam spillway? The environmental advocacy group AquAlliance wants to know. The group previously asked for all documents related to the topic, and has filed a followup lawsuit against the Department of Water Resources asking to receive more information the group believes exists. Legal documents were filed in state court Tuesday, AquAlliance director Barbara Vlamis said in a press release. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: AquAlliance files lawsuit to prompt DWR to release asbestos details
State adopts fee schedule under groundwater act: “The State Water Resources Control Board adopted a new fee schedule that will be applied to groundwater pumpers in basins where compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act comes up short. The Board approved an emergency regulation containing the fees and related provisions on May 16. The fees are expected to be imposed, starting this summer, in medium- and high-priority basins where groundwater sustainability agencies are not formed by the statutory deadline. … ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: State adopts fee schedule under groundwater act
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Column: James Gallagher keeps pressure on Oroville saga: David Little writes, “There are 119 reasons why nothing will change in the wake of the Lake Oroville spillway disaster, why this repetitive flooding and evacuation pattern will continue interminably. There is one reason for hope. Of the 120 people in the state Legislature, which has failed to address this problem for decades, exactly one of them was evacuated from his home on Feb. 12. So, yeah, he takes this personally. James Gallagher lives in Yuba City. On that Sunday afternoon, he was visiting his grandfather’s home in Rio Oso, a few miles south. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: James Gallagher keeps pressure on Oroville saga
Santa Rosa: New oversight on groundwater: “Vickie Mulas, a partner in her family’s Sonoma Valley dairy and vineyard operations, is no friend of regulations. “They’re kind of onerous, restrictive and costly,” said Mulas, stating her case bluntly, as farmers often do. But Mulas, a member of a prominent local ranching family, relishes her role in California’s newest round of rule-making that will — in an unprecedented departure from past practice — put limits on how much water people can pump out of the ground. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Santa Rosa: New oversight on groundwater
Yuba County Water Agency in final stretch of relicensing: “Close to seven years and more than $30 million later, the Yuba County Water Agency is a step closer to being granted a new license to continue its operations along the Yuba River. Still, the head of the agency said relicensing is a long process that could take until at least 2020, if all goes according to plan. “A new license could last another 30 to 50 years, so that’s the biggest significance of this whole thing. That’s the way stakeholders look at it, that this is our one chance in 30 to 50 years to have changes in the project,” said Curt Aikens, YCWA general manager. … ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: Yuba County Water Agency in final stretch of relicensing
Lake Tahoe authorities crack down on illegal fences running into the water: “The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is beginning to more strictly enforce rules against lakeside property owners who are potentially endangering swimmers with unauthorized fence construction. In at least three cases, property owners failed to get a permit from a bi-state regulatory agency before they started construction to build a fence that runs “lakeward,” or towards the lake, on their land. That led to fences that extended too far down towards the water (to below the lake’s high water mark at 6,229 feet), and as a result, became partially immersed in the water after it rose following the drought. Now, the fences and fencing material can pose an injury risk to people swimming in the lake. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Lake Tahoe authorities crack down on illegal fences running into the water
Stockton: One last hope for ‘dying slough’? “Talk with longtime homeowners along Five Mile Slough in north Stockton and you’re sure to hear stories of the past, when the water flowed like a living stream, fish and frogs vastly outnumbered people, and they could climb into a boat to go pick blackberries. But the growing city has consumed what was once open farmland. And like many other Stockton waterways, the rural Five Mile Slough that people knew and loved many years ago became forever part of an urban landscape. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Stockton: One last hope for ‘dying slough’?
Tioga Pass Resort damaged by record snowpack; closed until further notice: “One of the oldest and most popular resorts in the Yosemite highlands might not open at all this year due damage from winter weather. Significant damage to the lodge building at Tioga Pass Resort east of Yosemite National Park was discovered this week. Dave Levy, the resort’s general manager, blames the huge snow year. He says more than 800 inches fell here this winter. That’s more than 60 feet of snow. … ” Read more from Valley Public Radio here: Tioga Pass Resort damaged by record snowpack; closed until further notice
San Diego: Otay Water District sues City of San Diego for overcharges: “The Otay Water District filed a lawsuit against the City of San Diego on May 30 which challenges the amount of money the City charges the provider for reclaimed water and recycled water. Otay is seeking damages in excess of $16 million of overcharges from the City. ... ” Read more from La Prensa here: Otay Water District sues City of San Diego for overcharges
Precipitation watch …
Snow in the forecast: From the National Weather Service: “Mountain snow possible today into Monday which may impact travel into the Lassen Park area and over the Trans-Sierra passes.”
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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.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend
