In California water news today, Feds to give update on Delta water tunnels; Delta Plan CSO amendment approved; As Kings River recedes, evacuees assess flood damage amid work to close levee breaches; Add blazing sun to heavy snowpack, and you get hazardous rivers in the Valley below; California drought may be over but conservation controversy continues; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Feds to give update on Delta water tunnels: “The federal regulators evaluating Gov. Jerry Brown’s decades-old ambitions to re-engineer the water supplies from California’s largest river are promising a status update Monday, as Brown’s $16 billion proposal to shunt part of the Sacramento through two mammoth tunnels awaits a crucial yes or no from national agencies. Rulings had been expected this month from the National Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the environmental impacts of the proposed tunnels, which would be California’s biggest water project in decades. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Feds to give update on Delta water tunnels
Delta Plan CSO amendment approved; Delta interest groups fear tunnels: “On Thursday, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) voted on proposed amendments to the Delta Plan. They approved the amendments nearly unanimously, much to the dismay of Delta residents in attendance. The one dissenting vote came from Solano County District 5 Supervisor Skip Thomson. ... ” Read more at the Delta Confluence here: Delta Plan CSO amendment approved; Delta interest groups fear tunnels
As Kings River recedes, evacuees assess flood damage amid work to close levee breaches: “As water levels on the Kings River begin to recede after flooding nearby neighborhoods late Friday and early Saturday, some evacuated residents on Sunday began to assess the damage left behind. Doreen Dalbey, who fled Friday night from her home on Finley Drive cul-de-sac on the east side of the Kings River Golf and Country Club, came back to check on her home and to see what repairs need to be done. “I think the mess is going to be the biggest expenses,” Dalbey said. “but my entire garage is going to have to be completely redone. It had flooded all the way up to less than an inch from the door to the rest of the house, which is unbelievably fortunate.” … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: As Kings River recedes, evacuees assess flood damage amid work to close levee breaches
Add blazing sun to heavy snowpack, and you get hazardous rivers in the Valley below: “The extended heat wave the Northern San Joaquin Valley had last week is resulting in more water down this way this week. The Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department on Friday issued a warning about the rising level of the Tuolumne River. “With all the high temps we have had over the last week, there has been an increase in snowmelt into Lake Don Pedro,” the department said on its Facebook page. “This will cause an increase of water flow into the Tuolumne River, raising it from its current level of 51 feet to about 53 feet at the Ninth Street Bridge in Modesto.” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Add blazing sun to heavy snowpack, and you get hazardous rivers in the Valley below
California drought may be over but conservation controversy continues: “An effort by California officials to carry their success with water conservation beyond the drought is not sitting well with local water managers, many of whom are eager to shake off state control. Gov. Jerry Brown declared the state’s five-year drought officially over in April, following an unusually wet winter that refilled reservoirs and buried the Sierra Nevada in deep snow. But Brown also made it clear, given the likelihood of future droughts, that he wasn’t going to ease up on water conservation. That same month, responding to the governor’s executive order, state agencies released a new water conservation “framework,” a plan designed to “make water conservation a way of life.” … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: California drought may be over but conservation controversy continues
Engineers use replica to pinpoint dam repairs: “Inside a cavernous northern Utah warehouse, hydraulic engineers send water rushing down a replica of a dam built out of wood, concrete and steel — trying to pinpoint what repairs will work best at the tallest dam in the U.S for a spillway torn apart in February during heavy rains that triggered the evacuation of 200,000 people living downstream. The sound of rushing water is deafening as Utah State University hydraulics engineering professor Michael Johnson kneels in front of the Oroville Dam replica the size of a small house to examine one of two channels that run the width of the spillway to allow air into the water to prevent bubble formations that can damage the concrete spillway of the real dam. … ” Read more from US News and World Report here: Engineers use replica to pinpoint dam repairs
In commentary today …
We can’t fight ocean acidification alone, says John Laird: He writes, “I was proud to represent California at the first-ever United Nations Ocean Conference this month in New York, as representatives from around the world gathered to focus on ocean health. With a goal to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources, the summit concluded with a global agreement to reverse the decline of the ocean’s health. Under the leadership of Gov. Jerry Brown, California has created one of the most forward-looking ocean protection programs in the world. I was able to share the good work we have done and learn how other countries are taking steps to address ocean stressors. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: We can’t fight ocean acidification alone
In regional news and commentary today …
DWR lifts Lake Oroville target levels during summer: “The state Department of Water Resources will be keeping Lake Oroville’s levels higher than initially planned to accommodate the area’s peak recreation period. Setting the reservoir levels must be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Kevin Dossey, civil engineer for DWR, said Friday the agency had accepted DWR’s revised proposal, after residents and politicians voiced concerns about the impacts to locals’ lifestyles and also the economic impact on the city and county that would result from limited recreation on the lake. … ” Read more from the Oroville Mercury Register here: DWR lifts Lake Oroville target levels during summer
Nevada Irrigation District to increase capacity of Combie Reservoir and remove mercury: “On July 1, the Nevada Irrigation District will begin a $6.13 million project to treat and remove mercury-laden sediment from Combie Reservoir over the course of three years. The project is entirely funded by Proposition 13, which was passed in 2000 and set aside $1.97 billion in state funds to protect California’s drinking water resources. NID has been testing a new technology that suctions sediment from waterways and funnels it into a centrifuge machine, which spins and cleans the sediment and removes 98 percent of mercury, according to Assistant General Manager Greg Jones. … ” Read more from The Union here: Nevada Irrigation District to increase capacity of Combie Reservoir and remove mercury
Yuba City rally calls for more funding for levees: “About a hundred Yuba City area residents rallied with state lawmakers Friday calling for more funding to repair the state’s levees. They were shuttled by golf cart in the heat to the top of a levee on the Feather River. They say the levee needs more repairs before next winter, along with many other levees across the state. ... ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Yuba City rally calls for more funding for levees
Bark Beetle infestation continues to threaten Tahoe-Truckee forests: “Visitors to North Lake Tahoe this summer will notice the steady flow of the Truckee River, the high water level of Lake Tahoe, and dense green growth that has sprung up across the region thanks to record snow and rainfall this winter. But they’ll also see an increasing number of dead trees. The rust-colored trees dotting the hillside show that the forest is far from healthy after several years of drought left the trees more vulnerable to bark beetle infestation. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun here: Bark Beetle infestation continues to threaten Tahoe-Truckee forests
Switch to surface water going well in Woodland: “Taking years from inception to implementation, the Woodland-Davis Surface Water Project recently reached another milestone — one year of delivering water to the two communities. “The overall challenges have been relatively minor and our startup went extremely well,” explained Dennis Diemer, general manager for the Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency, which oversees the project. He did note one instance of a goose flying into a powerline that caused a surge in the system, triggering a back-up generator, but this was an isolated incident. … ” Read more from the Daily Democrat here: Switch to surface water going well in Woodland
Local studies will assist in understanding the Indian Wells Valley groundwater basin, says Don Zdeba: He writes, “Much of the press regarding water issues in recent months has been about meetings of the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) that was approved as the local Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) by the Department of Water Resources. It is important that residents of our valley are aware there are some very significant studies being conducted on a parallel path that will aid in better understanding of the characteristics of the aquifer within the Indian Wells Valley basin. In March 2016, Kern County was awarded $500,000 in grant funding through the Proposition 1 – Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant Program for Counties with Stressed Basins. … ” Read more from the Indian Wells Valley here: Local studies will assist in understanding the Indian Wells Valley groundwater basin
Column: Parks are pork but flood control saves lives. That’s the tension just under the surface of the Los Angeles River: George Skelton writes, “All politics are local. That’s long-proven dogma. One gleaming example involves the Los Angeles River. The L.A. River is a key negotiation point in legislative talks to create a state water and parks bond proposal. Not just the 48-mile river itself, but separate sections of it. That’s how local this issue is. Should most of the river money go to Senate leader Kevin de León’s district upstream from downtown L.A.? Or should it wind up in Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon’s district along the lower river? There’s “tension” between the Legislature’s two Democratic leaders over that, I’m told. It’ll no doubt be worked out. A 50-50 split is the best bet. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Parks are pork but flood control saves lives. That’s the tension just under the surface of the Los Angeles River
Did LA waste money on a stormwater system that doesn’t work? “The city of Los Angeles is in hot water over an environmental project in Mar Vista. A CBS2 News David Goldstein investigation has revealed that the city may be forced to pay back millions of taxpayer dollars to the state for a stormwater-treatment system that does not operate properly. Using grant money from the state, the stormwater treatment site, known as a centrifugal-cleaning system, is designed to clean stormwater runoff and then use that water to irrigate a park in Mar Vista. But the irrigation system was never installed, and the facility has never run the way it should. ... ” Read more from CBS Channel 2 here: Did LA waste money on a stormwater system that doesn’t work?
Algae bloom in Sweetwater Reservoir blamed for taste, odor problems: “An algae bloom in the Sweetwater Reservoir has given water coming out of taps in the South Bay a funny taste and smell. Since May, dozens of Sweetwater Authority customers have called in to complain about unpleasant tasting and smelling water. Officials figured out this month that algae in the reservoir was causing the musty smell and earthy taste, and said an organic compound called geosmin was to blame. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Algae bloom in Sweetwater Reservoir blamed for taste, odor problems
Continue mitigation water for Salton Sea until stabilized, says Bob Terry: He writes, “Kudos and heartfelt thanks to Ian James, Sammy Roth and the Desert Sun for their recent four-part series on the Salton Sea. They did and excellent job of showing the history and crisis (human health and environmental) looming. Combined with the Salton Sea seminar hosted by the Sun last Tuesday night, it is not easy to be optimistic for our future, health wise. We have the highest percent of childhood asthma in the state near the sea, and it is getting worse daily. And the Pacific Institute estimated the cost to health and property in allowing the sea to dry up will be between $29 – $70 billion. … ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: Continue mitigation water for Salton Sea until stabilized
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
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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.
