In California water news today, California may see more rain over the next century; Droughts leave California fishermen reeling; As salmon season opens, a reminder of drought’s lasting effects; State agency orders studies of spillway safety at 93 dams across California; Walls won’t save our cities from rising seas: here’s what will; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Resources Control Board will meet at 9am. Agenda items include an update on current hydrologic conditions, consideration of a proposed resolution to delete the text of the regulations establishing and implementing a maximum contaminant level for hexavalent chromium in California Code of Regulations; and Public Hearing on bacteria provisions for Part 3 of the Water Quality Control Plan for Inland Surface Waters, Enclosed Bays, and Estuaries of California —Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy; and an amendment to the Water Quality Control Plan for Ocean Water for California — Bacteria Provisions and a Water Quality Standards Variance Policy. Click here for the full agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Incidental Take Permit issued for the California Water Fix; San Diego County Water Authority seeks review of MWD wheeling rates; LaMalfa, Garamendi urge funding for Sites Reservoir; Corps awards $19.5 million contract for Natomas levee construction
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Litigation trepidation. Alex Breitler has it; Cal Water Fix operations and costs; Fish, flows, and 5937; Sac Valley salmon; and more …
California may see more rain over the next century: “After undergoing five years of drought, many Californians may fear a future with less rainfall thanks to climate change. However, research carried out at the University of California, Riverside, suggests precipitation across the state may actually increase over the next hundred years. The paper, published in the journal Nature Communications, looked at several different California climate models and aggregated the results. However, not every model is good at predicting factors like precipitation. So, rather than simply aggregating the findings, Robert Allen, a climatologist at the University of California, Riverside, and the lead author on the paper, was picky. To get the most accurate look at what California’s rainfall might look like in the future, he chose only those models that most accurately measured precipitation across the state. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: California may see more rain over the next century
Droughts leave California fishermen reeling: “Commercial salmon fishermen are struggling after several bad years of drought and a Bay Area congressman hopes to secure federal money for them. Commercial salmon fishing season begins Tuesday and conditions are looking up along the coast. Fishermen at Pier 45 in San Francisco are about to start bringing in this year’s catch. … ” Read more from CBS Bay Area here: Droughts leave California fishermen reeling
As salmon season opens, a reminder of drought’s lasting effects: “Tuesday marks the start of a shortened commercial salmon fishing season in the waters off San Francisco. A smaller salmon population is one effect of the drought that could persist for years. During the drought, water flows that young salmon depend on were unusually warm and slow, and many didn’t survive. That prompted the Pacific Fishery Management Council to cut the 2017 season in half. That’s why Aug. 1 is a big deal for fisherman Mike Hudson. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: As salmon season opens, a reminder of drought’s lasting effects
State agency orders studies of spillway safety at 93 dams across California: “Responding to the colossal failure of the Oroville Dam spillway in February, state regulators have ordered a detailed assessment of the spillways at 93 dams, including three dams that hold most of the water that supplies central and southern Marin County. Dams owned by the cities of Napa and St. Helena are also included in the “spillway re-evaluation program” announced last week by the state Division of Safety of Dams. Warm Springs Dam at Lake Sonoma and Coyote Dam at Lake Mendocino, cornerstones of a system that delivers Russian River water to some 600,000 Sonoma and northern Marin residents, are under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and not the state agency, which is part of the Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: State agency orders studies of spillway safety at 93 dams across California
Walls won’t save our cities from rising seas: here’s what will: “To some people, climate change seems like a problem only for future generations. But for residents of many coastal cities, the future is already here — in the form of rising sea levels and frequent, destructive floods. And the problem is only going to get worse. The latest research suggests that by 2100, up to 60 percent of oceanfront communities on the East and Gulf Coasts of the U.S. may experience chronic flooding from climate change. The fix for inundation might seem pretty simple: just erect tall seawalls and other barriers to keep the ocean at bay. But barriers can fail. Even when they don’t, they can have the unintended consequence of harming delicate coastal habitats and the animals that live in them. … ” Read more from NBC News here: Walls won’t save our cities from rising seas: here’s what will
In regional news and commentary today …
Madera County: Rogers uses new tech to grow crops: “Overlooking 175 acres of almond orchards that are utilizing advanced technology to irrigate and farm, sits a barn that was built in the 1870s. Tom Rogers and his brother Dan own the property that is a mix of the past and future of farming in California. The brothers inherited the property that was believed to be purchased by their grandfather in 1916. Yet, Tom Rogers credited his father for introducing his brother and himself to the benefits of technology being used to farm. “I give credit to our dad because he has had soil moisture probes since about, I think, the mid 80’s. So, I mean we have always looked at different ways of irrigating,” said Rogers. … ” Read more from the Madera Tribune here: Rogers uses new tech to grow crops
San Diego: Water officials want to pump up San Vicente Reservoir: “The San Diego County Water Authority wants to find somebody to develop an energy storage facility at the San Vicente Reservoir, nestled among the Cuyamaca Mountains near Lakeside. And officials are not only confident they can find a number of potential candidates willing to fully develop the project, they expect to entertain proposals in the range of $1.5 billion to $2 billion. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Water officials want to pump up San Vicente Reservoir
In Palm Springs, a fight over who controls the drinking water: “Deep beneath the desert east of Los Angeles is a Southern California treasure: a massive basin filled with fresh water. The aquifer has spurred development of the popular resort towns in the Coachella Valley, such as Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage. But it also lies underneath the reservation of a small Native American tribe that owns golf courses and casinos in the area. The Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians say the drinking water is partly theirs, and wants a stake in how it is used by public utilities. A yearslong legal battle over the issue could end up being taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall. … ” Read more from the Wall Street Journal here: In Palm Springs, a fight over who controls the drinking water
Along the Colorado River …
Judge hears arguments in Las Vegas pipeline fight: “Momentum and mitigation were two issues mentioned Monday by a federal judge who will decide whether environmental studies need to be redone for a massive eastern Nevada water pipeline proposed to draw rural water to serve thirsty Las Vegas tourists and residents. U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon showed with his questions to attorneys that he is weighing environmentalists’ warnings that the project would create dustbowls in valleys along the Nevada-Utah state line against Southern Nevada Water Authority assurances that if there wasn’t enough water, the state’s top water official wouldn’t approve the rights to pump. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Judge hears arguments in Las Vegas pipeline fight
Environmentalists fight giant water project for Las Vegas: “Groundwater pumped through a proposed water pipeline from central Nevada to Las Vegas could have permanent and devastating effects on water resources, opponents told a federal judge Monday. The Center for Biological Diversity and others want the federal court to stop the Bureau of Land Management from approving local plans to build a 263-mile water pipeline to Las Vegas. Monday’s hearing involved several motions for summary judgments, including dismissal. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Environmentalists fight giant water project for Las Vegas
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Incidental Take Permit issued for the California Water Fix; San Diego County Water Authority seeks review of MWD wheeling rates; LaMalfa, Garamendi urge funding for Sites Reservoir; Corps awards $19.5 million contract for Natomas levee construction
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Litigation trepidation. Alex Breitler has it; Cal Water Fix operations and costs; Fish, flows, and 5937; Sac Valley salmon; and more …
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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.
