In California water news today, ‘All there in the files’: Oroville Dam investigators say inspectors missed clues; Water lifting concrete slab seen as cause of Oroville Dam spillway failure; Officials seek to quell doubts about Oroville Dam’s future safety; With drought restrictions long gone, Californians keep saving water; DWR adopts state flood plan update; The bad news is that fish are eating a lot of plastic. Even worse, they may like it; Billions are drinking water contaminated with plastic, and the US has it the worst, study finds; Palo Verde Irrigation District suing Metropolitan Water District over Colorado River water; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Resources Control Board will meet at 9:30am. Agenda items include an update on current hydrologic conditions, and a public hearing on a statewide definition of wetland and statewide dredged or fill procedures to waters of the state. Click here for the agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
- Yolo Bypass Salmon Habitat Restoration and Fish Passage Analytical Tool Independent Scientific Review from 8:30 to 5:15pm: The purpose of this review is to independently and externally evaluate the analytical tools for assessing the project alternatives being considered in the Draft Yolo Bypass Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration Program Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR). The goal is a scientific assessment of the tools and whether they use the best available science, the associated assumptions are being used appropriately, and to ensure results are appropriately interpreted for evaluating alternatives. This meeting will be available via Webex. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- CALIFORNIA WATER COMMISSION: The Delta’s history and ecology take center stage
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Report: Current water policies impacting the Central Valley create uncertain future for Valley ag communities; Corning Water District to assign water for refuges listed in the Central Valley Project Improvement Act
- THIS JUST IN … Oroville Dam Incident Independent Forensic Team releases second interim status memo; also latest video from Oroville
OROVILLE DAM INSPECTOR’S REPORT
‘All there in the files’: Oroville Dam investigators say inspectors missed clues: “There was no shortage of red flags at Oroville Dam. It was a matter of knowing where to look. A team of independent experts charged Tuesday that the state and federal officials who inspected Oroville Dam relied too heavily on visual inspections, ignoring blueprints, construction records and other documented clues that could have warned them about the dam’s troubled flood-control spillway long before it fractured in February. The fracture led to near-catastrophe and the evacuation of thousands of residents. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: ‘All there in the files’: Oroville Dam investigators say inspectors missed clues
Water lifting concrete slab seen as cause of Oroville Dam spillway failure: “Faulty design, construction and repairs of the main Oroville Dam spillway allowed water to seep under its floor and build up, lifting a concrete slab Feb. 7 into the water flowing down the chute, starting a chain of events that largely wrecked the structure. That’s the gist of an interim report by the Oroville Dam Spillway Incident Independent Forensic Team, which was set up to study the spillway failure. The board also said there were clues “in the files” that pointed out the spillway’s problems prior to its failure. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Water lifting concrete slab seen as cause of Oroville Dam spillway failure
Poor design, construction blamed in damage to California dam: “Bad design and construction of the tallest U.S. dam a half-century ago and inadequate state and federal oversight since then led to a disastrous spillway collapse in February, an independent national team of dam safety experts said Tuesday as they urged tougher safety reviews nationwide. The experts investigating February’s spillway failures at California’s Oroville Dam say the state probably could have detected the problems that led to the collapse if dam managers had assessed the original construction flaws in the 1960s-era structure in light of modern engineering standards. ... ” Read more from SF Gate here: Poor design, construction blamed in damage to California dam
Rules may have required tougher review at Oroville Dam: “Dam safety experts say federal regulations may require the kind of thorough review that could have caught safety problems at the nation’s tallest dam in California. Dam expert John France revealed the preliminary results Tuesday of an independent industry investigation into this winter’s spillway collapses at Oroville Dam. The collapses prompted the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. The experts say California could have caught the safety problems if dam managers had thoroughly reviewed problems with the original design and construction of the half-century old structure. ... ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Rules may have required tougher review at Oroville Dam
Report: Oroville Dam’s spillway never had a comprehensive review: “A team investigating the Oroville Dam spillway breach in February said it has not seen evidence that a comprehensive review of its construction and design has ever been conducted since it was built nearly 40 years ago. John France, leader of the independent team, said during a telephone press conference Tuesday that he hopes the Oroville Dam spillway failure will be a wakeup call for the dam safety community on how inspections and reviews are done going forward. “It will lead to changes in the way we are doing things and I think that is needed,” France told reporters. … ” Read more from the Record Searchlight here: Report: Oroville Dam’s spillway never had a comprehensive review
OTHER STATEWIDE NEWS
Officials seek to quell doubts about Oroville Dam’s future safety: “State officials are assuring the public that Oroville Dam will be safe in the future despite the lingering doubts of University of California experts about its integrity. Department of Water Resources officials have concluded that a patch of green grass that often appears on the face of the dam is the result of puddling from rain and not caused by seepage from the lake. An independent Board of Consultants convened to help guide the dam’s reconstruction in the wake of its spillway failure in February agreed with the department’s findings, said Erin Mellon, the DWR’s assistant director of public affairs. ... ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Officials seek to quell doubts about Oroville Dam’s future safety
With drought restrictions long gone, Californians keep saving water: “Good habits die hard, it seems, after five years of epic drought – for most Californians, anyway. The historic dry spell from 2012 to 2016 prompted many state residents to reduce their water consumption, as did strict regulations imposed by state agencies and individual water districts. Whether they wanted to or not, urban Californians reduced their use of the state’s most precious resource by about a quarter. Now, after mandatory conservation targets were lifted in April following a very wet winter, many Californians continue using less water than they were prior to the drought. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: With drought restrictions long gone, Californians keep saving water
DWR adopts state flood plan update: “The flooding catastrophe in Texas and along the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Harvey is a reality check for those living in flood-prone areas, including in California. Coincidentally, the day before Harvey caused such devastating flooding, on Aug. 25 the Central Valley Flood Protection Board—under the California Department of Water Resources—adopted the 2017 Central Valley Flood Prevention Plan Update. The update, required under the Central Valley Flood Protection Act of 2008, is meant to improve the Central Valley system of state and federal-backed levees. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: DWR adopts state flood plan update
NATIONAL NEWS
The bad news is that fish are eating a lot of plastic. Even worse, they may like it: “As you bite down into a delicious piece of fish, you probably don’t think about what the fish itself ate — but perhaps you should. More than 50 species of fish have been found to consume plastic trash at sea. This is bad news, not only for fish but potentially also for humans who rely on fish for sustenance. Fish don’t usually die as a direct result of feeding on the enormous quantities of plastic trash floating in the oceans. But that doesn’t mean it’s not harmful for them. Some negative effects that scientists have discovered when fish consume plastic include reduced activity rates and weakened schooling behavior, as well as compromised liver function. ... ” Read more from the Washington Post here: The bad news is that fish are eating a lot of plastic. Even worse, they may like it
Billions are drinking water contaminated with plastic, and the US has it the worst, study finds: “If you drink tap water, you’re probably also ingesting potentially dangerous microscopic plastic fibers. And you’re not alone: That’s likely the case for billions of people across the world, according to a new study from Orb Media. The study, conducted with researchers from the State University of New York and the University of Minnesota, tested 159 tap water samples from five different continents, according to Public Radio International. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Billions are drinking water contaminated with plastic, and the US has it the worst, study finds
In commentary today …
Governor Brown should block stormwater fee bill, says the Pasadena Star News (and others): They write, “A bill that would allow local governments to impose fees for stormwater projects without voter approval passed the Assembly by one vote and is now on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk. He should veto it. Senate Bill 231 by California state Sen. Bob Hertzberg, D-Van Nuys, redefines “sewer” to include stormwater, a semantic change with big implications for taxpayers and utility customers. Under Proposition 218, passed in 1996, local taxes and property-related fees require the approval of two-thirds of voters, except fees for water, trash and sewer services. Those can be imposed without a vote and can only be stopped if a majority of affected residents file a written protest by a set deadline. … ” Read more from the Pasadena Star News here: Governor Brown should block stormwater fee bill, says the Pasadena Star News (and others)
Coleman commentary about water tax was misleading, says Jennifer Clary: She writes, “John Coleman wrote a misleading and irresponsible opinion piece Aug. 27, accusing Sen. Bill Monning, who’s drafted Senate Bill 623, to assist disadvantaged communities with accessing safe drinking water, of imposing a stealth tax on people’s water bills. Coleman’s opinion cannot be allowed to stand in this publication without rebuttal. Above all, let’s recognize what’s at stake here. More than 300 communities and 1 million Californians are exposed to unsafe drinking water from the taps in their homes, schools and communities each year. Some families are paying as much as 10 percent of their monthly income for drinking water. For our health and our children’s safety, California needs to create a safe and affordable drinking water fund this year. Monning has called this a “pivotal time in our state’s history to do the right thing.” … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here: Coleman commentary about water tax was misleading
In regional news and commentary today …
California rates Napa’s Lake Hennessey dam in ‘fair’ condition: “The dam that safeguards the city of Napa’s water supply has come in one rung below the top rung in a state survey released in the wake of the near-disaster at Oroville Dam in March. Evaluators with the state Division of Safety of Dams listed Conn Creek Dam at Lake Hennessey in “fair” condition in the report, which the agency published Friday. The 125-foot-tall earthwork structure guards a 31,000-acre-foot reservoir that has formed Napa’s main year-round water source since its completion seven decades ago. ... ” Read more from the Napa Valley Register here: California rates Napa’s Lake Hennessey dam in ‘fair’ condition
San Diego County water board asks judge to toss suit over secret meetings: “The San Diego County Water Authority has asked a court to throw out a June lawsuit that aimed to open the door on private meetings long held by authority board members. A 245-page court filing submitted by the agency in July hits back at public-interest attorney Cory Briggs’ “unsupported” allegation that agency board members are holding secret meetings that should be opened to the public. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: San Diego County water board asks judge to toss suit over secret meetings
Odor advisory issued due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide at Salton Sea: “The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued an odor advisory through Tuesday evening after detecting hydrogen sulfide concentrations at 53 parts per billion Monday morning in the Mecca area, which is downwind from the Salton Sea. Those numbers exceeded the state standard of 30 parts per billion. … ” Read more from Channel 2 here: Odor advisory issued due to elevated levels of hydrogen sulfide at Salton Sea
Along the Colorado River …
Palo Verde Irrigation District suing Metropolitan Water District over Colorado River water: “One of California’s largest Colorado River farm water districts is suing the state’s largest municipal water agency, charging that efforts to move farm water to cities are threatening the viability of agriculture in one of the oldest farming valleys on the river. The Palo Verde Irrigation District, in a suit filed last month in Riverside County Superior Court, is charging the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California with “thinly veiled attempts” to turn agricultural land it owns in the Blythe Valley into “water farms” by placing water consumption limits and fallowing requirements on the land in order that water from the parcels could be moved to use in Southern California’s coastal cities. … ” Read more from John Fleck at the Inkstain blog here: Palo Verde Irrigation District suing Metropolitan Water District over Colorado River water
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- CALIFORNIA WATER COMMISSION: The Delta’s history and ecology take center stage
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Report: Current water policies impacting the Central Valley create uncertain future for Valley ag communities; Corning Water District to assign water for refuges listed in the Central Valley Project Improvement Act
- THIS JUST IN … Oroville Dam Incident Independent Forensic Team releases second interim status memo; also latest video from Oroville
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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.
