DAILY DIGEST: East Bay water board backs Delta tunnels project; How water bill was resurrected in legislature’s final hours; Proceed with caution on two-way trap and haul program, report advises; Gatorade promises not to badmouth water; Is the Colorado River a person? and more …

In California water news today, East Bay water board backs Delta tunnels project; Vote trading or compromise? How water bill was resurrected in legislature’s final hours; Disconnected salmon: Proceed with caution on two-way trap and haul program, report advises; California is using open data to provide key health and water information; Hunting for plastic in California’s protected ocean waters; ACWA presents findings of Water Storage Integration Study to California Water Commission; Uncertainty for Delta tunnel project as key water district backs out; On last day of summer, snow falling in the Sierra; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets this morning at 9am.  Agenda items include monthly report from DWR, an overview of the System Reoperation Study Phase III Report, and status of state and PL 84 99 2017 Storm Rehabilitation Sites.  Click here for the full agenda and webcast link.

In the news today …

East Bay water board backs Delta tunnels project:  “One day after the largest water district in America pulled out of a $17 billion state project to build twin tunnels under the Delta, a water supplier for 220,000 Alameda County residents supported the plan and said it wants to join in.  In a 5-2 decision Wednesday night, Alameda County’s Zone 7 Water Agency endorsed the California WaterFix , which proposes to build tunnels under the Delta as a means of making state water supplies more reliable for buyers like Zone 7.  The agency also agreed to commit up to $250,000 more toward state planning of the project. … ”  Read more from the East Bay Times here:  East Bay water board backs Delta tunnels project

Vote trading or compromise? How water bill was resurrected in legislature’s final hours:  “It was 11:59pm last Friday, and Assembly Bill 313 sat silently in the Senate Appropriations Committee, where it had slumbered untouched for weeks.  Less than three hours later, it had passed both chambers of the Legislature and was heading to the governor’s desk.  This is how the sausage is really made in the California Capitol. Or, more precisely: how a bill can go from its deathbed to the governor’s desk on the Legislature’s final night of session.  It’s a bill backed by water agencies and despised by environmentalists – and its passage was crucial to the fate of the four-billion-dollar parks and water bond.  ... ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here:  Vote trading or compromise? How water bill was resurrected in legislature’s final hours

Disconnected salmon: Proceed with caution on two-way trap and haul program, report advises:  “Wild salmon, historically, are born in rivers, swim to sea to live out their adulthoods, and find their way back to their freshwater spawning grounds to reproduce before dying.  But dams and other barriers to spawning grounds have disconnected that natural cycle, requiring fisheries managers to get creative to support salmon populations. It is now fairly common to transport salmon to and from spawning grounds by truck, boat, and even helicopter.  A report by the University of California, Davis, Center for Watershed Sciences and nonprofit California Trout assesses one such method of assisted movement over dams — two-way trap and haul — being proposed by federal agencies as a high-priority recovery strategy for chinook salmon populations in California. ... ”  Read more from the Sierra Sun Times here:  Disconnected salmon: Proceed with caution on two-way trap and haul program, report advises

California is using open data to provide key health and water information:  “In most California homes, access to drinking water is as simple as walking into the kitchen and turning on a faucet. The State Water Resources Control Board is working to ensure that water data in California is just as easy to find with a simple click of a mouse or swipe on a mobile phone.  A report by the nationally recognized Aspen Institute notes that much of the United States lacks the data needed to sustainably manage our water supplies and pursue innovative solutions to meet our water challenges. The report, “Internet of Water: Sharing and Integrating Water Data for Sustainability,” makes key recommendations for improving the accessibility of water data and engaging the public on issues important to them, like safe drinking water and water availability. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  California is using open data to provide key health and water information

Hunting for plastic in California’s protected ocean waters: “California’s marine sanctuaries protect ocean animals from fishing, underwater mining, and drilling. Yet scientists think a more insidious agent may be contaminating their territory: microplastics.  Microplastics include both microbeads—tiny plastic beads used as exfoliants in healthcare products—and minuscule synthetic fibers from clothing that are smaller than 5 millimeters.  Two years ago, Congress and the California legislature passed laws banning the sale of cosmetic products that contain microbeads. But the state ban doesn’t take effect until 2020. And the federal ban, which covers all states including California, doesn’t take full effect until July 1, 2018.  So these microplastics, which are too small for water systems to catch, have continued to flow straight into San Francisco Bay. … ”  Read more from KQED here:  Hunting for plastic in California’s protected ocean waters

ACWA presents findings of Water Storage Integration Study to California Water Commission:  “The California Water Commission on Wednesday heard from a panel of speakers on the benefits of integrated water operations and investments in 21st century water infrastructure. As one of the panelists, ACWA Director of Regulatory Relations Dave Bolland presented key findings from ACWA’s recent Water Storage Integration Study. Bolland also highlighted ACWA’s previous efforts to assist the development of the commission’s Water Storage Investment Program (WSIP). … ”  Read more from the ACWA’s Water News here:  ACWA presents findings of Water Storage Integration Study to California Water Commission

Uncertainty for Delta tunnel project as key water district backs out:  “A key water district says it won’t help pay for California’s $16 billion delta tunnels project. That raises questions for how the proposal to overhaul the state’s water system will move forward.  There are a few ways to read the ‘no’ vote from Fresno’s Westlands Water District. Some frame it as a blow against a massive state boondoggle. Others say it’s an opening bid -— a lot of agencies will consider helping fund the project, and Westlands might want to negotiate later on. ... ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here:  Uncertainty for Delta tunnel project as key water district backs out

On last day of summer, snow falling in the Sierra:  “Snow fell in the Sierra Nevada on the last day of summer, giving the towering mountain range shared by California and Nevada a wintry look in September and making travel hazardous.  Sixteen vehicles crashed on Interstate 80 as snow and hail fell Thursday, killing a man driving a pickup truck and causing minor injuries to a few other people, said California Highway Patrol Officer Chris Nave.  Snow dusted peaks in Yosemite National Park, briefly closing Tioga Pass road, the soaring eastern entry to the park that typically doesn’t become impassable until mid-November. Park rangers urged drivers to remain cautious after the road reopened. ... ”  Read more from ABC News here:  On last day of summer, snow falling in the Sierra

In commentary today …

Stop this huge carbon emissions polluter: Delta islands farming, says Jerry Meral:  “Sometimes the solution to a problem is staring us in the face. But we develop perspectives that blind us from seeing it.  Such is the case with the protracted debate over the sinking islands used for farming in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the related issue of how to protect the Delta and the state’s water supplies from the inevitable failure of the levees that protect the islands.  Due to oxidation of the organic peat soils of the Delta, farming on the islands has been one of the largest single sources of carbon emissions in California. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Stop this huge carbon emissions polluter: Delta islands farming

Finally a focus on on saving the great forests of the Sierra.  Is it too late? asks the Sacramento Bee:  “We Californians take for granted the great forests of the Sierra Nevada. It is where we ski and hike, and breathe fresh air, and it’s the primary source of our water.  It’s all at risk. Drought and bark beetle infestation are the proximate cause of death of more than 100 million trees in California since 2010. But the forests were weakened by climate change, combined with mismanagement that includes well-intentioned wildfire prevention efforts and logging in past decades of old-growth trees, which are most resistant to fire and disease. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Finally a focus on on saving the great forests of the Sierra.  Is it too late?

The myths used to endlessly delay the Cadiz water project, debunked:  Tracy Rafter Hernandez and Carlos Rodriguez write, “ …  For nearly a decade, the Cadiz Valley Water Conservation, Recovery and Storage Project, which will create a new water supply for 400,000 people and thousands of jobs, has followed the entire California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and approval process from start to finish — public comment periods, public hearings, board approvals and litigation, all of which concluded last year, when the 4th District Court of Appeal sustained every approval of the project and concluded that it could be operated safely and sustainably. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  The myths used to endlessly delay the Cadiz water project, debunked

In regional news and commentary today …

Governor candidate Villariagosa visits Fresno:  “Los Angeles former Mayor and Governor candidate Antonio Villaraigosa was in the Valley Wednesday.  He was here to see the progression of the high speed rail project and stopped at several Fresno construction sites.  He said the city is the most critical component to the trains success.  “It’s an opportunity to connect the two economic power houses of the state with a part of the state that needs to diversify it’s economy,” said Villaraigosa. … ”  Read more from KSEE Channel 23 here:  Governor candidate Villariagosa visits Fresno

Dam contract: Construction on Isabella Dam to start this year:  “The dam is getting fixed.  Construction on Isabella Lake Dam, which has lingered in the study, planning and environmental process for more than a decade, will begin this winter.  On Monday the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved a $204 million contract with a collection of Bay Area construction companies to build a new emergency spillway, modify the existing spillway, raise the height of the dam by 16 feet and adapt surrounding roads and recreation facilities to accommodate the remade dam. … ”  Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here:  Dam contract: Construction on Isabella Dam to start this year

Too much water recycling could dry up the LA River:  “You don’t have to think back too long to remember a time when people didn’t really think of the Los Angles River as a river – it was basically a concrete flood control channel. But in the last couple of decades, it’s been transformed in part due to a $1 million restoration effort. Now, sections of the river have become places for kayaking, biking and even horse-back riding.  Kayakers aren’t the only people with eyes on the LA River.  City planners have used a variety of water reclaiming methods, such as marshes, to “recycle” runoff river water. … ”  Read more from KPCC here:  Too much water recycling could dry up the LA River

Poseidon’s environmental plan doesn’t halt criticism of proposed desalination plant:  “Poseidon Water announced this week that its proposed ocean desalination plant in Huntington Beach would employ an environmental protection and energy efficiency plan. But that didn’t halt criticism of the controversial facility.  Poseidon said the plan includes several tactics aimed at reducing the environmental footprint of the $1-billion plant proposed at Newland Street and Pacific Coast Highway, including installing as many solar panels and purchasing as much “green” power as allowed by law. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Poseidon’s environmental plan doesn’t halt criticism of proposed desalination plant

Leonardo di Caprio Foundation gives $100,000 towards pollution monitoring at the Salton Sea:  “A nonprofit group’s efforts to monitor windblown dust around the Salton Sea is getting a boost from the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, which is providing a $100,000 grant to support the group’s expanding network of air pollution monitors.  The nonprofit Comité Cívico Del Valle has already set up about 40 air monitoring devices between the U.S.-Mexico border and the Salton Sea, aiming to fill in gaps in data collected by government agencies while bringing communities real-time reports assessing air quality at a neighborhood level. ... ”  Read more from The Desert Sun here:  Leonardo di Caprio Foundation gives $100,000 towards pollution monitoring at the Salton Sea

Along the Colorado River …

Is the Colorado River a person? A green group is asking for that designation:  “The Colorado River, which originates in Colorado, provides water to seven states and Mexico, and it should have rights of its own, according to a soon-to-be-filed federal lawsuit.  The lawsuit seeks status for the river as a person.  Colorado Springs has a huge stake in the Colorado River, as its Homestake Reservoir is located in the Colorado River Basin and supplies a significant amount of water to the city.  Here’s a release about the lawsuit: … ”  Read more from the Colorado Springs Independent here:  Is the Colorado River a person? A green group is asking for that designation

And lastly …

Gatorade pays California $300,000; promises not to badmouth water:  “Just because drought-ravaged California has spent years urging residents to conserve water doesn’t mean it wants people to actually stop drinking the stuff.  When a Gatorade cellphone game suggested doing just that state Attorney General Xavier Becerra filed a complaint accusing the popular thirst-quenching drink’s maker of false advertising.  By Thursday — less than a day after Becerra’s complaint — the issue was water under the bridge: Gatorade quickly reached a settlement in which it agreed to pay $300,000 and promised not to badmouth water. The company admitted no wrongdoing. … ”  Read more from the Ledger-Enquirer here:  Gatorade pays California $300,000; promises not to badmouth water

Friday flight over Oroville …

Structural concrete is cooled by liquid nitrogen to around 55 degrees and poured in the upper spillway. The crew hydroseeds around the spillway. The form is removed from the new lower spillway wall and coated with a concrete curing compound. RCC continues to be laid between the upper and lower chutes of the spillway.

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Sacto Suburban water district wins award for sustainability; Study: More local water for Los Angeles could mean a drier Los Angeles River; Two major U.S. water-efficiency organizations to form partnership; Weekly water and climate update
• CALIFORNIA WATER FIX: News and reactions from Delta Counties, Friant Water Authority

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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.