In California water news today, There’s a multibillion-dollar hole in the Delta tunnels funding plan; Why disappearing Sierra Nevada meadows are bad news for water; California cities will flood, so why aren’t we ready?; Essay: What is a river in California?; More than just drains: recreating living streams through the suburbs; 10 things you need to know about the restoration economy; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Webinar: California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook from 11am to 12:30pm. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: ‘Twin tunnels’ plan in Delta not quite dead yet; California water project could cramp Colorado River plan; Cow feces and an E. coli scare: How a troubled water district points to a big California problem; and more …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for September 25
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Reclamation releases environmental assessment for Delta smelt outflow in October 2017; DWR releases new tool and statewide land use data; Feinstein: Cadiz could contaminate SoCal water supply, endanger health of millions
- OCTOBER CALENDAR EVENTS: Groundwater water rights, Water Smart Innovations, State of the Estuary, Negotiating enviro agreements, Riparian summit, Priorities for CA water; Delta and tributaries
There’s a multibillion-dollar hole in the Delta tunnels funding plan: “The decision by one of the state’s major water players to opt out of California’s $17-billion replumbing project was a surprise to many. The reasons for it were not. California WaterFix’s financing plans have assumed that the Westlands Water District and other agricultural districts would cover a large funding gap that has hung for years over the proposal to build two massive tunnels under the center of the state’s waterworks. The Westlands board uttered an emphatic no to that idea last week, voting 7 to 1 not to join a project the district has long supported. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: There’s a multibillion-dollar hole in the Delta tunnels funding plan
Why disappearing Sierra Nevada meadows are bad news for water: “Mountain meadows are starting to get some respect. For over a century, meadows were the first alpine environments targeted for development, grazing and farming, because they tend to be flat and packed with rich soil and nutritious plants. But we’re starting to understand that meadows have a much more important role to play for society at large. Meadows, it turns out, are water banks. As winter snows melt, the runoff flows into meadows, where deep organic soil holds the moisture like a sponge and then releases it slowly. This helps minimize downstream flooding during spring. Meadows release that runoff over a longer period, helping stretch valuable water supplies through the long, dry summer months. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Why disappearing Sierra Nevada meadows are bad news for water
California cities will flood, so why aren’t we ready? “After big natural disasters like Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, federal officials often tighten up flood protection standards. That’s what happened in California after Hurricane Katrina twelve years ago. But many flood-prone communities are still struggling to meet those standards, including Sacramento, one of the riskiest flood zones in the country. Some residents there nervously watched as the floodwaters rose in Houston. “One of our friends actually had to be evacuated out of the Woodlands,” says Cynthia Hextell of Natomas, a suburb north of downtown Sacramento. ... ” Read more from KQED here: California cities will flood, so why aren’t we ready?
Essay: What is a river in California? “What is a river? This is not a question we ask every day because it seems superfluous. Certainly, a river must be a flowing body of water of a certain size. Call it a river or a creek, but one way or another, flowing is the essential thing. Yet, what if a given river does not flow per se but is pushed and pulled mechanically? Or what if the flowing that defines a river is arrested and controlled through dams, canals and machine technology? What if the river no longer moves with inextricable desire towards a specific place like an ocean or a lake, but rather is widely dispersed into various uses? What if a river is wholly owned and apportioned the moment it comes out of the ground? Does all this change the essence of a river? Is it even still a river? These speculative questions, for which the arts are particularly well suited, assume real significance in a state like present-day California that depends entirely on technological control of rivers for its prosperity and very survival. ... ” Read more from BOOM here: Essay: What is a river in California?
More than just drains: recreating living streams through the suburbs: “Lot sizes and backyards are shrinking in Australia at the same time as building density is increasing. So we cannot afford to overlook the potential of existing – but neglected – spaces in our suburbs, like drains. In denser living environments, we will need new types of green and open space to meet the needs of residents. One such overlooked space is the urban water drainage system. As part of my research I’m examining the potential of a co-ordinated and integrated network of suburban streams. ... ” Read more from The Conversation here: More than just drains: recreating living streams through the suburbs
10 things you need to know about the restoration economy: “After Hurricane Sandy decimated Hoboken, New Jersey, the city started restoring marshes and turning vacant land into a “resiliency park” that will mop up at least 1 million gallons of floodwater. In so doing, it became part of a $25 billion “restoration economy” that directly employs 126,000 people and supports 95,000 other jobs, mostly in small businesses. That’s more jobs than logging, more than coal mining and more than iron and steel … The restoration economy evolved slowly over the past 40 years as states from New York to Colorado to California realized it was often more efficient to restore natural systems that protect coasts and manage water than it was to build substitutes from concrete and steel. The city of New York, for example, long has saved money on water filtration costs by paying farmers in the Catskills to restore natural grasses that absorb farm runoff, while Denver is funneling water utility fees into forests that store and filter water, and California uses meadows and streams to filter and store the water that feeds into its famous aqueducts. … ” Read more from Green Biz here: 10 things you need to know about the restoration economy
In commentary today …
History is repeating itself for Brown’s tunnel project, says George Skelton: He writes, “What Gov. Jerry Brown has been pitching as his California WaterFix is seen by many San Joaquin Valley farmers as a checkbook buster. History may be repeating itself. Hang around long enough and comets return. Brown is having the same problem he had 35 years ago trying to update the waterworks created in the 1960s by his father, Gov. Pat Brown. Many farmers think the price is too high and the benefits too low. And they’re not buying. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: History is repeating itself for Brown’s tunnel project
In regional news and commentary today …
Water board issues algae warning for Klamath River: “Due to dangerous levels of algal blooms in several areas of the Klamath River, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board is advising all swimmers, boaters, recreational water users and pets to stay out of the water until further notice. According to a press release from the North Coast Region, Cyanobacteria, commonly known as blue-green algae, has increased to dangerous levels in Copco and Iron Gate Reservoirs, as well as in the mainstem Klamath River from Iron Gate Dam to Walker Bridge and from Happy Camp to the estuary at the mouth of the Klamath River. ... ” Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate here: Water board issues algae warning for Klamath River
Potential water contamination in Trinity County caused by fires: “Ground and surface water may be contaminated due to the fires in Trinity County, health officials warn. That new report comes from the Trinity County Environmental Health Office. Officials believe that water in the areas of Canyon Creek and Trinity River could potentially be affected by the fire. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Potential water contamination in Trinity County caused by fires
Metropolitan Water District approves upgrades to Diamond Valley Lake monitoring: “The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will be upgrading the geodetic deformation monitoring system at Diamond Valley Lake. The board voted Sept. 12 to approve a $748,353.67 procurement contract to Allen Instruments and Supplies, while also authorizing the upgrades, finding the project categorically exempt from California Environmental Quality Act review and appropriating $1,900,000 for all aspects of the project. Diamond Valley Lake was completed in 2000, and it is the state’s largest surface water reservoir with a storage capacity of 810,000 acre-feet. The reservoir provides emergency storage in the event of a major disaster, carry-over storage to supply water under drought conditions and seasonal storage to meet annual demands of MWD member agencies. The lake was formed by the creation of three rock-filled earthen dams. … ” Read more from the Valley News here: Metropolitan Water District approves upgrades to Diamond Valley Lake monitoring
Groundwater threatens the future of March Air Force Base – a major employer, supervisor says: “What lies beneath March Air Reserve Base could threaten the future of one of the Inland Empire’s biggest employers, local officials warn. Groundwater levels under and around the base have risen to the point where it makes construction more expensive and could limit the base’s ability to handle certain aircraft, said Paul Jones, general manager of the Eastern Municipal Water District. In an emailed statement, a base spokesperson said that in the past few years, “We have observed a substantial increase in groundwater levels under the installation in spite of drought conditions.” … ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here: Groundwater threatens the future of March Air Force Base – a major employer, supervisor says
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for September 25
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Reclamation releases environmental assessment for Delta smelt outflow in October 2017; DWR releases new tool and statewide land use data; Feinstein: Cadiz could contaminate SoCal water supply, endanger health of millions
- OCTOBER CALENDAR EVENTS: Groundwater water rights, Water Smart Innovations, State of the Estuary, Negotiating enviro agreements, Riparian summit, Priorities for CA water; Delta and tributaries
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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.
