DAILY DIGEST: Plan to pump more water from the Delta gets approved; Legal growers seek to change marijuana’s reputation for environmental damage; Rate dispute between water districts continues after court refuses to intervene; US, Mexico to share Colorado River water, shore up Lake Mead; and more …

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DAILY DIGEST
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In California water news today, Plan to pump more water from the Delta gets approved; Clogged tunnels? North Delta towns stay guarded after financial setback for twin tunnels; Fish fry: Endangered salmon pay for feds errors at Shasta Dam; Legal growers seek to change marijuana’s reputation for environmental damage; San Diego Water Authority loses long-running bid against arch-rival to lower water costs; Rate dispute between water districts continues after court refuses to intervene; U.S. and Mexico may be at odds, but they’ve reached agreement on managing the Colorado River; US, Mexico to share Colorado River water, shore up Lake Mead; Is it going to be a wet season? Weather experts give the latest forecast; and more …

On the calendar today …

In the news today …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

Plan to pump more water from the Delta gets approved:  “Federal fisheries regulators have approved a controversial plan opposed by environmental groups that would allow for more pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta this fall.  On Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed off on a proposal championed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and south state California water interests to ramp up Delta pumping starting next week.  “We believe this modification will help strike a balance between this year’s water needs for wildlife, agriculture and municipalities,” Paul Souza, the wildlife services regional director in Sacramento, said in a prepared statement. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Plan to pump more water from the Delta gets approved

Battle looms over Delta smelt and water use (article written prior to approval):  “California water users are asking federal officials to ease protections this fall for endangered fish that live in the Sacramento Delta.  Easing the rules designed to protect the Sacramento Delta smelt could allow for more water to be drawn out of the delta and have it sent south to farms and homes.  State water contractors are asking the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to adjust protections that require more fresh water to stay in the delta during the fall of wet years. The restrictions were put in place in 2008 to protect endangered delta smelt and other struggling fish species. ... ”  Read more from KPBS here:  Battle looms over Delta smelt and water use (article written prior to approval)

Clogged tunnels?  North Delta towns stay guarded after financial setback for twin tunnels:  “The water project that north Delta communities fear will end their way of life may have met its own ending, after the plan to finance it collapsed unexpectedly in a Central California boardroom last week.  News of the twin tunnels’ setback came September 20, when the Westlands Water District, which serves farms in Fresno and King counties, voted not to participate in financing its share of the $17 billion project. The WWD’s manager told the Sacramento Bee that signing on would cause too much monetary pain. The district was expected to pay roughly $3 billion. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento News & Review here:  Clogged tunnels?  North Delta towns stay guarded after financial setback for twin tunnels

Fish fry: Endangered salmon pay for feds errors at Shasta Dam:  “The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has blamed drought and technical failures at Shasta Dam for the second lowest return of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon in 20 years, but environmentalists say the federal agency has itself to fault.  Now, a species that historically consisted of hundreds of thousands of adult spawners each year in the Sacramento River is on the brink of extinction. Just 1,123 of the adult fish returned to the Sacramento River system to spawn in 2017, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  The population crash is hardly a surprise. … ” Read more from the Sacramento News & Review here:  Fish fry: Endangered salmon pay for feds errors at Shasta Dam

Legal growers seek to change marijuana’s reputation for environmental damage:  “Inside a warehouse in an industrial part of downtown Los Angeles, where rats can be as big as seagulls, the one thing standing between some aggressive rodents and a lucrative crop of cannabis is Ghost, a 2-year-old black and white cat.  What, no rat poison?  Ryan Jennemann, the co-founder of THC Design, the company growing the legal weed, doesn’t believe in it. For his Southern California cannabis farms he employs two rescued cats and dogs to deter rodents from chewing on the stalks of his crop, killing the plants. And his conservation mindset extends to other aspects of THC Design. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Legal growers seek to change marijuana’s reputation for environmental damage

San Diego Water Authority loses long-running bid against arch-rival to lower water costs:  “The San Diego County Water Authority has lost a major legal battle to reduce the price of San Diego’s water.  For years, San Diego water officials argued the region’s major supplier of water, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, charges too much to deliver water to San Diego from the Colorado River.  In 2015, a judge agreed with San Diego.  But over the summer, the 1st District Court of Appeal sided with Metropolitan, saying it was, by and large, charging a fair price. … ”  Read more from the Voice of San Diego here:  San Diego Water Authority loses long-running bid against arch-rival to lower water costs

Rate dispute between water districts continues after court refuses to intervene:  “The state Supreme Court Wednesday refused to intervene in an ongoing rate dispute between the San Diego County Water Authority and Metropolitan Water District, leaving in place an appellate decision that gives both sides a partial victory.  The Water Authority has sued the MWD, the primary water wholesaler in California, multiple times over costs, which are ultimately absorbed by San Diego County consumers. The California Supreme Court’s decision not to review an appellate court ruling was in one of three lawsuits.  The dispute arose after the Water Authority began importing water from the Colorado River as part of a strategy to diversify its supply. … ”  Read more from the Times of San Diego here:  Rate dispute between water districts continues after court refuses to intervene

U.S. and Mexico may be at odds, but they’ve reached agreement on managing the Colorado River:  “The United States and Mexico expanded a long-term agreement Wednesday that will allow both nations to continue using the Colorado River while also pushing more conservation efforts to ensure that water is available during droughts.  The nine-year deal, which expands on a 1944 water treaty between the two countries, would see the United States spend $31.5 million on conservation efforts in Mexico, according to water agencies that are familiar with the plan. That effort would, in turn, generate access to more water for about 27 million people in several states, including California, Nevada and Arizona. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  U.S. and Mexico may be at odds, but they’ve reached agreement on managing the Colorado River

US, Mexico to share Colorado River water, shore up Lake Mead:  “Officials from both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday signed a new water pact that brings Mexico in as a full partner on the Colorado River and could boost Lake Mead.  The historic agreement, known as Minute 323 to the Mexican Water Treaty of 1944, spells out how much Mexico would have to reduce its river use in the event of a shortage on the Colorado and how much extra water the nation would get in a surplus.  It also opens the door to more cross-border cooperation on water efficiency projects — including some paid for by the Southern Nevada Water Authority — that could help slow the declining water level in Lake Mead. … ”  Read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal here:  US, Mexico to share Colorado River water, shore up Lake Mead

Is it going to be a wet season? Weather experts give the latest forecast:  “Is it time to get out the rain boots? Not just yet, weather experts say.  Based on conditions shaping up in the Pacific Ocean, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s latest forecast calls for a 55 percent to 60 percent chance of a La Niña weather phenomenon during the next “water year,” which begins Oct. 1.  What that means for the San Joaquin Valley is the possibility of a dry winter in the central and southern parts of the region, according to a recent article in Discover Magazine. In the Pacific Northwest and areas of the Midwest, that means a wetter than normal water year. ... ”  Read more from the Fresno Bee here:  Is it going to be a wet season? Weather experts give the latest forecast

In commentary today …

Bad salmon runs a remnant of drought, says the Chico Enterprise-Record:  They write, “Even after a normal rainfall year followed by an extraordinary rainfall year, north state residents are learning this fall that the five-year drought lingers.  It’s like a cruel joke. With all the water, finally, many people expected decent runs of salmon on the Sacramento and Feather River systems the past two years. It’s not happening.  There’s a good and predictable reason for that. The fact is, there’s no such thing as instant gratification when it comes to the complex life cycles of salmon. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Bad salmon runs a remnant of drought

In regional news and commentary today …

A new movie hopes to save the Eel River, threatened by logging and marijuana industries:  “A River’s Last Chance is beautiful from the onset. Shane Anderson’s documentary opens with a montage of Northern California’s Eel River, speckled with salmon and wildlife. Wide shots of the river framed by forests and mountains are rendered through stunning cinematography.  The beauty of the river only makes the environmental damage at the center of the film more heartbreaking. A River’s Last Chance—Anderson’s latest collaboration with Portland-based environmental organization Pacific Rivers—tracks damage to the Eel. Three years ago, the river ran dry due to over-logging, over-fishing and a hydropower dam that disrupts salmon migration. One shot shows a salmon that’s reached the end of the river where it’s so shallow, the fish has to struggle to stay underwater. ... ”  Read more from the Willamette Week here:  A new movie hopes to save a California river threatened by logging and marijuana industries

Morro Bay Council picks new site for wastewater treatment plant:  “After nearly five years of juggling demands of residents, regulators and possible funding sources, the Morro Bay City Council on Tuesday narrowed its sights to one preferred location for its long-needed new wastewater treatment plant.  In a unanimous vote, the council selected roughly 15 acres of unincorporated San Luis Obispo County property near the intersection of South Bay Boulevard and Highway 1 over less expensive options closer to the ocean.  From here, things could start moving fast. The city’s now under the gun to meet a series of deadlines for environmental review to secure low-interest government loans dependent on having a project underway. … ”  Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here:  Morro Bay Council picks new site for wastewater treatment plant

Kings County ready to go to the mat over Kings Water Export Plan:  “You have heard that whiskey is for drinking and water for fighting over. Well, Kings County is ready for the next round in its face-off with Kern County’s Semitropic Water Storage District as the district seeks to build a reservoir near Kettleman City to capture Kings River floodwater and ship it out of the county.  This week the Kings County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to protest that plan – providing comments to the district’s EIR before the comment period closes Oct. 13.  The county resolution says the county is ready to oppose the project in court if need be. Supervisor Doug Verboon says he has helped collect some powerful allies in the coming battle to be played out in front of the State Water Quality Control Board in coming months. … ”  Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here:  Kings County ready to go to the mat over Kings Water Export Plan

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.

 

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