In California water news today, Once again, Southern California holds the key to a major Southern California water project; Maven’s Notebook taps into flood of California water data; Analysis scrutinizes Pure Water Monterey expansion potential; Modesto faces $165,000 fine for releasing wastewater into the San Joaquin River; Ventura County still in drought, lake shrinking despite rainy year; The Cadiz desert water project is facing a new hurdle; The water under Colorado’s Eastern Plains is running dry as farmers keep irrigating the ‘great American desert’; Scientists foresee major change in rainfall patterns across the US; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: LA city councilman wants Metropolitan to call off Delta tunnels vote; Water officials seek to improve forecasting of major storms; Why was the 2015-16 El Nino event so dry?; and more …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for October 9th
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: San Joaquin County Supervisors Respond to State Auditor’s Report Revealing Illegal and Questionable Actions in State’s Twin Tunnels Planning Efforts
- ANNOUNCEMENT: Sustainable Groundwater Management Program updates
- PUBLIC NOTICE: Army Corps, South Pacific Division announces final Mitigation Bank Enabling Instrument
Once again, Southern California holds the key to a major Southern California water project: “In 1960, the water barons of Los Angeles stood between Gov. Pat Brown and his dream of building a network of dams and canals to make the southern half of California bloom. He beat them – just barely, after weeks of public arm-twisting – and the State Water Project was born. Now Brown’s son, the current Gov. Jerry Brown, is calling on Southern California to support another massive water project – the Delta tunnels, a controversial plan aimed at fixing the system his father helped build. The difference this time is that Southern California has become heavily reliant on the State Water Project, is a leading advocate for the tunnels, and could be the lifesaver that keeps the younger Brown’s troubled project from utterly collapsing. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Once again, Southern California holds the key to a major Southern California water project
Maven’s Notebook taps into flood of California water data: “For many people involved in California water issues, the website Maven’s Notebook has become as important a resource as the water agencies themselves. Part blog, part news aggregator, part information hub, Maven’s Notebook is a passion project by one woman, Chris Austin. Now, Austin wants to provide a whole new level of information to her readers with the launch of her California Water Library. … ” Continue reading at Water Deeply here: Maven’s Notebook taps into flood of California water data
Analysis scrutinizes Pure Water Monterey expansion potential: “In a glimpse at the potential for expansion of recycled water for the Monterey Peninsula, testimony submitted to the state Public Utilities Commission last week suggested the Pure Water Monterey project’s capacity could be expanded by more than 60 percent at a cheaper rate than desalination before the Carmel River pumping cutback order deadline. It could even be more than doubled at less cost than desal, albeit a year after the deadline. … ” Read more from the Monterey County Herald here: Analysis scrutinizes Pure Water Monterey expansion potential
Modesto faces $165,000 fine for releasing wastewater into the San Joaquin River: “A state agency is proposing Modesto pay a $165,000 penalty for releasing roughly 755 million gallons of partially treated waste water into the San Joaquin River in March. The city released the waste water because its sewer system had been overwhelmed by storms and rising river water. Modesto officials are recommending the City Council on Tuesday approve paying the penalty. The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board issued the city in April a notice of violation for releasing the waste water in violation of its discharge permit. Modesto could contest the proposed penalty and ask for a hearing. But a city report says that would result in more legal costs and could bring a bigger penalty. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Modesto faces $165,000 fine for releasing wastewater into the San Joaquin River
Ventura County still in drought, lake shrinking despite rainy year: “In a sixth year of drought, Ventura County’s rivers and creeks got a small reprieve last winter, but not enough. Storms in early 2017 pushed rainfall totals above normal throughout Southern California. Hillsides turned green, water supplies got a boost and the county shook off the “exceptional drought” designation for the first time in years. But unlike most of the state, the drought in Ventura County hasn’t gone away yet. ... ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Ventura County still in drought, lake shrinking despite rainy year
The Cadiz desert water project is facing a new hurdle: “A state commission is throwing a new hurdle in front of Cadiz Inc.’s plans to turn a remote desert valley into a lucrative water source for Southern California. In a Sept. 20 letter to Cadiz, the State Lands Commission informed the company that its proposed water pipeline crosses a strip of state-owned land and therefore requires a state lease. The letter is the latest twist in the long, convoluted history of the politically connected company’s attempts to pump groundwater from its desert holdings 200 miles east of Los Angeles and sell it to Southern California cities. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: The Cadiz desert water project is facing a new hurdle
The water under Colorado’s Eastern Plains is running dry as farmers keep irrigating the ‘great American desert’: “Colorado farmers who defied nature’s limits and nourished a pastoral paradise by irrigating drought-prone prairie are pushing ahead in the face of worsening environmental fallout: Overpumping of groundwater has drained the High Plains Aquifer to the point that streams are drying up at the rate of 6 miles a year. The drawdown has become so severe that highly resilient fish are disappearing, evidence of ecological collapse. A Denver Post analysis of federal data shows the aquifer shrank twice as fast over the past six years compared with the previous 60. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise Record here: The water under Colorado’s Eastern Plains is running dry as farmers keep irrigating the ‘great American desert’
Scientists foresee major change in rainfall patterns across the US: “Unprecedented amounts of rain fell across Northern California last winter, ending a damaging drought that reached to the southern edges of San Diego County. The dramatic turnaround was highlighted by a series of powerful, river-like storms that might become more frequent in the future. That’s the thinking of many scientists, including Marty Ralph, director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Scripps researcher Alexander “Sasha” Gershunov. Ralph and Gershunov put the past and future in perspective during a discussion with the Union-Tribune. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Scientists foresee major change in rainfall patterns across the US
In commentary today …
Why Governor Brown’s tunnel plan may be doomed: The San Diego Union Tribune writes, “Gov. Jerry Brown’s bold $17 billion plan to build two gigantic 35-mile, 40-foot-wide tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to make it easier to move water from Northern California to Southern California and to stabilize the state’s water distribution system always seemed like a tough sell. Critics were far more energized than supporters. Then last month, a huge new obstacle emerged. That’s when the Central Valley’s Westlands Water District — the nation’s biggest irrigation district — came out against the project. It had been expected to pay nearly a quarter of the $17 billion cost. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Why Governor Brown’s tunnel plan may be doomed
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for October 9th
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: San Joaquin County Supervisors Respond to State Auditor’s Report Revealing Illegal and Questionable Actions in State’s Twin Tunnels Planning Efforts
- ANNOUNCEMENT: Sustainable Groundwater Management Program updates
- PUBLIC NOTICE: Army Corps, South Pacific Division announces final Mitigation Bank Enabling Instrument
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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.
