DAILY DIGEST: Santa Clara Valley Water District votes on Cal Water Fix; Governor vetoes water rights bill; State Board’s proposed water plan brings statewide impact; Rising seas: What you need to know about the danger lapping at California’s shores; and more …

In California water news today, Santa Clara Valley Water District rejects Jerry Brown’s twin Delta tunnels plan; Brown administration says it’s willing to consider one tunnel approach to Delta tunnels project; Governor vetoes water rights bill; State Board’s proposed water plan brings statewide impact; Rising seas: What you need to know about the danger lapping at California’s shores; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The California Water Commission meets this morning at 9:30am. Agenda items include Consideration of water loss audit reporting regulations, a panel on integrated water management, and presentation of the validation of completeness and basic eligibility for Water Storage Investment Program projects.  For the complete agenda, click here.

In the news today …

Santa Clara Valley Water District rejects Jerry Brown’s twin Delta tunnels plan:  “In a landmark vote closely watched across California, Silicon Valley’s largest water agency on Tuesday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion plan to build two giant tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  By a vote of 7-0, the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board of directors chose instead to adopt a set of principles endorsing a significantly smaller, less costly project — with just one tunnel.  “What magnitude of project makes sense?” asked board member Barbara Keegan. “From our perspective that looks to be something less than originally was envisioned.”  “It’s clearly going to be a smaller project than what was originally proposed,” said board member Gary Kremen. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Santa Clara Valley Water District rejects Jerry Brown’s twin Delta tunnels plan

Brown administration says it’s willing to consider one tunnel approach to Delta tunnels project:  “Silicon Valley’s water district Wednesday rejected Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to build twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta but said it would support a smaller, less expensive project. A top state official said the Brown administration is willing to consider such an approach.  The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board voted 7-0 to give the Delta plan “conditional support,” but only if it involves one tunnel instead of two. The board’s vote indicated the district would be willing eventually to commit more than $200 million to the project. That’s well below the $600 million or more in support it had been considering.  “It’s clearly going to be a smaller project than what was originally proposed,” said board member Gary Kremen. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Brown administration says it’s willing to consider one tunnel approach to Delta tunnels project

Governor vetoes water rights bill:  “All seemed to be going well for Assemblyman Adam Gray’s water rights legislation, Assembly Bill 313, which in September received final approval on the last day of the legislative session – the next-to-last step toward becoming law – until Monday, when the bill was vetoed by Governor Jerry Brown.  Upon hearing that his bill had been vetoed, Gray expressed frustration and disappointment for what he believes could have fixed a broken system. According to Gray, state agencies often treat water rights issues unfairly and act with unchecked power. … ”  Read more from the Turlock Journal here:  Governor vetoes water rights bill

State Board’s proposed water plan brings statewide impact:  “In a proposal that would set precedents for other water-quality programs in California, the State Water Resources Control Board has released a revised draft order for the East San Joaquin River watershed that farmers and their representatives find problematic. Farm groups said the proposal discounts progress farmers have made in protecting water quality and would add layers of reporting that would complicate their efforts at additional environmental protection.  “Farmers and ranchers want to do the right thing to assure water quality,” California Farm Bureau Federation Associate Counsel Kari Fisher said. “After all, farmers live in rural areas and depend on safe water supplies for themselves and their families. However, burdensome regulations and red tape won’t necessarily lead to improved water quality. That will simply make it more complicated for farmers to do their part.” … ”  Read more from Ag Alert here:  State Board’s proposed water plan brings statewide impact

Rising seas: What you need to know about the danger lapping at California’s shores:  “As glaciers melt and oceans warm, experts say the Pacific waters surrounding California are now rising 30 to 40 times faster than in the last century. The surge—driven by global climate change—will gobble up beachfront and overwhelm coastal cities. A recent U.S. Geological Survey report estimated that up to two-thirds of Southern California beaches could vanish within this century.  No stretch of the state’s 3,400 miles of coast, bays, inlets and islands will be spared. Inland areas will flood more regularly and more deeply, as warmer waters spawn more intense storms and the swollen sea pushes farther onshore, unimpeded. Erosion from more powerful waves already is working away at bridge footings, undermining spans that are critical to transportation corridors, which themselves are strung along the California coast. ... ”  Read more from Cal Matters here:  Rising seas: What you need to know about the danger lapping at California’s shores

In commentary today …

Poseidon desalination plant a super-costly, horrifically polluting bad water solution, says Terry Tamminen:  He writes, “In the wake of the drought, California has made tremendous progress on climate-smart water solutions. But even as communities are forging ahead with recapture and reuse projects, we are seeing a gold rush of corporate water projects designed to profit off drought fears. Poseidon’s Orange County desalination plant is a prime example.  This Wall Street water company and its lobbyists are using every trick in the book to sell their unnecessary and irresponsible project. That is because the billion-dollar boondoggle can’t stand on its own merits. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Poseidon desalination plant a super-costly, horrifically polluting bad water solution

In regional news and commentary today …

Tuolumne County supervisors support efforts to protect water supply, repair railroads:  “A wooden flume constructed in the 1850s that still serves as the only access to much of Tuolumne County’s public water supply could become a thing of the past.  On Tuesday, the Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported efforts by Tuolumne Utilities District to seek nearly $3 million for engineering a tunnel or pipeline that would bypass the vulnerable flume in the Stanislaus River Canyon.  “This is a really important thing,” said District 2 Supervisor Randy Hanvelt. “I applaud TUD for going after what I’ll call reliability of our water supply.” ... ”  Read more from the Union Democrat here:  Tuolumne County supervisors support efforts to protect water supply, repair railroads

Folsom Lake auxiliary spillway complete:  “The flood risk in the Sacramento metropolitan area is greatly improved now that a 12-year project to build a back-up spillway at Folsom Lake is complete.  Managers say the structure reduces the annual risk to a 1-in-200 chance, more than double the previous protection level.  The nearly $1 billion spillway was an unprecedented joint effort involving the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. ... ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here:  Folsom Lake auxiliary spillway complete

Monterey: Officials discuss how to handle looming water supply problems:  “Acknowledging the real possibility California American Water’s Monterey Peninsula desalination project could be delayed by litigation or other means, and miss critical state water board milestones, Peninsula water officials on Monday night considered their options to deal with the possibility.  During a joint meeting of the Peninsula mayors water authority and water management district boards, water district General Manager Dave Stoldt laid out potential scenarios if the desalination project is delayed further. Those included the potential for major water bill increases, penalties and rationing. Board members even suggested pursuing a possible lawsuit against the state water board or a local state of emergency declaration could be options. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Monterey: Officials discuss how to handle looming water supply problems

Still in drought, Ojai seeks new answers to water riddle:  “For the vast majority of California, the record-breaking, five-year drought is over, but some cities like Ojai in Ventura County are not so lucky. With its human-made reservoir, Lake Casitas, still at levels not seen in half a century, some locals have been asking, “Can the Ojai Valley run out of water?”  In a presentation on Sept. 14, Ojai activist and engineer Angelo Spandrio challenged a roomful of local residents to consider the consequences if the Ojai Valley, which has a population of 30,000, ran out of water.  Right now that seems unlikely. Lake Casitas is only 37 percent full, but according to Russ Baggerly, a board director with the Casitas Municipal Water District (CMWD), the area’s largest supplier, it holds enough water for about five years. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Still in drought, a California town seeks new answers to water riddle

LADWP files negative declaration on Five Bridges project:  “The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s controversial Five Bridges’ wells are back in the spotlight.  Last month, the department filed its Initial Study and Negative Declaration for a two-month monitoring test of W385R. The comment period ends October 23.   Inyo’s Water Department is still reviewing the Initial Study. … ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  LADWP files negative declaration on Five Bridges project

Pasadena vs. LA in a fight for purple pipe water:  “Two years ago this past summer, I spread the good word in this space about the possibility of using recycled water to irrigate the thirstiest part of Pasadena: The fairways and greens of the 36 holes of the Brookside Golf Courses in the Arroyo Seco.  As I noted at the time, that filtered water is currently held in a reservoir near Scholl Canyon Landfill in Glendale. It would be brought down into the Arroyo via the purple pipes that signify non-potable water in Orange County and other places that have gone ahead of us in this purely practical and even necessary endeavor, an effort that was derailed locally years ago when finicky people got unreasonably upset by the “toilet to tap” metaphor.  And the plan is — spoiler alert, was — to go way beyond west Pasadena. … ”  Read more from the Pasadena Star News here:  Pasadena vs. LA in a fight for purple pipe water

Project to protect Lake Perris dam from earthquake nearing end:  “Work to strengthen the Lake Perris dam so it can withstand a large earthquake is nearing completion and state officials could begin raising the water level next year.  Maggie Macias, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources, said this week that a project that began in October 2014 should be done by late winter or early spring.  After state dam experts inspect the site and determine if the work was done correctly, the water department expects to begin refilling the lake, Macias said.  “Presuming everything goes according to plan, it is highly possible that the reservoir can be safely returned to full operational capacity in 2018,” she wrote in an email. … ”  Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here:  Project to protect Lake Perris dam from earthquake nearing end

San Diego borrowing $1.7B for ambitious water recycling plan:  “San Diego launched on Tuesday its application for $1.7 billion in low-interest state loans to pay for an ambitious plan to boost the city’s water independence by recycling treated sewage into drinking water.  Seeking such loans will soften hikes in sewer and water rates San Diego officials say will be necessary to pay for the Pure Water recycling system, which is expected to be complete by 2035.  The loans are expected to carry interest rates of less than 2 percent, compared to about 5 percent for typical sewer and water projects that aren’t eligible for money from the state’s clean water revolving loan fund. … ”  Read more from U-T San Diego here:  San Diego borrowing $1.7B for ambitious water recycling plan

San Diego’s been losing a century-long battle against poop:  “San Diego’s battle against hepatitis A has focused new attention on a very old, very San Diego problem: feces.  It’s a battle the region has repeatedly lost. Excrement from the canyons in Tijuana and from our own toilets and streets has bedeviled the region since western civilization took up roots here.  Things had been looking up. Sewage spills are down ten-fold from 20 years ago. Litigious environmental lawyers who once haunted the city had moved on.  Then came the hepatitis A outbreak. ... ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego here:  San Diego’s been losing a century-long battle against poop

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• REACTIONS to Santa Clara Valley Water District vote on California Water Fix from Brown Administration, Restore the Delta, and Delta Counties
• BROWN BAG SEMINAR: Developing Tiered Environmental Flow Criteria Using a Functional Flows Approach for California Streams
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: State Water Board Adopts Environmental Standards for Cannabis Cultivation

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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.