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In California water news today, The Sierra ‘snow line’ seems to be moving uphill – rapidly; Salmon hatchery partnership corrects wayward fall Chinook run; Southland tops north valley in water savings; ACWA Board of Directors votes to support water bonds; Where Westerners agree and disagree on key water issues; The vital role of wastewater managers in climate action; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
The Sierra ‘snow line’ seems to be moving uphill – rapidly: “If you make the winter run to Tahoe on a regular basis, it might seem like you’ve had to go farther up the hill to find snow in recent years. Some scientists say it’s not your imagination. Researchers have been keeping their eyes on the “snow line,” the point of elevation where rain turns to snow (or vice versa) during winter storms in the northern Sierra. What they found is that warming temperatures have pushed that level uphill by 1,200-to-1,500 feet in recent years. ... ” Read more from KQED here: The Sierra ‘snow line’ seems to be moving uphill – rapidly
Salmon hatchery partnership corrects wayward fall Chinook run: “California may have experienced record rainfalls this past winter, but negative impacts due to the unprecedented five-year statewide drought continue for Chinook salmon produced at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery. In a unique partnership that hasn’t been utilized in 40 years, the state of California has stepped in to help out. The Coleman hatchery, located in Anderson, California is the only federally operated fish hatchery in the state with an annual production of 12 million fall-run salmon smolts that are typically released into nearby Battle Creek each spring. This allows them to complete the imprinting cycle during their outmigration to the ocean. … ” Read more from the Red Bluff Daily News here: Salmon hatchery partnership corrects wayward fall Chinook run
Southland tops north valley in water savings: “Water conservation numbers for September have been released, and they show a dramatic swing in regional savings. The Sacramento River drainage, which usually has one of the highest conservation rates in the state, saved just 9.1 percent compared to September 2013, the pre-drought benchmark year. On the other hand the South Coast, which usually lags in water savings, reported 17.2 percent savings. Statewide savings were 14.9 percent, according to the State Water Resources Control Board. That amounted to 96,322 acre-feet saved compared to September 2013. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Southland tops north valley in water savings
ACWA Board of Directors votes to support water bonds: “The ACWA Board of Directors on Nov. 17 voted unanimously to support two general obligation bonds that likely will appear before California voters in 2018. The bonds would fund an array of water-related projects intended to bolster the state’s water system and prepare for climate change. “ACWA enthusiastically supports these bonds which, if approved by voters, would provide critical funding for water management projects ranging from recycled water technologies to groundwater management to flood protection and investments in watersheds,” said ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: ACWA Board of Directors votes to support water bonds
Where Westerners agree and disagree on key water issues: “What do Westerners think about water issues? What worries them? What policies do they support? Where is there consensus and division? To answer these questions, the Water Foundation recently commissioned a wide-ranging public opinion survey of voters in 12 Western states. The poll covered diverse topics, including general awareness of water issues, opinions on policy measures, perceptions about the value of water, and beliefs about both weather and climate change. To learn more about the poll’s motivation, findings and implications, I recently interviewed Water Foundation chief executive Wade Crowfoot. … ” Continue reading at Water Deeply here: Where Westerners agree and disagree on key water issues
The vital role of wastewater managers in climate action: “When we talk of “emissions” we tend to think of carbon dioxide, factory smokestacks and vehicle exhaust pipes but rarely do we think of water. But with the clock ticking and temperatures rising, wastewater utilities from Jordan and Mexico to Peru and Thailand are now increasingly motivated to go after their own emissions given that methane is a staggeringly potent greenhouse gas. You can’t see it, smell it, or taste it and it doesn’t last long in the atmosphere. But in a twenty-year span, methane has proven 85 times more successful at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. In fact, scientists now estimate that methane causes a quarter of all global warming. ... ” Read more from the International Water Association here: The vital role of wastewater managers in climate action
In regional news and commentary today …
Sonoma County faces heightened risk of landslides after fires: “As winter approaches, and with it the rainy season, North Bay officials are concerned that hillsides scorched by wildfires could be vulnerable to mudslides and debris runoff. “The danger is that we are anticipating a second disaster, which is flooding and horrible landslides,” said Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, whose 4th District covers parts of the burned areas. The Tubbs Fire, which burned 36,807 acres, according to Cal Fire, started in the upper Napa River watershed and reached watersheds that drain into the Russian River and Putah Creek. ... ” Read more from KQED here: Sonoma County faces heightened risk of landslides after fires
BLM and USGS to drill groundwater monitoring well near Mammoth Lakes: “Crews working for the U.S. Geological Survey Research Drilling Unit are anticipated to begin work on a groundwater monitoring well in the northwest portion of the Mammoth Mountain RV Park in Mammoth Lakes, during the week of Nov. 27. Drilling operations will run up to 12-hours per day, seven days per week, for about two weeks. The work is being conducted under an agreement with the Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office. … ” Read more from YubaNet here: BLM and USGS to drill groundwater monitoring well near Mammoth Lakes
Mayor Garcetti lifts the Owens Valley emergency declaration: “Mayor Eric Garcetti (Tuesday) lifted the emergency declaration he initiated in March to protect the lands and communities near the Los Angeles Aqueduct from flooding created by record snowpack in the Eastern Sierra. The declaration helped the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) respond to the threat by triggering special City rules that allowed the utility to quickly contract for the goods and services it needed. As a result of Mayor Garcetti’s Declaration, and effective collaboration with the Inyo County Emergency Preparation team, LADWP was able to keep local residents safe, avert costly damage to property along the aqueduct, and minimize the deluge by feeding much of it into the groundwater supply. ... ” Read more from the Sierra Wave here: Mayor Garcetti lifts the Owens Valley emergency declaration
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.
