In California water news today, How Trump’s pumping plan is dividing California over water – again; Idea of maximizing water deliveries takes a beating; Tough bar to clear for California water storage applicants; DWR says there was redundant power for spillway gates; Governor Jerry Brown defends blueprint for California’s future in final State of the State speech; State of the State: Absence of Oroville Dam, water infrastructure draws ire; Above average heat ahead for the West, may worsen drought; Trump’s infrastructure plan comes with a huge hole; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets beginning at 9am. Agenda items include an annual inspection briefing from DWR on the 2017 Inspection and Local Maintaining Agency Report, Update on the CVFPP Implementation. and Informational briefing on the roles and responsibilities of the Board’s enforcement process. Click here for more information.
- Brown Bag Seminar: Ecosystem Services in Delta Science: Ecosystem services and reserve selection from 12pm to 1pm: Dr. Butsic will describe the use of economic theory and methods to evaluate land use decisions. He will show how applications of these theories inform the selection of conservation reserves and the implications these strategies have on work in the Delta. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
How Trump’s pumping plan is dividing California over water – again: “They gathered this week at Sacramento’s federal building on Capitol Mall, carrying protest signs and vowing to resist the Trump administration’s plan to pump more of Northern California’s water through the Delta to the southern half of the state. The government “wants to suck our lifeblood dry,” said Noah Oppenheim, leader of a group representing commercial fishermen. An ally hoisted a sign that said, “Don’t pump the Delta to extinction.” Dania Rose Colegrove, a Hoopa Valley Tribe member, said the Trump proposal would suck more water from the Trinity River, a place her tribe considers sacred, to keep wealthy farmers’ crops growing hundreds of miles south. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: How Trump’s pumping plan is dividing California over water – again
Idea of maximizing water deliveries takes a beating: “The Bureau of Reclamation came to Chico Thursday to take input on a proposal to maximize water deliveries from the Central Valley Project, and for two hours a succession of speakers told them it was a bad idea. The meeting was nominally to get comments just on what the environmental studies for the proposal should look at, but most of the speakers objected to the basic idea of taking more water from the north to deliver to the San Joaquin Valley for what more than one speaker called “desert agriculture.” Rick Switzer compared the proposal to seeing how much more could be squeezed from an already dry sponge. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Idea of maximizing water deliveries takes a beating
Tough bar to clear for California water storage applicants: “The California Water Commission left dam and reservoir builders scratching their heads last week by sending all 11 applicants for water storage bond money back to the drawing board. The commission has a July deadline to award $2.7 billion of the state’s $7.5 billion voter-approved Proposition 1 water bond money earmarked for water storage. Water storage is the only category of the seven funded through Proposition 1 that has faced criticism around the pace that funding is being allocated, said Ellen Hanak, senior fellow and director of the Public Policy Institute of California’s Water Policy Center. ... ” Read more from Bond Buyer here: Tough bar to clear for California water storage applicants
DWR says there was redundant power for spillway gates: “The state Department of Water Resources now says there were “many redundant systems” to ensure the Oroville Dam spillway radial gates had power during February’s crisis. This comes after environmental groups voiced concern in an article published in this newspaper Wednesday about, seemingly, a lack of backup generators that would allow the department to control the gates even if crucial power lines went down. Radial gates at the top of the spillway allow for water releases. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: DWR says there was redundant power for spillway gates
Governor Jerry Brown defends blueprint for California’s future in final State of the State speech: “For a politician who winces at the L-word — “legacy” — Gov. Jerry Brown spent much of his State of the State address on Thursday defending the key projects and policies that will likely define his: the state’s beleaguered bullet train, his Delta tunnel plan and criminal justice reforms reducing California’s prison population. And he vowed to fight for the state’s controversial gas tax hike as a campaign to repeal it heats up. “California is setting the pace for the entire nation,” Brown said in his 16th and final State of the State speech. … ” Read more from the Mercury News here: Governor Jerry Brown defends blueprint for California’s future in final State of the State speech
State of the State: Absence of Oroville Dam, water infrastructure draws ire: “Locals were waiting for Gov. Jerry Brown to say something during his final State of the State Address about the Oroville Dam crisis and infrastructure. They were disappointed. And the lack of reference to the dam was a major criticism from officials. Assemblyman James Gallagher, Republican from Yuba City, said as Brown continued to laud the importance of the state infrastructure projects, he waited to hear some kind of mention of Oroville Dam or the evacuation that occurred almost one year ago. “Not even a mention of it,” Gallagher said. “About 180,000 people were evacuated from their homes – that could have resulted in something more catastrophic. This critical infrastructure is literally falling apart because of mismanagement.” … “Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: State of the State: Absence of Oroville Dam, water infrastructure draws ire
Above average heat ahead for the West, may worsen drought: “The rain, snow and gusty winds are expected to continue this weekend across many sections of the Northwest bringing another round of rain, snow and wind to the same areas affected by other storms this week. Further to the south dry and much warmer conditions are expected starting this weekend and extending at least into early next week. Here’s a closer look at what to expect across parts of the West. … ” Read more from The Weather Network here: Above average heat ahead for the West, may worsen drought
Trump’s infrastructure plan comes with a huge hole: “When President Donald Trump unveils his plan to beef up the nation’s infrastructure plan next month, it will include a crater-sized hole. The trust fund that pays for most federal highway and transit aid is forecast to go broke in about three years unless the government significantly scales back its transportation spending or comes up with more money. But Trump’s infrastructure plan is silent on the looming problem, an administration official familiar with the plan told The Associated Press. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the plan and spoke on condition of anonymity. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Trump’s infrastructure plan comes with a huge hole
In commentary today …
Options for Governor Brown’s Delta tunnel project look to be drying up, says the Riverside Press-Enterprise: They write, “Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion plan for two massive tunnels to move water under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta could be on the rocks. The governor’s office is reportedly holding talks with water contractors around the state to gauge support for downsizing the project to one tunnel at a cost of about $10 billion. But whether the smaller project would accomplish its goals or justify its cost remains unclear. Very little about the project known as California WaterFix is clear. A report by the state auditor last October expressed concern that “the state has not completed either an economic or a financial analysis to demonstrate the financial viability” of the twin-tunnel plan. ... ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here: Options for Governor Brown’s Delta tunnel project look to be drying up
In regional news and commentary today …
Pescadero Marsh: Fish enjoy a healthier, prosperous 2017: “In the wake of efforts to manage local watersheds, 2017 marks the first year in recent memory when sensitive fish populations didn’t perish in an annual “fishkill” event at Pescadero Marsh. “We’ve gotten to a point where there’s a culture of being willing to try things, with appropriate caution, even when we don’t have absolute certainty, and a recognition that there’s not only risk in taking action, but that there’s a risk in not taking action,” said Kellyx Nelson, executive director of the San Mateo Resource Conservation District. … ” Read more from the Half Moon Bay Review here:Pescadero Marsh: Fish enjoy a healthier, prosperous 2017
Santa Cruz: We must work together for water supply, say John Leopold, Tim Carson and John Ricker. They write, “Now, more so than ever, local agencies, organizations and residents are working together to address challenges of ensuring a reliable, safe and sufficient water supply to communities across Santa Cruz County. Our water supplies are locally derived and are limited and there is great advantage to shared management of those resources. For more than a decade, local water and resource agencies have jointly participated in integrated regional water management, an approach that promotes regional water self-sufficiency and the implementation of a broad portfolio of inter-related water management strategies. ... ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: We must work together for water supply
NOAA investigating massive sewage spill into Monterey Bay: “A federal investigation is under way to assess the potential damage from the discharge of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. On Thursday, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration special agent Don Tanner confirmed the investigation will be conducted into the incident involving the spill of up to 4.9 million gallons of untreated wastewater into the bay from the Monterey One Water treatment plant. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: NOAA investigating massive sewage spill into Monterey Bay
Sac State water quality data now available through smart phone scan: “After elevated lead levels were detected in Sac State drinking fountains, the university acted, testing and correcting problems with the fountains. But don’t take their word for it. Each fountain is equipped with a QR code sticker linking to the most recent water-quality test data. “One of our professors and his students measured water on campus, and found that some of them were considered above the EPA limit,” said Gary Rosenblum, chief risk officer at Sac State. “We responded by taking those out of service and replacing them and fixing them — and testing everything on campus — which leads us to this point now where we know all of our water fountains are below the EPA limit.” ... ” Read more from ABC 10 here: Sac State water quality data now available through smart phone scan
Mammoth Lakes: Update from USGS on MCWD, Ormat: “Earlier this week, we reported on the Mammoth Community Water District’s efforts to take a second look at environmental documents and the assumption of an impermeable barrier between the district’s water source and the deeper reservoir tapped by Ormat Technologies’ Casa Diablo IV project. District general manager Patrick Hayes maintains new data from U.S. Geological Survey call into question that barrier; Ormat’s Paul Thomsen called that data inadequate. … We received the following statement from Eric Reichard, the director for the USGS California Water Science Center ... ” Read more from Sierra Wave here: Mammoth Lakes: Update from USGS on MCWD, Ormat
Owens Valley: Information from Inyo/LADWP technical group: “Tuesday’s meeting of the Inyo County/Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Technical Group started with grim news on the snow pack—34-percent of normal—and ended with a continued stand-off on the Well 385 pump test. Here are the highlights: Aqueduct Manager Jim Yannotta introduced the concept of identifying water available for use at the County’s three landfill sites as Enhancement/Mitigation projects. “We’re not looking at taking water away” from other E/M projects, Yannotta assured the County. ... ” Read more from Sierra Wave here: Information from Inyo/LADWP technical group
Crews work around the clock to clean millions of pounds of debris after Montecito mudslides: “Rescuers have worked tirelessly in the weeks following the deadly mudslides in Southern California to clean the millions of pounds of mud and debris that buried the region. The mudslides followed shortly after an active month of wildfires in December. One in which the largest fire in California history raged: the Thomas Fire. The massive December wildfires left burn scars that increased the likelihood of mudslides. Heavy rain on Tuesday, Jan. 9, triggered powerful debris flows and flash flooding that wreaked havoc in the region. … ” Read more from Accu-Weather here: Crews work around the clock to clean millions of pounds of debris after Montecito mudslides
Los Angeles and the future of urban water: Erik Porse writes, “Los Angeles is a grand American urban experiment. It brings emerging ideas into the mainstream, sometimes for better, and sometimes for worse. In the early 20th century, it seemed fanciful to build a metropolis in a region receiving limited seasonal rainfall. But L.A. adopted the ideas of the time at grand scales. It built pipelines over hundreds of miles of rugged terrain to import water from the Owens Valley (1913), Colorado River (1939) and Northern California (1972). In a quest for growth, L.A. has always adopted new ideas to keep ahead. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Los Angeles and the future of urban water
We must not get distracted by new Salton Sea proposals, says Mark Johnson. He writes, “Two noteworthy items related to the Salton Sea were unveiled at the recent Southern California Energy Water Summit. First, the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership released a report entitled “Revitalized Salton Sea-Analysis of Potential Economic Benefits-December 2017.” The report basically says that the Coachella Valley will benefit (avoided loss of visitors) economically if the Salton Sea is revitalized at cost of $1.1 billion. Is this report getting valley residents and businesses primed for picking up the tab? I hope not. … ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: We must not get distracted by new Salton Sea proposals
Along the Colorado River …
Dust – not hot air – is making snow melt in the Rockies: “Dust particles, not rising air temperatures, are largely responsible for increased snowmelt in the Colorado Rockies, according to a new study from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. “It doesn’t matter at all how warm or cold it is, it only matters how dirty or clean the snowpack is,” said Thomas Painter, a research scientist at JPL and co-author of the study. Under normal conditions between 90 and 95 percent of the energy that’s absorbed by freshly fallen snow is from the sun, while only 5 – 10 percent is absorbed from the ambient air. Most of the solar energy is reflected back into the atmosphere by the highly reflective snow. … ” Read more from KPCC here: Dust – not hot air – is making snow melt in the Rockies
Precipitation watch …
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.
