DAILY DIGEST: February has been bone dry: Has drought returned to California?; Study: Cloud seeding really does work to artificially induce snowfall; Environmental company to clean ‘Great Garbage Patch’ from Alameda; 5 things to know about the plan to ship water to Southern California; and more …

In California water news today, February has been bone dry: Has drought returned to California?; Study: Cloud seeding really does work to artificially induce snowfall; Environmental company to clean ‘Great Garbage Patch’ from Alameda; 5 things to know about the plan to ship water to Southern California; Brown cuts Delta tunnels from 2 to 1 to help get project built; Citizen scientists helping protect water quality and measure impact of climate change; and more …

In the news today …

February has been bone dry: Has drought returned to California?  “Weather experts spent much of this winter cautiously optimistic. There were still weeks to go in the wet season and the reservoirs were full, thanks to last winter’s near record-breaking rain and snow.  Now, even the professionals are getting more than a little nervous. There have been weeks of hardly any rain. The Sierra Nevada has received record-low amounts of snow. Meanwhile, the calendar is flipping ever closer to California’s blast furnace dry season.  “The outlook isn’t good,” said David Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys with the Department of Water Resources. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  February has been bone dry: Has drought returned to California?

Study: Cloud seeding really does work to artificially induce snowfall:  “Cloud seeding has become big business worldwide as a means to boost water supplies. Utilities and governments spend tens of millions of dollars on the process, which is especially common in Western states that rely on winter snowpack to meet year-round water demand.  The basic process involves spraying silver iodide from a plane as it flies through storm clouds. The silver iodide induces moisture in the cloud to form ice crystals, which then (hopefully) fall out as snow. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Study: Cloud seeding really does work to artificially induce snowfall

Environmental company to clean ‘Great Garbage Patch’ from Alameda:  “An innovative system aimed at sweeping up the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” — a massive vortex of plastic drifting between California and Hawaii — will be launched from Alameda later this year.  The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit headquartered in the Netherlands, will use a floater attached to a screen under the water, which if all goes according to plan will concentrate the debris and allow it to be collected.  An anchor will be suspended below the equipment at about 2,000 feet, making the system move with the Pacific Ocean’s current slower than the debris and so easier to gather up. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Environmental company to clean ‘Great Garbage Patch’ from Alameda

What drought? Seven California cities where water use is up:  “My, how quickly we forget.  It didn’t take some Californians long to drop those water-conservation habits they had honed so well during the state’s last drought, which dragged on from December 2011 to March 2017. You would think that a weather catastrophe that, among other things, killed 102 million trees in the Golden State, would have left an enduring memory that would change our water-wasting ways forever.  Nope. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  What drought? Seven California cities where water use is up

5 things to know about the plan to ship water to Southern California:  “Earlier this week, KPCC learned Southern California’s largest water importer, the Metropolitan Water District, was considering more than doubling its investment in a plan to reconfigure how supplies are diverted from one of the region’s most important sources of water: the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta just east of San Francisco.  Three MWD board members have floated the idea of spending an additional $6 billion to revive a plan to build two giant tunnels under the delta. The idea behind the plan, called the California WaterFix, is to minimize disruptions to water deliveries to Southern California when there isn’t enough water in the delta to sustain its ecosystem. ... ”  Read more from KPCC here:  5 things to know about the plan to ship water to Southern California

Brown cuts Delta tunnels from 2 to 1 to help get project built:  “Gov. Jerry Brown has reduced the California Water Fix hardware from two tunnels to one, in an effort to save $5.6 billion for the state’s water agencies, which are supposed to pay the full cost of the fix.  The new Department of Water Resources (DWR) Director, Karla Nemeth, made the announcement Feb. 7 in Sacramento. Nemeth formerly worked on the staff of Zone 7 Water Agency, and represented Zone 7 in previous discussions of the Delta plans, before joining the California Department of Natural Resources.  The Delta Fix also includes money for shoring the Delta levees and helping Delta ecology. ... ”  Read more from the Livermore Independent here:  Brown cuts Delta tunnels from 2 to 1 to help get project built

Citizen scientists helping protect water quality and measure impact of climate change:  “Researchers today are turning to the community more often in their work to make use of citizen scientists, dedicated volunteers in the community who want to get involved in scientific research. Two recent examples from Michigan, the Oakland County Healthy Lake Initiative and a study concerning botulism deaths of waterfowl on Lake Michigan, prove how effective these collaborations can be. … ”  Read more from Environmental Monitor here:  Citizen scientists helping protect water quality and measure impact of climate change

In commentary today …

Water savings aren’t coming without rules, says the Chico Enterprise-Record:  They write, “We’re glad to see the state government is finally realizing Californians just aren’t going to save water merely because it’s the right thing to do.  The signs of a dry winter have been piling up for months, and yet the statewide water saving rate has continued to decline.  It’s been going that way since the Water Resources Control Board decided last spring to let the state’s water providers set their own conservation targets, and virtually all of them choose zero. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Water savings aren’t coming without rules

Dreading ‘Day Zero’ as California drought resumes, says the OC Register:  They write, “On hearing that Day Zero just got pushed back a couple of months, the casual news consumer might be forgiven for confusing this with a bulletin from the Doomsday Clock scientists who predict the likelihood of worldwide nuclear devastation.  But no, that metaphorical clock is still set at two minutes to midnight.  Day Zero is the coming time when Cape Town, South Africa will essentially run out of municipal water for its 4 million residents — and for the visitors, too, who have long flocked to the beautiful, cosmopolitan city with a Mediterranean climate startlingly like our own. ... ”  Read more from the OC Register here:  Dreading ‘Day Zero’ as California drought resumes

In regional news and commentary today …

Tribes seek higher water levels for Upper Klamath:  “The Klamath Tribes, in anticipation of drought conditions this summer, have filed a 60-day notice of their intention to file a lawsuit against federal agencies, seeking higher water levels on Upper Klamath Lake for protection of two endangered sucker species.  A draft 60-day notice was issued Friday by the Klamath Tribes to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and National Marine Fisheries Service, a required action prior to any lawsuit filing under the federal Endangered Species Act. … ”  Read more from the Herald and News here:  Tribes seek higher water levels for Upper Klamath

Butte County: Nimshew residents face challenges due to dry ditch:  “A dry winter is contributing to severe water delivery issues for eight Nimshew Road residences.  They get water from the Upper Centerville Canal, a man-made, earthen waterway controlled by PG&E.  The canal, formerly called the Old Cherokee Ditch, was originally built in 1871 to convey water to the Cherokee hydraulic mines. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Nimshew residents face challenges due to dry ditch

After environmental lawsuit, St. Helena agrees to bypass more water into creek:  “The St. Helena City Council on Tuesday approved a short-term plan to bypass more water from Bell Canyon Reservoir into Bell Creek, in response to a lawsuit claiming that the city has degraded fish habitat in the creek by historically capturing too much water in the reservoir.  The council also approved contracts to install equipment measuring how much water the city diverts from Bell Creek, and to conduct studies that will lay the groundwork for a permanent bypass plan within the next 12 to 18 months. … ”  Read more from the St. Helena Star here:  After environmental lawsuit, St. Helena agrees to bypass more water into creek

NID: Low rating on application funding for Centennial Dam ‘well deserved’:  “The Nevada Irrigation District won’t appeal a low rating given to its application in pursuit of state funds for the proposed Centennial Dam, the district’s board of directors decided Wednesday.  Board members agreed with the California Water Commission staff’s initial assessment of the project, which predicted the reservoir wasn’t qualified for any state money based on the requirements of the grant NID applied for.  The Water Storage Investment Program, which is overseen by the Water Commission, funds portions of water storage projects based on the public benefits they provide. Those projects are required to benefit the delta or its ecosystems in order to qualify for program money. … ”  Read more from The Union here:  NID: Low rating on application funding for Centennial Dam ‘well deserved’

Folsom’s strategy for growth, like that of many cities, reroutes conserved water ­— but residents say that plan caught them off guard: “When Folsom residents endorsed the expansion of their city more than a decade ago, it was unclear just how developers would find water to supply new homes and businesses. Ironically, state-mandated conservation imposed in response to drought provided what has become a controversial solution.  Directed by the state Legislature in 2009 to reduce water use by 20 percent, the City of Folsom came up with a plan that would both meet that conservation target and give a group of six landowners the critical water they needed to grow the city south of Highway 50. … ”  Read more from Comstocks Magazine here:  Folsom’s strategy for growth, like that of many cities, reroutes conserved water ­— but residents say that plan caught them off guard

San Joaquin: Water may flow after Feb. 26:  “The first water to irrigate South County orchards and farmlands will likely start flowing through South San Joaquin Irrigation District canals between Feb. 26 and March 5.  The SSJID board authorized Chairman Dale Kuil to make the call after consulting with staff on the progress of critical infrastructure work including in takes at Woodward Reservoir for the treatment plant supplying water to Manteca, Lathrop, and Tracy. The SSJID stressed Wednesday that no definite decision on the start of irrigation has been made. … ”  Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here:  Water may flow after Feb. 26

Selma: Water facility installation completed:  “Officials with the California Water Service say they’ve completed installation on a water treatment facility in time to meet the January 2018 compliance deadline.  The state set new standards for trichloropropane this past summer and Cal Water staff have since then been working to install granular-activated carbon treatment facilities at one of its impacted groundwater wells in Selma.  The state requires that there be a maximum contaminant level of 5 parts per trillion of TCP. TCP is a man-made organic chemical used mostly as a soil fumigant until the 1980s. It seeped into some groundwater supplies, including those in Cal Water’s Selma service area, as well as into water supplies in the Bakersfield, Visalia, South San Francisco, Stockton and Chico service areas. … ”  Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here:  Selma: Water facility installation completed

Tulare County: GSAs lay groundwork for sustainability plan: “Politics came to an end over the Kaweah Sub-basin last June. Cities, counties, water authorities, irrigation districts and everyone else of the like chose what groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) they were going to be a part of. Now they have to answer the question: What will it take to make the over-drafted Kaweah Sub-basin sustainable?  All three GSAs in the Kaweah Sub-basin are already hard at work figuring out that answer. Together members of the Mid Kaweah GSA, Greater Kaweah GSA and East Kaweah GSA span the Kaweah Sub-basin. Since forming their individual GSAs they entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Mark Larsen, coordinator of the Greater Kaweah says entering into the MOU allows them to concentrate their efforts and define some key details about the sub-basin. ... ”  Read more from the Foothills Sun Gazette here:  GSAs lay groundwork for sustainability plan

US EPA funding to state for Pure Water Monterey project:  “More than half of a $173.5 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency award to California for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure upgrades will be designated for the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project.  On Tuesday, the U.S. EPA announced it had awarded $172.3 million to the state water board to help fund its clean water and drinking water state revolving fund loan programs, and $88 million of that funding is designated for a loan to Monterey One Water for the recycled water project.  The agency had already qualified for up to $113 million from the state’s low-interest loan program, but is expecting to use only about $100 million or less of that funding, according to MOW official Mike McCullough. … ”  Read more from the Monterey County Herald here:  US EPA funding to state for Pure Water Monterey project

Santa Barbara’s drought upgraded from ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’:  “The U.S. Drought Monitor upgraded the severity of Santa Barbara’s status last week from moderate to severe, thus designating Santa Barbara County as one of the driest three statewide. This week’s mild rain is unlikely to change this status. Also listed as severe are Ventura and Los Angeles counties. The good news, according Santa Barbara city water czar Joshua Haggmark, is that the situation can get direr still. “At least we’re not in the ‘exceptional’ category,” he said. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here:  Santa Barbara’s drought upgraded from ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’

Indian Wells Valley Water District seeks Groundwater Authority Finance Committee:  “The Indian Wells Valley Water District met on Monday evening for their monthly board meeting. Items discussed included bumping up the minimum range of their employee salary scale, updates on IWVWD projects, and a discussion on the Cash for Grass program.  Under Item D of the meeting’s agenda, IWVWD set aside a time to discuss their ongoing role as a represented party on the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s board of directors. Two topics they discussed were the recent announcement that IWVGA would likely be receiving $2.1 million in grant funding and the desire to see an IWVGA finance committee form. ... ”  Read more from the Taft Midway Driller here:  Indian Wells Valley Water District seeks Groundwater Authority Finance Committee

The Arroyo Seco was once snubbed for money for local restoration projects.  That could soon change:  “Last year, when Tim Brick learned of a bill to establish a working group to restore the upper Los Angeles River and its tributaries, he scanned the text but could find no reference to the Arroyo Seco.  When asked why a major tributary to the L.A. River was not included, he was rebuffed. The bill became law.  On Tuesday, state Sen. Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, introduced fix-it legislation that would add the Arroyo Seco Tributary to the Upper Los Angeles River and Tributaries Working Group, which is headed up by the powerful Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. … ”  Read more from the San Gabriel Valley Times here:  The Arroyo Seco was once snubbed for money for local restoration projects.  That could soon change

San Bernardino Valley water wholesaler imported record level of state water for groundwater recharge last year:  “Water agencies in the San Bernardino Valley imported a record level of water from Northern California last year and most of that was used to recharge groundwater, officials say.  Of the record 78,496 acre-feet of State Water Project water from Northern California, about 70 percent was used to recharge the San Bernardino Basin, which, in fall 2016, was at its lowest level in history, said Bob Tincher, deputy general manager for resources at the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, the region’s water wholesaler.  Where the basin ended up in 2017 is still being analyzed, he said. … ”  Read more from the San Bernardino Sun here:  San Bernardino Valley water wholesaler imported record level of state water for groundwater recharge last year

Sewage spills, sea level rise impacting Imperial Beach plan:  “Imperial Beach continues to deal with the aftermath of another sewage spill originating from Mexico.  The latest spill comes as the city is waiting to move forward with a lawsuit against the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC).  Imperial Beach leaders issued a general plan that would tackle climate change, sea level rise and water quality. … ”  Read more from Channel 8 here:  Sewage spills, sea level rise impacting Imperial Beach plan

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Streamlining Federal Permitting Key to Safe, Reliable Water Infrastructure; But Democrats say GOP Ignores Drinking Water Needs at Hearing
• SCIENCE NEWS: NOAA Fisheries charts progress for West Coast species at risk; Winter-run critical habitat conundrum; Restoring the ‘Galapagos of North America: California’s Channel Islands; Shifting shorelines at Lake Tahoe caused by ancient lava dams; and more …
• SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM News for February 14: Grants for GSPs and projects, New GSP notification system; more …

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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.