In California water news today, California’s water wars heat up at Sacramento hearing over river flows; Defying water suppliers, Palo Alto backs Bay-Delta Plan; Central Valley residents rally against water plan; California bipartisan natural resource legislation passes unanimously; Tree rings tell CSUF students about droughts and fires in the Sierra; Citrus research board report explains cost impacts on growers; Court ruling revives WOTUS in California; Feds Plan to Defund Grand Canyon Scientific Research; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Board will hold the second day of a 2-day meeting beginning at 9:30am: As part of their regular board meeting, they will hold a public meeting to consider adoption of proposed amendments to the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary and the supporting proposed final Substitute Environmental Document. Click here for the agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
- The San Joaquin River Restoration Program will hold a two-day science meeting at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria, 818 I Street, Sacramento, beginning at 9am. The event is free and no registration required. Click here for more information.
- The webinar, “EnviroDIY.org: A Resource for Do-It Yourself, Real-Time, Low-Cost Environmental Monitoring Solutions” will be held from 11:30 to 12:30pm. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
California’s water wars heat up at Sacramento hearing over river flows: “Central Valley farmers and their elected leaders converged on Sacramento on Tuesday to accuse the state of engineering a water grab that puts the fate of fish above their fields and jeopardizes a thriving agricultural economy. The allegations came at a meeting of the powerful State Water Resources Control Board, which recently unveiled a far-reaching plan to shore up the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the West Coast’s largest estuary and a source of water for much of California. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: California’s water wars heat up at Sacramento hearing over river flows
Defying water suppliers, Palo Alto backs Bay-Delta Plan: “Palo Alto plunged into the fierce debate over California’s water policies on Monday night, when the City Council voiced unanimous support for the amended Bay-Delta Plan despite objections from the city’s water suppliers and its own Utilities Department. The council sided squarely with Palo Alto’s environmentalists, led by former Mayor Peter Drekmeier, who are pitted against Gov. Jerry Brown, state Sen. Jerry Hill, the city’s own Utilities Department and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC). ... ” Read more from Palo Alto Online here: Defying water suppliers, Palo Alto backs Bay-Delta Plan
Central Valley residents rally against water plan: “Holding signs reading, “Use Science, Not Fiction,” “Worth Your Fight” and “Valley Water Matters,” hundreds of farmers, farm employees, students, state and federal lawmakers, community leaders and citizens from the Central Valley and elsewhere in California traveled to the state Capitol in Sacramento to rally against what they described as a “state water grab.” The rally came the day before the State Water Resources Control board planned two days of public hearings on its plan to redirect water in three Central California rivers for fishery restoration. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Central Valley residents rally against water plan
Stage set for uncivil war over water in California: “In the latest chapter of California’s ceaseless war to manage shrinking water sources, regulators are considering drastic changes that would reduce the amount of snowmelt available to San Francisco and farmers during dry years. The State Water Resources Control Board wants more water to remain in the San Joaquin River watershed during droughts in order to improve water quality in the state’s critical water-savings bank. It says the move is necessary to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta – the focal point of the state’s water delivery network – and struggling salmon populations. … ” Read more from Courthouse News here: Stage set for uncivil war over water in California
California bipartisan natural resource legislation passes unanimously: “As California’s unprecedented wildfire season marches on, Sierra Nevada forests and watersheds stand at a critical point. Bipartisan legislation passed today, however, will increase the pace and scale of restoring the region’s forests and watersheds. AB 2849, co-authored by Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-Monterey Bay) and Assembly Republican Leader Brian Dahle (R-Redding) and sponsored by Sierra Business Council (SBC), formally recognizes the Sierra Nevada Conservancy’s (SNC) Watershed Improvement Program, broadens SNC’s legislative partners, and ensures California tribes can apply for SNC grant funding. The bill passed unanimously. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun here: California bipartisan natural resource legislation passes unanimously
Tree rings tell CSUF students about droughts and fires in the Sierra: “Some students plant trees. Some hug them. This summer, eight Cal State Fullerton students sampled trees. Really, the students were listening to what trees had to say about the droughts and fires they had lived through. Specifically, the students extracted cores from trees in the Sierra Nevada – including some in Yosemite that had burned a few years ago – and are now examining the cores back on campus. A new laboratory, the Cal-Dendro Tree Ring Laboratory, has been set up to conduct research on the cores, which are expected to reveal valuable data going back 500 to 1,000 years. ... ” Read more from the OC Register here: Tree rings tell CSUF students about droughts and fires in the Sierra
Citrus research board report explains cost impacts on growers: “New regulations are expected to cost California citrus growers an average of $701 per acre per year, or $203 million annually statewide, according to a new study commissioned by the Citrus Research Board (CRB). “Compliance with environmental regulations not associated with groundwater sustainability is estimated to increase costs by $17.7 million, or $67 per acre of citrus,” predicts Bruce A. Babcock, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, who authored the study. “New labor requirements will increase costs by $112 million, or $357 per acre, once they are all phased in.” … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder here: Citrus research board report explains cost impacts on growers
Court ruling revives WOTUS in California: “The already-tangled history of a federal “waters of the United States” rule has become yet more so, after a federal court ruling in South Carolina. But observers say one thing is clear: The controversial 2015 WOTUS rule has come back to life in California and 25 other states. “We are back to where the 2015 rule is effective in California, which means trying to determine what waters are waters of the United States,” said California Farm Bureau Federation Senior Counsel Kari Fisher, who has been monitoring a number of legal and administrative challenges to the rule. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Court ruling revives WOTUS in California
In commentary today …
Letting the Bay Area’s rivers run isn’t a ‘water grab’, says the LA Times: They write, “What’s the deal with San Francisco? It’s always been so environmentally oriented, so water thrifty, so protective of its bay, so — well, how shall we put it? — concerned about the toll that Southern Californians’ thirst takes on the rivers that sustain California’s fish, wildlife and ultimately people. Yet here it is, joining with San Joaquin Valley agribusiness in opposing a state proposal to partially restore three great rivers that play a crucial role in sustaining California’s ecology. These rivers once rushed from the Western Sierra, but dams and diversions have reduced them at times to a mere trickle. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Letting the Bay Area’s rivers run isn’t a ‘water grab’
In regional news and commentary today …
Nevada Irrigation District moves forward with Raw Water Master Plan update: “The Nevada Irrigation District has scheduled a special meeting of its board of directors at 9 a.m. on Sept. 6, to have a facilitation workshop and to select a facilitator to support the district’s update to its Raw Water Master Plan. The plan will identify the community’s future water needs and propose alternatives to meet the demands of the next 50 years. According to the water district, Sierra snowmelt provides its water supply. The raw water is collected from a high mountain watershed, stored for a period of time in the district’s 10 reservoirs and then released into a 414-mile long canal system that brings the water to customers. ... ” Read more from The Union here: Nevada Irrigation District moves forward with Raw Water Master Plan update
Toxic blue-green algae triggers warning in Pittsburgh: “Contra Costa County Health officials are warning people against coming in contact with the water inside New York Point near Pittsburg’s Yacht Club after blue-green algae there tested 175 times over the safe limit. A resident observed globs of algal blooms in the water in late July, prompting Contra Costa Environmental Health officials to test the water. Lab results confirmed the levels of potentially harmful cyanotoxins were at 3,500 micrograms per liter in the northeast corner of the yacht harbor, compared with a “danger” level at 20 micrograms per liter, according to Kristian Lucas, supervising environmental health specialist. … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here: Toxic blue-green algae triggers warning in Pittsburgh
DSRSD: Recycled water plant expansion complete, residential fill station not reopening: “The $18.8 million expansion of the Tri-Valley’s largest water recycling plant is complete, allowing for millions of more gallons of nonpotable recycled water to flow through purple pipes for large-scale irrigation customers in the region. But though construction has wound down, the once-popular residential fill station, which allowed residents to take free recycled water to use for personal irrigation purposes, won’t be reopening for the foreseeable future, according to Sue Stephenson, community affairs supervisor for Dublin San Ramon Services District (DSRSD). … ” Read more from Pleasanton Weekly here: DSRSD: Recycled water plant expansion complete, residential fill station not reopening
NOAA grant to help fund Elkhorn Slough visitor upgrades: “Visitors to the Elkhorn Slough will see a number of improvements thanks to a federal grant. The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is planning to spend a $685,000 grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association on a second phase of its visitor services enhancement project, including upgraded parking and walkway, a designated school bus drop off area, and a water catchment system. U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, who announced the grant on Tuesday, said the project funding will enhance the Elkhorn Slough’s status as a “hub for education and conservation” through enhancing the visitor experience. ... ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: NOAA grant to help fund Elkhorn Slough visitor upgrades
Along the Colorado River …
Feds Plan to Defund Grand Canyon Scientific Research: “The federal government plans to defund several longstanding programs that monitor the environmental health of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports, representatives of all seven Colorado River Basin states are condemning the action. Twenty-three million dollars will be swept from the “Basin Fund” which supports Grand Canyon research and ensures Glen Canyon Dam operates in compliance with federal laws like the Endangered Species Act. Hydropower revenues have funded this work for more than two decades. But the Western Area Power Administration was ordered by President Trump’s Office of Management and Budget to send the money to the U.S. Treasury instead of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, starting October 1. … ” Read more from KNAU here: Government Defunds Grand Canyon Scientific Research
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.
