DAILY DIGEST: Report: Avoiding ‘adverse impacts’ of groundwater pumping on surface waters; California’s looming water pollution problem; Inside the effort to preserve migratory bird habitat in Central California; Paso Robles groundwater talks to heat up as state deadline looms; and more …

Maven
DAILY DIGEST
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In California water news today, Report: Avoiding ‘adverse impacts’ of groundwater pumping on surface waters; California’s looming water pollution problem; Inside the effort to preserve migratory bird habitat in Central California; State Water Project contracts extended; Study: Delta tunnels will have environmental justice impacts; Wide open spaces dead ahead in the Delta; New South Bay dam could save lives; Paso Robles groundwater talks to heat up as state deadline looms; Public comment closing on Endangered Species Act revamp; and more …

On the calendar …

In the news today …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

Report: Avoiding ‘adverse impacts’ of groundwater pumping on surface waters:  “Local agencies in critically overdrafted groundwater basins in California have less than a year and a half to draft their plans to achieve sustainable groundwater management. These Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs), formed under California’s 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), will need to avoid six specified “undesirable results” ranging from seawater intrusion and degraded water quality to land subsidence. A new report by Water in the West visiting scholar Letty Belin guides these agencies through how to understand and comply with the requirement that GSAs must not cause “significant and unreasonable adverse impacts on beneficial uses of surface water.” ... ”  Continue reading at Stanford’s Water in the West here:  Avoiding ‘adverse impacts’ of groundwater pumping on surface waters

California’s looming water pollution problem:  “In the winter of 2001, Tom Frantz and a friend were cruising in his pick-up truck along a stretch of Highway 33 in Kern County, California. Known as the Petroleum Highway, this particular stretch of the roadway cuts across some of the state’s largest oil fields. Frantz, a mustachioed man whose wispy white hair is usually hidden beneath a beige fedora, was born and raised in Kern County; he was used to seeing pumpjacks bobbing up and down on the west side of the region, but on this cool winter day, a plume of steam in the distance caught his eye. … ”  Read more from the Pacific Standard here:  California’s looming water pollution problem

Inside the effort to preserve migratory bird habitat in Central California:  “The millions of waterbirds that migrate each spring from South America to as far as the Arctic can’t do it in one trip. They stop to rest and refuel several times along the way to survive the grueling journey.  But widespread land-use change has shrunk the area of stopover habitat available to ducks, geese, shorebirds, and other migratory species. In central California, concerned citizens, scientists, and conservation groups have joined forces to protect what remains. ... ”  Read more from the Pacific Standard here:  Inside the effort to preserve migratory bird habitat in Central California

State Water Project contracts extended:  “Construction of the Delta tunnels, formally known as the California WaterFix project, inched closer to reality last week when the Department of Water Resources (DWR) went before the Joint Legislative Budget Committee (JLBC) with its plan to extend contracts with the 29 agencies participating in the State Water Project (SWP).  The Sept. 11 hearing opened with JLBC chair Holly Mitchell stating that the purpose of the meeting was to fulfill a legal requirement necessary for DWR to renegotiate the terms of the SWP contracts. … ”  Read more from The Press here:  State Water Project contracts extended

Study: Delta tunnels will have environmental justice impacts:  “A new study shows that the Delta Tunnels Project, officially called California Water Fix, will undermine the Bay Delta’s economically distressed communities. The group “Restore the Delta” commissioned the study. It says the building and operation of the massive twin tunnels to divert water to central California farms and southern California developers will harm water quality and the Delta economy. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.”

Wide open spaces dead ahead in the Delta:  “It seems everybody in the Bay Area and Sacramento is fed up with too much traffic and too many people.  On the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, all that goes away as soon as you push off on the water.  Kayaks or SUPs can be rented at Antioch Marina, Big Break at nearby Oakley or Bethel Island on Frank’s Tract. Away you go: wide-open spaces dead ahead. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:

Valadao, Costa other valley leaders rally in support of Prop 3:  “A coalition of local leaders gathered Thursday at the Friant-Kern Canal near Millerton Lake to formally launch the Yes on Prop 3 campaign in support of a state water bond they say would bring billions of dollars in much-needed relief to the central San Joaquin Valley.  The speakers included Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno; Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford; Assemblyman Jim Patterson, R-Fresno; state Sen. Andy Vidak, R-Hanford and Fresno Mayor Lee Brand.  “For far too long, we’ve been left out of too many bonds,” Valadao said to open the news conference. “This is a direct funding source that will actually deliver dollars to the community here.” … ”  Read more from the Fresno Bee here:  Valadao, Costa other valley leaders rally in support of Prop 3

Meet the voracious rodents munching through California’s wetlands:  “California has its hands full with wildfires, toxic cultural schisms, and an unfriendly presidency. We didn’t need an outbreak of large voracious rodents, munching their way through the wetlands and tunneling into flood-control levees. But they’re here, or, more accurately, back. Meet the nutria.  These rat-like creatures, native to subtropical and temperate South America and featured in the new documentary film “Rodents of Unusual Size” (a nod to “The Princess Bride”), aren’t the world’s largest rodents. That would be the capybara, a 150-pound amphibious guinea pig. But the 20-pound nutria, chunky animals with long hairless tails and alarming orange incisor teeth, are big enough. … ”  Read more from KCET here:  Meet the voracious rodents munching through California’s wetlands

Public comment closing on Endangered Species Act revamp:  “The public comment period on the Trump administration’s move to overhaul the Endangered Species Act ends next week and if new rules are finalized, it could become harder to protect new species and guard those already under threat.  The proposed overhaul to the Endangered Species Act, legislation which has seen modest revisions since it was enacted in 1973, was introduced in July by David Bernhardt, the Interior Department’s deputy assistant secretary.  The decision to streamline the legislation, according to the Interior, is the result of an Trump administration directive to all agencies to scale back regulations for the sake of efficiency. … ”  Read more from the Courthouse News here:  Public comment closing on Endangered Species Act revamp

In regional news and commentary today …

Klamath: ‘Storms’ underway in water talks: Are they failing?  “The weather in the Klamath Basin may be seasonably pleasant, but the climate of long-term water agreement talks for Interior Department’s Alan Mikkelsen have been stormy as of late.  Mikkelsen, a senior advisor to Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke on water and western resources, has often said his task of helping stakeholders find a solution is akin to the highest mountaineering feat of all: climbing Mount Everest.  Basically, it’s pretty hard, even for someone with an extensive background in conflict resolution like Mikkelsen. … ”  Read more from the Herald & News here:  Klamath: ‘Storms’ underway in water talks: Are they failing?

A watershed moment at Putah Creek:  “On Saturday, Sept. 15, dozens of people gathered in Rotary Park to participate in the largest single day volunteer event in California and the world.  Putah Creek Clean Up, which the Putah Creek Council has hosted for 30 years, is part of the statewide event, Coastal Clean Up Day.  “What goes in the creek eventually goes into the ocean,” Angela Lindley explained. Lindley was volunteering with her husband Garth Lindley, a member of the Putah Creek Council board of directors, and their young daughter. ... ”  Read more from the Winters Express here:  A watershed moment at Putah Creek

New South Bay dam could save lives:  “Residents in the city of Fremont face one less threat from a big earthquake today, with the opening of the new dam at the Calaveras Reservoir.  Fifteen years ago, engineers realized the 93-year-old dam could fail in a major earthquake, sending a gush of water onto nearly a quarter-million people living downstream.  Today, the reservoir, which sits near the Santa Clara-Alameda county line, has a new, 220-foot-high dam that can withstand a 7.2 magnitude earthquakes. ... ”  Read more from KQED here:  New South Bay dam could save lives

Santa Cruz, Soquel Creek Water District anticipate water exchange kickoff: “A water-sharing project opening a pipeline between Santa Cruz and Soquel Creek Water District may be underway as early as November, serving as a partial solution for the region’s chronic water supply shortage.  The two utilities have spent more than a decade researching options for water supply expansion as their populations continue to grow. Santa Cruz, dependent on river and stream water supplies, does not have enough storage space for its customers’ long-term needs, while Soquel Creek Water District, as with other water agencies in the county, is dependent on underground aquifers that are not refilling as quickly as they are being depleted by well pumping. … ”  Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here:  Santa Cruz, Soquel Creek Water District anticipate water exchange kickoff

Victory for Monterey Coastkeeper as court rules regulations for ag runoff fall short:  “It’s one thing for regulators to monitor clean water rules for point source pollution – think of an outfall pipe from a factory. It’s another thing to regulate nonpoint source pollution from hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland. … That time, according to the Court of Appeal for California’s Third District, has come. A Sept. 18 decision affirms a ruling that the state’s effort to regulate agricultural water pollution on the Central Coast was too weak. “The decision was a huge win that we were hoping for,” says Monterey Coastkeeper Executive Director Steve Shimek. … ”  Read more from Monterey Weekly here:  Victory for Monterey Coastkeeper as court rules regulations for ag runoff fall short

Paso Robles quiet title trial nears end in Santa Clara:  “A jury trial to determine whose groundwater rights should win out in a 5-year-old clash between public water purveyors and private landowners near Paso Robles approached a conclusion in Santa Clara County Superior Court the week of Sept. 20.  In 2013, a small group of North County property owners, led by vintner Cindy Steinbeck, filed a quiet title water rights lawsuit in San Luis Obispo County Superior Court, amid anxiety about the drought, its impact on the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin, and the regulations set to curb water pumping. … ”  Read more from New Times SLO here:  Paso Robles quiet title trial nears end in Santa Clara

Paso Robles groundwater talks to heat up as state deadline looms: “One chapter at a time. That’s how scientists, water officials, and the public are writing the 20-year sustainability plan for the Paso Robles Groundwater Basin.  Five out of the plan’s 13 total chapters are drafted thus far, covering introductions, basin boundaries, and hydrology. But that was the easy part.  Sustainability discussions are about to get a lot more complicated and challenging as the meat of the plan—future groundwater level targets, well monitoring programs, recharge projects, and financing questions—start to take center stage. … ”  Read more from New Times SLO here:  Paso Robles groundwater talks to heat up as state deadline looms

The nearly 500 Californians killed in the 1928 St. Francis Dam Disaster may finally get a memorial:  “Phillip Cesena transferred to San Franciscquito Canyon in February 1928 to work as a ranch hand, mucking out stalls and exercising ranch animals.  The 15-year-old had just lost his father, Leonardo, and wanted to support his mother, Erolinda, and his 12 brothers and sisters by learning how to break horses and perform trick riding for Hollywood westerns.  A month later, Cesena’s fate was sealed.  The St. Francis Dam burst, sending 12.6 billion gallons of water 15 stories high racing through Santa Clarita, Saugus, Saticoy, Piru, Fillmore and Santa Paula. …   Read more from the Whittier Daily News here:  The nearly 500 Californians killed in the 1928 St. Francis Dam Disaster may finally get a memorial

With Discolored Water Still Flowing From Taps in Compton, Assemblyman Provides Update on Clean Water Bill on Gov. Brown’s Desk: “A bill that would seek to end the frustration of the 6,800 customers in Compton and Willowbrook complaining of murky water flowing from their taps is sitting on Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, and the assemblyman who introduced it held a community forum Thursday to discuss the measure.  The bill that easily passed the state Assembly and Senate last month, AB 1577, would appoint a state administrator to assume control of the daily operations of their water provider, the Sativa Los Angeles County Water District. It would also dissolve Sativa’s existing board and appoint the state controller to conduct an audit of the district’s resources and finances. … ”  Read more from KTLA Channel 5 here:  With Discolored Water Still Flowing From Taps in Compton, Assemblyman Provides Update on Clean Water Bill on Gov. Brown’s Desk

Along the Colorado River …

Federal agency declines to handle all permitting for Lake Powell Pipeline: “The federal agency that had been handling the permitting process for the Lake Powell Pipeline announced Thursday it doesn’t have jurisdiction to handle the entire project on its own.  The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission submitted an order indicating it would only consider permitting for the hydroelectric facilities proposed for the project, and not the remaining 89 miles of connecting water delivery pipelines, although it would continue as the lead agency in charge of environmental analysis. ... ”  Read more from The Spectrum here:  Federal agency declines to handle all permitting for Lake Powell Pipeline

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.

 

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