In California water news today, San Francisco Supervisors urge backing off alliance with farmers, Trump on reviving rivers; San Francisco leaders hate Trump enough they voted to limit the city’s water rather than do this; Metropolitan water officials cancel settlement meeting with San Diego County Water Authority; Biggest share of the Colorado River up for grabs; New Survey Finds Majority Of San Joaquin Valley Voters Support Water Bond Proposition; Water year starts dry; peak months ahead; Uncovering the planet’s hidden climate change; and more …
On the calendar today …
- A webinar: Saving money with better water data technology from 1pm to 2pm. Hosted by the California Data Collective. Click here for more information and to register.
- SGMA Survival Strategy from 2pm to 4pm in Fresno. For more information and reservations go to: www.sgmastrategy.com.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
San Francisco Supervisors urge backing off alliance with farmers, Trump on reviving rivers: “The San Francisco Board of Supervisors issued a rare rebuke of the city water department Tuesday, claiming the agency is on the wrong side of a state water debate that pits California against President Trump. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, which provides water to the city and more than two dozen suburbs, has fiercely opposed a far-reaching state plan to revive California’s river system, including the languishing Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, because it means giving up precious water supplies. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: San Francisco Supervisors urge backing off alliance with farmers, Trump on reviving rivers
San Francisco leaders hate Trump enough they voted to limit the city’s water rather than do this: “For months, San Francisco, a hotbed of anti-Donald Trump sentiment, has found itself in the awkward position of being aligned with his administration over California water policy. On Tuesday, the city’s leaders said the alliance was unbearable. In an 11-0 vote, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors agreed in a resolution to support the State Water Resources Control Board’s proposal to leave more water in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries to benefit struggling fish populations. The supervisors’ vote is subject to veto by Mayor London Breed, although the board could override the veto. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: San Francisco leaders hate Trump enough they voted to limit the city’s water rather than do this
Metropolitan officials cancel settlement meeting with San Diego County Water Authority: “An offer last week by the San Diego County Water Authority board chairman to settle a host of litigation with the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was not well received by water officials to the north. MWD leaders accused their San Diego counterparts of violating an agreement to negotiate in private and abruptly canceled a meeting previously scheduled for Tuesday. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Metropolitan water officials cancel settlement meeting with San Diego County Water Authority
New Survey Finds Majority Of San Joaquin Valley Voters Support Water Bond Proposition: “According to a new survey of the San Joaquin Valley conducted by the Institute for Leadership and Public Policy at Fresno State, in cooperation with the at Fresno State and the Friant Water Authority, 64 percent of likely voters would vote yes on Proposition 3, the Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018, a statewide measure that would fund a number of water resources management projects throughout the state. “The results clearly indicate that San Joaquin Valley voters understand that the standard of living and quality of life in the Valley relies on the availability of water to support the food production system to serve a national and global demand for food,” said Thomas Esqueda, executive director of the California Water Institute. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun Times here: New Survey Finds Majority Of San Joaquin Valley Voters Support Water Bond Proposition
‘Otters win, again.’ Supreme Court shuts down challenge from California fishing industry: “Furry sea otters will remain free to roam into their historic home waters of Southern California without being forcibly removed, thanks to a long-fought legal victory for advocates of endangered wildlife and despite a national effort by conservative groups who saw the issue as a test case. That environmental win came Monday when the U.S. Supreme Court declined a petition brought by sea urchin fishermen to reconsider a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal decision and reinstate a No Otter Zone that stretched from Point Conception south to the border of Mexico. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: ‘Otters win, again.’ Supreme Court shuts down challenge from California fishing industry
Can pot save the pumpkin farm? “John Muller steered his tractor left onto Main Street, four Atlantic Giant pumpkins in tow, and thousands of people at the pumpkin parade screamed with delight. But there were many others, spread throughout the festival that day, who feared the famous farmer had led the city down an uncertain path, demanding changes that couldn’t be undone and attempting to enrich himself in the process. They are determined to stop “Farmer John,” even if it means putting him — and his pumpkin patch — out of business. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Can pot save the pumpkin farm?
Water year starts dry; peak months ahead: “A multi-year drought, then the second-wettest year on record, then another dry year: That’s the recent history of precipitation in California. One month into the new water year, which began Oct. 1, conditions remain dry, with few raindrops in sight. National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Shoemaker said he expects below-normal precipitation for California through early November—but warns that residents need to be prepared for big storms and huge amounts of variability. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Water year starts dry; peak months ahead
Uncovering the planet’s hidden climate change: “This project began with a little moment: Reporter Maurice “Mo” Tamman, who lives on a sailboat in New York Harbor, noticed fish in nearby waters that were normally found farther south. He started digging into the data, and he discovered that marine creatures are fleeing warming seas, in an epic underwater refugee crisis. To examine sea surface temperatures and identify hotspots, he used data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The data estimated the mean monthly temperature in one-degree grids for the seas across the planet starting in 1970. To explore the migrations of marine creatures, he used federal trawl survey data in the U.S. North Atlantic. … ” Read more from Reuters here: Uncovering the planet’s hidden climate change
Wildlife: Monsters face a scary future: “The world’s monsters should fear climate change. Haunting the deep seas, dark jungles and night skies isn’t as easy as it used to be. Higher temperatures are bringing big changes to the world’s ecosystems. And even the most frightful beasts could suffer. As the World Wildlife Fund warns that animal populations have declined 60 percent since 1970, scientists are trying to pierce the veil of mystery that shrouds some of the world’s scariest creatures. Big questions remain about how some of them perform basic functions — let alone how they might suffer, or thrive, under climate change. But even where science bumps into myth, monster specialists expect climate change to bring nothing good. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Wildlife: Monsters face a scary future
In regional news and commentary today …
California Conservation Corps members work on flood control skills on Delta levee: “Two-hundred members of the California Conservation Corps from as far away as San Diego and Fortuna descended on a Delta levee bordering southwest Stockton’s Van Buskirk Park on Tuesday to practice their flood control skills. The Corps members — young people between 18 and 25, as well as military veterans up to 29 — represented 13 different CCC centers around the state. It is the first time in many years a CCC training exercise has been in Stockton. Previous large-scale flood exercises were conducted every two years at Brannan Island State Recreation Area in the Delta south of Rio Vista. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: California Conservation Corps members work on flood control skills on Delta levee
Los Angeles must pay billions to adapt – or slip into the sea: “Los Angeles derives much of its charm from its diversity, both of its people and its amenities—rolling hills here, lovely architecture there, a national forest to the north and legendary beaches to the west. But much of it is in trouble: Sea level rise is coming for Los Angeles County and its 74 miles of coast. According to a new report from the New York Academy of Sciences, it’ll take LA as much as $6.4 billion to fortify itself against an impending increase in coastal flooding, with moves such as nourishing its beaches with extra sand and elevating its ports. The tricky thing about sea level rise, however, is the uncertainty. Climate models are getting better at predicting how high seas will rise and how quickly, but no model can deliver guarantees. Maybe sea levels will rise by a foot by 2050. Or the water might end up rising 7 feet, but not for another 200 years. ... ” Read more from WIRED Magazine here: Los Angeles must pay billions to adapt – or slip into the sea
Newport Beach gets $1.7 million for trash-scooping water wheel, the 2nd in the U.S.: “Upper Newport Bay will be the second spot in the nation to install a water wheel that collects trash and debris from upstream waterways. On Thursday, Oct. 25, Newport Beach Mayor Duffy Duffield went to Santa Cruz and received a $1.7 million grant from the California Ocean Protection Council to fund the Newport Bay Water Wheel Project. Funding would pay for permits, construction and installation of the wheel, which should be in place by 2020. ... ” Read more from the OC Register here: Newport Beach gets $1.7 million for trash-scooping water wheel, the 2nd in the U.S.
Plan proposed to restore Mission Bay wetlands: “Proposed plans to restore the Mission Bay wetlands have been released by the group ReWild Mission Bay. Organizers say those plans would include moving a popular campsite in the area. The “Campland on the Bay” site would have to be relocated after 50 years. Neighbors who live near the area say the possible move is disappointing. “I was just telling my sister who is out of town this place is legendary. People come here all times of the year.” … ” Read more from ABC 10 here: Plan proposed to restore Mission Bay wetlands
Along the Colorado River …
Biggest share of the Colorado River up for grabs: “A public agency and a powerful farmer are gearing up for a high-stakes court battle to determine who owns the largest share of Colorado River water in the West, complicating the river’s future as seven western states scramble to avoid severe water shortages. There’s a long history of fighting over water in California’s Imperial Valley, which has a legal right to more than 1 trillion gallons of Colorado River water each year — twice as much as the rest of California, and as much as Arizona and Nevada combined. ... ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Biggest share of the Colorado River up for grabs
Three things to know about Colorado River plans in the works: “Water managers along the Colorado River are trying to figure out how to live with less. Climate change is growing the gap between the river’s supply, and the demands in the communities that rely on it, including seven western U.S. states and Mexico. The federal government recently released proposals called Drought Contingency Plans designed to keep the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs from falling to levels where water is unable to be sent through the dams that hold up Lakes Powell and Mead. … ” Read more from KUNC here: Three things to know about Colorado River plans in the works
Battle ahead in Colorado on water conserved for Lake Powell storage: “Colorado’s Western Slope water managers have doubled down on their position that they will oppose federal legislation creating a new regulated pool of water to boost the falling level of Lake Powell unless Colorado adopts a policy that the pool should be filled only on a voluntary basis. At a well-attended water meeting last week, Andy Mueller, the general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said that without a new state policy putting limits on how water can be stored in the big reservoir, “You will find that our district, the Southwest District and hopefully others will be, frankly, opposing the federal legislation.” ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Battle ahead in Colorado on water conserved for Lake Powell storage
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.
