DAILY DIGEST: They’re big, furry and Congress might help California kill them all to save the Delta; Cannabis irrigation in NorCal; These trees survived the drought and that’s giving scientists hope for climate change; Birds are vanishing from North America; and more …

In California water news today, They’re big, furry and Congress might help California kill them all to save the Delta; Watering the Emerald Triangle: Irrigation sources used by cannabis cultivators in Northern California; Science and law enforcement teaming up to help “critters”; These Trees Survived California’s Drought and That’s Giving Scientists Hope for Climate Change; Birds Are Vanishing From North America; and more …

On the calendar today …

• Water resilience portfolio listening session at 9:30am:  State Water Board staff will hold a resilience portfolio listening session.  There will be three panels: Panel 1: Urban, Rural, and Agricultural Water Supplies; Panel 2: Ecosystem Needs and Environmental Actions; and Panel 3: Legal Uncertainties and Planning Challenges. Click here for the notice and agenda.  Click here to watch on webcast.
• Water Loss Performance Standards Meeting at 9:30am: The State Water Resources Control Board will hold a public stakeholder workgroup meeting to receive input prior to initiating the formal rulemaking process for the development of water loss performance standards. Interested persons can provide input at the meeting or via email.  Click here for the meeting notice.  Click here to watch on webcast.
• Webinar: California-Nevada Drought and Climate Outlook beginning at 11am. Click here to register.
• Agricultural Water Management Plan Guidebook Workgroup Meeting beginning at 1:30pm.  Click here for agenda and webcast information.
• Colusa/Glenn groundwater workshop in Orland beginning at 6pm.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

They’re big, furry and Congress might help California kill them all to save the Delta:  “A rookie California lawmaker plans to haul a 20-pound rodent carcass into Congress on Tuesday to press his colleagues for money to fight an invasive species wreaking havoc on his district.  Rep. Josh Harder, D-Turlock, hopes a hearing on his bill will convince his colleagues that funding to stop an invasive species in California’s Central Valley is sorely needed — before the problem gets worse and costs drastically increase. .. ”  Read more from the Fresno Bee here: They’re big, furry and Congress might help California kill them all to save the Delta

Watering the Emerald Triangle: Irrigation sources used by cannabis cultivators in Northern California:  “Water use by cannabis cultivators represents an emerging threat to surface flows in Northern California’s sensitive watersheds. To date, however, no data has been available to formally assess where cannabis sites source their water. This study analyzed data from annual reports, covering the year 2017, submitted by 901 cannabis cultivators enrolled in the Cannabis Waste Discharge Regulatory Program administered by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. The analysis identified cannabis cultivators’ most common sources for water extraction, monthly patterns for each water source and differences between sites compliant and not compliant with the cannabis program. … ”  Read more from California Agriculture here: Watering the Emerald Triangle: Irrigation sources used by cannabis cultivators in Northern California

Science and law enforcement teaming up to help “critters”:  “California’s legal cannabis market is regulated by a suite of state agencies that follow the plant on its journey from cultivation site to manufacturing facility to ultimate point of sale. But a special role is played by three Watershed Enforcement Teams — which, operating within the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), work in cannabis-growing regions to protect native plant and wildlife species from practices such as illegal stream diversions, habitat destruction and illegal use of pesticides. Scott Bauer, a senior environmental scientist with the CDFW, works on one of these teams. … ”  Read more from California Agriculture here: Science and law enforcement teaming up to help “critters”

These Trees Survived California’s Drought and That’s Giving Scientists Hope for Climate Change:  “When California’s historic five-year drought finally relented a few years ago, the tally of dead trees in the Sierra Nevada was higher than almost anyone expected: 129 million. Most are still standing, the dry patches dotting the mountainsides.  But some trees did survive the test of heat and drought. Now, scientists are racing to collect them and other species around the globe in the hope that these “climate survivors” may have a natural advantage, allowing them to cope with a warming world a bit better than others in their species. … ”  Read more from KQED here: These Trees Survived California’s Drought and That’s Giving Scientists Hope for Climate Change

Birds Are Vanishing From North America:  “The skies are emptying out.  The number of birds in the United States and Canada has fallen by 29 percent since 1970, scientists reported on Thursday. There are 2.9 billion fewer birds taking wing now than there were 50 years ago.  The analysis, published in the journal Science, is the most exhaustive and ambitious attempt yet to learn what is happening to avian populations. The results have shocked researchers and conservation organizations. ... ”  Read more from the New York Times here: Birds Are Vanishing From North America

In regional news and commentary today …

Sonoma County grapples with ongoing outdoor poop problem along Russian River:  “An influx of Bay Area visitors to Sonoma County’s bucolic riverlands has spiked in recent years, bringing with it a problem typically reserved for the privacy of one’s own home.  People are pooping in public. And they’re doing so in such great numbers that the Sonoma County Department of Transportation and Public Works will in the coming year debut new, anti-pooping signage in key spots like Steelhead Beach, Geysers Road and more. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Sonoma County grapples with ongoing outdoor poop problem along Russian River

Russian River: Keeping streams safe and clean:  “A white egret delicately dips its beak into a small puddle. A mother otter and pups dive and roll in a clear, still pool. Tiny minnows dart in the shady shallows. And all of this takes place a stone’s throw from backyards and byways. Our local creeks and streams are literal rivers of life flowing through Sonoma County communities.  Over the past two decades, most urban creeks have been reverted from straight, lifeless channels back to more naturalized streams that still provide flood protection but are now abundant with trees, grasses and wildlife. Local governments have opened the gates of formerly locked creek access roads, creating miles of linear parks enjoyed by hikers, runners and cyclists. … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Russian River: Keeping streams safe and clean

Meeting Monday on proposed new water district:  “A new water district has been proposed for northwestern Butte County, and a meeting has been scheduled for Monday evening in Durham to provide information and answer questions.  The proposed Tuscan Water District would cover all of Butte County west of Highway 99, from the Tehama County line south to the agricultural water districts in the southwest county. California Water Service’s Chico District, the Durham Irrigation District and the M&T Ranch would be excluded. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Meeting Monday on proposed new water district

Butte County leaders could greenlight sustainable groundwater agreement:  “An agreement could be made Tuesday at the Butte County Board of Supervisors meeting that could make way for groundbreaking research for the Butte Subbasin’s groundwater supply. As many sustainable groundwater agencies in the area gear up to comply with the state of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Butte County aims to sign that agreement.  The SGMA provides a framework to local public agencies for sustainable land use and water management, according to a county staff report. The agreement, if approved, could further develop and implement a groundwater sustainability plan within Butte County. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Butte County leaders could greenlight sustainable groundwater agreement

Dangerous levels of E. coli turn South Yuba River yellow:  “Nevada County has issued a no-swim advisory for a nearly 50-mile stretch of the South Yuba River, northeast of Sacramento, because of dangerous levels of E. coli as well as unknown sediments in the water.  Officials from Nevada County Environmental Health took water samples for testing Friday, and preliminary results showed E. coli levels that were double the level deemed safe by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the advisory. ... ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Dangerous levels of E. coli turn South Yuba River yellow

Report: Large parts of SF ‘not adequately protected’ from fires after major earthquake:  “San Francisco’s high-pressure fire-fighting water system protects some of the densest neighborhoods but large parts of The City are not covered by it, leaving residents “inadequately protected” from blazes after a major earthquake.  A recent civil grand jury report, “Act Now Before It Is Too Late: Aggressively Expand and Enhance Our High-Pressure Emergency Firefighting Water System,” raised the alarm about the lack of coverage for neighborhoods like the Sunset, Richmond and Bayview. ... ”  Read more from the San Francisco Examiner here: Report: Large parts of SF ‘not adequately protected’ from fires after major earthquake

Antelope Valley: Water haulers decry state regulation:  “Acton water haulers say a new state regulation that goes into effect next year will severely limit their ability to serve customers, if they can at all.  Beginning Jan. 1, owners of heavy-duty diesel vehicles whose trucks do not comply with the California Truck and Bus Regulation will be unable to register their vehicles with the Department of Motor Vehicles. … ”  Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Antelope Valley: Water haulers decry state regulation

California Mayor Calls Mexican Sewage from Imperial Beach ‘International Tragedy’:  “The mayor of this beach, which abuts Tijuana, Mexico at a point that is visible by a border wall marking the two countries, is fed up with sewage and toxic chemicals flowing into the United States, and he is heading to Washington, D.C., to ask the Trump administration to do something about it.  Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina left for the nation’s capital on Sunday with a congressional delegation. He told Border Report that he has meetings at the White House scheduled on Tuesday with top officials who he hopes will help this situation. … ”  Read more from KTLA Channel 5 here: California Mayor Calls Mexican Sewage from Imperial Beach ‘International Tragedy’

Along the Colorado River …

Las Vegas water use has dropped, but its affluent residents remain copious consumers:  “Total and per-capita water use in Southern Nevada has declined over the last decade, even as the region’s population has increased by 14%. But water use among the biggest water users — some of the valley’s wealthiest, most prominent residents — has held steady.  The top 100 residential water users serviced by the Las Vegas Valley Water District used more than 284 million gallons of water in 2018 — over 11 million gallons more than the top 100 users of 2008 consumed at the time, records show. … ”  Read more from the Las Vegas Sun here: Las Vegas water use has dropped, but its affluent residents remain copious consumers

Free water available for areas of Needles with prior perfected rights:  “Free water is available to Needles residents who happen to live in one of the areas the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has determined to have earned prior perfected water rights (PPR): Well-drilling, pumping, piping and treating not included.  Neighbors within an area must agree on an equitable plan for distribution of the water. ... ”  Read more from the Needles Desert Star here: Free water available for areas of Needles with prior perfected rights

And lastly …

Photo feature: The alien clouds of Mount Shasta:  “Some people have wondered if the strange sky formations around California’s Mount Shasta were UFOs, or perhaps some kind of cloaking device used by aliens to visit undetected.  But as human scientists tell us, they’re just clouds — albeit of a strange variety.  They’re called lenticular clouds, and Mount Shasta is one of the best places in the world to see them, according to Bill Miesse, an author and historian of the peak located 40 miles south of the Oregon border. … ”  Read more from the California Sun here: Photo feature: The alien clouds of Mount Shasta

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: The ‘Blob’ is surging back in the Pacific; California’s chronic water overuse leads to sinking towns, arsenic pollution; Sinking Sacramento Delta puts Californians at risk; We need to track the world’s water like we track the weather; and more …
• VOLUNTARY AGREEMENTS: Environmental NGOs send letter to Governor Newsom outlining concerns
• BAY DELTA WATER QUALITY CONTROL PLAN UPDATE: Draft Biological Goals and Initial Compliance Methods for Lower San Joaquin River Flows

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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.