Agricultural organizations write Newsom, urging him to relax rules restricting water supplies: “To ensure next year’s food supply … California’s farmers need access to as much water as the state can provide this year. Unfortunately, the current water year has been dry, with very little rain and limited snowpack in the upper watersheds. This discouraging hydrology is compounded by restrictions on use of groundwater and surface water supplies. Our farmers are left with few options. Unfortunately, the dry hydrology cannot be changed. However, government-imposed restrictions can accommodate farmers’ needs. We urge you to direct state agencies to find creative and balanced means to maximize water supplies for farmers. Where possible, rules that limit farm water supplies should be suspended, modified, or postponed during this critical time. ... ” Read the full letter here: Newsom Ag Letter (pdf)
California, 15 other states sue over new rule diluting protections for nation’s waterways: “A coalition of 16 states led by California and New York sued the Trump administration Friday over a law that eliminated Obama-era protections for wetlands and streams across the United States. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, accuses President Trump and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of illegally exposing waterways to pollution and development by rolling back a key provision of the Clean Water Act. ... ” Read more from the SF Chronicle here: California, 15 other states sue over new rule diluting protections for nation’s waterways
States sue EPA over rollback of Clean Water Rules: “Seventeen states and two major cities sued the Trump administration Friday over a new rule that eliminates anti-pollution safeguards for a large portion of waterways in the United States. The Navigable Waters Protection Rule finalized on April 21 revamps the prior “Waters of the United States” rule, enacted under the Obama administration in 2015, which included protections for wetlands, artificial lakes and ponds and ephemeral streams — critical waterways that carry stormwater runoff. … ” Read more from Courthouse News Service here: States sue EPA over rollback of Clean Water Rules
April Delta Conveyance Project update: “The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) scoping period concluded on April 17, 2020 after an extended 93-day public comment period. DWR is reviewing all submitted comments and will publish a scoping report summarizing the information this summer. DWR will consider these comments when developing the Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR). The Draft EIR is expected in early 2021. Information and updates on the environmental review process can be found here. … ” Continue reading at DWR here: April Delta Conveyance Project update
Are almonds really as sustainable as we think, or just a waste of water? “Until about 2011, almonds were sitting pretty. Americans were finally getting excited about regularly eating something genuinely good for them. Almond butter had penetrated the market to challenge peanut butter as the only game in town. But then, a scathing report brought the concept of a food’s ‘water footprint’ into the mainstream, and the almond became a poster child of foods that require an irresponsibly high amount of water. A water footprint is the amount of water involved in growing, processing, and delivering a product to us. … ” Read more from the Independent here: Are almonds really as sustainable as we think, or just a waste of water?
Release of steelhead trout moves forward amid COVID-19: “Hundreds of juvenile Steelhead trout were released into the Feather River this spring, the culmination of a popular educational program that was interrupted by the COVID-19 health emergency. The Classroom Aquarium Education Program (CAEP) based out of the Feather River Fish Hatchery released close to 200 juvenile Steelhead this spring. The spring release of Steelhead trout is usually a popular educational outreach tool used between the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and local schools and non-profits in the area. … ” Read more from DWR News here: Release of steelhead trout moves forward amid COVID-19
Sierra snow pack is 3% of May average: Here’s what that means: “State surveyors traveled into the Sierra Nevada mountain range Thursday to conduct the final snow survey of the season and asses the state of the snowpack before it melts into the state’s rivers and reservoirs. At Phillips Station off U.S. 50 near Sierra-at-Tahoe, they found the snow was 3% of its average for the date. The finding is yet another indicator of this year’s dry winter. In contrast, the measurement taken at this spot at this time in 2019 was 188% of average. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Sierra snow pack is 3% of May average: Here’s what that means
State Water Board posts guidance on suspension of water service shutoffs: “The State Water Resources Control Board on April 30 posted a guidance document regarding the suspension of water service shutoffs titled, Implementation of Executive Order N-42-20: Guidelines and Best Practices for Water and Wastewater Systems. As noted in an earlier ACWA Advisory, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-42-20 on April 2, ordering the suspension of the authority of urban and community water systems to discontinue water service. ... ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: State Water Board posts guidance on suspension of water service shutoffs
Lessons from the pandemic for addressing climate change: “Clear skies and less air pollution. Dramatic drops in harmful greenhouse gases. What can these environmental “silver lining” aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about addressing climate change? We talked to Louise Bedsworth—executive director of the California Strategic Growth Council, a state agency that brings together multiple agencies to support sustainable communities and strong economies—about the issue. PPIC: What has the COVID-19 pandemic taught us about our efforts to tackle climate change? LOUISE BEDSWORTH: The pandemic has caused us to make a lot of changes quickly, some of which we know are also necessary to tackle climate change—such as the dramatic reductions in travel by car and air. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: Lessons from the pandemic for addressing climate change
Resource governance in the American West: Institutions, information, and incentives: “The American West is a peculiar place. Depending on the location, the West can be drier, wetter, hotter, colder, or more rugged than the eastern United States. Much of the West receives only five to fifteen inches of precipitation each year, compared to thirty to fifty inches in eastern states. Regional variation is also much greater in the West. … Drawing from the insights of Ostrom and others, this chapter explores the emergence of various institutions governing the management of natural resources in the American West, both past and present, and discusses modern challenges associated with natural resource governance. It concludes by exploring policy reforms that would enable more cooperative, bottom-up solutions to today’s resource management challenges in the American West. … ” Read more from PERC here: Resource governance in the American West: Institutions, information, and incentives
5 energy and environment issues to watch in next aid package: “Congress isn’t done yet. As oil prices crater, renewable energy projects get delayed and water supply concerns persist, lawmakers are wrestling with the energy and environmental issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. … Regardless of timing, energy and environmental issues will come up in any discussions. Here are five issues to watch … ” Read more from E&E News here: 5 energy and environment issues to watch in next aid package
One Person’s Medley of Water Memories: Steve Baker writes, “Do you remember the first time you realized the importance of water? Joanne Neft grew up farming and has authored several books on the art of real food. Listen to her happy memories of water’s interactions in her life. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life.” Produced by Steven Baker, Operation Unite® Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, Online at www.operationunite.co
Drought makes early start of the fire season likely in Northern California: “Expanding and intensifying drought in Northern California portends an early start to the wildfire season, and the National Interagency Fire Center is predicting above-normal potential for large wildfires by midsummer. Mountain snowpack has been below average across the High Sierra, southern Cascades and the Great Basin, and the agency warns that these areas need to be monitored closely as fuels continue to dry out. The agency also cites a warm, dry pattern in Oregon and central and eastern Washington, and assigns all of these areas a higher-than-average likelihood of wildfires in July. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Drought makes early start of the fire season likely in Northern California
Truckee accepts $2.31 million for Trout Creek restoration: “The Truckee Town Council has approved a resolution to accept $2.31 million in funds from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for the restoration of Trout Creek. The money will be used as part of the project extending Church Street, which is part of the larger Truckee Railyard Master Plan. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun here: Truckee accepts $2.31 million for Trout Creek restoration
Drilling deep into the ground at Pacheco Reservoir: “Building a modern-day dam to help provide safe, clean drinking water for residents of Santa Clara and San Benito counties is a tremendous undertaking. The proposed expansion of Pacheco Reservoir, located approximately 60 miles southeast of San Jose, includes the construction of an earthen dam made of rock and soil upstream of the existing dam, a pump station, a pipeline and other supporting facilities. … ” Read more from Valley Water News here: Drilling deep into the ground at Pacheco Reservoir
Supervisors approve Murrieta Creek flood control funding agreement: “The state’s Department of Water Resources has a program to provide financial assistance to local agencies who participate in the construction of federally authorized flood control projects, and the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District will be working with the state for reimbursement on the Murrieta Creek Flood Control, Environmental Restoration and Recreation Project. … ” Read more from My Valley News here: Supervisors approve Murrieta Creek flood control funding agreement
Covid-19 jeopardizes San Diego’s recycled water plan: “Already under siege by cost overruns and litigious contractors, San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer’s $1.4 billion plan to turn the city’s sewage into drinkable water faces new doubts and questions of increased costs brought on by the global coronavirus pandemic. “Regulatory guidelines for virus removal in potable reuse systems need additional review for possible more stringent requirements in the event of a coronavirus outbreak,” says an April 2 editorial in the journal Environmental Science and Water Technology, co-authored by Haizhou Liu of UC Riverside’s department of chemical and environmental engineering. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Reader here: Covid-19 jeopardizes San Diego’s recycled water plan
Government begins water experiment along Colorado River: “The U.S. Department of Interior started a water experiment along the Colorado Friday, May 1, at the Glen Canyon Dam, located near Page Arizona. The experiment is meant to improve the egg-laying conditions for insects that live at least some part of their lives in the water, which are the primary food source for endangered Colorado River fish as well as native fish. … ” Read more from Channel 3 here: Government begins water experiment along Colorado River
A virtual aerial tour of magnificent Bear Valley, where spring wildflowers abound! John Hannon video from Colusa County.
And poppies in the Antelope Valley …
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- NOTICE: Cloth Facemasks to California Water and Wastewater Utilities/Agencies from FEMA/EPA available through CalWARN
- FAMILY FARM ALLIANCE APRIL NEWSLETTER: Western irrigators respond to COVID-19 pendemic; CA vs Trump: the epic battle continues; WOTUS rewrite; and more …
- NOW AVAILABLE: Geologic Analysis, Ventura River Watershed
