In California water news today …
DWR: Water Year 2020 demonstrates California’s weather variability
“California’s Water Year 2020 has come to a close and while Northern California was mostly dry, parts of Southern California experienced above average precipitation. The water year ended below average and further demonstrated the impact of climate change on the state’s water supply. “California is experiencing the impacts of climate change with devastating wildfires, record temperatures, variability in precipitation, and a smaller snowpack,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “We must continue to invest in our infrastructure to prepare the state to cope with more extreme weather for the state’s needs today and in the future.”
Politics boiling over in race where water is key
“One of the country’s most hotly contested House races is being waged over water in California’s Central Valley, garnering the attention of Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and sparking allegations of a right-wing conspiracy among Democrats. Freshman Democratic Rep. T.J. Cox is locked in a rematch with former Rep. David Valadao, the Republican he defeated in 2018 in one of that year’s closest contests. Cox won that race by a scant 862 votes, and the district is the GOP’s top pickup target this year. National Republican groups have reserved over $5 million in TV ad space in the valley’s cheap media markets. Democrats are also heavily invested, guaranteeing the district’s airwaves will be blanketed with political ads in the run-up to Election Day. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Politics boiling over in race where water is key
Mercury in our waters: the 10,000-year legacy of California’s gold rush
“If you look closely in the waters of Deer Creek, near Nevada City, California, something strange may catch your eye; lying in globules amongst the gravel is quicksilver, or liquid elemental mercury. Carrie Monohan, head scientist for the Sierra Fund, lives next to Deer Creek, and became concerned about mercury contamination in the waterways when she pulled liquid mercury from the water in a turkey baster. “We’re not talking about parts per billion coming from a smokestack in China,” Monohan said, “We’re talking about liquid elemental mercury that we can see, and suck up, and get grams of, running through our streams and rivers.” … ” Read more from KCET here: Mercury in our waters: the 10,000-year legacy of California’s gold rush
New videos put restitution to work for imperiled coho salmon
“Coho salmon once supported a wealth of tribal, commercial, and recreational fisheries along the West Coast. Today some populations of the swift silvery fish are nearing extinction. The good news? We can reverse that decline, as biologists and others demonstrate in a new video series that offers hope for California’s endangered fish and wildlife species. The video series was produced in collaboration with state and federal fish and wildlife agencies with a community service payment made by a real estate development company. … ” Read more from NOAA Fisheries here: New videos put restitution to work for imperiled coho salmon
Another Sacramento ‘snub’: Friant-Kern Canal fix stalled again after Newsom vetoes bill
“Much like the waterway it intended to repair, Sen. Melissa Hurtado’s proposed Friant-Kern Canal fix, Senate Bill 559, has officially sunk in the California legislature. Gov. Gavin Newsom put the final nail in the bipartisan bill’s coffin on Wednesday when he vetoed the legislation, arguing that the bill was too focused on one canal project: The Friant-Kern. “As we address California’s water needs in the coming months and years, we need to identify, develop and identify solutions and funding that provides water supply and conveyance for the entirety of the state, not one project at a time,” Newsom wrote in his veto statement. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here: Another Sacramento ‘snub’: Friant-Kern Canal fix stalled again after Newsom vetoes bill
Natural Resources Agency Directs Funding to 15 Projects to Improve Ecosystem Health
“The California Natural Resources Agency announced today it is directing nearly $50 million in Proposition 68 funding to 15 projects that can immediately help improve ecosystem health for Central Valley salmon, steelhead and other native fish. The projects – ranging from floodplain restoration and gravel enhancement to the installation of fish passage and fish screens – will help boost the viability of salmonids and other native fish in the Sacramento River mainstem, the Yuba, Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers, Putah Creek and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. They are expected to improve food availability, spawning, and/or rearing habitats for salmonids and improve habitats in the Delta for salmonids, Delta smelt, and longfin smelt. …
By the numbers: The 2019-2020 legislative session
“With Gov. Gavin Newsom completing his bill actions on Wednesday, we can look at some of the data from the just-concluded 2019-20 California legislative session. Over the two-year session, a total of 4,848 bills were introduced between the Senate and the Assembly (2,625 in 2019 and 2,223 in 2020). In the Senate, there were a total of 1,474 SBs introduced, including 682 SBs in 2020 and 792 SBs in 2019. In the Assembly, there were a total of 3,374 ABs introduced, including 1,541 ABs in 2020 and 1,833 ABs in 2019. … ” Read more from Capitol Weekly here: By the numbers: The 2019-2020 legislative session
California wildfires …
Will a former hurricane provide the ‘great wet hope’ for the West Coast?
“Extended weather outlooks are providing some hope for fire-scorched Northern California. Weather models are starting to show greater agreement on the possibility of moisture making its way into Northern California by the second half of next week, the National Weather Service said. The weather service said that more details resulting in increased confidence in the forecast could emerge in the early part of next week. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Will a former hurricane provide the ‘great wet hope’ for the West Coast?
SEE ALSO: Fire-stricken Bay Area desperately needs rain. We might get some soon
California can fix its wildfire crisis — if politics don’t get in the way
“Gov. Gavin Newsom stepped inside the hollow base of a majestic redwood tree in the Santa Cruz Mountains last month and marveled at the giant’s ability to withstand a brutal wildfire that ravaged the 118-year-old state park around him. “How the hell do these things make it?” Newsom asked a park ranger. The answer is that those trees evolved to endure a good burn. Fire is endemic to California. But the threat is changing now, thanks to the world’s warming climate and more than a century of poor forest management, among other reasons. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: California can fix its wildfire crisis — if politics don’t get in the way
One reason for Northern California’s terrible fire season: Less rain than Southern California
“Here’s one possible reason Northern California is faring so much worse than Southern California in this year’s terrible fire season: a lack of rain. Northern California saw dramatically less rain than Southern California did over the last water year, which ended Wednesday. While downtown Los Angeles enjoyed 99% of its annual average rainfall, downtown San Francisco saw just 49%. The pattern was seen across the state. Santa Rosa, the most populous city in Sonoma County, which was ravaged by the Glass fire now burning in wine country, saw just 53% of its annual average rainfall; San Diego, meanwhile, saw 132% of its annual rainfall. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: One reason for Northern California’s terrible fire season: Less rain than Southern California
North coast forests are more dense and dry, fueling fires
“Five of California’s six largest fires have occurred in 2020, reported Julie Cart in CalMatters. “There is a collective sensation that we are reaching a tipping point,” said Lenya Quinn-Davidson, a fire specialist with the University of California Cooperative Extension. “This year was not just the fluke burning horrifically. This is 3.2 million acres of fire that burned in a month.” … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: North coast forests are more dense and dry, fueling fires
After wildfires stop burning, a danger in the drinking water
“Two months after a wildfire burned through Paradise, Calif., in 2018, Kevin Phillips, then a manager for town’s irrigation district, walked from one destroyed home to another. … Mr. Phillips, now Paradise’s town manager, was following the team taking samples from intact water meters connected to homes that were now reduced to gray ash. He knew from the Tubbs Fire in 2017 that harmful toxins were likely in the water distribution system: Rapid action would be needed to protect people returning to the community from the dangers of toxins like benzene, which can cause nausea and vomiting in the short-term, or even cancer over time. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: After wildfires stop burning, a danger in the drinking water
How we can burn our way to a better future
“The West is experiencing continually record-breaking flames, but the solution is more fire. Even with the massive fire totals of 2020—over five million acres across the West Coast—there will be no break next year. Many more millions of acres of forest across the western states are fire-starved, meaning they are missing the historic lower-intensity fires that once punctuated their landscapes, consuming dry litter and smaller plants but mostly leaving mature trees intact. Without that help of flames occasionally licking up those fuels, megafires won’t cease. … ” Read more from Popular Science here: How we can burn our way to a better future
Cultural burning lights way to ‘rethinking fire’
“As wildfires burn bigger, hotter and more frequently each year, state and local agencies, groups and landowners are increasingly looking to Native people — the original land managers — for guidance on living with fire. A new multimedia feature, “Rethinking Fire: Cultural Burning and the Art of Not Fighting Fire,” takes readers along with UC Davis students, regional tribes, state agencies and community groups on cultural burns in Woodland and Mariposa in California. The story and video, published today on the UC Davis Science & Climate website, feature students and faculty from the UC Davis Native American studies class “Keepers of the Flame,” along with regional tribal and community members. … ” Read more from UC Davis here: Cultural burning lights way to ‘rethinking fire’
In commentary today …
Two years later, Trump caps sweeping action to reorient Calif. water, says Alex Tavlian, San Joaquin Valley Sun:
He writes, “In just the past two years, we have witnessed the most concerted effort and an accompanying non-stop flow of actions by the Federal government that have contributed to a reliable water supply in the West than at any time in history dating back many decades. Never before has a set of goals of this magnitude been set and met. In Phoenix, Ariz. on October 19, 2018, President Donald Trump issued a memoranda titled, “Presidential Memorandum on Promoting the Reliable Supply and Delivery of Water in the West.” … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Two years later, Trump caps sweeping action to reorient Calif. water
Ellen Hanak, Jelena 3 lessons for California’s water funding challenges in today’s recession
They write, “California’s water managers have had their hands full keeping our water systems safe and operational during the COVID-19 pandemic. But their work on addressing the fiscal consequences of the deep economic recession is just beginning. Three lessons from the Great Recession of the late 2000s could guide more effective policy responses today. First, a bit of budgeting context: California’s water sector is large, with annual spending of about $35 billion. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: 3 lessons for California’s water funding challenges in today’s recession
In regional water news and commentary today …
Lawmakers applaud passage of ‘critical fix’ for Klamath Basin water worries
“A “critical fix” for the ongoing water worries in the Klamath Basin has now passed both chambers of Congress, lawmakers announced on Thursday. The House companion to an earlier Senate bill has been approved and will now head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law. The bill is a modification of the 2018 Water Resources Development Act, which allowed for $10 million in drought relief funds per year to irrigators in the region. The fix allows greater flexibility in how those funds may be used — providing application to land idling or groundwater pumping. … ” Read more from KDRV here: Lawmakers applaud passage of ‘critical fix’ for Klamath Basin water worries
Bay Area: Speeding Approval of Tidal Marsh Restoration in the Bay
“In 2016 the Bay Area voted on Measure AA, which will raise half a billion dollars to restore the tidal marshes that protect against rising tides. The measure passed in a landslide, prompting the team behind it to spring into action. “We have until about 2030 to establish wetlands in the bay before sea-level rise makes it infeasible because it’s too deep,” explained Adrian Covert, who is vice president of public policy for the Bay Area Council, a business-backed nonprofit that helped lead the Measure AA campaign. “We asked how to make sure we have success.” The team identified two major obstacles to restoring the bay’s tidal marshes. One is that the supply of sediment needed for rebuilding wetlands is uncertain. The other is that it is difficult to get the permits required by half a dozen state and federal agencies for environmental projects. … ” Read more from the Bay Area Monitor here: Speeding Approval of Tidal Marsh Restoration in the Bay
Crews to get water flowing from area ravaged by Creek Fire
“Southern California Edison crews will be able to restart some releases from lakes in the San Joaquin River watershed after the Creek Fire overran much of the area through September. Edison spokesman Reggie Kumar said portions of the Big Creek facility went back online Sept. 29 but restoration has been hampered partly because of extremely poor air quality. And the fire is still burning. It was at 44% containment as of Thursday. Even so, Edison crews will be able to send 2,000 acre feet a day down the mountain at least through October 14, according to authorities. … ” Read more from SJV Water here: Crews to get water flowing from area ravaged by Creek Fire
How La Nina could affect Southern California this winter
“Here is our winter forecast. We think the entire state will get an average amount of precipitation in 2021. That would be great news for Central and Northern California because they were bone dry this past season. A moderate strength La Nina is forecast in 2021. While La Nina climate patterns trend dry for Southern California it isn’t always the case. In this video, I show the pattern and the winter forecast for us and the state of California. … ” Read more from NBC LA here: How La Nina could affect Southern California this winter
Orange County desalination project doesn’t pencil out, says Charming Evelyn, chair of the Water Committee and vice chair of the Environmental Justice Committee at Sierra Club Angeles Chapter
“If there were any doubts remaining about whether California is getting hotter and drier, this summer has settled them. We’ve seen record-breaking temperatures and historic wildfires across the state. We know the warming climate is stressing our water system. But there is another, less visible threat that is also jeopardizing water access: rising rates that are making this basic necessity unaffordable for some families, and driving an increase in water shutoffs and utility debt. To make sure that all Californians can count on having water access now and in the future, we have to tackle the climate and affordability crises together, not fix one at the expense of the other. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Orange County desalination project doesn’t pencil out
Michael Cox column: The Salton Sea is drying up; why does Colorado care?
“There are thousands of people in southern California and elsewhere who actually think Colorado water should be used to keep the so-called disaster of the withering Salton Sea from happening. That is but one threat to the safety of Colorado’s most valuable asset. The metaphorical (and perhaps some real) barbarians are at the gate and they don’t wear funny horned helmets anymore. They mostly wear three-piece suits, carry smartphones and have law degrees. And they are very smart. … ” Read more from the Montrose Daily Press here: The Salton Sea is drying up; why does Colorado care?
San Diego: Vallecitos files $6.1M suit against San Diego County Water Authority
“Whiskey is for drinking and water is for fighting, so goes the old saying. And in San Marcos, the Vallecitos Water District has filed a lawsuit against the San Diego County Water Authority and is seeking $6.1 million in reimbursement regarding a dispute over a direct connection to desalinated water from the Carlsbad Desalination Plant. Vallecitos is alleging SDCWA failed to deliver desalinated water for nearly 16 months and overcharged the water utility company by $6.1 million for delivering a “blended” mix of water, according to Vallecitos General Manager Glenn Pruim. … ” Read more from Coast News here: Vallecitos files $6.1M suit against San Diego County Water Authority
Tijuana: Traces of wastewater found on both sides of border, likely caused by sewage
“A report released Thursday by the International Boundary and Water Commission found a significant presence of wastewater in border channels in the Tijuana River Basin impacting San Diego. In the report, “Binational Water Quality Study of the Tijuana River and Adjacent Canyons and Drains,” scientists from the United States and Mexico collected samples from of seven transboundary channels. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: Traces of wastewater found on both sides of border, likely caused by sewage
Along the Colorado River …
Much of U.S. Southwest left parched after monsoon season
“Cities across the U.S. Southwest recorded their driest monsoon season on record this year, some with only a trace or no rain. The seasonal weather pattern that runs from mid-June and ended Wednesday brings high hopes for rain and cloud coverage to cool down places like Las Vegas and Phoenix. But like last year, it largely was a dud, leaving the region parched. Flagstaff notched its driest season ever, down more than 6.5 inches (16.5 cm) of rain from its normal of 8.31 inches (21.1 cm ). Las Vegas tied a record set in 1944 with the least amount of rain — just a trace. Las Vegas also shattered a record set in 1959 for consecutive days with no measurable rainfall. It stood at 164 days on Thursday. … ” Read more from the Associated Press here: Much of U.S. Southwest left parched after monsoon season
Phoenix area is experiencing ‘Exceptional Drought’
“Arizona’s drought is getting worse. The latest drought update released Thursday by the United States Drought Monitor shows that a little more than 3 percent of the state is now experiencing an Exceptional Drought, which is the highest or worst level of drought. … ” Read more from Channel 15 here: Phoenix area is experiencing ‘Exceptional Drought’
Cave samples could offer a glimpse into a ‘worst case’ scenario for climate change. A UNLV researcher says it should be a call to action.
In national water news today …
USGS science to keep us safe: floods and drought
“The scarcity or overabundance of water presents some of the most dangerous, damaging and costly threats to human life, ecosystems and property in the form of drought, floods and debris flows. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration assessment of severe weather and climate event costs found that, on average, droughts and floods cost about $9.5 billion and $4.3 billion per event, respectively. … ” Read more from the USGS here: USGS science to keep us safe: floods and drought
Dual-flush toilets ‘wasting more water than they save’
“Campaigners have warned for years that dual-flush toilets, introduced as more efficient alternatives that were expected to use less than half the amount of water per flush, are more prone to leaks. The problem is said to be so great that the costs are outweighing the benefits. “Because there’s so many loos that continuously flow all through the day and night, collectively that water loss is now exceeding the amount of water the dual-flush design should be saving,” said Andrew Tucker, water efficiency manager at Thames Water. … ” Read more from MSN here: Dual-flush toilets ‘wasting more water than they save’
DOE study: Solar-hydro projects could power 40% of world
“Linking floating solar panels with hydropower could produce the equivalent of 40% of the world’s electricity, according to a new study by researchers at the Department of Energy. Published this week by a team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the study provides the first global look by federal researchers at the technical potential of the hybrid concept. The research found that by constructing solar panels on the surface of hydro reservoirs and feeding the power they generate into the same substation, both energy resources might become cheaper, more efficient and more reliable. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: DOE study: Solar-hydro projects could power 40% of world
Species and habitat conservation banking
“For many years, conservationists, landowners, and developers have met at crossroads when handling cases of endangered species with habitats on private lands. Conservationists sought to ensure the protection of the habitat, landowners hoped to maximize land value and avoid land-use restrictions under the Endangered Species Act, and developers sought to develop land without paying complicated and large mitigation sums. The alleviation to these conflicts of interest? A market enterprise that has the potential to account for the needs of private landowners, developers, and the environment all at once: conservation banking. … ” Read more from the Conservation Finance Network here: Species and habitat conservation banking
National Water and Climate Update …
The Natural Resources Conservation Service produces this weekly report using data and products from the National Water and Climate Center and other agencies. The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S.
dmrpt-20201001Today’s featured articles …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Update to Bulletin 74, California Well Standards: DWR Convenes Technical Advisory Committee for Update of Well Standards
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