In California water news this weekend …
New Drought Monitor map shows extreme dry conditions growing in Calif.
“The new federal Drought Monitor map shows that localized drought conditions are increasing in Northern California. The Sept. 22 map had 3% of the state in extreme drought while the Sept. 29 map released Thursday shows 13%. In the Bay Area, the map reveals that drought conditions range from moderate to severe. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: New Drought Monitor map shows extreme dry conditions growing in Calif.
Can fish eat their way out of climate change?
“About two years ago, I wrote an article on the importance of food for foraging salmon, particularly during their early life history stages. In that article, I suggested that food rich habitats such as spring-fed rivers, floodplains, estuaries, and lagoons would become disproportionally important for coldwater fishes under a rapidly changing climate. The argument largely relies on bioenergetic theory: as water temperatures increase with the onset of global change, the metabolic activity of coldwater fishes will also increase. If those increases in metabolic activity are not compensated for by either moving to cold water or increasing food consumption, salmon may experience reductions in growth, increases in stress, and higher rates of disease prevalence. … ” Read more from The Current here: Can fish eat their way out of climate change?
Supporting the reintroduction of Sacramento winter-run chinook to the Battle Creek watershed
“The day the gates closed on the Shasta Dam in 1943, approximately 200 miles of California’s prime salmon and steelhead spawning habitat disappeared. Although devastating for all four distinct runs of Central Valley Chinook salmon, the high dam hit the Sacramento winter-run Chinook the hardest. Sacramento winter Chinook—the only winter-run Chinook in the world—evolved from the cold, spring-fed waters of the McCloud River, Upper Sacramento, Pit Rivers, and Battle Creek. … ” Read more from the Current here: Supporting the reintroduction of Sacramento winter-run chinook to the Battle Creek watershed
Newsom vetoes Anderson Dam bill
“Valley Water this week began draining Anderson Reservoir in preparation for a seismic retrofit of the body’s dam in east Morgan Hill, but Gov. Gavin Newsom also vetoed a state assembly bill that would have expedited the project that the water district has been planning for more than 10 years. Assembly Bill 3005—sponsored by 30th District Assemblymember Robert Rivas—would have hastened the rebuild and strengthening of Anderson Dam by expediting environmental review and other regulatory processes that are necessary for such a vast public works project. Newsom vetoed AB3005 on Sept. 29. … ” Read more from the Gilroy Dispatch here: Newsom vetoes Anderson Dam bill
State board to discuss water stewardship, sustainability
“The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be hearing from regional water stakeholders, state officials and nonprofit associations on continuing work related to water recharge and environmental restoration. Specific focus will be on the Sacramento River Science Partnership, a collaborative effort to monitor recovery and water management on the Sacramento River. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: State board to discuss water stewardship, sustainability
California wildfires …
How wildfires are contaminating the water supply with benzene, other hazardous chemicals
“Scientists are just beginning to understand how the catastrophic fires in the West are leaching cancer-causing chemicals like benzene into groundwater. Andrew Whelton, an associate professor of civil engineering at Purdue University, often gets called in when there’s an issue with water. Three months after the Tubbs Fire in 2017, he says he was called to Santa Rosa, California, as the city tried to flush contamination out of its water system. … ” Read more from Here & Now here: How wildfires are contaminating the water supply with benzene, other hazardous chemicals
California wildfires on the cusp of burning 4 million acres so far this year
“Wildfires have burned an unprecedented swath of California this year, scorching nearly 4 million acres — an area larger than Connecticut — and killing 31 people, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Previously, California’s worst year of fire was 2018, when more than 1.8 million acres were burned and more than 100 people were killed, according to the National Interagency Coordination Center. … ” Read more from LA Times here: California wildfires on the cusp of burning 4 million acres so far this year
Better weather won’t keep California from grim fire landmark
“Red flag warnings of extreme fire danger subsided, but warm and dry weather continued to challenge firefighters battling more than two dozen blazes across California on Saturday as the state approaches an astonishing milestone: 4 million acres burned by wildfires this year. The state is about 20,000 acres from reaching the unprecedented figure, fire officials said. Meanwhile, two major fires that have killed four people and incinerated hundreds of homes in the wine country and the far north continued to burn. … ” Read more from NBC LA here: Better weather won’t keep California from grim fire landmark
Yuba County partners on wildfire mitigation
“Yuba County, Calif., is at the forefront of a collaborative effort to develop a more resilient forest that could be a model for the state’s efforts to mitigate its growing wildfire threat. A recent grant of $4.5 million to the Yuba Water Agency, which is administering the project, from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) spurred the most recent effort by removing forest fuels using mastication (mulching); hand and machine piling; prescribed fire through pile and understory burning; pest management; and reforestation. … ” Read more from GovTech here: Yuba County partners on wildfire mitigation
In people news this weekend …
APPOINTMENTS
Samantha F.V. Arthur, 35, of Sacramento, has been appointed to the California Water Commission.
Arthur has been Working Lands Program Director at Audubon California since 2019, where she has held multiple positions since 2014, including Conservation Project Director and Conservation Project Manager. She was a Strategic Planning and Policy Intern at the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts from 2013 to 2014 and a Land Protection Specialist at Big Sur Land Trust from 2010 to 2012. Arthur earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Management from the University of California, Santa Barbara. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Arthur is a Democrat.
Alexandre B. Makler, 52, of Berkeley, has been appointed to the California Water Commission.
Makler has been Senior Vice President, West Region of Calpine Corporation since 2014, where he has held multiple positions since 1999, including Vice President of Strategic Origination and Development and Vice President/Assistant General Counsel. He was an Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop from 1998 to 1999 and at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle from 1995 to 1998. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. This position requires Senate confirmation and the compensation is $100 per diem. Makler is a Democrat.
Podcasts …
SCIENCE IN SHORT: How fish interact with wetland topography
In this podcast, reporter Alastair Bland and UC Davis PhD student and fish researcher David Ayers discuss the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, its fish, its marshlands, its flows, and its future. Ayers explains the focus of his research, which seeks to reveal how underwater topography in the wetlands fringing the estuary affects interactions between predators and small fish. While restoration projects often focus on adding more water to this ecosystem and encouraging that water to overflow the river’s banks, Ayers says small fish need more than just water and wetlands to survive. Variation in habitat features, such as the width and depth of wetland channels that wind through these ecosystems, create a complex, dynamic habitat and may offer juvenile Chinook salmon and Delta smelt better odds at evading predators like striped bass, largemouth bass, and channel catfish, and, in the long term, better odds at surviving as species. SCIENCE IN SHORT is co-produced by Maven’s Notebook and Estuary News, with support from the Delta Stewardship Council.
WATER IS A MANY SPLENDOR’ED THING: Gold Fever
“If it wasn’t for water, California gold probably would never have accumulated beneath California’s mountains and valleys. Even small operators of gold mines can be successful. The unique characteristics of water make it a great solvent and a perfect carrier for the treasures hidden deep in the earth.” Podcasts here Produced by Steven Baker, Operation Unite® Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems, Online at www.operationunite.co
WATER BUFFS PODCAST: Rivers as Economic Engines – Fay Hartman
Water Desk Director Mitch Tobin talks to Fay Hartman, Conservation Director of the Colorado River Basin Program at American Rivers, about a new American Rivers report that examines the economic value of rivers and our nation’s crumbling water infrastructure. The report calls for Congress to invest $500 billion over 10 years on water infrastructure and river restoration.
In regional water news this weekend …
Plumas County: Wildfire ravaged this rancher’s cattle and maybe his family legacy. He blames politics
“Dave Daley stood recently on the edge of a barren ridge and bellowed out a guttural cry meant to call his cows home — if any remained alive after the North Complex wildfire decimated this national forest. It was a long, mellifluous chant that sounded like “Come Boss,” taught to him by his own father and, he thinks, maybe originating with the genus of the species he hoped to find, Bos taurus, domesticated cattle. When the sound finished bouncing off the far hills, miles across a plunging valley where the Feather River meandered into Lake Oroville, he waited in a silence so deep it can be made only by absence — of animals in underbrush, of leaves for wind to rustle, of life — hoping to hear the clanking of the bells each of his animals wears. But the silence held. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Wildfire ravaged this rancher’s cattle and maybe his family legacy. He blames politics
Sonoma County farmers find ways to reinvent themselves during fires, pandemic
“The coronavirus pandemic has upended virtually every business in Sonoma County, and the small, family farms that sell to local farmers markets and supply locals with fresh, nutritious food are no exception. Manuel Reyes has been farming for 10 years and selling his produce at the Healdsburg Farmers Market since 2013. He farms alongside his wife, Marta, and their sons, Manuel Junior and Jose, on Old Redwood Highway between Healdsburg and Windsor. His land is rented because of the high cost of land in Sonoma County. … ” Read more from the Press Democrat here: Sonoma County farmers find ways to reinvent themselves during fires, pandemic
Bottling climate change: how higher temps and wildfires will alter California Wine Country
“In the back room of Carol Shelton Wines in Santa Rosa, there’s an experiment happening. Below oak barrels stacked to the ceiling are plastic buckets filled with crushed grapes from this year’s harvest. Carol Shelton is looking for any hint of smoke — and not the subtle kind you might find in a glass of cab franc. “It’s an acrid kind of a taste,” said Shelton, who has been making wine for over 40 years. “And it kind of burns your throat.” … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Bottling climate change: how higher temps and wildfires will alter California Wine Country
Fire-plagued Napa County awaiting rain season
“Fire-plagued Napa County awaits a new rain season that cannot begin soon enough, given the only rain falling lately has been a rain of ash from the Glass Fire. The water year for measuring rainfall in California runs Oct. 1 through Sept. 30. Now is the outset of the 2020-21 rain season and the time for making educated guesses as to what might lie ahead. … ” Read more from the Napa Register here: Fire-plagued Napa County awaiting rain season
All invited to Solano Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Collaborative’s town hall
“The Solano Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Collaborative (Solano Collaborative) will host its first Virtual Town Hall, where updates will be given on the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) in the Solano Subbasin. Also offered will be background on SGMA; progress in developing the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP); information about groundwater science; and how the public can stay involved. A question and answer session will be part of the program. … ” Read more from the Vacaville Reporter here: All invited to Solano Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Agency Collaborative’s town hall
Georgetown Divide PUD water transfer completed
“The Georgetown Divide Public Utility District reported Sept. 23 that its release of 2,000 acre-feet of water from Stumpy Meadows Reservoir to be transferred to the Westlands Water District has been successfully completed. District staff initially projected water storage in Stumpy Meadows would be at 50% of capacity at the end of September but due to late-season rains and other factors, the reservoir level at the end of September is expected to be 66% of capacity. … ” Read more from the Mountain Democrat here: Georgetown Divide PUD water transfer completed
Amador County: ‘Massive coverup’:Steady flow of contamination into Mule Creek continues
“The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) has sent a notice of violation for sanitary sewer overflows to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for three instances in the past 30 months of releases of sewage or wastewater effluent into Mule Creek totaling 77,727 gallons from Mule Creek State Prison (MCSP). That value does not include any discharges of commingled stormwater and sewage from the stormwater collection system of MCSP proven to carry industrial wastes of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Semivolatile Organic Compounds (SVOCs) and sewage from indirect cross connections with the sewer system. … ” Read more from the Amador Ledger-Dispatch here: ‘Massive coverup’:Steady flow of contamination into Mule Creek continues
Mojave Pistachios, SVM file lawsuits vs. IWVGA
“The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority faces two lawsuits, from a major local farm operation and Searles Valley Minerals, over water rights filed this week in the aftermath of the passing of a controversial groundwater replenishment fee and a fallowing program. Mojave Pistachios, LLC and Paul and Mary Nugent have filed a lawsuit against the IWVGA, alleging misuse of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in order to eradicate agriculture from the valley in favor of the Navy, according to court documents. … ” Read more from the Taft Midway Driller here: Mojave Pistachios, SVM file lawsuits vs. IWVGA
SCV Water to host virtual ribbon-cutting to celebrate PFAS water treatment facility
“The Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) is set to host a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony in October to celebrate the completion of a water treatment facility, officials said. The pre-recorded event is scheduled for Monday Oct. 5, at 10 a.m. to celebrate the completion of its first per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) water treatment facility, located adjacent to the Hart Fields parking lot, that restores groundwater wells affected by PFAS chemicals, according to the agency. … ” Read more from SCV News here: SCV Water to host virtual ribbon-cutting to celebrate PFAS water treatment facility
Southern California residents blast NASA plan to clean up rocket lab site
“NASA announced plans Friday to clean up a Cold War-era rocket fuel testing site in Southern California — plans that have upset residents who say the space agency and the Trump administration have punted any responsibility for a full cleanup and will leave most of the area contaminated. Environmental advocacy groups say about 84% of the site will remain contaminated after NASA’s proposed cleanup, which was detailed in a report published this past July. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Southern California residents blast NASA plan to clean up rocket lab site
Support of Poseidon’s desalination at stake in water board election
“Poseidon Water’s long, winding road to building a desalination plant in Huntington Beach could face its biggest obstacle yet if opponents prevail in the upcoming election. For years, the Orange County Water District has expressed interest in buying the desalted water, provided Poseidon receives the necessary regulatory permits. But the water district’s appetite for the controversial project could be in jeopardy after Nov. 3, if two board members who support the project are upset in their reelection bids and replaced by Poseidon skeptics. That could leave the board in a 5-5 deadlock on Poseidon, short of the majority needed to approve a contract. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Support of Poseidon’s desalination at stake in water board election
An aqueduct to San Diego is worth studying, says Brian McNeece
” … SDCWA is looking into the possibility of building a pipeline (aqueduct, more accurately) to get its water directly from the Imperial Valley instead of indirectly through the Metropolitan Water District (MWD) in Los Angeles. … The Water Authority’s proposed aqueduct scares some locals. They say it will suck the Valley dry. They say that the new aqueduct would mean additional transfers of our precious water outside the Valley. But let’s look at the facts. … ” Read more at the Imperial Press here: An aqueduct to San Diego is worth studying
Stop the San Diego pipeline, says JB Hamby
He writes, ” … The San Diego County Water Authority is planning to build a duplicative multi-billion-dollar pipeline to carry 100 billion gallons a year of our Imperial Valley’s water away to the coast. If not stopped, this massive pipeline will cost our Valley secure water rights, health at the Salton Sea, future local growth, local jobs, and small businesses. This pipeline represents disastrous long-term impacts to the Imperial Valley all in an effort to lower water rates in San Diego. … ” Read more from the Desert Review here: Stop the San Diego pipeline
Phase 4 of Del Mar bluffs project includes drainage systems along train tracks
“Leaders with SANDAG, North County Transit District, and the chair for California’s Transportation Committee met Friday off 7th Street in Del Mar to get a closer look at their bluff stabilization $100 million project, now 20 years in the making. Additions include sea wall improvement and a drainage system that runs parallel to the train tracks. … ” Read more from ABC 10 here: Phase 4 of Del Mar bluffs project includes drainage systems along train tracks
Along the Colorado River …
Record high “high pressure” still dominates Southwest’s atmospheric conditions
“The jet stream position that is now ushering gales of hot, dry air right where it is needed least – into drought-wracked northern California – is not a particularly unusual feature at this time of year. What is unusual, to the point of breaking records for moisture-sapping, bone-dry heat, are two of this system’s features: Its unprecedented summer-into-autumn persistence and, the record-setting strength of the high-pressure system this late in the year. “The actual pattern itself is not that unusual for September, and actually somewhat common. However, the prolonged nature of how long these features have remained in place has been unusual,” explained National Weather Service meteorologist Mark O’Malley. … ” Read more from the Arizona Department of Water Resources here: Record high “high pressure” still dominates Southwest’s atmospheric conditions
In commentary this weekend …
Peter Gleick, Heather Cooley, Jason Morrison: Water recommendations to the next president
“The United States faces several severe and worsening water problems. Continuing to neglect these problems will impoverish and sicken this and future generations, destroy beneficial aquatic ecosystems, and threaten our economy and food supply. Smart water policies will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, improve public health, and speed our economic recovery. In this letter, we offer a short assessment of four key problems and specific recommendations for addressing them.” Click here to read this issue brief from the Pacific Institute.
In national news this weekend …
Attorney General Becerra joins multistate amicus brief in support of states’ Clean Water Act authority
“California Attorney General Xavier Becerra today, as part of a coalition of ten attorneys general, filed an amicus brief in North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) supporting North Carolina’s authority to review and impose conditions on federally-certified projects under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. North Carolina is currently in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit challenging a FERC order, which found that North Carolina waived its Section 401 authority to certify whether a hydroelectric project complied with state law requirements. In the amicus brief, the coalition argues that FERC improperly relied on Hoopa Valley Tribe v. FERC to support the order and urges the Fourth Circuit to vacate and remand FERC’s waiver determination. … ”
How distributed water infrastructure can boost resilience in the face of COVID-19 and other shocks
“COVID-19 — and the ensuing economic crisis — is affecting all sectors of society, including water. Across the country, water utilities are facing lower revenues, more unpaid and late water bills, and higher costs to protect essential staff from COVID-19. These financial challenges are affecting much-needed investments in water infrastructure, both now and in the future. Here, we summarize the financial impacts of COVID-19 on water utilities, examine how this may reduce or delay water infrastructure investments, and explore how investments in innovative distributed water infrastructure can address some of these issues while also fostering economic recovery, system flexibility, and long-term resilience. … ” Read more from the Pacific Institute here: How distributed water infrastructure can boost resilience in the face of COVID-19 and other shocks
Battered, flooded and submerged: many Superfund sites are dangerously threatened by climate change
“Fred Barrett thought he’d wait out Hurricane Harvey at his home in this town outside Houston, founded by his great-grandfather in 1889. He prepared for heavy rain, wind and flooding. But when the murky brown San Jacinto River jumped its banks, flooding Barrett’s neighbors and an ominous cluster of four hazardous waste Superfund sites nearby, Barrett worried the catastrophic 2017 storm could fill his community with deadly toxins. … ” Includes a map showing where the risks are. Read more from Inside Climate News here: Battered, flooded and submerged: many Superfund sites are dangerously threatened by climate change
Mexican water wars: Dam seized, troops deployed, at least one killed in protests about sharing with U.S.
“Mexico’s water wars have turned deadly. A long-simmering dispute about shared water rights between Mexico and the United States has erupted into open clashes pitting Mexican National Guard troops against farmers, ranchers and others who seized a dam in northern Chihuahua state. A 35-year-old mother of three was shot dead and her husband seriously wounded in what the Chihuahua state government labeled unprovoked National Guard gunfire. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Mexican water wars: Dam seized, troops deployed, at least one killed in protests about sharing with U.S.
SEE ALSO: AMLO says Mexico must pay water debt to the US, as he fears retaliation, from the Yucatan Times
Sunday video …
Delta Watermaster Michael George speaks at the MWDOC Water Policy Forum
Over two hundred individuals from across California joined the Municipal Water District of Orange County’s first Virtual Water Policy Forum to hear Delta Watermaster Michael George speak about the current, and future state of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta (Delta). Following Mr. George’s presentation, there was a thoughtful discussion between he and the audience regarding the Delta’s role in California’s water supply needs, ending with three key takeaways:
- The Delta cannot be preserved in its current configuration; there are too many dynamic forces at work.
- While climate change is the long-term threat, impacts will be experienced as black swan events.
- Durable management of the fragile Delta requires finding consensus, not “winning” in court.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
WEBSITE NEWS: New format for the Weekly Digest, plus new subscription options and more … !
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Cooperative Watershed Management Program Phase II
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: NRCS Announces 2021 Priority Planning Watershed Areas for Water Quality
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: 2021 Nonpoint Source Grant Program
PUBLICATION: Interagency Ecological Program Newsletter: 2019 status and trends of pelagic fishes; Secondary field ID of Delta smelt
