In California water news today …
Despite rainfall, state still aiming for 55 gallon per person water conservation target
“Fresh off a week filled with rain and snow due to an atmospheric river, water conservation may not be top of mind for everyday Californians. NBC Bay Area Meteorologist Rob Mayeda just broke down some figures from this latest storm. In a Friday tweet he says, “Sierra Snowpack Surge: Up to 66% of average from just 40% one week ago. Biggest rains for the Central and Southern Sierra.” While the recent precipitation may make the 2011-2017 California drought seem like a distant memory, a couple of laws passed by the legislature at that time are set to rain down policy on water agencies throughout the state. … ” Read more from GV Wire here: Despite rainfall, state still aiming for 55 gallon per person water conservation target
February 1: Is California still heading for a multi-year drought?
“Normally, a second dry year brings drought operations for California’s overall water system operations. Today, it is even likelier that California is entering a multi-year drought. Precipitation conditions have improved somewhat with a nice atmospheric river this last week, but remain 51% of average for this time of year for the Sacramento Valley. (San Joaquin and Tulare basins are 61% and 47% of historical seasonal average precipitation so far.) Snowpack has improved somewhat with very recent storms, but is about as scarce as the precipitation. … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog here: February 1: Is California Still Heading for a Multi-Year Drought?
History: The 1862 Megaflood and the ‘finger of fate’
“While Global Warming only intensifies weather conditions, the geological record shows that Megafloods have occurred in California every century or two, likely triggered by “atmospheric rivers” dumping a conveyor belt of drenching rains out of the Pacific. The last Megaflood occurred in 1861-62, flooding all western states, putting vast sections of California underwater for months, ruining a quarter of the state’s economy, and pushing California into near-bankruptcy. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: History: The 1862 Megaflood and the ‘finger of fate’
More rain ahead for Sacramento as another winter storm passes over Northern California
“Having just recovered from a severe storm over Northern California that ripped trees out of the earth, the region is preparing for more inclement weather, although likely not as destructive. The National Weather Service’s Sacramento office predicts the system will move into Northern California on Monday and last through Wednesday morning. Describing the upcoming system as “not nearly the magnitude as the last storm” — which brought 60 mile-per-hour gusts to Sacramento — meteorologists say the Valley can expect moderate rainfall and substantial snow at high elevations of the Sierra Nevada. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: More rain ahead for Sacramento as another winter storm passes over Northern California
SEE ALSO: Light rains to return, linger in the Bay Area, from the San Francisco Chronicle
Satellite photos compare Sierra Nevada mountains before and after winter storms
“Satellite photos show the extent of the snowfall in the Sierra Nevada mountains following last week’s winter storms. The National Weather Service in Reno shared the two satellite photos Saturday on Twitter. The first image was captured on Jan. 20 and the second image was captured 10 days later on Jan. 30. … ” Check out the before & after picture here: Satellite photos compare Sierra Nevada mountains before and after winter storms
State board to discuss water trading and futures
“The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will discuss water trading and futures, with a specific focus on the Nasdaq Veles California Water Index at its upcoming meeting. The Board will hear from water stakeholders, financial entities and businesses involved in the establishment and launch of the Index. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: State board to discuss water trading and futures
Water markets in California can reduce the costs of drought, says Ellen Hanak, Director of the PPIC’s Water Center
“California’s increasingly volatile warming climate is making droughts more intense, and complicating water management. A just-launched commodity futures market for the state’s water provides a new tool for farmers, municipalities and other interested parties to ensure against water price shocks arising from drought-fueled shortages. Taking a Wall Street approach to an essential natural resource has prompted both fear and hype. Will California experience a new Gold Rush in water? Will speculation boost the cost of water? Perhaps both the fear and the hype are unwarranted. ... ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Water markets in California can reduce the costs of drought, says Ellen Hanak, Director of the PPIC’s Water Center
Scientists link chemicals to mysterious cancer killing California sea lions
“Scientists in California have determined the likely causes of a mysterious cancer that has killed sea lions for years include elements introduced to the ocean by humans. A team of marine mammal pathologists, virology experts, chemists and geneticists found the causes include toxic chemicals and herpes, The Los Angeles Times reports. The research was conducted over two decades. To date, almost 25% of the sea lions that first responders bring to the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito have died from one aggressive cancer, among the highest prevalence of a single cancer type in any mammal, including humans. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Scientists link chemicals to mysterious cancer killing California sea lions
The Western United States is a hotspot for snow droughts
“Most of us know a bad drought when we see one: Lakes and rivers recede from their normal water lines, crops wither in fields, and lawns turn brown. Usually we think of these droughts as being triggered by a lack of rain, but scientists also track drought in other ways. “The common ways to measure droughts are through precipitation, soil moisture and runoff,” says Laurie S. Huning, an environmental engineer at the University of California, Irvine. Her most recent work adds another dimension to that by looking at water stored in snowpack. … ” Read more from The Revelator here: The Western United States is a hotspot for snow droughts
Climate change ravaged the West with heat and drought last year; Many fear 2021 will be worse
“If there were any doubts that the climate is changing in the Colorado River Basin, 2020 went a long way toward dispelling them, thanks to yet another year of extreme weather. Unprecedented wildfires, deadly heat waves, withering drought—the many indicators of the climate mayhem that scientists have been warning about for years—ravaged the landscape, claiming dozens of lives and causing billions of dollars in damage. Colorado endured an unprecedented wildfire season. And so did California, in some cases burning where the wounds were still fresh from the epic fires of 2018. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: Climate change ravaged the West with heat and drought last year; Many fear 2021 will be worse
In regional water news and commentary today …
State releases new information on water contamination after North Complex Fire
“The California State Water Board released new information about water contamination testing after the North Complex fire devastated parts of Butte County and Plumas County during the summer of 2020. Testing of surface waters throughout the burn scar has revealed contaminant levels are elevated, but lower than anticipated. The State Water Board said the good news is they are not impacting drinking water treatment facilities or the quality of drinking water they deliver to their customers. … ” Read more from KRCR TV here: State releases new information on water contamination after North Complex Fire
Santa Barbara County plans for the future of Goleta Beach Park amid rising sea levels, coastal erosion
“The Santa Barbara County Parks Division shared its ideas for the future of Goleta Beach Park at a virtual workshop on Thursday night. County Parks is in the process of developing an adaptive management plan to begin thinking about the potential need to redesign, relocate or remove the park and its facilities in response to future sea-level rise and coastal erosion. “Goleta Beach plays an important role in recreational, environmental and social equity values,” said Marie Laule, project manager for the county’s consulting group, Wood PLC, also noting that the park serves as the largest source of free coastal access in the county. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Santa Barbara County plans for the future of Goleta Beach Park amid rising sea levels, coastal erosion
Coachella Valley: Whitewater River’s governmental protections ensure no forces dam it.
“Desert dwellers out for a refreshing splash in Whitewater River on a hot day may give no thought to the higher source of their recreation. The headwaters of the river’s South Fork lie a mere 100 feet below the 11,503-foot peak of Mount San Gorgonio in the Sand to Snow National Monument. Though too shallow and narrow for fish and boats, the river channels the majesty of a mountain through twists and turns in a steep and rugged topography to wash across the parched desert floor. In dry seasons, its water kisses the edges of loose rock. After a storm, like the deluge of Valentine’s Day 2019, it roars over them. Either way, Whitewater commands our attention to the natural world. … ” Read more from Palm Springs Life here: Coachella Valley: Whitewater River’s governmental protections ensure no forces dam it.
San Diego exploring 2022 ballot measure to pay for growing flood-prevention, stormwater needs
“San Diegans may face new taxes or fee increases to upgrade the city’s increasingly unreliable flood-prevention infrastructure, which needs an estimated $1.5 billion in repairs and modernization efforts during the next five years. City officials announced this week they are exploring a possible November 2022 ballot measure that would boost funding for flood prevention with either new parcel taxes, property-related fees, special assessment taxes or other options. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: San Diego exploring 2022 ballot measure to pay for growing flood-prevention, stormwater needs
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River getting saltier sparks calls for federal help
“Water suppliers along the drought-stricken Colorado River hope to tackle another tricky issue after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation installs a new leader: salty water. … Various efforts along the river or tributaries annually remove about 1.2 million tons of salt. But the largest brine-removal system in the basin has been shuttered for two years over earthquake concerns. In December, President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration released a final environmental review on what to do about it. The chosen course: No action, leaving the fate of the project and of salt removal murky. Now local suppliers say they will be pressing the Biden administration to do the opposite. … ” Read more from Bloomberg Law here: Colorado River getting saltier sparks calls for federal help
The Colorado River Basin’s worsening dryness in five numbers
“Dry conditions are the worst they’ve been in almost 20 years across the Colorado River watershed, which acts as the drinking and irrigation water supply for 40 million people in the American Southwest. As the latest round of federal forecasts for the river’s flow shows, it’s plausible, maybe even likely, that the situation could get much worse this year. Understanding and explaining the depth of the dryness is up to climate scientists throughout the basin. We called several of them and asked for discrete numbers that capture the current state of the Colorado River basin. … ” Read more from KUNC here: The Colorado River Basin’s worsening dryness in five numbers
In national water news today …
Moratoria on utility shutoffs and evictions reduced covid-19 infection rates, Duke University analysis finds
“Policies that helped financially struggling Americans stay in their homes 
and keep access to water and electricity during the COVID-19 pandemic also helped reduce the spread of the virus, according to a new analysis by Duke University researchers. Eviction moratoria and relief from utility disconnections reduced COVID-19 cases by 8.2 percent from the onset of the pandemic through the end of November 2020, the authors found. The findings were published Monday as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper. Newly inaugurated President Joe Biden has proposed a $1.9 trillion relief package to provide rental and utility assistance for those hardest hit by the pandemic’s economic fallout. … ” Read more from Duke University here: Moratoria on utility shutoffs and evictions reduced covid-19 infection rates, Duke University analysis finds
House Democrats line up behind water service disconnection ban
“Legislation introduced in the House of Representatives last week would provide $1.5 billion to states to provide water rate assistance to low-income households – but only if state or local governments ensure that any home water service is not disconnected or interrupted for the duration of the pandemic and beyond. Introduced by Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and cosponsored by more than 70 House Democrats, the Emergency Water is a Human Right Act (H.R. 616) would divide $1.5 billion among states to ensure continued water service to low-income households. ... ” Read more from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies here: House Democrats line up behind water service disconnection ban
PFAS control ranks high on environmental agenda
“President Joe Biden is promising to address tap water tainted with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). These toxic synthetic substances, which don’t break down in the environment, are increasingly being detected in rivers and aquifers that supply drinking water across the US. A handful of states have limits on certain PFAS in drinking water, but no national standards exist. … ” Read more from Chemical & Engineering News here: PFAS control ranks high on environmental agenda
Biden’s climate order moves the spotlight away from EPA
“President Biden’s climate change executive order Wednesday cast EPA in a supporting role. The agency that oversaw the overwhelming majority of President Obama’s carbon mitigation policies was given a seat — with 20 others — on a new interagency task force on climate change headed by White House domestic climate adviser Gina McCarthy, EPA’s leader during the Obama administration. EPA will also participate in an interagency council and administer and fund an advisory committee on environmental justice — a cornerstone of Biden’s environmental and climate platform. But Wednesday’s directive didn’t give any new details about when or how EPA might carry out flagship climate rulemakings, like an expected replacement for the Trump-era Affordable Clean Energy rule for existing power plants or any new greenhouse gas standards for sectors like refining and manufacturing. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Biden’s climate order moves the spotlight away from EPA
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
- Storm train to chug along in West through midweek
- How the atmospheric river storm affected California’s water supply
- In the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, two groundwater sustainability agencies try to find their balance
- Citing climate change, LADWP ends free water deal for Long Valley ranchers and sparks anger among conservationists
- FERC declines to find that denials without prejudice justify a Section 401 waiver
- State fisheries biologists continue efforts to eradicate deadly fish bacteria
- First wildfires, now mudslides. California endures year-round disaster season.
- What will Iron Gate, Copco, JC Boyle reservoirs look like after dam removal? KRRC says it will be beautiful
- Sea level rise on the North Coast
- Lake Tahoe: Climate change leads discussion at Operation Sierra Storm
- Marin: Restored Corte Madera marshland opens to public
- Bay Area climate change hotspots
- What role should onsite water reuse play in Silicon Valley water?
- And more …
Click here to read the weekend edition of the Daily Digest.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
MONTHLY RESERVOIR REPORT for February 1st
NOTICE: CDFA announces stakeholder engagement opportunities on farmer- and rancher-led climate-change solutions
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: 2021 CDFW Prop 1 FAQ, Application Workshop Recording and Presentation
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: 2021 Fisheries Restoration Grant Program PSN and Guidelines for Public Comments
CA WELL STANDARDS: Updating Bulletin 74, California Well Standards: DWR Convenes Technical Advisory Committee for Update of Well Standards
SGMO NEWS: Joint DWR-State Water Board general SGMA webinar; SGMA water year type dataset now available; How to report domestic wells going dry; and more …
