On the calendar today …
FREE WEBINAR: Incorporating Uncertainty in Water Resources Planning – Part II: A Deeper Dive from 10a, to 11am. Presented by Intera. Approaches to Uncertainty Analysis, Uncertainty Characterization, Communicating Uncertainty, and more. Click here to register.
FREE WEBINAR: Salinity Management: Putting Southern California’s Water Supply on a Low-Sodium Diet from 10am to 11am. Learn about salinity management in Orange County, including salinity benefits for the Groundwater Replenishment System water recharge, and salinity management activities in the Colorado River and Santa Ana Watershed. Click here to register.
PUBLIC MEETING: California’s Groundwater – Update 2020 from 12pm to 1:30pm. DWR will present an overview of California’s Groundwater – Update 2020 at a public webinar meeting on March 30, 2021, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Click here to register.
GRA BRANCH MEETING: Paleontology of the Yuba River Test Hole from 5pm to 6:30pm. To supplement an existing network of agricultural, domestic, and observation wells used for groundwater monitoring purposes, a deep exploratory test hole (YR-1) was drilled, and a dedicated multi-level monitoring well was installed in June 2004 on the south side of the Yuba River, east of Marysville. What makes this groundwater monitoring site unique and particularly useful is that it is co-located next to an actively monitored streamgaging station operated and maintained by the YWA/USGS. The multi-level monitoring well continues to provide valuable data on the hydrogeologic conditions of Yuba’s groundwater subbasins; however, the geology and paleontology of exploratory test hole YR-1 are the primary focus of this talk. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Legal analysis: California water law: Legal challenges of water supply assessments
“Mark Twain is often credited with saying, “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.” This remains true in California, where drought conditions, climate change, and population growth throughout the state’s history have made water an increasingly valuable and regulated resource. The legal landscape involves complex questions related to water quality, water sustainability, and competing claims to water rights. One notable area of controversy involves the adequacy of water supply for new development projects. … ” Read more from Latham & Watkins here: Legal analysis: California water law: Legal challenges of water supply assessments
Ag land values rely heavily on water availability
“California agricultural land values that are rising and falling the most are doing so under the perception of water availability – no surprise there. This is putting farmland in the Fresno Irrigation District (FID) in a positive light as that agency has done a good job over the years managing conjunctive use of irrigation water. The annual release of the Trends Report, a lengthy compilation of data collected by professional appraisers and farm managers in California, is starting to shed light on the role the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is having in setting farmland values. With the call for groundwater sustainability plans by the State of California last year, buyers and sellers are starting to see the writing on the wall for some locations. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Ag land values rely heavily on water availability
Lessons learned from previous California drought helpful in ‘dry years’
“As the rain season comes to a close across Northern California, water districts are keeping a close eye on rain totals that are below average, and water managers are explaining what another “dry water year” means for our region. According to California’s Department of Water Resources, or DWR, the state is well into its second consecutive dry year. That causes concern among water managers. However, it comes as no surprise. “This is typical for California. We’re a Mediterranean climate,” said DWR information officer Chris Orrock. “We go from historically wet years to historically dry periods.” … ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: Lessons learned from previous California drought helpful in ‘dry years’
Summer-like heat to sizzle across Southwest
“The weather across the United States will be the tale of two seasons from one coast to the other this week. As winter fights back in the eastern U.S., it will begin to feel more summerlike across much of the Southwest. In Southern California, gusty Santa Ana winds will accompany building heat, sparking a heightened fire threat after the reprieve during the winter. By the start of the new month, record-high temperatures will be challenged in some spots of the Southwest. ... ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Summer-like heat to sizzle across Southwest
Drought takes hold in West after second dry winter
“Dry conditions in the Southwest largely associated with La Nina have intensified what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is calling the most significant U.S. spring drought since 2013, affecting an estimated 74 million people. … The Southwest “will remain the hardest hit region in the U.S., and water supply will continue to be a concern this spring in these drought-affected areas,” National Weather Service deputy director Mary Erickson said when NOAA’s spring outlook was released March 25. “This is a major change from recent years where millions were impacted by severe flooding.” … ” Continue reading at the Western Farm Press here: Drought takes hold in West after second dry winter
Radio show: How prepared is CA for another drought & DDT dumping near Catalina Island
“On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, we’re discussing how California is preparing for another drought. According to the Guardian, the state’s previous drought, which lasted from 2012 to 2016, resulted in $2.7 billion in losses for the agriculture industry and more than 18,000 lost jobs. The drought also contributed to the deaths of about 102 million forest trees. Later in the show, we’ll discuss a Los Angeles Times investigation about how the waters off Catalina Island, California became a dumping ground for DDT waste from the 1940s to the 1980s. As many as half a million barrels had been dumped just off the coast of Los Angeles.” Guests are Jay Lund, UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences, and Rosanna Xia, reporter for the LA Times. Listen to the radio show from KALW here: Radio show: How prepared is CA for another drought & DDT dumping near Catalina Island
Feeding the future: In conversation with Secretary Ross & Mark Arax
“Missed the latest webinar in our new Feeding the Future series? We’ve got you covered with highlights and a full recording of the event. Sustainable Conservation CEO Ashley Boren moderated a conversation between Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross and The Dreamt Land author Mark Arax. Ashley offered questions, including several sourced from folks who tuned in live, to cue up Karen and Mark’s discussion of water, agriculture, and climate change in California. Secretary Ross has served for 10 years in both the Brown and Newsom administrations. Drawing from deep agricultural expertise and industry experience, she works every day to help California manage its natural resources and build a sustainable food system for all. Mark Arax is a distinguished journalist and author from a Central Valley farming family whose coverage of California water complexities has inspired lots of dialogue across the state. … ” Read more from Sustainble Conservation here: Feeding the Future: In Conversation with Secretary Ross & Mark Arax
Can California’s organic vegetable farmers unlock the secrets of no-till farming?
“Last summer, veteran organic farmer Scott Park was bewildered when he surveyed his vast tomato, corn, and sunflower fields. Before planting the crops on 350 acres he had radically cut down on tilling the soil, planted cover crops twice, and let sheep graze the land. And he was sure he’d see excellent yields. The undisturbed soil was loaded with earthworms, but the crops grew sluggishly and didn’t produce enough fruit. Park lost almost half of his yields—and over half a million dollars. “We thought we were going to cut a fat hog,” said Park, whose farm lies 50 miles northwest of Sacramento in California’s Central Valley. “But the combination of no-till and grazing kicked me in the teeth.” Though surprising, the result was part of a critical experiment that Park plans to replicate again—this time, on a smaller plot on his 1,700-acre farm: Because there’s more at stake than his own profit. … ” Read more from Civil Eats here: Can California’s organic vegetable farmers unlock the secrets of no-till farming?
$218 million to fund forest improvements
“The U.S. Forest Service is investing more than $218 million to fund Great American Outdoors Act projects to conserve critical forest and wetland habitat, support rural economic recovery and increase public access to national forests. This investment is made possible by leveraging Land and Water Conservation Funds provided by Congress and is in addition to the recently-announced $285 million investment provided by National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Funds. … ” Read more from the Mountain Democrat here: $218 million to fund forest improvements
US departments urged to become year-round wildfire agencies
“California’s U.S. senators and nearly two-dozen representatives asked the Agriculture and Interior departments on Monday to transition their agencies to a year-round wildland workforce because blazes are no longer limited to traditional fire seasons. The move would require reclassifying more seasonal federal firefighter positions as permanent, said a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. “As California and the West continue to contend with historic and destructive wildfire seasons, it has become clear that we are entering a ‘new normal’ in which increasingly intense wildfires wreak havoc during a nearly year-round fire season,” it said. ... ” Read more from the Associated Press here: US departments urged to become year-round wildfire agencies
California members of Congress call for year-round wildland fire workforce
“Senators Dianne Feinstein and Alex Padilla and Representatives Zoe Lofgren, Scott Peters and Jimmy Panetta (all D-Calif.) led a group of their California colleagues on a letter urging the Biden administration to transition to a year-round federal firefighting workforce. “As California and the West continue to contend with historic and destructive wildfire seasons, it has become clear that we are entering a ‘new normal’ in which increasingly intense wildfires wreak havoc during a nearly year-round fire season,” the lawmakers wrote to Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and Interior Secretary Haaland. “Because the federal government owns 57% of the forest land in California, and climate change all but ensures an ever-expanding fire season in the years to come, we must begin to adapt our federal resources to better align with needs on the ground.” … ” Continue reading at Senator Feinstein’s website here: California Members of Congress Call for Year-Round Wildland Fire Workforce
In regional water news and commentary today …
New videos series to be released on the Russian River and salmon; recording of recent PPFC meeting available
“A complete recording of the recently held Public Policy Facilitating Committee is now available on Sonoma Water’s website, along with the first of three short hand-drawn videos that explain the Russian River system, the life cycles of salmon in the river, and the proposed Fish Habitat Flows and Water Rights Project. … ” Read more from Sonoma County here: New videos series to be released on the Russian River and salmon; recording of recent PPFC meeting available
Northern California farmers turn to ‘regenerative agriculture’ for conserving water, growing healthy crops
“Sonoma County organic farmer Bob Cannard has the dirt on what’s killing the Earth and refuses to bury his head in the sand about it. He’s part of a growing movement of farmers, vineyard tenders and conservationists who care for the soil as much as the crops. The outspoken crop whisperer of sorts studies the leaves, sprouts and buds of his herbs, vegetables and fruits on his 40-acre Green String Farm in Petaluma like a microbiologist examines specimens. “We, (as a society, wrongly) think we need pesticides on everything, perpetuating the concept that there are pests. It’s a genetic perversion,” he told the Business Journal in early March. ... ” Read more from the North Bay Business Journal here: Northern California farmers turn to ‘regenerative agriculture’ for conserving water, growing healthy crops
Rainfall declining in San Benito County
“Weather patterns in San Benito County are changing and the county may be returning to drought conditions, according to two water district officials. The San Benito County Water District has measuring stations all around the county, including in San Juan Oaks and behind the water district’s office at 30 Mansfield Road in Hollister. County rainfall is not merely the average of measurements taken at these sites, since it can vary wildly across different locations. “You can get numbers in South County that are much higher than they are here, depending on where the weather station is placed,” said Jeff Cattaneo, water district general manager. ... ” Read more from Benito Link here: Rainfall declining in San Benito County
$2.5 million settlement reached for Mule Creek State Prison violations of Clean Water Act
“The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has agreed to pay a $2.5 million penalty for discharging comingled stormwater at Mule Creek State Prison, in violation of the Clean Water Act. The penalty was assessed for unpermitted discharges between January 2018 and April 2019 to Mule Creek, a tributary to Dry Creek and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The case began three years ago when the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (Central Valley Water Board) received a complaint that the prison was discharging wastewater into the nearby creek. Central Valley Water Board staff confirmed discharges were occurring from the prison to Mule Creek. … ” Read more from the State Water Board here: $2.5 million settlement reached for Mule Creek State Prison violations of Clean Water Act
Mono County scores win to keep Long Valley green – for now
“The huge, lush green meadows that stretch between the S.R. 203 junction with U.S. 395 and Crowley Lake may seem like they have been there forever but in reality, their existence has been under threat for several years after the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power threatened to withdraw much of the water from the meadowlands a few years ago, stating it needed the water for its own uses. If implemented, the proposed ‘de-watering’ of much of the massive meadows would have turned them into sage and dust, destroying wildlife habitat, historic cattle grazing leases, the fishing habitat along Hot Creek and the Upper Owens River and much more. ... ” Read more from the Mammoth Times here: Mono County scores win to keep Long Valley green – for now
Commentary: The 2021 drought is already an emergency in Kern County
Kern County Water Agency Board of Directors president Royce Fast writes, “The 2021 drought is quickly becoming an emergency. Kern County’s supply from the State Water Project has been reduced to just 5 percent of a full allocation. Rainfall is about half of average. And with each passing dry day, the drought gets worse. Low water allocations result from low water storage and rainfall, and in recent years, California’s rainfall has varied widely. In 2014, California experienced one of the worst droughts in recent memory and the water allocation to Kern County that year also was 5 percent. Those memories were washed away just three years later, when 2017 turned out to be the wettest year on record. This year we are back to a water allocation of just 5 percent and the state needs to quickly implement some of the same options it used to manage the 2014 drought. … ” Continue reading at the Bakersfield Californian here: Commentary: The 2021 drought is already an emergency in Kern County
Clean, locally sourced water could make a comeback in Lomita by 2022
“For the last seven years, Lomita resident Brenda Stephens has been advocating for better, locally sourced tap water. “It’s nice to be able to turn it on without having it smell really bad,” Stephens said. “My plants like it.” According to Stephens, the smell and taste of the water has been off-putting for years. “When I would turn on my kitchen faucet or I would run my washing machine, I had to open all the doors and windows because it smelled like sewer. It smelled like some of the, like, the toilet had backed up and just sat there for months.” … ” Read more from Spectrum 1 here: Clean, locally sourced water could make a comeback in Lomita by 2022
San Diego: Future of Buena Vista Lagoon to be more natural
“The Buena Vista Lagoon Ecological Reserve in San Diego County sits between the cities of Oceanside to the north and Carlsbad to the south. It’s historic because it was the state’s first-ever reserve, created in 1968. Recently it has become considered noteworthy, if not historic, for another reason. Homeowners in that area, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), CDFW and several other groups came to an agreement after years of dispute on how the lagoon should be altered so it thrives well into the future. ... ” Read more from the Department of Fish & Wildlife here: Future of Buena Vista Lagoon to be more natural
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River Tribes aim to establish ‘one unified voice’ in policy talks
“The Fort Yuma-Quechan Indian Tribe is situated at a nexus in the Colorado River Basin. That’s true in a geographic sense. The tribe’s reservation overlays the Arizona-California border near Yuma, Arizona. The two states are heavily reliant on water from the Colorado River. … The tribe is also at a policy nexus on the river. With irrigated agriculture part of the tribe’s past and present connection to the river, the Quechan tribe is intimately tied to future policies on the Colorado River. … KUNC’s Luke Runyon sat down with the Fort Yuma-Quechan Tribe’s president Jordan Joaquin to hear his perspective on the upcoming talks. ... ” Read the full article at KUNC here: Colorado River Tribes aim to establish ‘one unified voice’ in policy talks
In national water news today …
The WIFIA Bank
“The 2020 Annual Report of the EPA’s WIFIA loan program is a good read, and not just because it’s short and largely graphical. It’s a series of positive snapshots, including impressive aggregate stats, highlights from closed loans and summaries of new features. The overall impression is that of a federal program that’s working very well on multiple fronts, from responsive product development for borrowers to the intricacies of transaction execution within a federal bureaucracy. WIFIA continued to operate efficiently and even in increasing scale in 2020, despite the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: The WIFIA Bank
Benefits of ‘drastic’ climate action outweigh costs: economists
“The cost of global warming will far outweigh the cost of rapidly cutting greenhouse gas emissions, more than 700 economists from around the world said Tuesday in an unprecedented call to climate action. A major international survey found that nearly three-quarters of the economists responding believed that “immediate and drastic” action was needed to limit the fallout of climate change, warning that the costs of failing to slash carbon pollution would rapidly balloon to reach trillions of dollars every year. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Benefits of ‘drastic’ climate action outweigh costs: economists
Today’s featured articles …
BLOG ROUND-UP: Delta Independent Science Board defunded; CA and feds still plan to drain reservoirs & kill salmon; Water Wrights responds to State Water Board’s climate change report; and more …
Click here to read the blog round-up.
GUEST COMMENTARY: Beyond Acknowledgements, It’s Time We Act on Learning and Teaching Indigenous Knowledge
Commentary written by Puanani Faleofa Kānaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian), Water and Land Protector
We need more water and land protectors. California has both a water and land crisis. Save California Salmon, HSU Native American Studies, Tribes and School Districts have just released a high school curriculum based on the 2020 Summer Speaker Series, Advocacy & Water Protection in Native California, which includes indigenous knowledge from tribal leaders and members in Northern California.
Click here to read this commentary.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
ESTUARY NEWS: Stalled flow agreements, Linking climate change to extreme events, Progress on North Bay restoration projects, Sediment monitoring, and more …
NOTICE: Petitions filed to transfer 21,941 acre-feet from the Sacramento Valley to various SWP and CVP contractors
NOTICE: No surface water diversions for cannabis cultivation April 1st – October 31st
