On the calendar today …
- EVENT: 2021 Kern County Water Summit from 8am to 1:15pm. Keynote speaker is author Mark Arax. Panel discussions include Water Rights panel featuring E. Joaquin Esquivel, Chair of the State Water Resources Control Board, regarding the recent report “Effective Water Rights Response to Climate Change”; SGMA review process presentation from Steven Springhorn, Acting Deputy Director Statewide Groundwater Management; and Bureau of Reclamation update on the new Biden Administration goals for federal water in the West. Click here to register.
- FREE WEBINAR: A Primer on the Development of Groundwater Resources 10am to 11am. Discussion topics: What is a hydrogeologist’s role in the development of a groundwater resource? How to help a client better understand the steps involved in the development of a groundwater resource? What does a typical groundwater development program look like? Presented by Intera. Click here to register.
- PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Metropolitan Water District Climate Change Workshop from 12:30pm to 3:30pm. As part of a virtual public workshop, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and its member agencies will confer with a panel of experts to anticipate and plan for the wide range of uncertainties climate change will pose to the region’s water supply and demands over the next 25 years. Four panelists will address how climate change will affect hydrologic conditions in Metropolitan’s service area and the watersheds associated with Southern California’s imported water supply. They will also offer better understanding of the key drivers that will impact future water reliability. Access the”Integrated Regional Plan Special Committee workshop on this page.
- FREE EVENT: Virtual roundtable on the Salton Sea from 1pm to 2pm. California’s Salton Sea faces a host of challenges, including a declining water supply, rising salinity, very high levels of nutrients that generate excessive algal growth and very low oxygen levels, and a glaring disconnect between the rate of change and the rate of efforts to address that change. Join the Pacific Institute for a virtual roundtable on the future of the Salton Sea, featuring: Wade Crowfoot, Secretary, California Natural Resources Agency; Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, D-Coachella, California; Joaquin Esquivel, Chair, California State Water Resources Control Board; and Adriana Torres, Youth Advocate. View the event here. There is no need to register.
- SAFER: 2021 Risk Assessment and Affordability Assessment from 1pm to 2:30pm. This workshop will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to learn about 2021 Risk Assessment and Affordability Assessment Results and to help the public navigate the data behind the Risk Assessment and Affordability Assessment. The State Water Board will provide an overview of the results of the Risk Assessment (public water systems) and Affordability Assessment. Click here to register. Meeting Notice | Aviso | Program Page
In California water news today …
Will declaring the Delta smelt extinct solve Calif.’s water woes?
“As California drags deeper into extreme drought, could the answer to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California’s water woes be found via an oft-castigated bait fish on the Endangered Species list? That’s the hope for one Valley congressional wannabe – former Fresno City Councilman Chris Mathys – who announced his intention to petition the Federal government to repeal the endangered species designation for the delta smelt in hopes of unlocking water flows south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Wednesday, Mathys sent a letter addressed to officials of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcing his intention to petition the department to “declare the delta smelt extinct.” ... ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Will declaring the Delta smelt extinct solve Calif.’s water woes?
Fresno-area candidate for Congress wants to declare the Delta smelt extinct
“A hopeful for a Fresno-area seat in Congress has initiated a petition to have the embattled Delta smelt declared extinct. Chris Mathys said Monday he took the first step toward that petition, which is a letter of intent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the state of California 30 days before filing the formal petition. The petition is similar to a court document in that it needs to lay out the argument and back it up with facts and science, Mathys said. ... ” Continue reading at the Fresno Bee here: Fresno-area candidate wants to declare the Delta smelt extinct
SEE ALSO:
- Petition coming to make Delta smelt extinct, from the Business Journal
- Petition to Request Delta Smelt Be Declared Extinct will be Filed With Fish and Game, from the California Globe
The sinking Central Valley town
“In California’s San Joaquin Valley, the farming town of Corcoran has a multimillion-dollar problem. It is almost impossible to see, yet so vast it takes NASA scientists using satellite technology to fully grasp. Corcoran is sinking. Over the past 14 years, the town has sunk as much as 11.5 feet in some places — enough to swallow the entire first floor of a two-story house and to at times make Corcoran one of the fastest-sinking areas in the country, according to experts with the United States Geological Survey. … ” Continue reading at SJV Water here: The sinking Central Valley town
Amid calls for more water storage in arid West, large dam projects stall
“As extreme drought continues across a large swath of the western U.S., water district managers and Republican members of Congress are calling for more and expanded water storage facilities they say will help hydroelectric plants and food growers prepare for the next inevitable dry spell. Their demands have reinvigorated a partisan debate about whether and where to invest potentially billions in large dam projects at a time where decreasing snowmelt and rain is unlikely to fill up such storage. Critics of such plans have also noted that there are few places left in which to build dams. At a May 19 hearing hosted by Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee, lawmakers and several witnesses criticized a decision by Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom to halt a $1.3 billion plan by the Trump administration to raise Shasta Dam. … ” Read more from S&P Global here: Amid calls for more water storage in arid West, large dam projects stall
Fact Sheet: Summary of Sustainable Groundwater Management Investments in Governor Newsom’s Budget Proposal
“The Governor’s May 14 budget proposes to invest more than $1 billion to protect and better manage groundwater. On average, Californians rely on groundwater for 40 percent of our annual supplies in average and wet years and nearly 60 percent in drought years. The proposed investments would help address immediate needs in this second year of drought and also support longer-term, local efforts to bring groundwater basins into sustainable conditions for future generations. … The Governor’sproposed budget, which requires legislative approval, would significantly increase state financial and technical support for the locally-driven transition to sustainable groundwater management.”
A look at California’s safe and affordable drinking water gaps
“The State Water Board recently completed a multi-year needs assessment of the state’s safe drinking water challenges. One big takeaway: more money is needed. The study identified a funding gap of $4.6 billion to resolve safe drinking water problems over the next five years. We talked to Greg Pierce—the study’s lead researcher and associate director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation—about the findings. PPIC: What were the biggest takeaways from this effort? GREG PIERCE: The study assessed public water systems currently out of compliance, public systems at risk, and communities served by very small systems, domestic wells, and tribal systems. Among the publicly regulated systems, we found that 326 were failing and 617 were at risk of failing. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: A look at California’s safe and affordable drinking water gaps
Water futures made easy
“Water futures present a unique, cost-effective means to manage water price risk. One can use futures to hedge against price changes in the water market, which may otherwise have significant financial impact to a water user’s bottom line. This article will lay out the fundamental concepts involved in trading the contracts and lay the groundwork for successful risk hedging.”
Ninety-five percent of bull kelp forests have vanished from 200-mile stretch of California coast
“Until recently, giant seaweed called bull kelp formed lush underwater forests in northern California’s coastal waters. These kelp forests have long provided critical habitat for many species like salmon, crabs, and jellyfish. But now just a few patches of bull kelp remain. “It’s very desolate looking,” says Meredith McPherson of UC Santa Cruz. She was part of a team that studied satellite images of about 200 miles of California coastline. They found that starting in 2014, the area covered by kelp dropped by more than 95%. She says the die-off was driven in part by an underwater heat wave, which depleted nutrients in the water and made it harder for the kelp to grow. … ” Read more from Yale Climate Connections here: Ninety-five percent of bull kelp forests have vanished from 200-mile stretch of California coast
SEE ALSO: Photo gallery: Marine photographer captures haunting images of California’s beautiful, but vanishing, kelp forests, from Yale Climate Connections
2020 Wildlife Conservation Board Year in Review
“Our 2020 Year in Review (PDF) has been posted that highlights over $138 million of work for 143 projects. The report also highlights some key projects and shows how we met and exceeded our Strategic Plan objectives. While 2020 brought all of us challenges that seemed overwhelming at times, WCB continued to affect incredible conservation on the ground in coordination with our stakeholders and partners. We appreciate all your contributions and look forward to continued successes as we collectively meet conservation goals throughout the state.”
Pairing images to intelligence to manage water
“One of the challenges of aerial imagery, whether from an airplane or a satellite, is making sense of what you see. What is that image telling you? Ceres Imaging, a California startup with offices in Nebraska and Washington, is using artificial intelligence to answer that question. The company is entering its ninth crop season of providing high-resolution crop imagery for customers. However, John Bourne, vice president of marketing, Ceres Imaging, says the company wanted to work on ways to “productize” the good science it was developing, so three years ago it brought artificial intelligence technology to irrigation issue identification. “Our main use case for our product is irrigation performance management,” Bourne says. “We have this water stress index, which is the most accurate on the market.” … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Pairing images to intelligence to manage water
What’s good for grass is good for the earth
“Striding across a golden-brown hillside dotted with live oaks, Kent Reeves scans the ground. After a few minutes, he stops. Crouching down, he selects several short grass stalks, holding them between thumb and forefinger. This native needlegrass predates Spanish and other white colonials in California by at least a million years. The broad black brim of Reeves’s flat-topped gambler hat obscures his eyes as he peers closely and notes a hair-thin, jagged line across the tops of the four-inch-high green shoots. “These have been chewed on,” Reeves declares. “It’s not a clean nip, and it’s angled—most likely a rabbit.” … Even though they’re stunted, these needlegrasses signify hope and resilience to Reeves. California’s native, perennial grasses represent the past of the state—and, if Reeves has his way, the future, too. They’re hardy, highly nutritious, and drought resistant; they renew quickly after fire and live for hundreds of years; and they have roots that can plunge up to 20 feet into the earth, creating rich, healthy soil that is adept at storing carbon and water. But they need help from an unlikely source: cows. … ” Read the full story at Alta here: What’s good for grass is good for the earth
California drought hits extreme levels, wildfire threat grows
“California’s drought, already rated “severe” to “extreme” for most of the state, is expected to worsen throughout the summer, combining with higher-than-average temperatures and dry vegetation to steadily increase the risk of wildfires, according to the interagency National Integrated Drought Information System. That assessment comes in the wake of the state’s worst wildfire season on record, 2020, which saw five of California’s six largest recorded infernos and extended the trend of wildfire seasons here growing longer and more intense. There have been 2,436 wildfires in California so far this year, charring 14,717 acres, easily outpacing the 1,554 fires that burned 2,617 acres through May 18, 2020, according to Cal Fire. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: California drought hits extreme levels, wildfire threat grows
Newsom calls for record spending to confront California’s looming wildfire season
“Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for unprecedented levels of spending on fire prevention this year, money likely to be supplemented with additional federal dollars, with the hope of averting what many say is a terrible wildfire season in the making. The proposed state budget, for which the governor on Monday provided more details, doubles the $1 billion increase initially planned for dealing with wildfires in the coming fiscal year — to $2 billion. The new funding would be split between beefing up the state’s ability to respond to disasters and doing the precautionary work of reducing fire-feeding vegetation across the state’s wildlands, projects like tree thinning and building fuel breaks that have received far less money in the past. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Newsom calls for record spending to confront California’s looming wildfire season
Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates in a clear sign of climate change
“The Western U.S. appears headed for another dangerous fire season, and a new study shows that even high mountain areas once considered too wet to burn are at increasing risk as the climate warms. Nearly two-thirds of the U.S. West is in severe to exceptional drought right now, including large parts of the Rocky Mountains, Cascades and Sierra Nevada. The situation is so severe that the Colorado River basin is on the verge of its first official water shortage declaration, and forecasts suggest another hot, dry summer is on the way. Warm and dry conditions like these are a recipe for wildfire disaster. ... ” Read more from the Conversation here: Western fires are burning higher in the mountains at unprecedented rates in a clear sign of climate change
US West enters fire season facing extremely dry conditions
“With much of the western United States experiencing drought conditions not seen in 125 years, scientists and wildfire managers are concerned that the region is entering the fire season in worse shape than last year, when 15,800 square miles burned in the U.S., mainly in the West. With the western U.S. in the midst of a 20-year mega-drought, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that rainfall in the Rocky Mountains and farther west was the second-lowest on record in April. And UCLA climate and fire scientist Park Williams calculates that the soil in the western half of the U.S. is the driest it has been since 1895, the Associated Press reports. … ” Read more from Yale E360 here: US West enters fire season facing extremely dry conditions
In regional water news and commentary today …
Irrigators set up encampment next to Klamath Project headgates
“Now, two Klamath Project irrigators with ties to radical activist Ammon Bundy have purchased private property located next to the headgates of the “A” Canal in Klamath Falls, which would normally deliver water to area farms. And along with local members of the Oregon chapter of People’s Rights, a group founded by Bundy in 2020, they’ve set up an information center and gathering place to talk to the public about the brewing water crisis in the Klamath Basin. On May 12, as the ongoing drought led to low water levels in Upper Klamath Lake, federal managers shut off water from the lake that irrigators use for watering crops and livestock. The move was made to protect two federally-protected fish species that the Klamath Tribes consider integral to their cultural heritage and survival during the worst recorded drought in Klamath Basin history. … ” Read more from OPB here: Irrigators set up encampment next to Klamath Project headgates
Sonoma Water Directors Hopkins, Gore to host Drought Town Hall
“Sonoma Water and Board of Supervisors Chair Lynda Hopkins and Supervisor and Sonoma Water Director James Gore will host a virtual Drought Town Hall on Thursday, June 3 at 6 p.m. The Town Hall will be held utilizing a Zoom webinar and will be broadcast live on Chair Hopkins’ Facebook page. The focus of the meeting will be on the drought and impacts to the Russian River watershed. Speakers will include representatives from Sonoma Water, State Regional Water Quality Control Board, Sonoma County Regional Parks, and Sonoma County Environmental Health. Representatives will discuss the drought, its impact on the Russian River and community, as well as the Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) filed by Sonoma Water. The TUCP seeks state approval to lower minimum instream flows in the Russian River to preserve water in Lake Sonoma due to drought conditions. The TUCP also seeks to reduce pumping of Russian River water by 20 percent. … ”
Sonoma County Regional Parks looking into changing up the summer dam system at Vets Memorial Beach
“The Sonoma County Regional Parks department is in the early stages of exploring an idea to turn the seasonal summer dam at Healdsburg Veteran’s Memorial Beach into a series of about 18 inches of drops, which would create four mini pools for lazy river-style tubing, family-friendly swimming and fishing. The early concept is a result of the need to either rebuild the aging dam infrastructure, or create an alternative option in lieu of the dam. The concept includes low flow channels for fish passage, portage access, fishing access, trails and three separate beaches. … ” Read more from Sonoma West here: Sonoma County Regional Parks looking into changing up the summer dam system at Vets Memorial Beach
West Marin water supply project survives challenge
“The Marin County Planning Commission voted on Monday to reject an environmental group’s petition to block a West Marin water supply project over potential impacts to Lagunitas Creek flows and endangered wildlife. The decision allows the North Marin Water District to build a new well that it says is necessary to ensure its West Marin customers have adequate water supply in the face of the worsening saltwater contamination at some of its existing wells. “On behalf of our West Marin customers, I want to thank the commission for approving the project to allow us to move forward with constructing the well that will provide additional low-saline water available to our customers in a time of need and during this drought period,” Drew McIntyre, the district’s general manager, said after the commission’s meeting. “This will be a big help.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent here: West Marin water supply project survives challenge
Could California’s drought crisis block Bay Area housing construction?
“The Marin Municipal Water District is considering banning new water service hookups to homes in response to worsening drought conditions. But the move could hurt future housing development in an area already in dire need of more homes. The move would come amid historic drought conditions in the area, with county officials declaring a local drought emergency last week in light of a “grim and deteriorating” situation. The National Drought Mitigation Center’s drought monitor recently deemed most of the Bay Area as extreme drought zones for the first time since 2015. “We need to do everything that we can to save water,” said Jeanne Mariani-Belding, spokesperson for the water district. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Could California’s drought crisis block Bay Area housing construction?
Solano County: Rockville Park serves as virtual link to water conservation lessons
“Even in a year that has seen not much rainfall, students throughout Solano County have learned important lessons about their local waterways and the nature that surrounds them. Through its Watershed Explorers program, Solano Resource Conservation District has allowed elementary schoolers to connect virtually to their local watersheds and experience the sights and sounds of nature, all while making observations about what they have witnessed and receiving lessons from the program’s educators. In the last few weeks, third-graders have virtually logged into areas such as Lagoon Valley Park, Glen Cove Waterfront Park, Benicia State Recreation Area and Rockville Hills Regional Park, which students at Cordelia Hills Elementary School got to experience from their classrooms and their homes. ... ” Continue reading from The Reporter here: Solano County: Rockville Park serves as virtual link to water conservation lessons
San Francisco water use has declined since last drought — what else can you do to conserve?
“We’re once again going to be having conversations this summer about water use, and hearing about ever more strict mandates coming down from counties and the state about what we use water for. But is San Francisco’s household water use really the problem? The drought is bad, and it’s getting worse. A big swath of the Bay Area was just put in the “exceptional” drought tier last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the rest of the Bay Area is in the second-worst or “extreme” drought category, along with about three-quarters of California. A new piece in the Chronicle based on some outdated data from the California Department of Water Resources and some comments from experts reminds us, once again, how agriculture is far and away the biggest user of water in the state. And when it comes to per capita water usage in the Bay Area, San Francisco uses the least, and Contra Costa and Santa Clara counties use the most. … ” Continue reading at the SF ist here: San Francisco water use has declined since last drought — what else can you do to conserve?
Santa Cruz: Officials sign $7 million design agreement to reduce Pajaro River flood risk
“Federal, state and county officials signed a $7.1 million dollar design agreement on Monday, a document they say is a significant step forward in mitigating flood risk for the communities that live on the Pajaro River floodplain. The agreement authorizes the more than $7 million in federal, state and local funds for pre-construction engineering and design of a more resilient Pajaro River levee system. “These are moments where California is in a drought, these are moments we don’t think too much about flood,” said Director of the California Department of Water Resources Karla Nemeth. “But we do know that with climate change coming ever more quickly, we will have flood waters rising again.” … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Santa Cruz: Officials sign $7 million design agreement to reduce Pajaro River flood risk
Funding to tame flooding from Pajaro River now in place
“In Watsonville, there are big developments for flood prevention efforts along the Pajaro River. On Monday, local, state and federal representatives signed a design agreement for the river levee to prevent flooding for homes and farms. Overall it’s a $400 million project designed to tame the constant threat of flooding brought on by heavy rainfall. … ” Read more from KSBY here: Funding to tame flooding from Pajaro River now in place
Inyo National Forest and BLM Field Office enter fire restrictions
“The Inyo National Forest and Bureau of Land Management Bishop Field Office are implementing (Stage 1) fire restrictions effective on all Federal lands under their jurisdiction. This decision is based on very high fire danger, drought conditions coupled with extremely dry vegetation, an increase in human caused wildfires and the availability of firefighters for response. Seasonal fire restrictions for the Eastern Sierra Region are being implemented in close coordination with the Cal Fire San Bernardino/Inyo/Mono Unit and the Mono County Sheriff’s Office. ... ” Read more from Sierra Wave here: Inyo National Forest and BLM Field Office enter fire restrictions
Ojai Valley water board appoints former member to fill vacant seat. Here’s why
“An Ojai Valley board facing water shortages and severe drought has appointed a former two-term member to fill an open seat. Members of the Casitas Municipal Water District board unanimously appointed Mary Bergen to fill the position left vacant when Angelo Spandrio resigned in March. Spandrio, who successfully challenged Bergen in 2018, said he and his wife planned a move to Arizona. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Ojai Valley water board appoints former member to fill vacant seat. Here’s why
Next door in Nevada …
Is the non-functional turf ban coming to northern Nevada
“The 2021 legislative session is an anomaly. Notwithstanding COVID, the bad water bills died early and the good ones pressed on. That is not the norm. But it appears that more folks are beginning to believe these are not normal times. Indeed, this year is different. Long-time foes are singing kumbaya in praise of AB356. The legislation, which passed both chambers, saves 10 billion gallons of water annually in Southern Nevada –– defending the dwindling supply of Colorado River water by mandating the removal of all non-functional turf by 2027 in Southern Nevada. However, entities like the Truckee Meadows Water Authority are sitting on the sidelines along with other municipal providers in Western Nevada as it relates to water conservation. … ” Read more from the Sierra Nevada Ally here: Is the non-functional turf ban coming to northern Nevada
Along the Colorado River …
That Mississippi River pipeline? Bureau of Reclamation weighed in about a decade ago
“The Arizona Legislature wants to look into the feasibility of pumping water from the Mississippi River to Arizona. But the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has already studied the idea, and weighed in on the project in 2012. The agency studied factors such as cost, legal issues, power use and the amount of time the project would take. A report estimated the project could cost up to $14 billion; the timetable was around 30 years. ... ” Read more from Frontreras here: That Mississippi River pipeline? Bureau of Reclamation weighed in about a decade ago
Huge data center moves forward in Mesa despite Arizona water concerns
“A massive new data center is set to be built in Mesa, Arizona, after the City Council voted in favor of a controversial development agreement. Critics noted that the huge facility would consume millions of gallons of water as the city and state struggle with dwindling supplies. The company behind the project has hidden its identity, operating via the pseudonym Redale LLC. “I have very serious concerns about our water in Arizona,” Mesa Vice Mayor Jenn Duff said during the council session ahead of the vote. … ” Read more from Data Center Dynamics here: Huge data center moves forward in Mesa despite Arizona water concerns
Some experts welcome alarm bells about Arizona groundwater
“A new report warning Arizona’s urban area aquifers remain at risk from groundwater pumping is drawing praise from several water experts, including some who once worked for the state agency that enforces the law regulating pumping. Published last week, the Arizona State University report said the state’s long-term goal of balancing pumping and recharge in urban areas may be out of reach. That’s true even in the Tucson area whose groundwater supplies and pumping levels are roughly in balance today, said the report from ASU’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. … ” Read more from Tucson.com here: Some experts welcome alarm bells about Arizona groundwater
Aerial mapping of the Colorado River over Memorial Day Weekend
“Water released from Glen Canyon Dam will be reduced to 8,000 cubic feet per second beginning Friday, May 28, and will continue for the duration of the image collection. This period of steady flows will not affect the monthly or annual release volumes from Lake Powell through Glen Canyon Dam. The flows should not cause a disturbance to recreational river users, as they will stay within the normal range of operations for this time of year. The aircraft used in this mapping effort is equipped with a specialized camera and a highly accurate GPS. The imagery will be used to identify changes to the shoreline, camping beaches and vegetated areas along the Colorado River. These new images will be compared to older images as a means of monitoring the effectiveness of adaptive management actions associated with Glen Canyon Dam operations. “By having these overflight mapping efforts every few years, it allows us to see how Grand Canyon is changing,” says Joel Sankey, USGS research geologist. “These observations are vital for guiding management of the Colorado River.” … ” Read more from the USGS here: Aerial mapping of the Colorado River over Memorial Day Weekend
Basin roundtables push back on Colorado Water Conservation Board’s proposed code of conduct
“The state water board is encouraging all nine basin roundtables to adopt a code of conduct requiring members to communicate in a professional, respectful, truthful and courteous way. But some Western Slope roundtables are pushing back. Over roughly the last month, Colorado Water Conservation Board Director Rebecca Mitchell has been visiting the remote roundtable meetings on Zoom, answering questions about the code of conduct and urging the roundtables to adopt it. The goal of the document is to make sure everyone feels comfortable speaking up in meetings. Mitchell said that with important and potentially contentious discussions on the horizon for water-short Colorado, it’s important to have a set of conduct standards in place to guide those discussions. ... ” Read more from Aspen Journalism here: Basin roundtables push back on Colorado Water Conservation Board’s proposed code of conduct
In national water news today …
Commentary: Lack of water efficiency funding undercuts fight against drought
Ron Burke, president and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency (AWE), and Mary Ann Dickinson, founding president and CEO of AWE, write: ” … Water efficiency not only helps ensure access to clean, affordable water amidst a changing climate, it’s also a cost-effective way to control the root cause of climate change in the first place. That’s because water-saving strategies reduce the amount of energy used to heat, pump and treat water, which in turn reduces emissions of heat-trapping carbon dioxide. Using less water also helps protect our rivers, bays and aquifers, and it saves consumers money. Water efficient plumbing products can save an average family hundreds of dollars each year. This is especially important today with COVID-19 leaving millions of Americans unable to pay water bills. ... ” Continue reading at The Hill here: Commentary: Lack of water efficiency funding undercuts fight against drought
Graphic story: How mercury sneaks into the most vulnerable communities in US and Canada
“The harmful chemical has a unique quality: it can build up in our river systems over time.” Read/view story at the Guardian here: Graphic story: How mercury sneaks into the most vulnerable communities in US and Canada
Concrete still a barrier to climate-friendly infrastructure plan
“President Joe Biden’s goal of halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 doesn’t square with his plan to rebuild the nation’s crumbling roads and bridges, unless he rethinks the main ingredient in virtually every major infrastructure project in U.S. history: concrete. Concrete is responsible for at least 7% of climate-change-fueling carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, according to clean energy research group BloombergNEF. Other groups, such as the Yale School of the Environment, put that estimate even higher, at 8%. While cleaner “green concrete” is being used in states—including some that are dangling tax credits for builders to adopt the new materials—the White House hasn’t insisted on its inclusion in federal projects or highlighted concrete’s carbon footprint as prominently as it has the impacts of gas-powered cars and fossil fuel-based energy. … ” Read more from Bloomberg Law here: Concrete still a barrier to climate-friendly infrastructure plan
Today’s featured articles …
BLOG ROUND-UP: CA decides to sacrifice salmon for agribusiness profits; Facing dry year, State Water Board is draining reservoirs; Endangered salmon dying before spawning; Examining federal irrigator claims in the Klamath; and more …
Click here to read the blog round-up.
Return to top
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Notice of Petition for Temporary Transfer/Exchange per Various Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation License and Permits
NOTICE: Petition for Temporary Transfer of Water under Clifton Court LP License 1289
