On the calendar today …
- The Delta Stewardship Council meets at 9am. Agenda items include consideration and approval of the 2021 Joint Delta Science Proposals, a presentation on the emergency drought barrier, and the Delta Lead Scientist’s report. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- Water affordability streaming event from 11am to 12pm. Join California African American Water Education Foundation for an informative conversation to discuss rising water bills and how the impending expiration of water moratorium shutoffs will impact the African American community. Live Streamed on Facebook @caawef and YouTube: https://youtube.com/channel/UC7liT-iW2KwHv-jL1hy3I2g
In California water news today …
Virtually the entire West could be in drought this summer, NOAA’s latest outlook says
“An already expansive drought may engulf virtually the entire western United States this summer, according to a recently released outlook. You have to look closely to find areas of the West that are drought-free right now. About 83 percent of the region is in drought, including all of Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah, according to the June 15 Drought Monitor analysis. Parts of those states, as well as New Mexico, Oregon and Idaho, are in exceptional drought, the worst category. … ” Read more from The Weather Channel here: Virtually the entire west could be in drought this summer, NOAA’s latest outlook says
Valley’s westside farmers are angling for a water lifeline. Federal water officials could cut it off.
“As farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley struggle to irrigate crops and weather an ever-worsening historic drought, a bit of relief could be on the horizon courtesy of farmers in the north Valley. But it could be all for naught if Federal water managers don’t sign-off. What’s at stake? A proposed transfer of 100,000 acre-feet of water from the Southern San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) and Oakdale Irrigation District to farmers utilizing water from the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. … ” Continue reading at the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Valley’s westside farmers are angling for a water lifeline. Federal water officials could cut it off.
Interior Secretary Haaland strikes blow for California environmental restoration; Exposes Trump Administration financial scandal in Bureau of Reclamation
“The Hoopa Valley Tribe hails Secretary Deb Haaland’s long-sought decision to revoke her predecessor’s final assault on tribal trust resources and environmental justice. On January 19, the day before President Biden’s inauguration, then-Secretary Bernhardt declared that environmental restoration of areas in California damaged by construction and operation of the government’s massive Central Valley Project had been completed. That decision would have reduced or eliminated hundreds of millions of dollars in environmental restoration costs that the 1992 Central Valley Project Improvement Act required water and power contracts for CVP water to pay in exchange for the billions of dollars they have reaped from government-subsidized water and power supplies. “This is such welcome news,” said Hoopa Vice-Chairman Everett Colegrove. “We understand the vast responsibilities of the Secretary’s office, and the time it took for her to deal with this issue, which is so important to us.” … ”
ACWA-Sponsored SB 323 advances to Assembly floor
“ACWA-sponsored SB 323 passed out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday and is headed to the Assembly floor. SB 323, authored by Senator Anna Caballero (D–Salinas), would provide financial stability for public agencies by creating a 120-day statute of limitations for challenges to new water and sewer rates. This would provide public agency water and sewer service rates the same protections already afforded to fees and charges that fund other essential government services. ACWA Legislative Advocate Kristopher Anderson and Irvine Ranch General Manager Paul Cook testified during the committee hearing in support of the bill. ... ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: ACWA-Sponsored SB 323 advances to Assembly floor
U.S. Department of Homeland Security reporting chlorine shortage in California
“Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported a chlorine shortage in California that may affect some ACWA member agencies’ operations. An electrical failure at Westlake Chemical in mid-June caused the chlorine supply disruption to water and wastewater facilities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and parts of California. Today, state and local utilities attended a meeting with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Security Division and Region 9 to express their concerns relating to the chlorine shortage and shipments. Section 1441 of the Safe Drinking Water Act was discussed as the legal means for a water utility to have a supplier/manufacturer provide that utility with a product that is in short supply. It prioritizes critical utilities over other less essential items. … ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: U.S. Department of Homeland Security reporting chlorine shortage in California
‘Less water means more gas’: how drought will test California’s stressed power grid
“Earlier this month, the water level in Lake Oroville – California’s second-largest reservoir – was so low that dozens of houseboats were hauled out. There wasn’t enough water to hold them. In a few weeks, officials say, the lake’s water levels are likely to dip even lower – forcing them to shut down one of the state’s largest hydroelectric power plants for the first time since it was built in 1967. Amid a historic megadrought, the climate crisis and energy crisis in California are about to collide, and set off a vicious cycle. The state’s diminishing water supply is cutting down hydropower, and California is relying more on fossil fuels as extreme summer heat drives up electricity use. … ” Read more from the Guardian here: ‘Less water means more gas’: how drought will test California’s stressed power grid
A “heat dome” and drought are threatening to ignite the West
“Wildfires erupted this past weekend across 10 states—including California, Colorado, Arizona, and Oregon—as record-high temperatures continue to bake many areas in the West and Southwest United States. By Monday, 7 million people were under fire danger warnings, as the record-shattering temperatures—stretching from Palm Springs to Tucson to Denver—migrate north into Oregon and Washington. The scorching temperatures are the result of a “heat dome”—a persistent ridge of high pressure that traps hot air while also blocking the formation of rain clouds. Heat domes often contribute to record-breaking temperatures in the later summer months, but this particular system is exceptional for its early arrival and expansiveness. “It’s not only unusual for June, but it is pretty extreme even in absolute terms,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, told NPR. … ” Read more from Slate Magazine here: A “heat dome” and drought are threatening to ignite the West
Wildfires threaten urban water supplies, long after the flames are out
“When wildfires blaze across the West, as they have with increasing ferocity as the region has warmed, the focus is often on the immediate devastation — forests destroyed, infrastructure damaged, homes burned, lives lost. But about two-thirds of drinking water in the United States originates in forests. And when wildfires affect watersheds, cities can face a different kind of impact, long after the flames are out. In Colorado’s Front Range, erosion from fire-damaged slopes during the summer rains could turn the flow of the Poudre and its tributaries dark with sediment, dissolved nutrients and heavy metals, as well as debris. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: Wildfires threaten urban water supplies, long after the flames are out
Sierra Pacific Industries closes California forestlands to public access due to drought and wildfire danger
“Due to extreme drought conditions across northern California and the associated risk of wildfire, Sierra Pacific Industries (SPI) has closed its substantial California forestlands to public access. The closure began on Monday, June 21 and will remain in effect until further notice. Sierra Pacific Industries is based in Anderson, California. The company owns and manages more than 2 million acres of timberland in California and Washington, mostly in California, and SPI is one of the nation’s largest lumber producers. This is the fourth time the company has closed their California forests to public access, including last year following the August lightning fires. This year is the earliest the company has closed their lands, which is being driven by extreme drought conditions. ... ” Read more from Sierra Nevada Ally here: Sierra Pacific Industries closes California forestlands to public access due to drought and wildfire danger
The phrase “living with fire” is thrown around a lot in California these days. But what does it mean?
“Flowering bear grass is not a common sight in the Bay Area. But in 2018, it was plentiful in the pygmy forest at Bouverie Preserve in Sonoma County. With a puff of dense, white flowers sitting atop a long stalk and wiry olive leaves falling outward from the base, it is an ephemeral, tender sight. Bear grass, like the redwood lily and Napa false indigo, is a rare understory annual that can grow after dead, dense forest floor debris has been cleared by fire, earning it the moniker of “fire follower.” As larger shrubs start closing in though, it disappears again until the next fire. Almost four years ago, more than 75 percent of the 535-acre preserve, adjacent to Glen Ellen, burned during the Nuns Fire. In total, the Central LNU Complex conflagration, an amalgam of six fires including Nuns, devastated a total of some 56,500 acres in Napa and Sonoma counties, killing two people and destroying 1,527 structures. … ” Read more from Bay Nature here: The phrase “living with fire” is thrown around a lot in California these days. But what does it mean?
In commentary today …
Can California start taking droughts seriously, please?
Opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo writes, “Drought may be the sneakiest of natural disasters. Although human history teems with people engulfed by abrupt aridity — the Akkadians of four millenniums ago, the Maya in the ninth and 10th centuries A.D., the Great Plains farmers of the 1930s — even today drought is a poorly appreciated phenomenon. Unlike mighty storms or thundering eruptions, droughts slink into our lives invisibly, unannounced. It can be hard to know you’re in a drought until it’s too late to do much about it; then, when the rains come back, it can be just as difficult to believe the water will ever run out again, so why worry about the next dry spell? Donald Wilhite, a pioneering scholar of drought, calls it the Rodney Dangerfield of natural disasters. Drought has felled entire civilizations, but still it gets no respect. … ” Continue reading at the New York Times here: Can California start taking droughts seriously, please?
A drought for the ages
Dan Keppen, Executive Director of the Family Farm Alliance, writes, “This water year is shaping up to be one of the worst in recent Western history. More than 90% of the region is in drought, with 53% experiencing at least “extreme” drought conditions. Many factors over the years have made it more difficult to continue farming and ranching. Severe drought is one of the largest challenges Western producers face. Irrigated farms in the federal Klamath Project in southern Oregon, where I live, face the worst year in the project’s 116-year history, with essentially no water available from the Klamath River system. The federal Central Valley Project in California will receive almost zero in supply. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: A drought for the ages
In regional water news and commentary today …
Western drought linked to parasitic fish kill on Klamath River
“Most people know a major drought can lead to the obvious, like more widespread wildfires, water shortages and agricultural woes. But a parasite outbreak? That may not be something most think about when contemplating the many threats drought brings. An ongoing fish kill has been plaguing the Klamath River since early May. The Klamath flows through Oregon and northern California, and like many water sources in the West, has seen water levels drop considerably due to extreme drought. A lower river means a slower and warmer river, which is what some parasites need to thrive. The parasite C.Shasta is expected to kill off nearly all of this year’s juvenile Chinook salmon in the Klamath. … ” Read more from The Weather Channel here: Western drought linked to parasitic fish kill on Klamath River
Managing land and water resources for nature-based solutions in the Sacramento Valley
“With the focus by both state and federal leaders on nature-based solutions and increasing biodiversity, we have worked with our various partners to explore “Nature-Based Solutions: Enlisting Natural and Working Lands in the Sacramento River Basin in the Fight against Climate Change.” The full document shown below provides a detailed description of the comprehensive efforts in the region to manage land and water from ridgetop down to river mouth to provide multiple benefits as water moves through the region. These efforts, which include forest management, floodplain reactivation, groundwater management and recharge, and healthy soils management, support all beneficial water uses in the region (for cities, farms, fish, birds and other wildlife, hydropower production, and recreation) while also helping to combat climate change. ... ” Read more at the Northern California Water Association here: Managing land and water resources for nature-based solutions in the Sacramento Valley
Frequent fires near encampments on the American River Parkway raise alarms
“Dramatic video posted on Monday to Reddit by a Sacramento bicyclist showed a large grass fire breaking out steps away from informal camps along the American River Parkway. It comes after a year when Sacramento Fire Department data shows firefighters responded to an unprecedented 62 fires along the parkway in 2020, more than any other year in at least the last decade. In recent weeks, the fires have returned with alarming frequency. ... ” Read more from ABC 10 here: Frequent fires near encampments on the American River Parkway raise alarms
Why the water in California’s capital stinks right now
“The water district of Sacramento, California, has always fielded calls from concerned residents reporting a weird taste and odor in the water coming out of their taps. A naturally occurring compound called geosmin can give the water an earthy taste when water levels are low and temperatures are high. The water isn’t dangerous, but it is stinky. Typically the complaint calls don’t start until autumn or late summer. But this year is different, thanks to a worsening drought that has hit the region hard. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: Why the water in California’s capital stinks right now
Travel: Summer sunsets draw a light on the riddles of the Delta
“In a dim corner of Giusti’s bar, near some photos of dangling sturgeon, there’s a newspaper article from 1970 nailed to the wall. It’s a tribute to Erle Stanley Gardner, whose smoke-drenched mysteries and lurid pulp novels made him a midcentury king of American crime writing. But for Gardner, the real mystery was here in this Walnut Grove bar. In the last decade of his life, Gardner haunted the lost waterways and rickety sanctuaries of California’s north Delta, desperately trying to distill the enigma of its twilit charm. Giusti’s was one of his favorite spots. … ” Read more from the Sacramento News & Review here: Travel: Summer sunsets draw a light on the riddles of the Delta
Editorial: St. Helena’s water plan long overdue
The Napa Register editorial board writes, “In an ideal world, St. Helena would have comprehensive, up-to-date policies concerning affordable housing, hotel development, infrastructure financing, and water. And they would have been written in 2010. Alas, we can’t finance a Mills Lane storm drain, let alone a time machine. So let’s focus on the present. Spending an hour with City Councilmember Lester Hardy, City Manager Mark Prestwich and Interim City Engineer John Wanger left us reassured that St. Helena is heading in the right direction on water, even though we’re frustrated that it took a severe drought to get things moving. … ” Read more from the Napa Register here: Editorial: St. Helena’s water plan long overdue
Mandatory water conservation orders in place across a wider swath of Sonoma County
“Two more Sonoma County cities have adopted mandatory water conservation measures as municipalities around the region grapple with declining water supplies and several other elected councils, including Santa Rosa’s, prepare to upgrade their own drought restrictions. City councils in Petaluma and Sonoma this week joined Cloverdale, Healdsburg and Rohnert Park in approving mandatory reductions in water consumption as well as restrictions on how and when certain kinds of household water use will be permitted. … ” Read more from the Press Democrat here: Mandatory water conservation orders in place across a wider swath of Sonoma County
Sonoma to mandate water restrictions in July. Here’s what will be banned
“The Sonoma City Council voted unanimously Monday to curb water usage starting next month, escalating water-saving measures amid punishing drought conditions in the Bay Area only expected to worsen in the coming summer months. The council declared an official water shortage and authorized a 20% reduction in water usage compared to what the city used last year. “Our region is facing the second consecutive year of drought,” said Sonoma’s public works director, Colleen Ferguson, at a recent city council meeting. “I think we’ve all heard statewide, and especially in our county, how dire the water situation is this year.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Sonoma to mandate water restrictions in July. Here’s what will be banned
Point Reyes: Elk starve to death while cattle graze freely at California sanctuary: lawsuit
“Over 150 tule elk at Point Reyes National Seashore have died from starvation and dehydration in the last year because the animals couldn’t get past a fence that the National Park Service placed to stop them from competing for food and water with cattle, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday against the federal government. Three California residents and the Animal Legal Defense Fund sued the park service in federal court in San Francisco claiming it is being negligent and more animals will die if the agency is not ordered to provide food and water during the drought. “The National Park Service has a responsibility to protect and preserve these beautiful animals. The idea that depriving them of food and water somehow fulfills that responsibility isn’t just absurd, it’s undeniably inhumane,” said Kate Barnekow, of Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Clinic, who is representing the Plaintiffs. … ” Read more from GV Wire here: Elk starve to death while cattle graze freely at California sanctuary: lawsuit
San Jose: New drought rules limit lawn watering to two days a week
“Brown lawns and dirty cars will soon be the norm in the South Bay. San Jose’s largest retail water provider on Wednesday announced new rules aimed at increasing water conservation as the state’s drought grows more serious — chief among them a limit on watering lawns and landscaping to no more than two days a week, and a ban on washing cars at home. San Jose Water Company, which serves 1 million people who live in San Jose, Campbell, Los Gatos, Saratoga, parts of Cupertino and Redwood Estates, said the new rules, the first of their kind since the last drought ended in 2017, take effect immediately. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: San Jose: New drought rules limit lawn watering to two days a week
Half Moon Bay: Water district faces dry management plan
“The Coastside County Water District approved its current Urban Water Management Plan, highlighting its stable position — for now — while at the same time forecasting drastic rationing in the future if certain restrictions fall into place. In addition to updating its management plan, which must be reconsidered every five years and evaluates water supply and demand through 2045, the board of directors also approved its Water Shortage Contingency Plan. Both will be sent to the California Department of Water Resources by June 1. … ” Read more from the Half Moon Bay Review here: Half Moon Bay: Water district faces dry management plan
Monterey Peninsula water officials object to Cal Am’s ‘unfounded accusations’
“The board of the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District approved a letter to state water officials Tuesday that is a stinging rebuke of what they say is California American Water Company’s attempt to blame the district for Cal Am’s failure to meet required milestones in its proposed desalination project. Information supplied to the State Water Resources Control Board is important to the entire Monterey Peninsula because it will take that information and data and use it to make decisions affecting the water availability to the Monterey Peninsula. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Monterey Peninsula water officials object to Cal Am’s ‘unfounded accusations’
East Orosi one step closer to clean water as Tulare County moves to become administrator
“East Orosi is one step closer to achieving clean drinking water, a basic human right that is denied to many of California’s disadvantaged communities, particularly in the rural San Joaquin Valley. Last Tuesday, the Tulare County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to take steps to become the manager of the small agricultural community’s water board. That means the town of about 500 will soon have the financial resources and technical know-how to gain clean water. “It’s very unacceptable, especially in 2021, that these communities in our own state have to deal and suffer from this inequity,” said Supervisor Eddie Valero, who represents East Orosi. “If there is any time where this possible the time is now because of the [state’s] emphasis on water.” … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here: East Orosi one step closer to clean water as Tulare County moves to become administrator
Santa Barbara: Water war breaks out as drought descends
“As Santa Barbara County and the rest of the state enter another major drought crisis, a consortium of eight county water districts just sued the County of Santa Barbara Board of Supervisors, alleging the board is illegally interfering with the water agencies’ ability to use the State Water pipeline system to buy and sell water on the open market. Operating under the rubric of the Central Coast Water Authority (CCWA), the agencies claim the supervisors’ vote this April to allow them to buy water throughout the state but to sell it only under highly restrictive conditions could hamper their ability to provide their ratepayers water when local supplies are challenged. During the past drought, the state water system was used to procure enough water from elsewhere throughout the state to keep Lake Cachuma from going dry. ... ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Santa Barbara: Water war breaks out as drought descends
Commentary: Santa Barbara Water Follies
Glen Mowrer writes, “In the weekly newsletter sent out by the City of Santa Barbara on June 14, we are given a peek at how the water policy followed by the city over the past decade has worked out. The city provides us with a chart showing that consumers of water in Santa Barbara pay substantially more for their water than do Goleta, Carpinteria or Montecito at all but the very least levels of consumption. Remarkably, huge estates in Montecito irrigate their grounds at 68 percent of the cost of urban homesteads in our city! This Montecito luxury is ironically made possible because Santa Barbara is, as the city notes, selling water to Montecito at wholesale cost. We even, as I understand it, paid for the line to deliver the water to Montecito. This subsidy of the Montecito ratepayers was made necessary as a result of the extravagant price of the first and second desalination plant boondoggle. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Commentary: Santa Barbara Water Follies
Ventura County commentary: We must work together to protect our water from agricultural waste
Ben Pitterle writes, “As science and policy director for Santa Barbara Channelkeeper and a 14-year resident of Carpinteria, I appreciated Bob Franco’s June 16 letter to the editor, “Don’t drink the water,” for its effectiveness in raising awareness about an important pollution issue impacting Carpinteria’s local waterways. Channelkeeper is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting and restoring the Santa Barbara Channel and its watersheds. Since 2001, Channelkeeper has monitored water quality in local creeks, including those that flow into the Carpinteria Salt Marsh. Last March, Channelkeeper was informed about unseasonal flows in a drainage area that flows to the western end of the Salt Marsh. As Mr. Franco indicated, our follow-up sampling resulted in detections of nitrate over 13 times higher than state standards for drinking water and up to 130 times greater than limits deemed protective of aquatic ecosystems such as the Salt Marsh. … ” Continue reading at Coastal View News here: Ventura County commentary: We must work together to protect our water from agricultural waste
Antelope Valley: Treated, recycled water could be cost effective source
“Recycled water that has been processed through an advanced treatment system may serve as a reliable and cost effective water source in the future, augmenting ground and surface water supplies. The Palmdale Recycled Water Authority, a joint powers authority between the City of Palmdale and Palmdale Water District, is looking at the possibility of adding an advanced treatment step to recycled water in order to inject it underground, to be readily used as part of the potable water system. “What this does is, it gives us a local water supply that we can control and it’s drought resistant. We’re always going to have that (recycled) water available,” Palmdale Water District Engineering Manager Scott Rogers said. … ” Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Antelope Valley: Treated, recycled water could be cost effective source
With high tides forecast, Newport Beach braces for possible flooding
“Newport Beach is bracing for possible flooding, with tides of more than 7 feet forecast for Wednesday and Thursday evenings. City workers are raising sand berms on the Balboa Peninsula and handing out sandbags to residents, hoping to avoid the deluge brought by high waves last Fourth of July. Any flooding is not expected to be as bad this year, National Weather Service forecasters said, with no significant damage expected. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: With high tides forecast, Newport Beach braces for possible flooding
CalTrout awarded $7M to reconnect habitat on Santa Margarita River
Cal Trout writes, “We are excited to announce that a CalTrout project to Reconnect Habitat is moving forward thanks to grant funding from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) voter-approved Proposition 1 Watershed Restoration Grant. This project is part of the South Coast Steelhead Coalition portfolio to recover this endangered trout from the brink of extinction. CalTrout’s fish passage project on the Santa Margarita River was awarded $7.2M to build a new steel bridge at Sandia Creek Drive. An archaic crossing at the site location currently blocks fish from reaching 12 miles of upstream habitat. As a result, adult steelhead cannot reach their historic spawning area in the river’s headwaters. Replacing this old bridge removes the last remaining barrier on the main river to allow steelhead to repopulate the Santa Margarita watershed from ocean to headwaters. … ” Read more from Cal Trout here: CalTrout awarded $7M to reconnect habitat on Santa Margarita River
Stunning photos by Julian Lennon capture the eeriness of California’s landlocked Salton Sea and the ghost-town settlements on its shore
Julian Lennon (yes, John Lennon’s son) traveled to the Salton Sea … “Lennon told MailOnline Travel that he’d ‘always heard so much about the place’, so he decided to head out on a last-minute road trip in 2019 with a friend and explore the area for himself. He describes Salton Sea, which he has visited several times since, as a ‘mysterious and surreal place’ with an ‘eerie calm’. He added: ‘It sounds a little cliched, but I wanted to show through my images that there can be beauty in death. Salton Sea has a bad rep because of the environmental catastrophe and it is almost a “dead” lake. But seen at the right time of day, especially just before sunset, the light is just incredibly beautiful. Even when shooting in black and white, there’s a stark beauty to be seen.’ Scroll down to soak up some of Salton Sea’s salt-weathered scenery for yourself … ” Read more and view photos at the Daily Mail here: Stunning photos by Julian Lennon capture the eeriness of California’s landlocked Salton Sea and the ghost-town settlements on its shore
Along the Colorado River …
Another dry year on the Colorado River could force states, feds back to negotiating table
“Colorado River water managers could be pulled back to the negotiating table as soon as next year to keep its biggest reservoirs from declining further. The 2019 Drought Contingency Plan was meant to give the U.S. and Mexican states that depend on the river a roadmap to manage water shortages. That plan requires the river’s biggest reservoir, Lake Mead, to drop to unprecedented levels before conservation among all the lower basin states — Arizona, Nevada and California — becomes mandatory. California isn’t required to conserve water in the reservoir until it drops to an elevation of 1,045 feet above sea level. … ” Read more from KUNC here: Another dry year on the Colorado River could force states, feds back to negotiating table
Major corporations and foundations commit final funding to close gap in landmark Colorado River water conservation deal
“Environmental Defense Fund, Business for Water Stewardship and the National Audubon Society today announced that corporations and foundations have committed the funding to close an $8 million funding gap required to complete a landmark water conservation project with the Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) and the state of Arizona. The announcement marks the completion of one of the largest multi-sector collaborative drought response efforts ever achieved. To date, a combination of Arizona state, philanthropic, and corporate funding has provided over $38 million to secure 150,000 acre-feet of conservation (nearly 49 billion gallons of water) to help shore up Lake Mead through the CRIT system conservation project. … ” Read more from EDF here: Major corporations and foundations commit final funding to close gap in landmark Colorado River water conservation deal
Report warns of Arizona’s diminishing groundwater supplies
“A recent report from Arizona State University warns the state is mining groundwater faster than it can be replaced. The report focuses on five areas around the state including Prescott and Phoenix that fall under the rules of the 1980 Groundwater Management Act. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny spoke with water expert Sarah Porter about the report’s conclusions. … ” Listen to radio spot or read article from KNAU here: Report warns of Arizona’s diminishing groundwater supplies
Will Lake Powell’s decline bring the Colorado River back to life?
“As each day of exploring Lake Powell by sea kayak passed, the question kept surfacing in my mind: was the lake dying, or Glen Canyon and the Colorado River coming back to life? The answer seemed obvious: long-drowned side canyons were slowly being revealed, thick bands of quagga mussel shells were glued to the bathtub-ring-stained cliffs that frame Lake Powell, and boat launches were falling out of use due to low water levels. Long smothered by the lake, the Colorado River was reappearing at the northern end of Glen Canyon where it meets Cataract Canyon in Canyonlands National Park. With the dropping lake levels, the river was regaining its channel, revealing rapids long lost to the lake. … ” Read more from the National Parks Traveler here: Will Lake Powell’s decline bring the Colorado River back to life?
The effects of climate change
“Climate change has plunged the Western U.S. into its worst drought in two decades. And a record-breaking heat wave only made things worse. In Arizona and Nevada, it’s been so hot that doctors warned people they could get third-degree burns from the asphalt. Wildfires raged in Montana and Utah. Power grids in Texas strained as officials asked residents to limit appliance use to avoid blackouts. The levels in Lake Mead, which supplies water for millions of people, are at their lowest since the 1930s. In one California lake, the water was so shallow that officials spotted plane wreckage from a 1986 crash. … ” Read more from the Neew York Times here: The effects of climate change
In national water news today …
Bipartisan infrastructure ‘framework’ heads to the White House
“Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer late Wednesday blessed a tentative bipartisan agreement on $559 billion in new infrastructure spending that a group of senators and White House aides negotiated, but warned it has to move along with a larger partisan package to get Democrats’ support. “One can’t be done without the other,” Schumer said at the end of a two-hour meeting with Pelosi and White House aides Wednesday. “All of us agreed to that. We can’t get the bipartisan bill done unless we’re sure we’re getting the budget reconciliation bill done, and we can’t get the budget reconciliation bill done unless we’re sure of the bipartisan [bill].” ... ” Read more from Roll Call here: Bipartisan infrastructure ‘framework’ heads to the White House
Commentary: What a successful national water strategy looks like & why it matters
Will Sarni, founder and CEO of Water Foundry and founder and general partner of the Colorado River Basin Fund, writes, “It is estimated that currently 844 million people live without clean water, and 2.3 billion people do not have access to basic sanitation, according to water.org. Water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of the world’s population, and this figure is projected to rise due to increased demand and the impacts of climate change. Climate change itself has increased the occurrence and severity of floods and other water-related disasters with 70 percent of all deaths caused by natural disasters. Wicked problems, such as water scarcity, poor quality, lack of access, and inequity can be solved by leveraging the capabilities, attributes, and scale of all stakeholder groups. While there is a tendency to focus on engaging the private sector and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in addressing water issues, the responsibility of the public sector is often ignored. … ” Continue reading at Water Finance & Management here: What a successful national water strategy looks like & why it matters
Today’s featured article …
FEATURE: Farming For Carbon, Wildlife and Profit
On the San Joaquin Delta’s Staten Island, where the Mokelumne River snugly encircles miles of cornfields, The Nature Conservancy is trying to prove that farmers can have it all: financial security, good habitat for wildlife, and even a role in fighting wicked environmental problems like climate change and land subsidence. At this spring’s Bay-Delta Science conference, they reported on progress in making this vision a reality.
Click here to read this article.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
VELES WEEKLY WATER REPORT: 85,44% of CA in Extreme Drought. NQH2O down $0.94 to $857.61. July futures at $60 premium
CDFW GRANTS: Summer 2021 North Coast Coho Recovery Call for Concepts
