On the calendar today …
- MEETING: California Environmental Flows Workgroup from 10am to 12pm. Agenda items include drought updates and the draft California Environmental Flows Framework Implementation Workplan. Click here to review the draft workplan. Click here for the agenda.
- WEBINAR: A Strategic Approach to Integrate Stormwater and Sewer Systems from 10am to 12pm. In partnership with the Council for Watershed Health, this webinar will present Phase 2 of the white paper “Tapping Existing Infrastructure to Create Water Supply and Water Quality Solutions” by CH2M Hill for Las Virgenes Municipal Water District and Main San Gabriel Basin Watermaster, May 2018. Click here to register.
- WORKSHOP: Advancing 30×30: Conservation of Lands from 3pm to 6pm. Join the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) for a topical workshop exploring opportunities for the state to define the conservation of lands. The August 10 workshop will feature a presentation from an advisory panel and an opportunity for the public to share their perspectives and insights on the topic. Click here to review the panel report. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California water district pays millions over ‘unauthorized diversion’ from federal canals
“An obscure farm-irrigation agency in the San Joaquin Valley, the Panoche Water District has been struggling with a monumental scandal the past three years, with top officials under criminal indictment for embezzling public funds and illegally dumping toxic waste. It turns out the district has also been allegedly taking water from the federal government. Earlier this year Panoche agreed to pay the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation nearly $7.5 million to compensate for “unauthorized diversion of water” from two federal canals, according to a settlement agreement obtained by The Bee. The settlement was approved by the U.S. attorney’s office. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California water district pays millions over ‘unauthorized diversion’ from federal canals
Why is the Delta starving?
“The Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta is one of the most-studied ecosystems in the world—and one of the most degraded. We spoke with PPIC Water Policy Center adjunct fellow and senior scientist emeritus James Cloern about his new study, which estimates just how much primary production (the largely photosynthesis-driven process that forms the base of the Delta’s food chain) has been lost—and how the state might restore some of it. Q: Tell us a little bit about your new study. This project started seven years ago, when I heard a talk at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI). SFEI had compiled information about the historical Delta landscape, compared that with the modern landscape, and found it had totally transformed. … ” Continue reading at the PPIC here: Why is the Delta starving?
RELATED NOTEBOOK CONTENT: BAY-DELTA SCIENCE CONFERENCE: Loss, and Potential Recovery of Primary Production from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta
Hydropower levels under careful watch as drought ravages the West
“Intensifying drought conditions in California and historically low water levels at the Oroville Dam on Aug. 5 forced the state’s Department of Water Resources (CDWR) to shut down the 644-MW Edward Hyatt Power Plant—the fourth-largest energy producer of all California’s hydroelectric facilities. While the current drought is affecting 95% of the West, it is bearing down severely in California and in the Colorado River Basin. Multiple reservoirs monitored by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) are “substantially” affected. The federal agency reported on Aug. 8 that at least six of its 44 major reclamation reservoirs—including Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam—have now fallen to their lowest storage values in the last 30 years. … ” Read more from Power Magazine here: Hydropower levels under careful watch as drought ravages the West
RELATED: Batteries are helping California make up for lost hydro power, from Bloomberg Green
Another major heatwave for PacNW & interior NorCal; rising fire weather concerns due to heat, then possible lightning, then possible wind
“The overall pattern over California has been remarkably consistent thus far this warm season: exceptional, unrelenting, and record-breaking heat across interior and higher elevation areas (especially in NorCal), but relatively unremarkable temperatures along the immediate coast that have actually felt pretty chilly at times. It has been a summer of incredible contrasts between the beaches and…virtually everywhere else in California. … Incredibly, it looks like a (somewhat lesser) version of the record-shattering heatwave across the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia will repeat itself this week. … ” Continue reading at Weather West here: Another major heatwave for PacNW & interior NorCal; rising fire weather concerns due to heat, then possible lightning, then possible wind
Ways to save water during the drought — and whether it’s worth doing at all
“In case you hadn’t heard, California is once again in a drought. But don’t take our word for it. The pictures tell a chilling (or, rather, incrementally heating) story. Boat slips on dry land. “Bathtub rings” around lakes. Juvenile salmon cooked to death in warming rivers. And the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report on Monday that outlines just how much damage has been done and who’s to blame: “It is a statement of fact, we cannot be any more certain; it is unequivocal and indisputable that humans are warming the planet.” Something has to change. … ” Continue reading at the Los Angeles Times here: Ways to save water during the drought — and whether it’s worth doing at all
6PPD quinone: The environmental contaminant killing Coho salmon
State again exercises discretion to reject fracking permits in western Kern
“For the second time, State Oil and Gas Supervisor Uduak-Joe Ntuk has used his discretionary authority, as opposed to technical standards, to reject a series of permit applications to use the controversial oilfield technique known as fracking. Ntuk sent a letter Monday to Bakersfield-based oil producer Aera Energy LLC saying he has reviewed and denied applications filed by the company to hydraulically fracture 14 wells in the South Belridge oil field in western Kern County. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here: State again exercises discretion to reject fracking permits in western Kern
Feinstein will vote to advance infrastructure legislation, notes critical investments for California
“Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today announced she will support the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a bill that will modernize the country’s infrastructure and create thousands of jobs. “California is the fifth-largest economy in the world and propels the innovation of our entire nation. But our roads, our bridges, our water systems and our high-tech infrastructure are showing their age,” Feinstein said. “This bill signals our commitment to modernizing how our state and our country conduct our business. And for California specifically, the investments in water infrastructure and wildfire risk mitigation are significant. This legislation marks a critical infusion of funds to fix roads and bridges, upgrade the electricity grid, expand and improve public transit, modernize how the state moves water around, reduce the risks of catastrophic wildfires, begin to make the changes needed to seriously address climate change and much more. … ” Read more from Senator Feinstein’s office here: Feinstein will vote to advance infrastructure legislation, notes critical investments for California
Climate change could mean almond production moves north to Idaho from California
“Almonds have been grown almost exclusively in California’s Central Valley and rake in billions of dollars for the state’s economy. But with rising temperatures thanks to climate change, increasing drought, and a scarcity of water in California, researchers are seeing if Idaho might become a suitable place to grow almonds. Virtually all almonds in the U.S. are produced in a 20,000 square mile area in the middle of California. The hot and dry Mediterranean climate there helps produce $17 billion worth of crops every year. “Almonds are just ideally situated to grow in the Central Valley, California, better, really, than any place else in the world,” said Richard Waycott, the CEO of California’s Almond Board. … ” Read more from Boise Public Radio here: Climate change could mean almond production moves north to Idaho from California
Inside the political battle to preserve a sprawling national forest in California
“Both Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir might have applauded a bold proposal currently being fought over in California: Shift control of the 1.3-million-acre Sierra National Forest to the National Park Service, which would manage it as a national monument benefiting species, helping combat climate change, and inching the Biden administration’s “30 by 30 initiative” a bit closer to fruition. Yet Deanna Lynn Wulff’s Unite the Parks campaign, which treats the national forest as the missing puzzle piece needed to link Yosemite National Park to the north with Kings Canyon to the south, remains politically fraught. … ” Read more from the National Geographic here: Inside the political battle to preserve a sprawling national forest in California
Exploding California wildfires rekindle debate over whether to snuff out blazes in wilderness areas or let them burn
“It was the afternoon of July 4, and in a few hours, fireworks would crackle over drought-parched California, raising concerns about possible fires. But hours earlier, along the California-Nevada border, high in the Sierra Nevada mountains and far from any large fireworks displays, lightning struck, and seven wildfires ignited in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. A few of those fires expanded, burning a couple of hundred acres before being contained. One, the Tamarack Fire, smoldered for more than a week in a roadless wilderness area before taking off, burning thousands of acres and destroying several homes. As of early August, hundreds of firefighters were still working to fully contain the fire. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: Exploding California wildfires rekindle debate over whether to snuff out blazes in wilderness areas or let them burn
Stanford researchers use artificial intelligence to unlock extreme weather mysteries
“From lake-draining drought in California to bridge-breaking floods in China, extreme weather is wreaking havoc. Preparing for weather extremes in a changing climate remains a challenge, however, because their causes are complex and their response to global warming is often not well understood. Now, Stanford researchers have developed a machine learning tool to identify conditions for extreme precipitation events in the Midwest, which account for over half of all major U.S. flood disasters. Published in Geophysical Research Letters, their approach is one of the first examples using AI to analyze causes of long-term changes in extreme events and could help make projections of such events more accurate. … ” Read more from Stanford News here: Stanford researchers use artificial intelligence to unlock extreme weather mysteries
In commentary today …
Sites Reservoir a generational opportunity to tackle California’s drought challenges
Robert Cheng, assistant general manager of the Coachella Valley Water District, and Charley Wilson, executive director of the Southern California Water Coalition, write, “When a drought hits, we must look at how prepared we are – have we conserved enough, stored enough, built enough to ensure residents and the environment have enough water? Over the past 20 years, Southern Californians have raised the bar when it comes to water conservation and innovative local water supply projects—like world class water reuse, groundwater replenishment and desalination facilities. We have done so much, but there is more we can and must do as a region and as a state to create a truly resilient and reliable water future. … Are we as prepared as we could or should be? In our opinion, the answer is no. The circumstance we find ourselves in today is a prime example of why we need to build Sites Reservoir now. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Sites Reservoir a generational opportunity to tackle California’s drought challenges
Why NRDC opposes the proposed Sites Reservoir
Doug Obegi, Director, California River Restoration, Water Division for the Natural Resources Defense Council, writes, “There will undoubtedly always be some folks who believe the myth that building new dams and reservoirs will be a silver bullet that solves California’s water supply challenges. The reality, of course, is that California already has constructed nearly 1,400 dams and reservoirs, and compared to the excessive and unsustainable demand for water in our state, new dams and reservoirs provide little water – at high cost. And of course, most dams and reservoirs have had devastating impacts on our native fish and wildlife, and the Tribes, fishing jobs, and communities that depend on their health. After all, even where dams don’t entirely block the flow of a river, they still take water from the environment (diverting and storing water that would have naturally flowed downstream in a river), nearly always storing that water for farms and cities to use later in the year or in subsequent years. … ” Continue reading at the NRDC here: Why NRDC opposes the proposed Sites Reservoir
Stop the delays — let’s get Sites on track
The Chico Enterprise-Record writes, “We begin by saying something that’s so painfully obvious, we shouldn’t have to bring it up. But here goes: Water shouldn’t be a partisan issue. We all drink it. We shower in it, we use it to care for plants and livestock, and we all appreciate its beauty and vital role throughout nature, from agriculture and recreation to its importance in, say, firefighting. So why the need to editorialize about it today? ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Stop the delays — let’s get Sites on track
West faces catastrophic water and power shortages
Todd Fitchette writes, “Buried in an hours-long State Water Resources Control Board hearing recently was the admission that California experts overestimated the spring inflow by 800,000-acre feet. Put another way, the state banked on water that never came. That admission, coupled with public policy that favors environmental uses of water over human needs, led to California’s recent curtailment of the most senior of water rights – a private property right that once had value in California and threatens to ripple far and wide. It’s not just the lack of water that will hurt residents in California and the West; the inability to generate electricity from these large reservoirs will cut power supplies across the West. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: West faces catastrophic water and power shortages
In regional water news and commentary today …
Wells dry up amid water woes along Oregon-California border
“Judy and Jim Shanks know the exact date their home’s well went dry — June 24. Since then, their life has been an endless cycle of imposing on relatives for showers and laundry, hauling water to feed a small herd of cattle and desperately waiting for a local well-drilling company to make it to their name on a monthslong wait list. The couple’s well is among potentially hundreds that have dried up in recent weeks in an area near the Oregon-California border suffering through a historic drought, leaving homes with no running water just a few months after the federal government shut off irrigation to hundreds of the region’s farmers for the first time ever. ... ” Read more from KATU here: Wells dry up amid water woes along Oregon-California border
Siskiyou County: Water restrictions prompt accusations of racial profiling of Hmong farmers
“Water restrictions in Northern California have prompted protests from a Hmong community, who say the ordinance has led to discrimination and a rise in racial tension in the area. The Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously last week to hold a third hearing about the ordinances, which were passed as emergency measures in May. Officials had claimed that the legislation, which prohibits water trucks — defined as vehicles used to carry about 100 gallons of water — from driving on designated roads and fines those who transport water without permits, were in part an effort to curb illegal cannabis farming. While growing cannabis is legal in the state, the county heavily limits the number of plants permitted on a property and forbids outdoor growing altogether. But many Hmong residents, many of whom belong to the area’s large farming population, said the policies disproportionately affect their community and have led to racial profiling by local authorities. … ” Read more from NBC News here: Siskiyou County: Water restrictions prompt accusations of racial profiling of Hmong farmers
South Yuba River Citizens League & BriarPatch team up to provide river-friendly sunscreen at the river
“BriarPatch Food Co-op has teamed up with the South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) River Ambassadors to make river-friendly sunscreen available to Yuba river-goers each weekend through Memorial Day. Beginning early this summer, River Ambassadors began fielding questions from river-goers about the slicks they were seeing on the river. While an oily film on the water can be the result of anything from gas to naturally occurring iron-oxidizing bacteria, the film being reported at busy river crossings was most likely sunscreen. When SYRCL approached BriarPatch about the sunscreen problem, they enthusiastically agreed to donate two gallons of water-resistant “reef-safe” sunscreen, which is also river-friendly because it is free of harmful chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate that have been found to be lethal to some freshwater organisms, to the River Ambassador program. ... ” Read more from YubaNet here: South Yuba River Citizens League & BriarPatch team up to provide river-friendly sunscreen at the river
Roseville to take 1.2 billion gallons from wells to supply residents with water
“The city of Roseville plans to take 1.2 billion gallons from its wells to supply about 53,000 households with running water this summer. State reservoirs have receded to their lowest point in years. To prepare for dry seasons, Roseville has invested in new technology to boost its groundwater supply by ingesting water from previous snowmelt and rainy seasons into underground wells so when water is most needed, the city isn’t entirely reliant on Folsom Lake. “This helps us offset the sacrifice that we know our residents are making for us,” said hydrogeologist Trevor Joseph. “Our strategy is really to be much less reliant on the Folsom reservoir.” ... ” Read more from Channel 40 here: Roseville to take 1.2 billion gallons from wells to supply residents with water
Mendocino: Dry Northern California tourist town to guests: ‘Please conserve’
“Tourists flock by the thousands to the coastal town of Mendocino for its Victorian homes and cliff trails, but visitors this summer are also finding public portable toilets and signs on picket fences pleading: “Severe Drought. Please conserve water.” Hotels have closed their lobby bathrooms and residents have stopped watering their gardens in the foggy outpost about 150 miles (240 kilometers) north of San Francisco after two years of little rain sapped many of the wells Mendocino depends on for potable water. Mendocino’s water woes were compounded in recent weeks when the city of Fort Bragg a few miles to the north — its main backup water supplier — informed officials that it, too, had a significant drop in its drinking water reserves after the Noyo River recorded its lowest flows in decades. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Mendocino: Dry Northern California tourist town to guests: ‘Please conserve’
Old-fashioned dowser uses sixth sense to help Napa farmer find water
“With the drought rapidly drying up reservoirs, farmers are desperately searching for new sources of water and some of them are turning to a mysterious method, thousands of years old. This close to harvest, the Napa Valley grapes glow like jewels on the vine. But on this day, in a vineyard outside St. Helena, we are hunting for a different kind of treasure…we’re looking for water. But Mark Neal, the Land Manager for the Lawrence Family Vineyards, has brought along his secret weapon: Rob Thompson, who has an ironic description of his business during a drought. … ” Read more from Channel 5 here: Old-fashioned dowser uses sixth sense to help Napa farmer find water
Napa: Dry farming a vineyard: What it is, how to do it and why it exists
“For Tod Mostero, Director of Viticulture and Winemaking at Dominus, the jump from architecture to a dry-farmed vineyard wasn’t as far as you might think. “Architecture is what happens when man meets a place, and he brings his culture, his history, everything he knows, to a place that has conditions of topography and climate, and he has to make a building that works within that environment,” said Mostero. “And same with vines. That is exactly what happened in Napa — the Europeans came with their history, they brought their varieties that they knew, and they had to adapt them to a place that was totally different than where they were coming from.” ... ” Read more from the Napa Register here: Dry farming a vineyard: What it is, how to do it and why it exists
Marin: Political influence to blame for rising tule elk losses under Point Reyes management plan
Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network, writes, “A proposed management plan for Point Reyes National Seashore, drafted during Donald Trump’s tenure as president, is environmentally irresponsible, violates the public trust and should be rejected by President Joe Biden’s Interior Department. California tule elk once numbered 500,000 before being nearly extirpated by hunting, their habitat destroyed for cattle ranching. Restoring these iconic animals at Point Reyes, the only National Park where they are found, is a significant achievement we should celebrate. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Marin: Political influence to blame for rising tule elk losses under Point Reyes management plan
UN climate report puts focus on sea level rise threat to San Francisco Bay
“Reading projections from the recent United Nations climate report is a like watching an invading army heading for San Francisco Bay, with rising tides threatening long sections of shoreline. “We’re looking at anywhere from two to five feet of sea level rise by the end of the century, in San Francisco Bay. And for the Bay Area, we’re basically ground zero for sea level rise,” explains Warner Chabot, director of the San Francisco Estuary Institute. The Institute has produced detailed maps and projections of what those changes might look like. At a full five feet, cyclical flooding coupled with other impacts of climate change could begin to cause havoc in the Bay Area. … ” Read more from KGO here: UN climate report puts focus on sea level rise threat to San Francisco Bay
Environmentalists oppose developer’s plan to fill in part of Redwood City tidal lagoon to build apartment complex
“Environmentalists are rising up against a developer’s plan to dredge part of a San Francisco Bay tidal lagoon and use the fill to cover marshes around it so a 350-unit apartment complex can be built on top. Saying it would would destroy a natural habitat and expose apartment dwellers to sea-level rise, the environmentalists said they would sue to stop the project at 199 Seaport Blvd., near the Port of Redwood City. Before the development proposal could even go before the Redwood City City Council, however, Menlo Park-based Laguna Sequoia Land Company must obtain building permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Regional Water Quality Control Board. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Environmentalists oppose developer’s plan to fill in part of Redwood City tidal lagoon to build apartment complex
Elkhorn Slough: Salt marsh resilience compromised by crabs along tidal creek edges
“Coastal marshes are vulnerable to erosion caused by rising seas, pounding waves, and tidal flows. In Elkhorn Slough, these vulnerabilities are made worse by superabundant crabs found at their highest densities along the estuary’s tidal creeks, according to a new study published August 8 in Ecosphere. The striped shore crab (Pachygrapsus crassipes) is a small crab found all along the West Coast of North America, and it is extremely abundant in Elkhorn Slough. The study demonstrated the dual role of these crabs as both consumers of salt marsh vegetation and as ecosystem engineers. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Elkhorn Slough: Salt marsh resilience compromised by crabs along tidal creek edges
Monterey: The sides negotiating the future of recycled water project expansion hit a snag.
“When the sewage utility and the Peninsula’s water management agency began negotiating in late April with California American Water about buying water through the recently approved recycled water project expansion, some local officials felt a deal could be reached by May. Then June. Then July. Those close to the negotiations are still singing a familiar refrain: a deal is imminent. However, the two clauses that have stalled negotiations – terms proposed by Cal Am – remain unsettled. Both focus on Cal Am’s desalination plant, a contentious project the utility proposed as a solution to the Peninsula’s water woes but has since stalled out in bureaucratic limbo and taken a back seat to the expansion of the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly here: The sides negotiating the future of recycled water project expansion hit a snag.
Innovative approach – Hope Valley restoration project shows early signs success
“Since construction for the Hope Valley Restoration and Aquatic Habitat Enhancement Project was completed in October of 2020, early signs of willow growth seems to bode well for the future of the West Fork Carson River. A collaborative effort led by the Alpine Watershed Group, the project’s aim is to help reduce erosion and sedimentation in the river system, ultimately improving water quality and aquatic habitat while restoring Hope Valley’s natural floodplain. “This project is a small piece of the bigger puzzle of reconnecting the West Fork Carson River with its floodplain,” said Mo Loden, program manager at Alpine Watershed Group. “Hope Valley was a major immigrant stop back in the 1800s and since then, it’s entered decades of grazing and these historical activities compacted the meadow, decreased water storage and caused the river to start carving out a stream channel instead of accessing the floodplain. This project will help stabilize the banks and give the river a better chance to access the floodplain.” … ” Read more from Sierra Nevada Ally here: Innovative approach – Hope Valley restoration project shows early signs success
San Luis Obispo: Lopez Lake boat launch expected to close, drought conditions to blame
“Lopez Lake is in the height of summer visitor season and its boat access is a big draw for people coming from across California. But because of drought conditions and a decreasing lake level, the San Luis Obispo County Parks and Recreation Department expects to close the lake’s boat launch ramp in the next month. The lake level is at 33 percent right now and the boat launch ramp is still usable, but likely not for long. That’s according to Matt Mohle, a supervising ranger with San Luis Obispo County Parks. … ” Read more from KCBX here: San Luis Obispo: Lopez Lake boat launch expected to close, drought conditions to blame
Ridgecrest: Court backs IWVGA in battle over replenishment fees
“Two motions to block the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority’s groundwater replenishment fee were shot down in court this week. Judge Kirk H. Nakamura of Orange County Superior Court granted motions filed by the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority to dismiss two separate actions filed by Searles Valley Minerals and Mojave Pistachios. The actions were aimed at stopping the collection of the groundwater replenishment fee, which was imposed last January to fund the cost of securing rights to water to bring to the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Basin. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Court backs IWVGA in battle over replenishment fees
Press release: Orange County judge finds Searles Valley Minerals’ claims for violations of water rights against the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority have merit
“An Orange County Superior Court judge ruled last Thursday that the legal challenge filed by Searles Valley Minerals Inc. (Searles) against the Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (Authority) for violation of Searles’ water rights has merit and may continue to move forward. “We are very pleased that the court sided with us and rejected the Authority’s attempt to dismiss our lawsuit,” said Burnell Blanchard, Vice President of Operations for Searles. “Searles has operated in this community for more than 140 years. We have the most senior water rights in the region and that is not something that can be so easily dismissed. We will continue to fight on behalf of our employees and the Trona communities.”
Mission Springs Water District approves water management plans
“Today, the Mission Springs Water District (MSWD) in southern California announced that it approved two plans to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality water to its customers, even during severe drought and emergencies. These two plans – the Regional Urban Water Management Plan (RUWMP) and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan (WSCP) – are both required by the state to be updated every five years. The Regional Urban Water Management Plan (RUWMP) assesses current and future demand and available water supplies through 2045, and the Water Shortage Contingency Plan identifies actions that could be taken to reduce demand when the water supply is limited. … ” Read more from Water World here: Mission Springs Water District approves water management plans
With climate imperiled, the Salton Sea needs us
“California’s Coachella Valley is my home, made complete by the proximity and awe of the stunning Salton Sea. My community is proud of the traditions, unique desert landscape and vibrant culture that make our valley a special place. Yet as years pass and our leaders fail to act, the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, is dying and people are getting sick. For decades, we have lived under a cloud of dangerous pollutants from the Salton Sea’s drying lakebed. … ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here: With climate imperiled, the Salton Sea needs us
Along the Colorado River …
Aggressive conservation: How one western region is fighting epic drought and coming out ahead
“An epic drought in the West has depleted the country’s largest reservoir of two-thirds of its water. About 40 million people rely on Lake Mead, which is now at its lowest water level since the lake was initially filled during the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s. … Dr. Sean McKenna, who leads the Division of Hydrologic Sciences at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, says it’s an unprecedented time in the reservoir’s history. “This is serious,” he said. “This is really new territory, given that all of Las Vegas and many other cities in the Southwest have really grown in that time or come into existence.” ... ” Read more from CBN here: Aggressive conservation: How one western region is fighting epic drought and coming out ahead
What the deepening water shortage means for Arizona homeowners
“Arizona is in the midst of a historic water shortage. The Southwest and much of the West is suffering from an intense 22-year drought, resulting in increasingly low water levels, dry soil, and dry vegetation fueled wildfires. The drought can have severe impacts on the things we love about living in our region, such as enjoying our abundant state and national forests and parks, tourism, the local economy, landscaping, agriculture and homebuilding. At Halpern Residential, we’ve received quite a few questions with concerns over how Arizona’s planned water cuts may affect homeowners and the real estate market in general. Below, we’ll explore the current state of Arizona’s historic drought conditions, the changes being made at the government and industry level, and what you can do as a homeowner to curb your water usage. ... ” Read more from Arizona Big Media here: What the deepening water shortage means for Arizona homeowners
The Grand Canyon has always faced water problems, this year the problems are different
“The Colorado River is grappling with shortages this year. But it was a very different story nearly thirty years ago. High flows coming through a dam just upstream of the Grand Canyon were ripping it apart. Inside Climate News reporter Judy Fahys rode down the canyon then as part of a floating press tour. She recently revisited the canyon and found the park is still facing water challenges; they’re just different ones now. ... ” Read more from Utah Public Radio here: The Grand Canyon has always faced water problems, this year the problems are different
UArizona Paleoclimatologist weighs in on ‘hot drought’ as a Lead Author on IPCC Climate Report
“The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, has released the first of three climate reports expected in the coming months, and a University of Arizona faculty member is a lead author, continuing the university’s tradition of contributing to the global, informational resource. Department of Geosciences associate professor Jessica Tierney is one of about 20 U.S. authors on the IPCC Working Group 1 contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report, which provides the latest assessment of scientific knowledge about the warming of the planet as well as projections for future warming and its impacts on the climate system. Tierney helped write much of the Working Group 1 report, including the sections on drought and aridity in the water cycle chapter. The other two reports will come out in December and March. … ” Read more from the University of Arizona here: UArizona Paleoclimatologist weighs in on ‘hot drought’ as a Lead Author on IPCC Climate Report
‘It’s real’: Colorado climatologists review new climate report
“Climatologists at Colorado State University began reviewing a new report from the United Nations on Monday detailing the speed and impact of human-caused global warming. They noticed some are universal around the world while others are more focused by region. They plan to study the findings further to help understand the outlook for Colorado, but already see the same concerns underlined from past research. ... ” Read more from CBS Channel 4 Denver here: ‘It’s real’: Colorado climatologists review new climate report
In national water news today …
Report: Racial disparities afflict EPA drinking water funds
“Congress is preparing to infuse a historic amount of money into the nation’s drinking water systems — but whether that money will meet President Biden’s environmental justice goals will largely fall into the hands of states unlikely to consider race or how accessible those funds are to struggling communities, according to a new report. The groundbreaking analysis released today reveals that, over the past decade, states have been less likely to spend money from EPA’s Drinking Water State Revolving Fund program on smaller and more diverse communities. Opting to release the majority of funds as loans, states are also providing fewer grants than federal law allows, possibly boxing impoverished communities out of federal funding for water infrastructure improvements. “It’s a $45 billion program that’s been going for over 20 years, and there hasn’t yet been a wide-scale analysis that we’re aware of, of how the money is spent,” said Katy Hansen, senior water adviser at the Environmental Policy Innovation Center and a co-author of the study. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Report: Racial disparities afflict EPA drinking water funds
Senate to approve Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill with funds for California
“The Senate is expected on Tuesday to approve an expansive bill to rebuild the nation’s aging roads and bridges, with $8.3 billion specifically targeted to water infrastructure projects in the West and billions more to fund national projects to mitigate the impact of wildfires. After months of negotiation between President Biden, Democrats and a group of about 10 Republicans, the Senate is poised to pass the bill Tuesday morning. The plan, which is the first portion of Biden’s “Build Back Better” program, would next go to the House, where it faces challenges from progressives. The approximately $1-trillion bill would address a wide range of infrastructure deficiencies and expand the availability of broadband internet throughout the country. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Senate to approve Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure bill with funds for California
A major report warns climate change is accelerating and humans must cut emissions now
“Global climate change is accelerating and human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases are the overwhelming cause, according to a landmark report released Monday by the United Nations. There is still time to avoid catastrophic warming this century, but only if countries around the world stop burning fossil fuels as quickly as possible, the authors warn. The message to world leaders is more dire, and more unequivocal, than ever before. “It is indisputable that human activities are causing climate change,” says Ko Barrett, the vice chair of the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the senior adviser for climate at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “Each of the last four decades has been the warmest on record since preindustrial times.” … ” Read more from KQED here: A major report warns climate change is accelerating and humans must cut emissions now
World expresses mixed reaction to dire UN climate change report
“A mixed – and often muted – reaction around the world to the United Nations’ latest dire report on the dangerous speed and voracity of global warming is a jarring reminder of just how difficult it will be to rein in carbon emissions on a planet with 7.9 billion people. In Europe and the United States, where global warming is now a top concern for a public spooked by extreme weather, major news outlets ran scary banner headlines about the stark warnings of “irreversible” sea level rise and other “unprecedented changes” contained in a report on Monday issued by the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a body made up of scientists around the world studying global warming. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: World expresses mixed reaction to dire UN climate change report
SEE ALSO:
- What five graphs from the U.N. Climate report reveal about our path to halting climate change , from EOS
- IPCC goes region by region to preview climate destruction, from E&E News
- A NASA scientist explains why the weather is becoming more extreme, from The Verge
Today’s featured article …
BLOG ROUND-UP: How many juvenile salmonids reach the Delta each year?; Coalition opposes voluntary agreements; Thoughts on DWR’s Delta Conveyance Webinar on fisheries; From feast to famine- California’s 2021 water supply; and more …
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NOTICE: State Water Board revises draft drought emergency curtailment regulation for Scott, Shasta Rivers
