On the calendar today …
- The Delta Stewardship Council will meet beginning at 9am. Agenda items include the Delta Lead Scientist report; Delta Protection Commission Recreation and Tourism Update to the Economic Sustainability Plan comment letter; Delta social science integration update; and an action item on the Delta Levee Investment Strategy CEQA addendum approval and rulemaking authorization. Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.
- The Wildlife Conservation Board meets beginning at 1pm. Click here for the preliminary agenda and remote access instructions.
- PUBLIC MEETING: Revising the Definition of “Waters of the United States” from 3pm to 5pm. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of the Army (Army) are hosting virtual public meetings on the agencies’ effort to revise the definition of “waters of the United States.” The agencies are committed to meaningful engagement with tribes, states, and stakeholders to ensure that a revised definition of “waters of the United States” reflects the experiences of, and input received, from all communities. Click here to register.
- FREE WEBINAR: Species Modeling for Endangered Species from 7pm to 8pm. Presented by the USGS. By: Thomas Edwards, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Click here for the live stream link.
In California water news today …
Drought, fires and politics put Biden’s California water plans on hold
“As climate-driven drought and wildfires rage in California, the Biden administration is struggling to navigate the hard politics that come with deciding who gets access to the state’s precious — and dwindling — water supplies. Responding to the hot and parched conditions that have contributed to the wildfires and worsened the water shortages this summer has strained both federal and state capacity. Now the Biden administration is delaying action on the fundamental question at the heart of California’s long-running water wars: How much water should be reserved for species protections, at the expense of the state’s powerful agricultural industry? … ” Read more from Politico here: Drought, fires and politics put Biden’s California water plans on hold
A water pipeline to the Mississippi River? Democrat stirs up recall debate with unusual ideas
“There was an unusual twist at Wednesday’s gubernatorial recall debate in Sacramento: A Democrat participated for the first time. And that Democrat, 29-year-old millionaire Ventura County real estate investor Kevin Paffrath, jump-started the hour-long debate with some unusual ideas. Paffrath, who has never held elective office, proposed to solve California’s water shortages by building a pipeline to the Mississippi River. He assured viewers that he had a plan to remove every homeless person from the streets within 60 days. And several times he described himself, without much elaboration, as a “JFK Democrat.” Perhaps because, like the tax-cutting President John Kennedy, Paffrath proposed eliminating state income taxes for anyone making less than $250,000 a year. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: A water pipeline to the Mississippi River? Democrat stirs up recall debate with unusual ideas
SEE ALSO:
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- Top-polling Democrat in recall calls for COVID filtration systems, water pipeline in debate, from the Sacramento Bee
Podcast: A dire warning about California’s future — from the man who fixes wells that irrigate agriculture here
“California is forcing thousands of Central Valley farmers and landowners to make major cuts to their water use because the drought here is so severe right now. The cuts only apply to surface water (water that sits in reservoirs). To make up for those water losses, farmers can use well water, which is extracted from aquifers deep underground. But a lot of the wells are also running dry. Journalist and author Mark Arax followed a man whose job is to fix the wells bringing water to those farms. He told Arax that the drought conditions he’s working in now are challenging what he has believed.” Listen to the show from KCRW here: Podcast: A dire warning about California’s future — from the man who fixes wells that irrigate agriculture here
One California city’s creative drought fix
“Take a drive through this picture-perfect wine country town and you’ll start to spot them, unsubtle symbols of our state’s extreme drought. Peeking out from side yards of cottages and behind fences of grand multimillion-dollar homes are massive four-foot plastic cubes for storing water. For the approximately 12,000 people who live here, the containers have become a prized commodity. And, for a city struggling with an extremely limited water supply, a solution. “I definitely think that this is a success story,” Felicia Smith, a Healdsburg official, told me. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: One California city’s creative drought fix
Bill would help lost farmland be used for other purposes
“The reality is with the requirements of the Sustainability Groundwater Management Act, the amount of farmland that can be used will continue to be reduced. But there are efforts to make sure that farmland doesn’t completely go to waste. A bill to administer a program to help land that no longer can be used as farmland to be used for other purposes is making its way through the State Legislature. Assembly Bill 252 has passed the State Assembly and the State Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on the bill on Thursday. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder here: Bill would help lost farmland be used for other purposes
Dams ineffective for cold-water conservation
“Dams poorly mimic the temperature patterns California streams require to support the state’s native salmon and trout — more than three-quarters of which risk extinction. Bold actions are needed to reverse extinction trends and protect cold-water streams that are resilient to climate warming, according to a study published in the journal PLOS ONE by the University of California, Davis. The study helps identify where high-quality, cold-water habitat remains to help managers prioritize conservation efforts. “It is no longer a good investment to put all our cold-water conservation eggs in a dam-regulated basket,” said lead author Ann Willis, a senior staff researcher at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and a fellow for the John Muir Institute of the Environment. “We need to consider places where the natural processes can occur again.” … ” Read more from UC Davis here: Dams ineffective for cold-water conservation
EPA takes action to protect pacific salmon from pesticides
“Extreme heat waves have made this a devastating summer for the endangered salmon species of the U.S. West Coast. In mid July, California wildlife officials warned that almost all of the young Chinook salmon in the Sacramento River would likely die because of lower water levels and higher water temperatures. … But, amidst all the catastrophic headlines was a cool spring of good news. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finally acting to protect more than two dozen endangered West Coast salmon and steelhead species from pesticides. “For the first time, Pacific salmon will be protected by on-the-ground conservation measures to limit pesticide pollution into our rivers and streams,” Brett Hartl, government affairs director at the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), said in a statement emailed to EcoWatch. ... ” Read more from Eco Watch here: EPA takes action to protect pacific salmon from pesticides
What is the drought’s effect on Western water resources?
“People regularly discuss California when talking about long-term drought, particularly because the state often experiences prolonged water shortages. Some experts believe that rather than going through brief non-drought periods, the state is actually enduring a so-called emerging megadrought and has been for the last two decades. Research conducted in 2020 examined nine Western U.S. states and parts of Mexico. The team started by looking at ancient droughts dating back to 800 A.D. It then scrutinized soil moisture records associated with observed weather events from 2000-2018. Park Williams, a bioclimatologist and associate professor at UCLA involved with the study, remarked, “This drought that we’re in now over the last 22 years has been as severe as the worst 22-year periods of the worst megadroughts that occurred last millennium.” … ” Read more from Water & Wastes Digest here: What is the drought’s effect on Western water resources?
What is toxic algae, and could it have been the cause of a California family’s death?
“The Madera County Department of Public Health issued an advisory Monday after large amounts of harmful algae blooms were found in Hensley Lake near Yosemite Lakes. The advisory comes after staff from the Central Valley Water Board reported spotting big patches of harmful algae and cyanobacteria, often referred to as blue-green algae, in the water at the lake. In addition, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) issued a state fish advisory Tuesday for Hensley Lake. This advisory guides people on how to prepare the fish they catch for meals while the algae is a threat. … ” Read more from KRON here: What is toxic algae, and could it have been the cause of a California family’s death?
SEE ALSO:
The unbearable summer: Disastrous environmental events are converging like never before
“After this summer’s first searing heat wave baked the Pacific Northwest, the environmental scientist Robert Rohde posted an unusual observation on Twitter. Looking through a report that analyzed temperature patterns for the region over the past 70 years, he noted, “the heatwave was statistically ‘impossible.’” Obviously, the heat wave wasn’t literally impossible, given that, after all, it happened. But the broiling temperature that the Northwest reached—108 degrees Fahrenheit at one point in Seattle, 121 degrees in British Columbia—was so far beyond the observed experience, he explained, that it exceeded even statistical models’ outmost potential extremes for the area. ... ” Read more from The Atlantic here: The unbearable summer: Disastrous environmental events are converging like never before
In regional water news and commentary today …
Klamath/North Coast
Klamath River: The ancient bond between a great river, its creatures, and my people
Brook Thompson writes, “For those who live on the Klamath River, its health reflects the people, positioning us on the precipice of life or death. The Klamath is magical and meandering, a river surrounded by towering redwoods and mountains. But the controversy over its water has lasted for decades, and the big questions—whether to remove four dams, who gets the water during drought years—often put farmers and Natives at odds. Meanwhile, blue-green algae blooms make the river unsafe for swimming and spread deadly diseases among fish. To outsiders, the tribes’ desire to have water for salmon survival and ceremonies might seem almost frivolous, a mere “want” compared to the “practical needs” of agriculture. Most media coverage fails to express the implications of dam removal for Indigenous people. … ” Continue reading at Mother Jones here: The ancient bond between a great river, its creatures, and my people
Law students support Yurok Tribe effort to access culturally important species
“For thousands of years, the Yurok people have looked to the Klamath River Basin close to California’s northern border for a rich variety of nutritional and cultural sustenance: salmon from the river, elk and berries from the forests, and mussels and clams along the coast, among other culturally significant species. But the arrival of European settlers in the 19th century brought changes that impeded tribal members’ ability to harvest on their ancestral territories. This spring, three UCLA law students contributed to a longstanding Yurok Tribe effort to expand members’ access to traditional food systems along the Klamath River. … “The Yurok Tribe wants the ability to harvest in a culturally meaningful way across their ancestral territories, which they’ve been denied for the last hundred years,” van Schilfgaarde said. “Access to ancestral territories for harvesting is a right and harvesting these speci es is as much about food and health as it is about culture and religion.” ... ” Read more from UCLA here: Law students support Yurok Tribe effort to access culturally important species
Is Mount Shasta really devoid of snow for the first time ever?
“A viral tweet Tuesday claimed that Mount Shasta was devoid of snow for “the first time in history,” depicting the mountain covered in white and completely bare. But the tweet’s claims aren’t entirely accurate, according to Ryan Sandler with the National Weather Service. The warning coordination meteorologist said there has in fact been other periods when Shasta had little to no snow, including in 2014 at the height of California’s drought that year. Sandler said he also has seen a photo showing almost no snow on the mountain in October 1992. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Is Mount Shasta really devoid of snow for the first time ever?
SEE ALSO:
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- Mount Shasta hasn’t been so bare of snow in years. Is this the new normal?, from the SF Chronicle
- Mt. Shasta’s glaciers are shrinking, ‘spectacular loss of snowpack’ leaves west side bare, from Mt. Shasta News
Mud Creek flooding is threatening McCloud’s water supply
“The flooding of Mud Creek is causing some problems for the unincorporated town of McCloud. The McCloud Community Services District is trying to save its Elk Spring Pipeline, that crosses over Mud Creek which has been flooding since June 27. Mud has been building up under the pipeline from the continued flooding and is also threatening one of the town’s three springs that supplies the town with its water. The newly constructed bridge on Pilgrim Creek Road has less than a foot of clearance from the mud build-up underneath and is a concern as well. … ” Read more from Mt. Shasta News here: Mud Creek flooding is threatening McCloud’s water supply
Sacramento Valley
Sacramento Valley: New proposals to improve permitting for ecosystem restoration work
“Substantial work occurs in the Sacramento Valley every year on projects to develop and enhance habitat for the region’s terrestrial and aquatic species. In-stream salmon recovery projects, Pacific Flyway habitat improvements, floodplain reactivation and many other types of habitat projects all require environmental permits to be implemented. There is general recognition that the work necessary to acquire these permits greatly increases the time and cost to get the projects done. This recognition resulted in the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) hosting a workshop earlier this month to hear comments on a proposed General Order to “expedite the regulatory approval process for large habitat restoration projects,” and the Public Policy Institute of California to publish a report on “Advancing Ecosystem Restoration with Smarter Permitting.” … ” Read more from the Northern California Water Association here: Sacramento Valley: New proposals to improve permitting for ecosystem restoration work
Water agency asks Butte County supervisors for drought legislation help
“Drought conditions continue to worsen after an update was presented to the Butte County Board of Supervisors during Tuesday’s meeting. Christina Buck, chair of the county’s drought task force and assistant director of Water and Resources Conservation said there are more dry wells being reported as well as a shortage of supplies like storage tanks and well materials. As of Aug. 20, Buck said there have been a total of 30 dry wells reported in Butte County and the wells that have been impacted are less than 200 feet deep. The dry wells are self-reported so there could be other wells that are dry that the county is not aware of. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Water agency asks Butte County supervisors for drought legislation help
Butte County legal brief: Saving wetlands
“Environmentalists sued the Biden administration Wednesday to block approval of a 314-acre mixed-use development in Chico, California, that would destroy vernal pools and wetlands that are home to several endangered and threatened species.” Click here for the legal brief posted at the Courthouse News Service.
Roseville, PCWA modify agreement to manage water supplies during drought
“In the spirit of regional collaboration, the City of Roseville and the Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) agreed to modify an existing water supply contract and credit Roseville 5,000 acre-feet of surface water in 2022. The revised agreement responds to Roseville’s efforts to reduce surface water use this year through mandated water conservation and groundwater pumping to address the current drought. … ” Read more from Roseville Today here: Roseville, PCWA modify agreement to manage water supplies during drought
Roseville commentary: Managing the drought and beyond with proactive planning
Richard D. Plecker, P.E., Roseville’s Environmental Utilities director, writes, “Although public attention on water supply peaks during droughts and ebbs when water is plentiful, planning and investments in Roseville’s water future are happening all the time, regardless of the conditions. And while emergency water conservation targets are one important response, they are by no means Roseville’s only strategy for ensuring that we have adequate supplies to meet our needs and continue to grow and prosper as a community. In a recent opinion piece (page 4, Aug. 20, “Water crisis and more water restrictions”) in Gold Country Media, a Roseville resident (Brian Parry) suggests that conservation mandates are necessary because of a failure to plan and prepare for droughts. In truth, Roseville has been working for years to make our water supplies resilient to droughts. ... ” Read more from Gold Country Media here: Managing the drought and beyond with proactive planning
Mountain Counties
Lake Tahoe ski resort expansion blocked by appeals court
“A California appeals court has blocked the expansion of Lake Tahoe’s famed Squaw Valley ski resort because the development plan fails to adequately address potential harm to air and water quality, as well as increased noise levels and traffic in the area. A three-judge panel of California’s Third District Court of Appeals granted parts of two appeals brought by Sierra Watch. It reversed a state judge’s 2018 ruling and ordered the lower court in Placer County to issue a new ruling specifying additional actions the resort must take to ensure the new development complies with the California Environmental Quality Act. … ” Read more from US News and World Report here: Lake Tahoe ski resort expansion blocked by appeals court
Bay Area
Commentary: Districts must work together as ‘One Marin Water’ to survive coming droughts
Jerry Meral, former Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources, writes, “Every water agency in Marin County faces severe shortages of water. If next year is like this one, more than one agency could literally run out of water. We seem to have entered a new, unknown and very dangerous era of drought and heat induced by climate change. This is a deadly combination when it comes to water use and supply. The Marin Municipal Water District has some reservoir storage, but not enough to survive back-to-back extremely dry years. MMWD and North Marin Water District have supplies from Sonoma County, but this year’s drought is cutting deeply into those supplies and reducing their reliability. During normal times, the West Marin community of Inverness has only enough water stored in tanks to serve its customers for about a week. The storage tanks are fed continuously by small streams, but streamflow is rapidly diminishing in this critically dry year. ... ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Commentary: Districts must work together as ‘One Marin Water’ to survive coming droughts
S.F.’s Stern Grove Festival finale canceled after water main break causes ‘catastrophic’ damage
“San Francisco’s Stern Grove will remain closed at its east end “until further notice,” the city’s Recreation and Park Department said, because of a ruptured water main on Sloat Boulevard. As a result of flooding, Sunday’s series finale for the 84th annual Stern Grove Festival has been canceled. The free concert, featuring the always popular Oakland funk band Tower of Power and the rapper Too Short, will not be rescheduled. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: S.F.’s Stern Grove Festival finale canceled after water main break causes ‘catastrophic’ damage
Repair work paused on S.F.’s Millennium Tower due to continued sinking
“The $100 million fix meant to shore up San Francisco’s famously sinking and leaning Millennium Tower has been put on hold for up to a month while engineers try to figure out why the building has settled an additional inch during the current remedial construction. In a statement, a spokesman for the Millennium’s homeowners association said that the latest monitoring of the building has “indicated an increased rate of settlement associated with pile installation.” … ” Continue reading at the San Francisco Chronicle here: Repair work paused on S.F.’s Millennium Tower due to continued sinking
These before-after images of Bay Area reservoirs show drought’s severe impact
“Water levels at several Bay Area reservoirs have reached historical lows — just one of the devastating environmental impacts of California’s punishing drought, the Santa Clara Valley Water District said Wednesday. Reservoirs operated by Valley Water, the main provider in Santa Clara County, were 85% full in April 2017, the agency said. As of Wednesday morning, they were at 12.5%. Then-and-now images illustrating how low the reservoirs have dwindled reinforced the agency’s grim report. “This is the start of bad news,” said Gary Kremen, vice chair of Valley Water’s board of directors. “There’s hardly any water flowing into this county.” … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: These before-after images of Bay Area reservoirs show drought’s severe impact
Santa Clara water officials issue dire warning as reservoirs dip to historic lows
“With the state in the grips of a historic drought, reservoirs in Santa Clara County are at extremely low levels, as seen in a new video from the county’s water provider. Santa Clara Valley Water, which provides for and manages the water needs of two million people in the county, released a new video Wednesday illustrating the dire state of the county’s reservoirs. “The situation has been the most dire we’ve seen in our county, probably ever,” says Water District Director Gary Kremen. … ” Read more from CBS San Francisco here: Santa Clara water officials issue dire warning as reservoirs dip to historic lows
Central Coast
Edna Valley farmers, residents, and water companies collaborate on plan to stabilize groundwater basin
“Water wells in the Edna Valley used to be shallow: “You could put a well to 30 or 40 feet. Well that’s just kind of unrealistic [now],” Edna Valley Growers Mutual Company President Bob Schiebelhut said. Some of those shallow wells didn’t make it through the last drought, drying up and forcing landowners to drill a little deeper. Now in a new drought, Edna Valley farmers and residents are once again praying for rain, Schiebelhut said. But they’re also moving forward with SLO County and the city of SLO on a plan to make their groundwater more drought resilient. The 30-day comment period on a draft of that plan—which covers approximately 20 square miles from the city of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly to Lopez Reservoir just before Orcutt Road meets Lopez Drive—ends on Sept. 19. … ” Read more from New Times SLO here: Edna Valley farmers, residents, and water companies collaborate on plan to stabilize groundwater basin
SLO County develops tools to sell, transfer, and exchange state water
“Fifth District SLO County Supervisor Debbie Arnold’s concerns about groundwater banking persist as the county takes steps to enable more flexibility for its unused State Water Project water. “I’ve been pretty clear all along, I don’t want to ever see our basins here in the county be used for groundwater banks at all, especially with state water,” Arnold said during the Aug. 24 Board of Supervisors meeting. “If we have excess state water, I think we start to concentrate—where we build the infrastructure to put it in above ground storage like Lopez [Lake], so that people in our county can use it. … But not groundwater banking.” … ” Read more from New Times SLO here: SLO County develops tools to sell, transfer, and exchange state water
Lake Casitas’ water level continues to drop amid drought
“Lake Casitas is home for Owen Peralta. He works the dock at the marina and each year he’s watched the water levels drop more and more. It has gotten so bad he’s worried the lake, which serves as a reservoir supplying parts of Ventura with drinking water, could dry up. “I remember coming here when I was a kid. I think I caught my first fish here,” Peralta said. “The way it’s looking, I don’t know how long it’ll be here.” … ” Read more from Spectrum 1 here: Lake Casitas’ water level continues to drop amid drought
San Joaquin Valley
South San Joaquin Irrigation District ending irrigation runs for year Oct. 6
“South San Joaquin Irrigation District will end the irrigation season Oct. 6. The ability to do so at near the normal time which is mid-October in what is shaping up to be the fifth driest year in 120 years of recorded hydrology on the Stanislaus River basin is attributable to four factors … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: South San Joaquin Irrigation District ending irrigation runs for year Oct. 6
Southern California
Legal brief: Attorney fees for Antelope Valley groundwater adjudication
“A California appeals court reversed a $2.5 million attorney fees award in a case alleging surrounding cities and water companies took too much groundwater from Antelope Valley. The trial court improperly arrived at an hourly rate of $500 without explaining its reasoning.” To read the legal brief from Courthouse News, click here: Attorneys fees
San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District lowers property tax rate for constituents
“After twenty years at or above the current level, the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District Board of Directors voted to lower its property tax rate. Valley District, a wholesale water provider and State Water Contractor, is required to set a property tax rate each fiscal year for the debt service fund on its State Water Contract. The property tax is established by the California Water Code in order to ensure sufficient funding for the District’s long-term responsibility to supply water to its constituents from the State Water Project – a system of infrastructure that captures and delivers water from Northern California to the San Bernardino Valley. … ” Read more from City News Group here: San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District lowers property tax rate for constituents
Advanced forecasting strengthens So. Cal.’s water retention
“As drought persists in the state of California, the need to increase water supply reliability is an essential issue facing water managers. A new report evaluating a pilot program to use advanced weather and streamflow forecasts to enhance water storage capabilities at a Riverside County, California, dam found that enough water could be conserved to supply an additional 60,000 people per year. The pilot program, called Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO), led by research meteorologists from the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, found that 7,000 acre-feet per year of stormwater could potentially be added to groundwater recharge in Orange County. … ” Read more from Water World here: Advanced forecasting strengthens So. Cal.’s water retention
EPA announces $131 million WIFIA loan for PFAS treatment and removal systems in Orange County
“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $131 million Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan to the Orange County Water District (OCWD) to help remove per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from drinking water sourced from local groundwater. By helping finance this project, EPA’s WIFIA loan will protect public health from PFAS while reducing reliance on imported water for 2.5 million residents in Orange County. “At EPA, tackling PFAS pollution and safeguarding public health is a top priority. This investment in water infrastructure will address PFAS in drinking water while revitalizing water supplies that are essential in a drought-prone area,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This innovative project will be good for the local economy and result in a safer water supply for Orange County and improved water quality for residents.” … ” Read more from the EPA here: EPA announces $131 million WIFIA loan for PFAS treatment and removal systems in Orange County
Along the Colorado River …
The Colorado River Basin: What’s wrong and what’s needed to make it right
“On Aug. 16, the U.S. federal government declared a Colorado River water shortage for the first time. This unprecedented action was triggered by the precipitous drop in Lake Mead’s water level: It’s at 1,067 feet above sea level, or about 35 percent full. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation expects the lake’s water level to remain about 1,066 feet above sea level into 2022, while will force a first tier of water use reductions beginning Jan. 1. The economic impacts to the states that tap water from the Colorado River are significant, with no relief in sight. … ” Read more from Green Biz here: The Colorado River Basin: What’s wrong and what’s needed to make it right
Radio show: What the future holds for water in the West
“For the first time ever, the federal government has declared a water shortage on the Colorado River. Across the Western United States, reservoirs are low, temperatures are high and fires continue to rage. How did we get here? Historian John Ross points to climate change denial. Today, On Point: What the future holds for water in the West. Guests: John Fleck, director of the University of New Mexico Water Resources Program, and John F. Ross, writer and historian.” Listen to radio show and read highlights here: What the future holds for water in the West
Wyoming looks to store, divert more water as Lake Powell dries up
“As Lake Powell dropped to its lowest-ever level Friday — a decline that has forced dam tenders to unexpectedly release 125,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir — Wyoming stood behind five projects that could divert tens of thousands more acre-feet from waterways in the troubled Colorado River Basin. Powell’s surface elevation dipped to 3,555.09, lower by 12 hundredths of an inch than the previous post-completion nadir of April 8, 2005. The new benchmark is “probably worth noting,” Wayne Pullan, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s Region 7 director, said in a press call Wednesday. “The fact that we’ve reached this new record underscores the difficult situation that we’re in,” he said. ... ” Read more from WyoFile here: Wyoming looks to store, divert more water as Lake Powell dries up
In national water news today …
The Plains and Upper Midwest are growing drier as drought deepens in the West
“A 53-foot waterfall in Minneapolis has been reduced to a trickle. Utah’s biggest reservoirs are about half full, and dropping. Almond growers in California are abandoning their dying trees as water grows increasingly scarce. Nearly half of the land mass of the contiguous United States — 47 percent — is experiencing drought conditions, according to the latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, and it’s getting worse in the Northern Plains and everywhere west of the Rocky Mountains. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: The Plains and Upper Midwest are growing drier as drought deepens in the West.
A 1,000 year drought is hitting the west. Could desalination be a solution?
“The United States and many other parts of the world are reeling under the impacts of severe drought. One possible solution is the desalination of seawater, but is it a silver bullet? The Western United States is currently experiencing what one paleoclimatologist called “potentially the worst drought in 1,200 years.” The region has had many droughts in the past, including “megadroughts” that last decades, but climate change is making dry years drier and wet years wetter. Higher temperatures heat the ground and air faster, and the increased evaporation dries the soil and decreases the amount of precipitation that reaches reservoirs. Warming also leads to less of the snow-pack needed to replenish rivers, streams, reservoirs and moisten soil in spring and summer. ... ” Read more from Columbia Climate School’s State of the Planet here: A 1,000 year drought is hitting the west. Could desalination be a solution?
El Nino and La Nina events expected to wane as Earth heats up
“The cycling between warm El Nino and cold La Nina conditions in the eastern Pacific has occurred without interruption for the last 11,000 years, but it could be weakened now as climate change ramps up, according to a team of scientists. To obtain an accurate prediction of what is in store for these oceanic temperature patterns, researchers from the IBS Center for Climate Physics at South Korea’s Pusan National University, Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Meteorology and the University of Hawaii at Mānoa conducted a series of global climate model simulations using one of South Korea’s fastest computers, known as the Aleph, and with unprecedented spatial resolution. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: El Nino and La Nina events expected to wane as Earth heats up
As covid limits access to chlorine, water systems ask EPA for help
“For the first time since the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) established an avenue for water systems to request help with supply chain issues in 1974, they are using it to ask the federal government for chlorine-based treatment chemicals. “Local water officials say they fear chlorine suppliers are prioritizing deliveries to swimming pools instead of local water utilities,” Bloomberg Law reported. “Water systems in California, Utah, New Mexico and New York turned to the [U.S.] EPA under Section 1441 [of the SDWA], which authorizes the Commerce Department to order supplies to provide chemicals to water systems in need.” … ” Read more from Water Online here: As covid limits access to chlorine, water systems ask EPA for help
Up 43% over last decade, water rates rising faster than other household utility bills
“New analysis shows water rate growth currently outpacing other household utility services (e.g., power, gas) at an average of 4.2% per year. As such, the combined water & wastewater bill for a typical U.S. household has swelled to 43.2% from 2012 to 2021, an indicator of the water sector’s growing financial burden, according to new analysis from Bluefield Research’s annual benchmark study of residential water rates across U.S. cities. Across the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., combined monthly water and wastewater bills for a typical U.S. household surpassed US$111.60 per month, based on average household consumption. Typically, wastewater makes up approximately 60% of the total bill while water services make up the remaining 40%. ... ” Read more from Water Online here: Up 43% over last decade, water rates rising faster than other household utility bills
Questions trail big business’ ‘water positive’ pledges
““Water positive” may be the new “net zero.” As companies face historic drought, rising temperatures and catastrophic wildfires, they’re also making pledges to conserve and return more water to the environment than they consume. Last week, Facebook vowed to become “water positive” by 2030, a hefty pledge considering the company’s fleet of thirsty data centers. The effort includes everything from planting trees in California to recharging storage in rivers suffering from a historic drought, ensuring data centers are efficiently using water, and restoring degraded wetlands. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Questions trail big business’ ‘water positive’ pledges
Western lawmakers call on Biden, FEMA to declare drought disaster
“Congressional leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to declare a drought disaster in the West as record temperatures and historic wildfires batter multiple states. The letter, signed by Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado and Jared Huffman of California, Democrats whose districts have been ravaged by drought and wildfires, asks Biden and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to release additional resources to aid Western communities faced with water cuts as supplies dwindle rapidly. … ” Read more from NBC News here: Western lawmakers call on Biden, FEMA to declare drought disaster
