On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar from 11am to 12pm. The California-Nevada Drought Early Warning System (CA-NV DEWS) November 2021 Drought & Climate Outlook Webinar is part of a series of regular drought and climate outlook webinars designed to provide stakeholders and other interested parties in the region with timely information on current drought status and impacts, as well as a preview of current and developing climatic events. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
La Niña: Is California heading into another dry winter?
“You may have seen it on social media or heard it while talking to a friend: This is a La Niña year, so California won’t get any rain this winter and the severe drought is only going to get worse. Right? Maybe not. Although that’s a common belief, it’s not supported by past history. The reality is that a lot depends on where you live. “The message most people get about La Niña seems to be biased by Southern California,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. “There is a really good connection between La Niña and drier-than-normal weather in Southern California. But in Northern California, it’s a coin flip.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: La Niña: Is California heading into another dry winter?
Cloud seeding gains steam as West faces worsening droughts
“As the first winter storms rolled through this month, a King Air C90 turboprop aircraft contracted by the hydropower company Idaho Power took to the skies over southern Idaho to make it snow. Flying across the cloud tops, the aircraft dropped flares that burned as they descended, releasing plumes of silver iodide that caused ice crystals to form and snow to fall over the mountains. In the spring, that snow will melt and run downstream, replenishing reservoirs, irrigating fields and potentially generating hundreds of thousands of additional megawatt hours of carbon-free hydropower for the state. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Cloud seeding gains steam as West faces worsening droughts
Adjusting past hydrology for changes in climate
Jay Lund writes, “Segal’s Law: “Someone with one watch knows what time it is. Someone with two watches is never sure.” Time is certain, but its estimation and measurement are uncertain, yet we are not in total ignorance. Many water management and regulation decisions require an understanding of current and future hydrology. These include regulatory decisions on new water rights, plans and design for habitat restoration projects, long-lived water infrastructure (conveyance, storage, and levees, etc.), water demands (orchards and vines), groundwater sustainability plans and policies, negotiating long-term agreements and contracts among water agencies and water users, etc. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: Adjusting past hydrology for changes in climate
Water wisdom: The indigenous scientists walking in two worlds
“Every year, on one day in October, generations of the Washoe Tribe gather on the shores of Lake Tahoe for a day of fishing using handmade spears, harpoons, and nets made from willow, dogbane, and other traditional materials. … “Everybody looks forward to this day because they are not only revitalizing our traditional practices, but they are also doing something that’s important for our homelands,” said Washoe Tribal Council member Helen Fillmore. Fillmore is also a researcher at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she is investigating the climate resiliency of water resources on reservation lands of the Great Basin and southwestern United States, and is interning with the aquatics research team at the University of California, Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center. One of just a handful of remaining speakers of the Washoe language, in 2017 she published a commentary on how the language can help inform hydrologic and environmental models. ... ” Read more from EOS here: Water wisdom: The indigenous scientists walking in two worlds
Otter-ly adorable climate change warriors may save California’s coastal ecosystems
“Off the coast of California lies an underwater forest of giant kelp, a kind of seaweed that grows to 100 feet tall at the rate of a foot a day. Just as a terrestrial forest sucks carbon dioxide out of the air, all that rapidly growing seaweed soaks up carbon from the water, playing an incredibly important role in climate mitigation. … But since the 18th century, California’s kelp forest has been steadily mowed down by purple urchins, thanks to the massacre of their natural predator—the sea otter—hunted for its one-of-a-kind fur. … ” Read more from Atlas Obscura here: Otter-ly adorable climate change warriors may save California’s coastal ecosystems
House passes Build Back Better Act with additional water provisions
“Last week the House of Representatives narrowly passed a $1.75 trillion social spending bill that, according to the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA), includes more than $10 billion for several water-related priorities. These funds would come in addition to the nearly $50 billion in new drinking water and wastewater spending that was enacted last week through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The latest legislation, the Build Back Better Act (H.R. 5376), is a Democratic-backed budget reconciliation bill focused on a variety of social spending priorities. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: House passes Build Back Better Act with additional water provisions
Wildfires are getting worse, and one chemical company is reaping the benefits
“Along Via Volcano, a prairie road in Murrieta, Calif., acres of brush and grass have been sunbaked a dirty blond. Residents of the surrounding ranch homes call this dry vegetation “flashy fuel” because it burns fast. Here, 80 miles southeast of Los Angeles, the humidity is low and temperatures are often scorching. … During this year’s fire season, Frommer and her neighbors tested a more sophisticated approach. The safety council used a $30,000 state grant to hire Perimeter Solutions to spray the brush with a new fire-resistant gel called Fortify. … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: Wildfires are getting worse, and one chemical company is reaping the benefits
Commentary: Billions in funding for wildfire should be just a down payment
Stacy Corless, board chair of the Rural County Representatives of California, writes, “It’s November in Mammoth Lakes, and we’re breathing a deep sigh of relief with the early season snowfall after weeks under the smoke from the KNP Complex Fire this summer and fall. We’re lucky. This fire did not bear down on our town like last year’s Creek Fire, and recent storms signal that we have made it through this year’s wildfire season unharmed. But what about next year? The long-term threats and impacts of catastrophic wildfire are real, leaving us and far too many rural communities to question our ability to survive, much less thrive. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Commentary: Billions in funding for wildfire should be just a down payment
Today’s featured article …
CA WATER COMMISSION: Department of Conservation previews SGMA multi-purpose land repurposing program
Upcoming workshops to gather public input on the new program
At the September meeting of the California Water Commission, Kealiʻi Bright, Assistant Director of the Division of Land Resource Protection at the California Department of Conservation (or DOC), gave a presentation on a new program being spun up to repurpose farmland being retired due to SGMA implementation.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Humboldt County’s wet weather to taper off this week
“After a brief shower beginning Monday evening and continuing into Tuesday morning, Humboldt County will see a dry week with mild temperatures. Monday and Tuesday’s rains are expected to reach a total of one-tenth of an inch, with temperatures hovering around 60 degrees during the day and 40 degrees in the evening for the rest of the week. Aside from Monday night and Tuesday morning, the week is forecast to be sunny, dry and without any strong winds. “The next chance of rain is not looking likely anytime soon,” Jonathan Garner, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Eureka, said. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Humboldt County’s wet weather to taper off this week
Lady of the Lake: Wondering about water rights
“Dear Lady of the Lake, I just moved to Lake County and live next to the lake. I heard the other day that Lake County doesn’t have water rights to Clear Lake? Is that correct? Can I take water from the lake to irrigate my garden? I also have a pond on my property and a well, who has rights to those sources of water? Thanks for clearing this up! — Wondering about Water Rights Walter Walter, Thank you for asking these questions. I get asked about water rights quite a bit actually. You are right about Clear Lake’s water rights — they actually belong to Yolo County. Anyone who takes water from the Lake — beyond riparian rights (we will talk about these below) — has to compensate Yolo County. … ” Read more from the Lake County News here: Lady of the Lake: Wondering about water rights
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Court orders removal of 75 tons of abandoned phone cable from Lake Tahoe
“Eight miles of abandoned telephone cable laid off the West Shore of Lake Tahoe were ordered removed under a settlement, according to a federal court decree. Pac Bell stopped using the cables in the 1980s. In a suit filed by California Sportfishing Protection Alliance, the cables are leaching lead into the lake. Besides concerns over the lead in fish, the lake is a source of drinking water for residents living along its shores. … ” Read more from Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Court orders removal of 75 tons of abandoned phone cable from Lake Tahoe
BAY AREA
Water agencies ask Tri-Valley residents to continue to restrict water intake
“Though recent rain showers partially replenished the Bay Area’s water supplies, Tri-Valley water agencies say residents shouldn’t end water conservation efforts. Zone 7 Water Agency declared a drought emergency in December, which mandates a 15% water conservation from all water service providers in Livermore, Pleasanton and the Dublin San Ramon Services District. Water agencies remain hopeful that residents can continue to conserve water, as residents saved 20% more water in October of this year compared to last, according to a press release from Zone 7 Water. … ” Read more from Pleasanton Weekly here: Water agencies ask Tri-Valley residents to continue to restrict water intake
San Jose settles flood claims, but Valley Water litigation continues
“San Jose residents affected by a devastating flood in 2017 are finally getting a settlement from the city, but litigation over the natural catastrophe isn’t over. The San Jose City Council approved a $750,000 settlement Tuesday for more than 250 plaintiffs suing the city for allegedly failing to warn them about flood dangers following heavy rainfall on Feb. 18, 2017 that triggered a 100-year flood. Anderson Reservoir overflowed, displacing 14,000 people in three San Jose neighborhoods and causing approximately $100 million in damages. ... ” Read more from The Patch here: San Jose settles flood claims, but Valley Water litigation continues
CENTRAL COAST
Santa Cruz: Main Beach’s notorious lagoon about to get an upgrade
“For more than a century, the mouth of the San Lorenzo River had been a place for locals to swim, fish and relax before two jetties forever changed the river. Since the jetties were built in the early ’60s during construction of the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, sand has accumulated at the river mouth and created a lagoon on Main Beach. When the water gets too high, the Boardwalk’s basement floods and the lagoon breaches, purging fish and creating unsafe currents for swimmers and other beachgoers. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Santa Cruz: Main Beach’s notorious lagoon about to get an upgrade
Conservation ethic allows Monterey Bay farmers to thrive during drought
“Despite October’s record-setting rains, Central Valley farmers are still reeling from having their water supplies drastically reduced when the drought intensified last spring. Many farmers have been forced to rip out crops that can no longer be irrigated. Some have doubled or tripled their groundwater pumping as wells dry up before their eyes. In the Monterey Bay area, however, crops reach toward the sun with thirst-quenched leaves. Well levels aren’t raising any alarms and the threat of losing water supplies has mostly subsided. “I don’t know anybody having water issues right now,” said Joe Schirmer, owner of Dirty Girl Produce, a 40-acre organic farm in Watsonville. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Conservation ethic allows Monterey Bay farmers to thrive during drought
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Bechtel, Nautilus team to build unique floating data centers
“The first floating data center built for Nautilus Data Technologies is getting a second-phase expansion in Stockton, Calif., while plans accelerate for the frm and Bechtel to engineer and build others in Maine and possibly Ireland. The multi-year program allows Nautilus to deploy its water-based system for sustainable and efficient data center cooling, while Bechtel focuses on development and construction. “There is no way we could scale without [the contractor].” says Rob Pfleging, president of Nautilus Data Technologies, noting its “global capabilities and global reach.” … ” Read more from Engineering News-Record here: Bechtel, Nautilus team to build unique floating data centers
Central Valley groundwater may not recover from droughts
“Groundwater in Calif.’s Central Valley is at risk of being depleted by pumping too much water during and after droughts, according to a new study in the American Geophysical Union journal Water Resources Research. The study finds that groundwater storage recovery has been dismal after the state’s last two droughts, with less than a third of groundwater recovered from the drought that spanned 2012 to 2016. Under a best-case scenario where drought years are followed by consecutive wet years with above-average precipitation, the researchers found there is a high probability it would take six to eight years to fully recover overdrafted water. … ” Continue reading from Water World here: Central Valley groundwater may not recover from droughts
Tehachapi water district asks for hearing in city suit
“The Tehachapi-Cummings County Water District has filed a request for a hearing in its lawsuit against the city of Tehachapi. But according to its general manager, Tom Neisler, the filing made in Kern County Superior Court on Nov. 9 is procedural and does not mean that a hearing is imminent. Challenging the city of Tehachapi’s Sept. 7 approval of the Sage Ranch project, the district filed suit on Sept. 16, claiming that the city violated multiple state laws in its approval of the planned development. “The District’s accusations are both unfortunate and unfounded,” a spokesperson for the city said at the time. “Due to pending litigation, we have no comment at this time.” … ” Read more from Techachapi News here: Tehachapi water district asks for hearing in city suit
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Fire danger lingers in Southern California, lacking downpours that hit Bay Area
“While record amounts of rain have greatly reduced the risk of wildfire in some Northern California regions, the southern reaches of the state are not so lucky. Southern California anticipates the return of dangerous fire weather for the Thanksgiving holiday. Residents of Los Angeles and Ventura counties have been on alert since early Sunday when strong Santa Ana winds began battering the region with warm, dry gusts. While the winds were forecast to diminish by Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service foresees the Santa Anas will return Wednesday and last through the end of the week. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Fire danger lingers in Southern California, lacking downpours that hit Bay Area
Garcetti expects L.A. To get billions in infrastructure funds
“Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is optimistic infrastructure projects in America’s second-biggest city will be big beneficiaries of the sweeping federal infrastructure bill — potentially receiving tens of billions of dollars. “We’re going to be in a really good place to benefit from it,” Garcetti, 50, said in an interview Friday. “We disproportionately have things like the port, the airport that move the nation’s infrastructure.” Water, transportation and climate-resilience projects have long been priorities for Garcetti, President Joe Biden’s pick as ambassador to India. But they may play a key role in helping Los Angeles — a city that’s endured worsening homelessness — bounce back from the hit it took during the Covid pandemic as such projects create jobs. … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: Garcetti expects L.A. To get billions in infrastructure funds
‘What’s that smell?’ Carson joins Southern California’s fraternity of stank
“Outside Carson City Hall, a small gathering of residents couldn’t quite agree how to describe the stink that has been plaguing their town. “It’s like a dirty gym sock,” said Jacob Avery, a Carson resident and football coach at Banning High School in Wilmington, chuckling. “I don’t know; it’s like an unclean locker room.” … The debate after a demonstration last month — a bit of levity amid weeks of sickening odors from the Dominguez Channel — hit at a question that stinky cities throughout Southern California have grappled with for years: “How do we describe an assault on the nostrils?” Especially when places in Los Angeles and beyond have had nostrils assaulted by all manner of stank. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: ‘What’s that smell?’ Carson joins Southern California’s fraternity of stank
Authorities identify source of oil sheen off Huntington Beach
“A day after an oil sheen was spotted off Huntington Beach, authorities believed they had identified and contained the source: a leak from the damaged area of a pipeline that ruptured in October, spilling an estimated 25,000 gallons of oil into the Pacific. About 9:30 a.m. Saturday, divers hired by a unified command established in response to the Oct. 2 spill were preparing to do a routine inspection of the damaged pipeline when they spotted the oil sheen on the water, said Eric Laughlin, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Authorities identify source of oil sheen off Huntington Beach
Along the Colorado River …
TV report: Vegas-area sewage spilled into creek to Lake Mead
“A big southern Nevada sewage pumping facility failed last year, spewing an estimated 500,000 gallons of wastewater and leaking into a creek that leads toward the Lake Mead reservoir on the Colorado River, a television station investigation found. Officials want to spend $40 million to rehabilitate the Clark County Water Reclamation District wastewater lift station, where the January 2020 spill was blamed on a corroded underground pipe, KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported. Most of the spilled sewage was vacuumed up from land outside the Whitney Lift Station, KLAS-TV reported after reviewing documents, photos and emails obtained with a public records request. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: TV report: Vegas-area sewage spilled into creek to Lake Mead
Denver: 87-year-old snow record shattered without a flake falling
“Snow shovels are gathering dust in Denver as the city has yet to measure any snow since the spring, and AccuWeather meteorologists say that it could be weeks before the next chance for significant accumulation in the Mile High City, meaning that Denver has shattered its all-time record for the latest first measurable snow. The previous latest date on which Denver has recorded snowfall was all the way back on Nov. 21, 1934. April 21 was the last time that snow accumulated in Denver, and for a brief moment last week, it looked like the snowless streak was about to come to an end. ... ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Denver: 87-year-old snow record shattered without a flake falling
Current reservoir and water conditions …
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
Rush is on to drought-proof California’s archaic water system- California spent decades trying to keep Central Valley floods at bay. Now it looks to welcome them back
- State’s groundwater “cop” hands out more criticism of valley plans
- Groundwater in California’s Central Valley may be unable to recover from past and future droughts
- Latest proposals from DWR on California’s Water Efficiency Framework
- Can we coordinate water sources to recover more water sustainably?
- CW3E launches new AR scale ensemble forecast tool
- Flood fight exercise preps partners for real deal
- Five percent of world’s giant sequoias may have died in California wildfires this summer
- Crews work to mitigate Bootleg Fire sediment loading, but hurdles remain
- Sonoma Water puts conjunctive use to work in building resiliency to climate extremes
- Now it’s San Francisco’s turn to ask residents, suburban customers to cut water use
- If the Colorado River keeps drying up, a century-old agreement to share the water could be threatened. No one is sure what happens next.
- And more …
Click here for the weekend edition of the Daily Digest.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: CDFW’s Endangered Species Conservation and Recovery Program: Proposal Solicitation Notice
WORKSHOP NOTICE: Possible Alternative Approaches to Address Water Supply Shortages in the Delta Watershed
ANNOUNCEMENT: Interagency Ecological Program 2022 Annual Workshop: Call for poster abstracts
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Grant Opportunity to Protect and Improve Waters from Non Point Source Pollution
REMINDER: The Delta ISB and California Sea Grant Seek Two Postdoctoral Scholars
DELTA eNEWS: ~~ Scholars Sought~ IS Symposium~ Flood Ready~ Fish Food~~
