In California water news today …
Anderson Dam: Cost to rebuild key Bay Area dam nearly doubles to $1.2 billion
“In the latest setback for a project that has been fraught with delays and cost overruns for more than a decade, the price tag to rebuild Anderson Dam — Santa Clara County’s largest — to improve earthquake safety is nearly doubling, from $648 million to $1.2 billion. The news comes one year after the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the government agency that owns the dam near Morgan Hill, announced that another of its large construction plans, a proposal to build a huge new reservoir near Pacheco Pass, also had doubled in price, from $1.3 billion to $2.5 billion. “It’s terrible news,” said Tony Estremera, chairman of the district, on Thursday of the Anderson cost increases. “It’s just gotten worse and worse.” … ” Read more from the Mercury News here: Anderson Dam: Cost to rebuild key Bay Area dam nearly doubles to $1.2 billion
N
ew climate report outlines challenges and opportunities facing the San Joaquin Valley
“A new report released today about how climate change is affecting California’s San Joaquin Valley says the nation’s leading agricultural region is facing the most challenging environmental and socioeconomic conditions in the state including water insecurity and some of the worst air quality in the United States. The San Joaquin Valley Region Report is one of 12 assessments produced by leading climate experts as part of California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment to support climate action by providing an overview of climate-related risks and adaptation strategies. Jose Pablo Ortiz-Partida, the Western States climate and water scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists and one of the lead authors of the report, says increasing heat, drought and air pollution are worsening the quality of life and economic conditions of millions of San Joaquin Valley residents, particularly those living in disadvantaged communities. … ” Read more from the Union of Concerned Scientists here: New climate report outlines challenges and opportunities facing the San Joaquin Valley
Climate change will dramatically increase flood risks facing Stockton and communities along San Joaquin River
“California’s historic atmospheric river event in October reminds us that climate change is already affecting the world we live in—including increasing the risk of damaging floods. A new analysis by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) predicts dramatic increases in the flood risk facing California communities as a result of our warming climate. California’s historic 1997 flood that centered in the town of Vernalis along the San Joaquin River was the second largest in a century. It affected nearly 300 square miles, set rainfall records for a wide swath of California’s Central Valley, resulted in nine deaths, and caused $2 billion in damage. The new DWR analysis anticipates far larger and more damaging floods in the future. Responding to this risk will require large public investments in the most effective flood management strategies. ... ”
California-Nevada drought status update
“December storms brought more than 200% of normal precipitation to a large area of California and Nevada. In the Sierra Nevada, much of this fell as snow. Recent storms improved the drought status by 1–2 categories, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, throughout much of the region. Combined snow plus reservoir levels are near normal or above in the Southern Sierra for this time of year, but still below normal in the Northern Sierra. Extended range forecasts for January indicate the next two weeks will have below-normal precipitation. January and February precipitation is critical in determining if the December storms are the beginning to the end of the drought (i.e., stormy pattern returns by late January) or will help mitigate the impacts of the ongoing drought, but not end it (i.e., extended dry pattern continues in February). … ” Read more from NIDIS here: California-Nevada drought status update
For first time in months, California isn’t totally in drought
“The rain and snow that swept parts of California in the past three months are making a small dent on the drought in the parched state. A total 99.3% of California was classified to be in drought as of Jan. 4, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. That marks the first time the state has fallen below 100% drought conditions since May, driven by changes around Del Norte County in the northwest corner of the state. A series of Pacific storms have piled up snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains and brought heavy rains across lower parts of Northern California since October. Nine of California’s 12 largest reservoirs are still below normal levels for this time of year, according to the state’s Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: For first time in months, California isn’t totally in drought
Despite heavy rain and snow, California braces for another dry year
“An onslaught of rain and snow has pulled most of California out of exceptional drought, but experts warn that the state’s dry spell is far from over. Officials issued emergency water regulations this week — which won’t affect agricultural operations — even as the northern part of the state braced for possible flooding from winter storms. “Uh, this is California,” said Jay Lund, co-director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. “Every year at this time, you just have to be prepared.” After one of its driest years on record, California’s 2022 is off to a damp and hopeful start. The Sierra Nevadas are buried under nearly 18 feet of snow, and the water level in Lake Oroville, one of the state’s largest reservoirs, has risen 89 feet in the past few months. But most of the state is still considered to be in severe drought. … ” Read more from Food & Environment Network’s Ag Insider here: Despite heavy rain and snow, California braces for another dry year
How Lake Oroville’s hydropower is reducing California’s carbon emissions
“From historic drought to record setting rain and snow, California is now starting to see the multiple benefits of its big start to the wet season. The epic start to the wet season is delivering drought relief and big climate benefits to California. With the Hyatt Powerplant back online at Lake Oroville for the first time in 5 months, Mark Hafner with the Department of Water Resources (DWR) says there’s less need for fossil-generated electricity. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: How Lake Oroville’s hydropower is reducing California’s carbon emissions
Evaluating the meteorological conditions associated with dusty atmospheric rivers
“Recent CW3E PhD graduate student, Dr. Kara Voss, along with co-authors Dr. F. Martin Ralph and Dr. Amato T. Evan (CW3E/Scripps Institution of Oceanography), recently published an article in Journal of Geographic Research: Atmospheres, titled “Evaluating the Meteorological Conditions Associated With Dusty Atmospheric Rivers”. The paper contributes to the goals of CW3E’s 2019-2024 Strategic Plan to support Atmospheric River (AR) Research and Applications by advancing our scientific understanding of the development of dusty ARs. This study aims to understand the drivers of ARs embedded within dusty environments, or “dusty ARs,” defined by Voss et al. as the top 100 AR days in later winter and early spring (February–April) from 2001 through 2018, compared to ARs in more pristine environments. … ” Read more from the Center for Western Water & Weather Extremes here: Evaluating the meteorological conditions associated with dusty atmospheric rivers
In commentary today …
Preparation will mitigate water crisis, not restricting water rights
Sean White, director of water & sewer for the city of Ukiah, writes, “December brought significant snowpack to the Sierra, breaking records set in the 1970s. But areas like Mendocino and Sonoma are still showing severe drought conditions, and our state’s reservoirs have a long way to go to recover from last year’s historic lows. Recent rains unfortunately do not mean rest for California water policymakers, local governments and regional water agencies. With increasingly severe weather conditions year after year, we anticipate that California will be facing significant water deficits on a recurring basis. Knowing this now, water planners and state leaders can be smarter about how we prepare and how we respond, with the goal of avoiding the extreme steps taken by the state last year to restrict water use. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Preparation will mitigate water crisis, not restricting water rights
Big Ag’s priority is profit, not feeding the world
Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat, campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, writes, “Portraying our current agricultural economy as driven by subsistence needs rather than the desire to maximize profit is a gross mischaracterization of a multibillion-dollar industry. Approximately 133 billion pounds of food is wasted every year in the U.S. We produce far more food than we consume and while we do export crops to other nations, those are often luxury items produced for their high sale value, not to solve world hunger. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Big Ag’s priority is profit, not feeding the world
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Extreme drought conditions may have contributed to tree damage, power outages in the Sierra
“It’s not unusual for wet snow to fall at elevations of 4,000 feet and below in the Sierra. It’s also not unusual for that heavy, cement-like snow to bring down a few tree branches and cause some scattered outages. But the damage following last week’s snow that many are still cleaning up from IS unusual. .. The extensive damage without an absurd amount of snow got the KCRA 3 weather team thinking “something had to be different this time.” ... ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: Extreme drought conditions may have contributed to tree damage, power outages in the Sierra
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
NAPA/SONOMA
BAY AREA
S.F. Bay Area to close out first week of 2022 with rain. Here’s what to expect
“As the first week of 2022 comes to a close, much of the Bay Area could expect light rains to accompany their weekend plans, according to meteorologists. With a weak cold front approaching Friday morning, San Francisco could see around a 10th of an inch of precipitation and partly cloudy skies, said National Weather Service meteorologist David King. Most of the drizzle will hit the North Bay and coastal Sonoma mountain range, with around a quarter of an inch expected to fall. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: S.F. Bay Area to close out first week of 2022 with rain. Here’s what to expect
Marin water utility might amend drought measures
“Steady rains and refilled reservoirs are prompting the Marin Municipal Water District to consider rolling back water use restrictions and penalties adopted during the worst of the drought last year. The district board signaled this week that it would prefer a gradual lifting of its drought rules rather than a complete repeal. “I think repealing them or rolling them back uniformly is kind of sending a bit of a false message of confidence,” board director Larry Bragman said Tuesday. “Our district is unique. We run out before other districts and we fill up quicker than other districts do because of our supply, because of our surface reservoirs.” … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin water utility might amend drought measures
Commentary: Conservation and purified water, together, our future is drought-proof
Valley Water Director Gary Kremen writes, “The latest atmospheric river to pass through Santa Clara County brought several inches of much-needed rain. Still, it resulted in only a small increase in the water levels of our reservoirs, and despite the rain, we continue to be in an extreme drought. Santa Clara County, home to almost 2 million people and the economic hub for our region, depends on imported water, with over half our water supply coming from outside the county. But during times of drought, those supplies get cut to just what we need for public health and safety–far less than we would get under normal conditions. The increase in the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is making headlines, but since we don’t know if it will last through the spring -which it did not last year-, we are still preparing to rely more heavily on our groundwater supplies, increasing the risk of wells drying up and the land sinking (subsidence). … ” Read more from Valley Water News here: Conservation and purified water, together, our future is drought-proof
CENTRAL COAST
San Luis Obispo County mostly out of severe drought as lake levels keep rising
“Drought conditions in San Luis Obispo County have continued to improve as local lakes keep filling up with runoff from the December downpours. Most of the county is now experiencing “moderate” drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The eastern-most area of San Luis Obispo County along the border of Kern County is facing “severe” drought conditions, the U.S. Drought Monitor said in its latest data release on Thursday. The U.S. Drought Monitor compiles data through a partnership between the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: San Luis Obispo County mostly out of severe drought as lake levels keep rising
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
EASTERN SIERRA
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Water Replenishment District launches plan to clean brackish water in aquifers for drinking
“In the Albert Robles Center, you can stay dry while it rains over LA. The Water Replenishment District’s General Manager Stephan Tucker teaches the public about water in the facility’s learning center. “As we have paved over much of Los Angeles, you can see that there’s not much infiltration down into the groundwater basins,” Tucker explained. The WRD serves water to 4 million residents in southern LA County, with groundwater accounting for half of its supply while the other half is imported. … ” Read more from Spectrum 1 here: Water Replenishment District launches plan to clean brackish water in aquifers for drinking
The climate registry honors Irvine Ranch Water District with ‘gold’ status
“Irvine Ranch Water District has been distinguished with a gold-level status from The Climate Registry for demonstrating exceptional leadership in meeting rigorous voluntary greenhouse gas reporting criteria. The recognition was bestowed after nine years of verified greenhouse gas inventories reported through 2019. IRWD’s 2020 greenhouse gas inventory is being processed for approval and will soon qualify the District for 10 years of verified reporting. In addition, IRWD received Water-Energy Leader Gold status for its participation in the organization’s Water-Energy Nexus Registry, a consortium of agencies that communicate the importance of tracking and reducing carbon emissions connected to California’s water systems. ... ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: The climate registry honors Irvine Ranch Water District with ‘gold’ status
San Bernardino County Water Conservation District celebrates 90 years of storing groundwater to serve local communities
“At a time when communities throughout the state are jostling for water resilience and independence, the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation District today marks its 90th year of supporting local groundwater to serve surrounding communities. The District was formed on Jan. 4, 1932, following a vote of local citizens to create a public agency to protect against the excessive export of local surface water by downstream agencies. Capturing water flow and diverting it into ponds to recharge the Bunker Hill groundwater basin ensured a reliable, local source of high-quality water to irrigate agriculture, drive the economy and serve the growing population. “We have been stewards of groundwater and our land from the very start,” said General Manager Daniel Cozad. “We help nature store our water, and with a little innovation and a lot of collaboration we are able to significantly enhance groundwater recharge beyond levels that could be done in the past.” ... ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here: San Bernardino County Water Conservation District celebrates 90 years of storing groundwater to serve local communities
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
SAN DIEGO
Along the Colorado River …
The Western megadrought is revealing America’s ‘lost national park’
“Despite recent rain and record snowfall in California’s Sierra Nevada, the Western U.S. is experiencing one of its driest periods in a thousand years — a two-decade megadrought that scientists say is being amplified by human-caused climate change. The drought — or longer-term aridification, some researchers fear — is forcing water cutbacks in at least three states, and reviving old debates about how water should be distributed and used in the arid West. At Lake Powell, the nation’s second-largest reservoir, record low water levels are transforming the landscape, renewing a longstanding dispute over the land the reservoir drowned — a canyon labyrinth that novelist Edward Abbey once described as “a portion of earth’s original paradise.” For half a century, environmental groups and Colorado River enthusiasts have implored water managers to restore Glen Canyon by draining the reservoir. … ” Read more from NPR here: The Western megadrought is revealing America’s ‘lost national park’
In national water news today …
Farmers’ voices heard on WOTUS rewrite
“In the latest pendulum swing of water regulations, the Biden administration is undergoing actions to repeal and replace the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule finalized under the Trump administration. Farmers’ voices on the impact of any new rule were elevated in a roundtable discussion on Jan. 6 with key government officials in an event hosted by the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy. The latest regulation, proposed in November by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, would repeal the 2020 NWPR, re-establish the definition of WOTUS to what was in place from 1986 to 2015, and broaden the federal government’s authority under the Clean Water Act. … ” Read more from Farm Progress here: Farmers’ voices heard on WOTUS rewrite
Idaho couple returns to Supreme Court to wage new WOTUS war
“In 2004, Michael and Chantell Sackett purchased a roughly half-acre patch of land along a lake nestled in the scenic wilderness of the Idaho panhandle. The couple dreamed of building a home in Priest Lake, Idaho, and setting down roots in an idyllic vacation destination popular among boaters, hunters and skiers. But for 17 years, the Sacketts’ property has sat empty as the couple has fought a long Clean Water Act permitting battle that has already made it all the way to the nation’s highest court. The justices may decide this week whether they want to get involved a second time. … The couple has filed a Supreme Court petition, Sackett v. EPA, that calls on the justices to revisit the court’s splintered 2006 ruling in Rapanos v. United States, which birthed two competing tests for determining the scope of Clean Water Act jurisdiction. … ” Continue reading at E&E News here: Idaho couple returns to Supreme Court to wage new WOTUS war
Climate change overtakes archaic NOAA rain records
“Scientists at the NOAA-affiliated Northeast Regional Climate Center issued a recent report about rainfall in New Jersey that reached two troubling conclusions. Precipitation in New Jersey was likely to increase 20 percent by 2100, the report found two months ago. And precipitation records maintained by NOAA — which are used nationwide to design infrastructure and map flood zones — are inaccurate, are outdated and underestimate potential flooding. “One of the consequences of climate change is that we can no longer assume that what has happened in the past is a guide to the future,” Anthony Broccoli, co-director of the Rutgers Climate Institute, said at the time. The New Jersey report was the latest indictment of NOAA’s precipitation records. It came as momentum was building to improve the records that NOAA itself acknowledges are flawed. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Climate change overtakes archaic NOAA rain records
‘Cooling the climate for 10,000 years’: How saving wetlands can help save the world
“Buffeted by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Pacific on the other, the Mitre Peninsula, at the far southern tip of South America, is one of the coldest, harshest places on the planet. “It’s the end of the earth,” said Martina Sasso, program coordinator at Rewilding Argentina. But this 2,400-square-kilometer slab is also a complex, carbon-rich wetland that holds 85% of all of Argentina’s peat. “The amazing part of this ecosystem, this great wetland, is that it is almost pristine,” Sasso told Mongabay. These Patagonian peatlands are the main carbon sink outside of the tropics in the southern hemisphere, a largely unbroken, unspoiled “carpet” dominated by the cushion-forming perennial Astelia pumila, which creates a bog that can absorb carbon four and a half times faster than those dominated by sphagnum moss and sedges. … ” Read more from Mongabay here: ‘Cooling the climate for 10,000 years’: How saving wetlands can help save the world
Toward a more inclusive definition of green infrastructure
“Green infrastructure has been embraced as a tool to help cities achieve sustainability and resilience goals while improving the lives of urban residents. How green infrastructure is defined guides the types of projects that cities implement, with enduring impacts to people and the urban environment. A new nationwide analysis of 122 plans from 20 US cities, published today in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, found that many plans fail to explicitly define green infrastructure. When they do, they tend to focus on stormwater management, favoring engineered facilities over parks and larger urban green spaces. The study is the first systematic review of the use and definition of the green infrastructure concept in US city plans. ... ” Read more from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies here: Toward a more inclusive definition of green infrastructure
White House asks governors to name infrastructure coordinators
“White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu is asking states to tap their own high-level coordinators to help implement the $1.2 trillion infrastructure law. Landrieu wrote a letter to every governor on Tuesday requesting they name their own infrastructure implementation coordinators, following the model of the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, when a group of state representatives served as recovery coordinators. “Given the success of this model and the highly integrated nature of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I humbly request that you consider appointing a high-level person to serve as your state’s own Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator,” Landrieu wrote in the three-page letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Hill. … ” Read more from The Hill here: White House asks governors to name infrastructure coordinators
National water and climate update …
The Natural Resources Conservation Service produces this weekly report using data and products from the National Water and Climate Center and other agencies. The report focuses on seasonal snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and drought conditions in the U.S.
dmrpt-20220106And lastly …
Feral desert donkeys are digging wells, giving water to parched wildlife (or, literally, ass holes)
In the Notebook’s fine tradition of giving you the news you didn’t know you wanted to know … “In the heart of the world’s deserts – some of the most expansive wild places left on Earth – roam herds of feral donkeys and horses. These are the descendants of a once-essential but now-obsolete labour force. These wild animals are generally considered a threat to the natural environment, and have been the target of mass eradication and lethal control programs in Australia. However, as we show in a new research paper in Science, these animals do something amazing that has long been overlooked: they dig wells — or “ass holes”. In fact, we found that ass holes in North America — where feral donkeys and horses are widespread — dramatically increased water availability in desert streams, particularly during the height of summer when temperatures reached near 50℃. At some sites, the wells were the only sources of water. … ” Read more from The Conversation here: Feral desert donkeys are digging wells, giving water to parched wildlife
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Public Comment Opens for GSP Alternative Periodic Evaluations
DELTA eNEWS: ~~ ISB Meeting~ Water Commission~ DPC Meeting~ Conservancy Meeting~ Conservation Target~ December Storms ~~
