In California water news today …
Rain, snow forecast for mountains Monday
“While the Bay Area’s dry spell has no end in sight, winter weather is expected to briefly return to the Sierra Nevada Monday night. According to the National Weather Service, a low pressure system and cold front will move quickly across eastern California and the Great Basin late Monday into Tuesday, bringing an increase in winds Monday afternoon and colder temperatures. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Rain, snow forecast for mountains Monday
Drastic cooldown in store for California, West Coast
“Following an extended bout of warm weather in the western United States, including record-breaking temperatures for some, a flip in the weather pattern will bring cold air and snow to the region this week. Temperatures across much of California, Nevada and Arizona peaked over the weekend, soaring to 15-20 degrees above normal for mid-February. This warmth has been thanks to a northward bulge in the jet stream, which has created a dome of warm air over the region this past week, promoting dry weather. “On Monday and Tuesday, the jet stream will gradually lunge southward and allow much colder air to flow back across the western United States,” explained AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. ... ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Drastic cooldown in store for California, West Coast
Fighting fire with fire: Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, flood, and drought in California
“In December 2012, California was already in one of its periodic droughts when a major atmospheric river arrived from over the North Pacific and dropped almost six inches of rain on the Russian River Basin north of San Francisco. Atmospheric rivers are long, narrow, and highly mobile corridors of extreme water vapor transport that, when they arrive at the West Coast, can drop extreme amounts of rain and snow. Though not all atmospheric rivers cause floods, they dominate California’s flood regime—causing about 80% of floods in many of the state’s rivers—while also providing 30–50% of its precipitation. The December 2012 atmospheric river—like many others historically—filled the Lake Mendocino reservoir of the upper Russian River Basin well above the maximum level allowed in wintertime. … ” Read more from Impact here: Fighting fire with fire: Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations, flood, and drought in California
Western megadrought is worst in 1,200 years, intensified by climate change, study finds
“The extreme dryness that has ravaged the American West for more than two decades now ranks as the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years, and scientists have found that this megadrought is being intensified by humanity’s heating of the planet. In their research, the scientists examined major droughts in southwestern North America back to the year 800 and determined that the region’s desiccation so far this century has surpassed the severity of a megadrought in the late 1500s, making it the driest 22-year stretch on record. The authors of the study also concluded that dry conditions will likely continue through this year and, judging from the past, may persist for years. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Western megadrought is worst in 1,200 years, intensified by climate change, study finds
SEE ALSO: How Bad Is the Western Drought? Worst in 12 Centuries, Study Finds, from the New York Times
Past fishing and development makes California salmon more vulnerable to climate change
“California’s native salmon have been harmed by more than a century of mining, dam building, floodplain reclamation, fishing pressure, hatchery practices, and introduced predators. These stressors have undermined the resilience of California’s native salmon to the accelerating effects of climate change, new research shows. Researchers from NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest and Southwest Fisheries Science Centers chronicled the loss of habitat and genetic diversity that once helped salmon withstand a changing climate. “The eggs are in fewer baskets,” said Stuart Munsch, an ecosystem scientist at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center and lead author of the new study published today in Global Change Biology. “The same landscape diversity in California that lets you go skiing and surfing in the same day used to support diverse salmon populations and a fishery well buffered against climate”. … ” Continue reading from NOAA here: Past fishing and development makes California salmon more vulnerable to climate change
Judge: Kings Co. water pipeline blockade can continue
“A push by one of Kings County’s largest farming outfits and water players to resume construction on a mysterious water pipeline will continue to face a literal blockade of heavy equipment, including some provided by one of its top competitors. At the center of the controversy, a physical barrier stopping Sandridge Partners, the diversified farming and water giant owned by Santa Clara County native John Vidovich, from constructing a water pipeline in southern Kings County. Two weeks ago, Tulare Lake Canal Company sued Vidovich’s Sandridge Partners claiming construction to occur underneath its eponymous canal could potentially damage its ability to convey water later in the year. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Judge: Kings Co. water pipeline blockade can continue
Five years since the Oroville Dam almost flooded Oroville and surrounding communities
“Nearly 180,000 people were evacuated from Oroville five years ago following a potential Oroville Dam disaster that threatened to flood the town and the surrounding communities. People were evacuated on February 12, 2017, but the chain of events began on February 7 when a crater began forming in the main spillway. Over the course of five days both the main and emergency spillway was eroding as the Department of Water Resources (DWR) and other officials tried to fix the problems. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Five years since the Oroville Dam almost flooded Oroville and surrounding communities
Solar-paneled canals getting a test run in San Joaquin Valley
“A research project conducted by a UC Merced graduate student is becoming a reality as the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) approved piloting the first-in-the-nation construction of solar panels over water canals. The project is based on research commissioned by a company called Solar AquaGrid through the Sierra Nevada Research Institute and UC Water. Environmental engineering graduate alumna Brandi McKuin was one of the researchers who showed that covering the 4,000 miles of California’s water canals could reduce evaporation by as much as 82%, saving about 63 billion gallons of water a year. That’s comparable to the same amount needed to irrigate 50,000 acres of farmland or meet the residential water needs of more than 2 million people. … ” Read more from the University of California here: Solar-paneled canals getting a test run in San Joaquin Valley
California game wardens rescue a rare fish ‘folded’ in the back of a poaching suspect’s SUV
“One of the more unpleasant realities about being a game warden investigating wildlife crimes is that much of the evidence involves carcasses in various states of decay. So when a trio of California game wardens received a tip that an angler, nearly two hours earlier, had caught and heaved a federally-protected fish into the back of an SUV, they didn’t have high hopes the fish would be still alive when they showed up at the suspect’s house. But that’s what the wardens said they found when they showed up at the Tracy home of Kevin Ty Tran, 67, who is now facing a number of wildlife charges in San Joaquin County for allegedly keeping a rare green sturgeon he hooked. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California game wardens rescue a rare fish ‘folded’ in the back of a poaching suspect’s SUV
In commentary today …
Confronting drought with the tools of nature
Felicia Marcus, a former chair of the California State Water Resources Control Board; and Jill Ozarski, an environment program officer at the Walton Family Foundation, write, “The ongoing drought in the West has dramatically impacted the health, well-being and livelihoods of millions of the region’s residents, from farmers in Colorado struggling to sustain their crops to Californians who have lost their homes to wildfire. The new federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act provides substantial funding, including $8.3 billion for water-related programs in the West, to begin to mitigate and adapt to our drying climate. But achieving the scale of impact needed requires a willingness to prioritize investments in nature-based solutions that protect, restore and sustainably manage existing water systems. … The good news is that we already have successful project models that demonstrate how to leverage natural systems to mitigate the impacts of climate change. … ” Continue reading at Governing here: Confronting drought with the tools of nature
Forget December’s snowstorms. California isn’t doing enough to address its hot, dry reality
Jacques Leslie, a contributing writer to Opinion and the author of “Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment,” writes, “As a forbiddingly deep drought reclaims its hold on California, the state’s record precipitation in October and December is already a distant memory, and the list of urgent water issues we face keeps getting longer. Forecasters predict little or no rain and snow for the rest of the “wet season,” but the state’s leaders have taken only baby steps to deal with the sprawling crisis. “There are so many vested interests who benefit from the status quo that it’s hard to make change,” Doug Obegi, director of the Natural Resources Defense Council’s California river restoration program, said in an interview. “State and federal administrations aren’t rising to the magnitude of the problems we face.” Here are some suggestions for ways our tremulous leaders could do better … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Forget December’s snowstorms. California isn’t doing enough to address its hot, dry reality
Will rising seas drown the California dream?
Francis Wilkinson writes, “To reach the compact, almost unseemly natural bounty that is Stinson Beach, California, you take a serpentine route across Marin County, on Highway 1, past the redwoods of Muir Woods National Monument, over the glistening rock and chaparral and coastal scrub of Mount Tamalpais. The Mill Valley and Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railroad, long defunct, is said to have incorporated 281 “hairpin curves” on its eight-mile trek to the summit. Highway 1 seems to have at least as many. The road features periodic turnoffs for slow-moving vehicles, including county buses, along with frequent signs encouraging their use once a backup reaches precisely five vehicles. The regulation, like the unrelenting beauty, is quintessentially Californian. No one drives fast here. First, because you can’t. Second, because who would want to? … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: Will rising seas drown the California dream?
California can provide a climate roadmap for the world
Louise Bedsworth, Land Use Program director at the Center for Law, Energy and the Environment and a senior adviser to the California-China Climate Institute, writes, “On a number of occasions, Gov. Gavin Newsom has aptly noted that “a budget is a statement of values.” With the introduction of the state’s 2022-23 spending plan last month, California put its money where its mouth is. In fact, the governor proposed a whopping $22.5 billion to advance clean energy and transportation, forest health and sustainable communities in California. This comes on top of an historic $15 billion investment in complementary climate initiatives last year. Much has been written about this mountain of money for climate action – and rightly so. But deeper in the bowels of state government, is an even more consequential component of the state’s effort to decarbonize that will be released in 2022 and guide action for years to come: California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: California can provide a climate roadmap for the world
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Humboldt County supervisors OK Eel River Basin groundwater sustainability plan
“The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors approved a state-mandated sustainability plan for groundwater in the Eel River Basin on Tuesday. Required as a part of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014, the groundwater sustainability plan provides guidance on how to manage the Eel River Valley’s complex system of groundwater and surface water resources, especially during critical drought years. The plan must be submitted to the California Department of Water Resources for evaluation and assessment by the end of the month. The plan must be updated every five years. ... ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Humboldt County supervisors OK Eel River Basin groundwater sustainability plan
BAY AREA
Wild pigs run amok in San Jose, residents want repayment for wrecked landscaping
“A project to drain the largest reservoir in Santa Clara County to repair its aging dam is bringing with it unwelcome guests, say neighbors who live nearby: wild pigs. When full, Anderson Reservoir is 7 miles long, forming a vast natural barrier between the remote Diablo Range and suburban neighborhoods along the lake’s western edge near the San Jose-Morgan Hill border. But after the reservoir was emptied in late 2020 for earthquake repairs on its aging dam, residents in the area say they have been invaded by relentless razorbacks that dig up lawns, rip up irrigation lines and cause other mayhem totaling tens of thousands of dollars in damage. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Wild pigs run amok in San Jose, residents want repayment for wrecked landscaping
Urban stormwater presents pollution challenge
“On the wildest, stormiest nights in the San Francisco Bay Area, scientists from the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) go out on the prowl. Nighttime is when storm intensity in the Bay Area is generally highest, and the team gets going only when a storm is predicted to dump more than 2 cm over 6 h at a particular site. The researchers fan out to different sites where they know stormwater flow is especially strong. At each site, they take samples to assay the levels of five classes of chemicals: tire- and vehicle-derived chemicals such as 6PPD-quinone; bisphenols, a starting material in manufacturing plastics;organophosphate esters, a key component of flame retardants; per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS); and ethoxylated surfactants from paints, coatings, and floor polish. Over several hours, they nab some samples in 50 mL tubes and others in 2 L glass jugs. ... ” Read more from Chemical & Engineering News here: Urban stormwater presents pollution challenge
CENTRAL COAST
San Lorenzo River was transformed by early logging in the Santa Cruz Mountains
“The entrance road to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park crosses the San Lorenzo River and winds through a broad flat meadow. To Noah Finnegan, a geomorphologist who studies rivers, something about this landscape doesn’t look quite right. “The river is really deep below the floodplain. That meadow at the entrance is the historical floodplain, and most natural rivers flood out of their channel every one to two years, but the San Lorenzo never floods in Henry Cowell,” said Finnegan, a professor of Earth and planetary sciences at UC Santa Cruz. … ” Read more from UC Santa Cruz here: San Lorenzo River was transformed by early logging in the Santa Cruz Mountains
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Antelope Valley water contractors agree to spread funds
“The Valley’s three contractors that receive water through the State Water Project agreed to distribute funds collected by the Antelope Valley Watermaster from those that have pumped more water than allowed, and release State Water Project water into the local aquifer to replace the overdrawn amounts, when it is available. The Antelope Valley State Water Contractors Association — which consists of representatives of the Antelope Valley-East Kern Water Agency, Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District — previously agreed to a plan to provide what is known as replacement water, water that is brought in from outside the adjudicated basin to replenish supplies and help ensure the health of the groundwater basin. … ” Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Antelope Valley water contractors agree to spread funds
Orange County PFAS treatment facility begins operations
“The Orange County Water District (OCWD; the District) and the Serrano Water District (Serrano) began operating one of the county’s first treatment plants to remove per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from local well water. PFAS are a group of thousands of manmade, heat-resistant chemicals that are prevalent in the environment and are commonly used in consumer products to repel water, grease and oil. Due to their prolonged use, PFAS are being detected in water sources throughout the United States, including the Orange County Groundwater Basin, which supplies 77 percent of the water supply to 2.5 million people in north and central Orange County. Despite playing no role in releasing PFAS into the environment, water providers must find ways to remove it from their local water supplies. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: Orange County PFAS treatment facility begins operations
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Editorial: Will Salton Sea lithium dreams come true? It will be years before we know
The Desert Sun editorial board writes, “The underground chemical stew beneath the Salton Sea is believed to hold enough lithium to power millions of cars and homes with green energy. But only if — a big if — enough of that scalding “geothermal brine” can be brought to the surface and the lithium sifted out. … In the best case, we’ve heard over the years, a lithium boom could generate billions of dollars; bring thousands of badly needed jobs for those living near the sea; spur an environmental revival; and give clean energy to a region, the state and beyond. Quite a list. The simple fact is we don’t know how much of it, if any, will come true. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Editorial: Will Salton Sea lithium dreams come true? It will be years before we know
Along the Colorado River …
One Colorado farmer is going against the grain to use less water. It’s working.
“On a chilly morning 5 miles north of Fruita, Lowell King, standing at the edge of a cornfield, reaches down, grabs a clump of dirt, and starts tearing at the soil with his meaty fingers. King eventually points to a tiny white spot in the dirt. “Anytime you can see stuff almost like that mold right there, that’s fungi,” he says. “And there’s all this other good stuff, and these roots intertwined; that’s what increases your water infiltration.” King, who’s been farming in the Grand Valley since 2005, is illustrating an important principle of a concept known as regenerative agriculture — a technique he says could help Colorado stretch its dwindling water supplies. But adopting that philosophy also requires rejecting deeply entrenched conventional farming methods, such as tilling fields to prepare the ground for planting. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun here: One Colorado farmer is going against the grain to use less water. It’s working.
Column: What should Arizona governor and legislative candidates be saying about water?
“Water will not be a driving issue in the 2022 election. Nor should it be. Water policy is far too complex to distill into a soundbite. And no one wants it to become a political football, a la what we’ve done to COVID-19 and schools. Arizona’s water work has long been bipartisan, driven more by parochial interests than a rigid “R” or “D” ideology. But that doesn’t mean water should be an election afterthought. … ” Continue reading at Arizona Central here: Column: What should Arizona governor and legislative candidates be saying about water?
In national water news today …
January 2022 was Earth’s 6th warmest on record
“The planet rang in 2022 with a remarkably warm January, ranking as the sixth-warmest January in 143 years of climate records. Antarctic sea ice coverage — also referred to as sea ice extent — was near a record low for the month, according to scientists at NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. Here’s more from NOAA’s latest monthly global climate report … ” Read more from NOAA here: January 2022 was Earth’s 6th warmest on record
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
DELTA STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL: 2021 Annual Report: Building Resilience Amid Rapid Change
