On the calendar today …
- EVENT: Delta Lead Scientist Ask Me Anything at 12pm. Join Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Laurel Larsen, Maggie Christman (Delta Science Program), and Clint Alexander (ESSA Technologies) for a conversation about the upcoming launch of a publicly searchable, interactive tool for accessing information about Delta science activities: The Delta Science Tracker. The Delta Science Tracker will house information related to funding and collaborations involved in research and monitoring efforts and provide users access to products of those activities. Instagram Live @deltastewardshipcouncil
- WEBINAR: Reversing Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks: One Year Later from 1pm to 2pm. In 2020, the Center for Law, Energy & the Environment tracked over 200 environmental policy rollbacks completed by the Trump administration and proposed strategies to reverse them. One year into the Biden administration, we’re working with Grist to track the reversal effort. Join us for a discussion of the new administration’s progress from both legal and journalistic perspectives. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
Latest allegation in Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle: Environmental laws were willfully ignored
“Last we left off, Kings County’s two biggest farming companies were at impasse over a pipeline with heavy equipment and work crews standing guard atop the Tulare Lake Canal to keep a trench from being cut through its banks. Attorneys for the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the giant J.G. Boswell Company, and Sandridge Partners, controlled by John Vidovich, filed a blizzard of court actions alleging the other was trespassing and seeking injunctions to make them stop. Then Tulare Lake Canal Company’s attorney Leonard Herr tossed in a grenade – Sandridge pipeline proponents knowingly violated the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), according to a writ he filed Feb. 16. ... ” Read more from SJV Water here: Latest allegation in Boswell-Vidovich ditch bank battle: Environmental laws were willfully ignored
Satellite images show just how quickly Sierra’s snowpack is retreating
“The storms that frosted the Sierra Nevada with a healthy layer of snow in December soon gave way to dry weather, and the snowpack is showing it. Satellite images from NASA show a big difference even between January and February. Images from Jan. 9 showed a blanket of snow over the Sierra Nevada and their foothills, with clouds overshadowing parts of the Bay Area and Central Valley. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Satellite images show just how quickly Sierra’s snowpack is retreating
Additional moisture moves in for California this week
“By the middle of the week, another impactful trough of low pressure moves into the Western U.S. to bring areas of heavy rain and higher elevation snowfall. Wednesday through Thursday, areas of heavy rain and snow will be possible through Northern California and the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. No alerts have been issued at the moment. ... ” Read more from Weather Nation here: Additional moisture moves in for California this week
LA about to experience dramatic changes as storm eyes Southwest
“AccuWeather forecasters say that some drought-stricken areas of the southwestern United States will soon receive beneficial rainfall as the soaking storm that has been unloading excessive rain over the Northwest makes progress farther to the south and east. Even areas that will not experience precipitation will face major changes in the form of a temperature roller-coaster ride. “After stormy weather pounds the Pacific Northwest early this week, the same moisture driving heavy rainfall over the region will shift south and east by midweek. This southward shift in available moisture will allow wet weather to spread over more of Oregon by Wednesday and push into much of Northern California by Thursday,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Mary Gilbert said. … ” Read more from AccuWeather here: LA about to experience dramatic changes as storm eyes Southwest
Reforming water rights in California
“Water rights reform has long been the third rail in California politics—that is to say, untouchable. But that may be changing. Recently, the Planning and Conservation League Foundation convened a group of water rights experts to make recommendations to improve the system, and their work is receiving a lot of attention. We spoke with two members of the group—Richard Frank, professor of environmental practice and director of the California Law & Environmental Policy Center at the University of California, Davis, and Jennifer Harder, professor of law at University of the Pacific—about the proposals. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: Reforming water rights in California
Commentary: California needs water law reform
Holly Doremus, professor of law at UC Berkeley, writes, “California’s water law was developed in the 19th century. It has not been comprehensively reformed since, despite substantial population growth, changing social values, and the appointment 45 years ago of a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes. Now the “new normal” of the anthropocene promises reduced water availability coincident with increased demand. It is past time for comprehensive reconsideration of California’s water law system. Fellow Planeteer Rick Frank and I have been working with a diverse group of water law experts to come up with some initial recommendations for change. … At least some of the recommendations are getting some traction in the legislature. But perhaps the best outcome of this exercise would be appointment of a new blue-ribbon commission that would start its work with some legislative and executive buy-in to the need for truly comprehensive reform to help our 19th century water law better deal with our 21st century reality. … ” Continue reading at Legal Planet here: California needs water law reform
Approaches to water planning
Jay Lund writes, “Structured decision-making” and “decision biases” are all the rage, but methods to structure and make better decisions have been common for centuries. A recent paper reviews structured approaches to water planning and policy discussions (Lund 2021). This blog post summarizes these approaches for practical water planning problems. … ” Read the post at the California Water Blog here: Approaches to water planning
Conserving for the common good: Preferences for water policies during a severe drought in northern California
“When water is scarce, as in a severe drought, water managers look for ways to make limited supplies last. Traditionally that involves placing restrictions on how much water can be used or putting up prices. In 2015, municipalities in California tried something different. Households were given a water budget that required them to use a percentage of what they had been using a couple of years earlier. The policy worked but were people happy with this idea? Did it produce enduring results and how does it compare with more traditional approaches? Janine Stone and Patrick Johnson surveyed households and found that not only did this approach work, it was preferred and resulted in a shared conservation ethic. Janine discusses here what they found.” Read the article from the Global Water Forum here: Conserving for the common good: Preferences for water policies during a severe drought in northern California
Sea level rise legislation gets second chance
“This week, Senator Ben Allen introduced SB 1078, a bill that would create a Sea Level Rise Revolving Loan Pilot Program to help coastal cities plan proactively for the effects of climate change. The law draws heavily from the framework of SB 83, which students in the California Environmental Legislation and Policy Clinic worked on, and which passed the California Legislature in September of last year before ultimately being vetoed by Governor Newsom. SB 1078’s proposal is an innovative way to address the serious sea level rise-related costs facing California. … ” Read more from the Legal Planet here: Sea level rise legislation gets second chance
Almonds and salinity in groundwater
“Water allocations for Central Valley Project (CVP) contractors were released last week. Most contractors won’t receive the water allocations they need, leading them to pump groundwater. Friant Division contractors are some of those who will receive water. Contractors will receive allocations at 15 percent of their Class 1 water supply and zero percent of Class 2. Friant Water Authority expressed concern about the conservative CVP allocations. … ” Read/listen to report at Ag Net West here: Almonds and salinity in groundwater
California board to hear SGMA updates
“The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will hear updates on local implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) as it relates to groundwater sustainability plans. State and local agencies, along with representatives from non-profit organizations, will provide perspectives on local implementation and impacts. The Board will also hear about federal funding opportunities related to climate and local food purchasing. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: California board to hear SGMA updates
Report: Drought drained $1.2 billion from California ag in 2021
“Drought cost California’s agricultural sector $1.2 billion and 8,750 full- and part-time jobs last year, according to a new report prepared for the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture. It is the latest evidence that climate change is upending the country’s most productive agricultural region. “This has been a fast-paced drought, and it shows how climate change increases the challenges we face in managing water in California,” said Alvar Escriva-Bou, a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and a co-author of the report. “Sadly, we are going to see more and more droughts like this, so we need better tools to anticipate and minimize the socio-economic impacts.” ... ” Read more from Successful Farming here: Report: Drought drained $1.2 billion from California ag in 2021
Firefighters relying on artificial intelligence to fight California wildfires
“Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming part of our daily lives. We talk to smart speakers to get weather updates, chat bots answer our customer service questions, and soon, self-driving taxis will begin operating in San Francisco. Scientists are also using supercomputing and artificial intelligence to figure out the best way to fight the growing threat of wildfires in California. “That fast response is very important,” said Ilkay Altintas, the founder and director of WIFIRE Lab at the University of California, San Diego. “When an ignition happens, where the fire is and how to respond to it is vital information for decision support.” … ” Read more from ABC 7 here: Firefighters relying on artificial intelligence to fight California wildfires
Watch: Landscape architecture is all about finding balance with nature
“As a landscape architect, Ryley Thiessen understands that finding balance is key. While his work requires him to design four-season resorts around the world—and make them accessible and enjoyable for all visitors—he never wants to take too much from nature. The Architect is one of four short films in the Suunto Peak Creator Series, which highlights the stories of creative people and how nature inspires their work.” Watch video at Outside Online here: Watch: Landscape architecture is all about finding balance with nature
In commentary today …
California needs water law reform
Holly Doremus, professor of law at UC Berkeley, writes, “California’s water law was developed in the 19th century. It has not been comprehensively reformed since, despite substantial population growth, changing social values, and the appointment 45 years ago of a blue-ribbon commission to recommend changes. Now the “new normal” of the anthropocene promises reduced water availability coincident with increased demand. It is past time for comprehensive reconsideration of California’s water law system. Fellow Planeteer Rick Frank and I have been working with a diverse group of water law experts to come up with some initial recommendations for change. … At least some of the recommendations are getting some traction in the legislature. But perhaps the best outcome of this exercise would be appointment of a new blue-ribbon commission that would start its work with some legislative and executive buy-in to the need for truly comprehensive reform to help our 19th century water law better deal with our 21st century reality. … ” Continue reading at Legal Planet here: California needs water law reform
CEQA: The high cost of good intentions
Chris Carr, chair of the Environment and Energy Practice Group at Paul Hastings LLP and co-author of the new PRI study “The CEQA Gauntlet,” and Ken Broad, founding member of Jackson Square Partners and a member of the Board of Councilors of the USC Dornsife Center for the Political Future, write, “California is in a quagmire due in no small part to the weaponization of CEQA, the California Environmental Quality Act. We are not providing the physical infrastructure befitting the world’s 5th-largest economy and leading crucible of innovation. Too often, critical projects don’t get built, or are built only after long delays and cost overruns. California, once the land of opportunity, is now ranked dead last by US News and World Report on that metric. California is failing to provide and adequately maintain basic infrastructure — roads, bridges, rail, water, telecom and wildfire protection. Schools, hospitals, housing and green energy projects all have been hampered by CEQA, which has been weaponized by special interests to increase costs and delay or stop construction altogether. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: CEQA: The high cost of good intentions
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath dam removals enter ‘home stretch’
“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has issued draft environmental documents examining the proposal to remove four hydroelectric dams from the Klamth River in Northern California and Southern Oregon. The Klamath River Renewal Corp., which has been pushing removal of the dams for more than a decade to help endangered fish, is analyzing the environmental impact statement released as part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review of the project, the group said in a statement. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Klamath dam removals enter ‘home stretch’
Huffman calls for immediate action to preserve water levels in Trinity Lake ahead of anticipated drought
“This week, Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) sent a letter to U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton requesting the BOR work to preserve enough cold water to sustain threatened fish populations in the Trinity River ahead of what is expected to be a severely dry summer. Additionally, Rep. Huffman called for significant infrastructure investments to the Trinity River Division to improve its ability to adjust the temperature of water released to the river. … ” Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate here: Huffman calls for immediate action to preserve water levels in Trinity Lake ahead of anticipated drought
Lady of the Lake: Brown water got you down?
“Dear Lady of the Lake, The lake water over by Lucerne to Glenhaven looks brown, is this a spill or leak from something? What’s going on with the lake right now? – Water that’s brown has got me down Walter Hello Walter, Thanks for the question! This is a common observation this time of year, and I am glad you provided the opportunity for me to discuss this in my column. The first question to ask when trying to “diagnose” a lake situation, when it comes to water issues, is to identify the scope and size of the specific situation. … ” Continue reading at the Lake County News here: Lady of the Lake: Brown water got you down?
BAY AREA
Commentary: Sierra Club sues San Jose over riverside development
Dave Poeschel, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, Guadalupe Regional Group Conservation Committee chair, writes, “The Sierra Club was forced to file a lawsuit against San Jose. By approving a plan from Boston Properties, Inc. to build a massive glass facade office building—16 stories, 283 feet high, 800 feet long and with three levels of underground parking that egregiously provides no setback buffer between the building and the steep banks of the Guadalupe River and its forest—the City Council embraced a project that does not comply with the General Plan’s mandatory riparian protections, and thus it violates state planning and zoning law. … ” Read more from the San Jose Spotlight here: Commentary: Sierra Club sues San Jose over riverside development
CENTRAL COAST
Water district demands 3 LAFCO commissioners be recused
“Attorneys for the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District have asked for the recusal of three commissioners from the Local Agency Formation Commission’s Monday meeting where the inter-governmental agency will again consider a key element of the public’s bid to buy out California American Water Company’s water delivery system in the district. A letter sent Friday afternoon from San Francisco-based Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger, states that Commissioners Matt Gourley, Mary Ann Leffel and Warran Poitras need to recuse themselves from Monday’s decision because they have failed to follow their legislative mandates as part of an independent regulatory agency. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Water district demands 3 LAFCO commissioners be recused
Planned water treatment facility in El Rio to improve drinking water supply for thousands
“An unusual military grant will help launch a new groundwater treatment facility in El Rio that will improve drinking water supplies for thousands of Ventura County residents. The $10.3 million project from the United Water Conservation District will put the plant’s first phase at the district’s groundwater recharge facility on North Rose Avenue in El Rio, north of Oxnard city limits. Because the facility helps supply water to Naval Base Ventura County — both the Port Hueneme and Point Mugu locations — the project was awarded a $4.2 million federal grant from the Department of Defense. It also won a $2.5 million state grant from the California Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Planned water treatment facility in El Rio to improve drinking water supply for thousands
Along the Colorado River …
Report says federal forecasts of Lake Powell’s level may be too optimistic
“Hydrologists recently updated the model that forecasts the level of Lake Powell. These projections are critical for planning for an increasingly dry future in the Colorado River Basin, but a new paper from Utah State University says the model may still underestimate the risk. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports. The model is based on weather conditions over a thirty-year span. That reference period is updated once a decade; it now begins in the 1990s. But a long-term drying trend began in the year 2000. … ” Read more from KNAU here: Report says federal forecasts of Lake Powell’s level may be too optimistic
International climate panel warns of need for adaptations: ‘People are now suffering’
“Climate scientists working on the latest international assessment of rising threats to society say it’s imperative that communities adapt now. Their warning touches on several fields that Arizona and its neighbors in the Southwest are now attempting to tackle, from drought mitigation and wildfire management to the dangers of urban heat. As greenhouse gases continue trapping solar radiation and heating the planet, scientists with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change say society faces two challenges: preparing humans and their surroundings for increasing dangers, and reducing emissions to levels that will allow the adaptations to succeed. ... ” Read more from Arizona Central here: International climate panel warns of need for adaptations: ‘People are now suffering’
Commentary: Water towers on the roof of the Rocky Mountains
Author Sarah Chase Shaw writes, “It’s almost March, which means we’re only just past the half way point of ski season, yet spring is right around the corner. With longer days comes deeper snowpack, typically peaking in mid-April. About the time we’re ready for winter to end, the snow piles high on our patio furniture, crushing our daffodils, and sending a clear message that Mother Nature is the boss. For the land above the trees, snow is a lifeline in an otherwise inhospitable environment. It’s the hose that never turns off, perpetually replenishing the high mountain “water towers,” those snowfields and alpine glaciers that melt slowly throughout the year, saturating the boggy peat surrounding lakes, and filling rivers and streams to the brim with water destined for downstream users. Or, that’s the way winter used to be in the mountains of Colorado. ... ” Read more from Vail Daily here: Water towers on the roof of the Rocky Mountains
In national water news today …
The digital world’s real-world impact on the environment
“The gradual shift of life away from the three-dimensional space to cyberspace once promised a Jetsons-style efficiency, a tidy transition from physical stuff’s environment-harming ways to a clean and impact-free digital world. We would telecommute through cyberspace rather than along dirty highways in polluting cars, working in paperless offices where no trees were sacrificed to print memos and correspondence. And, instead of using coins made from mined metals, we’d switch to digital currency — no mines, no blasting, no gouging required. The Jetsons had it right, sort of: The COVID-sparked Zoom Boom has left many physical offices empty and drastically reduced mind-numbing, gas-guzzling commutes. Cash and coins are increasingly passé. And when was the last time you received a paper interoffice memo? The mass migration from physical to digital, however, has yet to take all the pressure off the physical environment. That’s because what happens in cyberspace doesn’t stay in cyberspace. … ” Red more from High Country News here: The digital world’s real-world impact on the environment
Column: US green metals push needs a revamp of gold-rush mining law
“The Biden Administration’s one-year review of U.S critical mineral supply chains came with some headline-grabbing announcements. The Department of Defense will provide $35 million in funding for a rare earths processing plant at the Mountain Pass mine in California and The Department of Energy (DoE) will fund a $140 million demonstration project to process rare earths and other critical minerals from coal ash. The DoE has another $3 billion to invest in refining green metals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt which are critical for decarbonisation. All of which, ideally, will be fed by domestic mines. Which makes it ironic that on the same day the White House was laying out its pathway to greater mineral self-sufficiency, the Department of the Interior announced it is re-opening an investigation into the construction of an access road to the prospective Ambler mining district in Alaska. … ” Continue reading at Reuters here: Column: US green metals push needs a revamp of gold-rush mining law
Urgent action needed to address climate change’s catastrophic threats, U.N. report warns
“Climate change will put people’s lives and Earth’s ecosystems at increasing risk of catastrophe if nations fail to quickly reduce emissions of planet-heating gases, according to a new United Nations report that urges humankind to scale up efforts to adapt and protect the most vulnerable. As global warming continues to unleash deadly heat waves, intense droughts, floods and devastating wildfires, the researchers from 67 countries called for urgent action to address the crisis. They said many of the dangerous and accelerating effects can still be reduced, depending on how quickly the burning of fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases are curbed. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Urgent action needed to address climate change’s catastrophic threats, U.N. report warns
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
-
Sierra Nevada Mountains, near Mono Lake. Photo by Denys Nevozhai on Unsplash Undamming the Klamath may be a reality this year
- The dammed rivers that shaped America’s West
- Congressman LaMalfa leads letter requesting more flexible water operations in water year 2022
- Why did California regulators choose a firm with ties to Chevron to study irrigating crops with oil wastewater?
- With Delta smelt all but gone in the wild, a first-ever “hatch-and-release” effort aims to save them from extinction
- Drought maps show California is even drier than last year in some parts of the state
- California-Nevada and Pacific Northwest Special Edition Drought Early Warning Update
- Forecasting Our Future: Two ways high-flying technology helps track and predict California’s water supply
- Atmospheric rivers: how they work, and how El Niño and La Niña affect them
- Wildlife Conservation Board funds environmental improvement and acquisition projects
- UCLA research project proposes removal of carbon dioxide from the ocean to help fight climate change
- Drought, fires and beetles — California’s forests are dying. It is too late to save them?
- And more …
