On the calendar today …
- MEETING: The State Water Resources Control Board will meet beginning at 9am. Agenda items include a drought update,
monthly water production and conservation data reported by urban retail water suppliers, Consideration of a proposed Resolution adopting the Proposed Prioritization of Drinking Water Regulations Development for Calendar Year 2022, and Consideration of a proposed Order denying Yuba County Water Agency’s request for abeyance in proceedings on its petition for reconsideration of the water quality certification for the Yuba River Development Project.Click here for the full agenda and remote access instructions.Revised agenda here. - MEETING: The California Department of Food and Agriculture meets from 10am to 2pm. Agenda items include USDA Funding & California: Climate and Local Food; SGMA GSP Updates including plan updates, environmental justice perspective, GSA perspectives, and outreach and engagement. Click here for full agenda and remote access instructions.
- VIRTUAL EVENT: Office Hours with Dr. Thomas Harter from 12pm to 1pm. Starting in March, the Groundwater Exchange and CivicWell (formerly the Local Government Commission) will host informal “office hours” sessions featuring experts to answer your questions. On March 1st , our guest expert will be Dr. Thomas Harter, who runs the University of California Cooperative Extension Groundwater Hydrology Program. His research focuses on groundwater resources evaluation under uncertainty, groundwater modeling, and nonpoint-source pollution of groundwater, and contaminant transport. It’s your chance to pick Dr. Harter’s brain with your groundwater questions! Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Delta Science Program: Delta Governance #1 from 12pm to 1pm. This webinar will focus on Environmental Governance, highlighting the structures and processes within which decision-making and action for environmental management and conservation occur. Speakers include Mark Lubell (UC Davis), Kaylee Allen (USFWS), and Don Nottoli (Delta Stewardship Council and Sacramento County). Attendance is free with registration.
- WORKSHOP: Riverine Stewardship Program: San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program (SJFPEP) & Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) Grants from 1pm to 3pm. DWR will host the first of three virtual public workshops on the Riverine Stewardship Program: San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program (SJFPEP) & Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) Grants Draft Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP).The draft Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP) were released on January 27, 2022 and will be open for public comment until March 14, 2022 at 5:00 pm. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
An atmospheric river is headed to the West Coast. Will it hit California?
“An atmospheric river was expected to bring heavy rain and flooding across the Pacific Northwest this week, meteorologists said. Will California and the Bay Area see any rain because of it? The short answer is no, according to Sean Miller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Bay Area. Miller described the weather system in the Pacific Northwest as the first of a “series of big waves that are kind of moving through” the Western U.S. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: An atmospheric river is headed to the West Coast. Will it hit California?
Sierra Nevada snowpack disappearing after driest January-February in recorded history, third year of California drought all but inevitable
“Get ready for more brown lawns, high fire danger and water restrictions this summer. California’s severe drought, which seemed to be retreating after soaking storms in October and December, is now all but certain to continue into a third year after the driest January and February in recorded history. “We were so far above normal early in the winter,” said Jan Null, a meteorologist with Golden Gate Weather Services in Half Moon Bay. “But the rainfall season has just flat-lined. It has died.” On Tuesday, officials from the State Department of Water Resources are scheduled to take a monthly snowpack reading in a media event at Phillips Station, near Sierra-at-Tahoe ski area. Statewide, they already know the news. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Sierra Nevada snowpack disappearing after driest January-February in recorded history, third year of California drought all but inevitable
Forecasters: ‘Miracle March’ not likely for Tahoe, Sierra as drought continues
“It’s been a tale of two winters. After record-breaking storms pushed Tahoe-area snowpack to 200% of normal on Jan. 1, winter has all but disappeared. January and February are historically the wettest months for Nevada and California. But this year, many snow-measuring sites in the eastern Sierra recorded the lowest precipitation levels on record for the first two months of 2022. … Heading into March, snowpacks in the Tahoe, Truckee, Carson and Walker basins are sitting anywhere between 77 and 88% of median. In other parts of Northern Nevada, the snowpack is as low as 64% of median. ... ” Read more from the Reno Gazette Journal here: Forecasters: ‘Miracle March’ not likely for Tahoe, Sierra as drought continues
SEE ALSO: California snow levels plummet in February, ensuring third year of drought, from the San Francisco Chronicle
Reclamation seeks public input on the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP
“The Bureau of Reclamation invites public input on the Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. Reclamation is seeking feedback on the alternatives and topics to be addressed related to multi-year operations of the CVP and SWP. Reclamation intends to prepare an environmental impact statement to analyze potential modifications to the operating plan for the CVP and SWP previously established as part of the February 2020 Record of Decision. On Sept. 30, 2021, Reclamation requested reinitiation of consultation under the federal Endangered Species Act with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries. The consultation will address anticipated modifications to the previous operating plan that may cause effects to ESA-listed species or designated critical habitat not analyzed in the current 2019 Biological Opinions. … ” Continue reading here: Reclamation seeks public input on the Long-Term Operation of the CVP and SWP
CA Court of Appeal: Watermaster has no right to appeal trial court orders on water rights decrees
“On Feb. 23, 2022, the Third District Court of Appeal issued an opinion in Dow v. Lassen Irrigation Company et al, C091965 as to what it believed to be an issue of first impression—whether a watermaster appointed by the trial court to implement and administer a water rights decree has the right to appeal the trial court’s orders interpreting the decree on the grounds the watermaster disagrees with the trial court’s interpretation and the orders would increase the watermaster’s administrative burdens and costs. In response to respondent’s motion to dismiss, the Court of Appeal, in a published opinion authored by Justice Ronald Robie, held that the watermaster does not have the right to appeal on the grounds that the watermaster is not aggrieved by the trial court’s interpretation of the water users’ rights under the decree. … ” Continue reading at Brownstein Water here: CA Court of Appeal: Watermaster has no right to appeal trial court orders on water rights decrees
Prop 65 lists PFOA as carcinogen
“As we wrote in December, 2021 saw several significant actions taken by the state of California with respect to PFAS – specifically, Prop 65 PFAS determinations for PFOS and PFNA. On February 25, 2022, another significant step was taken when the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added PFOA to the list of chemicals known to cause cancer. The listing will create new warning label requirements for any product sold in California that contains PFAS, and may also increase enforcement action targeting of PFOA-containing products. Important to note is that the Prop 65 regulations are not applicable only to companies situated in California; rather, they apply to any company (even internet businesses) that sell products to anyone in the state of California. … ” Read more from the National Law Review here: Prop 65 lists PFOA as carcinogen
Tiny tire particles inhibit growth of organisms in freshwater, coastal estuaries, studies find
“Small particles from tires inhibited the growth and caused adverse behavioral changes in organisms found in freshwater and coastal estuary ecosystems, two new Oregon State University studies found. The findings are part of a continued effort by scientists to unravel the impacts of microplastics and nanoplastics on aquatic ecosystems and aquatic organisms. Tire particles are one of the most common microplastic types in aquatic ecosystems. Harper, Brander and several other graduate students and a post-doctoral scholars in their labs, including Brittany Cunningham, Samreen Siddiqui, recently published two papers on the tire particle research in Chemosphere and the Journal of Hazardous Materials. ... ” Continue reading from Oregon State University here: Tiny tire particles inhibit growth of organisms in freshwater, coastal estuaries, studies find
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
LAO Report: The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate
“The Governor’s budget proposal includes $18.4 million in one‑time General Fund to reimburse certain local governments in Los Angeles County for costs related to the Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges mandate. Specifically, the proposal would reimburse eligible local governments for the costs they incurred installing and maintaining trash receptacles at transit stops between 2002 and 2012 pursuant to regulatory stormwater permit requirements that the Commission on State Mandates (commission) found to be a state‑reimbursable mandate. The state has exhausted its legal options for challenging this particular mandate decision. We therefore recommend the Legislature approve the proposal and fund this mandate, consistent with state law. Funding this mandate does not have out‑year fiscal implications for the state.” Read the report from the Legislative Analyst’s Office here: LAO Report: The 2022-23 Budget: Municipal Stormwater and Urban Runoff Discharges Mandate
Zero water allocation leaves Central Valley Project farmers with few options
“With California entering its third year of severe drought, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced a zero-water allocation for irrigation districts via the Central Valley Project, a 400-mile-long web of dams, canals and other water facilities. The decision will impact farmers in 29 counties across the state’s major agricultural region, likely prompting growers to plant different crops, fallow acres or tear out vineyards and orchards. “It’s very concerning. Farmers are disappointed, frustrated, angry,” said Tricia Stever Blattler, executive director of the Tulare County Farm Bureau. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Zero water allocation leaves Central Valley Project farmers with few options
Central Valley growers hit by disappointing water allocation
“The Central Valley, considered one of the most important agricultural regions in the word, is getting hit hard again by California drought conditions. The Bureau of Reclamation last week announced a 0% initial allocation for Westlands Water District and Central Valley Water Project (CVP) irrigation contractors. It is the fourth time in the past decade south-of-Delta irrigation contractors have received a 0% allocation, according to a statement from the regional water district. The amount of 2021 rainfall and snowpack looked promising until the past two months, when no water made it down from the Sierras to reservoirs in California. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Central Valley growers hit by disappointing water allocation
Bringing out the best in wild birds on farms
“A supportive environment can bring out the best in an individual — even for a bird. After an E.coli outbreak in 2006 devastated the spinach industry, farmers were pressured to remove natural habitat to keep wildlife — and the foodborne pathogens they can sometimes carry — from visiting crops. A study published today from the University of California, Davis, shows that farms with surrounding natural habitat experience the most benefits from birds, including less crop damage and lower food-safety risks. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Bringing out the best in wild birds on farms
Listen: California’s climate smart agriculture
“In California, climate-smart agriculture isn’t just the future, it is already here as many farmers up and down the state are actively cutting greenhouse gas emissions, improving water use efficiently and cutting their energy consumption. The California Department of Food and Agriculture provides programs including the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, Healthy Soils Program, Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, and the Alternative Manure Management to better assist farmers in being stewards of the land and to better protect the environment. The latest CDFA report outlines just how effective those programs have been in working towards their goals.” Listen to the report at Ag Net West here: Listen: California’s Climate Smart Agriculture
Ranking heat waves like hurricanes is being proposed in California
“Heat waves are the deadliest weather disaster in the US. They account for nearly 150 fatalities per year, more than hurricanes and tornadoes combined. New legislation in California hopes to reduce heat-related deaths by ranking heat waves similarly to hurricanes, by using categories and names. However, the National Weather Service (NWS) is currently in a multiyear experiment to also categorize heat waves. “Globally, people are suffering from heat because of a deadly awareness gap,” said Kurt Shickman, the director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht-Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center (Arsht-Rock), which is helping lead the legislative action. … ” Read more from CNN here: Ranking heat waves like hurricanes is being proposed in California
What winter’s dry spell means for California’s fire season
“When rain pummeled California in October, many breathed a sigh of relief: At least in some parts of the state, the worst of the fire season, experts said, was most likely over. The following month, however, precipitation was scarce. In December, it rained again, smashing records. Now, some parts of the state have barely seen another drop of water since early January. “It has been both an unusually dry and an unusually wet winter,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the Nature Conservancy. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: What winter’s dry spell means for California’s fire season
Today’s featured article …
MONTHLY RESERVOIR REPORT for March 1st
Prepared exclusively for Maven’s Notebook by hydrologist Robert Shibatani
From a water resources and supply perspective, February was dismal. Monthly precipitation totals at the primary reservoirs across the State were essentially zero. Accordingly, accumulated precipitation percent of averages are dropping below normal with the exception of upper American River basin at Blue Canyon, which still has precipitation totals at 109% of average.
Click here to read this article.
DELTA LEAD SCIENTIST: Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Budgets
At the February meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Laurel Larsen continued profiling the work of the 2018 class of Delta Science Fellows and updated the Council on the activities of the Delta Science Program.
Click here to read this article.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
More domestic wells in Klamath running dry, even in winter
“The Upper Klamath Basin’s groundwater crisis has continued to worsen, even in winter. Even after rains returned in October and snow soon followed, the Oregon Water Resources Department has received 34 additional reports of dry or failing domestic wells in Klamath County. That’s on top of more than 200 reported during the summer of 2021. “Most of the complaints turned out to be legitimate,” said Ivan Gall, administrator for the department’s Field Services Division. … ” Continue reading at the Bend Bulletin here: More domestic wells in Klamath running dry, even in winter
Flood gates start opening for dams removal
“One step this month in a process to remove dams on the Klamath River favors opening the river in Oregon and California. That step comes from the federal government. As the Federal Energy Regulator Commission (FERC) considers an application to remove the dams, it has received its staff recommendation: decommission the dams to proceed with their removal. The Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) wants to remove the dams. It reported after business hours Friday the FERC had released its draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as part of the national environmental policy review of the Klamath River Renewal project. ... ” Read more from KDRV here: Flood gates start opening for dams removal
Assemblymember Wood introduces bill to improve drought preparedness for North Coast watershed
“Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) has introduced AB 2451, legislation creating a dedicated Drought Section within the Division of Water Rights responsible for improving drought planning, drought response and climate resiliency statewide, and directing the agency to conduct drought planning for North Coast watersheds. Existing law establishes the State Water Resources Control Board (the Board) and the regional water quality control boards within the Natural Resources Agency. This Board has two divisions, one for Water Rights and one for Water Quality. “Drought is not an episodic event and has not been for decades,” said Wood. “They are longer, more frequent, more severe and seriously threaten the health of rivers and streams, the wildlife that inhabit them and the ability to provide our North Coast communities with safe and affordable drinking water.” … ” Read more from Assemblymember Wood here: Assemblymember Wood introduces bill to improve drought preparedness for North Coast watershed
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Record breaking temps, rain, snow possible this week at Lake Tahoe
“The weather starts off unseasonably warm this week, possibly record warmth in South Lake Tahoe, but temperatures will start to drop midweek where a chance of rain and snow enter the forecast. The National Weather Service in Reno expects high temperatures to start out in the low 50s on Monday and rise to a possible record, in the mid 50s, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Winds will begin to pick up along the higher terrain on Tuesday and more so on Wednesday as the next Pacific storm approaches the region, the service said. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Record breaking temps, rain, snow possible this week at Lake Tahoe
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Draft map released in Glenn County water project
“The large-scale water project in Orland planned by the California Department of Water Resources, with help from Glenn County and the North Valley Community Foundation, is underway with a new draft map in place. California’s drought has created serious and worsening conditions for many, especially those living in the valley who rely on well systems to get their water. In Glenn County, local agencies have been monitoring dry wells by asking residents to report them as well as any other water insecurity being faced. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Draft map released in Glenn County water project
Fairfield column: On the Left: Local land use wars again?
Jack Batson, former member of the Fairfield City Council, writes, “Land use issues are in the news again. The county has petitioned the city of Fairfield to negotiate a deal in which Fairfield would treat Solano Irrigation District water to make it potable, then sell it back to SID, which would then provide it to a Middle Green Valley housing project in the county. (Phew! Get all that?) A dozen years ago developer Anthony Russo began the process of planting 400 houses in rural Middle Green Valley. The houses would be clustered in unobtrusive places; most of the land along Green Valley Road would remain in farming. The valley would maintain its rural look and feel. Not bad. In its overall concept, the Orderly Growth Committee liked it. The big question was (and is), where will residents get their water and sewer service? ... ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Column: On the Left: Local land use wars again?
BAY AREA
Another storm to hit the Bay Area this week, but how much rain could we get?
“After a reprieve from the dry weather that has plagued January and most of February, rain has returned to the forecast for the Bay Area this week, with the potential to add to the below-average rainfall amounts since the beginning of the new year. An atmospheric river that began soaking the Pacific Northwest early Monday is expected to dip down into the Bay Area, but it’ll weaken as it makes it way down south, according to the National Weather Service. It’s expected to reach the North Bay on Wednesday afternoon before shifting inland Thursday and south toward the Central Coast. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Another storm to hit the Bay Area this week, but how much rain could we get?
Watchdog on the water: Group uses drones to monitor the ‘fragile ecosystem’ of the Bay
“On a brisk February morning, Cole Burchiel hopped onto a small boat near Oracle Park and greeted skipper Tracy Rogers as the sun burned off the morning cloud cover. As the vessel pulled away from the harbor and chugged eastward down the shoreline, Burchiel pointed at the mammoth cargo ships docked in Anchorage Nine, a stretch of water off Hunters Point where ocean freighters wait to unload at the Port of Oakland. “This is a big parking lot,” said Burchiel. “We’ve got full cargo ships out here. We’ve got two oil tankers right there that are sitting low in the water.” It’s a fact, he said, “that’s a little anxiety-provoking” because it means these idling ships are full of oil and pose a risk of leaking into the Bay. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Examiner here: Watchdog on the water: Group uses drones to monitor the ‘fragile ecosystem’ of the Bay
CENTRAL COAST
Monterey: Lawsuit imminent as public buyout of Cal Am is denied a reconsideration vote
“Third time does the harm. After first failing to approve the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District’s application to become a retail water utility in December, then actively denying the request in January and finally voting 5-1-1 against a reconsideration on Feb. 28, the Local Agency Formation Commission of Monterey County, or LAFCO, has blocked the public from the path of least resistance in their democratically-approved effort to buy out California American Water. … ” Read more from Monterey County Weekly here: Monterey: Lawsuit imminent as public buyout of Cal Am is denied a reconsideration vote
San Luis Obispo County had driest January and February in more than 150 years — is this the ‘new normal’?
“After reviewing 153 years of rainfall records from Cal Poly’s Irrigation Training & Research Center, there has never been a back-to-back dry January followed by a parched February in San Luis Obispo County. Over the many decades of rain data, if you saw a primarily dry January, it would be followed by a wet February and vice versa during the peak of our rainy season (July 1 through June 30). … ” Continue reading at the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: San Luis Obispo County had driest January and February in more than 150 years — is this the ‘new normal’?
Over 30,000 comments express support of proposed marine sanctuary
“More than 30,000 people expressed their support for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, according to an analysis of comments submitted to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and posted on regulations.gov. The 83 day public comment period, part of NOAA’s scoping process for the sanctuary designation, ended on Jan. 31. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily Press here: Over 30,000 comments express support of proposed marine sanctuary
Recycled water deliveries to the La Cumbre Country Club begin March 1
“A newly-installed service connection will be opened to start delivering recycled water to the La Cumbre Country Club on Tuesday. The City of Santa Barbara has initiated a 25-year agreement to provide surplus recycled water to the La Cumbre Mutual Water Company, and the country club is the largest customer of the water company, according to Lauren Bennett, city administrative assistant. … ” Read more from KEYT here: Recycled water deliveries to the La Cumbre Country Club begin March 1
Santa Ynez Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plans approved
“Water conservation along the Santa Ynez River took a significant step in January 2022 when three agencies unanimously approved groundwater sustainability plans (GSPs). These plans will be the basis for groundwater management in the area through a 20-year implementation period. … Public agencies in the Santa Ynez Basin formed three GSAs (Eastern, Western, and Central) that cover the area from Lake Cachuma to the Pacific Ocean. These GSAs have been working since 2015 to prepare GSPs that describe the area’s geology, how much water is in the basin, how it moves through the basin, and how it is used. The GSPs also identify projects and management actions the GSAs will undertake to ensure the basin is managed sustainably. … ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Santa Ynez Basin Groundwater Sustainability Plans approved
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Why we turned the L.A. River into a freeway (for water)
“If the Los Angeles River had its own IMDb listing — and why shouldn’t it? It’s appeared in all kinds of movies — its career arc would look something like this: Leading man for tens of thousands of years, star and creator of the epic story of Los Angeles’ ecosystem and living things. Demoted to a supporting role around 1913, when L.A.’s new producers and directors began importing younger, more reliable water. Thereafter cast occasionally as a serial killer for performances as deadly floods. Blacklisted from river roles and “disappeared” under concrete since the Depression. ... ” Continue reading at the LA Times here: Why we turned the L.A. River into a freeway (for water)
Los Angeles: Stormwater Capture Parks Program
“In partnership with the Department of Recreation and Parks and the Department of Public Works, LADWP has developed an innovative Stormwater Capture Parks Program to collect rainwater and urban runoff at nine local parks in the East San Fernando Valley. These stormwater capture projects will help replenish the San Fernando Groundwater Basin, improve water quality in the Los Angeles River, and reduce local flooding, and provide recreational and environmental benefits to the community through related park improvements. ... ” Read more from the LA DWP here: Los Angeles: Stormwater Capture Parks Program
Southern California district wins 2nd prize at international water tasting contest
“An Ohio water district has won the top prize for U.S. tap water at an international tasting contest. Montpelier, Ohio, took home first place for Best Municipal Water on Saturday at the 32nd annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting in West Virginia. It beat out last year’s winner, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which placed second. Another California entry, the Mission Springs Water District, was third. … ” Read more from KTLA here: Southern California district wins 2nd prize at international water tasting contest
San Bernardino area agencies break ground for regional recycled water facility
“Thursday, Feb. 24, three lead water agencies broke ground on the first phase of a regional recycled water project that will keep recycled water in local groundwater basins for future use. East Valley Water District (EVWD), San Bernardino Municipal Water Department (San Bernardino Water) and San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District (Valley District) are partnering on a multi-phase regional recycled water project that includes infrastructure to store and transport water through Highland and San Bernardino. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News here: Agencies break ground for regional recycled water facility
SAN DIEGO
Proactive pipeline repair maintains water supply reliability, affordability
“The San Diego County Water Authority is proactively fixing a 90-inch diameter pipeline in Bonsall. The work is part of the agency’s long-term commitment to maintaining regional investments in water supply reliability and affordability. Water Authority staff detected potential pipeline weaknesses just north of West Lilac Road in late January using real-time acoustic fiber-optic monitoring. This technology locates distressed sections of pipelines even while they are in use as part of the Water Authority’s high-tech asset management program. Further investigation prompted the Water Authority to prioritize repairs on a 48-foot-long section of pipeline. Water Authority staff are carefully monitoring the pipe section around the clock while preparing designs and identifying contractors that can quickly mobilize for repairs. … ” Read more from the Water News Network here: Proactive pipeline repair maintains water supply reliability, affordability
Along the Colorado River …
Cascading climate calamities target west’s water, legal system
“A dire United Nations climate change report confirms what water lawyers in the West have known for a long time—that drought is becoming the norm in the region, and adaptation is essential. … The report, released Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), is a 3,675-page deep-dive into what the latest scientific research says about what’s at risk as fossil fuels continue to warm the planet. … The Southwest is among the regions that the IPCC says will soon be profoundly different. The Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million people from Denver to Los Angeles, courses through the increasingly arid Southwest, which is approaching a “tipping point” at which long-term water scarcity conflict with high water use and farming, the report concludes. ... ” Read more from Bloomberg Law here: Cascading climate calamities target west’s water, legal system
Dry boat ramps, exposed rocks at Lake Powell reveal the cost of Colorado River drought
“A small bucket loader scraped Wahweap Bay’s expanding strip of red mud and gravel, its operator smoothing the shoreline where concrete workers were busy chasing a lake in retreat. To the left, where the bay had long offered kayakers and water skiers a loop around Lone Rock, the monumental slab now rose from dust flats instead of from flat water. To the right, in the channel that leads to Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River’s sunken bed, formerly submerged islands and peninsulas mapped out a warming climate’s continuing transformation of one of America’s great water stores and pleasure grounds. A desert flooded by impounded waters in the last century has visibly reasserted itself in this one. … ” Read more from Arizona Central here: Dry boat ramps, exposed rocks at Lake Powell reveal the cost of Colorado River drought
The Colorado River starts as snow, and the way we understand it is changing
“High in the Rocky Mountains, under thin air and bluebird skies, the Colorado River basin is slowly filling its savings account. Craggy peaks become smooth walls of white and piles of snow climb conifer trunks, covering even the deepest, darkest corners of the woods with a glimmering blanket. The snow that accumulates in the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming will eventually become water in the Colorado River. Some of it will flow as far south as Mexico, running through kitchen faucets in cities and suburbs along the way, or watering crops that keep America fed through the winter. … ” Read more from KUNC here: The Colorado River starts as snow, and the way we understand it is changing
Tribes along the Colorado River navigate a stacked settlement process to claim their water rights
“In early January, Lake Powell, a reservoir fed by the Colorado River, reached critically low levels. The bathtub ring around its receding edges has spent the last year gracing the pages of news publications across the nation, accompanied by increasingly panicked concern about Glen Canyon Dam’s hydropower turbines, which cannot operate reliably if the lake is lower than 3,490 feet. At the start of 2022, Powell’s water levels were just 46 feet above that threshold. The drought is an emergency, and water cuts are coming. But the drought is also compounding another emergency. Indigenous nations within the river basin, left out of the 1922 Colorado River Compact, have been working through state and federal courts to settle their water rights, anticipating a situation like this. … ” Read more from High Country News here: Tribes along the Colorado River navigate a stacked settlement process to claim their water rights
SEE ALSO:
-
- Tribes negotiate for a fairer future along the Colorado River, from High Country News
- Colorado River, stolen by law, from High Country News
In national water news today …
Spring starts tomorrow, at least for meteorologists
“Spring starts Tuesday, but If you Google the word spring, it responds with March 20. You have NOT gone through a time warp; Tuesday is not March 20. It is March 1. Google isn’t wrong, astronomical spring (based on Earth’s rotation around the sun) is on the vernal or spring equinox. But in the meteorological world, spring begins March 1. “Meteorologists and climatologists break the seasons down into groupings of three months based on the annual temperature cycle as well as our calendar,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) explained. … ” Read more from CNN here: Spring starts tomorrow, at least for meteorologists
Urbanization and surface water loss go together
“The impact of urbanization on surface water loss is expected due to the increase in built and manipulated surfaces as well as roads and other infrastructure, thus changing the spatial distribution of infiltration and recharge, evapotranspiration, and runoff production, and hydrologic connectivity. Palazzoli et al. [2021]processed surface water extent from existing remote sensing data and quantified the changes between 1984 and 2018. … ” Read more from EOS here: Urbanization and surface water loss go together
Engineering firms on trial over Flint water contamination
“A federal civil trial over lead-contaminated water in Flint, Michigan, began Monday against two companies that are not part of a massive settlement agreement over the crisis. Attorneys for four children sued engineering companies Veolia North America and Lockwood, Andrews & Newman, or LAN, for negligence over their alleged role in the contamination. The companies are not part of a $626.5 million settlement approved last year. Representing the plaintiffs, attorney Corey Stern of Levy Konigsberg used his opening statement to chart a timeline of what he termed as “unreasonable” behavior from the engineering companies, which he accused of bypassing critical testing and treatment. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Engineering firms on trial over Flint water contamination
EPA, Army select 10 roundtables for WOTUS feedback
“Yesterday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Department of the Army announced the selection of ten roundtables to discuss the implications of possible “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) definitions. The agencies will work with each geographically varied roundtable to facilitate discussion on an implementation of WOTUS, while highlighting regional differences. “EPA and Army are committed to listening to all sides and working to foster a common-ground approach to WOTUS that protects our environment and is informed by the experience of those who steward our waters day-in and day-out,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Radhika Fox. … ” Read more from the Water World here: EPA, Army select 10 roundtables for WOTUS feedback
SCOTUS probes EPA power as climate scientists sound alarm
“The Supreme Court yesterday signaled interest in curbing EPA’s role in tackling climate change — just hours after a major scientific report warned that the damaging effects of a warming planet will be worse than previously predicted and that governments aren’t doing enough. In what could be the most important environmental case in decades, the justices yesterday appeared sympathetic to claims from Republican-led states and coal industry interests that EPA has limited authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate carbon emissions from existing power plants. Arguments in the case, West Virginia v. EPA, coincided with the release of a landmark U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called an “atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership.” … ” Read more from E&E News here: SCOTUS probes EPA power as climate scientists sound alarm
Climate change will mean more expensive grocery bills for everyone, according to new IPCC report
“The topline of the official press release of the latest report by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls global warming “a threat to human wellbeing and health of the planet,” while optimistically noting that “taking action now can secure our future.” What is left unsaid in the release, but made clear in the report’s 3,675 exhaustively researched pages, is that not taking enough action now all but guarantees a world in which food and water scarcities will fuel conflict, misery, and migration. … ” Read more from Time Magazine here: Climate change will mean more expensive grocery bills for everyone, according to new IPCC report
US Climate risks are rising – a scientist looks at the dangers her children will have to adapt to, from wildfires to water scarcity
“When I was a young researcher studying how forested ecosystems recover from wildfire, I brought my 6-month-old daughter with me to Yellowstone National Park. These forests are incredibly resilient to wildfire because they’ve been adapting to it for 10,000 years. Their story of resilience was a hopeful narrative as I began my research career and brought my children into this complex world. Fast forward to today: My daughter is now in college, and we are facing a much different fire regime in a hotter, drier world. In the western U.S., the area burned by wildfires has doubled since the mid-1980s compared to natural levels. Wildfires are now more common, from the tundra to the tropics. And the U.S. is seeing fires year-round. … ” Read more from The Conversation here: US Climate risks are rising – a scientist looks at the dangers her children will have to adapt to, from wildfires to water scarcity
The week ahead forecast …
Dr. Michael Anderson, California’s State Climatologist, releases forecast updates during the wet season providing a brief overview of the most recent storm impacts, upcoming precipitation forecasts, and outlooks for the coming month.
20220228_WeekAheadForecastAlso on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE OF PREPARATION for Temporary Change Involving the Proposed Transfer from Water Right Holders in the Sacramento Valley to Various State Water Project And Central Valley Project Contractors
NOTICE OF PREPARATION for Temporary Change Involving the Proposed Transfer from Water Right Holders in the Sacramento Valley to the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority
SAN JOAQUIN RIVER RESTORATION PROGRAM: Updated 2022 Restoration Allocation & Default Flow Schedule
