WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for Feb. 27-March 4: Three Delta Agencies: Who they are and what they do; SGMA implementation update; GHG & carbon budgets; plus all the top water news of the week

A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …

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This week’s featured articles …

FEATURE: Three Delta Agencies: Who they are and what they have planned for 2022

Over the years, the state has established three Delta-focused agencies, each with different missions and responsibilities: The Delta Stewardship Council, the Delta Protection Commission, and the Delta Conservancy. In this post, I’ll tell you what these agencies do and what they have planned for 2022.

Click here to read this article.

CA WATER COMMISSION: Update on SGMA Implementation

At the February meeting of the California Water Commission, Tim Godwin, Supervising Engineering Geologist at California Department of Water Resources, provided an update on SGMA implementation, including an overview of the groundwater sustainability plans that DWR has reviewed to date and the approach and timeline for reviewing the plans submitted in January 2022.

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.

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.

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In California water news this week …

Skimpy state snowpack points to another long dry summer

“California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted its third snow survey of the season and the outlook is not good for the state’s water users. The survey recorded 35 inches of snow at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains below Lake Tahoe. That’s about 68% of average for this time of year. Statewide, snowpack is 63% of average. The measurements come after the driest January and February in California’s recorded history. “With only one month left in California’s wet season and no major storms in the forecast, Californians should plan for a third year of drought conditions,” said Karla Nemeth, director of DWR, in a press release. … ” Read more from SJV Water here: Skimpy state snowpack points to another long dry summer

California drought, Australia floods: Two sides of La Niña amplified by climate change

“California just notched its driest January and February on record, sounding alarms about a third year of record drought. Across the Pacific Ocean, thousands are fleeing record flooding in Australia. Officials in Brisbane reported 31 inches of rain in six days, and Jonathan Howe, a government meteorologist quoted by the Associated Press, called the amount of rainfall “astronomical.” Meanwhile, in the eastern Horn of Africa, prolonged drought is raising the frightening specter of famine for millions. All of these are related as a multiyear La Niña event, amplified by the effects of climate change, brings consecutive years of drought to some parts of the world and torrential rain to others. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: California drought, Australia floods: Two sides of La Niña amplified by climate change

Drought is killing wild salmon. Wildlife managers hope an extra half-million babies can help

“Scientists estimate that only 6% of the eggs that wild winter-run chinook salmon laid in the Sacramento River last summer survived the punishing drought, so wildlife officials are taking drastic actions to keep the endangered population going. On Wednesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 400,000 juvenile salmon from a hatchery into the river, after releasing almost 125,000 last month. That’s more than double the number of fish they released in 2020 — the first year of the drought — and 220,000 more than last year, to bolster the struggling population of winter-run chinook. Federal scientists are monitoring this year’s cohort to see how well the smolt survive the 352-mile journey from the base of Shasta Dam to the Golden Gate by attaching acoustic tags to hundreds of hatchery fish. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Drought is killing wild salmon. Wildlife managers hope an extra half-million babies can help

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

Water manager urges patience with SGMA

“Aaron Fukuda is frustrated with discussions in Sacramento over reforming water rights. Fukuda, who manages the Tulare Irrigation District and leads a local groundwater sustainability agency, explained his concerns to the State Board of Food and Agriculture during a meeting this week on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. He was specifically pushing back on a new white paper from a group of law scholars that encourages the Legislature to revise the state’s water laws to better account for drought and climate change. Fukuda argued that “opening up water rights” for fully appropriated streams would divert critical resources from sustainability projects to instead cover court fees, and “that, in my mind, is a bad place to be.” ... ” Read more from Agri-Pulse here: Water manager urges patience with SGMA

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

Congressman LaMalfa leads letter requesting more flexible water operations in water year 2022

“Yesterday, Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R – Calif) led a group of California Congressional Members in a letter to the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) requesting them to jointly resubmit a Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) for Water Year 2022 to the California State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) to lower operational requirements over the next several months due to the worsening drought conditions. Members of the California delegation, including Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R – Calif), Congressman Ken Calvert (R – Calif), Congressman Tom McClintock (R – Calif), and Congressman David Valadao (R – Calif) joined. Due to the current low reservoir storage levels, this year’s precipitation data, and forecasted weather conditions Members are concerned about drought conditions worsening hydrologic operations, and water flow releases unable to meet Delta outflow and salinity requirements. The TUCP would provide the necessary modifications to preserve upstream water storage due to precipitation and snowpack levels remaining low. … ” Read more from Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s website here: Congressman LaMalfa leads letter requesting more flexible water operations in water year 2022

Climate change identified as contributor to Oroville Dam spillway incident

“A one-two punch of precipitation resulted in damage to Oroville Dam’s main and emergency spillways pushing the second largest dam in California into a crisis in February 2017. Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and colleagues say in a new study that they have identified the fingerprint of climate change in the events that triggered the incident. Issues with the dam’s spillways led to the evacuation of 188,000 people who lived in the floodplain of the Feather River some 70 miles north of Sacramento, Calif. Though officials narrowly averted a sudden release of water from behind the emergency spillway holding back the top-most portion of California’s second largest reservoir, the incident demonstrates how difficult it is to balance water supply needs served by full dams with public safety that requires retaining sufficient empty space to capture floodwater. … ” Read more from Scripps Institute of Oceanography here: Climate change identified as contributor to Oroville Dam spillway incident

Fong zeroes in on Newsom zeroing out water storage spending

“With California’s snowpack levels again missing targets for average depth, lawmakers in Sacramento are once again in search of options to strengthen the state’s long-term water resiliency. While doom-and-gloom rain down from the state’s top water agencies, the hunt for viable solutions for long-term fixes has grown into frustration for Bakersfield Republican Vince Fong. Fong, the vice chair of the California State Assembly’s Budget Committee, excoriated Newsom administration officials for failing to include any funding for above-ground water storage in the 2022-2023 budget. “Despite [Newsom] administration officials’ push for conservation, conservation alone cannot solve the state’s scarce water supply,” Fong said in a statement following a Wednesday budget subcommittee hearing. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Fong zeroes in on Newsom zeroing out water storage spending

Officials eyeing 2024 to break ground on the Sites Reservoir

“The Sites Reservoir, a project that has been been decades in the making, is currently on track to break ground in 2024, although for some the project could not come soon enough. When full it could hold enough water to supply 3-million households for one year, helping offer relief during dry periods like we’re experiencing now. “Anything you do to add to the water supply is going to relieve the pressure on the supply we already have,” said Congressman LaMalfa discussing the proposed reservoir. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Officials eyeing 2024 to break ground on the Sites Reservoir

California river and floodplain project restores natural processes

“In California’s Central Valley region, a floodplain and river restoration project is working to turn back the clock on the Yuba River’s gold mining history and reset the equilibrium between natural river functioning and native fish survival. The Hallwood Side Channel and Floodplain Restoration Project is a multiphase, multiyear effort designed to improve habitats in the lower Yuba River for chinook salmon and steelhead trout — members of the salmonid family. When completed by 2023, the project has the potential to enhance or create as much as 157 acres of seasonally inundated riparian floodplain habitats, more than 1.7 mi of perennial side channels and alcoves, and more than 6.1 mi of seasonal side channels, alcoves, and swales. … ” Read more from Civil Engineering Source here: California river and floodplain project restores natural processes

Water in the West: Q&A with Bureau of Reclamation water officials

“The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation — the federal agency that oversees water resource management in 17 Western states — has big projects planned in both its Columbia-Pacific Northwest Region and its California-Great Basin Region. …To preview upcoming projects in the California Great Basin Region, the Capital Press interviewed Ernest Conant, the region’s director. CP: What’s the game plan for the Klamath Basin? I’m looking for specific ideas or plans that are under consideration to alleviate the crisis there. Conant: As you know, (2021) was a terrible year for the Klamath Basin. It was the first year since the project was put in place in 1907 that we delivered no project water. … ” Read the full article at the Capital Press here: Water in the West: Q&A with Bureau of Reclamation water officials

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

Why did California regulators choose a firm with ties to Chevron to study irrigating crops with oil wastewater?

“In 2015, a California water board suddenly found itself under a microscope for allowing farmers to irrigate their crops with oil field wastewater, a practice it had condoned for decades. The California Council on Science and Technology had just revealed that the testing and treatment of hazardous chemicals in oil field wastewater used for irrigation was inadequate, and legislators were demanding increased oversight. They feared that oil companies’ wastewater was threatening groundwater needed for drinking water and growing crops. Faced with heightened scrutiny, the California’s Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board raced to secure a consultant to study the controversial practice and soon settled on GSI Environmental as both qualified and unbiased. … But the board should never have chosen GSI, scientists, public interest activists and former regulators said in interviews … ” Read the full story at Inside Climate News here: Why did California regulators choose a firm with ties to Chevron to study irrigating crops with oil wastewater?

Adventures in Bay-Delta data: Change is afoot in the Delta

“We all know climate change is going to be rough. We expect increases in temperature, changes in rainfall (where, when, and how much), and local extinctions or migration of plants and wildlife as the climate shifts. Climate change can sound abstract and is often spoken of as a phenomenon of the future, despite the changes we are already seeing in our surroundings. These changes affect the San Francisco Estuary and will eventually make it necessary to adjust the way we manage our water in California if we want to lessen the impact on those ecosystems. To better understand the impacts of climate change and to better inform management strategies, a group of Interagency Ecological Program (IEP) scientists wanted to find out how much is known about climate change in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Suisun Bay and Suisun Marsh and how management actions can lessen these effects. To do this, they gathered scientists with broad expertise – from zooplankton to aquatic vegetation – and created the Climate Change Project Work Team. … ” Continue reading from the IEP here: Change is afoot in the Delta

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

California fire led to spike in bacteria, cloudiness in coastal waters

“Scientists analyzed coastal water quality in the months following a major Southern California wildfire. Their results were eye-opening. The November 2018 Woolsey Fire in Southern California’s Los Angeles and Ventura counties left more than a nearly 100,000-acre burn scar behind: It also left the adjacent coastal waters with unusually high levels of fecal bacteria and sediment that remained for months. For a new study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, scientists combined satellite imagery, precipitation data, and water quality reports to assess two standard parameters for coastal water quality after the fire: the presence of fecal indicator bacteria and the turbidity, or cloudiness, of the water. … ” Read more from JPL here: California fire led to spike in bacteria, cloudiness in coastal waters

EcoFarm 2022 and a Talk with Mark Arax

” … Mark Arax’s accomplishments as a journalist and an author can be benevolently overwhelming themselves. Across a decorated career as a longtime L.A. Times reporter and contributor to the likes of The Atlantic, he reveals an uncanny balance between bulldog investigative reporter and poetic storyteller—and between nose-to-the-soil citizen scientist and big-picture philosopher. He’s also deeply connected to his native San Joaquin Valley, which he appropriately calls the world’s biggest agricultural experiment, and where he tends a modest organic stone fruit orchard in his backyard. This connection makes his artful book on the valley’s water crisis, The Dreamt Land: Chasing Water and Dust Across California, that much more personal and powerful. At EcoFarm, he’ll present the March 15 keynote “Water, Land and Power in the Central Valley: Towards an Ecologically Sound and Just Agriculture.” … ” Read an interview with Mark Arax at Edible Monterey here (scroll down): EcoFarm 2022 and a Talk with Mark Arax

Drought, fires and beetles — California’s forests are dying. It is too late to save them?

“With increasing heat and drought across the West, one of the largest tree die-offs in modern California history reached new heights last year and, in combination with wildfires, has left much of the state’s once sprawling green forests browned, blackened and in critically dire shape. An estimated 9.5 million trees died from bugs, disease and dehydration in 2021, according to new aerial survey data from the U.S. Forest Service. The losses were slightly less than what was recorded in surveys two years earlier but still well above what scientists consider normal. The run of mortality since 2010 now exceeds 172 million trees. The epidemic, which started last decade in the southern Sierra Nevada and has since spiraled throughout the state, is contributing to the changing character of California’s 33 million acres of forests. … ” Read more from the SF Chronicle here: Drought, fires and beetles — California’s forests are dying. It is too late to save them?

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In commentary this week …

Editorial: California is failing to prepare for droughts

The Mercury News and East Bay Times Editorial Board writes, “Climate change isn’t a problem for the future. It’s here, and California isn’t remotely prepared to deal with the consequences. The state’s latest snowpack report makes that clear. The Sierra Nevada snowpack provides nearly one-third of California’s water supply. On Tuesday it was at 63% of its historical average for that date. That’s despite the heavy storms in October and December. The months of January and February were the driest in the state’s recorded history, meaning Californians are facing a third consecutive year of severe drought. A study published Feb. 14 notes that the past two decades ranks as the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years in the American West. … ” Continue reading at the Mercury News here: Editorial: California is failing to prepare for droughts

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

Seed funding needed for major water recycling project in Southern California

Adel Hagekhalil, general manager of the Metropolitan Water District, writes, “The Colorado is the second largest river that California depends on, second only to the Sacramento. Its enormous challenges tend to fall into the policy shadows in the Capitol’s water discussions. But climate change is rapidly reducing flows in this important river and that requires bold action. Policymakers in Sacramento have a rare and golden opportunity to be part of a historic collaborative effort toward a broader solution. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is merging forces with urban water districts representing Southern Nevada and Central Arizona to advance one of the nation’s largest recycling projects, located in the city of Carson. Seed funding from Sacramento could help accelerate efforts to build this local supply project that would produce enough high-quality water for 500,000 families for a year, far bigger than any Southland recycling or desalination project that’s been built to date. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Seed funding needed for major water recycling project in Southern California

Vote to reduce plastics and clean up our environment

Assemblymember Cristina Garcia writes, “I still remember the poster on the wall at Bell Gardens Intermediate School back in 1987: “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.” The order of those words mattered, our teachers told us: first, reduce everything we can, then reuse what we can’t reduce, and finally we recycle what’s left. But that’s not how things played out, especially with plastics. Since those fifth-grade days, plastic production and plastic pollution has grown exponentially. Today we are producing about 300 million tons of plastic waste every year: equal to the weight of the entire human population. … ” Read more at Cal Matters here: Vote to reduce plastics and clean up our environment

Congress must act to stop illegal pot grows from polluting national forests in Sierra

Gary Lasky, legal chair of the Sierra Club’s Tehipite chapter, and Rich McIntyre, director of Cannabis Removal on Public Lands Project, write, “Today there are thousands of cartel-controlled marijuana trespass plantings (grows) that are polluting California’s public lands and making many places we love to visit potentially dangerous. These operations have increased throughout California, including in the Sierra foothills and in our national forests where major cannabis farms have been discovered and reclaimed. Local rivers, including the San Joaquin, flow from these public lands, and are the lifeblood for communities, agriculture and wildlife. While many hoped that the legalization of cannabis would curb destructive trespass marijuana growing on our public lands, the unfortunate truth is that it has not. … ” Continue reading at the Fresno Bee here: Congress must act to stop illegal pot grows from polluting national forests in Sierra

Editorial: End drilling in California waters to protect the coast and climate

The Los Angeles Times editorial board writes, “When an undersea pipeline off the Orange County coast spilled thousands of gallons of crude oil last fall and fouled beaches and wetlands, it was only the latest illustration of the serious and ongoing danger of aging oil infrastructure along California’s shoreline. State lawmakers should begin reducing the risks to the coastal environment and the climate by ending drilling in California waters. They have the opportunity to do so by supporting legislation by state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), drafted in response to the October oil spill off Huntington Beach. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Editorial: End drilling in California waters to protect the coast and climate

Editorial: Climate catastrophe is already here. What will it take for the world to act?

The Los Angeles Times editorial board writes, “A new United Nations report blares dire warnings of the escalating effects of climate change: Our planet is no longer on the brink of catastrophe; the catastrophe is well underway. How we respond now will determine how horrific things get for nature and humanity. In a sweeping assessment released Monday by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, scientists from across the globe found that climate change is causing “dangerous and widespread disruption” to billions of people and the natural world. These effects are coming faster and harder than expected, outpacing our efforts and ability to adapt. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Editorial: Climate catastrophe is already here. What will it take for the world to act?

Commentary: for better water system security, we need more carrots, not sticks

Charlie Moskowitz, vice president of policy and government affairs at Security Scorecard, writes, ” … Cybersecurity experts have been sounding alarms about the security of the nation’s critical infrastructure, from financial systems to public utilities, for years. Unlike the financial sector, the water sector is a kaleidoscope of public and private operators ranging from massive behemoths to what could only be described as “mom and pop” operators working on a shoestring budget with only a handful of employees. While the largest utilities may have the expertise and funding needed to maintain strong cybersecurity controls, 90 percent of water utilities across the country service less than 5,000 people. … ” Read the full commentary at Water Finance & Management here: Commentary: for better water system security, we need more carrots, not sticks

For the planet’s sake and our own, we should let rivers run free

Tom Kiernan, President and CEO of American Rivers, writes, “ … The Klamath dam removal project is a substantial step forward in protecting our nation’s rivers — our life support system of fresh, clean water. This free-flowing stretch of the Klamath River will better support the tribes and local communities that rely on native salmon populations, which are being even further threatened by rising temperatures. Still, too many other rivers in the U.S. remain in crisis. Centuries of pollution, industrialization, and disruptions by dams have sapped them of their vitality and resilience. Only a fraction of the 3 million miles of rivers in the U.S. are allowed to flow naturally. Hundreds of thousands of dams and other barriers have a chokehold on rivers nationwide. … ” Read more from Undark Magazine here: For the planet’s sake and our own, we should let rivers run free

What has to be done to survive climate change

San Diego Union-Tribune columnist Michael Smolens writes, “The latest United Nations report on climate change gives another warning that a possible catastrophic future for the planet is coming faster than previously thought. It’s a variation on a familiar theme, only worse. There appears to be no avoiding serious effects of global warming and a shrinking window for mitigation and adaptation to try to minimize them, according to the U.N. report released Monday. Unfortunately, the level of collective worldwide action needed to stave off the worst a hotter world can bring hasn’t materialized. … Meanwhile, it’s well past time to put all strategies on the table, no matter how controversial, unusual or risky they may seem. … ” Read more from Gov Tech here: What has to be done to survive climate change

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In regional water news this week …

Undamming the Klamath may be a reality this year

“Twenty years ago, undamming the Klamath River seemed like an impossibility. Against all odds, the project is entering its home stretch and dam removal may begin as early as this year. On Friday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released a draft environmental impact statement detailing how removing four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River would have permanent and significant benefits for the environment and the public. One of the biggest benefits would be the restoration of water quality and temperatures, which are essential for the survival of fish species in the river that local tribes and fishermen rely upon. “Once again, a thorough analysis by experts reveals dam removal as key for restoring Klamath fisheries and improving water quality,” Yurok Vice Chairman Frankie Myers said in a statement. “Our culture and our fisheries are hanging in the balance. We are ready to start work on dam removal this year.” ... ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Herald here: Undamming the Klamath may be a reality this year

FERC endorses massive Klamath dam removal decades in the making

“Following decades of dispute and review, more than 400 miles of the Klamath River could soon return to a free-flowing state as the nation’s largest dam removal project takes a step forward. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday released its draft environmental impact statement on the removal of four hydroelectric dams — rising a combined total of 411 feet high — known as the Lower Klamath Project. “After taking mitigation into account, the project would have some significant adverse effects, but would provide many significant benefits including the protection and restoration of anadromous fisheries that are of vital importance to the Tribes,” FERC wrote. … ” Read more from E&E News here: FERC endorses massive Klamath dam removal decades in the making

This Tahoe neighborhood destroyed the largest wetland in the Sierra. Now it’s being besieged by bears.

““Use bear-resistant garbage cans.” It’s the first piece of advice on a list of things residents should do to keep Tahoe bears wild. Bear boxes are a common installation in front of homes throughout the Tahoe Basin because they are effective. They prevent bears from accessing human food and garbage — the gateway drug, so to speak, before a bear’s quest to find food leads it farther into human turf, into garages and houses. But in the Tahoe Keys — the neighborhood that’s been in the national news because Hank the Tank and other resident bears have been so active, breaking into at least 28 homes since the fall — bear boxes were prohibited by the property owners association until last year. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: This Tahoe neighborhood destroyed the largest wetland in the Sierra. Now it’s being besieged by bears.

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

Seawater intrusion threatens California’s coastal agriculture. Here’s how the Pajaro Valley is pushing back.

“Seawater intrusion was first documented along California’s coast decades ago. But climate change is amplifying the problem. In the Pajaro Valley, which is known for its apple orchards and strawberry fields, there’s a heavy reliance on groundwater. Years of overuse created space for seawater to creep in. The community formed the Pajaro Valley Water Management District in the early 1980s to explore ways to curb the encroaching seawater, because salty water can’t be consumed or used to irrigate crops. The agency was among the first to submit their plans for California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, enacted in 2014. … ” Read more from KAZU here: Seawater intrusion threatens California’s coastal agriculture. Here’s how the Pajaro Valley is pushing back.

Mounting long-term water needs will require Salinas Valley landowners to tax themselves, and multiple agencies may be asking.

“The Salinas Valley is said to feed the world, but being a fertile powerhouse depends on access to water, an increasingly scarce resource whose future could come down to decisions made in the next few years. The Monterey County Water Resources Agency, as well as Salinas Valley agricultural interests, hope the state will pull $150 million from its roughly $21 billion budget surplus to finance dam repairs at two South County reservoirs. Although MCWRA General Manager Brent Buche says the dams are stable, they are under elevated scrutiny since the destructive failure of the Oroville Dam spillway. If the issues are not addressed by November 2024, the state could cut the reservoirs’ legal capacity. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly here: Mounting long-term water needs will require Salinas Valley landowners to tax themselves, and multiple agencies may be asking.

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)

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