WEEKLY WATER NEWS DIGEST for April 24-29: Voluntary agreements, PFAS in California, Millions of Californians under new water restrictions, and 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 …

CA WATER LAW SYMPOSIUM: Voluntary agreements: Are the promises enough or is it just a signpost on the way to more litigation?

Attorneys Richard Roos-Collins, Doug Obegi, Jennifer Buckman, and Peter Prows discuss the pros and cons of the voluntary agreements

Voluntary agreements offer a potential alternative to flow standards imposed unilaterally by state agencies on water users. In theory, the agreements are voluntary commitments to both restore habitat and provide certain levels of flows in vulnerable waterways to support aquatic habitat and instream beneficial uses.

Many organizations have spent countless hours working together to craft such voluntary agreements in ways that protect fish and other wildlife and have less negative social and economic impacts than regulatory requirements. But in practice, the voluntary agreements have been contentious, and some question whether they can provide the benefits they promise.

Are the promises in the MOU enough? What does it mean if only half of the watershed is covered by the MOU? Would voluntary agreements speed things up or slow things down? At the 2022 California Water Law Symposium, a panel of lawyers with various viewpoints discussed the voluntary agreements.

Click here to read this article.

STATE WATER BOARD: PFAS in California

Per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (or PFAS) are a group of manufactured compounds widely used in industrial and consumer products because they are resistant to heat, water, and oil. PFAS are commonly found in products such as non-stick cookware, furniture, clothing, cosmetics, lubricants, paint, carpets, pizza boxes, popcorn bags, and many others. They are highly resistant to degradation, and, as a result, PFAS may not be completely removed during standard wastewater treatment processes and may be released into the environment. The possible occurrence of PFAS in water being used to recharge California’s depleted aquifers – a key component of SGMA – is particularly concerning.

In March 2019, the State Water Resources Control Board began a program of phased investigations of drinking water supplies and various businesses throughout the state thought to have the highest likelihood of releasing PFAS to the environment, such as airports, landfills, and drinking water wells near those sites. Although the areas with the most PFAS contamination are concentrated largely in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties, contaminated wells are found statewide in both rural and urban areas.

At the April 5 meeting of the State Water Board, staff updated the board members on the results of the ongoing studies and the Board’s efforts to address PFAS.

Click here to read this article.

GUEST COMMENTARY: As the drought worsens, there are two plans to protect water: one keeps water flowing for now, the other for decades to come

Guest commentary by Ruth Martinez (Ducor Water Board Member) and Roger Dickinson (Co-author of SGMA)

On March 28th, Governor Newsom signed an executive order intended to protect the majority of Californians who rely on groundwater for their water supply. This order requires local well drilling permits to align with groundwater sustainability plans before being approved. Local groundwater agencies must now review each permit and determine how the new well would impact existing nearby wells, and the groundwater sustainability plan for that basin.

We applaud Governor Newsom’s commitment to bolstering conservation efforts. But the Governor’s order is only a temporary solution. Executive orders may be overturned by the current Governor or a coming one. But there is a permanent solution to protect the water California’s families need, AB 2201.

Click here to read this article.

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In California water news this week …

6 million Southern Californians face unprecedented order to conserve water

“Unprecedented water restrictions are in store for about 6 million Southern Californians, a sign of deepening drought in counties that depend on water piped from the state’s parched reservoirs. The Metropolitan Water District’s board voted unanimously today to require six major water providers and the dozens of cities and local districts they supply to impose one of two options: limit residents to outdoor watering once a week or reduce total water use below a certain target. The water providers must have plans to police their customers, and if they fail to impose the restrictions, they could face fines of $2,000 for every extra acre-foot of water that exceeds their monthly allocation limits, starting in June, according to Metropolitan. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: 6 million Southern Californians face unprecedented order to conserve water

Why some SoCal neighborhoods face dire water cuts while others escape restrictions

“Major water restrictions are about to take effect in areas ranging from Rancho Cucamonga to Thousand Oaks, and Baldwin Park to North Hollywood. But many nearby areas will escape the mandatory one-day-a-week watering limits — among them Santa Monica, Long Beach, Torrance and Beverly Hills. Why? The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has targeted these first-ever water restrictions for areas that rely heavily or entirely on the State Water Project — a Northern California water supply that officials say faces a real risk of running dry. Areas that receive water from the Colorado River and other sources will be spared — at least for now. It’s a strategy whose wisdom has divided experts. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Why some SoCal neighborhoods face dire water cuts while others escape restrictions

Southern California gets drastic water cutbacks amid drought. What’s next for Sacramento?

“What might this mean for Sacramento? California’s urban water shortage rules California’s urban water suppliers are required under state law to maintain a water shortage contingency plan. Most, including the city of Sacramento and the Sacramento County Water Agency, follow a standard framework laid out by the state Department of Water Resources. That standard, last revised in 2020, includes six shortage levels in which restrictions are gradually increased. Levels 1 through 5 correspond with targets of limiting water usage by 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50%, respectively. Level 6 calls for saving more than 50%. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Southern California gets drastic water cutbacks amid drought. What’s next for Sacramento?

Coastal Commission staff says Poseidon’s ocean-to-tap water plant should not be built

“Poseidon Water’s long-running, controversial effort to turn the ocean off Huntington Beach into tap water for much of Orange County suffered a potentially fatal blow Monday, April 25 when staff for the California Coastal Commission released a report saying the project should not be built. Citing a range of economic and social factors, including environmental damages from the proposed plant and the company’s track record for slow-walking environmental projects that would offset harm caused by its existing desalination plant in Carlsbad, the staff recommended that the commissioners vote against approving the project May 12 when they hold a public hearing in Costa Mesa. “Due to this project’s fundamental inconsistencies with the Coastal Act … as well as its unclear but likely significant burdens on environmental justice communities, staff is recommending denial of the project.” … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Coastal Commission staff says Poseidon’s ocean-to-tap water plant should not be built

Third year of drought pushes price of water to $2,000 an acre foot

“A sale of agricultural water within the Panoche Water District on the upper west side of the San Joaquin Valley hit the eye-popping price of $2,000 per acre foot recently. The buyer bought 668 acre feet in a deal that was brokered by Nat DiBuduo with Alliance Ag Services. The buyer, whose name was withheld, was willing to pay that cost to assure the future of his crops this year, according to the brokerage company. Last year, the same sellers, also unnamed, sold water for $1,648 and $1,800 per acre foot, indicating how a third year of drought is pushing up the price of water, according to the broker. ... ” Read more from SJV Water here: Third year of drought pushes price of water to $2,000 an acre foot

Department of Water Resources aquifer surveys will help bolster groundwater supply

“For the past year, California’s Department of Water Resources has been taking measurements of aquifers in central and southern parts of the state. The same will be done for the Sacramento Valley over the next several weeks. This project, which is known as an Airborne Electromagnetic (AEM) Survey, is a direct result of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which calls for local and state water agencies to work together to better understand and manage groundwater supply. AEM surveys are taken using a helicopter that carries a special set of instruments suspended on a large ring below the aircraft ... ” Read more from KCRA here: Department of Water Resources aquifer surveys will help bolster groundwater supply

California salmon are swimming in a cool mountain creek for first time in a century, after a little help from humans

“For 100 years, no salmon have made it to their historic habitat in a tributary of the Sacramento River due to dams on its lower reaches. Now, with the river’s population of winter-run chinook dwindling to crisis levels due the worsening drought, wildlife managers are taking unprecedented action to save them. Last week, for the first time, they began trucking adult fish, two or three at a time, to the upper reaches of Battle Creek at the border of Tehama and Shasta counties, which was part of the population’s historic habitat before the flow was dammed. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: California salmon are swimming in a cool mountain creek for first time in a century, after a little help from humans

Ag well drilling still under a cloud of confusion from Gov. Newsom’s drought order

“Gov. Newsom’s emergency drought order that singled out agricultural wells for extra scrutiny is continuing to cause confusion and angst in some parts of the San Joaquin Valley, while other areas are stutter-stepping forward. Selma raisin farmer Tony Panoo was happy to finally have his well drilled on Monday after several tense weeks when his permit application was stuck between Fresno County and the Central Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers his 20-acre vineyard. “It relieves a lot of pressure,” said Panoo, who relies on the small farm as his only source of income and did not have an alternate source of water. … ” Read more from SJV Water here: Ag well drilling still under a cloud of confusion from Gov. Newsom’s drought order

Valley’s ‘water blueprint’ makes splash with statewide push for $6.5bil in water funds

“A coalition of water stakeholder organizations from across California joined together to send a letter addressed to Gov. Gavin Newsom and six key legislators requesting action to address water issues. The nine page document dated April 19, 2022 was signed by 18 organizations and entities including the San Joaquin Valley Water Blueprint and 10 Southern California, four Bay Area and three trade groups. The letter laid out the need to include a $6.5 billion appropriation in the 2022-2023 General Fund budget to strengthen statewide drought and flood resilience. The letter states, “The only way to avoid a calamitous water shortage and subsequent environmental and economic degradation is to improve the adaptive management capacity of our current water system . . .” … ” Continue reading at the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Valley’s ‘water blueprint’ makes splash with statewide push for $6.5bil in water funds

Hurtado’s ag, water bills advance in Senate

“Two bills authored by Democratic State Senator Melissa Hurtado, who represents the 14^th district that includes Porterville, advanced in the Senate on Wednesday. SB 1219, Hurtado’s State Water Resiliency and Modernization Act passed the Senate Environmental Quality Committee. Hurtado’s bill to prevent foreign purchases of agricultural property, SB 1064, the Food and Farm Security Act also passed the Senate Agricultural Committee 4-0. “California is experiencing a water shortage, one that touches on all aspects of our life,” said Hurtado, commenting on SB 1219. … ” Read more from the Porterville Recorder here: Hurtado’s ag, water bills advance in Senate

Central Valley farmer’s bold water experiment setting example for California

“A Central Valley farmer, whose bold experiment of flooding his vineyards and orchards with floodwaters in order to replenish the underground aquifer, has led other farmers in the drought-ravaged region to follow suit. In 2011 Don Cameron — who for 40 years has run Terranova Ranch in Helm near Fresno — decided to re-route the year’s overflowing bounty of rain from the King’s River to his wine grape vineyard, allowing the vines to stand in more than a foot of water for five months. His notion was that rather than allow the occasional floodwater to flow past farmlands during the crops’ off-season, he could pump the water onto his vineyard to protect against flood and at the same time re-feed the diminishing water table. Predictably, the reaction from his fellow farmers wasn’t enthusiasm. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Central Valley farmer’s bold water experiment setting example for California

California regulators banned fracking wastewater for irrigation, but allow wastewater from oil drilling. Scientists say there’s little difference

“California prohibits farmers from growing crops with chemical-laced wastewater from fracking. Yet the state still allows them to use water produced by conventional oil drilling—a chemical soup that contains many of the same toxic compounds. When rumors spread several years ago that California was growing some of the nation’s nuts, citrus and vegetables with wastewater produced from hydraulic fracturing, known as fracking, regulators said that would be illegal. Advances in fracking, a process that injects high-pressure chemical mixtures and sand into underground rock formations to stimulate the release of fossil fuels, revolutionized oil and gas extraction in the United States. But it alarmed environmental, public health and consumer groups, who were concerned that the massive quantities of highly toxic wastewater produced during fracking posed unacceptable threats to groundwater, ecosystems and communities. ... ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: California regulators banned fracking wastewater for irrigation, but allow wastewater from oil drilling. Scientists say there’s little difference

How rising groundwater caused by climate change could devastate coastal communities

“Fae Saulenas does not want your sympathy. Saulenas, along with her 46-year-old daughter Lauren, spent last winter—their covid winter—in Saugus, Massachusetts, in a house without a working furnace. Saulenas is in her 70s. Lauren, because of brain injuries she experienced in the womb, is quadriplegic, blind, and affected by a seizure disorder, among other disabilities. In winter, it’s not unusual for overnight temperatures in Saugus to dip into the teens. The two could not long survive without heat, so absent a furnace, they relied on a space heater. But the cost of electricity to power it was $750 in February alone, and it warmed only a single bedroom. Saulenas doesn’t tell this story to engender sympathy but, rather, as a warning. The water table, she says, is rising—seeping into gas lines and corroding furnaces from the inside out. That’s what happened to hers. And she wants you to know that if you live anywhere near a coast—even one, two, three miles away—that water might be coming for you too. … ” Read more from MIT Technology Review here: How rising groundwater caused by climate change could devastate coastal communities

Responsible Flushing Alliance publishes new infographic educating the public on the strangest items found in California catch basins

“Today, the Responsible Flushing Alliance (RFA) published a new infographic highlighting some of the strangest objects that have been pulled out of municipal wastewater treatment catch basins in three California areas. A Spanish version of the infographic is also available. RFA partnered with the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, Orange County Sanitation District, and San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to identify the foreign objects that are damaging our sewer systems. Using Earth Day as a launching pad, RFA and the wastewater industry are hoping the infographic brings greater awareness to the challenges caused by improper waste disposal. Consumers are urged to look for the “Do Not Flush” symbol on the packaging of wipes that are not intended by the manufacturer to be flushable. ... ” Read more from Business Wire here: Responsible Flushing Alliance publishes new infographic educating the public on the strangest items found in California catch basins

Feds, state to spend hundreds of millions to plug ‘orphan’ oil wells

“Big money is on the way to supercharge California’s efforts to plug so-called orphan oil wells, which pollute the environment but have no legal owner. In recent years, California has spent $9 million to plug 70 of the more than 5,300 aging, abandoned wells littering the state. Wade Crowfoot, secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency, said the bipartisan infrastructure law is expected to add another $165 million to the cleanup. “Our folks are identifying where orphan wells present the biggest health and safety risk and will prioritize communities that face the largest environmental burden,” Crowfoot explained. … ” Read more from the Public News Service here: Feds, state to spend hundreds of millions to plug ‘orphan’ oil wells

The ethics and economics of trading water futures

“Ninety percent of North America’s surface freshwater is in the Great Lakes. So every now and then, the Great Lakes are proposed as a solution to drought in the American West. There’s been speculation about piping water to Idaho, Phoenix or Las Vegas. But some say the more immediate danger is commodifying water, including trading water on a futures market. “I think water is a human right, and I don’t think we should be speculating or trading in human rights,” said Dave Dempsey, author of “Great Lakes for Sale.” Dempsey has more than 35 years of experience as an environmental policy analyst, working for the Michigan Environmental Council, the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and the International Joint Commission. … ” Read more from Interlochen Public Radio here: The ethics and economics of trading water futures

Newsom reveals new plan to tackle California heat waves

“As California faces rising temperatures and more frequent deadly heatwaves, Governor Gavin Newsom released an Extreme Heat Action Plan on Thursday, a year after passing an $800 million budget for heat resilience. Now, $300 million is allocated for the action plan. This 65-page plan covers a variety of communities, businesses and environments, from California’s agriculture laborers to using cooling, porous building materials. Of course, weather protections aren’t the only things covered; energy efficiency and sustainable building practices are the backbones of the EHAP. One piece of this comprehensive plan is the Low-Income Weatherization Project — a program that offers solar panels and energy-efficient upgrades at no cost to the homeowner. There are a variety of similar initiatives ranging from HVAC repairs to energy surveys and retrofits for schools and other public agencies. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Newsom reveals new plan to tackle California heat waves

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In commentary this week …

Water rights, and wrongs, in California

Kate Poole, Senior Director of the Water Division at NRDC writes, “California’s water laws and history are a fascinating reflection of the values of our State. On the one hand, we have some of the most progressive, far-reaching laws on the books – laws that direct that water be used for the public good and that how we use our water resources can and should change over time to reflect changing public values. On the other hand, it often seems that our decisionmakers are utterly captive to entrenched, powerful interests that hoard water for private gain and deprive most of us of the value of this public resource, despite overwhelming public support for prioritizing the use of water to provide clean drinking water for all and to protect public resources such as healthy rivers and fisheries. It’s time that California’s water management caught up with current realities and lived up to the laws on the books. … ” Read more from the NRDC here: Water rights, and wrongs, in California

You can have a new showerhead, but you can’t have any new water

Opinion columnist Susan Shelley writes, “You can have a new showerhead, but you can’t have any new water. That’s the policy in California, apparently. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and SoCalGas once sent out an “Energy and Water Efficiency Starter Kit” to every customer that included two low-flow showerheads and three faucet aerators “at no cost or obligation to you,” according to the package insert. Check your utility bills on that point. Nothing’s free. You may have paid more for those showerheads than some people pay for spa vacations. There’s now a well entrenched bureaucracy devoted to lecturing Californians about the scarcity of water. Conservation rules that were ordered during drought “emergencies” have quietly become permanent, and long-held water rights have been disrupted by legislation that imposed regulations on groundwater for the first time in state history. ... ” Read more from the LA Daily News here: You can have a new showerhead, but you can’t have any new water

Farm regions deserve a voice on protecting aquifers

Danny Merkley, director of water resources for the California Farm Bureau, writes, “California’s farmers and ranchers are under enormous stress entering a third year of unrelenting drought. Family farms and ranches have seen their access to surface water severely curtailed. There isn’t enough water for irrigation. Water rights holders are denied diversions while state officials instead work to increase unimpaired river flows. We are in the slow implementation of the Water Storage Improvement Program authorized by 2014’s Proposition 1, the voter-approved initiative that has yet to deliver the promised infrastructure to boost our water supply. Meanwhile, state policies and regulations are now effectively closing our water checking accounts—by denying use of surface water—and restricting access to our water savings accounts—by imposing burdens on the pumping of groundwater. ... ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Farm regions deserve a voice on protecting aquifers

CEQA attacks come as our warming planet most needs the law

John Buse, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity, writes, “If the recent attacks on California’s landmark environmental law sound tired, that’s because they are. Ever since the California Environmental Quality Act went into effect in 1970, there have been calls to tweak, reform or completely throw it out. The regulations stifle the economy, developers say. The environmental review is too cumbersome, politicians argue. As a longtime environmental attorney, I’ve heard them all. But as the climate crisis intensifies, opponents of the state’s premier environmental law are starting to sound tone deaf. CEQA requires developers and decisionmakers to analyze and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental impacts of a project before approval. The law is effective at protecting public health, saving wildlife habitat and advancing environmental justice. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: CEQA attacks come as our warming planet most needs the law

Food security is national security

Dr. Michael Shires, associate dean for strategy and special projects and an associate professor of public policy at the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, writes, “California is an agricultural giant, providing more than half of all domestically grown vegetables, fruits, and nuts. A quarter of the nation’s food is produced in the Central Valley, an agricultural singularity that boasts a unique combination of soil, climate, and weather that enables the Valley to feed millions around the country. As California’s historic drought reaches its third year, many farms in the Central Valley will once again receive a zero percent allocation from the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley Project. This lack of water has devastating implications not just for our country’s food supply but for our country’s national security as well. … ” Read more from Real Clear Policy here: Food security is national security

Droughts are ravaging the US — it’s time to get serious about water recycling

Craig Lichty, client director and vice president for Black & Veatch and president of the WateReuse Association, and Patricia Sinicropi, executive director of the WateReuse Association, write, “Following the release of a dire new International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report this month, which warns of accelerating threats to our environment and society, community leaders from across the country are convening in Washington, D.C. for Water Week 2022. From today through Saturday, Water Week organizers will send a strong message to Congress and the administration about the need to secure our water future. Water recycling is a particularly critical tool for mitigating the impacts of climate change. Water recycling can bring relief to communities ravaged by drought, provide flood control during periods of intense rain and produce water safe for any use. … ” Read more from The Hill here: Droughts are ravaging the US — it’s time to get serious about water recycling

Delta voluntary agreements are a “plan to fail” in droughts

Doug Obegi, Director of California River Restoration for the NRDC, writes, “Rather than planning for droughts and ensuring that minimum water quality objectives are achieved in critically dry years, the proposed voluntary agreement appears to be a “plan to fail” to protect the Delta in future droughts. Droughts are a fact of life in California, even as climate change is making them worse. The Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio recognizes the need to improve drought preparedness, requiring that the State to be able to protect fish and wildlife during a six year drought (recommendation 26.3). That recommendation is crucial because instead of being prepared for droughts and ensuring that water quality objectives that protect fish and wildlife are met, the State’s current “plan” for droughts is to declare an emergency and violate minimum water quality standards, devastating native fish and wildlife — and the thousands of jobs that depend on their health. … ” Read more from the NRDC here: Delta voluntary agreements are a “plan to fail” in droughts

If droughts are predictable because they self-propagate, not planning for them is irresponsible

Hank Campbell writes, “Everyone knows droughts are bad. They increase risk of wildfires and damage life in the affected region. They are not always predictable, when I lived in Pennsylvania in the early 1990s there was a drought with no known mechanism involved, but they are often cyclical, which makes them at least broadly predictable. The Dry 2 Dry program at Ghent University believes droughts are not only predictable and cyclical, they can propagate in a kind of feedback loop; instead of being local, evaporated water is moved to other areas, so less of it is taking drought with them. If so, that is even more reason California government needs to obey the laws it is bound to follow and create more water storage. It is the goal of science and technology to not let fickle nature hold us hostage. … ” Read more from Science 2.0 here: If droughts are predictable because they self-propagate, not planning for them is irresponsible

What the Supreme Court’s ruling on clean water means for rivers

Amy Souers Kober, Vice President of Communications for American Rivers, writes, “Clean water is essential to all life. As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act this year, we should be moving forward – not backward – when it comes to safeguarding clean, accessible, safe, affordable water for all. But the U.S. Supreme Court recently issued an unfortunate ruling on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Kelly Catlett, director of hydropower reform at American Rivers, breaks down what the ruling means, and what’s next. ... ” Continue reading at American Rivers here: What the Supreme Court’s ruling on clean water means for rivers

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In regional water news this week …

Northern California farmers facing water cutbacks band together

“Farmers and ranchers in the rural Scott Valley of Northern California are banding together to advocate for farms as the area faces the potential loss of 100% of its irrigation water this summer. Farmers call their new group the Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance, or Scott Valley AgWA. The group formed to educate the public about what it calls “unfair” water regulations issued by the State Water Resources Control Board — drought emergency regulations for the Scott River, a tributary of the Klamath River, that would halt all irrigation if the river dips below new minimum levels. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Northern California farmers facing water cutbacks band together

Butte farmers propose new water district

“A group of Butte County farmers, who rely solely on groundwater to farm mostly tree crops north of Chico, are one step closer to finalizing formation of a new water district. They say the new district will help future generations comply with a state regulation to bring groundwater supplies into balance in 20 years. “Water is our lifeblood, and we have to manage it and be able to fight for our future,” said Butte County farmer Darren Rice, who grows almonds north of Chico. “And to do that, you have to be on an even playing field with the other players that are already in the game managing water.” Rice said California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act puts “a challenge in front of us to manage our aquifer responsibly.” It was a challenge they were determined to address. Local farmers consulted with water districts, Rice said, and they “got a sense of how they were empowered” in order to create a local agency that could “meet the challenges that SGMA demanded.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Butte farmers propose new water district

Where will the North Coast get its water if drought becomes common?

“With parts of the North Coast facing what forecasters say is shaping up to be “extreme drought” this year, the region’s water managers are busy exploring near- and long-term options. But new large reservoirs like Lake Sonoma and Lake Mendocino aren’t among them. Even as the first of seven large reservoirs funded by the 2014 $2.7 billion California water bond is set to get under construction elsewhere in the state, agency officials and local lawmakers say the regulatory and political environment has shifted dramatically from decades ago when the Golden State’s big water catchments were constructed. Beyond eking out capacity in the region’s existing reservoirs, the long-term answer for increasing water supply in the most stressed areas, they say, likely will be below ground, rather than above. … ” Read more from the North Bay Business Journal here: Where will the North Coast get its water if drought becomes common?

Bigger ‘bomb cyclones’ could deluge Bay Area in coming decades, climate study finds

“Extreme storms like the massive bomb cyclone that drenched the San Francisco Bay Area last October are likely to become more powerful in the coming decades as climate change alters atmospheric conditions. The Bay Area could see between 26% and 37% more water from these mega-storms by the end of the century, according to a new study from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory commissioned by the city. Dennis Herrera, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission general manager, said the city commissioned the study to help prepare for increasing weather volatility, so San Francisco’s infrastructure is not overwhelmed by stormwater in addition to rising seas. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Bigger ‘bomb cyclones’ could deluge Bay Area in coming decades, climate study finds

New water restrictions coming to 1.4 million East Bay residents

“Highlighting a growing trend as California’s severe drought extends into a third summer, 1.4 million East Bay residents will see new crackdowns on water use — the first since 2016 — under rules approved Tuesday. The board of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, a government agency based in Oakland, voted 6-1 to declare a drought emergency, to seek a 10% reduction in water use from 2020 levels and to limit landscape watering to no more than three days a week in its service area, which extends from Hayward to Crockett and includes Oakland, Walnut Creek and Richmond. The district also will consider at an upcoming meeting in May a drought surcharge of 2% to 8% on all customer bills. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: New water restrictions coming to 1.4 million East Bay residents

Monterey: The state says the Peninsula must build, but also holds back on water

“Right on time, the Monterey Peninsula, along with the rest of the region, learned on April 21 how many new housing units the state not only expects, but will require, it to plan to build between 2023 and 2031. Historically, for the Peninsula, this has been as awkward as a relationship between local and state government can get. The local governments here agree they need to add housing, yet the region, served by water utility California American Water, remains under a cease and desist order from the state that has, for years, barred adding new water connections. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly here: The state says the Peninsula must build, but also holds back on water

Madera County farmers feel the pain of groundwater rules

“The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is not a new topic, but it is new territory for some. In Madera County, the harsh consequences of this new California regulation have been reality for the last couple of years, and now the pain is starting to set in. Madera County is groundwater-dependent. Some may argue that we have access to surface water, but for those of us in the water world, we know that surface-water deliveries are not nearly as reliable as they were many years ago. As surface-water supplies vanish in drought years, as in the last two, what we have left to irrigate our crops comes from the aquifer. Last summer, the Madera County Board of Supervisors adopted an allocation for acreage under the County Groundwater Sustainability Agency within Madera, Chowchilla and Delta-Mendota subbasins, much of which has no access to surface water. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Valley farmers feel the pain of groundwater rules

L.A.’s historic water shortage won’t affect San Diegans

“Los Angeles did something Tuesday it’s never done before: it prohibited about 6 million Angelenos from watering outdoor landscapes except for one day a week. San Diego is spared from mandatory cuts or changes to its water use, because San Diego doesn’t currently take any water from northern California through the State Water Project. One reason is San Diego doesn’t have any pipelines that connect directly to the State Water Project’s 444-mile-long aqueduct. ... ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego here: L.A.’s historic water shortage won’t affect San Diegans

Colorado River states agree to federal request to hold back water in Lake Powell

“In a letter sent Friday, the seven states that use the Colorado River agreed with the U.S. Department of Interior and recommended that federal water managers take an emergency action aimed at stabilizing a dwindling Lake Powell, one of the main storage reservoirs on the river. Earlier this month, federal water managers warned the states, including Nevada, that they were considering an emergency action to hold water back in Lake Powell, an attempt to stabilize the reservoir at serious risk of losing the ability to generate hydropower and deliver water to Page, Arizona, a city with roughly 7,500 residents, and the LeChee Chapter of the Navajo Nation. … ” Read more from the Nevada Independent here: Colorado River states agree to federal request to hold back water in Lake Powell