On the calendar today …
- EVENT: Delta Lead Scientist Ask Me Anything at 12:00pm. Join Delta Lead Scientist Dr. Laurel Larsen and the Delta Stewardship Council’s California Sea Grant Social Science Extension Specialist Dr. Jessica Rudnick to discuss the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta’s social science community and recent efforts to integrate social science into general scientific undertakings in the region. The discussion will highlight a new Delta residents survey, how social science research is funded, and the growing Social Science Community of Practice. Questions are encouraged via the Instagram Live comments section. Instagram Live @deltastewardshipcouncil
In California water news today …
Seat for sale? Kings Co. Supervisor emerges as pricey proxy fight over water
“Has a seat on the sleepy Kings County Board of Supervisors become a proxy fight for control of water flows in the southern San Joaquin Valley? It sure looks that way as political youngster Martín Chavez, a member of the Stratford Public Utilities District, has received unprecedented financial backing from Bay Area native and controversial water giant John Vidovich and affiliates. Vidovich, through his company Sandridge Partners, is currently locked in a fight with the Tulare Lake Canal Company over a water pipeline that he is trying to construct in Kings County to connect to a larger interconnected conveyance system. … ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Seat for sale? Kings Co. Supervisor emerges as pricey proxy fight over water
Newsom takes stance on prickly enviro issues
“With the June 7 primary just over a month away, it’s getting harder to separate candidates’ policy positions from their political implications. Although Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to easily sail to reelection, his stances on two controversial environmental topics — shared in editorial board interviews — could anger advocates already frustrated by his administration’s climate strategy. Newsom told the Los Angeles Times editorial board that he may seek to delay the planned 2025 closure of the hotly debated Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, California’s largest electricity source, amid concerns that the state could see rolling blackouts this summer and in the future. … ” Continue reading at Cal Matters here: Newsom takes stance on prickly enviro issues
Drought, labor issues on tap for state board
“The drought and its impacts on labor, communities and drinking water systems will highlight a full agenda for the California Board of Food and Agriculture’s monthly meeting on May 3. The board, which advises the state Department of Food and Agriculture, will also hear from a representative of the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency and receive a presentation on Planting the Seed: Farm to School Roadmap for Success. ... ” Continue reading at the Western Farm Press here: Drought, labor issues on tap for state board
California officers arrest alleged sturgeon poachers, rescue giant fish
“After nearly a yearlong investigation, Sacramento authorities have busted a major sturgeon poaching operation in the area. … According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer Capt. Patrick Foy, sturgeon are facing a serious struggle in California, with the threat of poaching layered on top of a devastating drought season. “We are experiencing a historic-level drought, and it’s creating huge problems for both our salmon and our sturgeon populations,” Foy says. “And we have poachers on top of the drought pressure creating miserable conditions for the sturgeon.” Recreational fishers are only allowed three sturgeon a year — they must be within 30 and 60 inches long — and selling the fish in the state is prohibited. … ” Read more from the Rolling Stone here: California officers arrest alleged sturgeon poachers, rescue giant fish
‘Enough is enough’: Calif. targets Big Oil over plastics
“In a first-of-its-kind legal action, California is interrogating the role of fossil fuel and chemical giants in driving the plastics pollution crisis and deceiving consumers about recycling. California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said yesterday that the state is investigating Exxon Mobil Corp. and other companies for “their role in causing and exacerbating” plastics contamination. Amid scrutiny on greenhouse gas emissions, those entities have sought alternative revenue streams, increasingly eyeing oil-based plastic products as a major money maker. In doing so, however, California believes the companies have misled the public and possibly violated the law. … ” Read more from E&E News here: ‘Enough is enough’: Calif. targets Big Oil over plastics
SEE ALSO: California attorney general subpoenas ExxonMobil, opens major investigation into plastic pollution, from the Mercury News
In commentary today …
Expand and restore Bay wetlands to fight climate change
Carin High, co-chair of the Citizens Committee to Complete the Refuge, a volunteer organization working to protect the San Francisco Bay’s National Wildlife Refuge, and Arthur Feinstein, vice-chair of the Sierra Club California Conservation Committee, write, “The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) from the world’s scientific community leaves no doubt that we must take urgent action on climate change while we still have a chance to prevent the most destructive impacts to the globe’s communities and ecosystems. This report must spur every one of us to look at actions we can take in our region to rapidly reduce emissions and prepare our communities to adapt. More than issuing a wake-up call, this report offers concrete actions that we can take and emphasizes the valuable role of nature-based solutions that reduce climate change risks, while providing numerous benefits to both our communities and the planet. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Expand and restore Bay wetlands to fight climate change
Today’s featured articles …
UPDATE: Delta Stewardship Council denies appeal of Lookout Slough project
At the April meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council during a public hearing, the Council voted to deny the appeal of DWR’s certification of consistency for the Lookout Slough Tidal Habitat Restoration and Flood Improvement Project, clearing the way for the project to move forward.
Click here to read this article.
MONTHLY RESERVOIR REPORT for May 1
Written by Robert Shibatani
The rains that bring May flowers sort of fizzled after what looked momentarily promising…
Across California, federal CVP reservoir storage currently stands at 4.986 million acre-feet (MAF), which is about 58% of the 15-year average, a slight increase in a comparison of averages from this same time a month ago. In fact, when compared to this same time last month, federal reservoir storage actually increased by 278,000 acre-feet (AF) over the past 30-days despite receiving only modest levels of new precipitation around April 20-22. Oroville Reservoir, the largest State reservoir also increased its storage by 241,000 AF over this same period.
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In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Column: Water Board threatens to re-adopt 2021-22 ’emergency’ regulations
“Last week, the newly formed grass-roots Scott Valley Agriculture Water Alliance learned that the State Water Resources Control Board is threatening to re-adopt its current 2021-22 “emergency” regulations for the following 2022-23 year. This is a major concern for local farmers and ranchers, who are trying to stay in business through the next six months of 2022. The Water Board is holding a Zoom meeting on May 4 and is taking verbal public comments on the re-adoption of its water curtailment regulations. … ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: Column: Water Board threatens to re-adopt 2021-22 ’emergency’ regulations
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Lakeport City Council to discuss bond for water system improvements, school resource officer agreement
“The Lakeport City Council this week will discuss a proposal to seek a bond to make improvements in the city’s water infrastructure and will consider a new school resource officer agreement. … Under council business, Assistant City Manager and Finance Director Nick Walker will ask the council to consider options for financing $5.845 million in proposed water system capital improvement projects. … ” Read more from the Lake County News here: Lakeport City Council to discuss bond for water system improvements, school resource officer agreement
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Dreyfuss + Blackford’s reimagining of a decrepit power station breathes new life into the Sacramento riverfront
“Longtime residents of Sacramento and generations of commuters passing through the region know exactly the spot. Joined by a cluster of budget motels on an isolated, wedge-shaped swath of land squeezed between Interstate 5 and the Sacramento River just south of where it meets the American River, for decades has stood as the city’s most conspicuous—and enigmatic—blighted building: a stately, William Polk–designed Beaux-Arts power station completed in 1912 as a shining exemplar of the City Beautiful movement that has been left forsaken for the better part of the last 70 years, fenced-off and frozen in a state of dilapidation within a contaminated, flood-prone site. However, those passing by the Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s old River Station B in recent months have likely noticed a change. … The fences have come down and the graffiti has been scrubbed away in the long-awaited redevelopment of the five-and-a-half-acre site into the SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity, or MOSAC. … ” Read the full story at the Architect’s Newspaper here: Dreyfuss + Blackford’s reimagining of a decrepit power station breathes new life into the Sacramento riverfront
From rice mills to infill, West Sacramento transforms city’s waterfront into a model of mixed-use
“What was once a booming industrial area in West Sacramento is now a growing and thriving community known as the Bridge District. The 188-acre and rapidly developing, urban district on the city’s riverfront is located just across the Sacramento River from the Golden State’s capital. Prior to development, the Bridge District was occupied by rice mills and other industrial operations for nearly a century. As those industries began their decline in the latter part of the 20th century, the city saw an opportunity to transform the area. Incorporated in 1987, West Sacramento (population 53,915) developed an extensive plan to transform the riverfront community. The vision was to create a vibrant, mixed-use urban waterfront where people could live, work, recreate, and come for entertainment. ... ” Read more from Western City here: From rice mills to infill, West Sacramento transforms city’s waterfront into a model of mixed-use
BAY AREA
Marin water districts study options for new supply
“Marin County’s two largest water utilities are working to narrow down what new sources of supply would provide the most benefit in droughts. The North Marin Water District presented findings of a study looking at how to bolster supplies for the more than 60,000 residents it serves in its greater Novato service area. The top scorers were projects to enhance the storage at the district’s Stafford Lake reservoir. Other options such as desalination, creating new reservoirs, dredging the lake and a major recycled water expansion were deemed too expensive or infeasible given the district’s size. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin water districts study options for new supply
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In the face of megadroughts, L.A. is transforming how it uses water
“After the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California told 6 million residents on Wednesday that they can water their lawns only once a week, the district’s general manager declared it a wake-up call: “The amount of water we have available to us right now,” he said at a press conference, “is not going to be enough to carry us through the entire year unless we do something different.” There’s a chance that the current megadrought in the Western U.S. (the worst drought in the region in 1,200 years) might last until 2030. And climate change is making severe droughts in the area even more likely in the future. As a result, cities like L.A. are undergoing redesign initiatives—including lawn-free landscaping, streets that can better capture stormwater, and new water recycling technology—to deal with shortages in ways that go beyond the temporary new restrictions. … ” Read more from Fast Company here: In the face of megadroughts, L.A. is transforming how it uses water
SAN DIEGO
Estimate for cost of advanced water purification skyrockets
“A new estimated cost for the Advanced Water Purification project, a system of recapturing sewage and transforming it to drinkable water for about 500,000 East County residents, escalated to about $850 million, an increase of more than $300 million above the estimate three years ago. Allen Carlisle, general manager of the Padre Dam Municipal Water District, revealed the number at a public forum held April 24 in Santee, saying the project should begin construction this summer. The project “equates to 30 percent of East County’s water supply and it’s a massive project,” Carlisle said. “This is the largest capital project in East County’s history—$850 million.” ... ” Read more from East County Magazine here: Estimate for cost of advanced water purification skyrockets
Along the Colorado River …
Commentary: This is what happens when Arizona’s development decisions ignore water reality
Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “It’s far better to stop a water problem before it starts than to try to fix it after it appears. We’re seeing that all over the state, from the rapidly developing Rio Verde Foothills near Scottsdale to the farming community of Willcox. Those who thought they could build without water – or who had a well and surrounding uses sucked it dry – are now in a world of hurt. Some are hoping that if they create a water improvement district, it can save the day. This is not a dig on those efforts, but rather a cautionary tale about what happens when our development decisions fail to reflect our water realities. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic here: Commentary: This is what happens when Arizona’s development decisions ignore water reality
Two new Colorado River deals give parched Lake Powell temporary relief
“Drought-strapped Lake Powell has received a major, if potentially temporary, reprieve with two emergency agreements that will provide 1 million acre-feet of Colorado River water this year to boost lake levels and protect hydropower production at Glen Canyon Dam. The water will come from an emergency release of 500,000 acre-feet from Utah’s Flaming Gorge Reservoir, and a 500,000-acre-foot reduction in releases from Powell downstream to Lake Mead. That much water would fill Colorado’s Lake Dillon four times, and it will add a significant buffer to Powell, which has dropped to just over 5 million acre-feet of stored supplies. The lake has the capacity to store 26 million acre-feet. ... ” Read more from the Colorado Springs Gazette here: Two new Colorado River deals give parched Lake Powell temporary relief
Flaming Gorge’s upcoming water release could be good news for endangered Colorado River Basin fish
“A plan to release an additional 500,000 acre-feet of water from Flaming Gorge reservoir is welcome news to biologists conducting research to recover four species of endangered fish in the Colorado River Basin. “We’re pretty excited about how this turned out,” Julie Stahli, director of the Upper Colorado Endangered Fish Recovery Program, said. “There are a million ways they can release this water, so the fact that they’re doing such good things for these fish for that process is heartwarming.” ... ” Read more from the Colorado Sun here: Flaming Gorge’s upcoming water release could be good news for endangered Colorado River Basin fish
In national water news today …
Senators to unveil climate-focused water infrastructure bill
“Senators plan to roll out a draft water infrastructure bill today that will serve as a vehicle for bipartisan provisions that aim to protect the nation’s coasts against widespread, deadly flooding and storm surge tied to climate change. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is planning to release a draft 2022 Water Resources Development Act. Known as WRDA, the legislation has a long track record of passing both chambers and making its way to the president’s desk every two years. The bill provides a blueprint for how the Army Corps of Engineers conducts some of the nation’s largest and most ambitious flood control, navigation and ecosystem restoration initiatives. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Senators to unveil climate-focused water infrastructure bill
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
- Newsom: Desalination project should be approved — “We need more damn tools in the toolkit”
- These SLO County towns must halt new development due to lack of water, state agency says
- Final Sierra snow survey of the year comes up dry
- What La Niña means for California this summer
- To survive drought, parts of SoCal must cut water use by 35%. The new limit: 80 gallons a day
- New government maps show nearly all of the West is in drought and it’s not even summer yet: “This is unprecedented”
- Climate scientist says we’re not measuring the right things to predict drought
- When California’s water wars turned violent
- A lidar’s-eye view of how forests are faring
- Camille Touton: How mermaids in the desert launched the career of Bureau of Reclamation commissioner
- Lake Powell officials face an impossible choice in the West’s megadrought: Water or electricity
- And more …
Click here for the Daily Digest, weekend edition.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
ONLINE CLASS: Introduction to Groundwater, Watersheds, and Groundwater Sustainability Plans – An Online Shortcourse
NOTICE of Proposed Rulemaking and Proposed Emergency Regulation Documents Posted for Russian River Watershed
CDFW GRANTS: Cannabis Restoration Grant Program: Public Land Cleanup and Remediation Solicitation and Watershed Enhancement Solicitation
