A wrap-up of posts published on Maven’s Notebook this week …
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This week’s featured articles …
DR. PETER MOYLE: Delta fishes: Introduction to a dynamic fauna
Dr. Peter Moyle is a distinguished professor emeritus and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences at UC Davis. He has studied the ecology and conservation of fishes in freshwater and estuarine habitats in California for over 50 years.
At the February meeting of the Delta Independent Science Board, Dr. Moyle provided an overview of Delta fish, explaining why some fishes have become overabundant and others are headed for extinction, all while being participants in a novel ecosystem.
Click here to read this article.
RISING VOICES: Water, food, soil, and California’s need for holistic climate policy
Written by the Water Hub
Each month, the Water Hub checks in with advocates and organizers in California to talk about the water issues impacting local communities. We spoke with Arohi Sharma about why #SoilIsSexy, how soil health can be a tool for promoting water conservation and water efficiency, and the need for holistic policies that address the systematic structures of climate change.
Water Hub: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role at NRDC?
Arohi Sharma: I am the Deputy Director of Regenerative Agriculture at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). I’ve been with NRDC for about four and a half years. NRDC is an environmental non-profit organization that fights to protect our environment, natural resources, and people and communities. We say we are ‘Earth’s best defense’ and embody that in [our] advocacy. My work focuses on how we can transition agriculture from being a contributor to climate change to fighting the climate crisis while building soil health to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon, and increase water conservation. That last point is especially important for my work to reduce agricultural water use and increase agricultural water use efficiency in California.
Click here to continue reading this article.
MONTHLY RESERVOIR REPORT for June 1
Written by Robert Shibatani
Summer is here, well, not officially…
But as California prepares itself for the “business-end” of what is shaping up to be a long, hot summer, water operations managers are running out of options. Savvy CVOC operators along with their DWR counterparts can skillfully manipulate our CVP water system in a number of ways over the course of any WY, particularly during the flood season and the ramp-up to the irrigation season. But even that has limits; for at some point, no other options remain and the inevitable plunge in carryover reserves becomes unavoidable. The implications to future water quality and fisheries concerns over the next several months builds with each passing day as the carryover reserves in the CVP/SWP terminal reservoirs simply will not be available.
Click here to read this article.
In California water news this week …
Going rogue? Groundwater agency says protecting all domestic wells is “unreasonable”
“A San Joaquin Valley groundwater agency may be “going rogue” on the issue of whether it’s responsible to protect all drinking water wells. A letter approved by the board of the Kings River East Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA), which covers eastern Fresno County and a chunk of northern Tulare County, says that it is “unreasonable” for the state to require the agricultural industry to raise groundwater levels enough to protect even the most shallow domestic well. … DWR rejected the Kings Subbasin, which includes the Kings River East GSA, groundwater sustainability plan in January. One of the state’s biggest concerns was that the plan didn’t explain how it would protect community drinking water wells from being harmed by agricultural over pumping. The Kings River East GSA’s letter calls that requirement “unreasonable.” ... ” Read more from SJV Water here: Going rogue? Groundwater agency says protecting all domestic wells is “unreasonable”
New report: Landmark CA Groundwater policy neglects small, underrepresented farmers
“The most consequential groundwater policy in California history has so far failed to include small and underrepresented farmers, according to a new report. Passed in 2014, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was designed to protect the state’s groundwater, setting up local agencies to develop regional plans to prevent over-pumping as demand grows, droughts persist, and climate change points to a drier future. But despite the law’s mandate to consider the interests of all beneficial uses and users of groundwater, the new report titled SGMA and Underrepresented Farmers, released this week by Clean Water Action, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), Civic Well, University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources, and the Leadership Counsel for Justice & Accountability, reveals that among 14 local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) studied, few considered the impacts of their plans on farmers growing on smaller acreages, those with shallow wells, tenant farmers, and farmers from underserved communities. None of the plans reviewed included efforts to provide language and culturally appropriate outreach to engage these farmers when drafting their plans. … ” Click here to continue reading this press release from the Community Alliance of Family Farmers. |Click here for the report.
Stanford study shows subsidence will likely continue for decades even if groundwater levels stop declining
“The floor of California’s arid Central Valley is sinking as groundwater pumping for agriculture and drinking water depletes aquifers. A new remote sensing study from Stanford University shows land sinking – or subsidence – will likely continue for decades to centuries if underground water levels merely stop declining. To stop the sinking, water levels will need to rise. “If you don’t get these water levels to come back up, then the land is going to sink, potentially tens of centimeters per year, for decades. But if they go up, you can get rewarded very quickly. You almost immediately improve the situation,” said Matthew Lees, a geophysics PhD student and lead author of the study, which appears June 2 in Water Resources Research. … ” Read more from Stanford News here: Groundwater depletion causes California farmland to sink. Stanford study shows water levels must rise to halt subsidence.
California drought resurrects decades-old plan for controversial Sites Reservoir
“A long-dead proposal to flood a bucolic valley north of Sacramento and create a massive reservoir for thirsty Southern California is finding new life — and opposition — amid the effects of climate change and worsening drought. First conceived in the 1950s, the Sites Reservoir project was abandoned in the 1980s — the twilight years of America’s big Western dam-building projects. Now, decades later, a Southwestern megadrought and historic water restrictions in Los Angeles, Ventura and San Bernardino counties are fueling renewed interest in the plan, much to the dismay of environmentalists. Recently, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California appropriated $20 million for project planning, saying the reservoir would make the region’s water supply more resilient in times of drought. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: California drought resurrects decades-old plan for controversial Sites Reservoir | Read via Yahoo News
Even amid worsening drought, enviros sharpen knives for Calif.’s lone dam prospect
“As California finds itself amid another severe drought that has deepened the need for new water storage, the fever pitch to add new dams has run into a buzzsaw of opposition from environmentalists. At the top of their target list? The proposed Sites Reservoir project. Sites Reservoir, which would be located in the Sacramento Valley west of Colusa, has been considered since the 1950s but was never able to gain full support to start construction. Through 2014’s Proposition 1, it appears to likely be the lone California dam constructed in the 21st Century to date. California’s need for more water storage is clear and evident. ... ” Read more from the San Joaquin Valley Sun here: Even amid worsening drought, enviros sharpen knives for Calif.’s lone dam prospect
State and federal water managers prepare for dry summer conditions
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) are gearing up for the hot and dry summer months as the state experiences a third consecutive year of severe drought. California will enter the dry summer months with below-average reservoir storage and with the state’s largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, at critically low levels. The Sierra snowpack is essentially gone, and runoff into the state’s streams and reservoirs has largely peaked for the year. “The overall water supply for California is still critical going into the dry summer months,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “DWR and its federal partners at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will continue to take a conservative approach to water management decisions to maintain storage, water quality, and water deliveries for millions of Californians. We need to be prepared for a hotter, drier future brought on by our changing climate.” ... ” Read more from the Department of Water Resources here: State and federal water managers prepare for dry summer conditions
SEE ALSO: New Department Of Water Resources site lets you see water conditions where you live, from CBS Sacramento
Urban water use is latest target for drought cutbacks
“With farmers across California already facing severe cuts in irrigation supplies, state officials are now imposing additional aggressive conservation measures for urban consumers and local water agencies across the state. Emergency regulations, adopted May 24 by the California State Water Resources Control Board, are now targeting California cities and communities and the state’s nonagricultural landscapes. The regulations will require local agencies to impose restrictions on water use that can be sufficient to make up for potential 20% shortfalls in water supplies anticipated for summer months. That means no irrigation for municipal greenbelts. Watering lawns and turf at commercial or industrial buildings is now banned, meaning that lush green spaces at the Golden State’s popular tourist hotels or sprawling business parks will have to go brown. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Urban water use is latest target for drought cutbacks
Progress update on long-term water efficiency standards
“In 2018 the California Legislature passed new efficiency standards aimed at reducing water consumption in the urban sector. The new law (passed as SB 606/AB 1668) came in response to the state’s difficult 2014-17 drought, aiming to reduce water use by homes and businesses to ease pain in the next drought. Well, the next drought is here, and the new standards are still in development. The residential component will require urban water providers to reduce per capita water use to 47 gallons per capita per day (gpcd) by 2025, then to 42 gpcd by 2030. Present consumption is estimated in the 50 to 55 gpcd range. Separate standards will be imposed for landscape irrigation. For the latest, we recently spoke with Sarah Foley, executive director/operations at the California Water Efficiency Partnership (CalWEP). The Sacramento-based group is monitoring the process and preparing to help water providers comply. Sarah previously served as deputy director of the Water Forum. … “ Continue reading at the Water Forum here: Progress update on long-term water efficiency standards
Solano County supervisors reiterate opposition to Delta tunnel project
“Solano County supervisors this week made it clear they do not support any Delta tunnel project whether it is two tunnels as was proposed by the Jerry Brown administration or a single tunnel as proposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The board on Tuesday adopted a resolution reaffirming Solano’s support for the Delta Counties Coalition. Supervisor Mitch Mashburn, who represents Solano on the coalition, equated the 40-plus mile Delta conveyance tunnel to a straw that is being built to suck 6,000 cubic feet of water, per second, from two intake points above the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to a release point below the estuary. “We don’t need a straw; we need a bigger cup,” said Mashburn … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Supervisors reiterate opposition to Delta tunnel project
SEE ALSO: The Delta Conveyance Project: A proposal to protect water supplies for the future
Bill to accelerate Bay-Delta Plan defeated
“A moderate Democrat in the California Assembly says he rounded up 44 votes to defeat a bill that would have accelerated an update of the Bay-Delta Plan, which governs water quality in the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Assembly Bill 2639 by Assemblyman Bill Quirk, D-Hayward, would have required the plan to be implemented by December 2023, which could upend negotiations with water districts over voluntary agreements. It would also have prohibited the State Water Resources Control Board from issuing any new water right permits, putting in jeopardy needed new water storage projects like Sites Reservoir. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Bill to accelerate Bay-Delta Plan defeated
Does California have enough water for lots of new homes? Yes, experts say
“To some, it defies common sense. California is once again in the middle of a punishing drought with state leaders telling people to take shorter showers and do fewer loads of laundry to conserve water. Yet at the same time, many of the same elected officials, pledging to solve the housing crisis, are pushing for the construction of millions of new homes. “It’s the first question I’d always get,” said Jeffrey Kightlinger, who until last year ran the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the agency that delivers the water ultimately used by half the state’s population. “How in the world are you approving new housing when we’re running out of water?” The answer, according to Kightlinger and other experts, is that there’s plenty of water available for new Californians if the 60-year trend of residents using less continues and accelerates into the future. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Does California have enough water for lots of new homes? Yes, experts say | Read via Yahoo News
Senate Climate Budget Plan proposals on water management science
“This Water and Drought package of the California Senate’s Climate Budget Plan proposes major investment in water management science. One of the goals is to strengthen water rights quantification and enforcement at SWRCB. Currently the state does not have a reliable quantification of water rights or the ability to effectively enforce. The budget plan includes $100 million to improve water management science and agency coordination, including ... ” Continue reading at the California Water Research blog here: Senate Climate Budget Plan proposals on water management science
In commentary this week …
Dan Walters: As drought persists, water rights on agenda
Dan Walters writes, “As a third year of drought continues, California officialdom is increasing pressure for more water conservation. Last week, the state Water Resources Control Board imposed a statewide ban on watering of “non-functional” turf, such as grass around commercial buildings, and directed local water agencies to implement water use restrictions. “California is facing a drought crisis and every local water agency and Californian needs to step up on conservation efforts,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a supportive statement. Despite the official ballyhoo, last week’s actions were tepid at best, stopping well short of the mandatory reductions that Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown, imposed during a previous drought. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Dan Walters: As drought persists, water rights on agenda
Editorial: Gov. Newsom should develop backbone to curb ag’s water waste
The San Jose Mercury News editorial board writes, “With limited options for new California water sources, it’s time to stop wasting the precious supply we have. Gov. Gavin Newsom should muster the political will to enforce Article X, Section II of the state Constitution that requires “reasonable and beneficial” use of the state’s water supply. The current waste must not continue. A handful of users are using water that drains from the Sierra as they see fit. As a result, the state’s agriculture sector uses about 75% of the state’s available water. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Editorial: Gov. Newsom should develop backbone to curb ag’s water waste
Editorial: We’ll have to ask you to back away from the spigot, California
The LA Times editorial board writes, “What a difference almost half a century makes. In 1973, amid the Arab oil embargo and resulting fuel shortage, drivers could fill their tanks only on certain days, based on license plates: Even numbers got Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays; odd got Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Or was it the other way around? Now, instead of gasoline that’s running low, it’s sprinkler water; and instead of license plates determining when you can open the nozzle, it’s addresses. Beginning Wednesday, Los Angeles residents are permitted to water their lawns and gardens only two days a week. Mondays and Fridays go to homes with odd-numbered addresses; Thursdays and Sundays are for even numbers. Don’t let anyone catch you watering on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. That’s an additional restriction on top of the three-day-per-week limit you’re currently following. And you are following it, right? … ” Continue reading at the LA Times here: Editorial: We’ll have to ask you to back away from the spigot, California
Environmentalists gone wild: Ignoring climate change in lust for 1,103 more fish
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “There’s a severe drought emergency in California. The state says we need to cut back at least 15 percent on our use to get through this year. A fourth year — and even a fifth and beyond — consecutive year of drought that is highly likely based on historic hydrology will force significantly deeper cuts in water use. … Clearly Gov. Newsom has looked at the data on reservoir storage, diminishing snowpacks, and dropping groundwater levels. … Newsom also sells himself as a true believer of climate change. So why, might you ask, is the governor not stopping the state for making the drought worse for the Northern San Joaquin Valley in exchange for the possibility of 1,103 more Chinook salmon annually coming from the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers? … ” Read the full commentary at the Manteca Bulletin here: Environmentalists gone wild: Ignoring climate change in lust for 1,103 more fish
New Melones modeling & mega-droughts: Setting stage for state’s water Armageddon
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, “New Melones Reservoir is the proverbial canary in the mine when it comes to where state water policy wedded with the return of mega-droughts is taking California. Using historical hydrology data on the Stanislaus River basin between 1922 and 2019, based on current regulatory rules New Melones Reservoir would fall below 250,000 acre-feet of storage in three out of the 98 years. Based on the pending State Water Quality Control Plan and the 40 percent unimpaired flow requirement that will help boost the combined numbers of Chinook salmon on the Stanislaus, Merced, and Tuolumne rivers by 1,500 annually, New Melones Reservoir would fall below 250,000 acre-feet in 20 out of 98 years. A few things to add to the mix … ” Continue reading at the Ceres Courier here: New Melones modeling & mega-droughts: Setting stage for state’s water Armageddon
Impaired fish flows & Delta tunnel: The state plan to make drought devastating for northern SJ Valley
Dennis Wyatt, editor of the Manteca Bulletin, writes, ““We” — referring to those of us that live, work and play in the Northern San Joaquin Valley — supposedly don’t get it when it comes to the importance of the environment. This nugget of wisdom was offered by pundits in reaction to how many of us in the 209 believe the myopic plan to ratchet up unimpaired flows from February to June on the Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne rivers will do fish little if any good while causing severe damage to farming, urban water users in the three counties, body slam the regional economy, and even hurt the environment miles away from the three previously mentioned rivers. I’m not too sure what “we” don’t get. … ” Continue reading at the Manteca Bulletin here: Impaired fish flows & Delta tunnel: The state plan to make drought devastating for northern SJ Valley
Newsom should act to preserve our water
The Santa Barbara News-Press editorial board writes, “Did you know that the California Coastal Commission, of which Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meaghan Harmon is a member, rejected a water desal permit application for a plant in Orange County, like the one now operational in Carlsbad? This Orange County project planned for the last 20 years, was designed to supply water to 16% of a population of 3.1 million people. That equals 50 million gallons of drinking water per day. But not now. Is it only in California that it takes 20 years to apply for a permit only to have it rejected? … ” Continue reading at the Santa Barbara News-Press here: Newsom should act to preserve our water
Desalination: An essential part of California’s water future
Richard Frank, Professor of Environmental Practice and Director of the U. C. Davis School of Law’s California Environmental Law & Policy Center, writes, “Let me begin this commentary with a disclaimer: I was an early and strong proponent of Proposition 20, the successful 1972 California voter initiative measure that enacted the Coastal Act and created the California Coastal Commission (albeit temporarily). I supported with equal enthusiasm the state Legislature’s 1976 enactment of legislation making both the Coastal Act and the Commission permanent. For the past 50 years I’ve similarly advocated for robust implementation and enforcement of the Coastal Act. And one of the highlights of my legal career in the California Department of Justice was the privilege of representing the Coastal Commission in state and federal courts for over a quarter century. So it pains me to criticize a recent, closely-watched decision by the Coastal Commission to vote down–unanimously–a desalination plant that the Poseidon Water Company had proposed to build on a remediated Superfund site in Huntington Beach, California. That plant would have converted approximately 50 million gallons of seawater per day into fresh water for urgently-needed residential, commercial and industrial water use in Southern California. … ” Continue reading at the Legal Planet here: Desalination: An essential part of California’s water future
Make the California Coastal Commission elective
“The most powerful political force in the state is not the governor’s office, the legislature, or the state Supreme Court, but the California Coastal Commission. It wields dictatorial power over almost all environmental and land decisions along the coast. Its influence ripples inland, as its restrictions on land use increase coastal property prices, forcing people to move inland, increasing demand there—thus also increasing inland prices. That’s why its 12 members ought to face election every four years. Much as do four of the five members of the Board of Equalization. An initiative could bring about the reform, setting up 12 districts based on population. … ” Read more from the Epoch Times here (registration may be required): Make the California Coastal Commission elective
Coastal Commission’s water obstructionism
Jim Shields writes, “Last week, the California Coastal Commission rejected the proposed construction of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach “sealing the controversial project’s fate after more than 20 years of debate,” according to Calmatters. “The unanimous decision about the $1.4-billion plant in Huntington Beach is pivotal because it sets a high bar for the future of turning seawater into drinking water in California, which can help buffer its vulnerable water supply against drought. The Coastal Commission staff had advised the commission to deny approval — citing, among other factors, the high cost of the water and lack of local demand for it, the risks to marine life and the possibility of flooding in the area as sea levels rise.” What a crock. Guess the Commission is unaware that California is in a historic extended drought that calls for trying to solve water shortage problems, not exacerbating them. For example, desal plants would certainly offset, to some degree, rise in sea levels as coastal waters are processed into potable water. … ” Continue reading at the Anderson Valley Advertiser here: Coastal Commission’s water obstructionism
The Abundance Choice, Part 8: The Union Factor: The power of environmentalists in California is literally strangling the state’s economy
Edward Ring, a contributing editor and senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “The moment we met Robbie Hunter, then president of the State Building and Construction Trades Council, we knew we were in the presence of a man who does not lose. Assemblyman Devon Mathis had urged me to contact the construction unions before we finished our research to write the initiative and began an actual campaign, and through one of his mutual contacts, the meeting was arranged. Three of us arrived at the SBCTC’s offices in downtown Sacramento back in August 2021, all of us dressed in our Sunday best; suits, ties, dress shoes. Hunter met us in their lobby, dressed like a man who does real work, wearing a t-shirt with a union logo on the front. As someone without experience meeting a union president, much less negotiating with one, Hunter, a burly man with a trace of an Irish accent, fit the stereotype I’d imagined. And that first meeting was encouraging. … ” Continue reading at the California Globe here: The Abundance Choice, Part 8: The Union Factor: The power of environmentalists in California is literally strangling the state’s economy
The Abundance Choice, Part 9: Can reservoirs be part of the solution?
Edward Ring, contributing editor and senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “In May 1957, Harvey Banks, then director of the California Dept. of Water Resources, submitted “The California Water Plan” to the governor and state legislature. On page 14 of part one of this comprehensive document, Table 3 depicts what Banks and his team determined to be the “Estimated Present and Probable Ultimate Mean Seasonal Water Requirements.” The scale of their ultimate expectations reveals the magnitude of the challenge they had accepted. At the time, the estimated statewide water requirements were 19.0 million acre-feet (MAF) per year for agriculture, which they estimated would ultimately peak at more than double that amount, 41.1 MAF/year. The total urban and miscellaneous use per year at the time was 2.0 MAF/year, which they estimated would eventually quintuple to 10.0 MAF/year. In all, California’s mid-century water planners intended to build infrastructure capable of delivering to farms and cities 51.1 million acre-feet per year. … ” Read more from the California Globe here: The Abundance Choice, Part 9: Can reservoirs be part of the solution?
The abundance choice, part 10: Time to stop wasting wastewater
Edward Ring, contributing editor and senior fellow with the California Policy Center, writes, “If there is any source of water that ought to be optimized, it is the wastewater produced by California’s urban centers. Perennially issuing from sewage treatment plants throughout the state, every year this torrent of mostly treated effluent is equivalent in volume to the San Joaquin River in a wet year. The California Department of Water Resources estimates statewide urban water consumption at approximately seven million acre feet per year. Just over three million of that total is estimated to be so-called “interior” water use, which means this water is flushed or drained through sewer systems into a wastewater treatment plant. In most cases, after being treated, this water is discharged into California’s rivers or emptied directly into the Pacific Ocean. … ” Read more from the California Globe here: The abundance choice, part 10: Time to stop wasting wastewater
Commentary: Inadequate water agency rules won’t protect the Bay
Sejal Choksi-Chugh, executive director of San Francisco Baykeeper, writes, “A governmental agency made a decision May 11 that will affect everyone who lives in the Bay Area, especially those who depend on the San Francisco Bay and our creeks for recreation and livelihood. This agency, the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, is responsible for protecting water quality throughout the Bay Area. It has long acknowledged that storm water pollution is one of the Bay’s most serious problems, and it approved a permit that is supposed to reduce the trash, metals, and bacteria that run off into the Bay from city streets every time it rains. Unfortunately, the agency’s plan is deeply flawed and isn’t going to solve the Bay’s serious storm water pollution problems. … ” Continue reading at the Mercury News here: Commentary: Inadequate water agency rules won’t protect the Bay
Letters to the Editor: There’s water for more homes. Why that doesn’t justify endless growth
“To the editor: It’s one thing to ask Californians to conserve water because of this catastrophic drought and the consequent water shortage. It’s another thing, albeit finally an honest one, to tell us to drastically reduce our usage so more homes can be built, thus exacerbating all the problems of unsustainable, constant growth and overpopulation. I don’t know why it’s so hard for the powers that be to acknowledge that this area of the earth was never meant to support the roughly 40 million people who live here now, let alone more in the future. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Letters to the Editor: There’s water for more homes. Why that doesn’t justify endless growth | Read via Yahoo News
In regional water news this week …
Sonoma Water petitions state for critical water condition for Russian River as severe drought enters third consecutive year
“On Wednesday, May 25 Sonoma Water (Sonoma County Water Agency) filed Temporary Urgency Change Petitions (TUCP) with the State Water Resources Control Board to establish a Critical water supply condition for both the upper and lower Russian River as the drought continues. Under Critical water supply conditions, the Russian River would have minimum instream flow requirements of 25 cfs and 35 cfs in the upper and lower river, respectively. If approved, this change will allow Sonoma Water to continue the minimum instream flows that the river is currently operating under and preserve water supply in both Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma. … ” Read more from Sonoma County here: Sonoma Water petitions state for critical water condition for Russian River as severe drought enters third consecutive year
Sacramento approves sale of up to 3 billion gallons of water after declaring ‘water alert’
“The City of Sacramento says it has too much water and it’s going to make millions of dollars selling it to other parts of the state, despite already declaring a “water alert” for the summer and doubling fines for water-wasting violators. The city council approved the sale of up to $5 million of its water. The 10,000 acre-feet up for sale is equal to more than 3 billion gallons. That’s 60 million bathtubs full and enough to supply water to 30,000 households for a year. But does this sale send the wrong message with calls for Sacramentans to conserve? … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento here: Sacramento approves sale of up to 3 billion gallons of water after declaring ‘water alert’
Drought worsens at Mono Lake
“Mono Lake is suffering from a severe drought. The lake has dropped more than three feet in elevation since 2019, exposing more lakebed. Dust storms have become more common on windy days. The third consecutive year of below-average snowpack has greatly reduced runoff into Mono Lake, impacting the lake’s salinity, shoreline, and wetlands. The landbridge between the mainland and Negit Island has expanded, leading hungry coyotes closer to ground-nesting California Gulls on nearby islets. Growing expanses of bright, salt-encrusted alkali flats and tufa shoals have emerged from a retreating lake. It looks like drought. … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee here: Drought worsens at Mono Lake
Water fight: Cuyama Valley landowners face an adjudication lawsuit as they try to sustainably manage their groundwater basin
“Cuyama Valley’s water woes dominated Santa Barbara County 2nd District Supervisor Das Williams’ comments during a recent hearing about the future of water well permits in his county. “I just have some concerns about how this is going to impact high-priority basins, particularly Cuyama,” Williams said during the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors’ May 24 meeting. “The local people are under two stresses: One stress of their well might run dry, and the second stress is what’s paying for the plan to make sure their well doesn’t run dry is a pumping fee that they’ve never paid before.” … ” Read more from New Times SLO here: Water fight: Cuyama Valley landowners face an adjudication lawsuit as they try to sustainably manage their groundwater basin
Sweeping water restrictions begin in Southern California as drought worsens
“Sweeping restrictions on outdoor water use go into effect on Wednesday for more than 6 million residents in Southern California as officials work to conserve water during a severe drought. The conservation rules, among the strictest ever imposed in the state, were set by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, one of the largest water distributors in the country. Households are now forbidden from watering their lawns more than once a week in many jurisdictions. The goal is to slash water use by 35% as the state enters its third straight year of drought. … ” Read more from NBC LA here: Sweeping water restrictions begin in Southern California as drought worsens
Defiance, acceptance and cries of ‘bull—’ as sweeping L.A. water restrictions begin
“Millions of Angelenos awoke Wednesday to a new, more arid future as unprecedented water restrictions went into effect across Southern California. For some, the sweeping limitations on outdoor watering felt like déjà vu from the last time the state was in a significant drought, when lawns turned brown and short showers became the norm. For others, the rules were a frustrating reminder of how little has changed. “Here we go again,” said Rose Campos, who has lived in El Sereno for 18 years. Campos is now one of more than 4 million residents in the city of L.A. who are subject to the new rules from the Department of Water and Power that limit outdoor watering to two days a week in a herculean effort to conserve water in a third year of drought. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Defiance, acceptance and cries of ‘bull—’ as sweeping L.A. water restrictions begin | Read via Denver Gazette
Talking on water: MWD chief on the present and future drought
“We face a long, hot and dry fire season ahead. Southern California’s worst three years of rainfall on record has triggered unprecedented limits on water usage. But now for the bad news: get used to it. Climate change means a new normal. Southern California’s once-reliable sources of water no longer provide a stable, adequate supply for our 20 million people. That’s the realistic perspective that the head of the Metropolitan Water District is relentlessly hammering home. Met General Manager Adel Hagekhalil is responsible for supplying 1.5 billion gallons of water annually to the utilities that in turn serve our homes and businesses. He knows “we have short memories.” But he’s determined to look past the current drought crisis — and not allow a future wet year to divert us from facing the brutal long-term reality. “Everything is upended,” Hagekhalil declares. “Business as usual is over. … ” Read more from the San Bernardino Sun here: Talking on water: MWD chief on the present and future drought
Wastewater recycling made sewage valuable. Now East County and San Diego are fighting over it.
“The city of San Diego pursued its massive wastewater-to-drinking water recycling program, in part, because the federal government said it had to. Millions of gallons of undertreated sewage enters the Pacific Ocean through the city’s aging Point Loma treatment plant on the regular; Pure Water is the region’s first step toward a solution. But now, a bloc of eastern San Diego County water agencies is building their own recycling project because, they say, the cost of buying imported water from the drought-ravaged Colorado River is unsustainable. The East County Advanced Water Purification Program would provide 30 percent of the drinking water its participating agencies need, agencies that otherwise rely solely on water imported from hundreds of miles away. … ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego here: Wastewater recycling made sewage valuable. Now East County and San Diego are fighting over it.
$100M New River funding legislation to address water quality problems at California-Mexico border rivers
“The California State Assembly recently approved Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia’s California-Mexico Border River Restoration, AB 2248. According to Garcia, the legislation would allocate $100 million to address water quality problems at California-Mexico border rivers, with $50 million each for the New River, in Calexico and the Tijuana River, in San Diego. “Our $100 million funding request for New River and Tijuana River improvement projects are a matter of public health and environmental justice urgency for our shared border communities. For too long, residents living alongside our borders have faced disproportionate consequences of cross-border pollution, and we have been fighting for the resources needed to rectify these disparities,” stated Assemblymember Garcia. … ” Read more from KYMA here: $100M New River funding legislation to address water quality problems at California-Mexico border rivers
Could the Colorado River Compact adapt to go with the flow?
“Dwindling flows in the Colorado River Basin are stirring discussions about whether a 100-year-old agreement that governs how that water is divided needs to be overhauled. But there may be another option: don’t rewrite the law, instead reinterpret it. Despite its status as the cornerstone of the “Law of the River” — the various agreements that dictate how the water is managed between seven basin states and Mexico — some key provisions in the Colorado River Compact remain unsettled. “There are a lot of unresolved questions and much more complexity then you frequently read in the newspaper about characterizations of the compact,” Anne Castle, a former Interior Department assistant secretary for water and science, explained in March at the University of Utah’s Wallace Stegner Center annual symposium. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Could the Colorado River Compact adapt to go with the flow?
Announcements, notices, and funding opportunities …
NOTICE: June 1 Weekly Update on Curtailment Status of Water Rights and Claims in the Delta Watershed
WEBINAR RECORDING: California water futures: What are they? And what are they not?
USFWS Fish and Wildlife News: Extinction threats, protecting migration, and tools for land managers
May 2022 Delta Breeze: Science Action Agenda
The Failed Recovery Plan for the Delta and Delta Smelt
Worth Waiting For: The Advantages of Late-Migrating Spring-Run Chinook
