On the calendar today …
- CUAHSI WEBINAR: Hydrologic Science and Indigenous Voices from 9am to 10am. This series indigenous leaders in water leaders/voices of water/science; explores how hydrological sciences are defined and who is included in that definition. It explores how native american people relate to water, what water issues they think are important, how we can increase inclusivity in the hydrologic sciences community, what challenges and opportunities they faces with building resilience to climate change with regards to water. Click here to register.
- PUBLIC WORKSHOP: Riverine Stewardship Program Final Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package – Sacramento from 1pm to 3pm. DWR will host three hybrid public workshops on the Riverine Stewardship Program: San Joaquin Fish Population Enhancement Program (SJFPEP) & Urban Streams Restoration Program (USRP) Grants Final Guidelines and Proposal Solicitation Package (PSP). Attend in person at 715 P Street in Sacramento or register for Zoom meeting.
- WEBINAR: Federal Funding Virtual Roundtable Discussion from 1pm to 2pm. Catch an overview of the federal funding opportunities for water and wastewater providers at Dept of Interior, US Environmental Protection Agency, and Dept of Agriculture. Talk with experts on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Implementation funding available this year, as well as accessing other programs. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
How does more rain in northern California equal less flows in the San Joaquin River?
“Water has been flowing down the San Joaquin River since the beginning of April. But, ironically, late spring rains could halt the flow. The water coming out of Millerton Lake just above Fresno is flowing because of a contract within California’s complicated water rights system. The water is going to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors, four agricultural water districts that extend from Firebaugh to Newman on the west side of the Valley. Millerton water usually goes to Friant Water Authority contractors from Madera to Arvin. Both the Exchange and Friant contractors are part of the federal Central Valley Project and are tied together through the San Joaquin River. … ” Read more from SJV Water here: How does more rain in northern California equal less flows in the San Joaquin River?
Did California learn anything from the last drought? ‘Gambling’ with water continues
“The governor of California stood in a patch of dry brown grass as he made his proclamation: “We’re in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water every day — that’s going to be a thing of the past,” he said. “We’re in a historic drought, and that demands unprecedented action.” But it wasn’t Gavin Newsom speaking — it was the state’s previous governor, Jerry Brown, and the year was 2015. Seven years later, California is once again facing urgent calls for cutbacks as heat waves, record dryness and climate change converge to create critically short supplies. But what has California learned since then? Is the Golden State really ready to do this again? ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Did California learn anything from the last drought? ‘Gambling’ with water continues | Read via Yahoo News
Drought picture grows more bleak for agriculture
“As California toils through a third consecutive drought year, many Sacramento Valley farmers, well known for supporting waterfowl that stop along the Pacific Flyway, are being left high and dry. The farmers are facing water-supply challenges that are worse this season than in previous dry years. “This drought is hitting Northern California really hard and in some unprecedented ways,” said Ellen Hanak, director of water policy for the Public Policy Institute of California, speaking last week on drought at a meeting of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “That is significant for Northern California, obviously, because entire irrigation districts are just not planting rice and entire communities on the west side of the Sacramento Valley are going to be hit hard.” … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Drought picture grows more bleak for agriculture
Farmer turns to UC Davis-developed tech to conserve water
“As the drought continues into the warmer months, farmers are looking for ways to help conserve water while still trying to keep their businesses afloat. One Yolo County grower has found a way to do that using a water monitoring tool that was developed at UC Davis. For the past twenty years, Dan Martinez has managed this vineyard for Berryessa Gap Vineyards in Winters but finding a sustainable water source over the past two decades has been a bit of a challenge. … ” Continue reading at KTXL here: Farmer turns to UC Davis-developed tech to conserve water
The cruelest summer yet? California is facing drought, heat, power outages and fires — all at once
“Summer officially begins next week — and in California, it may be a cruel one. Even with the upheaval of the pandemic mostly behind us, the menace of drought and rising temperatures is threatening to derail the return to normal. This year’s extraordinarily dry, warm weather, which is expected to continue in the coming months, is stoking fears of a multitude of problems: increasing water restrictions, extreme heat, power outages, wildfire and smoke — potentially all of the above in one vicious swoop. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: The cruelest summer yet? California is facing drought, heat, power outages and fires — all at once
Continued drought brings another year of high mortality rates for salmon returning to the ocean
“Conservationists are concerned about winter-run Chinook salmon as the population continues to dwindle in lingering drought years. This past winter marked the third in a row with below-average rainfall and snowfall in many spots, leading to lower water levels in major rivers. Less water is bad news for schools of salmon, who swim from spawning grounds near Shasta Lake to the open ocean every spring. Lower water levels typically lead to clearer water overall, making it easier for predators to spot the fish. The water is also warmer, leading the fish to swim slower. ... ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: Continued drought brings another year of high mortality rates for salmon returning to the ocean
Stockton groups support call for Delta plan update by CA Tribes, environmental justice groups
“A coalition of social, economic, and environmental justice groups have sent a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board in support of a recent petition filed by Stanford Law on behalf of California Tribes and environmental justice groups. The petition asks the State Water Board to update the Water Quality Control Plan for the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (“Bay-Delta Plan”), according to a press statement from Restore the Delta. This is a duty of the board that is now 16 years overdue. … ” Read more from the Daily Kos here: Stockton groups support call for Delta plan update by CA Tribes, environmental justice groups
Water agencies call on State to address long–term water supply crisis
“California is in the middle of a historic water supply crisis never seen before, impacting the economy, every region across the state, jobs, critical industries, food security, and all Californians. As the State responds to manage this current drought, the perpetual and systemic water crisis continues to grow, with no relief or remedy in sight, for the near term or future. Water agencies are sounding the alarm, calling on the state to take action in response to the years of drought conditions, the repeated imposition of emergency regulations and water restrictions to reduce consumption, and the lack of progress on water infrastructure investment. The time is now to imagine and create water infrastructure aligned with the new climate reality of significantly reduced snowpack and increased precipitation volatility. … ” Read more from Solve the Water Crisis here: Water agencies call on State to address long-term water supply crisis
State budget proposes to buy water rights from farmers
“State lawmakers are proposing to set aside $2 billion to buy up water rights and repurpose farmland to rebalance the water supply amidst the state’s second drought in the last decade. Most of the money being proposed in the 2022-23 budget, $1.5 billion, will be used to buy land with senior water rights to secure surface water from state and federal water projects as drinking water for disadvantaged communities struggling with contaminated groundwater and enhance stream and river conditions for habitats. Senior water rights are those that predate the state’s regulation of water use in 1914, which often supersede other rights to water supply during dry years. … ” Read more from the Foothills Sun-Gazette here: State budget proposes to buy water rights from farmers
Radio show: Looking for solutions to drought and deluge by asking “What does water want?”
“Water has agency. It wants to go where it wants to go. Humans, particularly in recent centuries, have fought against the desires of water with almost unimaginable amounts of concrete, pumps the size of houses, and enormous canals. We’ve usually been able to make the water go where we want it to, and keep it from where we don’t. But, journalist Erica Gies argues in her new book, “Water Always Wins,” that our water system here in the state and around the world is not going to hold for much longer. What comes after, she says, will require us to live and work with water’s desires, not against them.” Listen at KQED Forum here: Radio show: Looking for solutions to drought and deluge by asking “What does water want?”
Dangerous heat’ and ‘extreme drought’ pummels much of the west
“Millions of Americans are facing “severe to extreme drought” conditions, made worse by “dangerous heat” that pummeled much of the West over the weekend and into Tuesday, federal officials are warning. It’s the latest sign that climate change is exacerbating a megadrought that has gripped nearly half of the country for two decades and continues to take a toll on the economic and public health of residents. As of May 31, around 90 million Americans were experiencing drought, federal forecasters announced last week, with more than 65 million facing “severe to extreme drought.” A map of the United States released last week as a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s June report shows an alarmingly large part of the country in dryer than average conditions. More than a dozen states all across the West, making up nearly half of the Lower 48, have at least some areas in severe, extreme and even “exceptional drought”—the agency’s highest rating for severity. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: Dangerous heat’ and ‘extreme drought’ pummels much of the west
In commentary today …
Despite worsening drought emergency, California leaders are doing too little, too late
Hannah Holzer, a Placer County native, UC Davis graduate, and The Sacramento Bee’s opinion assistant, writes, “Last week, a New York Times report on Utah’s shrinking Great Salt Lake revealed a new, disturbing climate reality: If drought conditions continue, Salt Lake City could be afflicted by poisonous arsenic-laced dust clouds. A threat of seemingly Biblical proportions, Utah’s “environmental nuclear bomb” could very well go off unless there is “drastic action,” Utah state lawmaker Joel Ferry told The Times. Closer to home, California’s State Water Resources Control Board recently ordered the city of San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley farmers to stop pulling water from Valley rivers — the latest sign of worsening drought conditions. Yet Californians, now facing our third year of severe drought, have not taken heed of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s call for a 15% voluntary water cutback. Instead, according to new figures from the state board, we have reduced our water consumption by just 2% since last summer. … ” Continue reading at the Sacramento Bee here: Despite worsening drought emergency, California leaders are doing too little, too late
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath dust storms harm farmlands, erode soils
“Growers in the Klamath Basin have struggled with water-supply shortages for years, but this spring brought additional challenges: cold and wind. That made it more difficult for growers to get crops planted, as wind dried up fields almost immediately. Dry conditions due to drought and fallowed fields led to dust storms. Many of the region’s renowned field crops such as potatoes, garlic and onions are under contract. Without water, some growers were unable to fulfill their contracts and have lost them permanently. The water situation is changing what and where growers plant, said Scott Seus, owner of Seus Farms in Tulelake. “If you’re growing a row crop, you’re having to put that in an area where it can have some certainty of groundwater,” Seus said. … ” Read more from Ag Alert here: Klamath dust storms harm farmlands, erode soils
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Nevada Irrigation District secures grant funding for Bear River Wildfire Recovery Project
“The Nevada Irrigation District (NID) has been awarded $570,000 by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy so the District can continue its work to address burned forest conditions from the 2021 River Fire and improve forest health in the Bear River watershed. NID’s Bear River Wildfire Recovery Project is located on District-owned lands on the steep slopes of the Bear River canyon, between Chicago Park and Lake of the Pines in Nevada County. This area is integral to water supply infrastructure that NID manages for local communities. The project, with a total budget of $770,400, will remove burned trees on 150 acres of NID land in a mixed mid-elevation ponderosa pine and hardwood that burned at high intensity in the River Fire. ... ” Read more from the Nevada Irrigation District here: Nevada Irrigation District secures grant funding for Bear River Wildfire Recovery Project
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
As Sacramento residents let lawns die in drought, some of their water is being sold elsewhere
“As the California drought heads into its third punishing summer, the Sacramento region finds itself in the unusual position of having decent water supplies. Now it’s angling to sell millions of dollars worth of its supplies to other parts of the state — even as officials ramp up the pressure on the region’s residents to take shorter showers, let their lawns turn yellow and do whatever else is needed to conserve. Led by the city of Sacramento, several water agencies in the area are putting the finishing touches on a deal to deliver water for about 70,000 households to Silicon Valley’s water agency, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and other jurisdictions where the drought has hit particularly hard. Sale price: about $11.5 million. Water-for-cash transactions have been a fact of life in California for years — but remain a sensitive topic, especially among Northern Californians. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: As Sacramento residents let lawns die in drought, some of their water is being sold elsewhere
What are the fines for wasting water in Sacramento?
“Currently, the city of Sacramento is on a “water alert,” which is asking residents and businesses to reduce their water usage by 20%. Under a “water alert,” fines for water waste are doubled and car washing is limited to the city’s watering days, according to the city’s website. If Sacramento water users fail to comply with the city’s watering schedule, here are the fines during a “stage 2” drought ... ” Read more from Fox Channel 40 here: What are the fines for wasting water in Sacramento?
SEE ALSO: Sacramento could give you money back on these water saving measures. Here’s how it works, from the Sacramento Bee
Am I still required to water my lawn in Sacramento County? Your question answered
“As California’s drought persists, so do water-related questions from Sacramento residents. A Reddit user Monday asked the r/Sacramento forum if Sacramento County is still requiring residents to water their lawn after they said a neighbor asked them to do so. The Reddit user said they plan to install a “water saving alternative” but their lawn needs to brown first. Short answer: You do not have to water your lawn. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Am I still required to water my lawn in Sacramento County? Your question answered
Drought exposes abandoned Gold Rush village in Folsom Lake
“As the waters of Folsom Lake recede to levels rarely seen, the remnants of a long-ago abandoned, flooded Gold Rush village are reemerging, KTLA sister station KTXL reported. Visitors can now see building foundations, bricks, broken pottery and rusty nails that were all once part of Mormon Island. The town was settled in the late 1840s by prospectors. By 1853, it had a population of more than 2,500 settlers, according to California archives. ... ” Read more from KTLA here: Drought exposes abandoned Gold Rush village in Folsom Lake
Why doesn’t the Delta King Hotel move from its place on the Sacramento River?
“The Delta King has sat moored at its current location in Old Town Sacramento since 1989, after a lengthy reconstruction, but did this royalty of the river ever move under its own power? The easy answer is yes it did, but the story of the Delta King and its twin the Delta Queen is one of a bygone age when these great boats were the jewels of the river and a symbol of luxury. The Delta King and the Delta Queen were christened on May 20, 1927 after being constructed between Glasgow, Scotland and Stockton at the request of California Transportation Company. The main route for these ships as part of ‘The River Lines’ was a nearly 11-hour night trip, starting at 6 p.m. from Sacramento and arriving in San Francisco at 5:30 a.m. the following morning. … ” Read more from Fox Channel 40 here: Why doesn’t the Delta King Hotel move from its place on the Sacramento River?
NAPA/SONOMA
The Reel Life: Clear Lake Hitch, a key source of food for birds and fish, is on the decline
“Found only in Northern California’s Clear Lake and its tributaries, the Clear Lake Hitch isn’t your average-sized minnow. It weighs in at almost one pound. Hitch migrate each spring, when adults make their way upstream in tributaries of Clear Lake to spawn before they return to the lake. Millions of Hitch once clogged the lake’s tributaries during spectacular spawning runs, and these biologically significant masses were a vital part of the lake’s ecosystem, an important food source for numerous birds, other fish and wildlife. Hitch were once so plentiful that they were a staple food for the Pomo tribes of the Clear Lake region. … ” Read more from the Napa Register here: The Reel Life: Clear Lake Hitch, a key source of food for birds and fish, is on the decline
Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency talks revenue
“Most of the May 25 meeting of the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency (SVGSA) considered options for revenue generation, either from fees, parcel taxes, or a hybrid model of a combination of the two. There was some discomfort with all revenue models, especially the notion that “member agencies” should continue to pay dues to support the SVGSA. Such agencies include the water districts (Valley of the Moon, North Bay Water, and the City of Sonoma), as well as the Sonoma County Water Agency. Supervisor Susan Gorin raised the possibility that the county Board of Supervisors might authorize funding for a significant amount of next year’s budget. While she speculated on several such scenarios, it did not seem likely that full county funding was coming to the agency without fees of some sort levied on the groundwater-using customers or the general public through a modest parcel tax. … ” Read more from the Kenwood Press here: Sonoma Valley Groundwater Sustainability Agency talks revenue
BAY AREA
Drought update: More water restrictions ahead for Bay Area residents?
“Two major water suppliers in the Bay Area on Tuesday are set to get updates on reservoir levels and drought conditions, which could mean more restrictions for residents. Officials on the boards of Valley Water in the South Bay and the East Bay Municipal Utilities District were expected to receive updates during meetings Tuesday. Water rates already are expected to go up for some San Jose residents next month. With the City Council’s approval, customers of San Jose Municipal Water System can expect rates to go up next month. The increase impacts about 136,000 residents in the areas of North San Jose, Alviso, Evergreen and Coyote Valley. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Drought update: More water restrictions ahead for Bay Area residents?
Marin salmon got huge boost from late-2021 rain, researchers say
“The heavy downpours in late 2021 not only helped relieve Marin County’s drought but also created some of the best conditions in several years for endangered coho salmon, according to local biologists. On Lagunitas Creek, which has the largest population of coho salmon between Monterey Bay and Mendocino County, fish surveyors saw one of the largest runs of coho in the last decade. “We had a decent amount of rain that just allowed fish to spawn everywhere,” said Eric Ettlinger, a Marin Municipal Water District ecologist who monitors Lagunitas Creek. “For the public, it was an amazing year because they were all over the watershed. People were seeing them in popular spots like Devil’s Gulch and Leo T. Cronin Fish Viewing Area and spawning over an extended period of time. They said they had not seen so many salmon in years and that this year was the best viewing they had ever seen.” ... ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin salmon got huge boost from late-2021 rain, researchers say
Marin commentary: MMWD directors Gibson, Bragman address water supply question
Columnist Dick Spotswood writes, “This coming November the prime election for Central and Southern Marin voters is for three directors on the five-member Marin Municipal Water District board. One incumbent, Cynthia Koehler, just made the surprise announcement that she won’t file for reelection. Incumbents Jack Gibson and Larry Bragman will run. Given long-term drought and climate change, the key question in this election deals with water supply. My question for all of the so-far declared candidates: What specific actions should MMWD take to satisfy its customers’ water supply and water demands needs? Today Gibson and Bragman reply. On Sunday, we’ll see responses from three newcomers running for the water board. These comments are unedited except for space demands. I’ll reserve my reaction for future columns. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Marin commentary: Dick Spotswood: MMWD directors Gibson, Bragman address water supply question
Zone 7’s Patterson Pass plant shifts to ozonation water treatment process
“Residents in the Tri-Valley region will start to see and taste a difference in their tap water thanks to upgrades made to the Patterson Pass Water Treatment Plant in Livermore. The Zone 7 Water Agency held a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday to celebrate the opening of the newly renovated plant, which cost $110 million for planning, design and construction. … ” Read more from the Livermore Independent here: Zone 7’s Patterson Pass plant shifts to ozonation water treatment process
These much-needed Bay Area developments got stalled for the same reason: a 1939-era sewer
“This summer was supposed to be a season of celebration for the Ravenswood Family Health Clinic in East Palo Alto: the grand opening of a new 60,000 square foot building, paid for by billionaire philanthropist John Sobrato, that would house 120 agency staff members along with other non-profits. Yet, the new building will not open this summer. It is not even under construction yet. The flat, fenced-in 2.5-acre dirt lot at 2519 Pulgas St. shows no sign of bulldozers or excavators. And there is a real possibility that it never will be, according to Buada. That is because the stalled project is one of more than a dozen East Palo Alto developments indefinitely on hold because of disagreements with the East Palo Alto Sanitary District, which critics say is refusing to provide service unless developers cough up million of dollars that would pay for the modernization and expansion of the 1939-era sewer system. … ” Continue reading at the San Francisco Chronicle here: These much-needed Bay Area developments got stalled for the same reason: a 1939-era sewer
CENTRAL COAST
California exempts Santa Cruz from emergency water use restrictions
“The California State Water Resources Control Board has granted Santa Cruz an exemption from newly approved emergency water use restrictions, the city announced Wednesday. According to the city’s water department, existing conservation measures exceed the goals required under stage 2 of the state’s Water Shortage Contingency Plan. The state water board approved the measure on May 24 and went into effect on June 10. … ” Read more from KSBY here: California exempts Santa Cruz from emergency water use restrictions
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
County OKs LA River master plan, despite opposition from environmental groups
“The Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a long-debated master plan for development and long-term management of the Los Angeles River, but without the support of some environmental groups who claim the plan will add more concrete to the channel rather than nature-based improvements. The master plan, which has been in the works for more than five years, was unanimously supported by the supervisors. Supervisor Hilda Solis called the plan a “monumental step towards improving the health and well-being of our communities, from Northeast Los Angeles to Southeast Los Angeles.” ... ” Read more from Spectrum 1 here: County OKs LA River master plan, despite opposition from environmental groups
County approves L.A. River Master Plan over 11th-hour objections from environmental groups
“After a coalition of environmental groups withdrew support for the L.A. River Master Plan over differences with its recommendations for uplifting the profile of the concrete flood control channel over the next 25 years, L.A. County officials decided Tuesday to move forward with the plan. The groups had been threatening to walk away since Los Angeles County Public Works included far-reaching proposals submitted by famed architect Frank Gehry to transform the forlorn industrial confluence of the Los Angeles River and the Rio Hondo in South Gate into a cultural park. Still, the L.A. County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to adopt the final L.A. River Master Plan. “The L.A. River Master Plan is one of the most robust, progressive and community-driven planning efforts ever undertaken by L.A. County,” said Mark Pestrella, director and chief engineer of the Los Angeles County Flood Control District. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: County approves L.A. River Master Plan over 11th-hour objections from environmental groups
Press release: County steering committee members announce joint opposition to LA River master plan
“Today representatives from a number of environmental, environmental justice, and community-based organizations that have been working with the LA River Master Plan Steering Committee announced their formal opposition to the final Plan proposed by the County. The final Plan is expected to be approved at today’s Board of Supervisors meeting. These organizations submitted a joint letter that demands the County pull their names from the Plan’s community engagement and Steering Committee section because of the Plan’s support for adding more concrete to the river through massive projects such as platform parks, rather than investing in nature-based solutions and concrete removal for ecological and community resilience. The joint letter was signed by East Yards Communities for Environmental Justice, Friends of the LA River, Heal the Bay, LA Waterkeeper, Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples, and The Nature Conservancy in California. … ”
Life under new water rules calls for sacrificing green, spending green
“Because of the historic drought, Los Angeles residents are limited to two days per week for outdoor watering. The restrictions are more lenient than the once-a-week limit ordered by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California for areas dependent on water from the State Water Project. Ripping out her lush backyard was a huge — and necessary — decision for Dalia Kenig. “Some areas, even as much as I was watering, it was so hot that I had to change,” she said. “It just felt like it’s a struggle. It didn’t feel like fun anymore.” Getting rid of the grass took hundreds of dollars off the Oak Park homeowner’s monthly water bill. … ” Read more from Spectrum 1 here: Life under new water rules calls for sacrificing green, spending green
Wild Rivers water park reopening in Irvine amid SoCal drought
“The opening of a new water park in Orange County has some residents excited, though others are wondering how much water the park will use amid a prolonged drought in Southern California. The giant wave pool, lazy river and slides at the new Wild Rivers in Irvine will be filled with thousands of gallons of water in the coming days. “Well, I’m definitely torn because I miss Wild Rivers. It shut down when my kids were little and it made us very sad, but yes, we are in a drought,” said Aimee Alwood, Foothill Ranch resident. Experts said it will initially take up to 900,000 gallons of water to get the water park up and running. … ” Read more from CBS LA here: Wild Rivers water park reopening in Irvine amid SoCal drought
SEE ALSO: Wild Rivers pushes back opening date; July 1 tickets to go on sale soon, from the OC Register
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
University of San Diego students study drought’s impact on desert ecosystem
“Six students from the University of San Diego spent a week in the Anza-Borrego desert, looking at how climate change impacts aquatic insects and their ecosystem. “It’s awesome,” says USD senior Janelle Doi. “Being out in the desert really kind of makes our experience.” Braving triple-digit temperatures, the students collected samples of insects and brought them back to their lab on campus. They’re now identifying and cataloging the insects, to compare them to samples from previous trips. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: University of San Diego students study drought’s impact on desert ecosystem
‘Sophie’s choice:’ Water officials warn huge cuts needed to shore up Lake Mead; IID pushes Salton Sea’s needs
“A top federal water official told Congress on Tuesday that shortages on the Colorado River system have taken an even grimmer turn, with a whopping 2 million to 4 million acre feet of reduction in water use needed by 2023 just to keep Lake Mead functioning and physically capable of delivering drinking water, irrigation and power to millions of people. … A key official with the Imperial Irrigation District, which holds legal rights to 70% of California’s water from the river, or 3.1 million acre feet, responded in an interview with The Desert Sun that the district and its users recognize the “dramatic” reductions needed to sustain the reservoir, but said the problems at the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland water body, must also be addressed. “We’re willing to be part of the solution, but we have other problems that need to be solved, chief among them the Salton Sea,” said IID Director J.B. Hamby, who also is on the Colorado River Board of California. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: ‘Sophie’s choice:’ Water officials warn huge cuts needed to shore up Lake Mead; IID pushes Salton Sea’s needs | Read via Yahoo News
SAN DIEGO
Neighbors in North Park frustrated by standing water with no drainage
“People in North Park reached out to CBS 8 about a standing water issue on their street. They say the puddles of water collect mosquitoes and carry a foul odor. CBS 8’s Brian White paid a visit to the 4300 block of 34th Street to talk with neighbors and get to the bottom of it. “It’s an ongoing issue with mosquitoes, the smell, the eye sore looking at it,” said Page Carman. “It’s horrid.” Neighbors are frustrated by the standing water in the street that never seems to go away. They say it’s been happening for years. … ” Read more from Channel 8 here: Neighbors in North Park frustrated by standing water with no drainage
Will Coronado, Imperial Beach shorelines be closed all summer? New testing reveals rampant Tijuana sewage
“Coronado’s tony seaside community and working-class Imperial Beach could be headed for a major reckoning with the sewage continuing to spilling over the border from Tijuana. Beach closures that were once thought of as largely a wintertime occurrence now appear poised to become a year-round phenomena in San Diego’s South Bay. However, that’s not because the cross-border pollution from Baja California’s overtaxed and crumbling wastewater system has dramatically escalated, according to county officials. It’s because the ocean is more polluted than previously thought. A spate of recently shuttered shorelines followed a May 5 rollout of a new DNA-based water-quality testing system nearly a decade in the making. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Will Coronado, Imperial Beach shorelines be closed all summer? New testing reveals rampant Tijuana sewage
Along the Colorado River …
Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’
“As the West endures another year of unrelenting drought worsened by climate change, the Colorado River’s reservoirs have declined so low that major water cuts will be necessary next year to reduce risks of supplies reaching perilously low levels, a top federal water official said Tuesday. Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton said during a Senate hearing in Washington that federal officials now believe protecting “critical levels” at the country’s largest reservoirs — Lake Mead and Lake Powell — will require much larger reductions in water deliveries. “A warmer, drier West is what we are seeing today,” Touton told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “And the challenges we are seeing today are unlike anything we have seen in our history.” … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Major water cutbacks loom as shrinking Colorado River nears ‘moment of reckoning’ | Read via AOL News
Big Colorado River water cuts needed next year, top US official warns
“The largest single batch of water-use cuts ever carried out on the Colorado River is needed in 2023 to keep Lakes Mead and Powell from falling to critically low levels, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation commissioner told a congressional hearing Tuesday. Between 2 million and 4 million acre feet of water use must be cut for 2023 across the river basin to cope with continued declines in reservoir levels, said Reclamation Commissioner Camille Touton. This comes as the West continues to struggle with ongoing conditions of “hotter temperatures, leading to early snowmelt and dry soils, all translated into low runoff and the lowest reservoir levels on record,” Touton said. “The normal drier, warmer West is what we’re seeing today,” said Touton, testifying before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources in Washington, D.C. … ” Read more from Tucson.com here: Big Colorado River water cuts needed next year, top US official warns
Column: Painful Colorado River cuts are coming, whether basin states agree or not
Columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “The window to avoid even more painful cuts on the Colorado River just closed. The federal Bureau of Reclamation is asking states to conserve 2 to 4 million acre-feet of water, just to keep Lake Powell and Lake Mead out of critically low territory in 2023. And we’ll need a plan to do so by mid-August when shortage levels and other important operating details for the next water year are set. Guess how difficult that’s going to be? … ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: Column: Painful Colorado River cuts are coming, whether basin states agree or not | Read via Yahoo News
Inkstain blog: Touton: On the Colorado River, we need to cut an additional 2 to 4 million acre feet of use. Now.
John Fleck writes, “I’ll let Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlin Touton explain this: ‘In the Colorado River Basin more conservation and demand management are needed in addition to the actions already underway. Between 2 and 4 million acre feet of additional conservation is needed just to protect critical elevations in 2023.’ That’s what Commissioner Touton said in a Congressional hearing today. That is a stunning number. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog here: Inkstain blog: Touton: On the Colorado River, we need to cut an additional 2 to 4 million acre feet of use. Now.
Forecasting the monsoon is complicated. Climate change made it a whole other game
“The monsoon season starts officially across the Southwest on Wednesday. But even as it unfolds, what that will mean for Arizona this year is still pretty much anyone’s guess. What’s known as the North American monsoon typically begins in early June in central and southern Mexico. It forms when summer heat results in a build up of atmospheric pressure that forces a shift in the predominant winds, from westerly (blowing from the west) to southerly (blowing from the south). These winds push air holding evaporated moisture from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California over northern Mexico, New Mexico and Arizona, where it falls as rain, often in dramatic thunderstorms. ... ” Read more from Arizona Central here: Forecasting the monsoon is complicated. Climate change made it a whole other game
Biologists try to save ancient fish as Colorado River fades
“Barrett Friesen steers a motorboat toward the shore of Lake Powell, with the Glen Canyon Dam towering overhead. Pale “bathtub rings” line the canyon’s rocky face, starkly illustrating how water levels have slumped in the second-largest U.S. reservoir amid rising demand and a multi-year drought. The Utah State University graduate student and colleagues are on a mission to save the humpback chub, an ancient fish under assault from nonnative predators in the Colorado River. The reservoir’s decline may soon make things worse, enabling these introduced fish to get past the dam to where the biggest groups of chub remain, farther downstream in the Grand Canyon. On the brink of extinction decades ago, the chub has come back in modest numbers thanks to fish biologists and other scientists and engineers. But an emerging threat becomes evident in early June as Friesen hauls up minnow traps and gillnets packed with carp, gizzard shad, green sunfish and, ominously, three smallmouth bass. … ” Read more from the Associated Press here: Biologists try to save ancient fish as Colorado River fades
In national water news today …
Cases on Clean Water Act and Voting Rights Act will headline October oral arguments
“With two dozen cases from its 2021-22 term still undecided, the Supreme Court on Tuesday released the first argument calendar for its 2022-23 term. During the argument session that begins on Oct. 3, the justices will hear oral argument in important cases involving issues such as voting rights, the Clean Water Act, and a challenge to a California animal-welfare law. The justices will kick off the argument session with Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, the case of an Idaho couple who have been prohibited from building a home on land they own near Priest Lake, Idaho, because their lot contained wetlands that qualify as “navigable waters” regulated by the Clean Water Act. The justices will decide whether the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit used the correct test to determine whether wetlands are “waters of the United States” for purposes of the Clean Water Act. … ” Read more from the SCOTUS blog here: Cases on Clean Water Act and Voting Rights Act will headline October oral arguments
What is the Clean Water Act?
“The Clean Water Act is one of the more commonly known pieces of federal legislation in America, but the history of the Act, why it was originally passed, and what it actually does is much less widely understood. What is the Clean Water Act, and what does it do? Congress passed the Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972, two years after the first Earth Day celebration. Like the Clean Air Act (1970) and the Endangered Species Act (1973), the CWA reflected Americans’ growing concern about the environment. The Clean Water Act (CWA) built on the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1948, the first federal environmental protection law. The CWA’s mission is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters.” Congress intended the Act to make all of America’s waterways “fishable and swimmable” by 1983, and even more ambitiously, to end pollution entirely by 1985. … ” Read more from the Pacific Legal Foundation here: What is the Clean Water Act?
EPA announces new drinking water health advisories for PFAS chemicals, $1 billion in bipartisan infrastructure law funding to strengthen health protections
“Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released four drinking water health advisories for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the latest action under President Biden’s action plan to deliver clean water and Administrator Regan’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap. EPA also announced that it is inviting states and territories to apply for $1 billion – the first of $5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grant funding – to address PFAS and other emerging contaminants in drinking water, specifically in small or disadvantaged communities. These actions build on EPA’s progress to safeguard communities from PFAS pollution and scientifically inform upcoming efforts, including EPA’s forthcoming proposed National Primary Drinking Water Regulation for PFOA and PFOS, which EPA will release in the fall of 2022. … ” Read more from the EPA here: EPA announces new drinking water health advisories for PFAS chemicals, $1 billion in bipartisan infrastructure law funding to strengthen health protections
EPA: ‘Forever chemicals’ pose risk even at very low levels
“The Environmental Protection Agency is warning that two nonstick and stain-resistant compounds found in drinking water pose health risks even at levels below the government’s ability to detect them. The two compounds, known as PFOA and PFOS, have been voluntarily phased out by U.S. manufacturers, but there are a limited number of ongoing uses and the chemicals remain in the environment because they do not degrade over time. The compounds are part of a larger cluster of “forever chemicals” known as PFAS that have been used in consumer products and industry since the 1940s. The EPA on Wednesday issued nonbinding health advisories that set the permissible health thresholds for PFOA and PFOS to near zero, replacing 2016 guidelines that had set them at 70 parts per trillion. The chemicals are found in products including cardboard packaging, carpets and firefighting foam. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: EPA: ‘Forever chemicals’ pose risk even at very low levels
A growing movement to reclaim water rights for indigenous people
“Native tribes are reliant on their local water sources, which have been continuously exploited and contaminated by the U.S. government and non-Native people. Indigenous groups are finding new ways to demand justice. In recent years, the hashtag #LandBack has surfaced across Indigenous platforms to signify a need to reclaim ancestral landscapes and protect the sacred and cultural resources they contain. Across the American Southwest, however, there has been an even deeper call to action: “We can’t have #LandBack without #WaterBack” reads the poster material for the Pueblo Action Alliance’s #WaterBack campaign. ... ” Read more from Resilience.org here: A growing movement to reclaim water rights for indigenous people
Digital twins bring the future to water management
“While more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, only 2.8 percent is freshwater and less than 1 percent is drinkable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 884 million people lack access to drinkable water. Moreover, 4 out of 10 people worldwide need to compete for water. Of all the Earth’s freshwater, 48 percent is for agricultural use, 22 percent for energy production, 6 percent for industrial applications, and 24 percent for residential use like flushing toilets and cleaning. All sectors face the same problems of water waste or inefficient use. The coming climate change will worsen these problems, as more droughts and floods will make the distribution of water resources even more uneven. … ” Read more from Engineering.com here: Digital twins bring the future to water management
Study explores uncertainties in flood risk estimates
“Flood frequency analysis is a technique used to estimate flood risk, providing statistics such as the “100-year flood” or “500-year flood” that are critical to infrastructure design, dam safety analysis, and flood mapping in flood-prone areas. But the method used to calculate these flood frequencies is due for an update, according to a new study by scientists from DRI, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Colorado State University. Floods, even in a single watershed, are known to be caused by a variety of sources, including rainfall, snowmelt, or “rain-on-snow” events in which rain falls on existing snowpack. However, flood frequencies have traditionally been estimated under the assumption these flood “drivers,” or root causes, are unimportant. In a new open-access paper in Geophysical Research Letters, a team led by Guo Yu, Ph.D., of DRI examined the most common drivers (rainfall, snowmelt, and rain-on-snow events) of historic floods for 308 watersheds in the Western U.S., and investigated the impact of different flood types on the resulting flood frequencies. ... ” Read more from Desert Research Institute here: Study explores uncertainties in flood risk estimates
How we got here: Ecological restoration’s surprising history
“Rising carbon emissions. Heatwaves and wildfires. Supercharged storms. Environmental headlines these days can be bleak — and with good reason. But a new book proposes an antidote. “There is hope to be found in ecological restoration,” writes Laura J. Martin in Wild by Design. If we want to save threatened species or ecosystems on the brink, we’ll need to get our hands dirty. Across the world billions are being spent on restoration projects — like reforestation efforts or reintroducing extirpated species — to try and undo some of the harm we’ve done to the natural world. How well we do those projects, and what science and ethics guide them, is critically important to the future of life on this planet. But to plot the best path forward, it helps to understand how we got here. Wild by Design provides that roadmap by tracing the history of ecological restoration in the United States and the emergence of the scientific field of ecology. … ” Read more from The Revelator here: How we got here: Ecological restoration’s surprising history
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: June 14 Weekly Update on Curtailment Status of Water Rights and Claims in the Delta Watershed
NOTICE: Opportunity to participate in the initial Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Merced Working Group
NOW IN EFFECT: Second Water Conservation Emergency Regulation of 2022
