On the calendar today …
- The Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee will meet from 1pm to 3pm. The DPIIC will hear from a panel on the question, “As reviews and changes are being considered, what structure and process will best serve the needs of the Delta and collective efforts to achieve the coequal goals of water supply reliability and ecosystem health?” The panel will explore current review efforts and discuss how to move forward. Committee members will also consider endorsing the 2022-2026 Science Action Agenda (SAA), receive the Financial Year 2020-2021 Delta Crosscut Budget Report, and hear about efforts to address long-term drought and salinity needs. Click here for the full meeting notice.
In California water news today …
A new gold rush pits money and jobs against California’s environment
“Where the Sacramento Valley steepens into the Sierra Nevada, Susan Love found a home with big windows and pine-forest views. It was the house she shared happily with her husband before his death. The surroundings, though, are changing. A long-dormant gold mine within view of her front garden is showing signs of life. Once the second-highest-producing gold mine in the nation, the Idaho-Maryland Mine is again in the sights of prospectors, this time a Nevada-based company proposing to reopen it in this place born more than a century and a half ago in a rush of gold. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: A new gold rush pits money and jobs against California’s environment
Two tidal habitat restoration projects in Solano County support Delta smelt survival
“California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has just announced that state, federal, and local agencies gathered last week to celebrate two tidal habitat restoration projects in Solano County that support the survival of Delta smelt and other fish species as part of the long-term operation of the State Water Project. Bradmoor Island and Arnold Slough, two neighboring projects in the Suisun Marsh, are designed to provide high-quality habitat and food sources for fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This event celebrated the completed Arnold Slough project and the start of construction at Bradmoor Island. … ” Read more from Dredging Today here: Two tidal habitat restoration projects in Solano County support Delta smelt survival
Delta smelt: CA wants to “step away” from single-species management
“A small fish called the Delta Smelt has been a big topic for farmers in California, as the state cites its 2016 Delta Smelt Resiliency Strategy for limiting the amount of water from the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta, earmarked for agriculture. Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency Secretary, spoke during the Western Food and Ag Issues Summit hosted by Agri-Pulse. He says although the state of California is bound by the federal Endangered Species Act to protect the fish, the agency is working towards a more encompassing solution. … ” Read more from Ag Info here: Delta smelt: CA wants to “step away” from single-species management
State considers regulation of wells
“The governor of our state and the state legislature are getting into the act of exercising never-before-seen public control of privately owned groundwater wells. Assemblyman Steve Bennett (D-Ventura) and representatives from Community Water Center (CWC) are sponsoring legislation that would change the way new and expanded water wells are approved in California, and focusing on areas that are experiencing rapid decline in groundwater reserves. “New water wells and groundwater extractions are being approved without adequate analysis of their impact on the drinking water of disadvantaged communities,” said Bennett. “Approval without that analysis can cause significant negative impacts on over-drafted water basins and disadvantaged communities drinking water.” … ” Read more from the Anderson Valley Advertiser here: State considers regulation of wells
Listen: More pressure regarding available water for nut farmers
“Joe Del Bosque is a diversified farmer, including almonds, on the west side of Fresno and Merced Counties. He noted additional pressure like possible moratoriums on new well drilling.” Listen at Ag Info here (1:30): Listen: More pressure regarding available water for nut farmers
Why a triple-dip La Niña could be bad news for California
“A rare triple-dip La Niña is looking increasingly likely for the Northern Hemisphere. The latest outlook by NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center, released Thursday, indicates there’s a 62% to 66% chance the current La Niña climate condition will persist through fall and early winter. If that happens, it’ll be the third La Niña winter in a row – a rare phenomenon we’ve only seen twice since 1950. A third consecutive La Niña year would likely have a major impact on California. The La Niña climate pattern usually splits the country into two, bringing a dry winter to the southern half and a wetter winter to the northern half. We don’t know exactly where the dividing line will fall this year. Sometimes La Niña splits California in two, bringing lots of rain to Northern California and drought to Southern California. … ” Read more from Fox 40 here: Why a triple-dip La Niña could be bad news for California
Why we remember floods and forget droughts
“When I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area 10 years ago, I bought a pair of rain boots. I’ve worn them once. The region is currently in what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calls a “severe drought.” During the past decade, California has experienced two periods of “exceptional drought,” the agency’s highest drought ranking. The effects of such conditions are visibly apocalyptic: piebald street trees, empty orchards, horizontal stripes etched on the shoreline of lakes and reservoirs. Hillsides of flame-orange pine trees killed by beetle infestations foretell long and intense fire seasons. I did discover high water at a local flea market, though. Sifting through a box of old photos recently, I turned over an early-20th-century postcard to find three women in a rowboat, wearing long dresses and neat updos. They are attended by a little boy, and all four of them are floating casually down a residential street. As a photo historian, my first move was to try to identify the image. Where and when was it taken? Who were these stoic women? In searching for them, I found something surprising: a trend in visual culture that reaches far beyond the borders of California. Drought and flood might seem to be two sides of the same coin, but the former is far less documented than the latter is. … ” Read more from The Atlantic here: Why we remember floods and forget droughts
NOAA will spend $3 billion to fight climate change along the coast
“The federal science agency is preparing to pass out an unprecedented amount of money to make the nation’s coast more resilient. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has more than $3 billion ready to fund projects that bolster natural systems which can buffer the impacts of climate change. In California, funded projects could include sand replenishment, wetlands recovery and expansion, or natural projects that fight coastal erosion. … ” Read more from KPBS here: NOAA will spend $3 billion to fight climate change along the coast
$95 million in NOAA Pacific coastal salmon recovery funding recommended to reverse the declines of West Coast salmon and steelhead
“NOAA Fisheries is recommending more than $95 million in funding for 19 new and continuing programs and projects to support West Coast salmon and steelhead populations. We are recommending $61 million in annual appropriation funding and $34 million in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funding, awarded through the Pacific Coastal Salmon Recovery Fund. … ” Read more from NOAA here: $95 million in NOAA Pacific coastal salmon recovery funding recommended to reverse the declines of West Coast salmon and steelhead
California’s forests are losing their ability to recover
“The state of California relies on its forests to help reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But this service may be in jeopardy as new research from UC Irvine reports that trees in California are dying from wildfires and other pressures – and fewer new trees are filling the void. “The forests are not keeping up with these large fires,” said study co-author James Randerson. Across CaliforniA, tree cover area has declined by 6.7 percent since 1985 – big changes in less than four decades. This the first time that researchers have been able to measure tree population declines in California, and attribute the changes to such pressures as wildfires, drought stress and logging. ... ” Read more from Earth.com here: California’s forests are losing their ability to recover
Trees in California mountain range are dying due to high pressure and wildfire
“California is counting on its woods to help lower the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that warms the globe. However, a recent study from the University of California, Irvine, indicated that trees in California’s mountain ranges and open spaces are dying from wildfires and other pressures – and fewer new trees are filling the void. This puts that component of the state’s arsenal of climate change solutions in jeopardy. Researchers have been able to measure tree population decreases for the first time in California and link the changes to stressors, including logging, drought stress, and wildfires. … ” Read more from Nature World News here: Trees in California mountain range are dying due to high pressure and wildfire
And lastly … Slideshow of drought across the world
Where the water once flowed: Rivers and lakes dry up as droughts take toll, from Reuters
Today’s featured article …
GUEST ARTICLE: Building Blocks – Tools for Creating an Environmental Block of Water
Commentary by Barry Nelson, a water policy consultant who has been involved in Bay-Delta issues for more than thirty years
California rivers and wetlands have suffered serious damage from dams and water diversions. Reversing this damage and restoring healthy flows to these ecosystems is famously difficult. One traditional approach is for regulators to adopt requirements for minimum environmental flows based on an annual calendar and designed to meet particular ecosystem and species needs.
Over the past decade, water agencies, think tanks and some NGOs have suggested a different and more flexible approach – creating an “environmental block of water” – which dedicates a specific amount of water to an ecosystem. The central theory is that a block of water managed flexibly, depending on local conditions and scientific analysis, may produce the best results with the least water.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Saving Clear Lake’s Endangered Chi
“Tens of thousands of these fish once ascended streams in Spring. They are of major cultural importance to the Pomo people who harvested them as a valued food source.’ When you read statements like this, most likely it is salmon that come to mind. Yet this statement characterizes the Clear Lake Hitch or Chi, a non-salmonid fish, that ascends the tributaries to Clear Lake (Lake County) to spawn each spring (Thompson et al. 2013, Pfieffer 2022). Spawners are typically 10-14 inches long. They once moved up the streams in large numbers as soon as spring rains created sufficient stream flows to attract the fish (Moyle 2002, Moyle et al. 2015, Feyrer 2019). We had the good fortune to be able to observe runs in the 1970s when we were studying Clear Lake’s unique fish fauna, following in the bootsteps of John Hopkirk. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: Saving Clear Lake’s Endangered Chi
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Tahoe’s fragile beauty: The 5 greatest threats to Tahoe
“Tahoe is majestic and awe inspiring with its jagged mountain peaks, thick forests, swift-running rivers and hundreds of glacial and alpine lakes. Winters can be harsh. Spring yields to a wondrous array of wildflowers and new growth and during brief summer months, wildlife and plants thrive. As a destination with more than 15 million visitors annually, Tahoe’s beauty and environment is delicate and under threat from climate change and invasive species. Protecting Lake Tahoe’s clarity is a chief concern, as is protecting the more than 290 animal and 1,000 plant species, including several endangered species. Then there’s the effects of climate change that has increased the risk of wildfires and reduced snowpack. These are among the five greatest threats to Tahoe’s fragile beauty. … ” Read more from Tahoe Weekly here: Tahoe’s fragile beauty: The 5 greatest threats to Tahoe
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Drought restrictions to meet state order part of Fairfield council meeting
“The City Council will consider implementing Stage II water use reductions when it meets Tuesday. The action, listed as part of the council’s consent agenda, is in response to the conservation order issued in March by Gov. Gavin Newsom due to the ongoing drought. The staff report states a water master plan and service cost analysis will be started in 2023-24 and will “address future rate increases” as part of the cost analysis. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Drought restrictions to meet state order part of Fairfield council meeting
NAPA/SONOMA
SoCo supes approve project to improve county response to floods and drought
“The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved a project this week that the county hopes will improve its response to the threat of extreme weather and fires in the wake of climate change. The move will bring in more staffing and integrate agencies such as Sonoma Water and the county’s Department of Emergency Management. The Drought Response and Flood Control Coordination Project, which was unanimously approved, aims to tackle at least five initiatives, all of which will need to come back before the supervisors for final approval. They include modeling and risk assessment for certain flood zones, Russian River water supply resiliency, protecting water quality, Alexander Valley water resource resiliency, and Green Valley Creek habitat and public safety improvements. … ” Read more from Northern California Public Media here: SoCo supes approve project to improve county response to floods and drought
BAY AREA
Marin: Stream conservation area ordinance a win for science, salmon and environment
“For the last 15 years, SPAWN has fought to adopt a science-based stream conservation area ordinance in the San Geronimo Valley that would protect some of the most vulnerable salmon habitats left in California from development. Litigation has its time and place, but so does compromise. While this ordinance may not be perfect, it is a pragmatic solution that adequately addresses the environmental obstacles before us. The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network is dedicated to easing the uphill battle salmon face due to the rise of dams, concrete retaining walls and anthropogenic-driven climate change. ... ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Stream conservation area ordinance a win for science, salmon and environment
Fire crews expect several more days of flooding to extinguish marsh fire
“A Contra Costa Fire Protection District spokesperson said Sunday the district anticipates “several more days” of flooding marsh area near Bay Point and Pittsburg in an attempt to extinguish the Marsh Fire, which has burned since May. Con Fire tweeted Sunday afternoon that approximately 20,000 gallons per minute are flowing on the site, thanks to the owner pumping water from the Delta and Contra Costa Water District diverting water at Mallard Slough. … ” Read more from NBC Bay Area here: Fire crews expect several more days of flooding to extinguish marsh fire
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Tooleville left without water amid extreme heat wave
“The small town of Tooleville had no running water during an extreme heat wave over the weekend in the Central Valley. Tooleville, which is located near Exeter in Tulare County, had no running water all day Saturday. “The tap water in Tooleville is contaminated it’s not drinkable but that meant that during a heatwave, there was no water for showering, for washing fruits and vegetables, for other domestic purposes,” said Michael Claiborne. Claiborne is with the Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability and said although they were able to provide running water for the residents by Sunday morning, they have not reached an agreement with the City of Exeter to connect to their water system, so they fear the problem will happen again. … ” Read more from KFSN here: Tooleville left without water amid extreme heat wave
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
‘Water police’ patrol drought-hit Los Angeles streets
” … With reservoirs and rivers at historic lows, Los Angeles authorities have brought in water restrictions, such as limiting lawn irrigation to as little as eight minutes, twice per week. Ayala notes down the addresses of properties where he finds evidence of infringement. The first violation prompts a warning. “A lot of times they don’t know about the ordinance, and that’s our job to educate them,” he said. Repeat offenders are fined between $200 and $600. “We’re not looking really for their money — that doesn’t get us more water. We’re trying to get behavioral change,” he said. … ” Read more from the Inquirer here: ‘Water police’ patrol drought-hit Los Angeles streets
Long Beach looks to shore up vital groundwater supply as state sinks deeper into drought
“The building along Spring Street near Long Beach Airport is easy to miss. A fence surrounds a squat gray building with no roof, with an office building set far off the main thoroughfare. But the Long Beach Groundwater Treatment Plant serves a critical function, particularly as the state sinks deeper into drought. Behind its walls the plant collects water from the city’s roughly 20 water wells, which is stored in large pools behind the fence as it’s treated with chemicals, filtered and funneled to faucets throughout the city. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Post here: Long Beach looks to shore up vital groundwater supply as state sinks deeper into drought
In face of recurring drought, cities seek security in wastewater recycling projects
“When it comes to slaking Southern California’s colossal thirst for water, more and more local governments are searching their own sewer lines for a solution. In the face of dire drought, cities and water agencies are now investing heavily in large-scale wastewater recycling facilities — systems that will purify the billions of gallons of treated sewage that are currently flushed out to sea. Among the massive water recycling initiatives now under development in Los Angeles County are a $3.4-billion plant at the Joint Water Pollution Control Plant in Carson and Operation Next — a roughly $16-billion plan from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to purify up to 100% of the wastewater processed by the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant and put it to good use. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: In face of recurring drought, cities seek security in wastewater recycling projects
Along the Colorado River …
‘We’re out of time’ on the Colorado River crisis
Ben Poston writes, “When I moved to California nearly a decade ago, a good friend of mine gave me a copy of “Desert Solitaire” by Edward Abbey. After reading it, I became fascinated with the author’s journey on the Colorado River just before the completion of the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963. He floated down a pristine river and through canyons that would never be the same after they were inundated by millions of acre-feet of water that now make up Lake Powell. … Nearly six decades later, Lake Powell and Lake Mead — the two largest reservoirs in the United States — have been drained to just 27% of their capacity. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: ‘We’re out of time’ on the Colorado River crisis
Lake Powell’s water level plummeting
“Lake Powell, the second-largest human-made reservoir in the US, has lost nearly 7% of its potential storage capacity since 1963, when Glen Canyon Dam was built, a new report shows. In addition to water loss due to an intense multiyear drought, the US Geological Survey and the Bureau of Reclamation report found, Lake Powell faced an average annual loss in storage capacity of about 33,270 acre-feet, or 11 billion gallons, per year between 1963 and 2018.That’s enough water to fill the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall about 1,600 times. The capacity of the reservoir is shrinking because of sediments flowing in from the Colorado and San Juan rivers, according to the report. Those sediments settle at the bottom of the reservoir and decrease the total amount of water the reservoir can hold. … ” Read more from KYMA here: Lake Powell’s water level plummeting
In national water news today …
To reduce harmful algal blooms and dead zones, the US needs a national strategy for regulating farm pollution
“Midsummer is the time for forecasts of the size of this year’s “dead zones” and algal blooms in major lakes and bays. Will the Gulf of Mexico dead zone be the size of New Jersey, or only as big as Connecticut? Will Lake Erie’s bloom blossom to a human health crisis, or just devastate the coastal economy? We are scientists who each have spent almost 50 years figuring out what causes dead zones and what it will take to resuscitate them and reduce risks of toxic blooms of algae. Researchers can forecast these phenomena quite well and have calculated the nitrogen and phosphorus pollution cuts needed to reduce them. … ” Read more from The Conversation here: To reduce harmful algal blooms and dead zones, the US needs a national strategy for regulating farm pollution
Climate-focused bill collapses as nation is gripped by impacts
“Water levels have fallen so low on the Colorado River that they are threatening a dam relied upon by millions of Americans. In Texas, it was so hot last week the state’s grid operator had to twice ask people to conserve electricity. And in western Kansas, it is so dry that barely any wheat sprouted this year, further straining global agricultural markets upended by the war in Ukraine. Such events are a sign of how climate change is altering life in the United States. Yet they have yet to provoke a serious response in Washington, where Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia told his Democratic counterparts last week he could not support climate provisions in a wider budget bill (E&E Daily, July 15). In an evenly divided Senate, the pronouncement likely kills the prospects for federal climate legislation. The result is a collision of political and atmospheric reality. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Climate-focused bill collapses as nation is gripped by impacts
More news and commentary in the weekend digest …
In California water news today …
California’s idle crop land may double as water crisis deepens- State celebrates two tidal habitat restoration projects benefitting Delta smelt
- Slow-building heatwave across interior; possible very hot end to July with fire season accelerating
- White paper: Building blocks: Tools and lessons for designing a block of water for the environment
- Assemblymember Bennett’s water-well-permitting regulation passes committee
- We are on La Niña watch for third year in a row, which could be bad for drought
- Public invited to comment on petition to list Southern California steelhead as endangered
- “We’re praying that they remember these waters”: Supported by tribal ceremony, salmon eggs return to the McCloud River after 80 year absence
- Should fire-ravaged California thin its forests? Yosemite blaze heightens stakes of dispute
- The Nature Conservancy: Let’s fight fire with fire: There is a future where fire restores our forests instead of destroying them
- Column: Build more houses! Use less water! California, can you have it both ways?
- Press release: Scott River watershed’s agricultural wells curtailed by State Water Board–Local alliance warns of precedent for all wells in California
- Marin water district vets desalination, recycled water cost
- Press release: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority reaches agreement on terms to secure imported water supplies
- Water board to consider runoff discharge regulations for Santa Susana Field Laboratory
- Drought, warming, punish Colorado River, push mega-fires onto the basin
- EPA ‘forever chemical’ health advisory spurs lawsuit
- And more …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
REVISED NOTICE of Availability of Revised Draft Initial Biological Goals for Lower San Joaquin River and Notice of Workshop
NOTICE OF PREPARATION/CEQA SCOPING MEETING – Proposed Regulation to Implement the Bay-Delta Plan
NEPA DOCS: 2022 Temporary Change in Nitrate Water Quality Requirements for Groundwater Introduced into the Delta-Mendota Canal
NOTICE OF SPECIAL MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board Discussion Of Water Board Priorities
NOTICE: Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) Criteria Expert Panel – final panel preliminary findings posted
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Delta Conservancy Announces Climate Resilience, Community Access, and Natural Resource Protection Funding
