On the calendar today …
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include a Drought Update and Current Hydrologic Conditions; Consideration of a proposed Resolution and Adoption of Clean Water Act Section 401 Water Quality Certification and Waste Discharge Requirements for Restoration Projects Statewide (Statewide Restoration General Order) and Certifying the Supporting Program Environmental Impact Report; Consideration of a proposed Resolution to re-adopt a drought-related emergency regulation for curtailment of diversions on Mill and Deer creeks due to insufficient flow for specific fisheries; and a Board Workshop on the Draft FY 2021-22 Fund Expenditure Plan for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Click here for the full agenda.
In California water news today …
California Congressional Republicans pitch Newsom on Shasta Dam expansion
“California’s Republican congressional delegation, led by House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, has opened up a new front in the state’s ongoing water wars, urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to support the expansion of the Shasta Dam. “Raising Shasta Dam would improve water supply reliability for agricultural, municipal, industrial, and environmental uses, improve Sacramento River temperatures and water quality below the dam for salmon survival, increase the generation of hydroelectric power, and reduce the risk of flood damage,” the letter reads in part. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee’s Capitol Alert here: California Congressional Republicans pitch Newsom on Shasta Dam expansion | Read via MSN News
Not easy being green: Newsom clashes with with CA environmentalists on climate, water
“The word got out and the environmental lobby was quick to pounce: After years of silence on the issue, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration was reviving a controversial plan to burrow a tunnel beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the fragile hub of California’s water-delivery system. Environmentalists said the tunnel would wreck the Delta, not fix it. Ailing fish populations would be driven further to extinction. The reworking of the Delta’s plumbing would leave Delta farmers with water too salty for raising grapes, tomatoes and other crops, they said. “This proposal is not a plan that protects the environment,” said the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Doug Obegi. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Not easy being green: Newsom clashes with with CA environmentalists on climate, water
Is SGMA compatible with farmland preservation?
“As implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) gets underway, questions are emerging about what it will mean for lands protected under the Williamson Act, California’s chief farmland preservation policy. For nearly 60 years, the Williamson Act has helped protect 16 million acres—roughly half of the state’s crop- and rangelands—from development. But as SGMA’s limitations on groundwater extraction go into effect—and as warmer, more intense droughts begin to push land out of irrigation–the context within which the program operates is shifting. In July, we gathered a group of agriculture, solar, and county stakeholders to explore the interplay between the Williamson Act and SGMA in the San Joaquin Valley. Here is what we learned. … ” Continue reading at the PPIC here: Is SGMA compatible with farmland preservation?
Better atmospheric river forecasts are giving emergency planners more time to prepare for flooding
Marty Ralph, research meteorologist and founding director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, writes, “ARs are essentially rivers of water vapor in the sky that are pushed along by strong, low-altitude winds, sometimes at hurricane speeds. The meteorological community formally defined them only in the early 2010s, after improved satellite imaging and science revealed how these storms can form far out over the remote ocean. They can grow to 2,000 miles long, 500 miles wide and two miles deep by the time they strike the western coasts of continents. An average AR brings far greater rainfall than a typical rain or thunderstorm in those parts of the world, transporting enough vapor to equal 25 times the flow rate of the Mississippi River where it pours into the Gulf of Mexico. These storms can produce disastrous flooding, including the biggest floods that some areas may see in a century. They can occur in families—a series of storms, as if rolling in on a treadmill. … ” Read more from Scientific American here: Better atmospheric river forecasts are giving emergency planners more time to prepare for flooding
These plastic balls are fixing an unexpected problem for California
“If you’ve ever seen a video about reservoirs in California or happened to visit one yourself, you might have caught a glimpse of a layer of black balls floating on the surface. These balls are known as shade balls. They were dumped in two separate reservoirs in California by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LAWPD) first in 2008, and then a couple of years after that in 2015. The balls were made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and were semi-filled with water to prevent the wind from blowing them away (via UPenn). … ” Read more from Slash Gear here: These plastic balls are fixing an unexpected problem for California
California faces heightened risk of megafloods
“Although California is currently contending with historic drought, a new study indicates that climate change is sharply increasing the risk of a catastrophic megaflood that could submerge large swaths of the state and displace millions of residents. The study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) finds that the likelihood of such a calamitous flood has already doubled because of climate change. If society were to follow a worst-case climate scenario of emitting greenhouse gasses at a high rate, the state by later this century could expect to experience a catastrophic megaflood about every 30-35 years, instead of just once in two centuries. … ” Read more from NCAR here: California faces heightened risk of megafloods
SEE ALSO: Study: Climate change doubles risk of ‘megaflood’ across California, from KPBS
California’s climate countdown: Can the state power through it?
“It’s climate crunch time in California. Starting today and lasting through Thursday, generators and transmission-line operators should delay any scheduled maintenance to avoid possible power outages as Californians crank up their air conditioners to deal with an expected onslaught of 100-plus degree heat, the state’s electric grid operator said Friday. The California Independent System Operator’s warning came on the heels of draft legislation Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office unveiled late Thursday to extend the life of Diablo Canyon, the state’s last nuclear power plant in San Luis Obispo, by as much as 10 years — and give its operator, PG&E, a forgivable loan of as much as $1.4 billion to do so. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: California’s climate countdown: Can the state power through it?
SEE ALSO: California Braces for 109-Degree Heat That Will Test Grid, from the San Jose Mercury News
Green guidance: Forests point the way to better stormwater management
“Working as a water resource faculty and ecosystems engineer with a university on the east coast, Ani Jayakaran learned to look at forests and watersheds as guides for better water management, especially stormwater runoff. “I learned how forests and undeveloped watersheds manage water, and my goal has always been to take the approaches of nature and bring them to urban watersheds and ecosystems,” Jayakaran says. … To be clear, many other researchers have also studied nature-based solutions to manage stormwater in recent years. However, it should be emphasized that the management of ecosystems using natural processes has been underway for millennia, overseen by indigenous communities worldwide. … In his current positions as a professor and as a green stormwater infrastructure specialist at Washington State University, Jayakaran has explored incorporating natural strategies for stormwater runoff into city environments. ... ” Read more from Environmental Monitor here: Green guidance: Forests point the way to better stormwater management
Stalled U.S. Forest Service project could have protected California town from Caldor Fire destruction
“Before the Caldor Fire sparked one year ago this week — before its 150-foot flames devoured century-old ponderosa pines in California’s Sierra Nevada, and before it destroyed more than 400 of the 600 homes in Grizzly Flats — Mark Almer had a plan. … For more than a decade, he’s led the Grizzly Flats Fire Safe Council, a group of two-dozen volunteers that raised money for wildfire mitigation projects, educated the town’s roughly 1,400 residents about defensible space and regularly gathered local, state and federal fire officials to help improve their fire response plan. The Caldor Fire would be the council’s ultimate test. … ” Read more from Capitol Public Radio here: Stalled U.S. Forest Service project could have protected California town from Caldor Fire destruction
RELATED: How we measured U.S. Forest Service wildfire prevention work, from Capitol Public Radio
California’s giant sequoias are burning up. Will logging save them?
“Every June, Tony Caprio and his wife Linda hike into the Sugarbowl — a cluster of giant sequoias high in the Sierra Nevada — to admire the profusion of wildflowers and walk among some of the oldest and tallest trees on the planet. Now when he visits, he sees something that, scientists say, has no precedent in thousands of years of history: vast acres of dead sequoias, killed by fire. The Sugarbowl, an amphitheater of solemn and enormous trees, part of the Redwood Mountain grove, one of the largest collections of giant sequoia on Earth, has become a graveyard. Trees that have lived since the Roman empire stand as fire-blackened matchsticks, their once bushy green crowns shriveled into charred fists. When the KNP Complex fire roared through last October, it burned so hot in some places that Caprio expects few seedlings to rise from the ash. ... ” Read more from the Washington Post here: California’s giant sequoias are burning up. Will logging save them?
California cows are leaving the state and that won’t help global warming
“In the parlance of climate change, the phenomenon is known as “leakage.” Last month, Northview Dairy in Ontario sold nearly 3,000 cows to a farmer with properties in Kansas and Colorado. During a recent lunch break — after tearing down the rows of cow sheds that have paralleled a stretch of Haven Avenue for three decades — Northview dairy manager German Cisneros said the sale was the result of a combination of increasing regulations, high prices for cows, and a great offer from an Irvine company to turn the land into housing. It makes perfect sense from a business perspective. But those former California cows are now residents of states with different air quality laws. And in the global effort to combat climate change by cleaning up dairy farming, that matters. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: California cows are leaving the state and that won’t help global warming
DWR recognized for greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts
“As climate change continues to cause greater weather extremes and impact water resources statewide, it is important that we reduce our carbon footprint. In recognition of the State’s ongoing efforts, The Climate Registry has awarded the Department of Water Resources (DWR) All-Star certification in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. GHG emissions caused by human activity are one of the most significant drivers of global climate change. As the department responsible for managing California’s water resources, DWR is a major energy consumer and producer. DWR have developed innovative policies and strategies to reduce our carbon footprint and GHG emissions … ” Read more from DWR here: DWR recognized for greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts
In commentary today …
Western drought isn’t going anywhere. It’s time to rethink water use.
Mark Schlosberg with Food & Water Watch writes, “You wouldn’t know it by the water use in much of the Western U.S., but the region is mired in its worst drought in over 1200 years. Driven by the climate crisis, more than half of the West is in exceptional, extreme or severe drought. Only 17% of the West is experiencing normal conditions. This is bad news for our water supplies. Reservoir levels in California and across the West have sunk to historic lows. For instance, the Colorado River system provides water for 40 million people. Its two largest reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, are just 26 and 27% full, respectively. … It’s time for our elected leaders to take a hard look at the biggest water abusers and drivers of climate change. It’s time to take on big agribusiness and the fossil fuel industry. ... ” Read more from Food & Water Watch here: Western drought isn’t going anywhere. It’s time to rethink water use.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Klamath River appears to be recovering after massive debris flow
“The Klamath River appears to be recovering after a massive debris flow entered its waters and killed scores of fish earlier this month, though environmental consultant Craig Tucker says the Karuk Tribe is continuing to monitor the situation. “We’re still a little worried how it might affect adults as they move up the river,” Tucker told The Times-Standard. “We think everything is fine, but we’re monitoring the situation closely.” … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Klamath River appears to be recovering after massive debris flow
Wintu oversee return of salmon to McCloud River
“For eight decades, winter-run Chinook salmon were absent from the Winnemem Waywaket, or McCloud River, since Shasta Dam was completed in the 1940s. The dam inundated the cultural sites of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe and prevented the salmon from reaching their headwaters to spawn as they’ve done since time immemorial. But on July 11, the tribe, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) celebrated the return of endangered winter-run Chinook salmon eggs to the cold, glacial-fed waters of the McCloud River for the first time in 80 years. The events took place upstream from Shasta Dam. ... ” Read more from the Chico News & Review here: Wintu oversee return of salmon to McCloud River
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Broken & abandoned in Lake Tahoe: Removing wrecked boats complicated issue
“Sunset on Lake Tahoe is breathtaking. … My eyes look west and the beauty is tainted by a partially submerged, ramshackle sailboat. The water is low and I walk out to inspect it. Shattered windows, rusted metal and broken glass are only a few dangers I can spot. Kite surfer and Tahoe Vista resident Ryan Kelly has tried to figure out what do to after the sailboat was abandoned in Kings Beach off North Tahoe Beach more than 2 years ago. Kelly called the U.S. Coast Guard, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Placer County Marine Patrol, Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and the California Division of Boating and Waterways. Each agency told him to contact another agency. Without resolution, after numerous calls, Kelly is frustrated. … ” Read more from Tahoe Weekly here: Broken & abandoned in Lake Tahoe: Removing wrecked boats complicated issue
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Some schools in South Butte County plagued with contaminated drinking water
“Some schools in our area have water so contaminated, it is not safe to drink. “I never thought something like that would happen at a school,” said Breanna Vasquez who recently graduated from Manzanita Elementary school. Four years ago, the California Water Board determined the well at Manzanita Elementary was contaminated with 1, 2, 3-TCP. This is a manmade chemical often found at industrial or hazardous waste sites. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Some schools in South Butte County plagued with contaminated drinking water
BAY AREA
Marin County: Rewilding of former golf course to benefit endangered salmon, other species
“Golf courses are highly managed landscapes, requiring constant human intervention to maintain them in the form desired by their users. But what would it take to convert a golf course into a more natural state, one that is resilient to climate change, benefits protected aquatic species, and meets the needs of the human community of which it is a part? A former golf course in Northern California’s Marin County is undergoing just such a conversion, and the process is expected to result in the restoration of critical habitat for imperiled fish species while also providing a key link between multiple existing preservation areas. Intensive hydrologic work will underpin these efforts. … ” Read more from Civil Engineering Source here: Rewilding of former golf course to benefit endangered salmon, other species
CENTRAL COAST
San Luis Obispo City Council to discuss implementing “Stage 2” of water contingency plans
“The San Luis Obispo City Council will consider changes to the city’s water rules at their meeting tomorrow, Aug. 16. City says SLO is water-secure, but that drought measures mandated by the state mean they have to implement “Stage 2” of their water contingency plans. Mychal Boerman oversees all of SLO’s water-related operations as the Deputy Director of Utilities. He said the state’s new emergency drought measures have led to a couple of major changes. The first is a statewide ban on nonfunctional turf, which refers to grass that’s not being used for an active or recreational purpose, like football fields or public parks. Boerman said that doesn’t include homes. … ” Continue reading at KCBX here: San Luis Obispo City Council to discuss implementing “Stage 2” of water contingency plans
Carrizo Plain oil wells to be plugged — is it ‘the beginning of the end’ of drilling there?
“Nearly a dozen oil wells left idle for years in the Carrizo Plain National Monument in San Luis Obispo County are set to be plugged and abandoned as part of a settlement agreement reached Friday between the federal government and environmental groups. And environmentalists hope it’s a sign of more shutdowns to come and “the beginning of the end of oil extraction in the Carrizo Plain.” The agreement arose out of a December 2020 lawsuit filed by the Los Padres ForestWatch and the Center for Biological Diversity. The groups had disputed a May 2020 approval of a new well to be drilled on an existing well pad and construction of a pipeline on the U.S. Bureau of Land Management lands. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Carrizo Plain oil wells to be plugged — is it ‘the beginning of the end’ of drilling there?
Legal brief: Grassland oil wells
“Conservation groups reached a settlement with the Bureau of Land Management securing the permanent closure and restoration of 11 long-dormant oil wells inside California’s Carrizo Plain National Monument.” Read the legal brief via Courthouse News here: Legal brief: Grassland oil wells
Paso Robles: Sewage and potable water released into creek due to leak
“On Monday, a large volume of potable water and sewage was released in the vicinity of Broad Street and Ramona Drive in San Luis Obispo, due to a break in an 11-inch potable water main. Potable water entered a section of exposed and open sewer line currently under construction. A mixture of potable water and sewage overflowed from the sewer system and entered Garden Creek, a tributary of San Luis Obispo Creek. At this point, the volume of water and sewage has not been determined but is in excess of 10,000 gallons. Repairs are underway, according to the City of San Luis Obispo. … ” Read more from the Paso Robles Daily News here: Paso Robles: Sewage and potable water released into creek due to leak
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Conservation measures are about surviving next summer
“Steps the Manteca City Council is expected to take tonight to reduce allowable outside watering isn’t about getting through this year with adequate water supplies. It is about making sure Manteca doesn’t find itself rationing water in some form next year. The council is meeting tonight at 7 o’clock to consider water conversation ordinance changes that, among other things, would reduce allowable watering days from three to two. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Conservation measures are about surviving next summer
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Santa Susana activists, residents slam Regional Water Board’s agreement with Boeing: ‘Huge tragedy’
“Officials with a regional water board in recent days praised a new agreement that would provide safeguards for the environment and communities that live near the polluted Santa Susana Field Laboratory tucked in the hills in Simi and San Fernando valleys. The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously on August 11 in support of a memorandum of understanding requiring Boeing, which owns the majority of the site, to prove that stormwater runoff is not polluted and human health is not at risk — once the company completes its soil cleanup. Officials with the Department of Toxic Substances Control, or DTSC, called the vote “a monumental step forward after decades of stalled progress.” But residents and activists said the board ignored their pleas for more stringent rules and voted in support of the memorandum despite calls from nearly 200 activists and residents who urged the board to vote against it, arguing that the new agreement would put the health of local families at risk. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News here: Santa Susana activists, residents slam Regional Water Board’s agreement with Boeing: ‘Huge tragedy’
Portions of LA County called to eliminate outdoor watering for 15 days while important water delivery pipeline repaired
“Starting Tuesday, Sept. 6, residents and businesses in portions of greater Los Angeles County are being called on to suspend outdoor watering for 15 days as a critical imported water pipeline is shut down for emergency repairs. The Metropolitan Water District is joined by its member agencies and local retail water agencies in the water-saving call to stretch Southern California’s severely limited water supplies as Metropolitan repairs this pipeline. The 36-mile Upper Feeder pipeline is an important part of Metropolitan’s regional water system, delivering Colorado River water into Southern California. After a leak was discovered in the pipeline earlier this year, Metropolitan made a temporary repair and began operating the pipeline at a reduced capacity while a more permanent solution was designed and developed. The repair is being made Sept. 6-20, during which the pipeline will be shut down. … ” Read more from Metropolitan here: Portions of LA County called to eliminate outdoor watering for 15 days while important water delivery pipeline repaired
SEE ALSO: 15-day watering ban in portions of L.A. County due to pipeline leak, from the LA Times
Along the Colorado River …
Colorado River cuts expected for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico
“The federal government on Tuesday is expected to announce water cuts to states that rely on the Colorado River as drought and climate change leave less water flowing through the river and deplete the reservoirs that store it. The Colorado River provides water to 40 million people across seven states in the American West as well as Mexico and helps feed an agricultural industry valued at $15 billion a year. Cities and farms across the region are anxiously awaiting official hydrology projections — estimates of future water levels in the river — that will determine the extent and scope of cuts to their water supply. Water officials in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming are expecting federal officials to project Lake Mead — located on the Nevada-Arizona border and the largest manmade reservoir in the U.S. — to shrink to dangerously low levels that could disrupt water delivery and hydropower production and cut the amount of water allocated to Arizona and Nevada, as well as Mexico. … ” Read more from NPR here: Colorado River cuts expected for Arizona, Nevada and Mexico
Four things to know about Colorado River water in California
“Southern California water districts are grappling with what the fallout could look like if supplies from a critical source — the rapidly drying Colorado River — are cut next year. The US Bureau of Reclamation warned at a U.S. Senate hearing in mid-June that seven western states had 60 days to voluntarily reach a deal: Cut Colorado River water use by 2 to 4 million acre-feet in 2023 or face federally-mandated cuts instead. It’s a massive amount — at least seven times more than Nevada is entitled to in a year. … The Department of the Interior is expected today to address the status of the negotiations, the drought and future Colorado River conditions. The verdict is especially high-stakes for Southern California, where the river provides a quarter or a third of the region’s water supply. Seven Southern California counties rely on the river for water and hydroelectric power, and 600,000 acres of farmland draw on it for irrigation. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Four things to know about Colorado River water in California
Deadline looms for drought-stricken states to cut water use
“Banks along parts of the Colorado River where water once streamed are now just caked mud and rock as climate change makes the Western U.S. hotter and drier. More than two decades of drought have done little to deter the region from diverting more water than flows through it, depleting key reservoirs to levels that now jeopardize delivery and hydropower production. Cities and farms in seven U.S. states are bracing for cuts this week as officials stare down a deadline to propose unprecedented reductions to their use of the water, setting up what’s expected to be the most consequential week for Colorado River policy in years. … ” Read more from KSL here: Deadline looms for drought-stricken states to cut water use
Nevada official: Colorado River water-sharing talks have accomplished ‘exactly nothing’
“Water-sharing negotiations among the seven states in the Colorado River basin have failed to produce results, a Nevada water official said in a letter obtained by The Hill, on the eve of a Tuesday deadline when the federal government will step in. … In a letter to Interior Department and Bureau of Reclamation officials, John Entsminger, the general manager of the Southern Nevada Water Authority, wrote that the last three months of talks have “produced exactly nothing in terms of meaningful collective action to help forestall the looming crisis.” … ” Read more from The Hill here: Nevada official: Colorado River water-sharing talks have accomplished ‘exactly nothing’
SEE ALSO: SNWA chief criticizes inaction on Lake Mead water, from the Las Vegas Review-Journal
The West’s historic drought is threatening hydropower at Hoover Dam
“Standing atop the Hoover Dam today, the millions of tourists who visit each year can get a real sense of the climate crisis in the West: In addition to extreme heat, the sight of so-called “bathtub rings” that envelop Lake Mead has become an unsettling reminder of where the water level once was before the region’s historic drought began. Stretching across the Colorado river at the Nevada-Arizona border, the enormous Hoover Dam forms and holds back water from Lake Mead — the largest manmade reservoir in the country. It can produce around 2,080 megawatts of hydropower — enough electricity for roughly 1.3 million Americans each year, according to the National Park Service — for California, Arizona and Nevada as well as Native American tribes. But the climate change-fueled drought and overuse of the Colorado River’s water is pushing Lake Mead lower and threatening the dam’s hydroelectricity production. Declining water flow has cut the dam’s power generation capacity almost in half — around 1,076 megawatts — as of June. ... ” Read more from CNN here: The West’s historic drought is threatening hydropower at Hoover Dam
SEE ALSO: How the Western drought is pushing the power grid to the brink, from Vox
Filling Lake Powell to maximize recreation benefits would require biggest water cuts in history, pro-reservoir group says in new report
“As water managers across the Colorado River basin are scrambling to slow the declining levels in Lake Powell and Lake Mead, a coalition of groups that supports motorized recreation on the reservoir are calling for even deeper water cuts to boost the reservoir. According to a report released Wednesday by the BlueRibbon Coalition and PowellHeadz, reviving reservoir recreation on Lake Powell may require reducing water use across the basin by 30%, or by nearly 4 million acre-feet of water, starting next year. All but two of the boat ramps along Lake Powell’s 180-mile length are currently closed, and the ramp at Utah’s Bullfrog Marina, which was extended last year due to low water levels, may be closed as soon as September, according to the National Park Service. John Rickenbach, a California-based environmental consultant who authored the report for the “Fill Lake Powell” campaign, said that levels in Lake Powell need to be stabilized in order to protect hydropower generation, recreation and water supply. … ” Continue reading from the Salt Lake Tribune here: Filling Lake Powell to maximize recreation benefits would require biggest water cuts in history, pro-reservoir group says in new report
In national water news today …
Water tech innovation and the future of renewables
“To a significant degree, the future of renewable energy is tied to lithium, and the race is on to secure abundant and reliable resources of this metal. A low-carbon future requires lithium-ion rechargeable batteries for electric vehicles and the storage of power from renewable sources, such as solar and wind energy. Indeed, the market for lithium-ion batteries is projected by the industry to grow from $30 billion in 2017 to $100 billion in 2025. An emerging source for high-value lithium is in geothermal brine — “a hot and concentrated saline solution enriched with minerals, such as lithium, boron and potassium.” … ” Read more from Green Biz here: Water tech innovation and the future of renewables
Replacing lead water pipes with plastic could raise new safety issues
“A landmark federal commitment to fund the elimination of a toxic national legacy—lead drinking water pipes—promises to improve the public health outlook for millions of people across the U.S. But it also presents communities with a thorny choice between replacement pipes made of well-studied metals such as copper, steel or iron and more affordable but less-studied pipes made of plastic. Under a $15-billion allocation in last year’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, dedicated funding has started flowing to U.S. states to pay for removing and replacing so-called lead service lines—pipes that connect underground water mains with buildings and their plumbing systems. The funds could cover the replacement of about a third of the nation’s estimated six million to 10 million such lines. In March the anticipated surge of lead-pipe-replacement work prompted a group of 19 health and environmental advocacy organizations headed by the nonprofit Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to publish a set of guiding principles for lead-line replacement. Amid numerous recommendations related to community involvement, safety and economic justice, the document takes a stand against swapping in pipes made of plastic and calls for copper lines instead. ... ” Read more from Scientific American here: Replacing lead water pipes with plastic could raise new safety issues
White House to circumvent Congress, impose stricter cybersecurity requirements on water systems
“As cyber-attacks have become more advanced, it’s been made clear that drinking water and wastewater systems across the U.S. are increasingly under threat. In recent months, hackers have attempted to access treatment facilities to poison drinking water in Florida, the Bay Area, and Baltimore, and have targeted wastewater systems in Maine and California as well. These critical infrastructure systems are on high alert, and President Biden’s administration has vowed to strengthen U.S. water systems as this worrying trend continues. Now, keeping that vow has meant forging ahead on its own. “It’s been nine months since the White House revealed it had asked Congress to explicitly authorize the EPA to set cyber standards for the water sector… Since then, there hasn’t been a scintilla of movement on the issue from Capitol Hill,” Politico reported. “So the Biden administration is forging ahead without the Hill.” … ” Read more from Water Online here: White House to circumvent Congress, impose stricter cybersecurity requirements on water systems
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
UPDATE on the Delta watershed emergency regulation
