DAILY DIGEST, 9/1: Smarter gambling with California’s water challenges; HABs in the Delta; Federal study paints bleak picture of American River’s future; Tuolumne River Trust questions SF’s worst-case drought scenario plan; and more …

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On the calendar today …

• WEBINAR: Regulatory Uncertainty and Linear Infrastructure Projects: Where Are We and What’s Ahead? from 1 to 2pm.  From Executive Orders to court decisions, the environmental regulatory landscape seems to be changing from day to day. Many of the changes will increasingly have impacts on the timing, placement and cost of construction and operation of linear infrastructure projects. This webinar will examine uncertainty stemming from changes in regulation and agency policy and guidance, recent court decisions and ongoing efforts of the Biden administration to expand the breadth of environmental regulation to address climate change, invasive species and other issues.  Click here to register.
• TOWN HALL: Sonoma County Drought Town Hall at 4pm.  Hosted by Supervisor Chris Coursey, the town hall will feature a panel of experts reporting on the relationship between the drought, climate change and wildfire, including an updated weather forecast for Sonoma County; a report on an innovative project to store water in underground aquifers for use in future droughts; and a presentation on how to install a water catchment system or rain garden before winter.  Register in advance to view the town hall live on Zoom and to pose written questions to panelists during the briefing. Questions may also be submitted in advance to publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org.
• WORKSHOP: Salton Sea Management Plan Long Range Plan Workshop at 5:30pm.  The SSMP invites community members, and all interested parties to participate in a virtual Community Workshop on September 1. The team will provide updates on the Long-Range Plan and would like to receive your comments to help develop the Long-Range Plan.  Please click the link to join the webinar:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87412669300 or join over the Telephone:  1 (253) 215 8782 Webinar ID: 874 1266 9300

In California water news today …

Smarter gambling with California’s water challenges

Delta Independent Science Board Members Dr. Jay R. Lund and Dr. Thomas L. Holzer write, “Anyone familiar with California, knows it as a land of opportunities, risks, and complex unintended consequences, especially in water and environmental management. Felicia Marcus, a former State Water Resources Control Board chair and Delta Stewardship Council member, recently remarked in the LA Times that managing water in California is like gambling.  California has more drought and flood years per average year than any other part of the United States. California’s climate has immense natural variability, illustrated in Figure 1. As a result, California has always been challenging for water management. Most climate change modeling shows California weather extremes becoming even more frequent and intense.  California’s hydrologic variability and uncertainty force water managers and large water users, particularly agriculture, to play the odds. Like anyone forced to gamble one takes pains to calculate the odds, prepare for extremes (even surprises), and seek supplies and investments that provide cost-effectiveness, adaptability, and good performance, in this case, for both humans and ecosystems. … ”  Continue reading at the Delta Stewardship Council website here: Smarter gambling with California’s water challenges

Dissecting the use of water management plans in California

“California uses plans as a primary tool for managing water throughout the state. Regulations like the Urban Water Management Planning Act of 1983, Regional Water Management Planning Act of 2002, Water Conservation Act of 2009, and Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 require local water agencies to write plans documenting their available water supplies and develop approaches to use water more sustainably and/or ensure a secure supply. This blog probes the goals California has in requiring local and regional water plans, and asks whether the plans are a good tool for achieving more sustainable water use. … ”  Read more from the California Water Blog here:  Dissecting the use of water management plans in California

HABs in the Delta

“In the absence of a government program to contend with harmful algae blooms (HABs) in the Delta, a loose coalition of academics and environmental and community groups has been studying their spread and potential health impacts both from ground level and from the air. San Francisco Baykeeper has been sending up drones to monitor eight sites between Discovery Bay and downtown Stockton, as well as photo-documenting the spread and intensity of HABs from airplanes flown by Lighthawk Conservation Flying. At the same time, volunteers with Restore the Delta have been conducting water quality testing for HABs and the toxins they produce. “The airplane and drones together allow us to get a really broad geographic understanding of where these neon green HABs are occurring, says Baykeeper’s Jon Rosenfield. “That paired with site specific water quality testing that Restore the Delta is doing allows us to get different spatial scales of analysis of this problem.” … ”  Read more from Estuary News here: HABs in the Delta

Here’s how East Bay tidal marsh is becoming key in fight against climate change

“For project manager Katie Bandy, little Dutch Slough is a big success story. The California Department of Water Resources and its partners are restoring a vibrant tidal marsh in an ongoing project ultimately stretching across more than 1,100 acres near Oakley, in eastern Contra Costa County. The site is quickly becoming a powerful living laboratory for climate and environmental research.  “We have a lot that we can learn from this site, whether it’s carbon sequestration. Soil accretion, things like what species are using our sites,” Bandy points out. … ”  Read more from ABC 7 here: Here’s how East Bay tidal marsh is becoming key in fight against climate change

Droughts are hitting cattle ranchers hard – and that could make beef more expensive

“Supermarket shoppers are seeing something unusual these days: discounts in the meat department.  Steak prices have fallen in each of the last three months even as the cost of chicken, pork and most other groceries has gone up. But bargains in the butcher case are likely to be temporary.  Severe drought is forcing some cattle ranchers to slaughter livestock early. That’s producing a glut of beef in the short term, but it’s also likely to lead to higher prices in the future.  According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 60% of the nation’s cattle are affected by drought, including Brady Blackett’s herd of angus cattle, which graze in the high desert of south central Utah. … ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Droughts are hitting cattle ranchers hard – and that could make beef more expensive

California is throwing some shade at its water crisis

“An innovative plan to conserve water by covering aqueducts with solar panels is about to undergo testing in drought-stricken California.  Why it matters: Water is becoming more precious by the day in the Golden State and the Western U.S. more broadly, in part due to climate change. Los Angeles County, for instance, just issued a 15-day outdoor watering ban amid problems with a pipeline carrying H2O from the Colorado River.  As water sources like the Colorado and Lake Mead continue drying up, conservation will become even more urgent throughout the region.  Driving the news: About 8,500 feet of solar panels will be installed above two portions of Turlock Irrigation District (TID) aqueducts in Central California in a $20 million state-funded effort dubbed Project Nexus. … ”  Read more from Axios here: California is throwing some shade at its water crisis

California’s climate makes it especially vulnerable to global warming

“The allure of California has long been its almost unbelievably good weather: predictably dry summers and pleasant, if occasionally rainy, winters. Who wouldn’t want to escape swampy heat for this temperate paradise? Our typically agreeable weather (current heat wave notwithstanding) is officially called a Mediterranean-type climate, defined as having cool, wet winters and dry, warm summers. Only five places in the world share this climate: California, Central Chile, southwestern Australia, South Africa and, of course, the Mediterranean Basin.  “The California climate of having this several-month period of no rain that coincides with the hottest time of the year is globally really weird,” said Anna Jacobsen, plant ecology professor at California State University, Bakersfield. “It’s a really special and kind of unique climate cycle.” … ”  Read more from the New York Times here: California’s climate makes it especially vulnerable to global warming

Scientists use beavers to create drought and fire-resistant landscapes

“As nearly 40% of the country is currently in drought, scientists are looking to the largest rodent in North America for help: the beaver. Researchers in California and Utah found that dams made by the animals can help create drought- and fire-resistant landscapes. “Beavers move in here and they slow this water down,” California State University professor Emily Fairfax told CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti. “It goes into recharging the groundwater and that’s what we’re pumping for irrigation. That’s what we use for our food. That’s what we use for our lawns.” … ”  Watch video below and/or read more from CBS News here:  From pest to protector: How beavers are helping fight climate change

The science behind California’s worsening heat waves, explained

“A late-summer heat wave has nestled itself into the California-Nevada border, bringing potentially record-breaking temperatures across the state. Heat could reach dangerous levels in the Bay Area, with forecasts of triple-digit temperatures in some areas.  The cause? A heat dome. This atmospheric lid is trapping hot air over the Western U.S., triggering intense heat forecast to last for several days, with temperatures spiking in Northern California amid Labor Day weekend celebrations.  In the U.S., heat kills more people in an average year than other weather extremes — more than torrential floods, tornadoes and cold snaps. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: The science behind California’s worsening heat waves, explained

Two years after blackouts, heat wave exposes California’s continued vulnerability. Here’s why

“Two years after the last rolling blackouts, with a massive heat wave starting to blanket the West, California’s electricity grid remains extremely vulnerable to power outages. The potential shortfall in power supplies is the result of climate-driven heat waves, drought-induced strains on hydro power and global supply-chain problems that are hindering the flow of new energy sources. Temperatures were expected to hit the high 90s Wednesday and soar to as high as 115 degrees Monday in parts of the Sacramento Valley, sending state officials scrambling to avoid a repeat of the rolling blackouts of 2020.  The Independent System Operator, which runs the power grid, issued an “energy emergency alert watch notice” for Wednesday evening, a means of urging power generators to ramp up additional supplies. The grid operator “is forecasting an energy deficiency,” it said. … ” Continue reading at the Sacramento Bee here: Two years after blackouts, heat wave exposes California’s continued vulnerability. Here’s why

SEE ALSO: California heat wave elevating fire risk and threat of rolling power outages, from the San Francisco Chronicle

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In commentary today …

DWR’s tunnel vision: Ignoring science won’t make it go away

Doug Obegi, Director of California River Restoration for the NRDC, writes, “Why does the Department of Water Resources’ draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Delta tunnel project refuse to consider any operational alternatives that increase flows into and through the Delta to protect salmon and the environment?  After all, for more than a decade, State and federal agencies have repeatedly concluded, as the State Water Board concluded in 2009, that “[t]he best available science suggests that current flows are insufficient to protect public trust resources.”  The minimum Delta water quality and outflow requirements in the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan have not been substantively updated since 1995, and the State Water Board has been working since 2008 to update those outdated and inadequate flow requirements that have caused an ecological crisis. In 2018, the Board released its Framework for completing the update of the Bay-Delta Plan’s water quality standards, which proposes to require increased Delta outflows and improve upstream reservoir storage and water temperature management, resulting in reduced water diversions from the Bay-Delta (on average 2 million acre feet per year).  And if that wasn’t enough, the State Water Board’s CEQA scoping comments for the Delta tunnel explicitly directed DWR to consider one or more operational alternatives that increase flows through the Delta, consistent with the State Water Board’s 2018 Framework. … ”  Continue reading at the NRDC here: DWR’s tunnel vision: Ignoring science won’t make it go away

150 years of water mismanagement: How we created our own crisis – and what we can do about it

The California Water Impact Network (C-WIN) writes, “Shortly after California was admitted to the Union in 1850, residents turned their thinking to water. California’s landscapes were beautiful and fertile – but much of the land was semi-arid or arid.  Water was seasonally abundant in some areas. Several large rivers drained the state, shunting massive volumes of water from melting snowpack and rainfall in the Sierra Nevada, Cascade Range, Klamath/Trinity mountains, and coastal ranges to the sea. And in some years, California was slammed by the weather phenomena now known as “atmospheric rivers”. So much rain and snow would fall that vast portions of the state were inundated, including the Central Valley. … ”  Read more from C-WIN here: 150 years of water mismanagement: How we created our own crisis – and what we can do about it

How to turn desalination waste from burden to profit

Tristan Justice, the western correspondent for The Federalist, writes, “California has two desalination plants coming up for a vote by the state Coastal Commission this fall which will decide the projects’ fate as the West Coast suffers its worst drought in 1,200 years.  In May, the commission unanimously rejected a $1.4 billion-dollar plant that would have offered 50 million gallons of precious potable water daily to a region which, by nature’s standards, should not even exist as the metropolis it is today.  State regulators raised concerns over risks to marine ecosystems and “environmental justice” as reasons to vote down the massive water project in their report.  Environmental hazards, however, could be diminished by proper mitigation strategies including some that could turn plant waste products into lucrative commodities. … ”  Read more from The Federalist here: How to turn desalination waste from burden to profit

Indigenous communities may hold the key to wildfire prevention, but government policies leave them choking on smoke instead

Riya Anne Polcastro, an author, photographer and adventurer based out of the Pacific Northwest, writes, “Take a hike through the forests of the Pacific Northwest and it soon becomes apparent how centuries of mismanagement and poor wildfire prevention created a landscape littered with tinderboxes begging to ignite. Fire-starved land stretches for acres on end. Meadows are choked out by brush and encroaching pine trees. Replanted clear-cuts stand in dead row after dead row — a testament to both the ignorance and arrogance inherent in centuries of shoddy forest management. As a result, Indigenous communities are grappling with inordinately higher than average concentrations of smoke-filled air as wildfire seasons across the U.S. and Canada become more extreme.  While low-income communities of color tend to bear the brunt of air pollution in urban centers, wildfire smoke collects at higher concentrations in rural areas where it disproportionately affects Native and First Nations people. … ”  Read more from the Triple Pundit here: Indigenous communities may hold the key to wildfire prevention, but government policies leave them choking on smoke instead

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In regional water news and commentary today …

NORTH COAST

Dozens of salmon discovered dead in Klamath River

“Over the past weekend, roughly 35 dead Chinook salmon were observed on a 40-mile stretch of the Lower Klamath River.  The Yurok Tribe’s Fisheries Department determined the fish had suffocated due to a pathogenic bacteria called Flavobacterium columnare, also known as gill rot. The current observed number of dead fish does not meet the criteria of a major fish kill — which is defined as when 50 fresh adult salmonids die within a 20-kilometer reach — but fisheries experts with the Yurok Tribe expect more fish to die.  Tribal fisheries staff have also noticed salmon with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, or “Ich” infections, a parasitic ciliate often germinated by poor water quality and temperature changes. No recorded salmon have died from these recent infections, but in September 2002, over 60,000 adult salmon were killed by Ich infections in the Klamath River. ... ”  Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Dozens of salmon discovered dead in Klamath River

Humboldt County cannabis applicants may soon have new guidelines for water storage

“Water storage and forbearance have been major topics of conversation during cannabis permit hearings, and the Humboldt County Planning Commission is seeking guidance on how it should handle these discussions from the county supervisors.  “We request your Board provide feedback to either modify the ordinance or to establish policy to require rainwater catchment, water storage, or reliance on Drought Task Force through existing ordinance, in addition to groundwater wells,” stated a letter from Planning Commission Chair Alan Bongio.  The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided unanimously to direct county Planning and Building Department staff to develop recommendations, including an incentive to reduce Measure S taxes for water storage and forbearance integrated into cannabis cultivation projects, with the understanding that the Humboldt County Planning Commission “not stifle projects as they come to them” in the meantime, in the words of 2nd District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell, who made the motion. … ”  Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Humboldt County cannabis applicants may soon have new guidelines for water storage

This land is their land: The Wiyot Tribe’s acquisition of Indian Island

“Most of us know that what we call Humboldt Bay was part of the territory of the Wiyot people. And most us of know of the terrible mass killing that occurred in 1860 on what was called Indian Island. But most of us do not know much more about the Wiyots and what has happened to their homeland over time. Here is part of that story.  White settlers first arrived on Humboldt Bay in the spring of 1850, hoping to set up towns on the bay that could supply the gold miners on the Trinity and Klamath rivers. … ”  Read more from the North Coast Journal here: This land is their land: The Wiyot Tribe’s acquisition of Indian Island

SACRAMENTO VALLEY

Tehama County to receive DWR drought funding

“As part of ongoing efforts to help small communities address water supply challenges amid extreme drought and build water resilience for the future, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced its eighth round of funding through the Small Community Drought Relief Program.  Among the fifteen selected small communities is Sky View County Water District, in Tehama County’s Paynes Creek area.  According to DWR, the local disadvantaged community relies on one groundwater well and is struggling to meet water demands for residents and fire protection due to aging pipelines. The district will receive $5 million to provide safe drinking water to residents. … ”  Read more from the Corning Observer here: Tehama County to receive DWR drought funding

Orland Groundwater Supply Project underway

“Construction crews have begun marking off a portion of State Route 32 in Orland to begin work on the Orland Groundwater Supply Project, a Department of Water Resources-funded project that will connect 168 properties with dry or at-risk wells to the city water system.  Orland City Manager Peter Carr said the flagged stakes along the south side of State Route 32, also known as E. Walker Street, between Papst and Linwood are marking the path of a portion of the project that will connect 34 houses within city limits and approximately 134 homes outside the city. … ”  Read more from the Glenn County Transcript here: Orland Groundwater Supply Project underway

American River Basin Study finds that increasing temperatures and changing precipitation will impact basin through rest of 21st century

“The American River Basin in central California expects to see increasing temperatures and a declining snowpack through the end of the 21st century. The Bureau of Reclamation released the American River Basin Study today, which also found an increased variability of fall and winter precipitation that will amplify the severity of droughts and flooding in the basin. The report is available on Reclamation’s Basin Study website.  “Water management in the basin is expected to be more challenging in the future due to climate pressures that include warming temperatures, shrinking snowpack, shorter and more intense wet seasons and rising sea levels,” said California-Great Basin Regional Director Ernest Conant. “We are excited for the partnerships and collaboration within the basin and look forward to working with them on the identified adaptation portfolios to address the vulnerabilities and maintain a balance between supply and demand in the basin.” … ”  Read more from the Bureau of Reclamation here: American River Basin Study finds that increasing temperatures and changing precipitation will impact basin through rest of 21st century

SEE ALSO: Study Details Climate Change Impacts and Strategies for Addressing Future Water Demands, Flood Risks, and Environmental Impacts, from the Regional Water Authority

Less snow and less water. Federal study paints bleak picture of American River’s future

“Hotter weather, less snow and more water shortages. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation offered a bleak vision of the future of the American River watershed Wednesday, releasing an extensive report on how the basin that’s so vital to the Sacramento region’s water supplies will be affected by climate change in the coming decades. The bureau, which operates Folsom Lake, said the Sierra Nevada foothills east of Sacramento could eventually see shortfalls of as much as 78,000 acre-feet per year unless stronger conservation and water-storage projects are undertaken. Closer to Sacramento, the area’s water agencies will likely have to increase groundwater pumping by as much as 155,000 acre-feet per year, “which would affect groundwater sustainability.” … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Less snow and less water. Federal study paints bleak picture of American River’s future

Sailor Bar projects rev up

“Small boys are rejoicing at the sight of 49-ton bulldozers and rock-laden trucks roaring into the American River near Fair Oaks. But big fish will be the real beneficiaries.  Started this month, a $2 million project continues Sacramento Water Forum efforts to restore breeding habitats for vulnerable fish species. More than 42,000 cubic yards of gravel are being added to Lower Sailor Bar and Nimbus Basin locations. The program is geared to help Chinook salmon and steelhead repopulation. … ”  Read more from the Carmichael Times here: Sailor Bar projects rev up

NAPA/SONOMA

Rohnert Park company working on more efficient and earth-friendly ways to get the salt out of sea water

“As the current drought stretches into its third year, demands to desalinate ocean water rise, especially in such places as Sonoma County and its more than 55 miles of coastline.  But putting a desalination plant on the Sonoma County coast seems unlikely, especially after the California Coastal Commission in May rejected construction of a desalination plant in Huntington Beach that had been studied for more than 15 years, said entrepreneur John Webley.  He should know. As CEO of Trevi Systems in Rohnert Park, he’s been experimenting with desalination for 12 years. He says the journey, though hard, has been worthwhile, especially now.  “I’m a hands-on engineer. I like to fix things that are broken. I thought, let’s go do something about this,” said Webley during a recent interview at Trevi’s SOMO Village headquarters. “There wasn’t such a mandate when we started, but now I believe the drive to make renewable water treatment is here to stay.” … ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Rohnert Park company working on more efficient and earth-friendly ways to get the salt out of sea water

Napa flood district starts up outreach for next Napa Flood Control Project phase

“The Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District is in the midst of designing the next phase of work on the Napa River Flood Control Project, which will involve installing a flood wall on the west bank of the river north of the Oxbow Bypass. In total, the finished phase would install 2,400 feet of reinforced concrete flood wall in an area south of Lincoln Avenue, and 3,500 feet of concrete flood wall — and 600 feet of sheet pile wall — north of Lincoln Avenue, according to the preliminary plans.  But there’s still plenty of time before construction — carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — gets started. … ”  Read more from the Napa Register here:  Napa flood district starts up outreach for next Napa Flood Control Project phase

BAY AREA

Tuolumne river trust questions worst-case drought scenario plan

“Peter Drekmeier, Tuolumne River Trust policy director, urged the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) last week to reconsider the parameters of its Design Drought plan, which serves as a worst-case drought scenario for the commission’s policy decisions. Drekmeier, who presented at the commission’s Aug. 23 meeting, argued that the SFPUC’s use of a hypothetical 8.5-year drought unnecessarily withholds water releases into the Tuolumne River – from which the Tri-Valley sources the majority of its water – and consequently damages the ecosystems there. “The problem is we’ve altered the ecosystem from what favors the native fish and wildlife to non-natives,” said Drekmeier in an interview with The Independent. “And the slow-moving, warm, stagnant water creates toxic algae blooms in the delta – cyanobacteria that produces neurotoxins – which can kill pets and wildlife and can make people very sick.”  … ”  Continue reading at the Livermore Independent here: Tuolumne river trust questions worst-case drought scenario plan

Drought plan means full lake, empty river

“In the mountains and foothills of California, an enduring drought has depleted the state’s major reserves of water. There is virtually no snowpack, and most of the state’s large reservoirs are less than 40 percent full. But in the central Sierra Nevada, a trio of artificial lakes remain flush with cold mountain water. The largest of them, Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, from which millions of Bay Area residents receive water, is more than 80 percent full.  This remarkable plentitude is the outcome of careful planning by the agency that manages the Yosemite National Park reservoir plus conservation by Bay Area residents, who use less water per capita than most other people in the state—between 35 and 65 gallons per person per day. The statewide average is 82 gallons.  But some environmental advocates are hardly cheering San Francisco’s water conservation success. Instead, they’re accusing the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission of hoarding its water through an excessively conservative management plan they say harms the environment and benefits almost no one – not even the city dwellers who use the water. … ”  Read more from Estuary News here: Drought plan means full lake, empty river

Rigorous new study finds significant water pollution from cattle ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore

“The most rigorous independent water quality report ever conducted in Point Reyes National Seashore has just been released by Turtle Island Restoration Network—and reveals water pollution dangerous to public health and the environment persists at the Seashore. The report, produced by Geoenvironmental Engineer Douglas Lovell, documents consistent and significant water quality pollution in this National Park unit caused by subsidized private ranching.  The report comes a week before the California Coastal Commission is set to vote on whether to approve a water-quality strategy prepared by the National Parks Service to address chronic water pollution caused by private ranching in the only National Seashore on the West Coast. The Commission unanimously rejected a previous draft this spring. … ”  Read more from the Turtle Island Network here: Rigorous new study finds significant water pollution from cattle ranching at Point Reyes National Seashore

Toxic algae, drought and a heat wave: What you need to know about Bay Area swimming right now

“The blast of hot weather descending on the Bay Area is almost sure to send residents flocking to beaches and swimming holes to escape the searing, triple-digit temperatures likely to develop inland.  But amid a punishing drought and flourishing toxic algae blooms in the San Francisco Bay and Lake Merritt in Oakland, the search for the perfect place to swim through the coming Labor Day weekend may be complicated over the coming days. Plunging water levels have already closed swimming in Shadow Cliffs, a lake oasis just a mile from downtown Pleasanton. Swimming at Healdsburg Veterans Memorial Beach on the Russian River is permitted, but levels have been very low over the last few years. ... ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Toxic algae, drought and a heat wave: What you need to know about Bay Area swimming right now

Oakland crews begin to clean up thousands of dead fish from Lake Merritt: Here’s why it’s happening

“Dressed from head to toe in protective gear, crews got to work on Wednesday, starting the daunting task of removing dead fish, after dead fish, lining the outside ring of Lake Merritt, starting to wash up on shore.  Neighbors reported seeing the dead fish popping up in mass amounts over the weekend.  “We’re seeing them around the circumference of the lake, the lake’s just about three miles around, so we’re going to be going all the way around because we’re seeing reports from the community about observing this phenomenon around this whole lake,” Sean Maher, a spokesman for the Oakland Public Works Department said. … ”  Read more from KGO here: Oakland crews begin to clean up thousands of dead fish from Lake Merritt: Here’s why it’s happening

SEE ALSO:  ‘Hella stanky’: Thousands of dead fish removed from Lake Merritt will be incinerated, from the San Francisco Chronicle

Commentary: Marin Municipal Water District director explains Russian River ‘winter water’ concept

Jack Gibson, a San Anselmo resident and an incumbent running for reelection as MMWD director, writes, “Let’s be honest, adequately securing our water supply isn’t going to be easy.  What has worked before — what we’ve been comfortable with — is no longer enough. When times are good, it can be easy to shy from tough conversations and long-term planning. But making sure we have a system that can safely, cost-effectively and consistently meet our needs, even in times of extreme duress, puts everything on the table.  We need to ask how we make this work rather than if it works.  We must have the difficult (even contentious) conversations we’ve shied from, and focus on what’s in the best interest of the generations that will follow us.  I am a member of the Marin Municipal Water District Board of Directors. We are currently looking at a wide universe of options, including: recycled water, enhanced local surface storage, importing water from the East Bay, desalination, Sonoma-Marin partnerships, system infrastructure improvements, conservation and more. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Commentary: Marin Municipal Water District director explains Russian River ‘winter water’ concept

CENTRAL COAST

Water main break forces a weeks-long evacuation at Fort Hunter Liggett.

“Dozens of military personnel at Fort Hunter Liggett, a 165,000-acre Army Reserve installation in southern Monterey County, have been evacuated for more than two weeks due to what one official called a “water crisis” that first left the entire base without running water.  As of the Weekly’s deadline, running water has returned to the base but, Fort Hunter Liggett remains under a boil water notice. On Aug. 29, Army leadership extended the evacuation order to at least Thursday, Sept. 1.  As of Aug. 30, the Holiday Inn Express in Paso Robles and Home2 Suites in Atascadero are still housing military personnel and families who were forced to leave the base on Aug. 13. … ”  Read more from Monterey Weekly here: Water main break forces a weeks-long evacuation at Fort Hunter Liggett.

Pismo Beach’s Central Coast Blue collaboration addresses water needs while building community support and cross-agency partnerships

“Managing limited water supplies is nothing new for the coastal cities of Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach, and Pismo Beach. For decades, these cities have worked cooperatively to sustainably manage their shared water resources. Now, for the first time, the three cities are developing an innovative water reuse project that will deliver sustainable, purified drinking water to thousands of residents.  The south San Luis Obispo County cities rely on three water sources — the Santa Maria Groundwater Basin, Lopez Lake, and imported water — to meet their communities’ diverse water needs. However, prolonged drought and changing environmental conditions have dramatically impacted these sources, putting the Central Coast communities in a vulnerable position. … In response to these emerging challenges, Pismo Beach and its partner agencies developed Central Coast Blue, a regional water reuse project that will create a new, local water supply and protect the groundwater basin from seawater intrusion. … ”  Read more from Western City here:  Pismo Beach’s Central Coast Blue collaboration addresses water needs while building community support and cross-agency partnerships

Bears roam Los Padres National Forest more often due to ongoing drought

“The U.S. Forest Service is warning campers to beware of bears going into the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend.  The bears, hungry and thirsty, are on the move because of the ongoing drought conditions. The bears have been seen recently roaming and foraging for whatever food they can find.  Water is also a magnet as well, as it attracts other wild animals, officials said.  “(Keep) a clean camp, don’t keep garbage around, (use) sealed containers,” said Matthew Nourohamadian with the U.S. Forest Service.  “Here in the Los Padres Forest, it’s acceptable to store food in your vehicle.” … ”  Read more from KEYT here: Bears roam Los Padres National Forest more often due to ongoing drought

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

New funding promises clean water for drought-stricken Tooleville

“New funding from the California Department of Water Resources promises to help a struggling Tulare County town clean up its water and turn on its taps.  Tooleville, a rural community of about 200 people at the base of the Sierra Nevada, has only intermittently had water since its second well recently failed – the latest victim of California’s intensifying megadrought.  It’s really hard,” says Maria Olivera, a longtime resident and Tooleville Mutual board secretary. “We have to keep gallon (jugs) by the stove to cook.”But a $7.2 million state grant has Olivera hopeful for the first time in years, she says. … ”  Read more from KVPR here: New funding promises clean water for drought-stricken Tooleville

Ventura’s planned water reuse facility to receive $14 million from US Bureau of Reclamation

“Ventura’s planned water reuse facility — which will recover, treat and recycle treated wastewater — will receive $14 million from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.  City officials announced the grant funds for VenturaWaterPure on Tuesday. The money will come from a federal water reclamation and reuse program. The expected award still needs Congressional approval.  VenturaWaterPure, which is set for construction in fall 2023, will reuse treated wastewater currently discharged to the Santa Clara River estuary, officials said. … ”  Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Ventura’s planned water reuse facility to receive $14 million from US Bureau of Reclamation

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Audit: Aging Infrastructure among issues facing LADWP

“Aging infrastructure and lack of implementation plans are among the top issues facing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, according to an audit released Wednesday, Aug. 31, by city officials.  The report, jointly issued Mayor Eric Garcetti, City Controller Ron Galperin and the city council, analyzed risks and opportunities for improvements at the LADWP.  The challenges span several areas, including sustainability, water and power infrastructure, information technology, cybersecurity and emergency management, according to the audit. … ”  Read more from the Daily Breeze here: Audit: Aging Infrastructure among issues facing LADWP

Research & restoration priorities of the Santa Monica National Estuary Program: The Bay Foundation’s Tom Ford

“The US EPA’s National Estuary Program (NEP), established in 1987, supports place-based strategies to restore and protect water quality and living resources in the 28 identified estuaries of national significance in the US.As the administrator for the Santa Monica Bay NEP (SMBNEP), VX News checked in with Tom Ford, Chief Executive Officer of The Bay Foundation and Director of the SMBNEP, to update readers on the significance of $132 million included for NEP in the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act. Ford highlights The Bay Foundation’s latest work as well as new research priorities for restoring endemic seagrass as well as dune restoration efforts to combat coastal erosion and sea level rise.”  Read the article at Verde Xchange here: Research & restoration priorities of the Santa Monica National Estuary Program: The Bay Foundation’s Tom Ford

SAN DIEGO

Vista’s 360-degree green strategy keeps trees green without wasting water

“Not too long ago, Yale Jeffery and his team started noticing something weird, if not a little disturbing: huge, mature trees, dying for no obvious reason. That was a problem. Jeffery is the public works supervisor for parks at the city of Vista. Keeping those trees alive and healthy is kind of his responsibility.  So, Jeffery and his colleagues started looking for clues as to what might be behind the spate of unexpected tree losses. Examining historical data, weather, and irrigation patterns, they discovered that the major contributing factor appeared to be the water restrictions that had been put into place some half a decade earlier. … With water restrictions again a reality, Vista has been working with its local water district to ensure that this time around, plants and trees receive enough water to survive. A key component of the planning is the use of smart irrigation from Calsense, established in neighboring Carlsbad in response to similar drought conditions more than 35 years ago. … ”  Note: This article is an advertisement for CalSense.  Read more from Western City here: Vista’s 360-degree green strategy keeps trees green without wasting water

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Along the Colorado River …

Biden-Harris Administration announces $8.5 million from bipartisan infrastructure law for Colorado River endangered species recovery

“The Bureau of Reclamation today announced a $8.5 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for endangered species recovery and conservation in the Colorado River Basin. Funding will modify the current water intake system at the Lake Mead State Fish Hatchery, which supplies razorback sucker and bonytail subadult fish to the Lower Colorado River Multispecies Conservation Program as part of their fish augmentation program.  Given historically low water levels in Lake Mead, the Lake Mead State Fish Hatchery’s current water intake system is unable to deliver water, as it is positioned at a 1050 elevation, above current water levels. As a result, the Hatchery has been forced to cease operations and remove native fish from the hatchery. Grant funding will be provided to the Southern Nevada Water Authority to construct a new water delivery system at the facility that would draw water from a point in Lake Mead below expected lake decline and allow the Lower Colorado Multi-Species Conservation Program to continue operations. … ”  Continue reading from the Bureau of Reclamation here: Biden-Harris Administration announces $8.5 million from bipartisan infrastructure law for Colorado River endangered species recovery

SEE ALSO:  Bureau of Reclamation announces $8.5M investment in endangered species recovery efforts in Colorado River Basin, from KNAU

Next steps on the Colorado River

Jon Fleck writes, “If we have learned anything from the current crisis on the Colorado River, it is that we have to know what we’ll do next if the current thing we’re doing isn’t enough.  That’s a bloggy shorthand for a deep argument that Eric Kuhn, Jack Schmidt, and I made in comments we submitted this week in response to the U.S. Department of Interior’s request for input on the development of new river operating guidelines.  As we begin discussing what replaces the soon-to-expire Colorado River operating guidelines, we argue that there are important lessons to be learned from a careful examination of the way the current guidelines have failed us. … ”  Read more from the Inkstain blog here: Next steps on the Colorado River

The Colorado River’s alfalfa problem

“In June, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Camille Calimlim Touton told the Colorado River Basin states that they needed to reduce water consumption by 2-to-4 million acre-feet — or as much as 30% of the seven states’ total use — to save the system from collapsing. It was an enormous ask, unprecedented in scope, and probably the first time a Reclamation official’s words ever went viral. … Part of the answer lay right in front of me: The trail I was hiking followed the edge of the local golf course, an emerald green carpet on the parched red earth. I wondered how much water you could save by cutting off every golf course in the West. Then I started ticking off other water-saving measures … ”  Read the full story at High Country News here: The Colorado River’s alfalfa problem

Joint pact pledges water cuts, efforts to battle drought

“Major urban water suppliers up and down the Colorado River, including the Southern Nevada Water Authority, announced on Aug. 24, a joint commitment to significantly expand water conservation efforts and reduce water demands.  The efforts come in response to drought and chronic overuse that have left less water in the river and sent the nation’s two largest reservoirs to historically low levels.  Under a memorandum of understanding, water managers in Nevada, Southern California and Colorado said they will work to expand programs to increase outdoor water efficiency, replace nonfunctional turf with drought- and climate-resilient landscaping and increase water recycling programs. … ”  Read more from the Boulder City Review here: Joint pact pledges water cuts, efforts to battle drought

Utah Gov. Cox reiterates that upper Colorado River states aren’t using their full water share

“On the same day that the federal government announced new Colorado River cuts aimed at Arizona and Nevada, Gov. Spencer Cox reiterated Utah’s stance that the Lower Basin states should shoulder the blame. In a live-streamed interview with The Washington Post, the governor said Arizona, California and Nevada are overusing the water allocated to them.  “Many of the Upper Basin states, including Utah, we’re under our allocation,” Cox said. “But that doesn’t matter that much when there isn’t enough water to go around.” … ”  Read more from KUER here: Utah Gov. Cox reiterates that upper Colorado River states aren’t using their full water share

In Boulder visit, Nancy Pelosi calls on Western states to lead the charge on Colorado River issues

“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited the National Center for Atmospheric Research — the campus in Boulder that’s a hub for scientists studying climate change and water — on Wednesday. Speaking on a plaza with a sweeping view toward the plains, she and Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse promoted Democrats’ recent climate and tax package. … Asked how the federal government should intervene in the tense negotiations between the watershed states, Pelosi stressed that Congress would look to the states to lead the way. “It’s not a question of what we tell them. It’s how we listen to them as to what the best possible path is to go forward,” she said. “But if we get a running start with some of the [new] resources, we can see a clearer path, rather than just coming with nothing.” … ”  Read more from Colorado Public Radio here: In Boulder visit, Nancy Pelosi calls on Western states to lead the charge on Colorado River issues

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In national water news today …

Jackson, Miss., shows how extreme weather can trigger a clean water crisis

“The water crisis unfolding in Mississippi’s capital this week has forced schools to shift to virtual learning, led to widespread distribution of bottled water and left Jackson’s mostly Black population without adequate pressure to reliably flush toilets or fight fires. The crumbling water infrastructure in Jackson — where roughly 150,000 residents were under a boil water notice even before heavy rainfall and river flooding overwhelmed the system this weekend — has been plagued by decades of underinvestment and deferred maintenance. But it also portends what could soon happen in other U.S. communities, as climate change’s worsening impacts push under-resourced and overburdened water systems to the brink.  “Every public drinking water system in the country is vulnerable to a natural disaster,” said Andrew Whelton, an environmental engineer at Purdue University who has advised utilities and the U.S. Army on water safety issues. “But many are not actually prepared to respond in the way they’re going to need to be.” … ”  Read more from the Washington Post here: Jackson, Miss., shows how extreme weather can trigger a clean water crisis

U.S. EPA pushing ahead to designate PFOA and PFOS as Superfund hazardous substances

“Late last week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) moved forward to list perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) (including their salts and structural isomers) as “hazardous substances” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) (otherwise known as “Superfund”).  EPA released a pre-publication version of a proposed rulemaking that officially begins U.S. EPA’s efforts to regulate and address per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination.  The eventual designation of PFOA and PFOS as hazardous substances will create significant risks and potential liability for both private and public entities that may have contributed to PFOA and/or PFOS contamination in a variety of environmental media such as groundwater and soil. ... ”  Read more from Downey Brand here: U.S. EPA pushing ahead to designate PFOA and PFOS as Superfund hazardous substances

Wildfire and floods don’t need to turn into disasters: UN risk report

“From record-breaking heatwaves in British Columbia, to wildfires in the Mediterranean, floods in Nigeria, and droughts in Taiwan; the period between 2021 and 2022 saw record-breaking catastrophic disasters in all corners of the world.  Some 10,000 people lost their lives, and an estimated $280 billion was incurred in damages worldwide.  The latest Interconnected Disaster Risks report, from the UN University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), finds that many of these disasters shared root causes. At the same time, the study’s authors found that the solutions to preventing or managing them are also closely linked. … ”  Read more from the UN here: Wildfire and floods don’t need to turn into disasters: UN risk report

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