In California water news today …
New reservoirs could help battle droughts, but at what cost?
“In an ancient wood in Hampshire, a county in southern England, construction workers are felling trees and clearing stumps. Over the workers’ shoulders, ecologists check to make sure that no bats or bird’s nests are being disturbed. They are building a road that will eventually lead to 160 hectares of grassland where Portsmouth Water, the utility company that manages the water supply here, is going to build a reservoir. The reservoir will sit in a clay valley, and so its water will naturally be sealed from the surrounding woodland. Portsmouth Water expects to fill it using nearby springs by 2029. If all goes to plan, the reservoir will then supply up to 21 million liters of water a day to around 160,000 people in the southeast of England. … ” Read more from WIRED Magazine here: New reservoirs could help battle droughts, but at what cost?
Here’s the alarming amount of ice California’s longest glacier just lost in the heat wave
“Mount Shasta, the widely recognizable face of California’s far north, has lost almost all its defining snow cover for a second straight year. Another summer of scorching temperatures, punctuated by the recent heat wave, has melted most of the mountain’s lofty white crown, typically a year-round symbol of the north state’s enduring wilds. The lack of snow not only means unfamiliar views of the bare 14,000-foot-plus giant, it is hastening the demise of the mountain’s glaciers. While the seven named ice sheets have been retreating for years, if not decades, the diminishing snow, which helps insulate the glaciers and keep them from thawing, has caused an unprecedented melt-off: About 20% of the glaciers’ ice, and possibly more, is expected to have vanished over the past two summers. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Here’s the alarming amount of ice California’s longest glacier just lost in the heat wave
Racism robbed this historically black California town of its water. Now, they’re developing water of their own
“Valeria Contreras’ phone started ringing on a bustling Saturday last February, when she was driving past almond and pistachio orchards on an errand run. Some callers sounded panicked. Others were just upset. “Where’s the water?” they asked her. “How come you guys don’t notify us? I know I’m past due, but did you guys turn off my water?” Contreras lives in Allensworth, a small town of about 500 people an hour’s drive north of Bakersfield, in California’s Central Valley. She runs her own catering company, and in her spare time she is also the general manager of the Allensworth Community Services District, which oversees the town’s water supply. Back in February, Contreras had no idea why the water had stopped flowing. And it was her job to fix it. Contreras and other community leaders spent the rest of the weekend scrambling to find the source of the problem. … ” Read more from KQED here: Racism robbed this historically black California town of its water. Now, they’re developing water of their own
Worsening droughts drive premiums for farmland with water access
“Shrinking water supplies are creating a two-tiered market in farmland investing, lifting values for properties with access to groundwater or aquifers. “We’re ultimately acquiring water first,” said Carter Malloy, founder and chief executive officer of AcreTrader, a Fayetteville, Arkansas-based platform for investing in agricultural land. If the land “happens to have some trees on it growing citrus, that’s great news.” … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: Worsening droughts drive premiums for farmland with water access
Is ‘cloud seeding’ actually helping fight drought?
“The western US has faced historic drought month after month, and the water levels at Lake Powell and Lake Mead are dangerously low. Those reservoirs provide much-needed water to millions of Americans and feed the agricultural industry in the region. The drought also reduces the ability to render hydroelectric power from these crucial water sources. But, the US is far from the only place experiencing extreme dryness. Countries like China are also struggling, as well as parts of Europe and Africa. China has turned to cloud seeding as a potential solution to its drought problems. It’s also being more regularly utilized in the United Arab Emirates. … ” Read more from Popular Science here: Is ‘cloud seeding’ actually helping fight drought?
Column: Water storage up compared to last year
Columnist John Lindt writes, “Looking for a bit of silver lining to an endless drought? Before the rainy season this winter regulators are storing more water according to the state’s latest reservoir report than they did last year. Despite dry conditions downstream a number of key Sierra reservoirs hold more water than the same time in 2021 that was also a drought year. Today the state’s largest federal reservoir, Shasta, is hurting with just 1.6 milAF at 35% of capacity as of Sept 5. Still, that is improved over last year at this time when only 1.2 milAF was in storage. Likewise, at the largest California-managed reservoir – Oroville – sits at 1.3 milAF compared to just 800,000AF as of Sept 5, 2021. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Column: Water storage up compared to last year
U.S. declares disaster for tribal salmon fisheries on the West Coast
“For generations upon generations, the Yurok tribe has relied on Chinook salmon from the Klamath River in Northern California for ceremonies, subsistence and commercial gain. But in 2019, less than 40 percent of the usual number of salmon returned to the river — resulting in what tribal Chairman Joseph L. James called an “utter failure” of that year’s stock. The Yurok tribe isn’t alone. Between 2014 and 2019, tribal salmon fisheries failed in Washington state rivers, too. On Sept. 1, the Commerce Department declared fishery disasters for several West Coast tribes and allocated $17.4 million in disaster assistance in response. The assistance will be used to shore up everything from habitat restoration to commercial and subsistence fishers. ... ” Read more from the Washington Post here: U.S. declares disaster for tribal salmon fisheries on the West Coast
Picture feature: A brief reprieve in California’s raging wildfire fight
Western US cooling off after record-smashing heat wave
“After weeks of abnormal weather in the western half of the country, AccuWeather meteorologists say that a cooldown is in sight for many. For some, this temperature change will be accompanied by a surge in monsoonal moisture, providing drought relief during a typically dry time of year. In recent days and weeks, those in the western United States have proven to be no stranger to volatile, abnormal weather. With dangerous flash floods from the North American monsoon, days of extreme heat and an abnormal tropical storm in Southern California, conditions across the Intermountain West have been anything but normal. … ” Read more from AccuWeather here: Western US cooling off after record-smashing heat wave
In commentary today …
Broad-based buy-in is key to Bay-Delta water plan
Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the State Water Contractors, and David Guy, president of the Northern California Water Association, write, “California is at a transformational moment when it comes to managing water. As aridification of the western United States intensifies, we have an opportunity to advance a better approach to flow management in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and our rivers through a process of voluntary agreements to update the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. The agreements, signed by parties from Red Bluff to San Diego, propose a new structure for managing water resources in the Delta and beyond in a way that is collaborative, innovative and foundational for adapting to climate realities while benefiting communities, farms, fish and wildlife. As representatives of the northern, central and southern corners of our state, we recognize the important and historic nature of the voluntary agreements. ... ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Broad-based buy-in is key to Bay-Delta water plan
In regional water news and commentary today …
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Divers removed 3,000 pounds of trash from a lake near Tahoe. But they left an old Ford Model T
“Scuba divers who pulled 25,000 pounds of litter and junk out of Lake Tahoe last year have just begun a similar cleanup in Fallen Leaf, a small alpine lake adjacent to Tahoe, and they’re already surprised by the amount of garbage they’re finding. After scouring one mile of the lake’s 7-mile shoreline down to 25 feet of depth, the crew has pulled out 3,000 pounds of refuse, including about 100 car tires. “This is the dirtiest mile we’ve found yet,” said Colin West, founder and executive director of Clean Up The Lake, the Tahoe nonprofit coordinating the effort. Over three days this fall, in addition to pulling up countless beer cans and glass bottles, West’s crew of 16 volunteers also discovered what they believe to be the remains of a 100-year-old Ford Model T automobile: four narrow tires, a chassis and an engine block resting on the silty lake bed. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Divers removed 3,000 pounds of trash from a lake near Tahoe. But they left an old Ford Model T
BAY AREA
Editorial: Point Reyes water plan must instill confidence
The Marin Independent Journal editorial board writes, “Point Reyes National Seashore’s leadership could have done a lot better in responding to water tests that show unacceptable pollution levels. The park declined our request for comment, citing ongoing litigation seeking to derail the park’s new ranch and elk management plan. That plan, to its credit, includes measures to reduce ranches’ possible role in pollution levels – some of which far exceeded state health standards for E. coli bacteria – and resumption of regular testing. The recent report was conducted by an environmental engineering firm hired by environmental organizations, among them the Olema-based Turtle Island Restoration Network, part of which includes the Salmon Protection and Awareness Network, or SPAWN. The groups say the results are the latest evidence that private dairy ranches in the park are the cause of pollution. ... ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Editorial: Point Reyes water plan must instill confidence
CENTRAL COAST
Making wine with less water: SLO County growers turn to drought-tolerant grapevines
“On a warm day in late June, Bob Shiebelhut walks between the rows of wine grapes at Tolosa Winery’s Edna Valley vineyards just south of San Luis Obispo. The dry soil crunches beneath Shiebelhut’s shoes as he bends over to pick up a small grape seedling that is waiting to be planted. Although it’s a little late in the season to be putting new vines in the ground — supply chain issues set him back several weeks — Shiebelhut has high hopes that the seedlings he’s planting now will produce high-quality wine grapes in a few years. He knows that the varietal, pinot noir, tends to grow well in the valley’s mild climate. And he expects the rootstock, or root system, onto which the pinot vine is grafted will hold up against diseases and pests and navigate the various soils on his property. Diseases, pests and soil type aren’t the only factors Shiebelhut has in mind. He also selected this particular rootstock for its tolerance to drought conditions. … ” Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Making wine with less water: SLO County growers turn to drought-tolerant grapevines
SOUTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA
Waterfalls appear in Death Valley, the hottest and driest place on earth
“Flash flooding in the aftermath of Hurricane Kay has caused waterfalls in the arid Death Valley. The influx of water into Death Valley, which is the hottest and driest place on the planet, comes with Hurricane Kay’s downgraded tropical storm, causing torrential rain over the area on September 10, according to the U.S. National Park Service. Badwater Road is fully closed, and the CA-190 highway is closed from the CA-136 junction to Stovepipe Wells Village after floodwater caused significant damage to the road surface. … ” Read more from Newsweek here: Waterfalls appear in Death Valley, the hottest and driest place on earth
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Flash flood watch due to Tropical Storm Kay in effect for Southern California Monday
“A flash flood watch is in effect for parts of Southern California on Monday, a day after the region was walloped with heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Kay that led to precipitation records, flood damage and mudslides that trapped dozens of motorists in the Lake Hughes area. “We have one more day to get through as far as some potential for serious flooding, and then after that we should be home free,” said Dave Bruno, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Oxnard. Thunderstorms and flooding threats were expected Monday in parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties and the Antelope Valley, with a flash flood watch in effect from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Flash flood watch due to Tropical Storm Kay in effect for Southern California Monday
Water woes
“Business has been slow at C&S Nursery Inc. in Baldwin Hills. Cristian Rosales, who owns the company with his brother Santiago, said the slowdown this summer was due to customers being reluctant to buy new plants. “With the (watering) restrictions, they don’t want to risk the plant dying on them if they cannot water it appropriately,” Rosales said. The strict restrictions on outdoor watering have severely pruned business at nurseries throughout the Los Angeles area with one owner claiming sales were down 90% in August. They agree their future may lie with native California plants and growing material that uses less water. … ” Read more from the LA Business Journal here: Water woes
Column: Merge water districts in OC? One loathes the idea, the other loves it
“In this alternate universe, one water agency sees black while the other sees white. One sees good while the other sees bad. One says yes while the other says no. And none of it would matter much — except that everyone who showers and drinks and flushes the toilet is paying for it. Yes, the Orange County Water District (manager of groundwater for North/Central County) and the Municipal Water District of Orange County (chief water importer for South County) have filed their official “we reside on different planets” kudos and condemnations with the Orange County Grand Jury, as required. That grand jury, you may recall, told these two water giants in our compact little county to get over themselves, relinquish their pricey fiefdoms and form a single, unified, regional, county-level water authority to finally speak with — and this is the grand jury’s flourish — “One Voice.” To summarize the official response: The Orange County Water District (total assets: $1.2 billion) thinks it’s a grand idea! The Municipal Water District (total assets: $52.9 million), not so much. Suffice to say there may be a bit of a David/Goliath thing going on here. … ” Continue reading at the OC Register here: Merge water districts in OC? One loathes the idea, the other loves it
Will Baja California ever build a desalination plant?
Along the Colorado River …
100 years after the Colorado River Compact, the Southwest is nearing a crisis point
“The intensifying crisis facing the Colorado River amounts to what is fundamentally a math problem. The 40 million people who depend on the river to fill up a glass of water at the dinner table or wash their clothes or grow food across millions of acres use significantly more each year than actually flows through the banks of the Colorado. In fact, first sliced up 100 years ago in a document known as the Colorado River Compact, the calculation of who gets what amount of that water may never have been balanced. “The framers of the compact — and water leaders since then — have always either known or had access to the information that the allocations they were making were more than what the river could supply,” said Anne Castle, a senior fellow at the Getches-Wilkinson Center at the University of Colorado Law School. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: 100 years after the Colorado River Compact, the Southwest is nearing a crisis point
‘Water is our most precious resource’: alfalfa farmers asked to give up crop amid megadrought in US south-west
” … By the time the Colorado River reaches Mexico, just a fraction of its water is left for the fields of the Mexicali Valley and millions of people in northwestern desert cities. Now, that supply is more at risk than ever. Water experts and scientists say Mexico, at the end of the river, will need to find other water for the two northwestern states that depend on it. They say the country will also have to use its supply more efficiently. But Mexico has been slow to act. “This hit us so fast that it took us a while to understand that it’s not a drought, it’s a new era. It’s a new regime,” said Carlos de la Parra, an urban and environmental studies professor at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte in Tijuana. … ” … ” Read more from The Guardian here: ‘Water is our most precious resource’: alfalfa farmers asked to give up crop amid megadrought in US south-west
Left out to dry: Wildlife threatened by Colorado River Basin water crisis
” … Some 40 million people rely on the 1,400-mile-long river in the United States and Mexico, including in many of the West’s biggest cities. It also greens 5 million acres of irrigated agriculture. But that’s come at a cost. Long before cities and industrial farms emerged, the river supported diverse mountain and desert ecosystems, providing refuge and resources for countless animals and plants. Many of those species now struggle to survive the cumulative pressures from drought, climate warming and human developments. And they remain an overlooked part of the region’s water crisis. “The story continues to be about water supply and water management, and how to continue to drain the river to support the growth economy,” says Gary Wockner, executive director of the nonprofit Save the Colorado. “There’s been very little discussion about the ecological health, wildlife and habitat.” … ” Read more from The Revelator here: Left out to dry: Wildlife threatened by Colorado River Basin water crisis
In Mexico’s dry north, Colorado River adds to uncertainty
“When Gilbert Quintana, a farmer in the Mexicali Valley, learned he would soon lose 15% of his water supply, he did what he’s done before in a pinch: buy water from other growers in northern Mexico. But Quintana worries that such workarounds won’t always be possible. The water used to irrigate his 2,000 acres of (800 hectares) of Brussel sprouts, green onions, and lettuce comes from the over-tapped Colorado River, which a megadrought in the American West due in part to climate change is rapidly depleting. Buying water from other farmers is often the only way to grow the same acreage anymore, Quintana said, “but it’s short term.” By the time the Colorado River reaches Mexico, just a fraction of its water is left for the fields of the Mexicali Valley and millions of people in northwestern desert cities. Now, that supply is more at risk than ever. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: In Mexico’s dry north, Colorado River adds to uncertainty
Campaign aims to dispel common myths about water use in Las Vegas
“As soon as the U.S. Department of the Interior last month announced that Nevada would lose 8% of its water allotment from the Colorado River next year amid the continuing drought, officials with the Southern Nevada Water Authority started fielding questions from concerned residents. And with those questions came some inaccurate finger-pointing about the water situation — namely that California is using our water; same with casinos on the resort corridor. The authority last week, in an ongoing video series to bring educational awareness for conservation, addressed those concerns. It’s one of about 12 videos it has done in recent years, stressing that the water supply here — especially with continued conservation — is secure. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun here: Campaign aims to dispel common myths about water use in Las Vegas
Tourism is sucking Utah dry. Now it faces a choice – growth or survival?
“It was a typically hot summer day in Utah’s Zion national park, where early-afternoon heat hovered near 100F, even in the shadows of the red peaks soaring overhead. But the extreme conditions did little to dissuade the throngs of tourists who trudged into the chalky brown waters of the Virgin River. The parking lot at Zion – one of the United States’s busiest national parks – had been full since 8am. Many of the visitors were there to scramble into the shallows of the Virgin River for the ever-popular and Instagrammable Narrows hike. Thousands of tourists descend on this waterway year after year, even as this region and others across the American west fall deeper into drought. Fueled by the climate crisis and the overuse of dwindling water resources, the drought threatens the safety and sustainability of the spectacular sights; at the same time, tourists and the industries that cater to them contribute to an unfolding crisis in the cherished lands that brought them there. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: Tourism is sucking Utah dry. Now it faces a choice – growth or survival?
Megadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years
“When the Nasa climatologist James Hansen testified before Congress in June 1988 about a warming planet, the temperature in Washington DC hit a record 100F. It was a summer of unprecedented heatwaves, and 40 states were grappling with drought. His warning was seen as a historic wakeup call – but instead of heeding the existential smoke alarm, the US removed the batteries and kept on cooking. Nearly four decades later, the consequences of a sweltering Earth are hitting home in the US south-west and mountain west – comprising states from California to Colorado. Over the past two decades, extreme heat and dwindling moisture levels have converged to create a “megadrought” deemed the driest period in 1,200 years. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: Megadrought in the American south-west: a climate disaster unseen in 1,200 years
In national water news today …
New research details $3.7 trillion impact of water risk to the U.S. by 2050
“New research recently released by global professional services company GHD, titled Aquanomics: The economics of water risk and future resilience reveals droughts, floods and storms could result in a total loss of $3.7 trillion to U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) between 2022 and 2050. This is the largest dollar impact faced by any of the countries included in the study, making up the majority of the $5.6 trillion total GDP losses projected across all seven focus countries. This equates to an average annual GDP loss of 0.5 percent. This study represents the first time the economic impact of water risk has been calculated at a GDP and sector level. The research combines insurance data with econometric modelling to demonstrate the wider economic impact of increased future water risk. It focuses on seven key countries across GHD’s footprint – Australia, Canada, China, the Philippines, the UAE, the UK and the U.S. – and three U.S. regions – Northeastern U.S., Southeastern U.S. and Southwestern U.S. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: New research details $3.7 trillion impact of water risk to the U.S. by 2050
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
This weekend in California water news …
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Burney Falls. Photo by Tucker Monticelli on Unsplash In California drought, the latest victims are rice farms
- Tidal marsh or ‘fake habitat’? California environmental project draws criticism
- Yes, we can make it rain. But it won’t solve drought.
- Lingering California drought and record heat forces tough decisions for the state’s farmers
- California legislators pass bill banning sale of agricultural land to foreign governments; increase ownership disclosure requirements
- U.S. declares disaster for tribal salmon fisheries on the West Coast
- EPA awards nearly $2 million to UC Berkeley for research to advance water management and security
- Governor signs Sen. Dodd’s climate resilience bill
- Dan Walters: Can California really make power grid 100% green?
- It’s incredibly rare for a hurricane to reach California. How did Tropical Storm Kay do it?
- Kay unleashes nearly year’s worth of rain, flash flooding in SoCal
- Modified seawater intakes approved for Carlsbad desalination plant
- Angry at other states, Arizona towns, tribes rethink planned water cuts
- And more …
