On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment Roundtables: Natural Lands & Biodiversity from 9am to 10:30am. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in partnership with the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) is hosting a series of 6 public roundtables to discuss California-specific information and knowledge gaps that will help inform the scope of climate change research conducted as part of California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment. Each roundtable discussion will consider how future research can incorporate equity, traditional knowledges, governance, and economic impacts and climate financing. This roundtable on Natural Lands and Biodiversity will discuss climate impacts to natural terrestrial ecosystems, habitat, and biodiversity, including forests, deserts, shrublands/chaparral, urban forests/parks, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal lands throughout California, and how to respond to such impacts. Click here to register
- MEETING: State Water Resources Control Board beginning at 9:30am. Agenda items include the Human Right to Water 10th anniversary; an update on current hydrologic conditions; Consideration of a proposed Order prepared by the Administrative Hearings Office (AHO) denying and, in the alternative, canceling the City of Stockton’s Application 30531B for a permit to appropriate water from the San Joaquin River; and consideration of adoption of the Intended Use Plans for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund; and consideration of the 2022-23 fund expenditure plan for the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund. Click here for the agenda.
- WEBINAR: Latinos in Environmental Stewardship from 12:30pm to 2pm. California’s lands and coastal waters are home to nature found nowhere else on Earth, and conserving these natural areas is essential for the continued growth and success of our communities. Join the California Latino Heritage Month events and connect with and learn about the actions 20th century Latinos are taking now to protect the state’s natural and cultural resources and how you too can become an environmental steward. Click here to register.
- 2022 Virtual Water Career Fair – Central Valley Agencies from 2pm to 3:30pm. California’s water and wastewater agencies are hiring right now for a variety of exciting and interesting roles. A career in water offers numerous benefits, including: family sustaining wages and benefits; opportunity to work on a great team; and serving your community by protecting clean water.During these virtual career fairs, you can meet with the featured employers listed below in a Zoom webinar format. Want to learn more about water careers? Explore this site and find information about career paths, job openings, and scholarship programs. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: California’s 5th Climate Change Assessment Roundtables: Natural Waters & Biodiversity from 2:30pm to 4:00pm. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in partnership with the California Council on Science & Technology (CCST) is hosting a series of 6 public roundtables to discuss California-specific information and knowledge gaps that will help inform the scope of climate change research conducted as part of California’s Fifth Climate Change Assessment. Each roundtable discussion will consider how future research can incorporate equity, traditional knowledges, governance, and economic impacts and climate financing. This roundtable on Natural Waters and Biodiversity will discuss climate impacts on natural aquatic ecosystems, habitat and biodiversity, including ocean areas, estuaries, lakes, streams and rivers throughout California, and how to respond to such impacts. Click here to register
In California water news today …
California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But neither is the biggest water victim
“As California fast approaches what is likely to be a fourth year of punishing drought, residents are being asked to cut their water use to historic lows. But while city dwellers are rising to the occasion — including record reductions in Los Angeles in August — urban consumption still represents only a small fraction of total water use in the state. Where the rest of it goes depends on whom you ask. The California Department of Water Resources says 50% of the state’s water goes toward environmental purposes, 40% toward agriculture and 10% toward urban areas. But experts say that calculation tells only part of the story, especially because the environment’s share tends to shrink dramatically during dry years. Instead, a clearer picture begins to emerge when you consider water designated for domestic and business use. Of that, 80% goes toward agriculture and 20% toward urban areas. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: California drought pits farmers vs. cities. But neither is the biggest water victim | Read via Yahoo News
Joe Del Bosque: Farmers selling out, state wants land for water rights
“Joe Del Bosque is an almond Farmer on the west side of Fresno and Merced Counties. He noted that it’s getting bad with this drought, zero service water and SGMA.” Listen at Ag Info here: Joe Del Bosque: Farmers selling out, state wants land for water rights
Happy New Water Year 2023!
Jay Lund writes, “The first New Year celebration for California’s water wonks is October 1, the beginning of the new Water Year, the nominal beginning of California’s wet season. California sometimes has its first big rain storm earlier, and sometimes later, but by convention the wet season begins October 1. It is a time when reservoir levels are reduced to prepare for potential floods (not an issue this year because of already-low reservoir levels) and when notices of flood vulnerability are sent to many residents of low-lying areas (which remain vulnerable during the coming wet season despite relatively low reservoir levels upstream). The outlook for the 2023 water year is that it is far too early to tell. … ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: Happy New Water Year 2023!
California Drought: Examining the data and what the next few months have in store
“Happy New Water Year! ABC10 meteorologist Brenden Mincheff takes a deep dive into climate models and what this fall/winter might look like.”
California’s ‘most sustainable’ dairy is doing what’s best for business
“Steve Shehadey waved at the front desk crew, walked past white walls filled with plaques and awards and settled into his office, piled high with papers: invoices, permits, spreadsheets. On his desk, there’s a milk crate he found in an antiques store and an old butter-churning machine. As owner of Bar 20 Dairy Farms, Shehadey oversees all operations at the sprawling family enterprise. The farm covers about 5,000 acres of crop fields in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, husbands thousands of dairy cows from infant to milking age, and offers very, very little shade. This summer, the dairy won a major sustainability award that has attracted plenty of media attention and made Bar 20 the paragon of sustainability in the industry. Shehadey is proud of the distinction. … ” Read more from Inside Climate News here: California’s ‘most sustainable’ dairy is doing what’s best for business
A rough year for rice in California
“The Sacramento Valley is normally the largest rice-growing region in California, producing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of rice each year. However, 2022 has been anything but normal. Drought and water shortages have meant rice growers have only planted half as much of the grain as usual. The scale of the change is visible from space. The right side of the image pair above shows a major rice-producing area east of Willows on September 16, 2022; the left side shows the same area on September 4, 2021. Tens of thousands of acres of farmland that would normally be green as farmers prepare for harvest were instead brown and idle in 2022. Both natural-color satellite images were acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8. ... ” Read more from NASA here: A rough year for rice in California
Retired adviser champions water conservation
“Karrie Reid didn’t plan to become a scientist, but she fell in love with plants. Reid joined UC Agriculture and Natural Resources as the environmental horticulture adviser for San Joaquin County in 2010, with funding from the county’s Public Works Solid Waste Division. She retired Sept. 30. Reid, who was born in Jackson in Amador County, earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from UC Santa Cruz and her master’s degree in horticulture and agronomy from UC Davis. She has written nearly 100 articles on – and trained hundreds of people in – sustainable urban landscape management. … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Retired adviser champions water conservation
San Joaquin salmon population status – end of 2021
Tom Cannon writes, “Following some improvement in the numbers of adult fall-run Chinook salmon returning to spawn in the Stanislaus River and the Merced River from 2012-2017, overall escapement in 2020 and 2021 to San Joaquin River tributaries was severely depressed. Better flows and water temperatures could help reverse this decline. In February 2017, I wrote about the fall Chinook salmon runs on the San Joaquin River’s three major tributaries over the previous six years. Salmon counts in San Joaquin tributaries showed an increase in returning adults in the 2012-2015 drought compared to the poor returns in 2007-2009 drought. The numbers of spawners in 2012-2015 were still well below the returns in the eighties and nineties that corresponded to wet water year sequences, but the increase seemed to suggest progress. … ” Read more from the California Fisheries blog here: San Joaquin salmon population status – end of 2021
Water conservation technology in commercial buildings can help mitigate drought disasters
“Droughts don’t particularly come to mind when people think about weather-related damage and natural disasters. This may be because droughts aren’t as visually devastating as hurricanes ripping mercilessly through a community, such as the recent Hurricane Fiona that destroyed parts of Puerto Rico or Hurricane Ian that barrelled through Florida. But droughts cause more damage to communities, and buildings, than you may think. Droughts are second only to hurricanes as the costliest weather-related disaster in the United States. And unlike other natural disasters, it’s much harder to predict when a drought will begin or end, so they’re harder to prepare for. Believe it or not, droughts can cause physical damage to commercial buildings. When a drought occurs, the lack of water in the soil causes it to shrink around a building. … Physical damage to buildings isn’t the only way droughts can hurt commercial real estate owners. … ” Read more from Propmodo here (note: free registration required): Water conservation technology in commercial buildings can help mitigate drought disasters
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Hope for salmon in the Tenmile Creek watershed
“The Eel River Recovery Project (ERRP) has been working with residents of the Tenmile Creek watershed that surrounds Laytonville since 2018 on planning and implementing restoration projects, including water conservation. The group currently has a State Coastal Conservancy Proposition 1 funded grant to explore the interest of residents along western tributaries of Tenmile Creek in increasing water storage in exchange for reducing water withdrawal during low flow periods. While carrying out fish monitoring as part of the grant in mid-September, ERRP discovered a new incentive for conserving water, the presence of coho salmon. In mid-September, coho salmon young of the year were observed in upper Cahto Creek, Mill Creek, and lower Little Case Creek. The finding was surprising given recent drought conditions and since coho had only been seen one time since ERRP began monitoring in 2018 in Big Rock Creek. … ” Read more from the Redheaded Blackbelt here: Hope for salmon in the Tenmile Creek watershed
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Collaboration seeks to reduce wildfire risk in Middle Truckee River Watershed
“The United States Forest Service signed a memorandum of understanding with four entities, forming a public-private partnership to document their commitment to increase the pace and scale of forest management in the Middle Truckee River Watershed. Located in California’s northern Sierra Nevada, the Middle Truckee River Watershed includes approximately 315,000 acres of land, of which 260,825 acres is managed by the Tahoe National Forest. The watershed spans three California counties, one Nevada county, and encompasses important forest and meadow ecosystems, the Truckee River, recreational resources, communities and water supply reservoirs. The Middle Truckee River Watershed Forest Partnership includes the National Forest Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Truckee Meadows Water Authority, Truckee River Watershed Council and the United States Forest Service – Tahoe National Forest. … ” Read more from the Sierra Sun here: Collaboration seeks to reduce wildfire risk in Middle Truckee River Watershed
NAPA/SONOMA
Commentary: Stop treating water as if it’s free
David Taber, Board President for the Palomino Lakes Mutual Water Company in Cloverdale, writes, “Of course, we all get water bills that keep going up. But look at the details on your invoice, it’s mostly paying for infrastructure, loans and operating costs. There won’t be a fee for the water that’s pumped out of the ground or reservoir. That water right — the ability to pump — is essentially free for your water company and for you. But in a persistent drought, free cannot be the right price for that right. And water rights in northern Sonoma and southern Mendocino Counties are undergoing a lot of change. One of the foundations of good government is to require a cost-benefit analysis when comparing alternative courses of action. The Potter Valley Project — the foundation of the upper Russian River water supply — is currently in the legal limbo of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission surrender process, with PG&E seeking to give up its license to operate the hydroelectric dam that uses water diverted from the Eel River. Many courses of action are being proposed. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Commentary: Stop treating water as if it’s free
EASTERN SIERRA
Mercury, other toxins found in Owens, East Walker Rivers
“Two Eastern Sierra rivers, the Owens and the East Walker, are on a list of waters with enough mercury and other toxins found in some fish to trigger a warning, the state said this week. The two rivers have been added to this list for the first time ever. According to the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, people can still eat fish from these rivers but, in moderation. “The advisory is intended to be a guide for eating fish caught in these rivers, along with other rivers, streams and creeks that are not covered by a specific advisory,” the state said. “This is the first time that safe-eating guidelines have been provided for these rivers.” Here is why residents and anglers should limit their intake of fish from these rivers. … ” Read more from the Mammoth Times here: Mercury, other toxins found in Owens, East Walker Rivers
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
LA restricts water flow to wasteful celebrity mansions: ‘No matter how rich, we’ll treat you the same’
“Los Angeles is living through a historic drought, but that hasn’t stopped some of its most famous residents from keeping their mega mansion lawns and ornate gardens well watered. In response, local authorities have turned to a surprisingly simple trick for keeping the wealthiest in check. That solution is a tiny metal disc known as a “flow restrictor”. The restrictor can be installed in minutes over the pipes of chronic wasters, dramatically slowing down a home’s water flow. ... ” Read more from the Guardian here: LA restricts water flow to wasteful celebrity mansions: ‘No matter how rich, we’ll treat you the same’
Cooperation continues among AV water districts
“Continuing a century-long history of cooperation, the Palmdale Water District and Littlerock Creek Irrigation District have agreed to a deal that will bolster Palmdale’s water supplies and provide funding for Littlerock Creek’s operations or add to its groundwater supplies. The agreement, approved by the respective Boards of Directors, this week, transfers all or part of Littlerock Creek’s annual allocation of the State Water Project supplies — delivered through the California Aqueduct — to the Palmdale Water District. In exchange, the District will pay for the allocation or offer groundwater pumping rights. … ” Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Cooperation continues among AV water districts
Cadiz pipeline conversion dealt legal setback; company still proceeds with water transfer plan
“Downtown-based water infrastructure company Cadiz Inc. last month encountered yet another legal setback in its 25-year effort to convey water from its desert aquifer to a regional water aqueduct when a federal judge revoked a permit to use an old natural gas pipeline. But far from putting its project on hold, Cadiz in subsequent days announced it would begin digging three new wells atop its aquifer and that it had completed an engineering study on converting the natural gas pipeline to carry water. On Sept. 13, U.S. District Court Judge George Wu revoked a permit granted by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in the waning days of the Trump administration to allow Cadiz to proceed with using the former natural gas pipeline it had purchased from El Paso Natural Gas – now a subsidiary of Houston, Texas-based energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan Inc. … ” Read more from the LA Business Journal here: Cadiz pipeline conversion dealt legal setback; company still proceeds with water transfer plan
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
One company is eyeing the Salton Sea as the future ‘water capital of the Western world’
“Turn off Highway 111 just past Bombay Beach onto Hot Mineral Spa Road, pass Bashford’s Hot Mineral Spa and turn left on a dirt road that runs parallel with the Coachella Canal, and you’ll reach a large desert parcel. That swath of land represents the beginnings of Jon Becker’s plans to turn the Salton Sea region into “the water capital of the Western world.” Becker is the CEO of Global Water Farms, a La Quinta-based company that purchased the 641-acre site with views of the Chocolate Mountains and the Salton Sea in 2020. Global Water Farms envisions building a pilot desalination project, using the company’s proprietary thermal desalination technology to remove salt from the briny groundwater. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: One company is eyeing the Salton Sea as the future ‘water capital of the Western world’
Along the Colorado River …
The end of a way of life? Ranchers struggle to survive the south-west’s megadrought
“In April, Carla Gomez found herself seeking shelter in the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, not just for her but also for 75 of her sheep. When flames had started creeping down the Sangre de Cristo Mountain range towards Los Vallecitos, her beef and lamb ranch in Mora county, she knew she had to flee. The fire was part of what would become the largest wildfire in the state’s history, and her farm was directly in its path. For five weeks, Gomez watched the news, anxiously awaiting updates. In early June, when it was finally safe to return, she found that about 100 acres of her 400 acre ranch had burned but her house was still standing and the cows she had to leave behind were alive. Many of her neighbors weren’t as lucky. … ” Read more from the Guardian here: The end of a way of life? Ranchers struggle to survive the south-west’s megadrought
Colorado’s fall is going to be warm and dry, climatologists say
“After a summer of high temperatures and a wet monsoon season, Coloradans can expect a dry fall. As of Thursday, 84% of Colorado is experiencing dry conditions and over 45% of the state is in some form of drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map. Northeastern Colorado is especially dry, with most counties experiencing severe to exceptional levels of drought. Despite a couple of wet weeks forecast ahead, National Centers for Environmental Information meteorologist Richard Heim, who authored this week’s map, said the fall months are predicted to be warmer and drier than normal in Colorado. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun here: Colorado’s fall is going to be warm and dry, climatologists say
Arizona: ‘Good Samaritan’ bill aims to allow cleanup of abandoned, leaking mines
“Arizona could have as many as 100,000 abandoned mines, many leaching toxic minerals into the state’s waterways, but state environmental officials said cleanup has been hampered by the fear of litigation. That’s why Arizona Department of Environmental Quality Director Misael Cabrera was testifying Thursday in support of a proposed federal “good Samaritan” law aimed at addressing the issue. The bill would let organizations step in and clean up long-abandoned mines without fear of the legal liability that could have attached to their now-absent owners. “I believe that this legislation is a great first step towards dealing with a considerable and significant problem all across the country, and certainly in the West,” Cabrera said after testifying to a Senate Environment and Public Works subcommittee hearing. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media here: Arizona: ‘Good Samaritan’ bill aims to allow cleanup of abandoned, leaking mines
Las Vegas: Big water users may see bigger bills soon
“Things are likely to get more expensive for Las Vegas’ biggest water users. The Las Vegas Valley Water District is set to change its tiered water rate structure for single-family homes in a way that officials say will penalize the top 10 percent of water consumers in hopes of curbing their thirst. The changes are expected to save some 11,000 acre-feet of water per year — a significant chunk of water conservation amid calls from the federal government to reduce water use along the Colorado River by as much as 30 percent to protect critical water levels at Lake Mead. Southern Nevada, which gets about 90 percent of its water from the Colorado River, consumed about 242,000 acre-feet of water in 2021 and is on pace to use about 235,000 acre-feet this year. “We know that in many respects, price helps to drive water use,” water district spokesman Bronson Mack said. “And our expectation is that with the excessive use charge and the equalization of all water tiers, that will drive down water use.” … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here: Las Vegas: Big water users may see bigger bills soon
Commentary: Will the Colorado River survive or collapse? A lot rides on how we spend federal cash
Kate Gallego, mayor of Phoenix, and Caryl M. Stern, executive director of the Walton Family Foundation, writes, “The Western United States is experiencing the worst megadrought in more than 1,200 years, impacting everything from water supplies in major cities to the survival of farms vital to the nation’s food supply. Navigating this crisis requires that we treat it as a long-term challenge we adapt to and manage, not a short-term issue we attempt to fix. The recently signed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) directing billions of dollars to ongoing drought and water shortages in the Colorado River basin creates an historic opportunity to improve water security in the region for generations. Success requires that we set an objective and transparent funding process that prioritizes permanent, shared conservation solutions over temporary political expediency. … ” Read more from Arizona Central here: Commentary: Will the Colorado River survive or collapse? A lot rides on how we spend federal cash | Read via Yahoo News
Radio: Tribes are pushing to play a larger role in water-sharing agreements
“Tribes hold twenty percent of the Colorado River’s water rights, but historically have been excluded from the agreements that govern it. They’re now pushing to play a larger role in talks.” Listen at NPR here: Tribes are pushing to play a larger role in water-sharing agreements
One Navajo community finally gets electricity after more than 10 years. It’s still waiting for water.
“Thomas Chee and Briana Austin waited more than 10 years to flip a switch that would change their lives. In early September, the Navajo couple watched as electric utility crews connected their home in southeast Utah to the power grid. Their porch light beamed on, and someone called out “Yeehaw!” “(It’s) almost an unreal feeling,” Chee said. “I can’t believe it. … It finally happened. We always was told it’ll be here, it’ll be here. Now all of the sudden, bam. So yeah, it’s an unreal feeling.” Now Chee, the president of the small Navajo community, can focus his attention on the ultimate goal: bringing clean, running water to his community. … ” Read more from the Colorado Sun here: One Navajo community finally gets electricity after more than 10 years. It’s still waiting for water.
Commentary: Our water problem is about people and politics
Roy Johnston, a retired university professor with a PhD in Plant Science and Genetics and corporate executive, writes, “The most important long-term issue for Colorado today is the same as it was 120 years ago… water. In 2010, Smithsonian Magazine published an article titled, “The Colorado River Runs Dry.” The article included a quotation from Brad Udall of Colorado State University, “Climate change will likely decrease the river’s flow by 5% to 20% in the next 40 years.” On Aug. 25, 2022, Udall told the Steamboat Pilot and Today, “This isn’t a drought, it’s something else. … Myself and other scientists are trying to use a different term: Aridification.” In defining aridification he said, “declining snow-packs, it’s earlier runoff, it’s a shorter winter, it’s more rain, less snow, it’s higher temps. It’s drying soils, it’s severe fires, it’s forest mortality, it’s a warm, thirsty atmosphere.” The only issue with this quote is it is mostly erroneous. There is a slight warming trend since 1993; thus, the atmosphere holds more moisture and precipitation is on a slight incline. … ” Continue reading from the Grand Junction Sentinel here: Commentary: Our water problem is about people and politics
In national water news today …
On the first Monday in October, the Sacketts head to the Supreme Court a second time
“Today the U.S. Supreme Court formally begins its 2022-23 Term. First up on the justices’ docket this morning is a major environmental case: Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, No. 21-454. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act (CWA). Over the past half-century, no single CWA issue has proven more contentious and difficult to resolve than determining the extent of the nation’s waters that are subject to CWA permit jurisdiction. That issue occasionally arises regarding CWA section 402 (water pollution control) permit jurisdiction. But virtually all of the political debate and most of the litigation have concerned the parallel question of what constitutes “waters of the United States” under a separate CWA provision–section 404–by which USEPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jointly regulate the proposed “dredging and filling” of America’s wetlands. After decades of controversy and conflicting lower court decisions, the Supreme Court appears poised to provide a definitive answer to this long-running wetlands jurisdictional issue. All signs point to the justices ruling in favor of the Sacketts–and, in the process, adopting a rule significantly narrowing wetlands permit jurisdiction under the CWA. ... ” Read more from Legal Planet here: On the first Monday in October, the Sacketts head to the Supreme Court a second time
Will the Supreme Court restrict the scope of the Clean Water Act?
“With so many crises going on in the world right now — Hurricane Ian, suspected sabotage of the Nord Stream pipeline, the war in Ukraine — it can be hard to keep your eye on the long ball. But there is a hard, slow pitch headed toward the heart of the Clean Water Act, one of the most iconic and fundamental pieces of environmental legislation ever passed in the United States. The challenge comes in the form of Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency, a case that will be heard by the Supreme Court on Monday, the first day of the court’s new term. The court’s decision will be announced next year. The plaintiffs, Chantell and Michael Sackett, bought a parcel of land in Idaho 17 years ago and in 2007 started filling it with dirt and rock in preparation for building a house. The EPA ordered them to stop, saying the property was subject to the Clean Water Act and they needed a permit. When the agency demanded they restore the property to protect the watershed, the couple sued. The case has wound through the courts since then. … ” Read more from Bloomberg via Yahoo News here: Will the Supreme Court restrict the scope of the Clean Water Act?
Robert Redford: Supreme Court should not dishonor 50th anniversary of Clean Water Act
Robert Redford writes, “As anyone across the American West will tell you, water is life. We can’t do without it, and neither can the crops, livestock, natural habitat and wildlife that make this region so essential to the country and our vision of who we are as American people. We’ve been reminded of water’s centrality of late, because we no longer have enough of it. Much of the West is baking to chalk amid the region’s worst drought in 1,200 years, part of the widening scourge of climate change. The nation’s largest reservoirs are three-quarters empty. The Colorado River could soon run dry in places. A resource this vital, and in dwindling supply, has to be protected. Since 1972, that’s been the job of the Clean Water Act, one of the most successful federal laws in history. … ” Read more from the USA Today via Yahoo News here: Robert Redford: Supreme Court should not dishonor 50th anniversary of Clean Water Act
Tap water failures and distrust of government: A conversation with Manny Teodoro
“Bad tasting and polluted tap water are not just infrastructure problems. Municipal drinking water failures like the crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, are also threats to government legitimacy. That’s one of many arguments that Manny Teodoro and co-authors Samantha Zuhlke and David Switzer make in a compelling new book titled The Profits of Distrust. Teodoro, an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told Circle of Blue that tap water in the United States is the “most intimate relationship between a government and its people.” Water is provided primarily by publicly operated utilities. The treated water enters the home, where people bathe in it, cook with it, drink it. “So to drink tap water is to trust government,” Teodoro says. “To drink bottled water, or its commercial alternatives, is a sign that you distrust government, because you’re willing to pay tens to hundreds of times more for a commercial product that you believe is superior” — even though bottled water is less stringently regulated. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Tap water failures and distrust of government: A conversation with Manny Teodoro
More news and commentary in the weekend digest …
In California water news this weekend …
-
Fishing on the Klamath River near Hornbrook. Photo by CDFW. La Niña: What it means for California’s drought and the upcoming winter rainy season
- Here’s what Northern California can expect in the new water year
- How much snow does California need to escape drought?
- Testing underway for pilot project to return endangered salmon to their historic habitat
- How much does conserving water at home really matter?
- State Water Board to mark Human Right to Water 10th Anniversary at its Oct. 3 meeting
- Governor vetoes SB 222, Water Rate Assistance Program legislation
- California governor takes back millions earmarked for raw sewage cleanup along border
- Conserving 30% of CA Land by 2030 using Outstanding Waters Designation
- On the “long tail” of flood disaster losses in California
- NIDIS-funded study finds that drought assessment has been outpaced by climate change
- A glimmer of hope’: Eel River Recovery Project reports coho salmon in Tenmile Creek watershed
- San Francisco Bay’s huge algae bloom is over. But experts are worried about more mass fish kills in the future
- Madera County GSA & Public Hearing on penalties, September 27, 2022
- Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency board adopts a groundwater allocation
- Tujunga Spreading Grounds delivers a twofer: Doubling stormwater capture and supporting community recreation
- Federal officials set their sights on Lower Colorado River evaporation to speed up conservation
- 5 ways the Supreme Court could transform water policy
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: Delta Drought Response Pilot Program Public Workshops
NOTICE: Revised Enhanced Reporting Form Under Delta Curtailment and Reporting Regulation Available
