On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Toward More Equitable Nature-based Coastal Adaptation in California from 10am to 11am. This webinar will highlight select policy/funding recommendations and research gaps emerging from an Ocean Science Trust (OST) project investigating opportunities for equitable nature-based coastal adaptation in California. Presenters will share lessons learned from development of the final report. OST is a nonprofit created by the California Legislature to serve as an independent, trusted voice for science in support of our State’s vision of a healthy and productive coast and ocean. Click here to register.
- WEBINAR: Clean Water Act at 50 Event: What’s Next for California Clean Water Laws? from 11am to 12:30pm. The Clean Water Act and Porter-Cologne provided California’s water professionals and regulators the support and funding needed to make monumental clean water achievements. Rivers, bays, and beaches across the Golden State are cleaner than ever and enjoyed by millions of residents and tourists. Now 50 years old, and entering middle age, what’s the future of the Clean Water Act? Join our panel of regulatory leaders to explore and celebrate the CWA and learn about their vision for clean water going forward. Click here to register.
- LUNCH-MAR: Multibenefit land repurposing program from 12:30pm to 1:30pm. DWR’s Flood-Managed Aquifer Recharge (Flood-MAR) program’s next Lunch-MAR event, on Wednesday, Oct. 5, will feature the Department of Conservation’s Multibenefit Land Repurposing Program and its four funded regional block grantees. The presenters will describe how the program can help document underrepresented communities that are groundwater dependent and would be greatly benefited by Flood-MAR projects. Click here to register.
- 2022 Virtual Water Career Fair – Los Angeles/Orange County 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. Water professionals are the heroes within their communities. Join us! 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.
In California water news today …
Slurping up groundwater: Researchers find that pumping draws young groundwater to new depths, potentially with contaminants in tow
“How old is your water? It may seem like a peculiar question at first, but there are real implications to how long a drop of water has spent underground. Research suggests that the water cycle is speeding up in some places as a result of human enterprise. Scientists at UC Santa Barbara discovered that relatively young groundwater tends to reach deeper depths in heavily pumped aquifer systems, potentially bringing surface-borne pollutants with it. The study, led by recent postdoctoral fellow Melissa Thaw, appears in Nature Communications. The research was supported by funding from the Zegar Family Foundation. “We usually think deep groundwater is safe from the contaminants found closer to the Earth’s surface,” said Thaw. “However, intensive groundwater pumping is pulling recently replenished groundwater to deeper depths, potentially pulling contaminants down, too.” … ” Read more from UC Santa Barbara here: Slurping up groundwater: Researchers find that pumping draws young groundwater to new depths, potentially with contaminants in tow
As the Salton Sea shrinks, a radical plan to save it with ocean water is rejected
“For as long as the Salton Sea has faced the threat of ecological collapse, some local residents and environmentalists have advocated a radical cure for the deteriorating lake: a large infusion of ocean water. By moving desalinated seawater across the desert, they say, California could stop its largest lake from shrinking and growing saltier and could restore its once-thriving ecosystem. Without more water, they argue, the lake will continue to decline, and its retreating shorelines will expose growing stretches of dry lake bed that spew hazardous dust and greenhouse gases. … But advocates of tapping ocean water were dealt a significant blow when a state-appointed panel of experts rejected the idea after a yearlong review. ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: As the Salton Sea shrinks, a radical plan to save it with ocean water is rejected
California Drought: Sacramento Valley is starting to sink
The Sacramento Valley is starting to sink as more people turn to pumping groundwater. This comes as California wraps up the driest three years on record.
New research reveals how critical forests are to drinking water supply
“Access to high-quality water will be a defining feature of the 21st century. Record heat waves and drought are not only leading to more frequent and intense wildfires but are also putting one of life’s most valuable resources at risk: the water we drink. A new Forest Service research report describes how extensively public drinking water systems rely on national forests and grasslands. Water use per person has been declining for decades; however, a variety of factors such as population growth, food production and ecosystem conditions under a changing climate are contributing to overall greater demand for water – especially in certain parts of the country. … ” Read more from the USDA here: New research reveals how critical forests are to drinking water supply
California might get hit by a rainstorm. It all depends on these two weather patterns
“From record-breaking heat waves to historic rainstorms, September was nothing short of a meteorological roller-coaster ride and the Bay Area was given a front-row seat. This roller coaster of temperatures and intense back-and-forth between extreme heat and strong rains has come to a halt, though. A quiet, mostly dry pattern looks to be taking center stage for October as California is set to enter its third consecutive year of La Niña. But another weather pattern could shake up our chances of seeing at least one more storm roll into California before the end of the month. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: California might get hit by a rainstorm. It all depends on these two weather patterns
DWR awards $50.4 million to protect California communities from flood risk
“The Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced awarding $50.4 million in funding for 18 flood management and protection projects across the state. This funding will support local agency efforts to prepare for flooding by planning and implementing flood risk reduction projects related to stormwater, flooding, mudslides, and flash floods. Although California is entering a fourth year of drought, climate extremes require preparing for the increased risk of flooding even during a drought. “This funding will help vulnerable communities across California protect their citizens, property, and infrastructure from increasing flood risks and help prepare for the new climate extremes we are facing,” said Gary Lippner, DWR Deputy Director of Flood Management and Dam Safety. “As we have seen from recent flooding events across the country, floods can strike communities at any time. DWR is proud to work with our community partners to increase their flood and climate resilience at the local level.” … ” Read more from DWR News here: DWR awards $50.4 million to protect California communities from flood risk
Understanding Plastic Pollution: The potential health effects, abundance and classification of microplastics
“PLOS ONE recently published a new Collection of research entitled Recent Advances in Understanding Plastic Pollution. Given the broad scope of this collection, and the potential implications this research has on both humans the rest of the biosphere globally, we are digging deeper into the findings with some of the authors from papers included in this collection. In this third installment of interviews, we learn more about how microplastics may affect metabolism, and how it is getting easier to use machine learning to analyse samples containing microplastics. … ” Continue reading at PLOS ONE here: Understanding Plastic Pollution: The potential health effects, abundance and classification of microplastics
In commentary today …
Legislature must remake water laws for a drier California
Walter “Redgie” Collins, legal and policy director for CalTrout, and Amanda Cooper, staff attorney for CalTrout, write, “California’s water laws are stuck in the past. The Legislature can—indeed, it must—make the changes to state law necessary to address the 21st century’s complex water challenges. A recent decision by California’s Sixth District Court of Appeal highlights everything that’s wrong with California water law. The ruling blocks the State Water Resources Control Board’s authority to reduce water deliveries to a group of water districts amid California’s ongoing drought. The ruling pertains to the water board’s authority to regulate water deliveries to holders of water rights that set aside water specifically for them and were issued prior to 1914. A group of pre-1914 water rights holders (primarily agricultural water districts) challenged the curtailment orders, hindering the state board’s ability to protect California’s waterways. This, during a time when city residents are asked to let lawns go brown, whole towns are trucking in water to meet basic residential needs, and winter-run Chinook salmon are dying in the Sacramento River because of inadequate water flows. … ” Continue reading at Cal Matters here: Legislature must remake water laws for a drier California
Sea-level rise response can’t be one-size-fits-all
Kathy Oliver, President of the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors, writes, “Sea levels around the world are undeniably rising due to the huge amount of carbon that humans have pumped into the atmosphere since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Rising seas will have a significant impact on many coastal communities, including some of the most iconic sections of the California coast. So how can we respond to save our precious coastline? Smart Coast California, https://www.smartcoastca.org a nonprofit advocacy group established in 2019, believes our response should depend on location and land use, with plans reviewable every 10 to 20 years to adjust based on actual measurements. Unfortunately, the California Coastal Commission, which must sign off on every local coastal plan along the 1,271-mile coast, has a different viewpoint. Some commission members favor “managed retreat” as a blanket policy and wish to deny all requests for shoreline protection. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Sea-level rise response can’t be one-size-fits-all
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Lake County Supervisors approve contract to design Upper Lake levee gravel extraction project
“The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the award of a contract to an engineering firm that will be tasked with designing a project to remove gravel and sediment buildup from the levee channels that protect the town of Upper Lake. Water Resources Director Scott De Leon asked for, and received, the approval of the supervisors — sitting as the Lake County Watershed Protection District Board of Directors — to waive the county’s formal bidding process and authorize the signing of an agreement with Peterson Brustad Inc. for engineering design services for the Clover Creek Bypass Gravel Removal Project. The Folsom-based company will be paid $44,820 for the project. The contract term ends on March 31, 2023. … ” Read more from the Lake County News here: Lake County Supervisors approve contract to design Upper Lake levee gravel extraction project
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
South Yuba River Citizen League’s annual Yuba River cleanup a success
“This year’s Yuba River Cleanup presented some unique challenges, from record breaking heat to hazardous AQI as a result of the Mosquito Fire. While the combination of these factors made navigating the cleanup difficult — SYRCL even had to cancel its Volunteer Appreciation Party at Bridgeport on the 17th due to unhealthy smoke conditions – it also provided a stark reminder of the effects of climate change and human activity to our area. This year, volunteers pulled out all sorts of waste from the Yuba River watershed. From tires to yoga mats, thigh high boots to car bumpers, the unfortunate insensitivity, ignorance, and carelessness of people towards the environment was on full display. By the end of the thirteen days of the Cleanup, SYRCL counted over 2,000 cigarette butts, 1,200 bottle caps, and nearly 4,000 pieces of glass and plastic in nearly 400 bags of trash. … ” Read more from the The Union here: South Yuba River Citizen League’s annual Yuba River cleanup a success
South Lake Tahoe bans single use plastic water bottles
“South Lake Tahoe City Council on Tuesday finalized adoption of a single-use plastic water bottle ban for city facilities and permitted, temporary activities and special events that will go into effect in the spring. The ban will expand to sales citywide on April 22, 2024, allowing businesses additional time to prepare for this shift, officials said. The ban will prohibit the sale of single-use plastic water bottles less than one gallon with an exception for emergency situations designated by City Manager Joe Irvin. Single-use plastics are a significant source of waste and pollution due to the sheer volume of these products produced and used by consumers and the long amount of time they exist in the environment after their short, useful life ends, the city said in a press release. Discarded plastics are particularly damaging to water quality as they do not break down or decompose. Instead, they eventually break apart into microplastics that end up washed downstream into waterbodies. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: South Lake Tahoe bans single use plastic water bottles
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
An oral history of the Cantara Chemical Spill on the Sacramento River
“To those of us who love fishing, the Cantara tragedy on the upper Sacramento River stands out as one of those darkest of times. A Southern Pacific railroad train derailed above Dunsmuir dumping thousands of gallons of the toxic herbicide metam sodium into the river. Every fish, insect, crayfish, mollusk and aquatic plant died in the days that followed as the poison made its way toward Shasta Lake. The following is a conversation between two people intimately involved. Mike Berry was in charge of California’s Wild Trout Program for DFG (California Department of Fish & Game, now called Dept. of Fish & Wildlife) in northern California. Chip O’Brien was a Regional Manager for the conservation group California Trout. … ” Continue reading at Active NorCal here: An oral history of the Cantara Chemical Spill on the Sacramento River
$9.7M for flood protection: TRLIA receives money from state to reduce risks, protect levees
“The California Department of Water Resources announced Tuesday that the Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority was awarded millions in funding to help protect area residents from flooding. The funding in which Three Rivers Levee Improvement Authority (TRLIA) will benefit from is intended to go toward its “Yuba River North Training Wall-Phase 2” project, according to the department. With an estimated project cost of $12,129,803, TRLIA is set to receive $9,703,842 in recommended funding from the state. According to the Department of Water Resources, the $9.7 million is intended to help “improve flood protection on the Yuba River for up to a 200-year flood event, which will reduce the risks of flooding” to the area, while at the same time improving habitat and protecting downstream levees. ... ” Read more from the Appeal Democrat here: $9.7M for flood protection: TRLIA receives money from state to reduce risks, protect levees
NAPA/SONOMA
Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approves temporary halt in new wells
“The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors has imposed a six-month halt in all new wells countywide, a far-reaching move likely to impact residential and commercial property owners seeking to tap groundwater amid a historic drought. The immediate drilling moratorium, which offers only a narrow exemption for emergency water needs, is meant to give the county more time to draw up a new set of well regulations aimed to safeguard surface and subsurface flows in the county’s major watersheds. A 2021 lawsuit by the environmental group California Coastkeeper Alliance spurred the work toward new regulations, and the Board of Supervisors was scheduled to vote on the new rules Tuesday. Instead, after hours of deliberation over a proposed well ordinance that would have established new requirements reflecting updated state policy for well permit applicants, the board voted 4-1 to impose a moratorium, seeking to buy time for additional work. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approves temporary halt in new wells
SEE ALSO: Sonoma County issues moratorium on drilling new wells, from the Sonoma Gazette
BAY AREA
Popular Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival to happen this week in historic Delta town
“One of, if not the oldest, event of its kind on the West Coast, the Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival, will be held in the historic Delta town on the Sacramento River on Friday Oct. 7 through Sunday, Oct. 9. The derby begins at 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 7 and ends at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 9. The weigh station will be located at 1 Main St., next to Rio Vista City Hall and the city dock. This area is easily accessible to the city of Rio Vista Boat Launch. Derby tickets are $50 for adults and $10 for children. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: Popular Rio Vista Bass Derby and Festival to happen this week in historic Delta town
Helping property owners manage their streams
” … When it rains, it is not uncommon for property owners to be taken by surprise not only by the power of water but also the confusing array of government agencies that may — or may not — be involved in addressing any issues caused by that power. Many property owners will never have heard of many of these agencies, or they may not realize how different local and state agencies divide up jurisdictions and responsibilities. With this in mind, the California Urban Streams Partnership (CUSP) created a program — the Streamside Management Program for Landowners (SMPL) — to address stream-management needs in order to protect the environment on urban and rural private properties throughout the Bay Area’s Contra Costa Country. The program has made it simple for homeowners to understand solutions, permitting requirements, and best ecological practices available to address issues with creeks on their property. … ” Read more from Earth Island Journal here: Helping property owners manage their streams
8-year-old ‘Lawnbuster’ is changing the world one yard at a time
“The past three years have been the driest on record in California and officials warn that streak could continue. Most of the state is under severe-to-exceptional drought conditions, fueling risks for wildfires and putting Central Valley farmers in an even bigger pinch, as they struggle to keep their crops alive. The weather, in next couple of months, will determine if there will be some relief for the state. Until then, water officials say conservation needs to remain a way of life. That’s exactly what a group of volunteers in the South Bay set out to do. Among them, an 8-year-old ‘lawnbuster’ who’s giving back to his community one drought-resistant yard, at a time. When it comes to battling the drought, size does not matter. … ” Read more from CBS News here: 8-year-old ‘Lawnbuster’ is changing the world one yard at a time
Partner with Valley Water to increase access to drinking water and reduce plastic waste
“Valley Water wants to help you increase access to drinking water in your community and help reduce plastic bottle waste. We are excited to announce the new Valley Water Refill Station Grants program has launched and we want you to apply! This grant opportunity provides funding for purchasing, installing and maintaining water bottle refill stations to expand drinking water access. We are particularly interested in partnering with grantees and project locations that have been historically underserved and under-resourced or locations serving school-age children and students in Santa Clara County. This year, we have a total of $100,000 in grant funding available and will be awarding $5,000 per water bottle refill station. Awarded applicants will receive 50% of the funds upfront and the remaining 50% upon completion of installation of the refill station and signage. Applications are now open and are accepted on a rolling basis until all available funds are disbursed during the fiscal year (July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023). … ” Read more from Valley Water News here: Partner with Valley Water to increase access to drinking water and reduce plastic waste
CENTRAL COAST
In the Vines: How drought and climate change threaten the Paso Robles wine industry’s future
“The water crisis in the American West is made worse every year by climate change and drought, posing an existential threat to agricultural economies across the region. Smaller cities and towns like those on the Central Coast are often the most vulnerable and hardest-hit, forcing these areas to adapt to more heat and less rain. That was apparent in July of last year, when Governor Gavin Newsom visited Lopez Lake in South San Luis Obispo County. He thanked Californians for stepping up their water conservation efforts, but said it wasn’t enough. “Conditions are such that they continue to devolve and as a consequence today, we are doing what we had signaled was likely to happen,” Newsom said. … ” Read more from KCBX here: In the Vines: How drought and climate change threaten the Paso Robles wine industry’s future
Goleta: Public input requested for next phase of creek and watershed management plan
“The City of Goleta is in the next phase of its Creek and Watershed Management Plan (CWMP) and is seeking your valuable input. Please take our survey (available in English and Spanish) to let us know what is important to you when it comes to creeks and watersheds in Goleta. Your input will help us to determine how to prioritize work efforts and limited funding among the many important unfunded projects included in the CWMP. The survey will remain open through October 31, 2022. … ” Click here for more information and to access the survey at the Santa Barbara Independent here: Goleta: Public input requested for next phase of creek and watershed management plan
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Radio: With the drought expected to last through 2023, KPCC checks in with local water districts
“State officials say our reservoirs continue to be far below average levels for this time of year, and they’re expecting another drought year in 2023. Drought managers say the reason is largely a sign of the worsening effects of human-driven global heating, as well as the likelihood of a third year of La Niña, a natural weather phenomenon that usually means less than average rainfall. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the current drought has been the driest three-year-period in more than 100 years. Joining us to talk about the current state of California’s drought and its impact on water availability is KPCC and LAist Climate Emergency reporter Erin Stone, general manager of the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District Dave Pedersen, Director of water resources at the Irvine Ranch Water District Fiona Sanchez. … ” Listen at KPCC here (20:51): With the drought expected to last through 2023, KPCC checks in with local water districts
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Here’s how Coachella Valley water districts did on water conservation in August
“Four out of six Coachella Valley water districts reduced their water use in August 2022 compared to 2020 as local and state officials continue to stress the need for additional water conservation, according to data released by the State Water Resources Control Board this week. Myoma Dunes, Coachella Valley Water District, Mission Springs Water District, and the city of Coachella’s Water Division all decreased their August water use compared to August 2020, following a trend of reduced water use that began in June. In May and other previous months, local water districts actually increased, rather than decreased, their water use compared to 2020 baseline numbers. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Here’s how Coachella Valley water districts did on water conservation in August
Letter: Michael Abatti back in court over water rights
“Readers will remember that local farmer Michael Abatti sued the Imperial Irrigation District back in 2015 over the validity of an Equitable Distribution Plan, or EDP. Mr. Abatti claimed that the that the farmers owned the water, the IID didn’t have the power to distribute water, and that only one method could be used to divvy up the water: historical use. Judge Brooks Anderholt ruled in Abatti’s favor, but on appeal his ruling was overturned. The court affirmed that IID holds the right to Colorado River water and has the power to distribute water using many methods. Mr. Abatti then tried to have the case heard in the California Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court, but both declined. IID approved a new EDP in June. So Mr. Abatti, along with family and friends, is back in court again, this time in the federal court in San Diego. … ” Read more from the Holtville Tribune here: Letter: Michael Abatti back in court over water rights
SAN DIEGO
Environmental activists aren’t talking about their lawsuit against San Diego’s climate plan
“Some of the region’s highest profile climate advocates quietly filed a lawsuit last month to undo the city of San Diego’s plan to curb climate change, then declined to talk about it. The Climate Action Campaign and the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation together sued the city for passing a bunch of goals with no roadmap, timeline or dedicated funding to achieve them. It’s the same thing Climate Action Campaign complained about back in June as the City Council’s Environment Committee was about to OK Mayor Todd Gloria’s plan to reach “net zero” emissions by 2035. City staff promised to deliver those specifics by February, but the lawsuit shows these environmental groups aren’t confident they’ll deliver. ... ” Read more from the Voice of San Diego here: Environmental activists aren’t talking about their lawsuit against San Diego’s climate plan
USIBWC awards contract to kick off San Diego – Tijuana water infrastructure projects
“United States Commissioner Maria-Elena Giner of the International Boundary and Water Commission, United States and Mexico (IBWC) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regional Administrator Martha Guzman today announced the U.S. Section of the Commission (USIBWC) has awarded a $4,659,432.00 contract to Arcadis, U.S., Inc. to start work on border water infrastructure improvements at San Diego, California – Tijuana, Baja California. This marks important progress toward implementing a recently signed binational IBWC agreement known as Minute No. 328, “Sanitation Infrastructure Projects in San Diego, California – Tijuana, Baja California for Immediate Implementation and for Future Development.” The contract will lay the groundwork to double the size of the USIBWC’s South Bay International Wastewater Treatment Plant (SBIWTP) in San Diego, California, which currently provides treatment to U.S. standards for 25 million gallons per day of wastewater from Tijuana. Under Minute 328, this plant expansion is part of a package of projects in both countries expected to result in a 50% reduction in the number of days of transborder wastewater flow in the Tijuana River and an 80% reduction in the volume of untreated wastewater discharged to the Pacific Ocean six miles south of the border. … ” Read more from the EPA here: USIBWC awards contract to kick off San Diego – Tijuana water infrastructure projects
Along the Colorado River …
What is Arizona’s responsibility for conserving water? Here’s a look
“Stretching across seven states, the creator of national landmarks and a refuge for wildlife, the Colorado River Basin provides drinking water for 40 million people according to the Colorado Water Conservation Board. The basin is essential to life and the lifeline to the western states. A study from NASA and the University of California Irvine demonstrates that the Colorado River lost approximately 53 million acre-feet of freshwater between 2004 to 2014 with the number only rising. Conserving water in states like Arizona is crucial for the protection of natural resources, however, it takes more than one person to save water resources. “’ Tó éí ííná át’é,’ a Navajo saying which translates to ‘Water is Life.’ Water is crucial for all life; nothing can exist without it. Conserving water is how Arizonians can do their part in protecting a vital source that is life itself,” said Water Conservation Specialist, Nadene Hubbard. … ” Read more from Arizona Public Media here: What is Arizona’s responsibility for conserving water? Here’s a look
Golf courses walk market tightrope to conserve water
“The severity of the current drought’s threat to the Colorado River reservoir system has heightened attention on the practice of overseeding Bermuda grass lawns with winter rye grass when cool temperatures cause Bermuda to go dormant and lose color. Rye grass seeds require a heavy soaking in the fall to germinate, and then owners must apply more water throughout the winter than they would on dormant Bermuda. As golfers from near and far begin to flock to local links, Mesa’s roughly 20 golf courses are beginning the annual ritual of overseeding. … ” Read more from the East Valley Tribune here: Golf courses walk market tightrope to conserve water
Utah leaders ask businesses to contribute to water conservation amid Colorado River shortage
“Utah leaders are calling on businesses to join the growing water conservation efforts in the state as water from the Colorado River is in short supply. Colorado River Basin states, like Utah, are feeling the pain of less water flowing into the Colorado River. As of last year, the river’s water flows were less than half the 23-year average. Gene Shawcroft, Chair of the Colorado River Authority of Utah said our population is driving higher demand for water. “We know we’re growing, we know we’re going to continue to grow. Our water supply isn’t going to grow at the same rate that our population is going to grow.” ... ” Read more from KSL here: Utah leaders ask businesses to contribute to water conservation amid Colorado River shortage
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.” … ” Read more from Channel 3 here: In Mexico’s dry north, Colorado River adds to uncertainty
In national water news today …
SCOTUS floats new Clean Water Act test. Lawyers ‘cringe.’
“The Supreme Court is grappling with whether a new test is needed to best identify federally protected waters — a thorny issue that’s triggered decades of shifting rules, lawsuits and intense lobbying among developers, farmers and environmental groups. Oral arguments Monday in Sackett v. EPA centered around the case of two Idaho landowners, Michael and Chantell Sackett, who argued that applying a more narrow reading of the Clean Water Act — one posed by the late Justice Antonin Scalia in the splintered 2006 decision in Rapanos v. United States — would relieve them of EPA’s insistence that their land near Priest Lake contains a federally protected “water of the U.S.” or WOTUS (Greenwire, Oct. 3). The justices during the two-hour argument homed in on the question of whether a wetland on the Sackett property is “adjacent” to a lake located about 300 feet from their land — and therefore subject to federal jurisdiction. Even some of the court’s conservative justices appeared to think it was. … ” Read more from E&E News here: SCOTUS floats new Clean Water Act test. Lawyers ‘cringe.’
How fight over states’ rights may upend permitting overhaul
“Lawmakers hope they can revive permitting reform talks over the next three months, but they face fundamental political divides that have dogged environmental debates for decades. The two parties don’t agree on what constitutes “permitting reform.” And like many squabbles in the nation, it comes down to a dispute over states’ rights — albeit from different perspectives. Democrats want to give the federal government more power to bypass states and permit long-distance transmission lines, a prospect that doesn’t sit well with rural state Republicans. On the flip side, Republicans have long sought to overhaul Section 401 of the Clean Water Act, which has historically given blue states the power to block major fossil fuel projects. Those two issues are pivotal in the coming fight over the permitting reform bill backed by Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). … ” Read more from E&E News here: How fight over states’ rights may upend permitting overhaul
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
NOTICE: October 4 Weekly Update on Curtailment Status of Water Rights and Claims in the Delta Watershed
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: 2023 Nonpoint Source (NPS) Grant Program is now open
