On the calendar today …
- WEBINAR: Deciphering the 2022 Interagency Sea Level Rise Technical Report: Introducing the Companion Application Guide from 1pm to 5pm. Confused by the newest climate models and regional sea level rise scenarios? Overwhelmed when considering how to incorporate the latest into your local efforts? Recently NOAA and other agency collaborators released the Application Guide for the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report. The Application Guide was designed to assist coastal decision-makers and coastal professionals with applying and integrating the information in the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report (released in February 2022) into local sea level rise planning and adaptation decisions. Learn about the Application Guide from one of the document’s co-authors, Heidi Stiller, South Regional Director at NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management. Click here to register.
- LAKE COUNTY WORKSHOP: Self-Supplied Water System Public Meeting Private Intakes & Domestic Wells from 2pm to 5pm. Learn about CalWatch, Lake County Public Water Systems, and Water Rights & Groundwater Sustainability Agency projects and activities, and resources and information for residents with a domestic well or private intake. Attend in person at the Lake County Board of Supervisors in Lakeport or via Zoom: https://lakecounty.zoom.us/j/91852085165?pwd=amI5ZEF0RzdKbTM0L3BTcDFjT0Vodz09
- EVENT: Sonoma County Drought Town Hall beginning at 4pm. Jeanine Jones, drought manager for the California Department of Water Resources, and Julie Kalansky, a climate scientist from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and an expert on atmospheric rivers, will be the featured speakers at the County of Sonoma’s drought town hall meeting in November. Hosted by Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, the town hall will feature updated presentations on the impact of the drought on California and the state’s response; the ramifications of our ongoing transition to a warmer and drier climate; and the outlook for atmospheric rivers, along with the role they play in flooding, drought and our water supply. Register in advance to view the town hall live on Zoom and to pose written questions to panelists during the briefing.
- WEBINAR: A Refuge Revealed, Part One: History & Mystery from 6:30 to 8:00pm. The Don Edwards SF Bay National Wildlife Refuge was created in 1972, but this story starts 200 years earlier when Europeans colonized the San Francisco Bay. Learn about the Bay’s history and the answers to mysteries such as: Why are mercury and gold a lethal duo? How is silver mining in Nevada still affecting the Bay? Why was Oscar the Grouch happier 60 years ago than today? Join Docent Larry Rosenblum for Part One of our new online webinar series, A Refuge Revealed: History & Mystery. From 6:30 pm-8:00 pm via Zoom, you will discover the answer to these mysteries and others and then take a virtual tour through one of the Refuge’s salt marsh habitats. Click here to register.
In California water news today …
California should change fishing rules after hundreds of sturgeon die, scientists say
“A dozen independent fish scientists are calling for urgent changes to sport fishing rules to save California’s largest freshwater fish after an unprecedented red tide this summer left hundreds of them dead in the estuary on Sacramento’s doorstep. The fish is the white sturgeon — an ancient species native to the West Coast. The largest freshwater species in North America, they can grow 15 to 20 feet long, weigh a ton and live for nearly a century. Some of these behemoths migrate from the Pacific Ocean up the Sacramento River through California’s capital city each year. But this summer’s deadly red tide has independent scientists worried about the future of this species. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California should change fishing rules after hundreds of sturgeon die, scientists say
They defied California and drained an important salmon stream. Their fine: $50 per farmer
“For eight straight days this summer, farmers in far Northern California drained almost all of the water out of a river in defiance of the state’s drought regulations. The move infuriated environmentalists and salmon-dependent Native American tribes downstream. California now knows the cost of the farmers’ blatant defiance: Less than $50 per farmer. It’s the latest example of California’s lax water-use enforcement process — problems that were first exposed in a sweeping Sacramento Bee investigation published online last week. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: They defied California and drained an important salmon stream. Their fine: $50 per farmer
California ranchers face fines for pumping water to livestock
“A group of northern California ranchers face fines from the state’s water officials for violating orders to cut back their water use during a weeklong standoff in August. State officials plan to impose a $4,000 fine on Siskiyou County ranchers who pumped water from the Shasta River for eight days in defiance of an emergency state order. For the 80 ranchers who participated, the fine amounts to $50 each. The state said the pumping threatened the river’s water quality and its salmon and other rare species. The meager fine is not much of a deterrent to prevent illegal water diversions and the ranchers say it was the cheapest option they had to keep their livestock watered. The drought has created a financial burden as many ranchers have been forced to haul both water and hay to their animals. … ” Read more from Ag Web here: California ranchers face fines for pumping water to livestock
Could agave spirits be a sustainable gold rush for California?
“The bladed, Stegosaurus-looking plants that produce tequila might be associated with the deserts of Mexico, but researchers at UC Davis announced a $100,000 project in early September to study their viability in the state. Over the last eight years, Reynolds and several farmers have demonstrated that the crop can thrive on acres traditionally known for fruit, nuts and wine grapes. In an increasingly warm landscape, where severe droughts are predicted to be the norm and political battles over water are intensifying, agave could represent a game-changing possibility for the state. It’s generally dry-farmed in Mexico, meaning its water comes naturally from the sky for a few months, the rest of the year enduring the sun’s fiercest heatrays. ... ” Read the full story at Comstock’s here: Could agave spirits be a sustainable gold rush for California?
CDC to conduct health study at polluted former Army base in California
“Federal health officials are conducting a new study to determine whether veterans once stationed at a now-shuttered California military base were exposed to dangerously high levels of cancer-causing toxins. The decision by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes nine months after an Associated Press investigation found that drinking water at Fort Ord contained toxic chemicals and that hundreds of veterans who lived at the central California coast base in the 1980s and 1990s later developed rare and terminal blood cancers. In a letter last Friday to Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., the director of the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, Patrick Breysse, wrote that “there are sufficient data and scientific reasons for ATSDR to re-evaluate health risks related to historical drinking water exposures at Fort Ord.” Porter had asked for a new study in February, two days after the AP published its story. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: CDC to conduct health study at polluted former Army base in California
Stanford University study explains how beaver activity may have long-term benefits on climate change
“If you live in a Bay Area city, chances are you may have never seen beavers at work. But now researchers at the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability are suggesting that their dam building prowess on creeks and rivers will be increasingly important if climate change and long cycles of drought continue. The evidence comes from a newly released study that mixes persuasive science with a good bit of luck. “Yeah, it was really exciting because I knew that we were… that there was this great natural experiment happening right… right before us,” remembers Christian Dewey, Ph.D., of Stanford University. Dewey was a Ph.D. student at Stanford when he set out to study changes at a tributary of the Colorado River in wet and dry years. But, while the team was setting up instruments to measure things like water quality, a team of beavers was moving in and set up shop themselves, damming the river. … ” Read more from KGO here: Stanford University study explains how beaver activity may have long-term benefits on climate change
New report: State of the science on restoring western headwater mountain streams
“As western mountain snowpacks diminish and wildfires race across parched landscapes, appreciation has grown for the moist mountain meadows and wetlands that hold water up high, feeding streams throughout the summer and providing fire-resistant refuges for wildlife. Before beavers and their dams were largely eliminated by the fur trade, these natural water storage features and refuges were common across western states’ mountain landscapes. The removal of beavers and other land disturbances have led many creeks to cut deeper into their valleys and detach from their floodplains, dropping the water table and drying out the landscape. A growing field of stream restoration, known as low-tech process-based restoration (LTPBR), seeks to reverse these changes through methods that mimic beaver activity in hopes of enticing them to return. … ” Read more from American Rivers here: New report: State of the science on restoring western headwater mountain streams
Partnership to improve conservation of nearshore habitat
“Kelp, eelgrass, and other submerged aquatic vegetation provide vital habitat for many protected and native marine species. As critical parts of nearshore habitat, areas with aquatic vegetation host numerous species and life stages of fish and invertebrates. They contribute to the health of the Pacific Coast marine ecosystem and human communities. West Coast nearshore habitat faces increasing pressure from development and climate change. A new effort to better define the ecological value of nearshore habitat will ensure that its full value is recognized and replaced when the habitat is damaged or developed. “As human development of the nearshore continues, there’s a growing need to protect and restore high-value habitats for protected species and sustainable fisheries,” said Elizabeth Holmes Gaar, NOAA Fisheries West Coast Region Habitat Program Lead. “We want to provide a full, transparent, user-friendly, and effective toolbox for managers to do that more easily and accurately, especially when it comes to living habitat components like kelp, eelgrass and other submerged aquatic vegetation.” … ” Read more from NOAA here: Partnership to improve conservation of nearshore habitat
Signs of a new tree mortality event showing up in the Sierra Nevada
“As California wraps up a third consecutive dry year, dead and dying trees are adding splotches of orange and brown to many landscapes in California’s mountains this year. The discoloration of familiar alpine forests is the result of tree mortality due to drought, insects, or disease (everything other than wildfire) that is tracked through annual aerial surveys conducted by the U.S Forest Service. In 2022, preliminary results from the U.S. Forest Service’s Aerial Detection Survey, and field observations, suggest the emergence of a new tree mortality event disproportionately impacting higher-elevation fir forests in the northern and central parts of the state. … ” Read more from the Sierra Nevada Conservancy here: Signs of a new tree mortality event showing up in the Sierra Nevada
Study shows how changing climate influences tree growth in Sierra Nevada
“As a graduate student, alumnus Raymond Villalba spent 10 days on a camping and fieldwork trip to Sequoia and Yosemite national parks to collect tree samples for his research project on how changing climate influences tree growth. Many of the trees sampled, which included sugar pines, western white pines and Jeffrey pines, were in hard-to-reach areas and at elevations of 11,000 feet. Villalba, his classmates and faculty mentor Trevis Matheus, spent eight- to 10-hour days hiking to various tree locations and collecting tree core samples. “It’s exhausting work and requires a team,” said Villalba, who conducted the fieldwork as part of the “Mountain Field Geography” course. ... ” Read more from Cal State University Fullerton here: Study shows how changing climate influences tree growth in Sierra Nevada
Today’s featured article …
DELTA STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL: Reducing reliance on the Delta
October Council meeting features Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Metropolitan Water District General Manager Adel Hagekhalil
Reduced reliance on the Delta; it’s the state’s policy and one of the regulations embodied in the Delta Stewardship Council’s Delta Plan. But are we making progress? At the October meeting of the Delta Stewardship Council, Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot and Southern California water leaders discussed efforts to improve regional water supplies, reduce reliance on the Delta, and increase climate resiliency.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Restoration in the redwoods: Orick Mill Site park project moving forward
“The 125-acre Orick Mill Site is under new management. Located on Yurok ancestral lands north of Orick on Bald Hills Road, not far from U.S. Highway 101, the site’s logging decks used to hold massive old-growth redwood logs. On Saturday, during a timely stoppage of rain showers, the Redwood National and State Parks Gateway and Restoration Project Open House welcomed visitors without a problem — except for the uninvited wandering Roosevelt elk herd that showed up and blocked part of the planned walk to show off the restoration of Prairie Creek and the floodplain. Now almost free of any evidence of lumber-mill activity, the former mill site was purchased by the Save the Redwoods League in 2013. … ” Read more from the North Coast Journal here: Restoration in the redwoods: Orick Mill Site park project moving forward
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Tahoe Fund issues call for 2023 projects
“The Tahoe Fund today announced the opening of its annual call for projects. The nonprofit is seeking projects for its 2023 portfolio that will increase the pace and scale of forest restoration, improve lake clarity, expand sustainable recreation, provide innovative solutions to transportation challenges and create more stewards of Lake Tahoe. Priority projects will also break down barriers to access and increase inclusion for underserved communities in Tahoe. Since its inception, the Tahoe Fund has supported more than 80 impactful projects in the Lake Tahoe Basin working with more than 30 partners. Projects submitted for consideration may receive immediate funding or be selected for a Tahoe Fund project campaign in 2023. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Fund here: Tahoe Fund issues call for 2023 projects
Lake Tahoe ski resorts to open early after snowfall
“Several Lake Tahoe ski resorts plan to open early due to the heavy snowfall that impacted the Lake Tahoe area over the week. According to the National Weather Service, Palisades Tahoe received 24 inches of snow after the storm that began on Nov. 6 and ended on Nov. 9. Boreal Ski Resort, located at 19659 Boreal Ridge Road in Truckee, will be opening early on Veterans Day, Nov. 11. … ” Read more from Fox 40 here: Lake Tahoe ski resorts to open early after snowfall
BAY AREA
‘New era’: Marin Municipal Water District could see post-election shakeup
“After two years of drought crises at the Marin Municipal Water District, voters might have ousted two longtime board members and replaced them with advocates for expanding local supplies. Election night results on Tuesday showed 28-year incumbent Jack Gibson and eight-year incumbent Larry Bragman potentially losing their seats. Both were trailing their challengers by more than 1,000 votes each. Ranjiv Khush of San Anselmo had a strong lead over Bragman for the Division 3 seat after securing nearly 60% of the vote. Bragman had 31% of the vote while a second challenger, nonprofit director Jack Kenney, had 9%. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: ‘New era’: Marin Municipal Water District could see post-election shakeup
Would you pay $335 a year for a single public park? These Marin County residents said yes
“Residents of Belvedere and Tiburon in Marin County overwhelmingly voted to tax themselves an additional $335 each year for the next three decades to prevent the development of a hillside property on the Tiburon Peninsula. Around 77% of voters approved the $18 million Marin County bond initiative known as Measure M to ensure that the land — a 110-acre parcel that offers sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and the San Francisco skyline — will be preserved as a trail-lined public park. The measure authorizes the county to borrow $18 million to buy the land from a property developer that had long sought to build luxury single-family homes with bay views. “The people of Belvedere and Tiburon voted with their pocketbooks to say… they want this managed as open space in their backyard, and they are willing to pay for it,” Carl Somers, chief of planning, real property and government affairs for Marin County Parks, said in an interview Wednesday. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Would you pay $335 a year for a single public park? These Marin County residents said yes
CENTRAL COAST
Little fish, big splash: Coho salmon’s Mill Creek debut stuns conservationists
“Beneath the cool water of Mill Creek in the San Vicente Redwoods, silvery coho salmon have been spotted for the first time ever. Their appearance comes as a welcome surprise to conservations and ecologists, who returned to the creek in September to survey the site following the removal of the Mill Creek dam a year earlier. For over a century, the Mill Creek dam had segmented its namesake stream. Conservationists hoped removing the dam would allow steelhead trout to migrate upstream, reclaiming decades of lost habitat. Removing the dam would also free trapped sediment, which conservationists hoped could create spawning grounds for endangered coho salmon. Scientists identified 15 juvenile coho salmon at the base of Mill Creek, near its junction with San Vicente Creek, as well as 12 juvenile steelhead trout, including some upstream of the dam’s removal. … ” Read more from Lookout Santa Cruz here: Little fish, big splash: Coho salmon’s Mill Creek debut stuns conservationists
The future of the Peninsula’s water supply comes before two state boards next week
“Thursday, Nov. 17 is shaping up to be a momentous day for the future of the Monterey Peninsula’s water supply, as two major state boards – the California Coastal Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission – are set to weigh in on two separate projects that aim to add supply to the local portfolio. Arguably, the more weighty of the two hearings is the Coastal Commission’s, which is meeting for three days in the Board of Supervisors chambers in Salinas. In those chambers on Nov. 17, the commissioners will consider whether to grant a coastal development permit to California American Water for its proposed desalination project in Marina, which has been a lightning rod for controversy since first being proposed nearly a decade ago. Also on Nov. 17, the CPUC will consider approving a proposed decision for a water purchase agreement with Cal Am that would facilitate Pure Water Monterey’s expansion, which promises to provide an additional 2,250 acre-feet of recycled water annually to the regional water supply. … ” Read more from Monterey Weekly here: The future of the Peninsula’s water supply comes before two state boards next week
Permit to reopen Cambria’s Water Reclamation Facility remains continually delayed
“It’s been more than two years since Cambria applied to turn its emergency water system into a more permanent fixture, but there’s been little progress since then. According to Cambria Community Services District (CCSD) board member Harry Farmer, the permit application was submitted to the county in July 2020. “We still have no idea when the application will finally go before the planning department,” Farmer said. The county Department of Planning and Building told New Times that the delay is in part due to environmental issues that still need to be looked into. … ” Read more from New Times SLO here: Permit to reopen Cambria’s Water Reclamation Facility remains continually delayed
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Video: Solar Development in the San Joaquin Valley
“Hundreds of thousands of acres of San Joaquin Valley farmland may come out of irrigated production in the coming decades to help balance overdrafted groundwater basins under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. At the same time, California needs to ramp up clean energy development to meet the goals of SB 100—and the valley has high solar potential. At a virtual event last week, PPIC Water Policy Center research fellow Andrew Ayres moderated a panel of experts and local stakeholders; they explored how solar development could help California meet multiple objectives while overcoming some challenges and delivering lasting benefits to the region. … ” Read more from the PPIC here: Video: Solar Development in the San Joaquin Valley
Tule fog set to make its first appearance of the season
“The winter storm that caused days of valley rain and feet of mountain snow has finally exited the region. Although the storm is gone, its effects will still be felt, especially in the Central Valley. Clear skies, saturated soils and high relative humidity values will set the stage for the Central Valley’s infamous tule fog to make its first appearance of the season. Tule fog is a very dense, soupy variation of radiation fog that forms in the Central Valley following wet weather. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: Tule fog set to make its first appearance of the season
EASTERN SIERRA
Mono Lake Committee looking toward the future State Water Board hearing
“With Mono Lake painfully low, talk has been frequent in recent months about the California State Water Resources Control Board’s future hearing on the matter. A hearing is required because the State Water Board itself set forth the requirement within the water rights of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP). The Board stated it “will hold a hearing” if the lake did not rise to the mandated protection level by September 28, 2020. Unfortunately, the lake was only 30% of the way to the requirement on that date, and is even lower today. There’s no question that a hearing is in the future. So what will the hearing take a look at? And when will it happen? … ” Read more from the Mono Lake Committee here: Mono Lake Committee looking toward the future State Water Board hearing
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Remaking the river that remade LA
“February 1938 was a wet month in Los Angeles. The ground, where it hadn’t been paved over, was saturated, which meant rain had nowhere to go except into the streets, canals and washes. On the 27th, a storm arrived. During the following days, the city received its second-highest 24-hour rainfall in history. Reservoirs overflowed, dams topped out and floodwaters careered down Pacoima Wash and Tujunga Wash toward the Los Angeles River. By the time the river peaked at Long Beach, its flow exceeded the Mississippi’s at St. Louis. “It was as if the Pacific had moved in to take back its ancient bed,” wrote Rupert Hughes in “City of Angels,” a 1941 novel that climaxes with the flood. In an instant, the Lankershim Bridge in North Hollywood collapsed, and five people were swept away. Sewer and gas lines ruptured; communications were cut; houses were lifted straight off their foundations and sank into the water. In all, 87 people died. ... ” Read more from the New York Times here: Remaking the river that remade LA
Storm provides some drought relief, but water shortage prevails
“The last few days of rain and snow provided some welcome relief, but don’t be fooled — the water shortage is far from over. That wet trend will have to continue if there’s to be any real dent in the ongoing drought. Burbank, LAX, Lancaster and other places in Los Angeles County broke some rainfall records, but when it comes to drought and much of the Southland’s drinking water supply, it’s the snowfall up north that really matters. “These November storms are starting up right when we would usually expect them,” said Sean de Guzmán, snow and water supply forecast manager for the California Department of Water Resources. “But now it’s still really early in the year to see what may actually happen.” … ” Read more from the LAist here: Storm provides some drought relief, but water shortage prevails
Metropolitan Water District vice chair tells Pasasdena committee to expect increasing reductions of water supplies
“Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Vice Chair Cynthia Kurtz told a City committee Tuesday she predicted the implementation of more mandatory water reductions by next year as the region faces the challenges of climate change and extended drought. Kurtz knows Pasadena’s water situation well. She served as Pasadena City Manager twice, most recently stepping down as Interim City Manager in August. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the first three months of 2022 have seen record dry weather, and pushed nearly 94% of California into severe drought conditions. … ” Read more from Pasadena Now here: Metropolitan Water District vice chair tells city committee to expect increasing reductions of water supplies
Is your water or power being shut off? You have options
“Every month, millions of low-income Californians struggle to pay their water and utility bills. A survey on COVID-19‘s financial effect on water systems and customers found that 12% of California households were behind on their water bills, and that statewide, customers owe $1 billion in water debt. The debt was most acute in Southern California, where ZIP Codes in Los Angeles, Colton, Bell Gardens, Norwalk and Cypress had among the highest amounts. Yet even before the pandemic, many Angelenos struggled to keep up with utilities. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Is your water or power being shut off? You have options
Pasadena Water and Power reports the city’s drinking water meets state and federal standards
“The City’s tap water has met all state and federal standards set to protect public health, Pasadena Water and Power said this week in its Public Health Goals (PHG) report. Every three years, community water utilities like PWP are required by the California Environmental Protection Agency to prepare a PHG report. The report provides information on contaminants found in drinking water at concentrations greater than the PHG levels established by CalEPA and the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) goals established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The report includes a description of the types of public health risks, treatment methods if available, and related estimated costs. … ” Read mroe from Pasadena Now here: Pasadena Water and Power reports the city’s drinking water meets state and federal standards
L.A.’s lessons on climate change balance data with hope
“Students in Brittany Jefferson’s class can rattle off facts and opinions about deforestation, corporate greed, rising tides, warming temperatures, and the unequal plight of poorer countries as soon as the topic of climate change is introduced. And most of them are just 10 years old. “Because of global warming, and the amount of gas that we use, and the animals that we kill, and all the trash that we’re putting in the ocean, we’re just taking everything,” says a fifth-grader named Jack at Citizens of the World Silver Lake charter school. That doesn’t mean these students are sanguine about ecological collapse. “It makes me feel overwhelmed,” says Hayoon, one of Jack’s classmates. “If I was in the next generation, I would just cry and eat ice cream all day.” … ” Read more from the Public News Service here: L.A.’s lessons on climate change balance data with hope
IMPERIAL/COACHELLA VALLEYS
Drought: Coachella Valley Water District to slash aquifer replenishment to reduce Colorado River water use
‘The Coachella Valley Water District’s board of directors voted Tuesday to cut back on groundwater replenishment over the next few years to reduce the district’s Colorado River water use amid historic drought conditions. Groundwater replenishment adds water to the local aquifer, which provides nearly all of the drinking water and domestic water sources in the Coachella Valley. Earlier this year, the Bureau of Reclamation called for the seven states that rely on the Colorado River — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — to use at least 15% less water next year from the drought-stricken river system, or between 2 million and 4 million acre-feet less. An acre-foot, about 326,000 gallons of water, is enough to supply about two households for a year. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Drought: Coachella Valley Water District to slash aquifer replenishment to reduce Colorado River water use
SEE ALSO: CVWD takes action to reduce demand on Colorado River, press release from the Coachella Valley Water District
SAN DIEGO
Three winter aqueduct shutdowns lie ahead
“Valley Center Municipal Water District and its customers are long accustomed to dealing with periodic aqueduct shutdowns which allow the district’s sole wholesale water supplier, the San Diego County Water Authority (SDCWA), to inspect, repair, and make improvements to our imported water aqueduct system. However, this coming winter will be especially challenging, as there will be three consecutive aqueduct shutdowns in fairly rapid succession: (1) December 4 –14, 2022, (2) January 22 – February 1, 2023, and (3) February 26 – March 8, 2023. At play is the fact that the three tunnels on the 1st San Diego Aqueduct (“1st Aqueduct”) need to be relined to protect the quality of the treated water traveling north to south through the enclosed aqueduct, and restore its operational integrity. ... ” Read more from Valley Roadrunner here: Three winter aqueduct shutdowns lie ahead
First project in Poway’s $70-million water improvement program is complete
“With Poway’s Clearwell Bypass Project now complete, the temporary bypass system is expected to be fully operational this month, officials said. Sometime in November, the city’s clearwell, or treated water reservoir, will be permanently removed from service and the bypass pipeline, the temporary tanks and other bypass infrastructure will be in service, said Shadi Sami, Poway’s principal civil engineer, at a recent City Council meeting. The temporary bypass system is the first project in a $70-million water improvement program to increase the reliability of drinking water. The start of the Clearwell Replacement Project is expected to be in summer of 2023. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: First project in Poway’s $70-million water improvement program is complete
Along the Colorado River …
Commentary: What’s wrong with Lake Mead, summed up in a single chart
Opinion columnist Joanna Allhands writes, “If there were a single chart that could sum up the problem at Lake Mead, this might be a contender … OK, maybe not. Because a single chart should be self-explanatory. This one requires some background. But it says a lot about where we’re headed. And the shifting goalposts on the way down. … ” Continue reading at the Arizona Republic here: Commentary: What’s wrong with Lake Mead, summed up in a single chart
Arizona: Cochise County voters approve one groundwater management plan, reject another
“Voters approved a plan Tuesday to regulate groundwater use in southeastern Arizona, using a citizen ballot initiative for the first time to create an Active Management Area in the Douglas basin. But voters rejected a second measure to create a similar management area in the neighboring Willcox Basin, where groundwater withdrawal will continue to go unregulated. The Willcox initiative failed by a 2-to-1 margin. Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election show Cochise County residents voted in favor of Proposition 422, to establish an AMA in the Douglas Basin. Residents there will join the other 82% of Arizona where groundwater is managed by an AMA, a mechanism established by the 1980 Groundwater Management Act. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic here: Arizona: Cochise County voters approve one groundwater management plan, reject another
Incumbents hold a narrow lead in crowded race for Central Arizona Project board
“Voters are filling five seats on the board of the Central Arizona Water Conservation District, the agency that oversees the CAP Canal, and at least three of those seats will go to newcomers. In early returns, incumbents Alexandra Arboleda and Ben Graff sat atop a crowded field of 14 candidates, but the margins were razor thin. Three more hopefuls, Ylenia Aguilar, Amanda Monize and Jim Pederson were close behind. The five top vote-getters will serve six-year terms on the board, which includes members from Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties, the three areas served by the CAP Canal. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic here: Incumbents hold a narrow lead in crowded race for Central Arizona Project board
In national water news today …
‘Ghosts of capitalism’: the push to dismantle America’s decrepit dams
“On a muggy day in late August, George Jackman, an aquatic ecologist who works on habitat restoration, stood at the edge of Quassaick Creek in upstate New York. The Quassaick, which flows through the small city of Newburgh, New York, and spills into the Hudson River, was unusually shallow after a summer with little rain. “It looks bucolic now,” Jackman said. “But it can be a raging torrent.” For 300 years, that torrent had been contained by a small dam that once powered a nearby mill, where the Stroock Felt company turned out carriage blankets for the horse-and-buggy trade, and later army blankets and woollen uniforms during the first world war. … ” Read more from the Guardian here: ‘Ghosts of capitalism’: the push to dismantle America’s decrepit dams
What is a flash drought? An earth scientist explains
“Many people are familiar with flash floods – torrents that develop quickly after heavy rainfall. But there’s also such a thing as a flash drought, and these sudden, extreme dry spells are becoming a big concern for farmers and water utilities. Flash droughts start and intensify quickly, over periods of weeks to months, compared to years or decades for conventional droughts. Still, they can cause substantial economic damage, since communities have less time to prepare for the impacts of a rapidly evolving drought. In 2017, a flash drought in Montana and the Dakotas damaged crops and grasses that served as forage for cattle, causing US$2.6 billion in agricultural losses. ... ” Read more from The Conversation here: What is a flash drought? An earth scientist explains
Ocean-eaten islands, fire-scarred forests: Our changing world in pictures
“Climate change does not lend itself to easy documentation. Like nature itself, it can move slowly. Change can come in increments, and it is not always clear what to make of it. Did that species die out because our home is growing too warm? Or was another cause the primary factor in the extinction? Is today’s raging wildfire or monster storm part of something bigger? Or are they just one-offs? No single change tells the story of a climate in crisis, but a seemingly endless succession of them is another matter. Likewise, no single image, no matter how powerful, can capture what is happening, but our photographers have come back from their global travels with an encyclopedia’s worth. Collected here is a roundup of some of the best visual journalism about climate change that New York Times journalists have produced over the past few years. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: Ocean-eaten islands, fire-scarred forests: Our changing world in pictures
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
ANNOUNCEMENT: IEP Annual Workshop Save the Dates March 21-24, 2023
ANNOUNCEMENT: IEP Annual Workshop Call for Lightning Talks and Poster Abstracts
