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On the calendar today …
- LEG HEARING: Assembly Committee on Water, Parks, and Wildlife beginning at 9am. Click here for more information.
- LEG HEARING: Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water beginning at 9am. Click here for more details.
- WEBINAR: Replenishing Groundwater in the San Joaquin Valley from 11am to 12pm. Groundwater recharge has emerged as an important way to replenish the San Joaquin Valley’s dwindling aquifers, particularly under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Last year, we asked dozens of urban and agricultural water managers to tell us how recharge was going—a reboot of our 2017 survey. How much progress has been made, and what’s needed next? Join us for a presentation of our findings and a panel discussion. Click here to register. The event will livestreamed on the PPIC website here. The event will also be livestreamed to PPIC’s YouTube Page.
- MEETING: 2021 Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project from 1pm to 3pm. Reclamation will hold a quarterly meeting to provide an update on the development of the Biological Assessment for the 2021 Reinitiation of Consultation on the Long-Term Operation of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project, pursuant to the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act. Link: Teams Meeting
In California water news today …
Requiring water users to pay for ecological damage: A conversation with environmental lawyer Karrigan Börk
“Water diversions can harm aquatic ecosystems, riparian habitat, and beaches fed by river sediment. But the people who use water don’t bear the cost of this ecological damage. “The public pays for it,” says Karrigan Börk, a University of California, Davis law professor who has a PhD in ecology. He is also Co-Director of the California Environmental Law and Policy Center and an Associate Director of the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. Börk presents a new solution to this problem in a recent Harvard Environmental Law Review paper. His idea was sparked by the fact that developers are required to help pay for the burden that new housing imposes on municipal services. To likewise link water infrastructure and diversions with their costs to society, Börk proposes requiring water users to pay towards mitigating the environmental harm they cause. This work won the 2024 Morrison Prize as “the most impactful sustainability-related legal academic paper published in North America” published in 2023. To learn more, Robin Meadows spoke with Börk about how this solution would work, examples of similar approaches already established in the Western water world, and ways of putting this approach in place in California. This conversation has been edited for conciseness and clarity…. ” Continue reading at Maven’s Notebook.
Madera farmers and groundwater agency in limbo waiting for court decision on fees
“The end of a two-year legal fight over who should pay, and how much, to replenish the groundwater beneath Madera County could be in sight. A motion to dismiss the lawsuit by a group of farmers against the county is set to be heard June 18. The outcome could determine whether Madera County, which acts as the groundwater sustainability agency (GSA) for hundreds of thousands of acres across three water subbasins, can finally move forward on a host of projects to improve the water table per the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). From the farmers’ point of view, the outcome of this case could make or break their farms, some that have been in their families for generations. … ” Read more from SJV Water.
Cover crops’ benefits may justify water use
“Cover crops are planted to protect and improve the soil between annual crops such as tomatoes or between rows of tree and vine crops, but growers may be concerned about the water use of these plants that don’t generate income. “Cover crops are one of the most popular practices we see farmers employ through our Healthy Soils Program,” said Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “Cover crops supply a host of benefits, such as helping to protect against soil erosion, improving soil health, crowding out weeds, controlling pests and diseases, and increasing biodiversity; and they can bring increased profitability as the number of other inputs are reduced. They also provide water benefits such as improved infiltration and reduced runoff.” … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press.
Heat returns to California. Here’s where temperatures could reach triple digits
“Tuesday is set to be the warmest day of the week in California, with triple-digit heat returning to the Central Valley and some interior spots in the Bay Area possibly flirting with the 100-degree mark. The National Weather Service has issued heat advisories and warnings for a large portion of interior California for the next few days. However, high temperatures are unlikely to set records like last week, due to a slightly different atmospheric setup. After just a smattering of 100-degree temperatures in Southern California’s high deserts over the weekend, much of the Central Valley and those same desert locations will start a new multiday stretch of triple-digit temperatures on Tuesday. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Lake Oroville full, but drought conditions not forgotten
“In its weekly Lake Oroville update, the California Department of Water Resources reported that the lake remains at full capacity, and windy periods might cause water to splash onto and over the crest of the emergency spillway, but all this water may be needed if the state returns to drought conditions. DWR said it is adjusting water releases from the reservoir as needed to account for increasing or decreasing inflows while maintaining flood protection for downstream communities. Releases are closely coordinated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other water operators and adjusted as needed to maintain balance throughout the water system. DWR continues to monitor Lake Oroville levels to optimize water storage while meeting environmental requirements and allowing for carryover storage into next year. … ” Read more from Hydro Review.
California water warning as ‘critical’ tech has ‘concerning gaps’
“California’s water supply could be in trouble, as a new study has found that the state’s rivers and streams are severely under monitored, posing serious risks to effective water management. The study, published in Nature Sustainability, stresses that while the state relies heavily on its rivers and streams for water supply, flood control, biodiversity conservation and hydropower generation, only 8 percent of California’s rivers and streams are monitored by stream gauges, devices used to measure water flow. The lack of monitoring not only makes it difficult to manage water resources efficiently but also hinders the ability to understand the effects of climate change and conserve freshwater biodiversity. … ” Read more from Newsweek.
Senate committee advances California water infrastructure and ecosystem restoration priorities
“Today, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) advanced several top water infrastructure priorities for Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chair of the EPW Subcommittee on Water, Fisheries, and Wildlife. The Thomas R. Carper Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2024, which advanced out of committee today, authorizes environmental infrastructure projects that Padilla fought for to improve California’s drought resiliency and flood and dam safety. The legislation includes funding to address the Tijuana River transboundary sewage crisis, investments for salmon recovery and habitat restoration around the Sacramento River Basin, and language to bolster the Army Corps of Civil Engineers’ drought and flood control authorities. … ” Read more from Senator Alex Padilla.
EPA releases information that states and Tribes can use to protect local fish from toxic tire chemicals
“Today, June 10, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published water quality screening values under the Clean Water Act related to short-term concentrations of 6PPD and 6PPD-quinone (6PPD-q). These chemicals have been found in freshwater ecosystems and linked to runoff from automotive tire dust and debris. Once in freshwater, these chemicals are known toxins that can quickly cause fish-kill events. The EPA’s non-regulatory and non-binding screening values provide information that Tribes, states, and local governments can use to monitor their waterways and help protect aquatic life from these harmful pollutants. “Achieving clean water that protects aquatic life and supports commercial, recreational, and cultural fishing practices takes partnership at all levels of government,” said EPA Acting Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. … ” Read more from the US EPA.
PFAS are toxic ‘forever chemicals’ that linger in our air, water, soil and bodies – here’s how to keep them out of your drinking water
“Close to half of America’s tap water contains PFAS, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. These “forever chemicals” are in thousands of products, from clothing and cosmetics to cleaning products, and are linked to cancers, liver damage, high cholesterol and asthma. Dr. Jessica Ray, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington, explains what PFAS are, how scientists are trying to remove them from the environment, and what you can do to reduce the impact of PFAS on your own health. … ” Read more from The Conversation.
How to minimize your exposure to microplastics
“Matthew Campen, a toxicologist at the University of New Mexico, wasn’t surprised when his team found microplastics in human testicles during a new study. The tiny particles had already been found in human breast milk, lungs and blood. At this point, Campen said, he expects to find them in every part of the body. The particles are so small that it’s easy to ingest or inhale them. Scientists still aren’t sure how that might affect human health, but some early research points to cause for concern. One 2021 study found that patients with inflammatory bowel disease had more microplastics in their feces than healthy subjects, while another recent paper reported that people with microplastics in their blood vessels had an increased risk of heart complications. We can’t directly control many of the microplastics we’re exposed to — the materials used in car tires, food manufacturing, paint and many other products can all create plastic particles. But if you’re worried about microplastics, there are simple steps to take to minimize your exposure somewhat, experts say. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News.
California’s billionaire utopia may not be as eco-friendly as advertised
“Silicon Valley billionaires are still aggressively moving forward with their attempt to create a utopian, sustainable “city of yesterday” near San Francisco atop what they describe as “non-prime farmland.” However, an accredited land trust now claims California Forever’s East Solano Plan is intentionally misleading local residents about the “detrimental harm” it will cause ecosystems, as well as its potential to “destroy some of the most self-reliant farmland and ranchland” in the state. Following a monthslong review process, the Solano Land Trust announced on June 6 that it strongly opposes California Forever’s plan to build a new municipality featuring tens of thousands of “middle class homes in safe, walkable neighborhoods,” a large solar energy farm, giant orchards, and over 10,000 acres of new parks and open space. … ” Read more from Popular Science.
Lakes across North America are being impacted by wildfire smoke, even when the blaze is nowhere nearby
“When wildfires burn near a lake, the impact is inevitable. Fire debris and ash could be seen falling into Lake Tahoe during the Caldor Fire burning just a few miles from the South Shore in 2021, for example. However, research published in the June 2024 issue of Global Change Biology shows that 99.3% of lakes across the country, whether adjacent to wildfire activity or nowhere near a blaze, were blanketed in wildfire smoke for at least one day per year from 2019 to 2021. Further, 98.9% of lakes saw 10 days of smokey skies each year and 89% of lakes saw more than 30 days of smoke per year. Understanding the impact of these ‘lake smoke-days’ on freshwater bodies will help researchers better prioritize responsive research as wildfire risk and frequency worldwide increase. … ” Read more from Nevada Today.
In commentary today …
Good riddance to El Niño, but La Niña won’t be much relief
Mark Gongloff, a Bloomberg Opinion editor and columnist covering climate change, writes, “The record-smashing global heat of the past year has been driven partly by an El Niño weather pattern in the Pacific Ocean. The good news is that El Niño is rapidly giving way to his cooler sister, La Niña. The bad news is that she won’t necessarily be any kinder to humanity.El Niño and La Niña are two phases of a local climate phenomenon, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which influences conditions around the world. A strong El Niño in 2015-16 produced record high global temperatures, deadly droughts and floods, a spate of cyclones in the Pacific Ocean and the worst coral-reef bleaching event in history, to name just a few outcomes. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
Youth and family help with Klamath River Restoration which ended with indigenous science camp
“Klamath River Tribes, Save California Salmon, and the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) wrapped up two months of youth and family focused field trips and events with an Indigenous Science Camp at the former Iron Gate Reservoir. The camp featured tours of the dam removal work and a removed dam, a camp out at a restoration site, and science and culture based activities such as bark skirt and plant-based medicine making, acorn processing, and traditional art creation. The camp came after the coalition hosted seven field trips for Klamath and Trinity River elementary and high school students. “It’s an astonishing accomplishment to have achieved dam removal on our precious Klamath River,” explained Taralyn Ipina, COO of the Yurok Tribe, who attended with her family. “It’s heartwarming to engage our youth with the monumental process. Seeing their eyes widen and their hearts strengthen is wonderful.” … ” Continue reading from the Redheaded Blackbelt.
Environmental group concerned draft application for Eel River dam removal delay will slow project
“Pacific Gas and Electric Company has requested a roughly six-month extension from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the process of decommissioning two dams on the Eel River. Friends of the Eel River, a conservation non-profit founded to advocate for the dams’ removal, is concerned about the impact this delay will have on the timeline of getting the Eel undammed. The final draft of the decommissioning plan would come out in June of 2025 rather than January of that year. Alicia Hamann, executive director of the Friends, said “a delay of six months could mean another year of those really dangerous conditions for native fish,” when reached by phone Monday. She noted the dangerous conditions were created by variances in the way the dams release water. PG&E has to get approval for the water it releases every year from FERC, and in 2023 the approval was delayed to the point that no cold water was there for fish by the time it was worked out, said Hamman. She said this impacted fish on the river. … ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard.
MOUNTAIN COUNTIES
Overwhelmed by tourists, Tahoe’s iconic Sand Harbor to soon require reservations
“With its white granite boulders, azure water and long half-moon-shaped strip of sand, Sand Harbor is one of Tahoe’s most famous and popular beaches. But like a lot of popular destinations in the Lake Tahoe Basin, Sand Harbor is buckling under the strain of so much tourism. Over the past decade, the number of visitors to Sand Harbor State Park has skyrocketed, with a million more visitors in 2023 compared with 2012. In an effort to control the tide of visitors who arrive every day in the summertime, Sand Harbor will soon require reservations for entry. … ” Read more from SF Gate.
Rotating canal outages due to Spaulding repair delays
“Nevada Irrigation District (NID) Directors will vote on establishing Emergency Canal Outage Rotations throughout the duration of the PG&E’s unplanned Spaulding One and South Yuba Canal outages at their June 12th meeting. The initial return to service date of the Spaulding #1 Powerhouse was scheduled for June 8, 2024, while the return to service date of the South Yuba Canal was scheduled for June 18, 2024. Both estimates were delayed to June 18th. In mid-May, PG&E informed NID the South Yuba Canal repairs would be completed by the end of August. Then, on May 30, PG&E notified NID that further delays had occurred on the powerhouse repairs, delaying the return to service date to June 30, 2024. … ” Read more from YubaNet.
SACRAMENTO VALLEY
Roseville: Plans in place for a secure water future
“When it comes to water, it pays to plan ahead. You never know when that rainy day—or prolonged drought—may come. Roseville and Placer County leaders are pursuing long-term solutions to bolster water supply reliability while accommodating rapid population growth. “Roseville takes a holistic approach to water supply,” explained Roseville Water Utility Manager George Hanson. “We look at varied sources such as groundwater, alternatives to Folsom Reservoir and water conservation, and how we can be more efficient. “With this approach, we’ve built a robust water supply. The challenge in the future [will be] that we need to anticipate events and needs to ensure our water supply.” … ” Read more from Roseville Today.
Scathing report finds ‘infighting and turmoil’ at Sacramento-area water district
“A grand jury report about a small water district in Sacramento County warns that its board has “spun out of control” and has been mired in infighting and dysfunction. About 8,000 county residents depend on the Florin County Water District and the 10 groundwater wells it oversees for their needs, according to the Sacramento County grand jury. The district covers about 2.5 square miles and is bordered by Florin Road on the north, Gerber Road on the south, Power Inn Road on the west and Gardner Avenue on the east. Customers include residents and businesses like Pepsi and Mission Laundry. … ” Continue reading at KCRA.
NAPA/SONOMA
Construction to begin this week on Healdsburg’s recycled water pipeline project
“Aiming to make sure that drinkable water isn’t wasted on non-drinking uses, Healdsburg is forging ahead this week with a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project designed around reclaimed H2O. Construction on the first phase of Healdsburg’s new recycled water pipeline will begin on Thursday, June 13, and last through Wednesday, June 19, on Kennedy Lane along the city’s south end. It’s the first of four legs of construction this year. Utilities Engineering Manager Patrick Fuss is warning drivers to expect some delays as a result of the construction, which is the first step in building a 4.7-mile underground line that will haul reclaimed water throughout the city to irrigate parks, the Healdsburg Golf Club, Oak Mound Cemetery and Healdsburg Elementary School. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
Russian River: Inflating a rubber dam is critical to providing water to North Bay
“Sonoma County Water Agency crews will begin inflating its rubber dam along the Russian River on Monday, which they say is a “critical component” of the water supply system that provides drinking water to more than 600,000 residents in Sonoma and Marin counties. The rubber dam, located in Forestville, is typically inflated in spring or early summer when demand for potable water increases, the agency said. The dam can take four to 14 days to fully inflate, depending on river flows, the agency said, which then creates a pool of water that the agency draws water for use in four off-stream infiltration ponds. … ” Read more from KTVU.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Study: Southern California is most disaster-prone region in U.S.
“Southern California is a disaster. Oh, you’ve heard? Sure, but in this case “disaster” isn’t code for “too expensive” or “not as cool as when I was a kid” or “politically bananas.” No, this time, disaster means disaster. In fact, according to a new national ranking of 3,200-plus U.S. counties, Southern California rates as the single most disaster-prone region in the country. Quakes, fires, floods, droughts, rising seas, deadly surf, heat waves, cold snaps, hurricanes (kinda) and beetles that devour trees all hit our region more frequently, and often with more intensity, than do the tornadoes and hurricanes that plague other disaster-prone regions, including south Texas and coastal Louisiana and pretty much every inch of Florida. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
EPA finds more violations at Chiquita
“Federal Environmental Protection Agency officials said Chiquita Canyon Landfill “has violated, and continues to violate” the rules and regulations governing its waste-management operations, in a series of findings published June 4. The violations at Chiquita Canyon Landfill “have caused or can cause excess emissions of hydrogen sulfide, volatile hazardous air pollutants (‘VHAP’), and volatile organic compounds,” according to the EPA. The side effects listed from those pollutants range from respiratory challenges to damage to the nervous system and even cancer, as residents wait for more comprehensive answers to the health questions posed by the landfill’s numerous violations. The facility is garnering approximately 2,000 complaints each month. … ” Read more from The Signal.
SAN DIEGO
San Dieguito Lagoon wetland restoration project nearly complete
“A construction project that started more than a decade ago to restore the wetlands in the San Dieguito Lagoon is finally close to being done. You might have noticed the project when driving on Interstate 5 through Del Mar. The goal is to turn an area that used to be agricultural fields into saltwater wetlands. Crews are working on removing more than 1 million cubic yards of soil. That’s more than 300 swimming pools worth of soil. “We’re finally connecting our newly-created wetlands to the larger system of wetlands that is within the San Dieguito River Valley, so the tidal circulation from the ocean is going to be able to come in and fill our wetlands,” Kim Smith, senior regional planner with SANDAG, told NBC 7. … ” Read more from Channel 7.
Along the Colorado River …
Listen: Some key Colorado River decision makers got together in Boulder. There was plenty of disagreement
“The future of the Colorado River is in the hands of seven people who represent the states that use its water. And right now, they can’t agree on a set of new rules to share the shrinking supply – despite a quickly approaching deadline. Those negotiations typically happen behind closed doors, rather than in a public setting. But last week, representatives from Wyoming to California met at the University of Colorado Boulder for an annual water law conference. About 300 people with an interest in the future of the Colorado River were in the audience to hear what leaders had to say. KUNC’s water reporter Alex Hager was there, too. He joined host Erin O’Toole to share some details from that conference.” Listen at KUNC.
Water flowing again in the Colorado River delta
“Forgotten in all of the noise around the Colorado River right now is this moment of hope – water again flowing in the Colorado River Delta. Under the 2017 agreement between the United States and Mexico known as Minute 323, we have 210,000 acre feet of water set aside for environmental flows through 2026 – one third provided by the United States, one third by Mexico, and one third by environmental NGOs – in the long-dry river channel through the Colorado River Delta. Audubon’s Jennifer Pitt’s mention of the flow came during the last panel of last week’s Getches-Wilkinson Center annual Colorado River conference at the University of Colorado Law School. Managing the pulse flow to maximize environmental benefit requires, ironically, the same sort of engineering that on a much larger scale dried the delta river channel in the first place – routing water through an irrigation system to deliver it at the point of maximum environmental benefit, feeding a strip of riparian vegetation. That’s how we do environmental flows now. … ” Read more from the Inkstain blog.
The Buzz: Arizona’s economy and water
“Arizona’s economy has been booming since the COVID-19 pandemic began to slow. Low unemployment, growing wages and increasing population have persisted for years, but so have less positive indicators like inflation and skyrocketing housing prices. With that backdrop, The Buzz headed to the University of Arizona’s Eller Economic and Business Research Center’s Breakfast With the Economists event to talk with the featured speakers about recent economic conditions and what they see in the state’s future. The EBRC’s director, Dr. George Hammond, said Tucson’s job market is following wider trends. … ” Listen to podcast or read transcript from Arizona Public Media.
In national water news today …
PBS News Hour: What frequent water main breaks say about America’s aging infrastructure
“U.S. drinking water is among the world’s safest and most reliable, but aging infrastructure across the country is posing challenges. The American Society of Civil Engineers estimates that there’s a water main break every two minutes. Shannon Marquez, professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, joins John Yang to discuss why these problems are so common.” Listen at PBS.
Tens of millions of acres of cropland lie abandoned, study shows
“About 30 million acres of U.S. cropland have been abandoned since the 1980s, a new analysis suggests. The study, published in Environmental Research Letters, offers a detailed look at land with immense environmental and economic potential — land that, researchers write, was abandoned at a rate of over a million acres a year between 1986 and 2018. The analysis used satellite data and cropland information from the U.S. Agriculture Department to map the locations of abandoned cropland and how long it had been out of use. The researchers conclude that during the study period about 12.3 million hectares — or 30.39 million acres — of cropland went unused in the contiguous United States. The biggest changes took place around the Ogallala Aquifer, whose groundwater irrigates parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming, and which has been drying out because of excessive pumping and droughts. Other abandonment hot spots were located around Mississippi, the Atlantic Coast, North Dakota, northern Montana and eastern Washington state. … ” Read more from the Washington Post.
