Today is Giving Tuesday
Maven’s Notebook and the California Water Library are nearly entirely supported by individual donors and by sponsors. If these resources are valuable to you, please consider making a tax deductible donation.
Are you attending ACWA this week?
I’ll be at the Geosyntec booth in the exhibition hall during this evening’s cocktail hour. Stop by and say hi!
In California water news today, Feds ask state to explain cracks in new Oroville Spillway concrete; New California water bond measures endorsed by key policy group; How close is too close for hydraulic fracturing?; With elks on the rebound, California releases new management plan; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Webinar: Death Knell Barriers to Water Conservation from 11am to 12pm from the Alliance for Water Efficiency. Click here for more information.
- Meeting to discuss Delta signage in Oakley today at 3pm: Visit CA Delta, a collaboration of Delta residents, businesses, and state agencies, will be holding a series of community meetings to discuss sign needs, locations, and designs as part of a new Delta Sign Plan. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Feds ask state to explain cracks in new Oroville Spillway concrete: “Federal regulators have asked the officials who operate Oroville Dam — and who are in charge of the $500 million-plus effort to rebuild and reinforce the facility’s compromised spillways — to explain small cracks that have appeared in recently rebuilt sections of the dam’s massive concrete flood-control chute. In a previously undisclosed October letter, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission told the state Department of Water Resources to document the extent of tiny cracks that have showed up in some of the spillway’s brand-new concrete slabs. FERC also asked DWR what, if any, steps might be required to address the issue. … ” Read more from KQED here: Feds ask state to explain cracks in new Oroville Spillway concrete
New California water bond measures endorsed by key policy group: “Two new water bonds slated to be put before California voters in 2018 have received the endorsement of a key water policy group. The Association of California Water Agencies’ board has voted unanimously to support a $4 billion June ballot measure for water and parks projects and an anticipated $8.9 billion November initiative proposed by former state resources official Gerald Meral. ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn said the bonds would provide critical funding for water management projects ranging from recycling technologies to groundwater recharge and flood protection. ... ” Read more from the Capital Press here: New California water bond measures endorsed by key policy group
How close is too close for hydraulic fracturing? “Although the majority of Americans get their drinking water from a municipal, public supply, 1 in 7 rely on private water wells. Though wells for drinking water and wells for oil and gas production are known to exist in the same geographic regions, their proximity to one another across the United States was uncertain. Previous reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on the potential safety and contamination issues involved with hydraulic fracturing impacts to drinking water have focused mainly on public water systems without delving into the status of private wells. “Forty-five million Americans rely on private groundwater wells for their drinking water,” says Scott Jasechko, assistant professor at Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California at Santa Barbara. “We wanted to address the knowledge gap on how close private wells are to hydraulically fractured wells.” ... ” Read more from Stanford News here: How close is too close for hydraulic fracturing?
With elks on the rebound, California releases new management plan: “As California’s elk herds rebound, the state has proposed a new management plan for the animals — creatures of great magnificence and caution that were once nearly pushed out of existence. State officials say that the steadily increasing elk population — from 3,500 to 13,000 over four decades — demands a broader approach to expand, link and improve their scattered habitats so that they will continue to flourish. Each of California’s 22 isolated herds, including some in Santa Clara and Alameda counties, are now monitored individually, using plans drafted in the 1980s. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: With elks on the rebound, California releases new management plan
In commentary today …
Is big infrastructure still possible today? Max Rexroad writes, “Can California still successfully take on big projects or is that part of our history already over? As high-profile infrastructure projects ranging from high speed rail to the Delta Tunnels face an uncertain future, that’s a critical question that lies before our next Governor. We were once known for ambitious projects like the California State Water Project which transformed the state and allowed for rapid development in the Central Valley and Southern California. Today, it’s extremely unlikely that a project that size and scope could ever be built. If California can’t succeed any longer in taking on huge infrastructure needs, it will have huge implications for the future of the state. ... ” Read more from the Daily Democrat here: Is big infrastructure still possible today?
In regional news and commentary today …
Lake County Supervisors sign letter to keep Scott Dam: “The Board of Supervisors is pushing back against the potential removal of the Scott Dam located in Lake Pillsbury. They plan to send a letter defending the preservation of this and other dams to the members of Congress representing Northern California, Jared Huffman, Mike Thompson and John Garamendi. The Scott Dam sits downstream from Lake Pillsbury along the Eel River. It is first in line, followed by the Cape Horn Dam and helps to form Lake Van Arsdale. The structures create energy for a generator and divert water through a tunnel to the Russian River. However, there is concern at the federal level that the dams interfere with fish and wildlife. ... ” Read more from the Lake Record-Bee here: Lake County Supervisors sign letter to keep Scott Dam
Yuba County Water Agency, Cordua settle disputes: “The Yuba County Water Agency and Cordua Irrigation District approved a settlement agreement over the past few weeks that will bring an end to several legal disputes between the two, including two lawsuits. The agency agreed to pay $675,000 to Cordua to resolve a 2015 lawsuit, and both parties agreed to dismiss their respective lawsuits. The settlement also resolves a dispute between the two entities over how much Cordua owed the agency for water deliveries in 2016 while the irrigation district was not under contract. … ” Read more from the Appeal-Democrat here: Yuba County Water Agency, Cordua settle disputes
Progress made in eradicating invasive plant in Truckee River: “Tahoe Resource Conservation District is three years into a long-term aquatic invasive species eradication project on the Truckee River — and the progress is encouraging. TRCD is working to eliminate Eurasian watermilfoil from a 3-mile stretch of the Truckee River, starting above the Tahoe City dam and continuing down to Alpine Meadows Road. “The results are kind of mind-blowing,” said Nicole Cartwright, TRCD executive director. “We were seeing densities where there could have been 50 percent coverage with aquatic invasive plants. After one year of treatment, the following year we’re coming back and there are little tiny plants scattered throughout with less than 10 percent coverage. So the treatment has been very effective, it’s just slow at this point.” ... ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Progress made in eradicating invasive plant in Truckee River
Environmentalists, volunteers focus on creeks, streams after North Bay fires: “Almost two months after the fire, and now, after a night of rain, one might infer that maybe, Sonoma County’s fire woes are beginning to wash away, just a bit. In fact, along watersheds, the opposite is true It means a new crisis, particularly in places like Glen Ellen’s O’Donnell Lane, where homes burned next to Sonoma Creek, and threaten to compromise or damage the ecosystem. … ” Read more from ABC 7 here: Environmentalists, volunteers focus on creeks, streams after North Bay fires
Laguinitas Creek gets odd visitor: pink salmon: “A fish species rarely seen south of Washington state has turned up more than 700 miles away in Lagunitas Creek, part of what has been dubbed a strange beginning to the spawning season. In recent years attention on the Lagunitas Creek watershed has been focused on federally endangered coho salmon and threatened steelhead trout, with efforts made to restore habitat to help those fish. The fish come to the Marin watershed from the ocean each year to spawn. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Laguinitas Creek gets odd visitor: pink salmon
Despite utility’s No Trespass signs, flume near Bass Lake attracts plenty of hikers: “An old water flume near the south end of Bass Lake is the private property of the Pacific Gas & Electric Co., and it’s posted in places with “no trespassing” signs. But that’s doing little to discourage hikers from walking the dirt path along the flume – or from the steel catwalks atop the structure. Browns Ditch is so popular with hikers that it’s listed on an array of hiking and trail websites as an easy-to-navigate route through the Sierra National Forest near Bass Lake. But PG&E doesn’t want people walking on the trail or the flume. “The safety of the public and our employees is our top priority,” said Denny Boyles, a spokesman for the utility. “That’s why PG&E has been raising public awareness that walking along flumes is not only dangerous, it is also not allowed and should not be done.” ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Despite utility’s No Trespass signs, flume near Bass Lake attracts plenty of hikers
A potholed road leads to mineral-rich water above Patterson: “Paul Mason says the magnesium-rich water from Adobe Springs is saving lives and his business contributes to the state and local economy. Some Stanislaus County officials are concerned that large trucks hauling the fresh spring water are tearing up Del Puerto Canyon Road, west of Patterson, and cause an unacceptable expense to the county road budget. The issue may finally to come to a head in a dispute between the county and the owner of the natural site that gave rise to the Noah’s Spring Water brand. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: A potholed road leads to mineral-rich water above Patterson
Why environmentalists are at odds over Ballona wetlands restoration: “A new restoration plan to bulldoze nearly 3 million cubic yards of dirt from the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve — the largest remaining wetlands in the Los Angeles area — has mobilized fierce opposition. The 566-acre site, once a network of meandering waterways, meadows and marshes, was decimated when Marina del Rey’s harbor was dredged in the 1960s. The fill was dumped indiscriminately across the unique landscape, drying it up and forcing out native plants and animals. But the state eventually recognized its importance and, in 2004, took ownership of the natural wetlands directly south of Marina del Rey and east of Playa del Rey. Since then, efforts to restore it have made slow progress: Playa Vista developers installed a 26-acre freshwater marsh and volunteers regularly gather there to clear overgrown weeds. … ” Read more from the LA Daily News here: Why environmentalists are at odds over Ballona wetlands restoration
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Rollback propaganda, Salmon runs, X2, drought, wetlands and WOTUS
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: State of the salmon run on the American River; Reclamation to negotiate water exchange contract with State of Utah for Lake Powell pipeline
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …
Sign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …
About the Daily Digest: The Daily Digest is a collection of selected news articles, commentaries and editorials appearing in the mainstream press. Items are generally selected to follow the focus of the Notebook blog. The Daily Digest is published every weekday with a weekend edition posting on Sundays.
