DAILY DIGEST: Oroville spillway flows to be shutoff; Levee patrols: First line of defense against floodwaters; Federal, state lawmakers make case for more dams at water symposium; and more …

In California water news today, Oroville spillway flows to be shutoff; Water Resources to cut Oroville spillway flows to zero; Levee patrols: First line of defense against floodwaters; Federal, state lawmakers make case for more dams at water symposium; Day of Action targets data on California water rates; Yes, California’s drought is all but over and the dramatically revived Lake Cachuma proves it; Will California’s giant sequoias survive the next drought?; California farmers use floodwater to replenish aquifers; and more …

On the calendar today …

• This afternoon, the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water and the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources will hold a joint informational hearing on Tree Mortality, Forest Health and Prescribed Fire at 3 p.m. in Room 4202 of the State Capitol Building.  Click here for more information.  Click here to watch on Cal Channel.

In the news today …

Oroville spillway flows to be shutoff:  “The flows down the broken main Oroville Dam spillway will be shut off today to allow removal of the debris at the spillway base.  According to the Department of Water Resources the releases were going to be eased off from 50,000 cubic-feet per second starting at 6:45 this morning, with the flow completely stopped by afternoon.  A pile began to build up at the base of the spillway in the Diversion Pool after a major break opened in the concrete chute’s floor on Feb. 7. With no other way to get enough water out of the lake, DWR had to let the spillway flow with the realization the bottom part of the ramp would be torn up. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Oroville spillway flows to be shutoff

Water Resources to cut Oroville spillway flows to zero:  “The Department of Water Resources will begin gradually ramping down outflows from the Oroville Reservoir at 6:45 a.m. today. Flows from the flood control spillway will be reduced from 50,000 cubic feet per second throughout the day and eventually reach zero in the afternoon.  As flows are reduced, DWR will monitor the status of the dam, spillways and related structures to ensure their continued safety and stability. Flows will be reduced gradually to minimize risk to downstream levees. Through use of water stored in the Diversion Pool and Thermalito Forebay and Afterbay, flows necessary to meet fishery requirements in the Feather River downstream of the dam will be maintained. ... ”  Read more from the Appeal Democrat here:  Water Resources to cut Oroville spillway flows to zero

Levee patrols: First line of defense against floodwaters:  “Roberts Island hasn’t flooded severely since 1884. Yet here they are, fourth-generation farmer Mike Robinson and his son, Michael, spending their Friday night inspecting every inch of the 15-mile levee from a truck crawling along at 5 mph.  “It does get kind of monotonous after a while,” Michael Robinson says, keeping his spotlight trained on the river to his left to check for erosion.  “Stop yawning. It’s contagious,” says his father, who is looking in the opposite direction at the land side of the levee, watching for signs of water trickling up through the ground.  ... ”  Read more from the Stockton Record here:  Levee patrols: First line of defense against floodwaters

Federal, state lawmakers make case for more dams at water symposium:  “Federal and state lawmakers on Friday urged the need for infrastructure improvements, citing the Oroville Dam spillway and calling for increased water storage in California.  Speaking at an Auburn symposium hosted by the Mountain Counties Water Resources Association, Republican legislators alternatively called for the construction of more dams and slammed environmental regulations they say stymie necessary projects. … ”  Read more from The Union here:  Federal, state lawmakers make case for more dams at water symposium

Day of Action targets data on California water rates:  “It’s time to liberate some data.  March 4 is International Open Data Day. Almost 200 events (and counting) have been organized by local groups to focus on how open data can be used to better understand things like environmental or human-rights issues, or tracking the flow of public money.  The Los Angeles-based California Data Collaborative (CaDC) is hosting one such event tackling water rate data for the more than 400 water utilities in the state.  … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Day of Action targets data on California water rates

Yes, California’s drought is all but over and the dramatically revived Lake Cachuma proves it:  “Heading into February, things were looking grim here in the rugged hills north of Santa Barbara.  While much of California was emerging from five years of drought, this giant reservoir had dwindled to a weedy channel at just 7% of capacity and was perilously close to being written off as a regional water supply.  And then the rains came in unrelenting horizontal sheets. It was one of the largest storms in memory over the Santa Ynez Valley on Feb. 17, swamping historical records and causing the lake to rise a whopping 31 feet in depth in just a few days. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Yes, California’s drought is all but over and the dramatically revived Lake Cachuma proves it

Will California’s giant sequoias survive the next drought?  “Although California’s five-year drought has come to an end, how has it affected the state’s giant sequoia trees? In this video, we meet a scientist who is seeking to understand these seemingly indestructible giants.  Although though the skies have finally opened and the rains have started to fall on California, more than 100 million trees died during the state’s historic five-year drought. Such a monumental loss of trees — trees are amongst the best, most consistent “living sponges” that sequester CO2 from the Earth’s atmosphere — accelerates global warming. … ”  Read more from Forbes Magazine here:  Will California’s giant sequoias survive the next drought? 

California farmers use floodwater to replenish aquifers:  “As dam managers were draining water from a Northern Californian reservoir this week to avert what could have been one of the worst flood disasters in the state’s history, Southern California farmer Don Cameron was doing something different with the watery winter excess.  Using a network of levees and irrigation gates, Cameron inundated the orchards, vineyards and vegetable and alfalfa fields of Terranova Ranch, a farm in Fresno County that he manages, using the power of gravity to drive water back into an ailing underground aquifer. … ”  Read more from Climate Central here:  California farmers use floodwater to replenish aquifers

In commentary today …

Jerry Brown shouldn’t waste a good crisis, says the Sacramento Bee:  They write, “Good politicians like Jerry Brown know not to waste a good crisis. And so last week he urged that lawmakers spend $437 million for flood control.  It is a modest request, though not nearly enough, as he readily acknowledged by displaying charts showing that upgrading California’s water infrastructure, including 1,500 dams and thousands of miles of levees, would cost $50 billion.  If we Californians are to live and prosper in our re-engineered state, we will need to pay for it, or, as Brown said, “belly up to the bar.” How to pay for it is less clear. But Californians can readily see what’s in store if we fail to find solutions. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Jerry Brown shouldn’t waste a good crisis

More news and commentary in the weekend edition …

• DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Can Oroville’s badly damaged spillway hold up through the rainy season?; Brown calls for infrastructure spending; High anxiety with dams upstream of Yuba-Sutter; ‘Law & Order’ creator suffers legal setback in fight to sell Central Coast groundwater; and more …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for February 27, 2017
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Wildlife Conservation Board Funds Environmental Improvement and Acquisition Projects; Additional documents for the Water Storage Investment Program now available; Invasive mussel veligers detected in the Santa Ana Pipeline
• Fish Restoration Program Update: Prospect Island Tidal Habitat Restoration Project DEIR status, Real estate acquisition, and Restoration RFP

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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.