DAILY DIGEST: More delays for Oroville Dam relicensing; The chore of understanding water rights just got a little easier; Winter snows bring spring flows; Top 10 most endangered rivers in the US; and more …

In California water news today, More delays for Oroville Dam relicensing, Trump appointments needed; The chore of understanding water rights just got a little easier; Winter snows bring spring flows; See California reservoirs fill up in these before-and-after images; California’s drought ends (at least for now) in a blaze of wildflower glory so intense it is visible from space; As California lifts drought regulations, rural areas still lacking water; Top 10 most endangered rivers in the US; and more …

On the calendar today …

• A webinar: Central Valley Landscape Conservation Project: Where we have been, and where we are headed from 11am to 12pm: The webinar will highlight the progress on the Central Valley Landscape Conservation Project (CVLCP)m which aims to identify strategic climate-smart conservation actions in partnership with scientists and natural resource managers that will maximize the adaptive capacity of priority species, habitats, and ecosystems to support an ecologically connected Central Valley landscape. For more information click here.
• Public meeting on the 2017 Trinity River Flow and Gravel Recommendations at 6pm in Weaverville:  This public informational meeting will present the recommended 2017 spring restoration flow releases from Lewiston Dam and gravel augmentation plans. Staff will be available to answer questions on the presentations. Click here for more information.

In the news today …

More delays for Oroville Dam relicensing; Trump appointments needed:  “What’s new with the relicensing of Oroville Dam now that parts of the dam, mainly the main spillway, look a lot different?  More waiting.  Oroville and the Feather River Recreation and Park District expect to receive tens of millions of dollars over the next 30 to 50 years when the hydroelectric facilities receive a renewed license. Hundreds of millions of dollars in funding is also planned for areas around the dam, like wildlife areas, the state park and the Feather River Fish Hatchery. The money comes from water users who receive water from the lake, which is operated by the state Department of Water Resources. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  More delays for Oroville Dam relicensing; Trump appointments needed

The chore of understanding water rights just got a little easier:  “Who owns the water? And how much do they use? These are simple questions. But answering them has never been easy, thanks to complicated laws, cumbersome public records and byzantine bureaucracies.  Unlike property records, in many states those covering water have never been very accessible. And reporting requirements imposed on water users are often weak and poorly enforced, meaning records are often patchy and vague.  Searching for answers usually means a time-consuming slog through public records – sometimes on paper – that yields unsatisfying results. In the case of groundwater, the search is even more difficult.  Water Sage aims to simplify the task. It’s a web-based search tool offered by Ponderosa Advisors LLC, based in Denver, Colorado. It claims to be the only system of its kind that integrates all available water and land ownership data into a single platform, enabling users to research, visualize and analyze information in minutes. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  The chore of understanding water rights just got a little easier

Winter snows bring spring flows:  “Fat flakes of snow tumbled from the sky and collected on Frank Gehrke’s shoulders as he stood high in the Sierra Nevada on March 30, measuring the winter’s frozen bounty. Gehrke, head snow surveyor at the California Department of Water Resources, plunged a hollow metal pole into the snow, then weighed its contents. His measurements showed that the snow was nearly 8 feet deep at Phillips Station, south of Lake Tahoe, and the amount of water held within it was 183 percent of the long-term average for this time of year. Overall, the Sierra snowpack was 164 percent of the historical average. That’s a stark contrast to the record low April 1 reading two years ago, when the statewide snowpack was just 5 percent of average. “This is an extremely good year from the snowpack standpoint,” Gehrke said in a statement. This year’s abundant snow, he added, is providing “great reservoir recovery.” … ” Continue reading at High Country News here:  Winter snows bring spring flows

See California reservoirs fill up in these before-and-after images: “At the height of the California drought, images of empty reservoirs became the poster children of a state that desperately needed water. Their low water levels revealed massive swaths of dry, cracked lake beds.  Now that the state has finally moved out of the drought with a rainy season marked by ceaseless moisture-packed storms, these same reservoirs are filled with water and 100 to 170 percent of their historical averages. Brimming and replenished, they’re a symbol of the state’s recovery. Total reservoir storage for the state is at 110 percent of average, according to Mike Anderson, a climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources. … ”  Read more from SF Gate here:  See California reservoirs fill up in these before-and-after images

California’s drought ends (at least for now) in a blaze of wildflower glory so intense it is visible from space:  “After epic drought, California experienced an equally epic rainy season this past winter. And the state’s deserts have responded with an explosion of wildflowers and other vegetation.  Maybe you’ve seen those almost unreal photos of hills blanketed in emerald green grass, and bright yellow, orange and purple wildflowers? If not, check it out: … ”  Read more from Discover Magazine here:  California’s drought ends (at least for now) in a blaze of wildflower glory so intense it is visible from space

As California lifts drought regulations, rural areas still lacking water:  “California Governor Jerry Brown has declared an end to his state’s five-year-long drought. Emergency water restrictions have been lifted for most Californians, but not all. In some of the hardest hit areas in the rural Central Valley, there are still thousands of people living without any running water. NPR’s Kirk Siegler sent this report from Porterville, Calif. … ”  Read more from NPR here:  As California lifts drought regulations, rural areas still lacking water

Top 10 most endangered rivers in the US:  “Water is life, yet climate change and certain public policies may be endangering its future in America, a nonprofit group warns in a new report. The stakes are high, with the current presidential administration having proposed budget cuts that may eliminate some safeguards for clean drinking water and rivers nationwide.  That’s according to American Rivers, a Washington, D.C.-based conservation group, which released its annual list of America’s Most Endangered Rivers on Tuesday. The list outlines rivers that the group warns face an urgent threat or critical decision point in the coming year.  The Lower Colorado River, which provides drinking water for more than 30 million Americans—including those in major cities like L.A., Las Vegas, and Phoenix—tops the list as the most endangered river this year. Second most endangered is the Bear River in California. … ”  Read more from National Geographic here:  Top 10 most endangered rivers in the US

In regional news and commentary today …

‘A cultural tragedy’: Karuk tribe cuts salmon harvest to 200:  “For the first time in its history, the Karuk Tribe will be limiting ceremonial salmon harvests for tribal members because of the record low forecast for returning Chinook salmon on the Klamath River.  Karuk Tribal Chairman Russell “Buster” Attebery said in a Monday statement that it was his “saddest day as chairman” to announce the tribe will limit harvest for sustenance and ceremonial purposes to just 200 salmon.  “This is the first time in our history that we have imposed limits on traditional dip net fishermen working to feed their extended families and tribal elders,” he stated. … ”  Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here:  ‘A cultural tragedy’: Karuk tribe cuts salmon harvest to 200

Report details Marin’s vulnerability to sea level rise:  “In just 15 years, flooding due to sea-level rise could inundate some 700 buildings across 5,000 acres, affecting the lives of tens of thousands of Marin residents, according to a new county report.  And the draft Marin Shoreline Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment, to be presented Tuesday to the Marin Board of Supervisors, says that is only the beginning.  The report was prepared by the county’s Department of Public Works and Community Development Agency with a $250,000 grant from the California State Coastal Conservancy. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Report details Marin’s vulnerability to sea level rise

Grass Valley: A creek returns: Community collaboration restores a waterway:  “An overlooked tributary in the upper reaches of Wolf Creek that weaves through neighborhood backyards and Condon Park is getting some much needed love from the community.  That’s thanks to state funding and a partnership between the City of Grass Valley and a conservation group, American Rivers.  In early December, Wolf Creek Community Alliance, American Rivers, students from the Nevada Union Key Club, and the Sierra Native Alliance cleared invasive species like blackberry from the site and planted over 100 native plants. … ”  Read more from the Grass Valley Union here:  Grass Valley: A creek returns: Community collaboration restores a waterway

El Dorado County: Greed and the politics of water:  “Sounding the alarm on what he said the State Water Board is proposing, Dr. Dale Coco, a member of the El Dorado Irrigation District board of directors, discussed what it may mean for water consumers and the county.  “The politics of California have always been the politics of water and whoever controls the water, controls California,” Coco said.  “The problem is that two-thirds of the population live in an arid, semi arid or desert where there is no water. We’re at almost 40 million people and two-thirds of them live in an area where they have exhausted their water supplies,” he said. “Los Angeles is a huge sponge and has soaked up everything around it: the Mulholland project, Salton Sea and Colorado River are all sources of water for Los Angeles.” ... ”  Read more from the Mountain Democrat here:  Greed and the politics of water

Appeals court: Manteca Unified on the hook for flood projects: “The Manteca Unified School District must pay to fund local levee improvements, just like any other property owner in the area, an appeals court has found.  One attorney says the decision is good news for the small levee districts across the Delta charged with protecting farms and cities from floods.  School districts, and agencies that maintain public roads and highways, always have been exempt from paying for such projects under a 1951 state law that remains in effect. … ”  Read more from the Stockton Record here:  Appeals court: Manteca Unified on the hook for flood projects

Oakdale Irrigation District loses hard-fought fallowing lawsuit:  “In a key ruling released Monday, a judge slammed the Oakdale Irrigation District for skirting state law in last year’s fallowing proposal.  The district should have studied whether shipping river water elsewhere might harm local groundwater levels, Stanislaus Superior Court Judge Roger Beauchesne said in a decision issued nearly 11 weeks after a one-day trial in January.  “An (environmental impact report) must be prepared whenever there is substantial evidence that significant effects may occur,” the judge ruled, “commanding” OID to reverse its board’s March 2016 vote creating the fallowing program. … ”  Read more from the Modesto Bee here:  Oakdale Irrigation District loses hard-fought fallowing lawsuit

Tuolumne County wells remain dry despite end to drought:  “Tuolumne County is one of four California counties that remain under a drought emergency.  Despite one of the wettest winters on record, wells in Tuolumne County remain dry because they are either contaminated or the county’s ground water supply hasn’t been replenished yet. … ” Read more from Fox 40 here:  Tuolumne County wells remain dry despite end to drought

City of LA and DWP reassure Inyo County:  “Whatever disconnect popped up between Inyo County and the City of Los Angeles over the City’s emergency declaration and the department’s commitment to work with Inyo to prevent flood damage during this year’s unprecedented runoff popped back down last Friday.  Following a special closed session meeting of the Board of Supervisors, LADWP’s Chief Operation Officer Marty Adams, Director of Water Operations Anselmo Collins and LA’s Director of Infrastructure Ted Bardacke reassured the County, dispelling a sense Inyo was on its own in preparing for a potential flood disaster. ... ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  City of LA and DWP reassure Inyo County

Metropolitan Water District authorizes Lake Mathews infrastructure rehabilitation projects:  “The March 14 board meeting of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California included the approval of three infrastructure rehabilitation projects at Lake Mathews.  One project will rehabilitate the electrical distribution system at Lake Mathews, a second project will repair the Lake Mathews forebay and the third project will repair portions of the hydroelectric plant’s concrete structure. The projects are intended to address the aging infrastructure of Lake Mathews and to maintain reliable deliveries into MWD’s Central Pool. MWD approved the preliminary design phase for the electrical distribution system, the final design to repair the forebay and outlet tower and the construction phase to repair the hydroelectric plant. … ”  Read more from Valley News here:  Metropolitan Water District authorizes Lake Mathews infrastructure rehabilitation projects

Precipitation watch …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• DR. JAY FAMIGLIETTI: Drought vs. Chronic Water Scarcity and Implications for Sustainability
• BLOG ROUND-UP: More on Delta tunnels impacts and economics, Delta smelt take limits, CVP allocation, ag water conservation, nitrate troubles, and more …
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: American Rivers Announces America’s Most Endangered Rivers® of 2017

Announcements …

• ANNOUNCEMENT: Notice of CEQA Scoping Meeting and Workshop for Suisun Marsh TMDL
• PUBLIC NOTICE: Proposal to accept funds from the California Department of Water Resources

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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.