In California water news today, Getting to the roots of California’s drinking water crisis; The California drought isn’t over; it just went underground; San Francisco area water agencies move to expand reservoir; Toilet to tap? Some in drought-prone California say its time; North Coast officials on alert for toxic algae; Lake Tahoe nearing capacity after historic rise; Delta party island Lost Isle to reopen next year; Kettleman hopes bottled water continues; Water experts: Climate change intensifying effects of persistent drought; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Resources Control Board meets this morning at 9am. Agenda items include consideration of a proposed resolution directing staff to proceed with a regulatory revision of the detection limit for purposes of reporting for Perchlorate and review of the Perchlorate Maximum Contaminant Level; and a Public Hearing on the Proposed Amendment to the General Permit for Storm Water Discharges from Small Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems. Click here for the full agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
In the news today …
Getting to the roots of California’s drinking water crisis: “Carolina Garcia is a gracious hostess, offering visitors baked goods still warm from the oven and peaches picked fresh from her backyard, which is a tightly packed homestead of fruit trees, grapevines and tomatoes. Bandannas wave along a laundry line, like a colorful flag, and behind the woodpile are constantly chattering chickens and a vocal trio of sheep. Inside, the modest one-story house bustles with family. Garcia and her husband have four children, with another on the way – a household she describes as humble but happy. They are lacking just one crucial thing: clean drinking water. … ” This is the first installment of a series of articles on drinking water issues in the Central Valley. Read more of this article from Water Deeply here: Getting to the roots of California’s drinking water crisis Read all articles in this series here: Toxic Taps
The California drought isn’t over; it just went underground: “Evelyn Rios wept in 2014 when the well went dry at her home of 46 years – the home where she and husband Joe raised five children on farm-worker wages. They cannot afford another well, so they do without. Her angst only grew as California’s five-year drought dragged on. Finally, after one of the wettest winters on record, Gov. Jerry Brown announced in April that the drought had ended. But situation remains grim, says Rios, 80, who lives in rural Madera County in California’s San Joaquin Valley. She thought she was being hooked up to the city of Madera’s water system. Now the emergency money for such projects has dried up. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: The California drought isn’t over; it just went underground More from the Toxic Tap series here: Toxic Taps
San Francisco area water agencies move to expand reservoir: “A dozen water agencies preparing for the next California drought are moving ahead with an $800 million expansion of one of the largest reservoirs in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Contra Costa Water District, which owns the Los Vaqueros Reservoir, has scheduled six public meetings to discuss new environmental studies it released Monday. “This is an opportunity to help us deal with extended droughts,” water district spokeswoman Jennifer Allen told The Mercury News in San Jose (http://bayareane.ws/2sJJK8C ). “It’s a way to expand the benefits of the reservoir and make it work for a larger group.” … ” Read more from US News and World Report here: San Francisco area water agencies move to expand reservoir
Toilet to tap? Some in drought-prone California say its time: “As drought and water shortages become California’s new normal, more and more of the water that washes down drains and flushes down toilets is being cleaned and recycled for outdoor irrigation. But some public officials, taking cues from countries where water scarcity is a fact of life, want to take it further and make treated wastewater available for much more — even drinking. “This is a potential new source of water for California,” said former Assemblyman Rich Gordon. “We need to find water where we can.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Toilet to tap? Some in drought-prone California say its time
North Coast officials on alert for toxic algae: “Happiness is a dog frolicking in the water on a hot summer day. But a sign posted along a fence in Napa County warned of the worst outcome of a day playing at the water’s edge: A pair of German Shorthaired Pointers died just one day after playing near a pond in southern Napa County. The sign prompted health officials to test the water and, while still awaiting results, urge people to keep pets away due to the possible presence of potentially harmful blue-green algal blooms. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: North Coast officials on alert for toxic algae
Lake Tahoe nearing capacity after historic rise: “Visitors to Lake Tahoe this weekend will notice the lake nearing max capacity for the first time in more than a decade. “We have not been at capacity or we have not been this high since 2006,” said Chad Blanchard, Federal Water Master. Currently, Tahoe is just two inches from full. That’s six and a half feet higher than where it was last October at the start of the water year. … ” Read more from KOLO TV here: Lake Tahoe nearing capacity after historic rise
Delta party island Lost Isle to reopen next year: “Some believe him, some don’t, but David Wheeler insists that come next spring, the long-dormant and debauched Delta party spot Lost Isle will once again serve its famous Mai Tais, host wet T-shirt contests and sponsor raucous concerts — just like days gone by. The adult paradise has been shuttered since 2009, a year after a man was fatally stabbed there in one of a string of controversies. Wheeler says he has all the permits needed to get started, and plans to build a new restaurant, bar and stage in a major upgrade to the facilities that date back to the 1940s. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Delta party island Lost Isle to reopen next year
Kettleman hopes bottled water continues: “As residents of this hardscrabble Kings County town just off Interstate 5 continue their long wait for clean tap water, they hope to keep benefiting from a state program providing bottled water in the interim. Since 2013, residents have been receiving 30 gallons per month per household. It’s been free of charge, thanks to a $10,000-a-month grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. ... ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Kettleman hopes bottled water continues
Bakersfield’s cost to filter out chemical pegged at more than $50 million: “How much is a “substantial” water rate increase? Bakersfield city officials expect to answer the question by the City Council’s July 19 meeting. For months, the Bakersfield city manager and water director have been warning City Council members about the costs of complying with the soon-to-be-passed state regulations to remove 1,2,3-trichloropropane, or TCP, from drinking water. California has designated TCP as a human carcinogen. City Manager Alan Tandy’s weekly memo on Monday revealed the first estimates for construction and equipment to filter TCP: $52 million to $55 million. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here: Bakersfield’s cost to filter out chemical pegged at more than $50 million
The otherworldy landscape of the Salton Sea in photos: “The Salton Sea is about 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles, but its landscape could be from another world. Once-bustling marinas in California’s largest lake, located along the San Andreas earthquake fault, are now bone-dry. The area has likely flooded and dried out several times through the ages, but a look at its history since the early 1900s also reveals many changes packed into the last 100-plus years. In the early 1900s, irrigation canals diverted Colorado River water into a dry lakebed in southeastern California. The valley was overrun with water from snowmelt and downpours in 1905 and the resulting inflow eventually created the Salton Sea — referred to as California’s accidental lake — in a depression between mountain ranges. ... ” Read more from NBC here: The otherworldy landscape of the Salton Sea in photos
Water experts: Climate change intensifying effects of persistent drought: “The effects of global climate change are being felt in the West’s continuing drought, according to a panel discussion at UNLV last week. Wildfires have increased over the last several years, something one of Colby Pelligrino’s mentors told her years ago would show that climate change is legitimate. “We’ll know if it’s real, because the West will be on fire long before it hits the watershed,” said Pelligrino, director of water resources at Southern Nevada Water Authority. ... ” Read more from the Las Vegas Sun here: Water experts: Climate change intensifying effects of persistent drought
In commentary today …
Coachella Valley: Tribe should not get preferential treatment with water rights, says Andy Vossler: He writes, “As a Coachella Valley resident, I’m concerned about the valley’s water. Water directly affects everyone who spends time in this valley. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently upheld a ruling that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians holds a federally granted reserved right to groundwater in the valley. The Court’s decision should alarm valley residents. This could complicate both the management and equitable allocation of the valley’s groundwater. This could potentially prevent ensuring sustainable future groundwater. Why spend abundant sums of money on legal costs for water the valley already owns and possesses? … ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: Tribe should not get preferential treatment with water rights
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Metropolitan posts first white paper on California Water Fix; Draft enviro docs for Los Vaqueros reservoir expansion; San Joaquin River Restoration Program releases draft fisheries framework for fish restoration
- BLOG ROUND-UP: Bloggers comment on the Water Fix; Reform before the next drought; Groundwater extraction oversight; Improving hatchery survival; Climate change; Public drinking fountains; and more …
- JULY CALENDAR EVENTS: California extreme precipitation symposium; Building Bay Area resilience; Measuring groundwater pumping for SGMA compliance; Delta Landscapes workshop
- DAILY DIGEST, 4th of July edition: Plans advance to enlarge major Bay Area reservoir; California’s lakes are full but fishing remains in a drought; LA DWP won’t drill new wells in Bishop; and more …
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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.
