In California water news today, Water Deeply Talks: Water and cannabis in California; Tentative plan could be biggest step forward for the Salton Sea, officials say; Oroville goes to war over dam; Wine is big business in California, but how big might surprise you; A fix for California’s water situation?; Representative Jerry McNerney talks about his fight against Delta tunnels; Oroville Dam rebuilding project passes season’s midway point; Senator McGuire’s salmon restoration and protection resolution passes in the Senate
On the calendar today …
- The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets at 9am. Agenda items include consideration of adoption of the 2017 CVFPP Update, and an update on the status of the efforts of the state and Army Corps of Engineers to complete repairs of critical sites before this winter season. Click here for the agenda, meeting materials and webcast link.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Water Deeply Talks: Water and cannabis in California: “In our latest Water Deeply Talk, managing editor Tara Lohan, joined by expert guests Scott Greacen, executive director of Friends of the Eel River, and Water Deeply contributing editor Matt Weiser, spoke about cannabis production in California and how it affects water throughout the state. The heart of California’s marijuana production is in the “Emerald Triangle” – an area in the north made up of parts of Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. In these remote mountain areas, many illegal growers have leached chemicals into local waterways, harming fish and other wildlife. “We’ve seen black bears writhing in agony,” notes Greacen. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Water Deeply Talks: Water and cannabis in California
Tentative plan could be biggest step forward for the Salton Sea, officials say: “In just 128 days, mitigation water deliveries mandated by the 2003 water transfer will end. Meanwhile, the Salton Sea is expected to start receding at a much faster pace leaving thousands of acres of emissive playa exposed. Under the Quantification Settlement Agreement in which the State of California assumed responsibility to find a solution for the Salton Sea, the 2018 date to end mitigation water delivery was set to give the state enough time to come up with a solution. Nearly 15 years have passed and that promise has gone unfulfilled. Despite the overwhelming challenges ahead, local officials believe they are close to achieving a crucial win to mitigate the health and environmental woes caused by the decline of California’s largest lake. … ” Read more from the Imperial Valley Press here: Tentative plan could be biggest step forward for the Salton Sea, officials say
Oroville goes to war over dam: “The Oroville City Council fired off a critical letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, criticizing how the Department of Water Resources operates Oroville Dam and demanding a host of changes. The council, in a letter posted Wednesday on the FERC website, said the future of Lake Oroville and its downstream communities is “a social, economic and environmental justice issue that must be addressed.” The council noted that 24 percent of Oroville residents live in poverty, while “just downstream in Marysville, the poverty rate is nearly 29 percent.The benefits of the Oroville Dam project are significant throughout the state, providing water to 24 million people in California. But the extreme danger and burden of flood water is shouldered by our disadvantaged communities alone.” ... ” Read more from the Appeal-Democrat here: Oroville goes to war over dam
Wine is big business in California, but how big might surprise you: “While the harvest for grapes used in some sparkling wines already has begun, the majority of the state’s harvest will occur from now through October. The vines remain in need of a steady dose of hot days and cool nights to improve on the 2016 harvest, which set several records for production. … ” Read more from the OC Register here: Wine is big business in California, but how big might surprise you
A fix for California’s water situation? “The California Department of Water Resources announced that it has certified the environmental analysis of California WaterFix and approved the project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In addition to the certification, DWR also filed a “validation action” with the Sacramento County Superior Court to affirm the department’s authority to issue revenue bonds to finance the planning, design, construction and other capital costs of California WaterFix. A validation action is necessary to provide assurances to the financial community for the sale of the California WaterFix revenue bonds. … ” Read more from Benito Link here: A fix for California’s water situation?
Representative Jerry McNerney talks about his fight against Delta tunnels: “KRON4’s Catherine Heenan sat down with Congressman Jerry McNerney, who represents California’s 9th district. They talked about subjects ranging from President Trump, the transgender service ban, and his fight to protect the water and wildlife of California’s Delta region. Heenan began by asking Rep. McNerney about President Trump’s recent threat to shut down the federal government unless Congress provides funding for his promised border wall. … ” Read more from KRON here: Representative Jerry McNerney talks about his fight against Delta tunnels
Oroville Dam rebuilding project passes season’s midway point: “Crews rebuilding the Oroville Dam’s main spillway say their work is on schedule as the project passed the midway point for this year. Demolition and reconstruction of the gated flood control spillway began on May 19 and is slated to be finished by Nov. 1. Workers have finished excavations and preparation for the 2,270 feet of the spillway that will be done this year and are now placing reinforced, structural concrete, the state Department of Water Resources reports. ... ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Oroville Dam rebuilding project passes season’s midway point
Senator McGuire’s salmon restoration and protection resolution passes in the Senate: “The senate has approved a new resolution introduced by North Coast Senator Mike McGuire aimed at alleviating California’s salmon population collapse. Senate Joint Resolution 7 (SJR7) urges congress to approve a formal disaster declaration and funding package to assist thousands of struggling families that depend on a healthy salmon harvest for their livelihood. … ” Read more from KRCR here: Senator McGuire’s salmon restoration and protection resolution passes in the Senate
In commentary today …
Support bill to ensure safe drinking water: “In California, and especially the Central Valley, water is life. Six years of extreme drought emphasized the value of water for us all. One year of amazing record rainfall reminded us how precious life giving water is, as our fields were planted again and our parks and playgrounds turned green once again. So imagine, as a school board member, how shocked I was to learn in a 2017 report by the U.S. Water Alliance, that one in four Central California schools have been impacted by unsafe drinking water. No amount of rain will solve the water crisis for a million Californians exposed to contaminated drinking water. The State Water Resources Control Board reports that 300 water supply systems are delivering hazardous water below state and federal drinking water standards. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian here: Support bill to ensure safe drinking water
Taxing water won’t make it more affordable, says Mike Muir: He writes, “The San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies have an unyielding commitment to providing a safe and reliable water supply for 3.3 million people at a reasonable cost. For the San Diego region, that results in a constant, drought-resilient supply of water that meets rigorous state and federal quality standards. It’s not like that everywhere in California. Some rural, low-income communities face a different reality: their drinking water contains elevated levels of contaminants such as nitrates and arsenic. This public health issue and social justice challenge demands focused leadership by state officials to solve. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego here: Taxing water won’t make it more affordable
Tax water to provide clean water to Californians whose supply is contaminated, says Bill Monning and Tom Steyer: They write, “In 2012, California became one of the first states in the nation to establish access to clean, safe drinking water as a legal right. Yet five years later, far too many California residents, including children, are still exposed to contaminated water. The sixth largest economy in the world, California has more than 1 million people without access to safe drinking water. The burdens of pollution are borne disproportionately by rural, low-income communities and communities of color — people who can least afford to deal with it. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Tax water to provide clean water to Californians whose supply is contaminated
Safe water fund bill SB 623 deserves legislators’ support, says the Desert Sun: “Accessing clean, safe drinking water is as simple as opening the kitchen tap for most of us in California. Yet for as many as 2 million residents – including many of our neighbors in more rural, often lower-income areas of the eastern Coachella Valley — the Golden State’s 5-year-old stated policy that “every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water” is not the reality. California lawmakers have worked with a coalition of environmental and agricultural groups to hammer out Senate Bill 623 – the Safe and Affordable Drinking Water Fund – which would create a $100 million-plus annual fund to help small, rural water systems pay for ridding their water of toxins that can lead to birth defects and various cancers and exacerbate other health conditions. … ” Read more from The Desert Sun here: Safe water fund bill SB 623 deserves legislators’ support
DWR still making missteps with communication, says the Chico Enterprise-Record: They write, “It took a few months, but the state Department of Water Resources finally admitted to poor communication in the wake of the Lake Oroville spillway disaster. Now the state agency is back to its old ways — if it ever changed at all. DWR’s ham-handed approach to the public and even other government agencies was bothersome early on, but not surprising to anyone who has paid attention for a few years. This is a public agency prone to telling other public agencies not to talk to the public. From slapping a gag order on participants in a relicensing agreement 11 years ago to ordering workers not to talk to anyone about an accident at the Hyatt Powerplant under the dam eight years ago, DWR has established a pattern that didn’t change with this crisis. ... ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: DWR still making missteps with communication
In regional news and commentary today …
Water board warns Cambria CSD on plan to remove brine: “The regional water board said a plan to dispose of brine in Cambria’s impoundment basin wasn’t enough, meaning the district and its ratepayers could, potentially, face new fines. They haven’t reached that point yet, representatives on both sides said Thursday, and the board and Cambria’s services district are talking in hopes that: 1) The district can find a way to more quickly dispose of the brine in its impoundment basin and 2) That in doing so, it can avoid any financial penalties. … ” Read more from San Luis Obispo Tribune here: Water board warns Cambria CSD on plan to remove brine
Montecito District end water allocation, penalty program: “Feeling good after the winter’s rains, the Montecito Water District board of directors has decided to eliminate its allocation and penalty programs and downgrade to a Stage 2 water shortage emergency. The district suspended penalties in March for people who used more than their allocated amount of water in a billing cycle, but Wednesday’s action to approve Ordinance 95 officially ends the mandated conservation. Customers can use as much water as they want, as long as they pay for it. … ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Montecito District end water allocation, penalty program
Eastern Municipal Water District expedites meter upgrade program: “As part of its ongoing commitment to expand customer service options and better assist customers in monitoring their water use, Eastern Municipal Water District began expediting its meter upgrade program this month. Beginning August 2017, more than 5,000 water meters will be upgraded per month to smart meters, which will allow EMWD to assist customers in identifying potential leaks on their properties. With the expedited installation of the meters, EMWD anticipates having every meter replaced by the summer of 2019. EMWD had previously been replacing approximately 1,000 meters per month. … ” Read more from Valley News here: Eastern Municipal Water District expedites meter upgrade program
Water conservation is alive and well in San Diego, says Mark Muir: He writes, “Water conservation is already a way of life in San Diego County, and San Diego County Water Authority has a lot to do with that. But an op-ed in Water Deeply by Matt O’Malley of San Diego Coastkeeper didn’t give that impression. The truth is that Coastkeeper and the Water Authority share many goals, such as making our region more resilient to drought, but we sometimes disagree about the best way to accomplish them. Coastkeeper tends to support mandates by state regulators, whereas we advocate for decision-making at the local level to ensure alignment with local supply conditions and minimize unintended consequences. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Water conservation is alive and well in San Diego
Court upholds plan to pipe groundwater to Las Vegas Valley: “A federal judge has ruled in favor of the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s plans to tap groundwater in eastern Nevada, but he ordered federal regulators to first specify how they intend to address environmental damage from the massive pipeline project. In a written ruling handed down Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon upheld the Bureau of Land Management’s 2013 decision to grant a right of way for the roughly 300-mile network of pumps and pipes the authority eventually plans to use to deliver more water to Las Vegas. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here: Court upholds plan to pipe groundwater to Las Vegas Valley
Friday flight over Oroville …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
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.
