DAILY DIGEST: Central Basin stalls Water Fix vote; State: More than 99% of sustainable groundwater agencies have been formed; California needs to invest billions for flood protection; and more …

In California water news today, 5-2 vote stalls Central Basin’s decision on Delta tunnels project, citing need for more information; State: More than 99% of sustainable groundwater agencies have been formed; California needs to invest billions for flood protection; Video: Toxic Taps: A young California mayor fights for clean water; Massive sensor network helps scientists monitor mountain water resources; and more …

In the news today …

5-2 vote stalls Central Basin’s decision on Delta tunnels project, citing need for more information:  “In a 5 to 2 vote, the Central Basin Water Agency board decided Aug. 28 to postpone a decision on the Delta Tunnels project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  Citing the many unknowns regarding the rate impacts of the project, estimated to cost $25 billion, the Central Basin board members said they needed more information on how it would affect ratepayers in southeast Los Angeles County, which includes Compton, Willowbrook, Carson, and Lynwood.  In an editorial, the Compton Herald opposed the tunnels project citing an unfair burden on local taxpayers who would not benefit from one drop of additional water from the excavation of tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. ... ”  Read more from the Compton Herald here:  5-2 vote stalls decision on Delta tunnels project, citing need for more information

State: More than 99% of sustainable groundwater agencies have been formed:  “In what the state is billing as “a major step toward sustainable groundwater management in California,” more than 99 percent of the state’s groundwater basins have met a key deadline in reporting groundwater pumping.  According to the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014, key stakeholders of the state’s 127 high- and medium-priority groundwater basins were required to form a Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) to manage groundwater pumping. The deadline for formation of the GSAs was June 30, and as of this week, more than 99 percent had been formed. … ”  Read more from The Business Journal here:  State: More than 99% of sustainable groundwater agencies have been formed

California needs to invest billions for flood protection:  “Tropical Storm Harvey has dumped 15 trillion gallons of water on southeastern Texas. Scientists warn that with climate change, future storms will be wetter and more intense – that includes in California. The state will see more rain than snow, straining an aging Central Valley flood protection system.  “From a cost perspective, we’re talking about having more water move through our systems earlier in the season, and in a shorter time period, which has really significant fiscal impacts on how we would manage the system and what we would design to handle those flows,” says Mike Mierzwa, lead flood management planner with the California Department of Water Resources. ... ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here:  California needs to invest billions for flood protection

Video: Toxic Taps: A young California mayor fights for clean water: At 23, José Gurrola is the youngest mayor of Arvin, a town of about 20,000 at the southern end of California’s San Joaquin Valley. The community faces economic and environmental challenges, including drinking water that contains unsafe levels of arsenic and the newly regulated carcinogen 1,2,3-TCP.  Gurrola shares what inspired him to get into politics at the age of 19 and why the fight for clean drinking water is central to the town’s future.”  Watch video at Water Deeply here:  Video: Toxic Taps: A young California mayor fights for clean water

Massive sensor network helps scientists monitor mountain water resources:  “Scientists from the Sierra Nevada Research InstituteUC MercedUC Berkeley and the USDA Agricultural Research Service have designed the first ever wireless sensor network (WSN) capable of accurately monitoring the hydrology of large mountain river basins. The new system is detailed in two papers just published in the journal Water Resource Research.  Deployed and tested in the American River basin on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, the new WSN represents a significant improvement over existing systems. It allows for vastly improved predictions of mountain water supplies, which had long been based on very limited measurements of precipitation, snowpack and water stored as soil moisture. ... ” Read more from the Sierra Sun Times here:  Massive sensor network helps scientists monitor mountain water resources

In regional news and commentary today …

Nevada Irrigation District can’t have it both ways, says Otis Wollan:  He writes, “NID can’t have it both ways. The District simply can’t promise locals that Centennial Dam water will be used within the District to secure the local water supply and then turn around and offer to sell the water to the Central Valley Project/State Water Project (CVP/SWP). But that is exactly what is happening. Two recent actions by NID call to question their purpose and intentions for the water behind Centennial Dam. … ”  Read more from YubaNet here:  Nevada Irrigation District can’t have it both ways

West Marin creek project aims to help endangered fish:  “Swaths of floodplain are being reinvigorated by human hands and heavy machinery this summer along Lagunitas Creek with a goal of creating more habitat for endangered fish.  It’s the largest habitat enhancement project in the Lagunitas Creek watershed put into place largely for the benefit of federally endangered coho salmon as well as threatened steelhead trout. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: West Marin creek project aims to help endangered fish

Reducing San Joaquin flooding:  “The San Joaquin River flowing between its confluence with the Stanislaus River south of Manteca to where the Old River channels splits off just beyond the new river overcrossing in Lathrop is essentially a tourniquet.  The State Department of Water Resources’ Regional Flood Atlas pegs the San Joaquin Rover capacity between those two points at 37,000 cubic feet per second. That compares with 52,000 cubic feet per second flow capacity on either side of those points. … ”  Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here:  Reducing San Joaquin flooding

Annual water release taking place from Cachuma Lake through the Santa Ynez Valley:  “A water release has begun from Cachuma Lake downstream in the Santa Ynez River.  About two weeks ago the river was dry.   The release is an annual process. It is requested by the Santa Ynez Valley Water Conservation District.  The water will flow for about two to three months.  Eventually it will reach the Lompoc Valley.  Along the way it will fill underground wells and help farmers manage their water needs. ... ”  Read more from KEYT here: Annual water release taking place from Cachuma Lake through the Santa Ynez Valley

Cross-border sewage spill?  No, the flow came from the U.S. side:  “But four days after the incident occurred, the group Monday issued a rare retraction.  The initial report by the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission told of a 212,000-gallon spill from Mexico into the Tijuana River channel.  The flow “was the result of a U.S. discharge,” Steve Smullen, San Diego operations manager for the commission, said in an email. The commission is the U.S. branch of a binational agency charged with monitoring and reporting any renegade flows into the Tijuana River channel. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Cross-border sewage spill?  No, the flow came from the U.S. side

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

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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.

 

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