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DAILY DIGEST: What’s next for the Delta tunnels? New fight: How to update old system; Stakeholders weigh in on who pays; San Francisco, Oakland sue major oil companies over rising seas; and more …

Maven
Daily Digest
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In California water news today, What’s next for the Delta tunnels now that a big chunk of its funding has disappeared?; New fight in California water wars: How to update the old system; Radio show: Stakeholders weigh in on who pays for California’s multi-million dollar project; Tunnel opponents file third lawsuit; Video: The carcinogen lurking in California’s drinking water; California establishes annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week; San Francisco, Oakland sue major oil companies over rising seas; and more …

On the calendar today …

In the news today …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

What’s next for the Delta tunnels now that a big chunk of its funding has disappeared?  “Shellshocked by an influential farm irrigation district’s refusal to help pay for the Delta tunnels, advocates of the $17.1-billion project were scrambling Wednesday to salvage it or conjure up a Plan B. Three possible options were floated by California water policymakers for reviving the proposal. All of them face substantial hurdles of their own.  Can the tunnels go forward? Here’s a look at the current state – and the immediate future – of the project dubbed California WaterFix by Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  What’s next for the Delta tunnels now that a big chunk of its funding has disappeared?

New fight in California water wars: How to update the old system:  “In California’s long-raging water wars, pitting north against south and farmer against city dweller, the one thing everybody agreed on Wednesday was that the outdated method of shipping water throughout the most populous state needs a serious upgrade.  A group of influential California farmers shook up the debate a day earlier, backing out of Gov. Jerry Brown’s $16 billion plan to build two massive water tunnels, re-engineering the delivery system. Westlands Water District in Fresno said it was too expensive and came with too few guarantees. ... ”  Read more from the AP via the News Tribune here:  New fight in California water wars: How to update the old system

Radio show: Stakeholders weigh in on who pays for California’s multi-million dollar project:  “Gov. Jerry Brown plans to build two water tunnels to central and Southern California, the state’s biggest water projects in the coming decades.  The cost of the project has ballooned to $17 billion. According to the L.A. Times, who should fund the massive project has become a contentious issue among water districts across the state.  And then there’s the environmental question. Many water agencies in Southern California, the main beneficiaries, support the planned tunnels. Opponents fear the tunnels will pose a threat to species upstream and produce unintended environmental damage.  Host Larry Mantle checks in on the latest economic ramification and environmental impact of the water tunnels.  Guests:  Bettina Boxall (LA Times), Jeffrey Kightlinger (Metropolitan), Cannon Michael (@agleader, Bowles Farming Company), and Adam Scow (Food and Water Watch). … ”  Listen to the radio show here:  Stakeholders weigh in on who pays for California’s multi-million dollar project

Tunnel opponents file third lawsuit:  “Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA) has filed its third lawsuit to stop the Delta Twin Tunnels, Sept. 15, in Sacramento Superior Court.  The Delta Tunnels project, sometimes called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) or California WaterFix, would divert water from the Sacramento River near Hood and carry it underground in twin 40-foot-diameter tunnels, 40 miles south to the export pumps near Tracy. STCDA, known for its “Stop the Tunnels” signs and T-shirts seen all over Discovery Bay, has been fighting the tunnel project for almost 11 years. … ”  Read more from the Brentwood Press here:  Tunnel opponents file third lawsuit

Video: The carcinogen lurking in California’s drinking water:  “Julia Roberts put chromium-6 (and Hinkley, California) on the map in 2000 with “Erin Brockovich,” a movie based on real events that told the story of a small town battling a corporate giant over water supplies contaminated with the carcinogen.  But it turns out there are more than 100 public water systems in California, serving a million people, that may have unsafe levels of chromium-6, which has been linked to a number of health conditions. But what constitutes a safe level of chromium-6 contamination is currently up for debate after a judge in May ruled that California did not properly write a 2014 regulation that sets a maximum contaminant level for the element.  We take a look at what that decision means – from a regulatory and health perspective – and what happens next.”  Watch video at Water Deeply here:  The carcinogen lurking in California’s drinking water

California establishes annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week:  “California’s first-ever Water Professionals Appreciation Week will launch Oct. 7 as part of a new annual designation intended to highlight the important role of water industry professionals and local public water agencies in ensuring safe and reliable water, wastewater, and recycled water in California.  As part of the designated week, local urban and agricultural water agencies are encouraged to organize programs and events that educate California water customers, local elected leaders, state and federal legislators, and other key audiences on the value of water and wastewater services and the important role that water professionals play in providing these services. It is also an opportunity to showcase careers in the water industry. … ”  Read more from ACWA’s Water News here:  California establishes annual Water Professionals Appreciation Week

San Francisco, Oakland sue major oil companies over rising seas:  “The cities of San Francisco and Oakland are suing some of the world’s largest oil companies over climate change, joining an emerging legal effort to hold the fossil fuel industry accountable for the damages wrought by rising seas.  The suits, filed separately in Superior Court in San Francisco and Alameda County and announced Wednesday, claim that a slate of oil, gas and coal producers not only caused the heat-trapping gases that drove sea level rise but knowingly did so, a challenge akin to litigation against big tobacco companies in the 1990s. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  San Francisco, Oakland sue major oil companies over rising seas

In commentary today …

Farmers rejected the Delta tunnels, but the battle ain’t over, says the Sacramento Bee.  Here’s what the Governor should do next:  They write, “Westlands Water District underscored a basic truth in rejecting a decade-long effort to construct a $17.1 billion twin tunnel project to transfer water from the Delta to farms and cities to the south and west: Without clear financing, the project will collapse.  But the vote by seven Westlands board members, representing 600 San Joaquin Valley farm owners, doesn’t end California’s water struggles. Gov. Jerry Brown, the project’s main proponent, could be forgiven if he walks away from the Delta. He shouldn’t. Whoever replaces Brown as governor after the 2018 election will be less knowledgeable on this slow-motion mess. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento  Bee here:  Farmers rejected the Delta tunnels, but the battle ain’t over. Here’s what the Governor should do next.

Now Governor Brown threatens to force us to pay for the tunnels? asks the San Jose Mercury News:  They write, “It’s over, governor.  The Westlands Water District’s 7-1 vote against helping to pay for Gov. Jerry Brown’s $17 billion Delta tunnels project Tuesday should be the death knell for an awful idea that will squander billions without accomplishing the “WaterFix” its name implies.  Westlands’ board concluded the obvious: The deal doesn’t pencil out and doesn’t guarantee the Central Valley district’s farmers a drop of additional water. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Now Governor Brown threatens to force us to pay for the tunnels?

Don’t count on demise of tunnels to stop state’s water grab, says the Modesto Bee:  They write, “We’re glad Westlands Water District voted against funding Gov. Jerry Brown’s twin tunnels. They don’t deserve to be built.  Yes, the Delta desperately needs fixing. Yes, salmon are losing ground in Northern California – a calamity tied to both climate change and how we all use the state’s limited water supplies.  But it would have been impossible for the governor to have kept all the promises he made in trying to sell his California WaterFix. And that is why Westlands’ directors voted 7-1 not to spend $4 billion to build Brown’s peripheral tunnels. … ”  Read more from the Modesto Bee here:  Don’t count on demise of tunnels to stop state’s water grab

In regional news and commentary today …

Kirkwood fined over wetlands contamination:  “Kirkwood Mountain Resort was fined $754,732 this July for contamination to a nearby creek discovered last spring.  Over the course of routine snow removal on an unpaved parking lot during the 2015-16 winter season, asphalt grindings were picked up in the snow and ultimately made their way into the wetlands around nearby Kirkwood Creek.  In a May 2016 letter to Vail Resorts, inspectors from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) expressed concerns about the impact the asphalt would have on the surface and ground water — and also charged the company with a Clean Water Act violation. … ”  Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here:  Kirkwood fined over wetlands contamination

Pure Water Soquel investigated by national expert panel for viability:  “Asked to take a first pass in assessing the viability of a Soquel Creek Water District purified wastewater plant, an expert panel voiced both encouragement and concern Wednesday.  The water district has invited a six-member Independent Advisory Panel, via the National Water Research Institute, to investigate its proposed Pure Water Soquel project. The project, which would call on the city of Santa Cruz to sell the district treated wastewater that would otherwise be piped into the ocean, is the leading contender among several projects the district is weighing to supplement its overtaxed groundwater supplies.  On Wednesday, the panel held a public question and answer session related to its Pure Water Soquel review. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here:  Pure Water Soquel investigated by national expert panel for viability

Thousand Oaks encourages residents to voice concerns with state about planned water hikes:  “Thousand Oaks officials are encouraging the city’s California American Water Co. customers to contact the state Public Utilities Commission with their concerns about a proposed three-year, 30.1 percent rate hike.  The move comes after the city failed to reach a settlement with the company about the planned steep increase.  The city this week created a section on its website addressing the issue, providing the commission’s telephone number, mailing address, email address and suggested talking points. The section can be found at http://www.toaks.org/calamwater. ... ”  Read more from the Ventura County Star here:  Thousand Oaks encourages residents to voice concerns with state about planned water hikes

Los Angeles:  Water officials to distill $17B California Water Fix at ‘Wet and Wonderful’ symposium:  “At a “Wet and Wonderful” symposium at Descanso Gardens Saturday, water officials will promote the necessity of California WaterFix — a $17-billion plan to reengineer the flow of Northern California water past the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into Central and Southern California.  The plan involves the installation of two underground tunnels that would bypass the environmentally delicate delta and move Sierra Nevada runoff from the Sacramento River through aqueducts to water districts southward to San Diego. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Water officials to distill $17B California Water Fix at ‘Wet and Wonderful’ symposium

They didn’t know the LA River was full of E. coli, but public officials did: “Earlier this month, about 150 people descended on an increasingly popular stretch of the Los Angeles River to paddle, splash and frolic in an annual boat race. But just days before, water quality tests taken upstream indicated the presence of harmful feces-borne bacteria 100 times the federal safety limit for swimming and recreation.  According to emails obtained by KPCC, at least five government agencies knew about the E. coli-tainted water in the days before the fourth annual L.A. River Boat Race on Sept. 9, but they did little to notify the general public or close the river to recreation. … ”  Read more from KPCC here:  They didn’t know the LA River was full of E. coli, but public officials did

More local water for Los Angeles could mean a drier Los Angeles River:  “Local leaders are working to make greater Los Angeles more reliant on local water in order to prepare for a hotter and more crowded future. A UCLA study published today is a reminder that achieving water independence would require a delicate balancing act — in particular for how the region manages the Los Angeles River.  The study, the most comprehensive analysis to date of integrated water management strategies for the river, is intended to guide local officials in planning for the river’s future. It considers the implications of Los Angeles increasing its use of reclaimed water, and the possible impact of diverting and collecting more stormwater than it currently does — including the question of whether those actions would leave enough river flow for residents’ recreational use and for plant and animal habitats. … ”  Read more from UCLA here:  More local water for Los Angeles could mean a drier Los Angeles River

USGS to report on status of Indian Wells Valley basin at IVWGA meeting:  “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) board of directors meets Thursday, Sept. 21 at Ridgecrest City Hall, 100 West California Ave. The agenda features a number of important topics including a plan of action, committee functions, and budgets. One major item listed on the agenda is a presentation by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) on the status of the IWV groundwater basin recharge study. … ”  Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here:  USGS to report on status of Indian Wells Valley basin at IVWGA meeting

And lastly …

Legislation passed for new green alternative to cremation: ‘water cremation’:  Apparently, cremation as well as traditional funeral practices aren’t too climate-friendly.  ” … Hence the growing popularity of a green alternative, known as water cremation, bio-cremation or flameless cremation. Basically, the body is dissolved in a hot chemical bath, leaving a sterile solution that can be flushed down the drain. The carbon footprint of this process is just a quarter of traditional fire cremation because it uses so much less energy; and only a sixth of a burial because it doesn’t require the materials for concrete headstones, mahogany caskets or the chemicals used in embalming. … ”  Read the whole article here: Legislation passed for new green alternative to cremation: ‘water cremation’

Precipitation watch …

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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