DAILY DIGEST: El Nino, La Nina, or neither? That’s the question this winter for NorCal; How Las Vegas aims to be the next Silicon Valley for water innovation; State Water Board adopts cannabis cultivation policy; Oroville Dam flood plan calls for keeping the lake lower than usual; and more …

In California water news today, El Nino, La Nina, or neither? That’s the question this winter for Northern Californians; How Las Vegas aims to be the next Silicon Valley for water innovation; State Water Board adopts cannabis cultivation policy; Oroville Dam flood plan calls for keeping the lake lower than usual; District OKs smaller version of Delta water tunnel plan; Will the OC drink ocean water? Decisions on desalination plant could answer that; UCLA research puts wildfire risk into historic context; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • This evening at 7pm, JPL presents the lecture, Sink or Swim? Using Radar to Protect California’s Water Supply in Pasadena and on webcast.  Click here for more information.  (Note: This lecture repeats tomorrow.)

In the news today …

El Nino, La Nina, or neither? That’s the question this winter for Northern Californians:  “After suffering through the driest stretch of years in California history, and then suffering through the wettest spell on record this past winter, befuddled Californians have one question on their minds these days:  What’s next?  Will this winter bring another El Nino like the ones that dumped a ton or rain on California last year and back in 1997-98?  Or will the weather phenomenon developing in the Pacific as we speak instead bring us a La Nina like the one in 2007-08 that left much of The Golden State high and dry? ... ”  Read more from the Mercury News here:  El Nino, La Nina, or neither? That’s the question this winter for Northern Californians

How Las Vegas aims to be the next Silicon Valley for water innovation:  “Can the city of excess teach the world to thrive on less water? That’s the new goal.  In 2015, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval and his office of economic development dedicated $1.8 million to launch WaterStart, a think-tank and startup incubator organized to lure new businesses that would push the envelope on water-related technology. This year, the state doubled down on that investment with another $1.6 million awarded in July.  And the strategy has worked. WaterStart, with offices in Las Vegas, has lured 11 companies to the state through a competitive application process. Acting as a kind of startup incubator, WaterStart offers the winning applicants research grants, office space and networking opportunities. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  How Las Vegas aims to be the next Silicon Valley for water innovation

State Water Board adopts cannabis cultivation policy:  “The State Water Control Resources Board established new environmental standards Tuesday to protect the state’s waterways from agricultural runoff generated by a crop that’s expected to boom in the near future – cannabis.  Proposition 64, which passed in 2016, legalized recreational cannabis cultivation as well as possession and use of limited amounts of cannabis by adults over 21 years of age. Cannabis cultivation already causes impacts to water quality and fish and wildlife by diverting water or releasing fertilizers, pesticides, and sediments into rivers and streams. ... ” Read more from ACWA’s Water News here:  State Water Board adopts cannabis cultivation policy

Oroville Dam flood plan calls for keeping the lake lower than usual:  “A plan has been prepared for flood control operations this rainy season at Oroville Dam, which call for keeping the lake lower and aggressively releasing water if the water level rises above trigger points.  Up to now, the dam has been operated under rules drafted by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1970, which set a maximum lake surface elevation target of 848.5 feet above sea level for November through April, and 870.1 feet in May.  That leaves 750,000 acre-feet of space in the lake for flood waters most of the rainy season. The lake is considered full at 900 feet of elevation. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Oroville Dam flood plan calls for keeping the lake lower than usual

District OKs smaller version of Delta water tunnel plan:  “A Northern California water agency has voted for a stripped down, less costly version of Gov. Jerry Brown’s $16 billion project to build two massive water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  The Santa Clara Valley Water District’s board voted 7-0 Tuesday to adopt a set of principles endorsing a project with just one tunnel.  The San Jose Mercury News says the vote further throws the future of one of Brown’s major construction priorities into doubt.  Recently, the Westlands Water District in Fresno rejected the plan, but the huge Metropolitan Water District of Southern California voted to pay its share. … ”  Read more from US News & World Report here:  District OKs smaller version of Delta water tunnel plan

Will the OC drink ocean water? Decisions on desalination plant could answer that:  “A regulatory showdown that could set a precedent for large scale desalination plants throughout the state is expected to take place Thursday in Huntington Beach where a three-member commission will decide whether the hotly contested Poseidon ocean purification plant can move forward.  The three commissioners that sit on the State Lands Commission will decide whether to renew the lease held by Poseidon Water to use the pipes that once cooled the AES power plant on Newland Street in Huntington Beach. They also will determine whether an addendum to an existing 2010 environmental report is adequate, or a new environmental report is required. ... ”  Read more from the OC Register here:  Will the OC drink ocean water? Decisions on desalination plant could answer that

New bills ease funding and improve accounting for water:  “This was a busy year for water policy in the California Legislature. Governor Jerry Brown signed more than a dozen bills affecting the way we manage water. The bills cover a wide range of issues, from funding water infrastructure to reporting on new groundwater wells in overdrafted basins.  Paying for water emerged as a major theme in this year’s crop of water bills. Here’s a summary of newly signed bills: ... ”  Read more from the PPIC Blog here:  New bills ease funding and improve accounting for water

UCLA research puts wildfire risk into historic context:  “This month’s wildfires in Northern California have been the deadliest in United States history, with more than 40 deaths, hundreds still missing and widespread mandatory evacuations. One of the conditions that contributed to the enormous fires was the growing variation in climate and rainfall from year to year — a trend that could portend more and larger wildfires for the foreseeable future.  “Even more fires could be in store for the future as human activity continues to drive climate change,” said Glen MacDonald, a UCLA distinguished professor of geography and of ecology and evolutionary biology.  UCLA-led research, published Oct. 16 in PLOS One, finds that the American Southwest is experiencing an unprecedented climate state in which the variations in temperature and climate have been magnified. … ”  Read more from UCLA here:  UCLA research puts wildfire risk into historic context

In commentary today …

Pitching desalination as an environmental justice issue is way off base, says Ronald R. Gastelum:  He writes, “Development of water projects in California is hard enough without introducing ethnicity into the mix. Rarely, if ever, has a proposed water project been promoted as essential to meet the needs of a particular ethnic group, but that seems to be what some Latino advocacy organizations are claiming in support of a proposed seawater desalination plant in Huntington Beach.  Unfortunately, these groups are neglecting the basic fact that Orange County residents and businesses are treated equally by their water suppliers. As a Latino with a legal and managerial career in water supply that has extended over 35 years, including service as the CEO of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest supplier of water in Southern California, I can categorically say that they have their facts wrong, and their civil rights argument is misplaced. ... ”  Read more from the OC Register here:  Pitching desalination as an environmental justice issue is way off base

In regional news and commentary today …

Sacramento gives all clear, but questions remain:  “Twenty-four hours after residents complained of discolored water, the city of Sacramento gave the all clear.  The Sacramento Department of Utilities is now searching to figure out what happened.  “We’ll continue to investigate,” said director Bill Busath. “This is a mystery to us, as well as to everybody else.”  He told CBS13 calls started coming in from North Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon, saying their tap water looked purple. ... ”  Read more from CBS Sacramento here:  Sacramento gives all clear, but questions remain

Swimming returns to Pyramid Lake: With triple digit temperatures in store for the Santa Clarita Valley early next week, news that the “No Swimming” signs have been removed at Pyramid Lake could not have come at a better time.  On Wednesday, officials with the Department of Water Resources lifted their algal bloom caution advisory at Pyramid Lake in Los Angeles County. … ”  Read more from The Signal here:  Swimming returns to Pyramid Lake

Groundwater Authority to review draft grant application on Friday:  “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority (IWVGA) board of directors is scheduled to meet for its monthly board meeting on Thursday morning … Perhaps the most significant item on the IWVGA agenda is item 9(a), called, “Consider Approval of Proposition 1 Grant Application.” The Proposition 1 grant is a California state-funded grant that IWVGA hopes will fund its initial steps towards the goal of drafting a Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP). … ”  Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here:  Groundwater Authority to review draft grant application on Friday

BLM Oks Mojave Desert water pipeline, reversing Obama-era policy:  “The Trump administration has given the go-ahead for a project to siphon millions of gallons of water from an underground aquifer in the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California water districts.  Cadiz, the company in charge of building the 43-mile pipeline across federal land, hailed the decision while environmentalists fret the scope of the project could have devastating effects on the fragile and relatively pristine ecosystem of the Mojave.  In a letter to Cadiz, the Bureau of Land Management said it had removed legal hurdle implemented by the Obama administration, paving the way for the company to begin the project. ... ”  Read more from the Courthouse News Service here:  BLM Oks Mojave Desert water pipeline, reversing Obama-era policy

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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