DAILY DIGEST: Oroville Dam repairs could top $500 million; CA’s groundwater basins get new ‘pilots’; CVP reservoirs start with comfortable carryover; With drought a fading memory, water use rises; Photo gallery: What the wildfires leave behind; and more …

In California water news today, Oroville Dam repairs could top $500 million; California’s groundwater basins get new ‘pilots’ – and in some cases, several; CVP reservoirs start with comfortable carryover; With drought a fading memory, water use rises; CDFA’s Karen Ross: Water and labor are big issues for California; Flood control plan calls for further drawdown of Lake Oroville; Winter will be warmer than usual, and not as wet, forecasters say; Photo gallery: What the wildfires leave behind: Getting a closer look at the devastation in California; and more …

On the calendar today …

In the news today …

Oroville Dam repairs could top $500 million:  “The costs to repair the nation’s tallest dam after a nearly catastrophic failure of the spillways will top $500 million, nearly double the original estimate of $275 million, a California Department of Water Resources official said Thursday.  The $500 million figure reflects only the work by the main construction contractor, Kiewit Corp., to repair the spillways at the 770-foot Oroville Dam, said Erin Mellon, a spokeswoman for the state water agency. It excludes the costs of other contractors and the emergency response in the immediate aftermath of the spillway failure, which prompted fears of massive flooding. Nearly 200,000 were ordered to evacuate, but disaster was averted. … ”  Read more from US News & World Report here:  Oroville Dam repairs could top $500 million

California’s groundwater basins get new ‘pilots’ – and in some cases, several:  “Imagine trying to fly a plane while it’s still being built. Impossible, right? Yet, this is how one presenter at a recent Groundwater Resources Association meeting described the challenge that lies ahead for many newly formed agencies responsible for managing groundwater basins in California.  For local agencies involved in managing groundwater, the past few years haven’t been easy ones. But not just because the state was gripped by extreme drought. A new state law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of 2014, required local agencies, in consultation with groundwater users, to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) before June 30, 2017. Otherwise, the state could step in. … ”  Read more from Stanford News here:  California’s groundwater basins get new ‘pilots’ – and in some cases, several

CVP reservoirs start with comfortable carryover:  “What a difference a year makes.  Federal water storage among California’s Central Valley Project (CVP) reservoirs started the 2017 water year with 8.9 million acre feet, nearly twice held in the same six key reservoirs scattered about the state a year earlier.  This is 145 percent of the 15-year average carryover of 6.2 million acre feet, still a “safe level” with respect to flood control or the possibility of a dry winter, according to David Murillo, regional director for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  CVP reservoirs start with comfortable carryover

With drought a fading memory, water use rises:  “In the months after Gov. Jerry Brown declared an end to California’s five-year drought, water use in the state has risen, though not as much as it was before the dry spell took hold. But as California emerges from a second straight summer of increased water use, experts say those savings — no longer mandated by the state — are fragile. And keeping them up will be critical to preparing for the next dry spell.  This summer, the first since the state’s record winter rains, posed a test for communities: Now that the pressure’s off, can they keep saving water? The answer depends on where you ask the question. … ”  Read more from KPCC here:  With drought a fading memory, water use rises

CDFA’s Karen Ross: Water and labor are big issues for California:  “Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, spoke to California Ag Today recently about the two big challenges regarding California agriculture.  “[The] two biggest challenges we have are labor and water. Some days, labor’s number one and water’s number two, but they’re both always right up there,” she said.Ross spoke at the recent California Citrus Conference in Visalia.  “I think for the future, water is very key to how we’ll grow. I think it’s important for people to think about how we farm in this state,” she said. “We farm to extremely high environmental standards, and extremely high labor standards. Those are responsibilities that we have taken on. I certainly hope that people will continue to buy California to reward that kind of stewardship, because it comes with a price.” ... ”  Read more from Cal Ag Today here:  CDFA’s Karen Ross: Water and labor are big issues for California

Flood control plan calls for further drawdown of Lake Oroville:  “State water officials are sticking with their plan to lower Lake Oroville to below 700 feet in elevation this winter to accommodate reconstruction of the dam.  A flood operations plan for the winter and spring calls for the lake to be drawn down to 700 feet by Nov. 1 and for releases to continue thereafter so that crews can complete an underground cut-off wall for the emergency spillway by January, officials said.  The lake’s surface was at 701 feet on Oct. 18, compared to the average 780 feet elevation maintained in mid-autumn in previous years, according to the Department of Water Resources. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here:  Flood control plan calls for further drawdown of Lake Oroville

Winter will be warmer than usual, and not as wet, forecasters say:  “Winter will soon be here.  But winter-like precipitation and temperatures aren’t likely in Southern California this season, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its 2017 winter outlook report.  The report indicated the winter could bring a La Niña condition — in which the Southern tier of the country, including Southern California, could receive temperatures above normal while also getting below-average precipitation — from December to February. ... ”  Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here:  Winter will be warmer than usual, and not as wet, forecasters say

Photo gallery:  What the wildfires leave behind: Getting a closer look at the devastation in California:  “California native Stuart Palley remembers when Laguna Canyon burned in 1993 when he was a young child. He remembers when he was a teenager and ash from a nearby fire covered the floor of his school’s Halloween dance. He remembers when he was assigned to cover a brush fire in Riverside County by a local newspaper nearly a decade later — the first time he photographed a fire.  “It’s always been on the periphery of my life,” said the Orange County-based photojournalist who estimates he has now photographed 70 wildfires in his career and whose project “Terra Flamma: Wildfires at Night” has received international recognition. ... ”  Read more from the Washington Post here:  Photo gallery:  What the wildfires leave behind: Getting a closer look at the devastation in California

In regional news and commentary today …

Napa County wildfires bring wildfire challenges:  “Napa County’s recent spate of wildfires is that rare case when fire can hurt water.  Communities must deal with potentially water-fouling ash and erosion in coming months. The city of Napa, Calistoga, Yountville and the Veterans Home of California at Yountville all saw fires burn up to the shores of their reservoirs.  Though none of the communities is without drinking water, the situation could at the very least pose water treatment challenges as the rainy season kicks in, officials said.  “It’s always a concern when you have a fire in a runoff area,” Calistoga Public Works Director Mike Kirn said Wednesday. ... ”  Read more from the Napa Register here:  Napa County wildfires bring wildfire challenges

North Valley Recycled Water project passes last milestone:  “The pipeline that will carry recycled water from wastewater treatment plants in Modesto, Turlock and, to a lesser degree, Ceres, to the Delta-Mendota Canal passed its final major milestone on Saturday.  The $100 million North Valley Regional Recycled Water Program is the result creative thinking followed by years of discussions and negotiations, and required the cooperation of dozens of agencies along the way.  In simplest terms, water will be piped underground from wastewater treatment plants in Modesto and Turlock to the Delta Mendota Canal, passing under the San Joaquin River in the process. … ”  Read more from the Tracy Press here:  North Valley Recycled Water project passes last milestone

Santa Barbara County officials chasing millions in grants for stormwater resource projects:  “Santa Barbara County officials are scrambling to receive public input on a stormwater resources plan as the window for grants to fund the program threatens to slam shut.  “We anticipate the next round of grant implementation grant funding to come out next fall,” the county’s Water Resources Program Manager Matt Young told the Sun, “so our goal is to have this plan in place with a list of projects ready to go so all the cooperating entities can chase grant funding at that time.” … ”  Read more from the Santa Maria Sun here:  Santa Barbara County officials chasing millions in grants for stormwater resource projects

Treasure or toxin? Failed artificial reef made off SoCal coast is being removed after decades:  “One person saw it as a treasure, a place that could possibly help restore kelp and create a thriving underwater haven for fish to live.  To others, it was simply trash — a dump of old toxic tires and plastics that have been underwater for way too long.  Workers this week are pulling up and hauling away an estimated 1,000 tires that were dropped into the ocean off Newport Beach in the late ’80s, a hotly contested artificial reef experiment between the Newport Harbor entrance and the Balboa Pier. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Treasure or toxin? Failed artificial reef made off SoCal coast is being removed after decades

Proposed Huntington Beach desal plant clears a hurdle with the State Lands Commission:  “A proposed Huntington Beach seawater desalination plant passed a major regulatory hurdle Thursday when a marathon session at City Hall concluded with an endorsement from the California State Lands Commission.  After more than four hours of public comment, the three-member panel unanimously approved amendments to a 2010 environmental impact report on Poseidon Water’s $1-billion project.  The additions, recommended by commission staff, are expected to make the proposed plant at Pacific Coast Highway and Newland Street less harmful to ocean life and ensure its compliance with the California Ocean Plan, passed in 2015. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Proposed Huntington Beach desal plant clears a hurdle with the State Lands Commission

Interior greenlights desert water project, prompting call for investigation:  “Last week, the Interior Department sent a letter to Cadiz Inc. that the company long had hoped to receive.  For years, the renewable resource company had been trying to build a drinking-water pipeline between land it owned over an aquifer in the Mojave Desert and thirsty residents of Southern California. To help get the go-ahead from the federal government, it hired the law and lobbying firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck to help grease the wheels in Washington.  But in 2015, Cadiz’s effort sputtered when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), an agency within Interior, said the company would have to obtain permission from the government to build the 43-mile pipeline along an existing railroad. ... ” Read more from the Washington Post here:  Interior greenlights desert water project, prompting call for investigation

Water managers seek certainty in the Colorado Basin:  “Bringing more certainty to an unruly and unpredictable Colorado River system was a common theme among water managers speaking at the Colorado River District’s annual seminar September 15.  Although the drought that has gripped much of the Colorado River Basin for the past 16 years has eased up a bit, population growth and the long dry spell have pushed the river’s supplies to the limit, with every drop of water in the system now accounted for.  Meanwhile, the effects of climate change on the Colorado’s future flows are still a big question mark, and it could mean wide variability in the years to come, with periods of punishing drought followed by a sudden record-setting wet year, as California recently experienced. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Water managers seek certainty in the Colorado Basin

Precipitation watch …

Much needed fire relief in North Bay today, but new ridge and record SoCal heat on the way:  “October 2017 will be a month not soon forgotten by many thousands of California residents living in the coastal counties just north of San Francisco. Late in the evening on October 8th, a cluster of extremely fast-moving, wind-driven wildfires roared across Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino counties (as well as Butte County further north and east)–together burning well over 200,000 acres, destroying nearly 6,000 structures, and claiming the lives of at least 42 people. ... ”  Read more from the California Weather Blog here:  Much needed fire relief in North Bay today, but new ridge and record SoCal heat on the way

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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