In California water news today, Toxic ashes and charred forests threaten water after North Bay fires; California’s unprecedented fire cleanup project begins; Repairs begin for levees that suffered critical damage this winter; Rebuilding Oroville spillway, with the rainy season just around the corner; Does California have enough water for marijuana hot spot in the desert?; Weak La Nina portends winter of weather uncertainty in California; As dams burst, Trump seeks to gut key safety regime; Trump’s inaction on climate change carries a big price tag, federal report finds
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Toxic ashes and charred forests threaten water after North Bay fires: “For many homeowners in Sonoma and Napa counties, nothing could have been more welcome than the splashing of rain that fell on Northern California last Thursday – the first significant precipitation in about five months. The rain helped put an end to the fires burning in the area, which first ignited on October 8, and have wreaked hellish destruction on Santa Rosa and other communities. However, the recent rain – and the precipitation to come in the months ahead – will bring considerable environmental impacts of their own, especially to the waterways, and even water treatment plants, downstream of destroyed forests and incinerated neighborhoods. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Toxic ashes and charred forests threaten water after North Bay fires
California’s unprecedented fire cleanup project begins: “Sonoma County residents who fled raging wildfires are gradually returning to their neighborhoods and government agencies are taking the first steps to restore their properties. This week federal hazardous waste crews will start conducting sweeps for things like propane tanks and refrigerators. The second step will be debris removal, which will be funded in part by homeowners’ insurance companies and government funds will cover the rest. Eric Lamoureux with California’s Office of Emergency Services said his office will remove an unprecedented amount of debris. … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: California’s unprecedented fire cleanup project begins
Repairs begin for levees that suffered critical damage this winter: “The California Department of Water Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers are repairing 30 sites that suffered “critical” damage this winter and are preparing to fix another 10. Still, there are 100 locations that have been tagged as “serious” that will not be addressed this year. “The contingency plan, what we’re going to do is really lean into flood-fighting,” said Jon Ericson with DWR. “Monitoring the situation to see if the condition is going to progress to something that may cause flooding in a local area.” … ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: Repairs begin for levees that suffered critical damage this winter
Rebuilding Oroville spillway, with the rainy season just around the corner: “November 1. That’s the deadline for the army of construction workers laboring to rebuild Oroville Dam’s main spillway to finish the first phase of the 18-month project — now expected to cost at least $500 million. This year’s work aims to ensure that the spillway is capable of handling large releases of water this winter, if necessary, and that the first step in reinforcing the erosion-prone slope serving as the dam’s emergency spillway is well underway. The result is a construction effort of vast scope and complexity. ... ” Read more from KQED here: Rebuilding Oroville spillway, with the rainy season just around the corner
Does California have enough water for marijuana hot spot in the desert? “On the farthest edge of California’s Mojave Desert, a tiny outpost known as Nipton has waited a century for its boom to come. First it was the promise of gold and silver riches from a handful of mining claims. Then came cattle ranching and a railroad stop on a new line between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Later, Las Vegas bloomed into a tourist mecca just across the state line, and Interstate 15 was built within 10 miles of Nipton – not close enough to swing the town’s fortunes. Today, Nipton has fewer than 20 residents and is still small enough to fit into the Dodger Stadium parking lot. Now a new moneymaker is coming to town: marijuana. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Does California have enough water for marijuana hot spot in the desert?
Weak La Nina portends winter of weather uncertainty in California: “Much of California could be in for a drier winter if the building consensus calling for a weak La Nina pattern turns out to be accurate, a National Weather Service meteorologist warns. The federal Climate Prediction Center issued its winter outlook on Oct. 19, noting that oceanic and atmospheric conditions appear to favor wetter-than-average conditions across the northern U.S. and drier weather across the South. For California, similar conditions early last fall led to one of the wettest seasons on record. But since 1950, only 10 percent of weak La Nina winters have been wet, noted Cindy Matthews, an NWS forecaster in Sacramento. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Weak La Nina portends winter of weather uncertainty in California
As dams burst, Trump seeks to gut key safety regime: “In Northern California, a string of “atmospheric rivers” rained down on the Oroville Dam last winter. The spillway at the nation’s tallest dam failed, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200,000 people. In Houston, Hurricane Harvey overwhelmed two dams in late August. “Get out now!” Harris County officials urged residents on Twitter as water overflowed spillways. In northwest Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria strained the 90-year-old Guajataca Dam. Spillway failure. 70,000 people ordered to evacuate. This year’s unrelenting weather has laid bare the shortcomings of the nation’s more than 90,500 dams, most of which are more than 50 years old. The vast majority — more than 87,000 — are owned by private entities, local governments or public utilities that are regulated by a patchwork of state agencies of widely varying strength. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: As dams burst, Trump seeks to gut key safety regime
Trump’s inaction on climate change carries a big price tag, federal report finds: “The Trump administration’s reluctance to confront climate change threatens to create a massive burden on taxpayers, as a lack of planning by federal agencies leaves the government ill-equipped to deal with the fallout from rising temperatures, according to independent congressional investigators. The report released Tuesday from the Government Accountability Office presents a bleak picture in which the economic costs of climate change spiral ever further upward in the coming decades. While the report finds that coordination among federal agencies in confronting climate change has long been inadequate, it now comes at a time when the White House is making an unprecedented retreat on environmental protection. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Trump’s inaction on climate change carries a big price tag, federal report finds
In commentary today …
With regulations, pot growers become almost like all other farmers, says the Chico Enterprise-Record: They write, “Few people welcome the heavy hand of government regulation, but if an industry ever needed it, California’s marijuana-growing business does. Supporters of legalization in California argued successfully to voters that marijuana should be regulated and taxed, just like any agricultural crop. That was the trade-off. While many growers were just fine with the lucrative black market arrangement, others sought legitimacy for growers and users. They’d give up some control and profit, and follow regulations, just so they could sell a legal product instead of an illegal one. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: With regulations, pot growers become almost like all other farmers
Floodplains adjacent to Sacramento River should be nature’s pantry, says Dale Hall: He writes, “Across the world and throughout history, people have settled next to rivers to take advantage of their water for transportation, fish and wildlife productivity, and the naturally fertile soils of adjacent floodplains. Floodplains should be thought of as nature’s pantry; they are among the most productive ecosystems in nature and provide the supply of nutrients and food resources necessary to keep rivers, and the many species dependent on them, healthy. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Floodplains adjacent to Sacramento River should be nature’s pantry
In regional news and commentary today …
DWR moves forward Lake Oroville recreational projects since spillway ramp closed: “The state Department of Water Resources continues to make progress on several recreational projects the Oroville Recreation Advisory Committee has wanted for years. DWR officials said previously they could push these proposals through more quickly because of the Oroville Dam crisis and all the attention that came with it. These undertakings are not obligatory for the department but rather to make up for the spillway boat launch ramp, the largest ramp on the lake, being out of commission until 2019 — if it reopens. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: DWR moves forward Lake Oroville recreational projects since spillway ramp closed
San Mateo: Levee heads towards permitting stage: “Foster City is striving to stay the course on a $90 million infrastructure project sparked by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s efforts to bolster coastal communities’ protections against flooding. Federal, state, county and city representatives have gathered with officials from regulatory agencies to discuss Foster City’s plans to raise the nearly 8-mile levee surrounding the Bayfront community. The city has hosted several of these “all-hands” meetings to discuss the complicated permitting and design process while trying to maintain a tight schedule, said Public Works Director Jeff Moneda. … ” Read more from the Daily Journal here: San Mateo: Levee heads towards permitting stage
Stanislaus River: Too much water might hurt salmon: “The next pressing water problem facing the Stanislaus River watershed is the potential for too much water flowing in the coming months when fish spawn. The National Marine Fisheries Service is seeking the South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s help to divert water off the Stanislaus River to reduce peak flows in December. That’s when steelhead and salmon spawn. ... ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Too much water might hurt salmon
And lastly …
Photo gallery: Ancient Trees: This Woman Spent 14 Years Photographing The World’s Oldest Trees: “In this collection of breath taking photographs, Beth Moon — a photographer based out of San Francisco — traveled all around the world to capture some of the most remarkable ancient trees that she could find.” Check it out here: Ancient Trees: This Woman Spent 14 Years Photographing The World’s Oldest Trees
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.
