DAILY DIGEST: Environmentalists sue Trump Administration over Cadiz desert water project; With winter weather underway, most reservoirs are in good shape; Harrowing wildfire season ends, but political debate rages on; Auditor to present cost overruns for Delta project; and more …

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In California water news today, Environmentalists sue Trump Administration over Cadiz desert water project; With winter weather underway, most reservoirs are in good shape; Harrowing wildfire season ends, but political debate rages on; Auditor to present cost overruns for Delta project; Big California dam’s new spillway already has cracks in it; and more …

In the news today …

Environmentalists sue Trump Administration over Cadiz desert water project:  “Environmental groups are suing the Trump administration over its decision supporting a company’s plan to pump up to 16.3 billion gallons of groundwater each year from a Mojave Desert aquifer and build a pipeline to sell that water to Southern California cities.  Conservationists say the plan proposed by Los Angeles-based Cadiz Inc. would threaten natural springs and wildlife in Mojave Trails National Monument, which surrounds Cadiz’s land, 75 miles northeast of Palm Springs. Company officials disagree. … ”  Read more from the Desert Sun here:  Environmentalists sue Trump Administration over Cadiz desert water project

Lawsuit seeks to block California desert water project:  “Environmental activists sued Tuesday to halt a plan to pump water from beneath the Mojave Desert and sell it to Southern California cities and counties.  The lawsuit takes aim at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management for allowing Cadiz Inc. to build a 43-mile pipeline to transfer the water from its desert wells into the Colorado River Aqueduct so it can be sold to water districts.  The BLM released guidelines during the Obama administration to block construction of the pipeline along an existing federal railroad right of way, but the Trump administration reversed them this year and the project is on a priority infrastructure list. … ”  Read more from ABC 7 here:  Lawsuit seeks to block California desert water project

With winter weather underway, most reservoirs are in good shape:  “California’s wettest months of the year are still to come, but the state’s largest water reservoirs already appear to be in decent shape.  As of Nov. 27, most of California’s major reservoirs were above their historical averages for this time of year, according to the Department of Water Resources. The reservoirs received a significant boost during the 2017 water year, one of the wettest on record following a five-year dry spell. ... ”  Read more from NBC LA here:  With winter weather underway, most reservoirs are in good shape

Harrowing wildfire season ends, but political debate rages on:  “Lawmakers are under more pressure to act after a wildfire season that was particularly harrowing. Nearly 9 million acres – an area about the size of New Jersey and Connecticut combined – burned. Intense smoke hit many of the West’s major cities, including Denver, the San Francisco Bay Area and Portland.  The devastating California wine country fire, which killed 43 and destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and other buildings, competed for national attention with the hurricanes that hit Houston, Florida and Puerto Rico.  “What’s made it different this year is that it’s now clear that the fires are bigger and hotter and more powerful,” said Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon. He’s a central figure in the congressional fight over wildfire funding and forest policy. ... ”  Read more from Capital Press here:  Harrowing wildfire season ends, but political debate rages on

Auditor to present cost overruns for Delta project:  “A state auditor is scheduled to speak Thursday during a public meeting regarding the proposed WaterFix project for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  The auditor will present to the public findings of cost overruns uncovered by a recent audit, additionally the Department of Water Resources (DWR) officials will respond to audit findings.  The town hall from 10 a.m. to noon at the Jean Harvie Community Center — 14273 River Road, Walnut Grove — is hosted by Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Solano, Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Solano and other legislators who represent the Delta region. ... ”  Read more from The Recorder here:  Auditor to present cost overruns for Delta project

Cracks found on Oroville Dam not a concern, state says:  “Several small cracks have been discovered on the Oroville Dam’s newly rebuilt concrete spillway, prompting federal regulators to express concern about the $500 million construction project under way at the troubled facility.  But state water officials said Tuesday that the series of millimeter-wide cracks on the surface of the main spillway pose no structural problems for the nation’s tallest dam. Such tiny fissures, officials said, commonly develop after massive amounts of concrete are poured.  “These cracks are not abnormal nor do they cause a concern,” Erin Mellon, spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources, said in an email. … ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  Cracks found on Oroville Dam not a concern, state says

Big California dam’s new spillway already has cracks in it:  “Small cracks have appeared in a new concrete spillway at Oroville Dam, a development state officials say was expected but an engineering expert says could lead to serious safety issues.  In a previously undisclosed October letter, federal regulators asked Department of Water Resources officials to explain the hairline cracks on the dam’s new massive concrete flood-control chute, KQED radio of San Francisco reported Tuesday. … ”  Read more from the AP here:  Big California dam’s new spillway already has cracks in it

In commentary today …

We need water agencies and irrigation boards to work well together, says the Appeal Democrat:  They write, “For now, at least, a significant rift between an irrigation district and a water agency has been bridged. We’re not sure that a sizable percentage of our citizenry is tuned in on how important that is. Take our word for it: it’s important in this water- and agriculture-based economy of ours.  The Yuba County Water Agency and Cordua Irrigation District settled a couple ongoing disputes.  YCWA is paying $675,000 to Cordua to resolve a 2015 lawsuit, according to a report in the Tuesday edition, and both sides agreed to dismiss respective claims. The agreement also settles how much Cordua owed the agency for water deliveries in 2016 while the irrigation district was not under contract with the agency. … ”  Read more from the Appeal-Democrat here:  We need water agencies and irrigation boards to work well together

Staving off ecological disaster at the Salton Sea:  Frank Ruiz writes, “In a mere seven weeks, hundreds of thousands of California residents will face a major deadline affecting the health of their families and their communities. On Dec. 31, water deliveries that have been staving off ecological disaster at the Salton Sea for 15 years will come to a halt, leaving an uncertain future for the entire region.  Here’s how we got here: In 2003, California struck a deal to divert a large amount of water from Imperial Valley farms to cities. Knowing this transfer would cause the level of the Salton Sea to drop — generating dust and massive habitat destruction — the agreement required the Imperial Irrigation District to put water into the sea for 15 years while the state implemented restoration projects. … ”  Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here:  Staving off ecological disaster at the Salton Sea

In regional news and commentary today …

Expected flooding to limit Mill Valley’s Manzanita parking lot:  “Caltrans will close part of the Manzanita Park-and-Ride lot in Southern Marin beginning Thursday for one week to prevent cars from flooding as has occurred in previous years.  The agency is expecting high tides, which can send bay water sweeping into parts of the lot at the junction of Highway 101 and Shoreline Highway.  Crews will close off the lower part of the lot closest to the bay, as well as some spaces along Highway 1. In all, about 75 of the 300-plus spaces will be cordoned off.  The agency’s maintenance division has electric signs at the lot to notify the public of the closures. … ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Expected flooding to limit Mill Valley’s Manzanita parking lot

Huge new Bay Area open space preserve opens to public on Friday:  “For the past 175 years, it’s been a Mexican land grant, a dairy farm, a hideout for members of Jesse James’ outlaw gang, an oil field, a redwood logging mill, a cattle ranch and a retreat for heirs to the Weyerhaeuser lumber and Folgers coffee fortunes.  Now, this scenic 6,142-acre expanse in rural San Mateo County — with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean — will finally be opened to the public. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Huge new Bay Area open space preserve opens to public on Friday

Higher than expected number of chinook salmon return to the Sacramento River:  “It appears this is an average year for the number of fall-fun Chinook Salmon returning to spawn in the American River.  The numbers were expected to be much lower because of high water temperatures and predators when the fish were juveniles heading to the ocean during the drought.  Efforts to help salmon populations in recent years include releases of cold water during the beginning and end of the salmon’s life cycle and the rehabilitation of 30 acres of American River spawning ground with 100,000 tons of gravel. … ”  Read more from Capital Public Radio here:  Higher than expected number of chinook salmon return to the Sacramento River

Los Banos dairy farmer could face charges for dumping animal waste:  “The state department of fish and game claim Dennis Areias pumped thousands of gallons of animal wastewater into a ditch connected to Salt Slough.  However, Areias says torrential rain put his livestock in danger and he needed to drain the water fast.  The state claims Areais dumped more than 300 thousand gallons of cow waste from his dairy farm across the road, into this ditch that they say ultimately deposits water into the San Joaquin River. … ”  Read more from KFSN here:  Los Banos dairy farmer could face charges for dumping animal waste

Record Breaker:  Kern County banks more groundwater than ever before:  “ The winter and spring of 2017 will be remember as a string of wet months in California. There was so much precipitation this year that Governor Jerry Brown declared the statewide years-long drought over. Possibly area of the state benefited more from all that rain and snow than Kern County.  “In the Kern Banking Fam alone we’ve brought in more than 900,000 acre feet as of October 31st,” said Holly Melton, Water Resources Manager for the Kern County Water Agency. ... ”  Read more from Bakersfield Now here:  Record Breaker:  Kern County banks more groundwater than ever before

Monsanto fails to shake city of San Diego in water pollution lawsuit:  “The city of San Diego recently cleared a major legal hurdle in its effort to force chemical giant Monsanto to pay tens of millions to clean up local waterways polluted with a class of cancer-linked chemicals, known as polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs.  Federal and state regulators have in recent years tightened standards for cleaning up PCBs in bays, rivers and creeks. As a result, municipalities, such as San Diego, have shelled out millions to contain or get rid of the toxins.  ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here:  Monsanto fails to shake city of San Diego in water pollution lawsuit

Increased homeless population along San Diego river hampers water quality:  “Volunteer Paul Bareno’s yellow shirt makes him easy to see as he helps clean up a stretch of San Diego riverbed.  “We were here, I’m guessing, we were here about two months ago, maybe less. And we got it pretty clean. Yeah we hit the same amount of places regularly,” said Bareno.  There is plenty to clean up. There are clothes, food wrappers and at one campsite, long strips of yellow plastic tubing that’s supposed to be a temporary sandbag. None of it is surprising. … ”  Read more from KPBS here:  Increased homeless population along San Diego river hampers water quality

Along the Colorado River and elsewhere …

Threatened snake thought long gone from Colorado River reappears:  “A threatened snake that hasn’t been seen along the lower Colorado River in a century has apparently repopulated an area south of Lake Havasu City.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife service spokesman Jeff Humphrey said Tuesday that biologists first spotted the northern Mexican gartersnake along the Bill Williams River in west-central Arizona. They later discovered it on the Colorado River at the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge.  Officials believe the water-loving snake repopulated the area because of habitat improvements that are part of the lower Colorado River conservation program. It was found in 2015 in Beal Lake, a marshy habitat on the Havasu refuge. … ”  Read more from US News & World Report here:  Threatened snake thought long gone from Colorado River reappears

Attorney rebuffs Colorado’s threat of sanctions in Colorado River case:  “A Denver attorney representing the Colorado River Ecosystem in a bid for “personhood” is facing possible sanctions for refusing to drop the case.  Jason Flores-Williams, a criminal defense attorney, gained national attention in 2016 for a class-action lawsuit against Denver challenging its sweeps of homeless camps.  In September this year, Flores-Williams sued Colorado on behalf of the environmental group Deep Green Resistance, asking that the Colorado River ecosystem be granted personhood in the same way a ship, an ecclesiastic corporation or a commercial corporation have it for purposes of constitutional protection and enforcement. … ”  Read more from the Courthouse News Service here:  Attorney rebuffs Colorado’s threat of sanctions in Colorado River case

Creative solutions to save vital Arizona river:  “The signature mantra of water law in the western United States – “use it or lose it” – is ingrained in just about every farmer’s brain. The phrase stems from state laws that say if a water right is not put to beneficial use the state can take it back. The traditional thinking, said Kevin Hauser, a farmer who has lived in the Verde valley of central Arizona for nearly half a century, “is divert all you can and use all you can.”  So, many irrigators in the Verde valley were understandably suspicious when a hydrologist from Oregon named Kim Schonek arrived in 2008, tasked by the Nature Conservancy (TNC) to protect the Verde River and its rich diversity of plants and animals. Rumors circulated around the community that TNC was out to get their water and put it back in the river. ... ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Creative solutions to save vital Arizona river

Seeking the source of the vanishing Great Salt Lake:  “The Great Salt Lake in Utah is roughly the same area as 75 Manhattans. It feeds and houses millions of birds of hundreds of species, provides the namesake of Utah’s capital city and some credit it for the state’s trademarked claim to “the greatest snow on earth.”  And it’s vanishing.  Since 1847, the volume of water in the lake has dropped nearly 50 percent. More recently, the change has been so dramatic, you can see it from space. In 2016, the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest levels in recorded history. … ”  Read more from the New York Times here:  Seeking the source of the vanishing Great Salt Lake

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• California Water Plan Update 2018: Envisioning Statewide Water Sustainability
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Reclamation announces CVP long-term operations biological opinions biennial science review; Sustainable groundwater management criteria public meetings
• NEWS WORTH NOTING, Cadiz edition: Lawsuit Challenges Trump Administration’s OK of Cadiz project; Cadiz, Inc. issues statement; Senator Feinstein weighs in

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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.