DAILY DIGEST: Cracks, clogged drains, broken valves among the litany of problems at California dams; Silicon Valley wants to solve our water problems; Dry spell continues in Northern California: Are we headed back into drought territory?; and more …

In California water news today, Cracks, clogged drains, broken valves among the litany of problems at California dams; ‘These things add up.’ Could recurring problems compromise safety of California dams?; See the inspection reports for important dams in your region; Silicon Valley wants to solve our water problems; Dry spell continues in Northern California: Are we headed back into drought territory?; In a warming California, a future of more fire; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board meets today.  Click here for the agenda.

In the news today …

Cracks, clogged drains, broken valves among the litany of problems at California dams:  “Cracked concrete. Plugged drains. Unchecked tree and brush growth. Broken outlet valves.  These are some of the problems that have gone uncorrected for years at California dams in spite of being flagged repeatedly by inspectors from the state Department of Water Resources. The sample below is based on a Sacramento Bee analysis of five years of inspection reports at the 93 dams singled out for further review by state officials following the February crisis at Oroville Dam. All of the dams mentioned below are classified as “high hazard” by the state because of their proximity to people living downstream. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Cracks, clogged drains, broken valves among the litany of problems at California dams

‘These things add up.’ Could recurring problems compromise safety of California dams?: “When it comes to inspecting dams, California is second to none. A panel of national experts examined the state’s Division of Safety of Dams last year and declared it tops in the field, citing inspectors’ knack for flagging small problems before they turn serious.  Getting dam owners to fix those flaws quickly is another matter.  A Sacramento Bee investigation prompted by the nearly catastrophic failure of Oroville Dam’s flood-control spillway in February found that owners of some of California’s most important dams – those whose failure could cause residents downstream to lose their lives – often allow deficiencies to linger for years – even though these shortcomings get cited repeatedly in annual inspection reports. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  ‘These things add up.’ Could recurring problems compromise safety of California dams?

See the inspection reports for important dams in your region:  “State inspections of California dams reveal that owners of the facilities have a pattern of delaying important maintenance, according to a Bee review of recent inspection records. The Bee reviewed five years of inspection reports by the California Department of Water Resources for 93 dams that the state identified as potentially problematic in the wake of the Oroville Dam spillway failure. All 93 dams are classified as high-hazard, which means that a dam failure could risk lives downstream. The state inspects 1,249 dams in California – federal dams such as Folsom and Shasta are not included.  Inspection reports for all 93 dams are included on this page. Use the map to see if a dam near you is on the list. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  See the inspection reports for important dams in your region

Silicon Valley wants to solve our water problems:  “Gary Kremen—the founder of Match.com, former owner of Sex.com, and serial investor—is into water.  The entrepreneur started investing in water tech startups a few years ago. Today he’s an elected member of Silicon Valley’s water district, an agency that manages water and flood control for 2 million people. Earlier this year, he helped craft a proposal to build a tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta that could improve drinking water reliability for cities from San Jose to San Diego.  Following several years of investing in energy and solar startups, Kremen became attracted to water problems, he says, because it’s an issue that’s yet to be solved. “Water is so, so, so, so hard,” he says. “We need to focus on the hard things.” … ”  Read more from Bloomberg BNA here:  Silicon Valley wants to solve our water problems

Dry spell continues in Northern California: Are we headed back into drought territory?  “A 10-day dry spell in Northern California is expected to continue for another two weeks as a high-pressure ridge remains hunkered down along the West Coast, blocking storms from the Pacific Ocean.  Forecast models that can look 14 to 16 days ahead don’t see any chance of rain through December 21.  “But with these long range models, take them with a grain of salt, especially anything beyond day seven,” says Scott Rowe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Bay Area office. … ”  Read more from SF Gate here:  Dry spell continues in Northern California: Are we headed back into drought territory?

In a warming California, a future of more fire:  “Severe wildfire seasons like the one that has devastated California this fall may occur more frequently because of climate change, scientists say.  “This is looking like the type of year that might occur more often in the future,” said A. Park Williams, a climate scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Palisades, N.Y.  The reason is an expected impact of climate change in California: increasing year-to-year variability in temperature and precipitation that will create greater contrast between drought years and wet years. And that can lead to much greater fire risk. ... ” Read more from the New York Times here:  In a warming California, a future of more fire

More fire news: Why Fires Are Becoming California’s New Reality, from NPR

California gets whiplash of disasters this year:  “California just can’t catch a break this year.  The year started with torrential rain that unleashed landslides and deadly flooding. The deluge destroyed roads, cut off the iconic Pacific Coast Highway and eroded key infrastructure.  Then the Golden State became extremely hot and dry — marking its hottest summer ever and a fall heat wave that shattered all-time high records in the Bay Area. ... ” Read more from CNN here:  California gets whiplash of disasters this year

In regional news and commentary today …

Cal PIRG: More needs to be done to get lead out of Oakland schools:  “Although the Oakland Unified School District is addressing high lead levels in water taps at several schools, consumer group CalPIRG says more needs to be done to keep children safe.  Fourteen Oakland Unified schools have been found to have at least one drinking fixture with lead levels exceeding the federal recommended cap of 15 parts per billion, according to the district’s website, where test results are posted as they are received. Oakland Unified is testing water taps at all schools in the district as well as some charter schools, and has contracted the East Bay Municipal Utility District to conduct a second round of testing. As of Monday, 98 schools have been tested and results are pending for 24 schools, the website says. … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here:  Cal PIRG: More needs to be done to get lead out of Oakland schools

Santa Cruz innovators track stormwater for cities:  “Taxpayers may not realize it, but they foot the bill as their city or county complies with new state regulations to improve the health of local streams and waterways.  Nicole Beck, 49, a UC Santa Cruz alum with a doctorate in aquatic chemistry, is marrying science and software to help city and county staff get information to make better decisions on where to focus their limited resources.  “I’m trying to bring science to decision makers,” she said. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here:  Santa Cruz innovators track stormwater for cities

North San Joaquin Water Conservation District board seeks public input on groundwater program:  “To help fund a project to bring water from the Mokelumne River to replenish groundwater supplies on lands south of the river, the North San Joaquin County Water Conservation District Board is seeking public input on how to proceed with the project, according to board president Joe Valente.  “Right now, we’ve just started the process of asking property owners if they’re interested. We think it’s a good idea, and we want to put it out to the public to see if they think it’s a good idea, get feedback and go from there,” Valente said. … ”  Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel here:  North San Joaquin Water Conservation District board seeks public input on groundwater program

Mokelumne River hatchery sees record-breaking salmon run:  “They travel upstream more than 100 miles, following a scent, to have babies made. In 2017, they’re doing so in record numbers, according to officials with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.  Midway through the spawning year, nearly 17,000 Chinook salmon have appeared at the Lake Lodi fish ladder, which is one stop away from the Mokelumne River Hatchery just below Camanche Reservoir, said Darrick Baker, a fish manager at the hatchery.  The number is well above the average number of fish – 7,000 – the hatchery usually sees each year, said Bill Smith, who also works as a manager at the hatchery. … ”  Read more from the Calaveras Enterprise here:  Mokelumne River hatchery sees record-breaking salmon run

Inyo County strikes back over pump test:  “The Inyo County Board of Supervisors has filed a temporary restraining order, stopping the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power from flipping the on-switch to Well 385R’s pump test. In addition, the Board has initiated litigation against the department to keep the pump off.  The decision was made at Tuesday’s closed session meeting. Water Department Director Bob Harrington ended his presentation on the well and the impacts to groundwater in the Five Bridges area at Wednesday’s Water Commission meeting.  … ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  Inyo County strikes back over pump test

San Diego to tap Colorado River water via Imperial Valley through 2047:  “The San Diego County Water Authority announced Thursday it has extended through 2047 a historic agreement with the Imperial Irrigation District to secure supplies from the Colorado River.  The water authority’s board voted unanimously to extend the agreement covering 2 million acre-feet of Colorado River water between 2037 and 2047. This amounts to 20 percent of the region’s water needs. … ”  Read more from the Times of San Diego here:  San Diego to tap Colorado River water via Imperial Valley through 2047

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• NEWS FEATURE: Hunting down the ghost boats of the Delta
• NEWS WORTH NOTING: San Diego County Water Authority secures transfers of conserved Colorado River water through 2047, launches contract talks for potential San Vicente energy storage facility; Ninth circuit affirms Justice Kennedy’s “significant nexus” test as proper standard to determine CWA jurisdiction

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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.