In California water news today, Sparse Sierra snowpack has officials worried about a long, dry summer; Snow measures just 3% of average in first snow survey; It’s too soon to worry about drought, despite dry winter, officials say; Sierra snow season bogged down by warm storms, dry December; A deep dive into California’s recurring drought problem; New technology that could help avert a toxicity crisis at the Salton Sea; Projects battling for Prop 1 funding; Legislation would impose state tax on water bills; New partnership will accelerate much needed work on California’s national forests; What is the ‘raw water’ trend? It could kill you, experts say; and more …
On the calendar today …
- At 1:30pm, a Brown Bag Seminar on IEP Management Science: Theory, Practice, Future by Dr. Steve Culberson (IEP Lead Scientist). Click here for more information.
- Followed by the Delta Independent Science Board meeting. Among the agenda items is a panel discussion on the Science-Governance Structure of IEP. Click here for more information and webcast information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Meetings scheduled for public input on efforts to maximize CVP deliveries; CDFA now accepting applications for annual cannabis cultivation licenses; Yolo Flyway Farms Restoration Project is Consistent with Delta Plan; Owens Valley: Low snowpack delays well testing
- CA WATER COMMISSION: Update on Sustainable Groundwater Management Implementation
- SCIENCE NEWS: Hatchery fish often fail in the wild; now we might know why; There is no ‘no-fire’ option in California; How aquaculture will shape the future of Olympia oysters at Elkhorn Slough; Making room for wildlife in an urbanized world; and more …
- THIS JUST IN … Dry December Produces Below-Average Snowpack
Sparse Sierra snowpack has officials worried about a long, dry summer: “The giddiness that California water resources officials felt last winter as storms dropped record amounts of rain and snow has melted away under a relentless barrage of blue sky and sun. Now the question is, does the state have enough stored-up water to survive a dry year? The first Sierra snow measurement of the season Wednesday did nothing to ease concerns. From north to south, the snowpack in the state’s frozen-water bank averages a depth of just 3 inches, a dismal 24 percent of normal for this time of year, state surveyors said. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Sparse Sierra snowpack has officials worried about a long, dry summer
Snow measures just 3% of average in first snow survey: “When the chief of California’s snow measurements conducts his manual surveys, he usually does it in style, skimming the snow in cross-country skis as reporters plod behind him in snowshoes.When the chief of California’s snow measurements conducts his manual surveys, he usually does it in style, skimming the snow in cross-country skis as reporters plod behind him in snowshoes. No need this time. The vast meadow around Phillips, a remote spot near Echo Summit, was mostly grass and dirt Wednesday, with pitifully small patches of snow. Frank Gehrke, the Department of Water Resources employee who runs the survey, wore simple winter boots as he walked the 200-yard course off Highway 50 to complete the first official snow survey of the season. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Snow measures just 3% of average in first snow survey
It’s too soon to worry about drought, despite dry winter, officials say: “California water officials on Wednesday confirmed with manual measurements what electronic sensors have been saying for weeks: the state’s largest drinking water reservoir – the Sierra Nevada snowpack – is well below its average water content for this time of year. But water managers say it’s too early for worries that California is sliding back into drought. … ” Read more from KPCC here: It’s too soon to worry about drought, despite dry winter, officials say
Sierra snow season bogged down by warm storms, dry December: “It’s that time of year, when state water managers begin their series of monthly snow surveys — and the initial news is bleak. The snow that’s presently sitting on the Sierra Nevada range is packing only 24 percent of the water content considered normal for this date. That’s worrisome as the Sierra’s “frozen reservoir” of snow typically holds about a third of California’s water supply. ... ” Read more from KQED here: Sierra snow season bogged down by warm storms, dry December
A deep dive into California’s recurring drought problem: “Feel it yet? That dire sense of déjà vu? It probably depends on your livelihood or interests. If you’re a Bay Area boulevardier or the type once described in singles ads as a lover of long walks on the beach, you’re no doubt delighted by the unceasing blue skies and unseasonably pleasant temperatures. But it’s another matter if you’re a farmer, salmon fisherman, water agency manager, skier or whitewater kayaker. Your income—or at least, your sense of well-being— is directly determined by what falls from the sky. Or doesn’t fall. ... ” Read more from California Magazine here: A deep dive into California’s recurring drought problem
New technology that could help avert a toxicity crisis at the Salton Sea: “Southern California’s Salton Sea, the largest lake in California, has seen its share of ups and downs since it was accidentally created in 1905 by Colorado River floodwaters. Now, already badly polluted by chemicals from agricultural irrigation runoff, which provides the lake’s inflow, the surrounding shoreline is in danger of becoming a toxic blight. Reduced inflows are shrinking the lake’s surface area, creating serious health consequences for both the diverse wildlife of the area and the approximately 600,000 people who live nearby. While the state has a plan to head off what could become an environmental disaster, it depends, in part, on uncertain funding and the results of a promising but still experimental new technology to remove selenium – one that could prove useful in many other settings in the Western U.S. and around the world. ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: New technology that could help avert a toxicity crisis at the Salton Sea
Projects battling for Prop 1 funding: “The California Water Commission got a look in December at all 11 projects vying for water storage bond money, including Sites Reservoir. Proponents of Sites, an off-stream reservoir proposed for a valley west of Maxwell, are seeking $1.7 billion from Proposition 1, a $7.5 billion bond measure approved by voters in November 2014. ... ” Continue reading at the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Projects battling for Prop 1 funding
Legislation would impose state tax on water bills: “Everyone in California would pay a monthly tax of 95 cents on their water bills, if SB 623 were to become law in its current form. The bill was introduced last year by Sen. William Monning of Carmel. It became a two-year bill available for passage in 2018. It was approved by a vote on the Senate floor last May by 39-0, with one member not voting. It was amended and passed out of two committees since then, the latest the Assembly Appropriations Committee in September on an 11-0 vote. The main point of the bill is to help disadvantaged communities with unsafe ground water to switch to municipal waterworks. Most of the areas are located in the Central Valley, where water basins have been contaminated by nitrates from fertilizer. ... ” Read more from the Livermore Independent here: Legislation would impose state tax on water bills
New partnership will accelerate much needed work on California’s national forests: “Did you know that 50 percent of California’s water supply, which is the equivalent of 7.5 times the volume of Shasta Lake, originates on national forests? This critical water source provides Californians with clean and abundant water for drinking, irrigation, energy, and recreation, yet decades of aggressive fire suppression have left many western forests to include California, overgrown and susceptible to wildfires of increasing frequency and severity. … ” Read more from YubaNet here: New partnership will accelerate much needed work on California’s national forests
What is the ‘raw water’ trend? It could kill you, experts say: “Unfiltered and untreated water from a natural spring might sound like an elixir, but health experts warn that drinking so-called “raw water” could end with a trip to the doctor, or worse. “Raw water” or unsterilized water bottled directly from a natural spring, is becoming a sought-after item in California and parts of the U.S., according to the New York Times. The water, which can sell for around $40 for a 2.5-gallon glass jug, is often free of the any water filtration processes that some “raw water” advocates argue strips natural water of probiotics. … ” Read more from USA Today here: What is the ‘raw water’ trend? It could kill you, experts say
In regional news and commentary today …
Sacramento breaks up growing homeless camp near water facility: “What was once an award-winning landmark has been left to turn into squalor and filth. KCRA 3 reported Tuesday on a homeless camp growing near Sacramento’s largest drinking water intake facility. Then Wednesday afternoon, police and work crews were at the park, cleaning the area and breaking up the homeless encampment. The water facility provides hundreds of thousands of people with water, and the park is a favorite spot for visitors. … ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: Sacramento breaks up growing homeless camp near water facility
Vacaville: $1 Million grant bid backed by Solano Irrigation District board members: “Solano Irrigation District directors will seek a $1 million grant from the California Department of Water Resources to prepare a groundwater sustainability plan. Meeting Dec. 19 in Vacaville, directors backed the grant request to support developing a plan expected to cost $3.5 million. The plan, which will be developed in cooperation with the Vacaville and Solano County sustainability agencies, has a 2023 deadline. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: $1 Million grant bid backed by Solano Irrigation District board members
One million more dead trees in Calaveras County: “Another 1 million-plus trees died in Calaveras County alone last year, despite abundant rainfall which protects the trees from the ravages of bark beetles. As large as last year’s death toll was, it marked an improvement from 2016, when nearly 1.9 million trees died in Calaveras. In total, since the beetle outbreak intensified in 2014, the county has lost about 3.3 million trees. California as a whole has lost 129 million, a “staggering” sum spread across an area larger than the state of Maryland, state and federal officials announced recently. … ” Read more from the Stockton Record here: One million more dead trees in Calaveras County
Chinook salmon return to the Mokelumne in record numbers: “Although fall-run returns of Chinook salmon are low, the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery in Clements has seen more returns than ever before, according to Peter Tira, a public information officer with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Compared to how other hatcheries are doing, Mokelumne is doing well. They’re doing a lot of innovative things down there, and that’s helping the returns. They’re probably doing the best of any hatchery in California right now,” Tira said. … ” Read more from the Lodi News-Sentinel here: Chinook salmon return to the Mokelumne in record numbers
Fishing for answers: South San Joaquin Irrigation District funds research aiming to boost salmon populations: “Research aimed at boosting the population of threatened fish as well as assuring future water deliveries for South County farms and cities continues on the Stanislaus River. The stakes of the research financed by the South San Joaquin Irrigation District and Oakdale Irrigation District are high. And they aren’t just limited to the Stanislaus River watershed. Research being conducted by the highly regarded FISHBIO firm with a worldwide reputation for fishery restoration that’s being funded by the two districts to the tune of $1 million a year will also benefit the future of the Tuolumne and Merced watersheds. ... ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Fishing for answers: South San Joaquin Irrigation District funds research aiming to boost salmon populations
Cal Am, County win appeal over Marina Coast on regional desal project legal costs: “Marina Coast Water District is still on the hook for millions in legal costs spent by California American Water and the Monterey County Water Resources Agency on the regional desalination project lawsuit, according to a state appeals court. The First District Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision in December that Marina Coast is liable for paying Cal Am and the county water agency nearly $2 million in attorney fees and other legal costs in the case involving the failed desal project. The case is headed to trial in July on damages claims by all three entities and former desal project manager RMC Water and Environment. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Cal Am, County win appeal over Marina Coast on regional desal project legal costs
Santa Barbara County bracing for potential new disaster from Thomas fire: ‘Catastrophic’ flooding with ‘toxic soup’ possible: “Residential and commercial areas below hillsides charred by the Thomas fire are facing a new threat of potentially “catastrophic” flooding, if not from the first mild storm of 2018 that rolled in Wednesday then from future storms that could be more potent, according to reports from county officials. Any floodwaters that flow before fire cleanup is completed could also contain a “toxic soup” of hazardous wastes picked up by runoff through damaged and destroyed structures within the burned areas, officials said Wednesday. ... ” Read more from the Lompoc Record here: County bracing for potential new disaster from Thomas fire: ‘Catastrophic’ flooding with ‘toxic soup’ possible
Southern California’s water year has been nearly bone dry so far, making some history: “Southern California is seeing one of its driest starts to the water year in decades, the National Weather Service said Wednesday. Since the start of the water year on Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, downtown Los Angeles has received just 0.12 of an inch of rain. That is tied with 1962-63 for the fourth-driest start to a water year since record keeping began in 1877, the weather service said. “The start of the storm season has been exceptionally dry,” said Ryan Kittell, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. “It’s one of the driest in history.” ... ” Read more from the LA Times here: Southern California’s water year has been nearly bone dry so far, making some history
San Diego’s post-drought water woes: Lead, sewage, non-revenue water: “Despite the fact that California’s drought is over, San Diego’s water worries have not evaporated. “In 2017, San Diego stopped worrying so much about whether it would have enough water and started worrying about what was in the water,” Voice of San Diego reported. California’s drought ended as record snows swept the region last year, and Governor Jerry Brown officially lifted the drought emergency order in April, The Los Angeles Times reported. Nevertheless, water troubles remain, including “sewage-filled rivers and lead in school drinking water,” the report said. ... ” Read more from Water Online here: San Diego’s post-drought water woes: Lead, sewage, non-revenue water
Along the Colorado River …
Dry start to winter prompts ugly forecast for the Colorado River: “The first forecast for the Colorado River is in, and the outlook for the coming year is bleak. The National Weather Service’s Colorado Basin River Forecast Center predicts the river will flow at about 54 percent of its average volume during the key runoff period from April to July. That’s when the river usually swells with snowmelt from the Rockies and other ranges, but precipitation so far this winter has been well below normal across the region. ... ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here: Dry start to winter prompts ugly forecast for the Colorado River
- RELATED: A brief tutorial in how bad the Colorado River Basin snowpack is right now, from John Fleck at the Inkstain blog
Column: What you don’t know about the water law that saved Arizona: Joanna Allhands writes, “In 2016, when the rains dried and reservoirs shrank, California was forced to impose drastic water conservation measures to keep taps flowing. Arizona avoided this fate, despite being a far drier place, largely because we had something California didn’t: the Groundwater Management Act of 1980. The state legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, outlawed irrigation on any new acres of farmland and required subdivisions in more populated areas to show a 100-year water supply before building, among other requirements. ... ” Continue reading at Arizona Central here: Column: What you don’t know about the water law that saved Arizona
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: Meetings scheduled for public input on efforts to maximize CVP deliveries; CDFA now accepting applications for annual cannabis cultivation licenses; Yolo Flyway Farms Restoration Project is Consistent with Delta Plan; Owens Valley: Low snowpack delays well testing
- CA WATER COMMISSION: Update on Sustainable Groundwater Management Implementation
- SCIENCE NEWS: Hatchery fish often fail in the wild; now we might know why; There is no ‘no-fire’ option in California; How aquaculture will shape the future of Olympia oysters at Elkhorn Slough; Making room for wildlife in an urbanized world; and more …
- THIS JUST IN … Dry December Produces Below-Average Snowpack
Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …
Sign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …
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.
