DAILY DIGEST: New online tool tailors weather forecasts to watersheds; Snowpack near record low spells trouble for western water supplies; Slideshow: CA rice country is home each winter to millions of migratory birds; JPL’s Bill Patzert retiring; and more …

If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. –Martin Luther King, Jr. 1929-1968
In California water news today, New online tool tailors weather forecasts to watersheds; Snowpack near record low spells trouble for western water supplies; California rice country is home each winter to millions of migratory birds; Chico: Local water saving rate double or triple state’s rate in November; Coho salmon return to West Marin watershed; Muir Beach creek used to jump-start endangered salmon; A retiring Bill Patzert, JPL’s ‘Prophet of California Climate,’ leaves behind a legacy of ocean research and media appearances; The shrinking Salton Sea endangers region’s health; and more …

In the news today …

New online tool tailors weather forecasts to watersheds:  “Anyone who tracks the weather closely soon becomes aware of a surprising fact: it’s not easy to get a forecast tailored to your local watershed – perhaps the most important natural terrain feature that determines water supply, water quality and flood risk.  In the United States, most weather forecasts pay no attention to watersheds. Instead, predictions are made within broad “climate divisions” that do not necessarily recognize the finer scale of watersheds. The National Weather Service (NWS) does have a network of river forecast centers, mainly to provide vital streamflow predictions. These are mostly aimed at a technical audience and do not break out information by watershed. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  New online tool tailors weather forecasts to watersheds

Snowpack near record low spells trouble for western water supplies:  “Months of exceptionally warm weather and an early winter snow drought across big swaths of the West have left the snowpack at record-low levels in parts of the Central and Southern Rockies, raising concerns about water shortages and economic damage.  Drought spread across large parts of the Western United States this month, and storms that moved across the region in early January made up only a small part of the deficit. Runoff from melting snow is now projected to be less than 50 percent of average in key river basins in the central and southern Rockies. ... ”  Read more from Inside Climate News here:  Snowpack near record low spells trouble for western water supplies

California rice country is home each winter to millions of migratory birds:  “Winter in California Rice country is hardly slow, even though farmers might be taking a break.  For photographers and bird watchers it’s an excellent time to view millions of birds taking a break from their commute along the Pacific Flyway. Rice fields flooded to enhance decomposition of stubble make excellent habitat for wildlife. … ”  Read more and view slideshow here:  California rice country is home each winter to millions of migratory birds

In commentary today …

Oroville Dam blunders should give regulators pause, says the San Francisco Chronicle:  They write, “A recently completed review of last year’s Oroville Dam crisis does not inspire confidence in California’s vast water infrastructure or those managing it. The experts who conducted the postmortem detail a near-tragedy of errors, starting more than a half-century ago with flaws in the dam’s design, continuing through potentially counterproductive repairs, and culminating with the mismanaged emergency that forced the evacuation of nearly 200,000 downstream residents. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  Oroville Dam blunders should give regulators pause

Dan Walters: Forensic report confirms Oroville Dam lapses, says Dan Walters:  He writes, “The verdict is in and California stands convicted of gross negligence in the construction and maintenance of the nation’s highest dam, Oroville.  The dam on the Feather River came very close to failing last year, forcing the evacuation of a quarter-million people living downstream. Heavy outflows revealed structural flaws in the dam’s concrete spillway and when dam operators switched to an auxiliary spillway that dumped water onto an “unarmored” earthen hillside, it quickly eroded, threatening the entire structure with collapse. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Dan Walters: Forensic report confirms Oroville Dam lapses

In regional news today …

Chico: Local water saving rate double or triple state’s rate in November:  “Statewide water conservation ticked up slightly in November, although local reporting agencies doubled or tripled the statewide average.  The State Water Resources Control Board reported savings in November amounted to 11 percent statewide, compared to the same month in 2013. That was up from 8.5 percent in October.  Locally however, customers of California Water Service’s Oroville Division saved at a rate of 41.3 percent, with the Cal Water Chico Division not far back at 38 percent. Cal Water’s Willows Division cut water use by 27.8 percent, the Paradise Irrigation District was down 26 percent, and the Del Oro Water Co. saved 23.5 percent. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Chico: Local water saving rate double or triple state’s rate in November

Coho salmon return to West Marin watershed:  “There’s a lively, hopeful display underway these days along Lagunitas Creek in west Marin County, where the return of winter rains has drawn endangered coho salmon up into the stream to spawn.  After decades of watching Central California Coast coho stock diminish, it’s heartening to know 3-year-old fish have found their way back home to reproduce and keep the species going at least a while longer.  Environmentalist Richard James, who blogs as “The Coastodian” when not patrolling ocean beaches and coastal waterways for trash, shot this beautiful footage of male salmon jousting and vying for dominance and the chance to fertilize the eggs of a future generation. “Goofy behavior by males is not limited to humans!” he wrote jestingly last week. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  Coho salmon return to West Marin watershed

Muir Beach creek used to jump-start endangered salmon:  “Muir Beach was abuzz with activity Friday morning as fully grown coho salmon raised in a Sonoma hatchery were dispatched to Redwood Creek, part of an intensive effort to save the federally endangered species.  Facing drought and low counts, juvenile coho salmon were removed from Redwood Creek in and around the Muir Woods National Monument in the summer of 2014 and taken to the Warm Springs Hatchery in Geyserville with a plan to be returned later to their native habitat.  That day was Friday. ... ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Muir Beach creek used to jump-start endangered salmon

Cal Am desal project enters crucial period as settlement talks commence:  “Less than nine months before a key Carmel River cutback order milestone deadline and with release of a final environmental report still pending, the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project is at a critical point.  Dozens of parties to the state Public Utilities Commission project permit proceeding are engaged in “fast-track” settlement talks aimed at resolving outstanding issues. Included among those are possible expansion of the Pure Water Monterey groundwater replenishment project and Marina’s persistent opposition to California American Water’s desalination plant project based on concerns about the impact on its underground water supplies. ... ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Cal Am desal project enters crucial period as settlement talks commence

Future floods will be in mind as Montecito rebuilds after mudslides:  “Officials say the possibility of future catastrophic floods will be in mind as Montecito, California, rebuilds after deadly mudslides that devastated the wealthy coastal hideaway.  While an aggressive cleanup could mean Montecito will welcome visitors again in weeks, the rebuilding of infrastructure and hundreds of homes will take far longer. It also offers a chance to reimagine aspects of a town that has favored slow growth over the runaway development closer to Los Angeles, down the coast. ... ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Future floods will be in mind as Montecito rebuilds after mudslides

Another lesson from Montecito – even in semi-arid Southern California, we need flood insurance:  “We live in Southern California, a semi-arid desert ecosystem. Most of us are no more than beach-dweller wannabes who get close to water — the ocean, a river or a lake — by car or bike or bus. There is no possible way that we would need flood insurance, right?  Well, consider Montecito. In addition to the truly tragic loss of life there, more than 100 homes have been damaged or destroyed — inundated or broken apart or swept away — by the mudslides that followed the record-setting Thomas fire.  You might suppose that insurance for fire loss would automatically cover the loss of those homes and their contents. You would suppose wrong. Mudslide usually is excluded from typical home insurance. Instead, it is covered by flood insurance. And it is a reasonable bet that few inland Montecitans have flood insurance. Why would they? They simply couldn’t conceive of being flooded out of their “not on the beach” neighborhoods. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Another lesson from Montecito – even in semi-arid Southern California, we need flood insurance

A retiring Bill Patzert, JPL’s ‘Prophet of California Climate,’ leaves behind a legacy of ocean research and media appearances:  “At 41, Bill Patzert had established himself as a top research scientist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, conducting experiments from sea while catching some gnarly waves on the surfboard he kept in his office.  Life was good and then he accepted an offer to help start a team of oceanographers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena in 1983. Many in his field laughed, asking how can you measure the ocean’s patterns at a space agency?  For the next 35 years, Patzert and his team in the JPL Earth Science division did just that, designing satellites that collect never before seen data that revolutionized the way scientists study the oceans and global climate change. ... ”  Read more from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune here:  A retiring Bill Patzert, JPL’s ‘Prophet of California Climate,’ leaves behind a legacy of ocean research and media appearances

The shrinking Salton Sea endangers region’s health:  “West Shores High School principal Richard Pimentel slips on a cowboy hat before stepping outside. It is a nod to fashion as a response to the region’s harsh desert sun.  The school sits about halfway up the western side of California’s Salton Sea. Modern buildings, concrete patios and walkways and an artificial turf sports field stand in stark contrast to the desert community that surrounds the campus.  Tumbleweed and sand are common fixtures of the town’s yards.  “We are about 30 miles from anywhere,” Pimentel said. ... ”  Read more from KPBS here:  The shrinking Salton Sea endangers region’s health

Precipitation watch …

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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