In California water news this weekend, Scientists say new reservoirs will not offset dramatically declining snowpack; Cannabis vs. water; From almonds to rice, climate change could slash California crop yields by 2050; Man overpays bill for more than two decades. Should he get it all back?; Trump wants to pass out billions for rural infrastructure, but what counts as ‘rural’?; and more …
In the news this weekend …
Scientists say new reservoirs will not offset dramatically declining snowpack: “Scientists have found dramatically declining snowpack across the American West over the past six decades that will likely cause water shortages in the region that cannot be managed by building new reservoirs, according to a study published Friday. The study led by scientists from Oregon State University and the University of California, Los Angeles found drops in snow measurements at more than 90 percent of regional snow monitoring sites that have consistently tracked snow levels since 1955, said Philip Mote, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. … ” Read more from KQED here: Scientists say new reservoirs will not offset dramatically declining snowpack
Cannabis vs. water: “Illegal marijuana grows have been well-documented in Northern California where agencies such as the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office have made marijuana enforcement a top priority. Though recreational marijuana became legal in California last year, such businesses are banned in Siskiyou County; the sheriff’s office has since busted a prolific number of illegal grows. According to figures published last year, roughly $375 million worth of processed and raw cannabis was seized in Siskiyou County in 2017. Authorities served more than 175 warrants throughout the county with operations ranging from unauthorized backyard medial grows to facilities connected to organized crime. ... ” Read more from the Herald & News here: Cannabis vs. water
From almonds to rice, climate change could slash California crop yields by 2050: “Climate change could decrease the yield of some crops in California by up to 40 percent by 2050. That’s a big deal for farmers in the state, which provides around two-thirds of the nation’s produce. California farmers grow more than 400 commodity crops. Tapan Pathak, a University of California Cooperative Extension specialist based in California’s Central Valley, and his research team analyzed 89 studies on climate change and discovered that warming temperatures may alter where crops grow across the state. Their findings were published in the journal Agronomy. … ” Read more from KPCC here: From almonds to rice, climate change could slash California crop yields by 2050
Man overpays bill for more than two decades. Should he get it all back? “If you’ve paid a bill you shouldn’t have, you should be reimbursed, right? What if you paid that bill for more than two decades? Should you be reimbursed all that money? A Petaluma family found an error that has gone on for 22 years. Kenneth Fok’s sister invited him to move 22 years ago to her 1-acre lot, where there are two homes on one property. ... ” Read more from ABC Bay Area here: Man overpays bill for more than two decades. Should he get it all back?
Trump wants to pass out billions for rural infrastructure, but what counts as ‘rural’? “A centerpiece of the Trump administration’s infrastructure proposal is the promise to swiftly inject billions into rural infrastructure projects. But the way Trump officials propose to do that is already raising questions on Capitol Hill, with some saying the administration is seeking to use untested and potentially politicized means to dole out the federal funds. … ” Read more from the East Bay Times here: Trump wants to pass out billions for rural infrastructure, but what counts as ‘rural’?
In commentary this weekend …
Editorial: A toxic solution to Westlands lawsuit: The SF Chronicle writes, “The arrests of five employees of a tiny Central Valley water district last month exposed a huge problem in efforts to keep toxic agricultural runoff from polluting a major California river and San Francisco Bay. That is, the purported solution — treating the toxic water on site — doesn’t work. Without effective treatment, there is no way Congress should approve an already questionable $375 million settlement between the federal government and the politically powerful Westlands Water District. … ” Continue reading from the SF Chronicle here: Editorial: A toxic solution to Westlands lawsuit
Legislature should enact bipartisan plan for safe drinking water, says Richard Bloom: He writes, “Headlines about the state of California’s economy are upbeat. The unemployment rate has dipped to its lowest level in more than 40 years. New jobs have been added at a rate of nearly 50,000 per month. And in the runup to Christmas, retail sales were running nearly 20 percent above projections. Given this solid economic foundation, it is easy to imagine drawing up a grand array of ambitious public policy resolutions for 2018. … ” Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here: Legislature should enact bipartisan plan for safe drinking water
Temperance Flat Dam too expensive, says Gail Marshall: She writes, “Why would taxpayers invest $2.6 billion to increase our water supply .1 percent when there are significantly cheaper methods to increase it by 10 percent? That’s what the Bureau of Reclamation (BR) recommends by proposing to build the Temperance Flat Dam (TFD), costing $2.6 billion ($121 million annually for operation). The dam’s long-term average annual yield would be 61,000-87,000 acre feet; only .01 percent additional supply, compared with the yield of the entire Central Valley Project. ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Temperance Flat Dam too expensive
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Smith River report findings disputed: “A January report on surface water testing near Smith River has generated a damning response from the Siskiyou Land Conservancy, but officials at the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board say the report does not indicate a significant human or environmental health issue. The “Smith River Plain Surface Water and Sediment Monitoring Report” is a 93-page report containing the conclusions of a sampling study performed by the NCRWQCB to assess the condition of surface waters in the agricultural areas of the Smith River Plain in 2013 and 2015. … ” Read more from the Daily Triplicate here: Smith River report findings disputed
PG&E announces it may sell Potter Valley Project: “In the beginning, the Potter Valley Project wasn’t really about water. It was about electricity. In 1905, when Ukiah residents depended on a coal plant that only provided seven hours a day of power, a San Francisco resident named W.W. Van Arsdale decided to build an electrical power plant in Potter Valley where the Eel River ran 475 feet above the valley floor. … ” Read more from the Daily Journal here: PG&E announces it may sell Potter Valley Project
Bolinas Lagoon resiliency plan moves forward: “Work is moving forward on a resiliency plan for the north end of Bolinas Lagoon, one of the world’s most biologically diverse bodies of water, home to rare, threatened and endangered animal and plant species. Dubbed the “North End Wetland Enhancement and Sea Level Rise Adaptation Project,” work has gone into its formulation for two decades, with more formal plans starting in 2014. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Bolinas Lagoon resiliency plan moves forward
Tahoe resorts receive 5 feet of snow in 48 hours: “The cold and relentless storms that have rolled in from Alaska and Western Canada this week have so far dumped 5 to 6 feet of new snow in many places across California’s Sierra Nevada Range, a much-needed respite from the bone-dry conditions of February, and a boost to the state’s summer water supply. From Thursday morning through Saturday morning, the National Weather Service reported the following impressive totals: … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Tahoe resorts receive 5 feet of snow in 48 hours
Winter storms pollute San Francisco Bay waters with trash: “All the rain we’ve had is great for the reservoirs, but there’s a downside: all the trash the downpours are washing into the San Francisco Bay. It’s no secret the Bay Area has a trash problem, and when it rains, that trash pours into our waterways. … ” Read more from CBS Bay Area here: Winter storms pollute San Francisco Bay waters with trash
Conference targets Cowell water quality: “Most summer days, Cowell Beach, just west of the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf, is a haven for tourists, surfers, sea otters and sea lions. But beneath the surface lurks a dirty, persistent problem: high bacterial counts. Despite significant strides in the last few years — a 50 percent reduction in fecal indicator bacteria, according to Nik Strong-Cvetich, executive director of Save the Waves — the bacterial count regularly exceeds state and federal standards during the dry months from April to October. ... ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Conference targets Cowell water quality
Eric Garcetti: Los Angeles’ new ‘Mulholland moment’ for safe and adequate drinking water: He writes, “If you want a window into Los Angeles history, look to the tap. More than a century ago, the arrival of the aqueduct marked the beginning of a modern L.A. that quickly grew from a dusty pueblo into a sprawling metropolis — and a thirsty one at that. In the City of Angels, building access to safe and adequate water is both an imperative and an opportunity. Headlines of contamination in Flint and extreme water shortages in Cape Town remind us that it can never be taken for granted. ... ” Continue reading at the Daily Breeze here: Los Angeles’ new ‘Mulholland moment’ for safe and adequate drinking water
Arctic storm finally brings rain to Southern California, but without the mudslides that some feared: “The arctic storm that moved throughout Southern California on Friday brought significant showers to punctuate one of the driest winters on record but was not powerful enough to cause the kind of extensive damage that some officials had feared. Rain from the Gulf of Alaska storm that swept into the region overnight stuck around for several hours, causing mud and debris flows that prompted the closure of some roadways in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Arctic storm finally brings rain to Southern California, but without the mudslides that some feared
State gives green light to artificial reef off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal: “Despite vocal opposition, an artificial reef proposed off the coast of the Peninsula traversed its first hurdle — the first of 10 needed — this week. On Tuesday, the California State Lands Commission approved an offshore lease sought by the Southern California Marine Institute. The institute is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency in hopes the reef will attract and support the marine flora and fauna which once populated the area before landslides buried the natural rocky reef. ... ” Read more from the Daily Breeze here: State gives green light to artificial reef off the coast of Rancho Palos Verdes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a done deal
San Diego-area governments sue feds over Mexican sewage: “Local governments sued a U.S. agency Friday to demand a fix to a decades-old problem of sewage flowing downhill from Mexico and spilling onto U.S. wetlands and beaches. The cities of Imperial Beach and Chula Vista and the Port of San Diego said the International Boundary and Water Commission’s U.S. section has failed to meet obligations under the federal Clean Water Act to treat the runoff from Tijuana, allowing toxins and bacteria to spread in the Tijuana River Valley and out to the Pacific Ocean. ... ” Read more from the AP via CBS Sacramento here: San Diego-area governments sue feds over Mexican sewage
Along the Colorado River …
Arizona water managers disagree on how to prevent a shortage on the Colorado River: “Arizona officials are calling for new conservation measures on the Colorado River that would protect water levels in Lake Mead from the effects of a relentless drought across the Southwest. But the push to use less water has revealed differences in the way water managers view conservation. Gov. Doug Ducey’s administration wants legislative authority to allow water users to skip delivery of some of their allocation this year to prevent shortages in future years. … ” Read more from the Arizona Central here: Arizona water managers disagree on how to prevent a shortage on the Colorado River
And lastly …
Incredible images of Los Angeles when it was covered in wetlands: “Before Los Angeles became the center of the film industry, it was covered in wetlands and farmland.The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project recently began mapping LA’s lost Ballona Creek watershed, which once spanned thousands of acres and ranged from freshwater ponds to marshes to meadows for several centuries. European colonists later came and formed the city’s first street grid, destroying around a third of these wetlands. … ” Check out the pictures from Business Insider here: Incredible images of Los Angeles when it was covered in wetlands
Precipitation watch …
From the National Weather Service: Drier weather returns to Northern California th
rough mid week, with possible morning fog/frost, a warming trend, and mostly sunny skies. Wet weather is expected to return Wednesday night, possibly continuing into next weekend.
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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.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend
