In California water news today, Friant Water Authority: California’s water math does not compute; Nourishment and poison: Nitrogen’s double life; Destructive swamp rodents are knocking at the Delta’s door; Can dirt save the earth?; Dams provide renewable energy but also take toll on the environment; Pruitt’s climate debate just got more likely; and more …
On the calendar today …
- This evening, Dr. Jeff Mount speaks on The Consequences of Groundwater Sustainability in California at the Groundwater Resources Association branch meeting from 5:30 to 8:30 pm in Oakland. Click here to register. You do not need to be a member to attend.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Friant Water Authority: California’s water math does not compute: “A growing shortfall of irrigation water in California’s San Joaquin Valley could lead to over 700,000 acres of land retirements, even with new conveyance and Temperance Flat reservoir, a water official says. With possible construction of dams like Temperance Flat a minimum of 20 years away, there seems to be little to stop what could be a mass fallowing of farmland within the next decade. Jason Phillips, chief executive officer for Friant Water Authority, says there is a myriad of necessary steps state and federal officials must take to ensure that farmers have the water they need to grow the estimated 400 crops California can produce. These changes need to come quickly, as implementation of the State Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) will begin setting severe limits on groundwater pumping as soon as 2020. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Friant Water Authority: California’s water math does not compute
Nourishment and poison: Nitrogen’s double life: “The San Joaquin Valley struggles with environmental pollution. Hundreds of thousands of residents are served with water that’s unsafe to drink, and all of us live under seasonal clouds ozone and particle pollution in the air. Water and air problems are regulated separately, but one contaminant bridges both domains. This story examines why nitrogen is such a persistent problem. Every other Wednesday, Jon Hubble carefully crosses a field of garlic, plucking leaves off of tall, green stalks. “It’s one, two, three, and this would be your most recently matured leaf,” he says, demonstrating how he chooses which leaves to collect. … ” Read more from Valley Public Radio here: Nourishment and poison: Nitrogen’s double life
Destructive swamp rodents are knocking at the Delta’s door. Is it time to panic? “The destructive invasive swamp rodents known as nutria are officially on the doorstep of one of the state’s most critically important waterways. State wildlife officials announced Tuesday that a nutria was killed on agricultural land west of Stockton in San Joaquin County. It’s the farthest north the species has been confirmed of the 32 nutria killed so far in California since their discovery in March 2017. The confirmed kill puts the South American rodents on the edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Destructive swamp rodents are knocking at the Delta’s door. Is it time to panic?
Dangerous non-native rodent found near Stockton – moving closer to the Delta: “The “triple threat” of invasive rodent species has made its way to the edge of the delta, officials said, putting the state’s fragile water infrastructure at risk. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said Tuesday that it had discovered the nutria, a large rat-like mammal that inhabits wet, rural areas, on agricultural land west of Stockton. The latest sighting is the closest the nutria has come to the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, department spokesman Peter Tira said. Officials are trying to prevent the rodent’s population from taking hold in the delta, which is critical to the state’s flood control and irrigation measures, as part of a larger effort to eradicate the nutria from the state. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Dangerous non-native rodent found near Stockton – moving closer to the Delta
Can dirt save the earth? “When John Wick and his wife, Peggy Rathmann, bought their ranch in Marin County, Calif., in 1998, it was mostly because they needed more space. Rathmann is an acclaimed children’s book author — “Officer Buckle and Gloria” won a Caldecott Medal in 1996 — and their apartment in San Francisco had become cluttered with her illustrations. They picked out the 540-acre ranch in Nicasio mostly for its large barn, which they planned to remake into a spacious studio. Wick, a former construction foreman — they met when he oversaw a renovation of her bathroom — was eager to tackle the project. He knew the area well, having grown up one town away, in Woodacre, where he had what he describes as a “free-range” childhood: little supervision and lots of biking, rope-swinging and playing in the area’s fields and glens. … ” Read more from the New York Times here: Can dirt save the earth?
Dams provide renewable energy but also take toll on the environment: “The United States started using dam building for hydropower in the early 1900s. While hydropower was largely viewed as a green and renewable energy source at the time, it would later be found that its use may come at the expense of the environment. Dams are a barrier constructed to hold back water, typically found in rivers, and raise its level. The resulting reservoir is used in the generation of electricity, as a water supply or for other purposes. Dam building in the U.S. peaked around the time that the National Historic Landmark the Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s. … ” Read more from Accu-Weather here: Dams provide renewable energy but also take toll on the environment
Pruitt’s climate debate just got more likely: “The departure of President Trump’s top energy aide might boost Scott Pruitt’s prospects for a climate science debate. Mike Catanzaro, who’s slated to leave the administration next week, is among the White House officials who have resisted the EPA chief’s plans for a “red team, blue team” debate aimed at challenging mainstream climate science. That exercise is widely seen as a first step toward unraveling EPA’s endangerment finding for greenhouse gases, a determination that underpins climate regulations. Catanzaro was among the White House officials who conveyed to Pruitt last year that the debate — as Pruitt envisioned it — wasn’t going to happen (Climatewire, March 14). “It’s now up in the air again,” said Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Pruitt’s climate debate just got more likely
In commentary today …
Past two winters underline need for water storage, says Christian Scheuring: He writes, “An epic water year: I’m talking about last year, of course. After a punishing, multi-year drought across California led to drastic cutbacks in water deliveries, widespread fallowing of agricultural land and extreme conservation measures in urban areas, our hydrology came roaring back in the winter of 2016-17 as storms refilled reservoirs and tested our flood control system with huge river flows. That’s why it now feels like “Groundhog Day”—if you’ve seen the Bill Murray movie—to find ourselves this year in the position of contemplating cutbacks. The 2017-18 winter was not a particularly good one, though we did have some help from the skies in March. Even so, both the State Water Project and the Central Valley Project promise only partial deliveries, thanks to reservoir storage that remains largely in good shape, due to last winter’s storms. … ” Read more from the Ag Alert here: Past two winters underline need for water storage
Don’t be rushed into awarding water storage billions, California; Let’s take our time, says Maurice Hall: He writes, “In 2014, California voters overwhelmingly approved a $7.5 billion bond measure for water supply infrastructure and critical watershed protection and restoration. Since its passage, Proposition 1 – officially known as the Water Quality, Supply and Infrastructure Improvement Act – has benefited tens of millions of Californians. It has enhanced safe drinking water supplies and provided for water recycling and groundwater clean-up. It also has brought urgent aid to communities with inadequate water supplies during the historic drought that ended last year. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Don’t be rushed into awarding water storage billions, California; Let’s take our time
If you understand history, Colorado River shortages are no surprise, say Eric Kuhn and John Fleck: They write, “With the potential of a Colorado River shortage declaration looming as Lake Mead drops, Arizona is struggling with the politics of who will have to cut their water use, and by how much. As Arizona wrestles, it is important to remember how we got here. It’s easy to blame today’s problems – an overallocated river and declining reservoir levels – on drought and climate change, and both of these do play a role. But our predecessors knew 50 years ago this was inevitable. In 1968, as Congress debated authorization of the Central Arizona Project (CAP), it was clear there was not enough water to supply the 336-mile-long canal, which diverts Colorado River water. But the federal government, with Arizona’s enthusiastic support and the concurrence of the other six U.S. states in the Colorado River basin, charged ahead. ... ” Read more from Water Deeply here: If you understand history, Colorado River shortages are no surprise
In regional news and commentary today …
North Coast: Environmentalists plan logging to restore California’s redwood forest: “Environmentalists who have fought loggers for generations have a surprising new strategy to save California’s storied old-growth redwood forests: Logging. Save the Redwoods League, a venerable San Francisco organization that has preserved more than 214,000 acres of redwood forest since it was founded in 1918, is embarking on a $5 million plan to thin out 10,000 acres of redwoods, Douglas fir, tan oaks and other trees. The logging will begin at Redwood National Park and Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park near the Oregon border over the next five years. After that, the group plans to thin forests in nearby Jedediah Smith and Prairie Creek Redwoods state parks. … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Environmentalists plan logging to restore California’s redwood forest
Sacramento: This popular swimming spot is known for its current, but another danger could be lurking: “Water at one of Sacramento’s most popular public beaches regularly records E. coli levels far higher than what federal regulators recommend as safe for recreational use. Tiscornia Beach, at the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers near Discovery Park, recorded E. coli levels in February that were seven times the threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to new weekly testing by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. Water at Tiscornia surpassed the EPA’s standard in seven of 10 tests that were held from Jan. 11 through March 15. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: This popular swimming spot is known for its current, but another danger could be lurking
American River in Sacramento is contaminated with e. coli: “Sacramento County is warning residents about high levels of E. coli in the lower American River after testing showed nine of 11 sites were above acceptable EPA levels at some point this year. E. coli contamination at Tiscornia Beach and Discovery Park’s Steelhead Creek were particularly abhorrent, according to results from the Central Valley Water Board. At times in February and March, E. coli levels were more than seven times the contamination threshold. … ” Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here: American River in Sacramento is contaminated with e. coli
Fresno: As new water treatment plant nears completion, Fresno builds on lessons learned: “The City of Fresno has long relied on groundwater to meet its needs, but a new surface water treatment plant is slated to begin operating this summer. While the city faced complications with their last treatment plant, they’re hoping the lessons learned help solve problems before they start. Fresno’s new Southeast Surface Water Treatment Plant is huge, and built to do one thing: Treat water from the Kings River, and send it out to Fresno residents. … ” Read more from Valley Public Radio here: Fresno: As new water treatment plant nears completion, Fresno builds on lessons learned
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority to meet on Thursday: “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority is set to meet on Thursday at the Ridgecrest City Hall at 100 W. California Avenue. The public portion of the meeting is set to begin at 10 a.m. … One of the main discussion items include “Discussion on issues and options for groundwater management in the Indian Wells Valley under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. ... ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority to meet on Thursday
Del Mar reluctantly adds ‘managed retreat’ to coastal erosion options: “Del Mar has decided to include “managed retreat” as a last-resort option for dealing with sea-level rise, despite widespread objections from homeowners in the tony, seaside enclave. The California Coastal Commission, in two letters to the city, has emphasized that managed retreat must be “one of the tools in the toolbox,” city officials said at a Monday night council meeting. Without it, the city would lose control to the state over development of everything from seawalls to shopping centers. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Del Mar reluctantly adds ‘managed retreat’ to coastal erosion options
Along the Colorado River …
The Rocky Mountains are dusty, and it’s a problem: “A menace lurks beneath the snow high up in the southern Rocky Mountains. At first glance it seems innocuous, another piece of a dynamic alpine ecosystem, certainly unable to cause the cascade of problems scientists say it could. How could something so simple undermine our water infrastructure, stress wildlife and lengthen the wildfire season all at once? For most of the winter it stays hidden, buried under blankets of snow. Then, the days grow longer. The sun’s rays begin to melt the top layers, causing water to percolate through the snow and ice or evaporate, revealing the villain of this story. Dust. … ” Read more from KUNC here: The Rocky Mountains are dusty, and it’s a problem
Precipitation watch …
From NWS Sacramento: “A Pacific low pressure system will bring light snowfall to Norcal mountains this afternoon through Thursday morning. Not a lot of snowfall is expected but snow levels will be relatively low for this time of year.“
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- PANEL DISCUSSION: Water and weed: Now that’s it’s legal ….
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: High e. coli levels at Lower American River the focus of Central Valley Water Board testing; Recreational salmon season set for 2018
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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.
