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DAILY DIGEST: Will rising seas eventually devour California’s beachfront homes?; Owens Lake: Former toxic dust bowl transformed into environmental success; Big challenges for Colorado River states who want to conserve water; and more …

Maven
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In California water news today, Will rising seas eventually devour California’s beachfront homes?; Studying the journey of beach sand can combat sea level rise, improve surf conditions; Owens Lake: Former toxic dust bowl transformed into environmental success; Virtual reality game brings feel of fantasy football to salmon survival studies; Yolo groundwater management continues with monitoring; L.A. County officials considering property tax for stormwater measures; Big challenges for Colorado River states who want to conserve water; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • Tonight at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco: Spring 2018 Report on the Sierra Nevada’s rain, fires, snowpack, trees, water, and ecosystems from 6:00 – 7:15pm.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

Will rising seas eventually devour California’s beachfront homes?:  “State regulators are urging local elected officials to brace for retreat as scientists continue to predict sea levels will rise in coming decades and pummel beachfront communities from San Diego to Arcata.  With the prospect of evermore harrowing storms and flooding brought on by climate change, officials say that cities and towns need to start planning as soon as possible to eventually abandon or relocate everything from highways to underground utilities to beachfront homes. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  Will rising seas eventually devour California’s beachfront homes?

Studying the journey of beach sand can combat sea level rise, improve surf conditions: “In a new study on beach nourishment projects, scientists from Scripps Oceanography followed sand placed on local shorelines, as it traveled along the coast.  The study, published in the current issue of the journal Coastal Engineering, tracked sand deposited on four San Diego beaches to see how it functioned there, and where it moved in following years.  “We want to try to help answer how much sand you need to put on the beach, how often you need to put it there, and once you put it here, where does it go,” said Bonnie Ludka, a postdoctoral researcher at Scripps Institution of Oceanography and lead author of the study. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  Studying the journey of beach sand can combat sea level rise, improve surf conditions

Owens Lake: Former toxic dust bowl transformed into environmental success: “Fearsome gusts of desert wind routinely kicked up swirling clouds of choking dust over Owens Lake on the east side of the Sierra Nevada after 1913, when its treasured snowmelt and spring water was first diverted into the Los Angeles Aqueduct.  It was not until 2001, and under a court order, that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began transforming the lake’s grim heritage, flooding portions where toxic, powder-fine dust exceeded federal pollution standards.  In what is now hailed as an astonishing environmental success, nature quickly responded. First to appear on the thin sheen of water tinged bright green, red and orange by algae and bacteria were brine flies. Then came masses of waterfowl and shorebirds that feed on the insects. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Owens Lake: Former toxic dust bowl transformed into environmental success

Virtual reality game brings feel of fantasy football to salmon survival studies:  “Saving salmon and steelhead in Washington State can seem like a mission with miserable prospects.   But one non-profit has made it into a game that they say is a lot like fantasy football. And this year, they’ve got schools involved.  The Game is called “Survive the Sound” and the fish it’s focused on is steelhead trout. That’s Washington’s state fish – a special kind of rainbow trout that becomes a steelhead after it goes out to the ocean and comes back to spawn, which steelhead can do multiple times.  But research ecologist Iris Kemp says, many aren’t. ... ”  Read more from KNKX here:  Virtual reality game brings feel of fantasy football to salmon survival studies

More news and commentary in the weekend edition …

In regional news and commentary today …

Klamath Irrigation District seeks state control over water distribution:  “Oregon Water Resources Department is evaluating a request from the Klamath Irrigation District asking the agency to enforce its regulations of Upper Klamath Lake.  Following an at times contentious meeting between KID’s board of directors and Bureau of Reclamation on Monday, KID’s attorney Nathan Reitmann wrote a letter on Tuesday, April 24, asking the state agency take control of managing water distribution from Upper Klamath Lake into the A canal. ... ”  Read more from the Herald and News here:  Klamath Irrigation District seeks state control over water distribution

Meeting on groundwater management in Oroville and south is Thursday: “A workshop on managing the groundwater underneath southern Butte County is planned Thursday in Oroville.  The meeting on what’s being done to implement the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is 6-8 p.m. at the Southside Community Center, 2959 Lower Wyandotte Road.  The law passed in 2014 requires plans to be developed to maintain groundwater levels and quality in the various basins around the state. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Meeting on groundwater management in Oroville and south is Thursday

English Meadow restoration benefits environment and NID water supply:  “The Nevada Irrigation District is in a multi-year restoration project being done in English Meadow (elevation 6,152 feet), according to a release.  The meadow is northeast of English Mountain, southeast of Findley Peak and west of Jones Valley. The Middle Yuba River flows through this high elevation meadow on its way into Jackson Meadows Reservoir.  In general, a meadow absorbs precipitation — rain and snowmelt — into the soil, stores it through the summer and naturally releases water later in the year. Specifically, English Meadow releases water into the Middle Yuba and Jackson Meadows Reservoir, and ultimately the flows reach NID’s western-most customers in Lincoln at an elevation 150-feet above sea level. ... ”  Read more from The Union here:  English Meadow restoration benefits environment and NID water supply

Yolo groundwater management continues with monitoring:  “The late rainfall in March and early April helped to strengthen the groundwater supply in Yolo County, according to the Yolo Subbasin Groundwater Agency.  “The storms in March came at just the right time,” said executive director, Tim O’Halloran.  The next phase of Yolo County’s groundwater management plan is to continue to look ahead to ensure water storage is good, O’Halloran told supervisors during Tuesday’s board meeting.  “There’s no metric for groundwater,” O’Halloran explained. “What we’re trying to do is develop a metric.” … ”  Read more from the Daily Democrat here:  Yolo groundwater management continues with monitoring

Solano County Supervisor candidates wade into groundwater policies:  “These are the full responses to the third in a series of questions the Daily Republic is asking the candidates for the 4th Solano County supervisor’s office. The question is:  By Dec. 31, 2022, a Sustainable Groundwater Management Plan must be completed for the Solano subbasin, which includes a Groundwater Sustainability Agency formed by SID, Vacaville and one that represents the rest of the county that falls under the areas of concern. What should be the top three priorities of the plan, and what in your background could help bring the diversity of groups and interests involved under a single plan? … ”  Read more from The Daily Republic here: Solano County Supervisor candidates wade into groundwater policies

Modesto residents paying millions for water plant.  But why isn’t there more water?  “Modesto’s water customers are paying $4.1 million a year to pay off the debt for a project that doubled the capacity of the city’s water treatment plant.  But while the $109 million expansion was completed in 2016 (and at much more expense and time than envisioned), the city has not received one extra drop of water from the Modesto Regional Water Treatment Plant, and it could be many years before it does.  Modesto is not getting more water because it did not grow as expected when officials with the city and the Modesto Irrigation District approved expanding the plant at the Modesto Reservoir about a dozen years ago. ... ”  Read more from the Modesto bee here:  Modesto residents paying millions for water plant.  But why isn’t there more water?

L.A. County officials considering property tax for stormwater measures:  “At Los Amigos Park in Santa Monica, 11-year-old Pony League baseball players wearing Padres and Dodgers uniforms huddled with their coaches after a recent game.  Standing atop a grassy area next to the baseball diamond, many may not have been aware of what lay underneath: a 53,000-gallon storage tank for stormwater runoff.  Built in 2017, the project was designed to divert some 550,000 gallons of water from a nearby storm drain each year, reducing the pollution that flows into Santa Monica Bay. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  L.A. County officials considering property tax for stormwater measures

Lake Perris recreation spots are opening again – after nearly four years:  “The water is rising. Closures are lifting. And enthusiasm is building.  After more than a decade of planning, construction and disappointing water levels, Lake Perris is on its way to being the recreational paradise it was before fears that its dam would collapse in an earthquake significantly curtailed activities.  Maggie Macias, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Water Resources, said the state this month completed a $133 million retrofit to strengthen the 130-foot tall, earthen dam so that it can withstand a magnitude 7.5 temblor. ... ”  Read more from the Riverside Press-Enterprise here:  Lake Perris recreation spots are opening again – after nearly four years

Along the Colorado River …

Big challenges for Colorado River states who want to conserve water:  “In early April, federal forecasters came out with a sobering but not surprising prediction for many Colorado River water users after a grim snowpack across much of the Colorado River basin this winter. They projected that as the snow melted and entered the Colorado River system, much less water would flow into Lake Powell this spring than is normal. The forecast expects inflows to be about 46 percent of average, one of the lowest runoffs on record.  Low runoff means that water users have less buffer room to prevent the river’s two major reservoirs from dropping below critical elevations, which would have considerable impacts on how water and hydropower are managed. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Big challenges for Colorado River states who want to conserve water

New dam merely a figment? Reservoir on map sparks conflict:  “A public presentation related to an ongoing study might seem to envision a possible new, million-acre-foot reservoir not far upstream of Lake Powell in southeast Utah as a means of helping Powell’s water levels.  But it isn’t meant to suggest such a reservoir actually is being contemplated, a water official says.  “I don’t think anybody was proposing a new reservoir in Utah,” Eric Kuhn, who is former general manager of western Colorado’s Colorado River District and still works part-time for the district on river issues, said Thursday. ... ”  Read more from the Grand Junction Sentinel here:  New dam merely a figment? Reservoir on map sparks conflict

Precipitation watch …

Scattered snow showers in the higher elevations today: From the National Weather Service:  “Scattered showers will bring some late-season snowfall to the higher elevations of the northern Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade Range through Tuesday.”

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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