DAILY DIGEST: Like it or not, the water is coming: Will the Bay Area defend against rising seas or embrace them?; Protecting native fish in the Delta; The snow drought in California is fueling wildfires, floods, and mudslides; and more …

In California water news today, Like it or not, the water is coming: Will the Bay Area defend against rising seas or embrace them?; Protecting native fish in the Delta; The snow drought in California is fueling wildfires, floods, and mudslides; Growing California rice and almonds against the grain; Klamath River dam panel gets FERC approval; 206-acre meadow acquired for large-scale restoration of Upper Truckee River watershed; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • WEBINAR: Communicating with Ratepayers – Getting Past Paying More for Less from 10-11:30am, from the Water Now Alliance.  Click here to register.
  • WEBINAR: California-Nevada Drought & Climate Outlook from 11am-12pm.  Click here to register.

In the news today …

Like it or not, the water is coming: Will the Bay Area defend against rising seas or embrace them?  “You can shove water back from the land, or let the land flood, but either way, San Francisco Bay is getting higher. Along more than 400 miles of bayfront, in at least forty communities that touch water, the once-sneaky problem of sea level rise is revealing itself as it accelerates. At airports, at power plants, in subsiding urban areas and in shoreline development, rising seas are challenging our choices about living next to water.  Since the days when our best gauge was a numbered stick and a sharp-eyed observer, San Francisco Bay has been rising. At the Presidio station tidal gauge, the level of the bay has risen 8 inches since 1900. … ”  Read more from KQED here:  Like it or not, the water is coming: Will the Bay Area defend against rising seas or embrace them?

Deeply Talks: Protecting native fish in the Delta:  “In this episode of Deeply Talks, Tara Lohan, Water Deeply’s managing editor, speaks with University of California, Davis fisheries experts Peter Moyle and John Durand about the challenges and opportunities for fish restoration in the California Delta.”  Listen to the show, read synopsis from Water Deeply here:  Deeply Talks: Protecting native fish in the Delta

The snow drought in California is fueling wildfires, floods, and mudslides:  “California is likely facing another year of water woes. The Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies up to a third of California’s water, is exceptionally meager this year. Experts found around half as much snow on the mountains as they typically would in early April, when the snowpack is historically most voluminous.  Not only does the dwindling snowpack put California’s water supply at risk, it also portends more floods, wildfires and mudslides over the coming year. This is precisely what makes climate change so dangerous. Even small changes in weather can have cascading effects, multiplying the risk of natural disaster. … ”  Read more from Clean Technica here:  The snow drought in California is fueling wildfires, floods, and mudslides

Growing California rice and almonds against the grain:  “In his now-weathered, century-old diary, Manuel Fonseca penned an entry in Portuguese about the many challenges he faced as a new immigrant trying to grow rice in California’s Sacramento Valley. Fonseca planted his first crop in 1916 and found himself wrestling with an alarming number of weeds in the paddies.  Despite the challenges, the farm survived, and three generations and a century later, his great-grandson Greg Massa is still growing rice, along with his wife Raquel Krach. Although Greg’s father, Manuel Massa Jr., opted to use herbicides, Greg has chosen to farm organically, meaning he’s facing the same weeds as his great-grandfather, which are difficult to remove once he floods his fields with nourishing waters. ... ”  Read more from Civil Eats here:  Growing California rice and almonds against the grain

Klamath River dam panel gets FERC approval:  “Proponents of a plan to remove four Klamath River dams to improve water quality and fish health were encouraged last week after a federal commission approved their panel of experts who will be responsible for determining what it will take to undergo what officials say is the largest dam removal project in the nation’s history, according to the nonprofit heading the project. … ”  Read more from the Herald and News here:  Klamath River dam panel gets FERC approval

206-acre meadow acquired for large-scale restoration of Upper Truckee River watershed:  “The largest privately-owned section of the Upper Truckee River is now in public hands, paving the way for another restoration project on an altered watershed harming Lake Tahoe’s famed clarity.  This week the Tahoe Resource Conservation District announced the acquisition of Johnson Meadow, a 206-acre portion of a larger watershed that, in its original form, acted as a natural water filter for both the Upper Truckee River and Trout Creek. … ”  Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here:  206-acre meadow acquired for large-scale restoration of Upper Truckee River watershed

Santa Barbara water supplies remain stable, has supply through 2020:  “California is still in a state of severe drought, and Santa Barbara remains in a drought emergency.  Santa Barbara has enough water to last it through 2020. The level of shortage in 2021 will depend on the quality of water in Gibraltar Reservoir that can be used this year, and whether the dry conditions would continue.  So far for the water year that began Sept. 1, 2017, Gibraltar Reservoir has received about 11.69 inches of rain, about 45 percent of normal, and is at 98 percent capacity. … ”  Read more from Noozhawk here:  Santa Barbara water supplies remain stable, has supply through 2020

EPA: Emails show skeptics’ plan to prod agency. ‘This is winning’:  “Joe Bast is a winner. At least, he thinks so.  The co-founder of a conservative think tank that decries global warming “alarmism” has declared quite a few victories since President Trump took office, according to a trove of emails recently released under a Freedom of Information Act request.  “This is what victory looks like,” Bast wrote to allies last October, noting that “global warming” wasn’t mentioned in EPA’s strategic plan for the next few years. In January 2018, he emailed his supporters that Trump’s first year in office had been “a great year for climate realists.” When Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was ousted, Bast wrote, “This is winning.” And in March, he wrote, “More winning, this time at FEMA,” referring to reports that the agency had cut climate references from its plans. ... ”  Read more from E&E News here:  EPA: Emails show skeptics’ plan to prod agency. ‘This is winning’

More news and commentary in the weekend and Memorial Day editions …

  • In California water news this weekend, Delta Stewardship Council sued over Delta Plan conveyance amendment; Frazier asks US Senators to oppose Cal WaterFix rider; Legal analysis: Can Congress prevent state and federal courts from hearing WaterFix lawsuits?; New set of scores released for water bond projects; U.S. Senate bill would require independent review of Oroville Dam; Oroville Dam: DWR attempts to quash Butte County lawsuit; and more … READ IT HERE:  Weekend Daily Digest
  • In California water news this Memorial Day, After years of skepticism, San Diego supports Delta tunnels project; Straws. Bottle caps. Polyester. These are the new targets of California’s environmental movement; South of Delta allocations increased to 45%; NASA’s building new tools to manage water as climate dangers grow; Oregon tribes say feds failed to protect Upper Klamath Lake sucker fish, violated Endangered Species Act; Below Mount Shasta, a fight burbles over bottled water; Photo gallery: Golden Gate Bridge turns 81; and more …  READ IT HERE:  Monday’s Daily Digest

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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