In California water news this weekend, Interior Secretary Zinke visits reservoirs, signaling federal interest in water fight; Delta advocates slam power play by Zinke and Denham; The Klamath conflict: Water war along California-Oregon border pits growers against tribes, family against family; US may pick Western headquarters for land agency in 8 months; Four things to know about Trump’s ESA overhaul; and more …
In the news this weekend …
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
ZINKE VISIT TO CALIFORNIA
Interior Secretary Zinke visits reservoirs, signaling federal interest in water fight: “Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke paid a visit Friday to two reservoirs that are embroiled in an intense fight over water allocations in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. The visit from a high-level official in the Trump administration raised hopes from local farmers and irrigation districts that federal intervention will stop a state Water Board proposal to allocate more water from New Melones and Don Pedro reservoirs to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The state proposal also calls for increased Merced River flows. Zinke was accompanied by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, whose two amendments to block part of the state’s “water grab” passed the House of Representatives on Thursday. Zinke, along with Congressman Tom McClintock, sat at a picnic table to talk with media at Don Pedro. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Interior Secretary Zinke visits reservoirs, signaling federal interest in water fight
Trump’s Interior Secretary visits Don Pedro and New Melones reservoirs: “Ryan Zinke, the Trump administration’s secretary for the federal Department of Interior, flanked by two Republican congressmen representing Central Sierra and Central Valley residents, sat facing news reporters, photographers and videographers in direct sunlight Friday as air temperatures approached 95 degrees and hotter with the Don Pedro Reservoir spillway in the background. Staff for the Interior secretary said Zinke, Rep. Tom McClintock, of Elk Grove, and Rep. Jeff Denham, of Turlock, were there “to see these critical Central Valley water storage projects in person and discuss the administration’s potential role in improving water infrastructure and protecting valley water rights.” … ” Read more from the Union Democrat here: Trump’s Interior Secretary visits Don Pedro and New Melones reservoirs
Water fight attracts federal interest: “In the midst of a state decision that the Turlock Irrigation District says could “drastically impact our communities,” Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke visited the two reservoirs on Friday that are in the middle of California’s water war. Zinke was invited by Congressmen Jeff Denham and Tom McClintock to tour both Don Pedro Reservoir and New Melones just weeks after the State Water Resources Control Board released its final draft of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan update, which calls for allocation of 40 percent of unimpaired flows along the lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries — the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers — to help rehabilitate the area’s native fish species. ... ” Read more from the Turlock Journal here: Water fight attracts federal interest
Zinke wants to help improve California’s water infrastructure: “U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke met with Rep. Jeff Denham for tours of the Don Pedro Reservoir and New Melones Dam as the two discussed the Trump administration’s possible role in improving water infrastructure in California. Zinke said he wanted to see the Central Valley’s storage projects in person, adding that the next step is to make sure legislators can put together a solution that will work. ... ” Watch video at KCRA Channel 3 here: Zinke wants to help improve California’s water infrastructure
Delta advocates slam power play by Zinke and Denham: “Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke came to California today, hosted by Congressman Jeff Denham, who represents the 10th district which covers the northern part of the San Joaquin Valley. He is touring two dams and reservoirs in the Sierras. The visit is a power play by Republicans in Congress and their agribusiness donors, who are frustrated by their inability to totally control water decisions in California. Denham along with California Congressmen Ken Calvert and David Valadao inserted three riders to the Interior Department appropriations bill. The riders would allow federal regulators to divert more water to agribusiness, while shifting power over the state’s water allocation decisions to the federal government. That bill passed the House on July 19th. At a press briefing at Denham’s field office in Modesto today, Bay-Delta advocates slammed Denham and Zinke for betraying the right of Californians to control their own water, and legally challenge water projects. Vic Bedoian reports from Modesto”.
KLAMATH BASIN
The Klamath conflict: Water war along California-Oregon border pits growers against tribes, family against family: “As one of the tensest fights for water in the West closes in, residents in this town along the rural California-Oregon border are moving out. The sidewalks are emptier. The downtown is a ghostly strip of vacant storefronts, struggling lunch spots and liquor stores. The highway nearby is flanked by abandoned silos and crumbling produce warehouses. The Klamath River has run low, and the economic fallout of a water shortage brought on by years of drought has gripped this farming community, even as the Trump administration intervenes to help find relief for the unrelenting climate challenge. The last time anxieties over water ran so high in Tulelake and the surrounding basin, protests broke out and U.S. marshals were called in to keep the peace. That was 17 years ago. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: The Klamath conflict: Water war along California-Oregon border pits growers against tribes, family against family
Judge hears oral arguments in Klamath tribes lawsuit: “A federal judge in San Francisco heard oral arguments Friday in a case filed by the Klamath Tribes of southern Oregon seeking greater protections for endangered sucker fish in Upper Klamath Lake. The lawsuit, which names the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service as defendants, requests an injunction to hold more water in the lake for shortnose and Lost River suckers, a culturally significant food for the tribes. Farmers and ranchers, however, worry the injunction would essentially shut off surface water irrigation in the Klamath Project, costing roughly $400 million in lost annual economic value. … ” Read more from the Capital Press here: Judge hears oral arguments in Klamath tribes lawsuit
Judge won’t divert water for endangered sucker fish: “More than a year after ordering the U.S. government to redirect water to save endangered salmon on the California-Oregon border, a federal judge on Friday refused to take similar action to help two other endangered species of fish. “I don’t think plaintiffs have met their burden for this extraordinary remedy,” U.S. District Judge William Orrick said of the Klamath Tribes’ motion for a preliminary injunction to raise water levels in Oregon’s Upper Klamath Lake to help save endangered Lost River and Shortnose suckers. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: Judge won’t divert water for endangered sucker fish
OTHER STATEWIDE NEWS
‘Monumental’ undertaking: Workers finally tame an epic landslide that reshaped the coast and blocked Highway 1: “Drivers along Highway 1 — coming and going to Big Sur — typically ignored Mud Creek. Most maps overlooked this most prosaically named feature along the California coast. There were no landmarks here, nothing to call attention to anything but the road, which hugged a cliff high above the surf below. To do otherwise would invite tragedy. Yet in matters of California geology, nothing is too modest to be remarkable. Last year Mud Creek roared into life when it channeled one of the state’s largest landslides in recent history, severing Highway 1 for a quarter mile and presenting dozens of engineers, geologists and construction crews the greatest challenge of their careers. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: ‘Monumental’ undertaking: Workers finally tame an epic landslide that reshaped the coast and blocked Highway 1
Radioactive particles from Fukushima detected in Napa wine: “It’s been more than seven years since the meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, but the effects of such a disaster can linger for decades, often in subtle, unseen ways. One such side effect has been growing on vines — and aging in barrels — in Northern California, according to a team of French researchers, unbeknownst to the wine lovers who drink it. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Radioactive particles from Fukushima detected in Napa wine
NATIONAL NEWS
US may pick Western headquarters for land agency in 6 to 8 months: “The Trump administration says it may pick a new Western headquarters for the nation’s largest land management agency in the next six to eight months. Susan Combs, a senior adviser to Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, told a Senate committee Thursday that Zinke is committed to moving the Bureau of Land Management headquarters from Washington to the West. The bureau is part of Zinke’s department. ... ” Read more from the Washington Times here: US may pick Western headquarters for land agency in 8 months
Four things to know about Trump’s ESA overhaul: “Buckle up! We’re taking a deeper dive into the Trump administration’s new Endangered Species Act proposals. That’s right. The proposed regulatory revisions detailed in some 118 pages of bureaucratic text merit close scrutiny. Get past the off-putting references to “blanket 4(d) rules” and “foreseeable future” definitions, and the proposals have real significance for species, land owners and officials alike. Examples may help. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Four things to know about Trump’s ESA overhaul
Endangered species act stripped of key provisions in Trump Administration proposal: “The Trump administration unveiled a proposal Thursday that would strip the Endangered Species Act of key provisions, a move that conservationists say would weaken a law enacted 45 years ago to keep plant and animal species in decline from going extinct. The proposal, announced jointly by the Interior and Commerce departments, which are charged with protecting endangered wildlife, would end the practice of extending similar protections to species regardless of whether they are listed as endangered or threatened. If the proposal is approved, likely by year’s end, protections for threatened plants and animals would be made on a case-by-case basis. … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Endangered species act stripped of key provisions in Trump Administration proposal
More evidence of nitrate cancer risk in drinking water: “The U.S. drinking water standard for nitrate was set decades ago at a level to prevent infant deaths. But recent research suggests that the standard, decided in 1991, is out of date. Scientists are accumulating evidence that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s nitrate limit may need to be lowered because it does not account for potential long-term health damage, including the risk of cancer, that harms people into their adult years. A perennial environmental menace — as a trigger for the annual Gulf of Mexico dead zone and the degradation of Long Island’s estuaries — nitrate pollution in groundwater and rivers is growing worse, especially in farm regions, where crop fertilizer and manure are primary sources of the chemical. Cleaning up the mess is causing municipal budgets to balloon. … ” Read more from the Circle of Blue here: More evidence of nitrate cancer risk in drinking water
In commentary this weekend …
Regulatory impacts on the human environment: Lance W. Johnson writes, “Mike Dunbar of the Modesto Bee, other local news sources in your region, as well as local water agency managers and board members are all rightfully expressing their frustration and disbelief with the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) proposed river flow standards. I can understand and share their angst and frustration because it’s stunningly reminiscent of this retired delta water warrior’s experiences dealing with salmon and delta smelt issues and litigation years ago. For many years I was involved in and later monitored numerous federal litigations including some “interesting” cases involving federal regulatory mandates for salmon and delta smelt. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Regulatory impacts on the human environment
Make state’s water grab personal: Put your face on it, says the Modesto Bee: They write, “Sometimes, the best way to explain a complicated subject is face to face – even when that face is on a video screen. Most of us know the value of the water flowing through our communities. But to people living on the coast, people here are portrayed as a bunch of greedy water wasters trying to kill sickly salmon. We need to correct that image, and your short videos could help. The State Water Resources Control Board released the final update of its plan to send more of the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The state wants 40 percent, sometimes 50 percent, of each river. As the water flows away, so do thousands of acres of crops and thousands more jobs. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Make state’s water grab personal: Put your face on it
California water plan should rely on California science, says Nick Blom and Charles Fernandes: They write, “Despite having well over a year to adequately address thousands of public comments from our region, the State Water Resources Control Board has ignored the value of water to our community and doubled down on its proposal to mandate 40 percent of unimpaired flows along the Tuolumne River. State Board Chairwoman Felicia Marcus astounded our communities when she stated that “efforts are underway to design voluntary agreements” (How to move past water wars, save the Delta, Page 7A, July 12). The Modesto Irrigation District and Turlock Irrigation District have sat with the state at the negotiating table for more than a year offering science-based, balanced solutions. Yet, none of these discussions and proposed solutions are reflected in the state’s revised proposal. The Board’s recent action further proves that its mind was made up a long time ago and any claim of negotiating in good faith is a charade. ... ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: California water plan should rely on California science
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Santa Rosa stumped by hilltop water system overwhelmed in Tubbs Fire: “At 9:45 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8, the deadly Tubbs fire roared to life just north of Calistoga and began its wind-whipped rampage west toward Santa Rosa. The timing of the ignition could not have been worse, coming just as many residents were going to sleep, unaware of the approaching inferno. The blaze also came at a profoundly inopportune time for the water system meant to safeguard thousands of homes in Santa Rosa’s hilltop Fountaingrove neighborhood. ... ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Santa Rosa stumped by hilltop water system overwhelmed in Tubbs Fire
Sierra meadow restoration reflects collaborative watershed efforts: “With $12 million in funding, a multi-agency partnership taking a systemic approach to watershed health is literally, applying a “trickle down” approach. Yesterday, federal, state and local officials had the opportunity to tour one of several local watershed health projects made possible through funding grants administered through the Tuolumne-Stanislaus Integrated Regional Water Management Authority, which help seek monies and develop projects that address water-related issues within the watershed. … ” Read more from My Mother Lode here: Meadow restoration reflects collaborative watershed efforts
Bill to transfer Contra Costa Canal to water district advances: “The decades-old concrete canal that brings water to half a million Contra Costa residents is damaged and dangerous, experts say, but a bill that proposes to fix it through an ownership transfer has cleared a hurdle. Called the Contra Costa Canal Transfer Act, the bill written by Congressman Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, would transfer ownership of the canal system from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to the Contra Costa Water District, which is working on safety improvements to the canal. The bill unanimously passed out of the House’s Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. ... ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Bill to transfer Contra Costa Canal to water district advances
San Francisco studies impacts of sea level rise as state projections double: “State projections for how high the ocean could rise this century have as much as doubled, giving new urgency to efforts to plan for mitigation efforts, San Francisco planning officials said this week. Sea level rise projections from the state Ocean Protection Council were increased earlier this year from a maximum of 66 inches to as high as 122 inches by 2100. That projection includes both sea level rise, which will account for 11 to 24 inches by 2050, and coastal erosion and shoreline flooding. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Examiner here: San Francisco studies impacts of sea level rise as state projections double
Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency aims to tackle groundwater problems: “A diverse group of public officials, agency representatives and citizens are working to tackle one of the most pressing issues dogging the region — the continued depletion of groundwater reserves. “There’s not a lot of water available for recharge and there’s not going to be one project that is going to get us to the finish line,” said Darcy Pruitt of the Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency, a group mandated by state law to develop a sustainability plan for local aquifers. “It’s and, not or.” … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Santa Cruz Mid-County Groundwater Agency aims to tackle groundwater problems
We need Kings water, says Steve Haugen: He writes, “Over the past year, a fight over water has quietly simmered behind the scenes in Sacramento and throughout the Central Valley. The stakes couldn’t be higher as the outcome will have widespread implications for residents and water rights holders statewide. The good news so far is that the public interest is winning out, not the self-interest of a well-connected few. State agencies are working to protect taxpayers. The controversial project has encountered significant resistance – for now. ... ” Read more from Bakersfield.com here: We need Kings water
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority passes pump fee ordinance: “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board voted 3-1 to formally adopt an ordinance imposing a monthly volumetric groundwater extraction fee on major pumpers at its Thursday meeting. Ridgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden voted no, as directed by the city council on Wednesday (see related story, this edition). Inyo County’s representative was not present. San Bernardino County representative Bob Page voted by telephone conference. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority passes pump fee ordinance
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority technical advisory committee processes discussed: “How exactly the IWV Groundwater Authority’s technical advisory committee operates was set clear on Thursday — at least as defined from a legal perspective, according to Keith Lemieux, the Authority’s 2018 legal counsel. Questions and concerns have been fielded at several Groundwater Authority meetings over the TAC’s function allows, especially whether the committee can vote on items or take action. Lemieux said he received questions about whether the committee can take action and what tasks it does at its meetings. “It’s a fair question because unlike the other committee we have in the bylaws, the TAC is a very unusual animal,” Lemieux said. … ” Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority technical advisory committee processes discussed
LA wants a greener and smarter future through water management: “Los Angeles is missing out on large opportunities to capture much-needed water as a result of its current water system, with over 100 billion gallons of water literally going down the drain each year from uncaptured rain. In fact, about two-thirds of the water in LA County — through a very energy intensive process — is imported from outside sources in Northern California and Arizona. That’s alarming as California as a whole continues to be drought prone, having just experienced the worst drought ever in its history between 2011 and 2017. ... ” Read more from the Asian Journal here: LA wants a greener and smarter future through water management
The disappearing Salton Sea: Saving the recreational paradise or is it too late? “There have been years of drought and a shrinking shoreline and for once, it is not Lake Mead. Instead, it is the Salton Sea in California. The state’s largest lake has become an environmental nightmare. High concentrations of salt have been threatening to fish and bird populations. Now, the push is on to save the sea, but is it too late? … ” Read more from Channel 3 here: The disappearing Salton Sea: Saving the recreational paradise or is it too late?
And lastly …
Crazy fish attack video stirs up marine researchers: “Nature is metal. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research posted a video Thursday that’s full of action, danger, one major surprise and a perfect dose of comedy. ... ” Watch video here: Crazy fish attack video stirs up marine researchers
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
- NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING: 2018 Triennial Review of the SF Bay Region Basin Plan
- NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING concerning adoption of a resolution to approve the Delta Nutrient Research Plan
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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
