DAILY DIGEST: The $3 billion plan to turn Hoover Dam into a giant battery; Oroville Dam committee holds ‘historic’ first meeting; Sites bond funding decided this week; UC to team with Israel for ag water research; and more …

In California water news today, The $3 billion plan to turn Hoover Dam into a giant battery; Oroville Dam committee holds ‘historic’ first meeting; Sites bond funding decided this week; UC to team with Israel for ag water research; California has sued the Trump Administration 38 times. Here’s a look at the legal challenges; Lawmakers remove GOP endangered species policies from defense bill; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • The California Water Commission meets at 9:30am to decide the final funding amounts for Prop 1 storage projects and to consider early funding requests.  Click here for the agenda and webcast link.
  • The State Water Resources Control Board meets at 9:30am. Agenda items consideration of a proposed Resolution authorizing the Executive Director to finalize and execute a Revised Memorandum of Agreement between the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Conservation, Division of Oil, Gas, and Geothermal Resources Regarding Underground Injection Control, Discharges to Land, and Other Program Issues, STORMS update.  Click here for agenda and meeting materials.
  • A Brown Bag Seminar/Webinar: How the Interagency Ecological Program Uses Data to Inform Management Decisions: It’s vital: Delta smelt reproduction and resilience from 12pm to 1pm.  Click here for more information and Webex instructions.
  • Webinar: Flood-MAR – Using Floodwater for Managed Aquifer Recharge from 12pm to 1pm, Kamyar Guivetchi presenting.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

The $3 billion plan to turn Hoover Dam into a giant battery:  “Hoover Dam helped transform the American West, harnessing the force of the Colorado River — along with millions of cubic feet of concrete and tens of millions of pounds of steel — to power millions of homes and businesses. It was one of the great engineering feats of the 20th century.  Now it is the focus of a distinctly 21st-century challenge: turning the dam into a vast reservoir of excess electricity, fed by the solar farms and wind turbines that represent the power sources of the future. ... ”  Read more from the New York Times here:  The $3 billion plan to turn Hoover Dam into a giant battery

Oroville Dam committee holds ‘historic’ first meeting:  “A historic first meeting between state Department of Water Resources officials and local leaders as a committee solidified that the community will have a say in the future of Oroville Dam operations.  On Wednesday, the group met at DWR’s Oroville Field Division Office to discuss its charter, the scope of the comprehensive needs assessment and the first Independent Review Board, or IRB, memorandum.  Committee members are hopeful this opportunity offers some respite from the lingering distrust after the 2017 spillway crisis. It seemed the group gained some ground through civil, and at some points, emotional discussion at its first gathering. … ”  Read more from the Oroville Mercury-Register here:  Oroville Dam committee holds ‘historic’ first meeting

Sites bond funding decided this week:  “How much Proposition 1 water bond funding will be flowing to Sites Reservoir will be decided this week.  The California Water Commission on Tuesday starts what’s scheduled to be a three-day meeting, with the goal of allocating $2.58 billion available for water storage from the bond measure passed by voters in November 2014.  It looks like Sites will get the biggest piece of that, but the amount could vary from $770 million to $917 million. That would pay a fraction of the $5.2 billion total cost. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Sites bond funding decided this week

UC to team with Israel for ag water research:  “Pledging to work together to solve water scarcity issues, Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization signed a memorandum of understanding with UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and UC Davis on July 16. The signing ceremony kicked off the 2018 Future of Water for Irrigation in California and Israel Workshop at the UC ANR building in Davis.  “Israel and California agriculture face similar challenges, including drought and climate change,” said Doug Parker, director of UC ANR’s California Institute for Water Resources. “In the memorandum of understanding, Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization, UC Davis and UC ANR pledge to work together more on research involving water, irrigation, technology and related topics that are important to both water-deficit countries.” ... ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  UC to team with Israel for ag water research

California has sued the Trump Administration 38 times.  Here’s a look at the legal challenges:  “California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has emerged as a leading national figure in what Democrats call their “resistance” to the Trump administration, filing a flurry of 38 lawsuits against the federal government in just the last year and a half.  The state’s legal challenges have attacked federal actions on issues including immigration, the environment, the U.S. census, education, the internet, the rights of transgender people and healthcare. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  California has sued the Trump Administration 38 times.  Here’s a look at the legal challenges

Lawmakers remove GOP endangered species policies from defense bill:  “Congress’s annual defense bill won’t include proposed polices that would restrict Endangered Species Act protections for certain animals.  Lawmakers negotiating between House and Senate defense authorization bills decided not to include any of the endangered species provisions the House had put in its version of the legislation in the final version of the bill. … ”  Read more from The Hill here:  Lawmakers remove GOP endangered species policies from defense bill

In regional news and commentary today …

Klamath drought response agency hosts public meeting on Wednesday:  “The 2018 Klamath Project Drought Response Agency, tasked with managing and dispersing $10.3 million in Omnibus funds – both reimbursable and non-reimbursable aid to Project irrigators – will hold a public meeting at 11 a.m. Wednesday, at 250 Main St.  The drought management agency, which is made up of seven irrigation district board members previously appointed by individual irrigation districts, will meet in the upstairs conference room where Klamath Drainage District meets. … ”  Read more from the Herald & News here:  Klamath drought response agency hosts public meeting on Wednesday

Ukiah High project will collect, clean stormwater: Crews have been digging up the Ukiah High School parking lot much of the summer, but they’re not laying fresh asphalt. They’re putting in a water collection system designed to keep stormwater out of local creeks.  Deborah Edelman of the Mendocino County Resource Conservation District said the project is being funded by a grant she helped the Ukiah Unified School District apply for and receive. … ”  Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal here:  Ukiah High project will collect, clean stormwater

Local students help wetlands restoration effort in North Bay:  “At Sears Point, just off of Highway 37 in Sonoma County, the Sonoma Baylands tidal marsh restoration site has been attracting some wildlife it hasn’t seen in decades: the Ridgway’s rail and the salt marsh harvest mouse. Both are federally listed endangered species.  “They’ve been a big driver for a lot of the restoration,” said John Parodi, a restoration manager with Point Blue Conservation Science.  Parodi says both the mouse and bird were spotted in the lush, green wetlands of Sonoma Baylands just last year. ... ”  Read more from KQED here:  Local students help wetlands restoration effort in North Bay

Decision time for county supervisors on Carmel River lagoon project:  “Already in the works for years, the Carmel River Lagoon management project has arrived at a key decision point that could determine the future of the flood-prone lagoon area where Monterey County has mechanically breached or manipulated the sandbar during the peak rainy season for years.  At its meeting Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will be asked to choose how to proceed with the $17.5 million project. The supervisors will first hear a status report on the challenges the project faces, including a lack of funding, the need for additional and expensive technical studies to enhance a draft environmental impact report, and community and regulatory agency opposition. ... ”  Read more from the Monterey County Herald here:   Decision time for county supervisors on Carmel River lagoon project

San Diego: Stormwater compliance is untapped opportunity, says Lisa Kay:  She writes, “San Diego has been working hard to increase alternative water sources through recycling projects, like Pure Water. But one important source has been totally overlooked: stormwater runoff. Currently, rainwater mostly runs down gutters to storm drains and eventually dumps into the ocean. But upcoming changes by the California State Water Board present an opportunity to help local businesses with tough new compliance standards and capture a precious resource.  While rain in San Diego is infrequent, every drop of water captured for use, or returned to the water table through infiltration, benefits the local water supply and our water security. And those drops add up. During a quarter-inch rain storm, two acres of paved surface will produce roughly 13,000 gallons of water runoff. That’s almost enough to serve the water needs of a family of four for a month. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Business Journal here:  Stormwater compliance is untapped opportunity

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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