DAILY DIGEST: Democrat? Republican? It hardly matters in this California House race. Water does; Sacramento Valley farm works to address needs of farms and fish; Trump administration looks to rewrite rules for Delta water; Trump reshaped US climate policy in one month; and more …

In California water news today, Democrat? Republican? It hardly matters in this California House race. Water does; When Water Worries Often Pit Farms vs. Fish, a Sacramento Valley Farm Is Trying To Address The Needs Of Both; Jolting California officials, Trump administration looks to rewrite rules for Delta water; Study: Efficient irrigation methods increase water usage; The Water Crises Aren’t Coming—They’re Here; Trump reshaped US climate policy in one month: August, 2018; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets at 9am.  Agenda items include a presentation by the Army Corps on supplemental appropriations in 2018 budget act, DWR monthly report, and a briefing on preseason flood coordination.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

Democrat? Republican? It hardly matters in this California House race. Water does:  “Stewart and Lynda Resnick have given big money to Democrats for years. But the powerful San Joaquin Valley farming couple also makes sure they give thousands to Valley Republicans.  Why? Water.  A candidate’s position on water matters more in the Valley than who’s a Republican or Democrat. And that’s why water looms as an important boost to Rep. Jeff Denham, R-California, in his race against Democrat Josh Harder. … ”  FRead more from the Kansas City Star here:  Democrat? Republican? It hardly matters in this California House race. Water does

When Water Worries Often Pit Farms vs. Fish, a Sacramento Valley Farm Is Trying To Address The Needs Of Both: “Farmers in the Central Valley are broiling about California’s plan to increase flows in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems to help struggling salmon runs avoid extinction. But north of Sacramento, River Garden Farms is taking part in some extraordinary efforts to provide the embattled fish with refuge from predators and enough food to eat. And while there is no direct benefit to one farm’s voluntary actions, the belief is what’s good for the fish is good for the farmers.”  Read the article from Western Water here:  When Water Worries Often Pit Farms vs. Fish, a Sacramento Valley Farm Is Trying To Address The Needs Of Both

Jolting California officials, Trump administration looks to rewrite rules for Delta water: “The Trump administration is trying a bold new tactic to bring more water to Central Valley farmers — one that could come at the expense of millions of urban Southern Californians.  In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation served notice to California officials Aug. 17, stating it wants to renegotiate a landmark 1986 agreement governing the big federal and state water projects and how they pump water through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to their member agencies in southern half of the state.  Reclamation’s efforts could significantly alter the balance of power between the state and federal governments as they share control of the water that flows through the Delta. The estuary is the hub of California’s complex north-to-south water delivery system. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Jolting California officials, Trump administration looks to rewrite rules for Delta water

Water board delays river flow decision:  “A hearing held over two days this week on the proposed increase of minimum flows in the lower San Joaquin River and tributaries has been continued to Nov. 7.  The California Water Resources Control Board reported that 150 individuals and groups provided testimony at the hearing in Sacramento, but continuing the hearing “will provide the State Water Board members with additional time to weigh and consider the information and comments,” according to the board’s announcement. … ”  Read more from the Tracy Press here:  Water board delays river flow decision

Butte County farmers protest proposal aimed at sustaining salmon:  “Butte County farmers showed up in force to a rally at the state Capitol, riled by recently proposed updates to the Bay-Delta Plan aimed largely at buoying the state’s imperiled salmon population.  On July 6, the State Water Resources Control Board announced it was looking to increase water flows for portions of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The board noted on its website that it was “part of a delicate balancing act—addressing an ecological crisis in the watershed and preventing further collapse of Bay-Delta fisheries while acknowledging the other vital water uses for millions of Californians.” ... ”  Read more from the Chico News & Review here:  Butte County farmers protest proposal aimed at sustaining salmon

Study: Efficient irrigation methods increase water usage:  “Irrigation techniques promoted to farmers around the world as water-saving are actually increasing water usage, according to a new study.  “The Paradox of Irrigation Efficiency,” published Thursday by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, found that efforts to increase water savings increased overall water usage and decreased groundwater levels.  The goal of efficient irrigation methods is to save water to be re-routed to cities, industry or back into natural aquifers. … ”  Read more from Courthouse News Service here:  Study: Efficient irrigation methods increase water usage

The Water Crises Aren’t Coming—They’re Here:  “For eons, the earth has had the same amount of water—no more, no less. What the ancient Romans used for crops and Nefertiti drank? It’s the same stuff we bathe with. Yet with more than seven billion people on the planet, experts now worry we’re running out of usable water. The symptoms are here: multiyear droughts, large-scale crop failures, a major city—Cape Town—on the verge of going dry, increasing outbreaks of violence, fears of full-scale water wars. The big question: How do we keep the H20 flowing? … ”  Continue reading at Esquire Magazine here:  The Water Crises Aren’t Coming—They’re Here

Emissions: Trump reshaped US climate policy in one month: August, 2018: “August was supposed to be a quiet month for climate politics, a time when Congress went on recess; President Trump played golf in Bedminster, N.J.; and Americans took a break from politics before this November’s midterm elections.  Instead, it may go down as a historic turning point in U.S. climate efforts.  EPA launched a whirlwind of actions that stand to exacerbate people’s influence on global temperatures. First came the rollback of clean car rules, an aggressive effort to unravel former President Obama’s program to reduce tailpipe pollution. Then came the Clean Power Plan replacement, another muscular move that dismantles Obama’s signature initiative for curbing emissions from the power sector. … ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Emissions: Trump reshaped US climate policy in one month: August, 2018

In commentary today …

‘Shock and awe’ not right for Central Valley water fight, says the San Diego Union Tribune:  They write, “The farmers of the Central Valley have for years argued that they get little sympathy from state water bureaucrats despite their huge importance to California’s economy in arguably the world’s most fertile agricultural region. Given the political influence of Golden State environmentalists — some of whom consider “Big Ag” one of the worst aspects of “modern civilization” — these farmers have reason to worry about fair treatment. It’s why on Monday, hundreds of them gathered at the state Capitol in Sacramento to protest a plan being considered by the California State Water Resources Control Board to divert some water supplies from farmers to the Low San Joaquin River and three of its tributaries from February to June to try to boost the declining population of salmon. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  ‘Shock and awe’ not right for Central Valley water fight, says the San Diego Union Tribune

California cannot wait on clean drinking water crisis. Speaker Rendon, let legislators vote, says the Sacramento Bee:  They write, “The disgracefully high number of Californians who don’t have clean drinking water is a full-on crisis that deserves an urgent response.  So Gov. Jerry Brown and a bipartisan group of legislators are right to try again with a revised plan to get more money flowing to ease this public health emergency.  They faced intense opposition to what critics labeled a “water tax” – a small levy on customer bills – in their original plan, which also included new fees on farms and dairies. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  California cannot wait on clean drinking water crisis. Speaker Rendon, let legislators vote

The unanticipated benefits of California’s water policies:  Kirsten James writes, “Just as California’s climate policies have driven innovation in energy efficiency, renewable energy and battery storage – creating 500,000 new jobs – many of the state’s recently enacted bills are beginning to drive innovation in water technology. State policymakers should take note.  These technologies, in turn, are poised to bring about new jobs and economic growth in California, while supporting the policy goals of creating more robust water utilities and better drought resilience for the state. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  The unanticipated benefits of California’s water policies

WOTUS ruling muddies the waters, says the Capital Press:  “The controversial Waters of the United States rule lives again, at least in 26 states — including Oregon, Washington and California.  The Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wrote the rule in the hopes of reconciling two separate Supreme Court decisions in cases involving the Clean Water Act. The object was to better define what constitutes “waters of the United States,” which the act gives the federal government authority to regulate.  The 2015 rule extended regulation to isolated bodies of water that have a “significant nexus” with navigable waters of the United States. The rule left it to the bureaucrats to determine that nexus, and that rightly made farmers and ranchers nervous. … ”  Read more from the Capital Press here:  WOTUS ruling muddies the waters

In regional news and commentary today …

Seven weeks later, no drinking water in Hornbrook:  “Seven weeks to the day after the Klamathon Fire devastated the town of Hornbrook, residents who are fortunate enough to still have homes are dealing with a frustrating situation – the lack of potable tap water.  The good news: potable water service should be restored in two weeks, said Peter Kampa, general manager of the Hornbrook Community Services District.  The district has been stymied by the cost of necessary repairs, Kampa said, which will most likely top $1 million. Until Tuesday, when the Hornbrook CSD landed a $24,000 grant from the Ford Family Foundation to install necessary disinfection equipment once it arrives, no state, federal or local agency was able to provide cash to help. ... ”  Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here:  Seven weeks later, no drinking water in Hornbrook

Foundation awards matching grant for Russian River coho salmon population restoration effort: “The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today awarded a $410,000 grant to Trout Unlimited to recover a viable, self-sustaining population of coho salmon in the Russian River watershed in Sonoma County, California. Trout Unlimited will provide $410,000 in matching contributions, for a total conservation impact of $820,000.  The grant was awarded through the Russian River Coho Program, a partnership between NFWF and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that seeks to restore coho salmon in the Russian River by changing traditional water management practices on a watershed scale. … ”  Read more from the Sonoma County Gazette here:  Foundation awards matching grant for Russian River coho salmon population restoration effort

Nevada Irrigation District approves funding for Nevada County Reservoir projects:  “The Nevada Irrigation District board of directors approved a total $670,900 for several projects to improve its reservoirs and hydroelectric facilities.  The board Wednesday awarded a construction contract to Koch & Koch in Penn Valley for the Loma Rica and Newtown Reservoir Cleaning Project in the amount of $344,100. This is the first year of the reservoir cleaning program, which has the goal of gaining back some of the lost capacity in district reservoirs that have sediment buildup.  The Loma Rica Reservoir had an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 cubic yards of accumulated sediment and will require several years for the cleaning, according to the staff report. … ”  Read more from The Union here:  Nevada Irrigation District approves funding for Nevada County Reservoir projects

SF gets big EPA loan to upgrade sewage treatment plant:  “San Francisco has received a $699 million low-interest loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help offset the costs of modernizing its wastewater treatment facility.  The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission will use the loan — the largest granted under the EPA’s Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, or WIFIA — to help finance the Southeast Treatment Plant Biosolids Digester Facilities Project. The project will renovate the city’s 60-year-old solid-wastewater-treatment facilities, according to a Thursday statement from environmental engineering and construction firm Brown and Caldwell, which is leading the project. … ”  Read more from SF Gate here:  SF gets big EPA loan to upgrade sewage treatment plant

Full commission ‘engaged’ in CPUC hearing on Cal Am desal project:  “In a sign of how seriously the state Public Utilities Commission is taking the debate over the future of water supply on the Monterey Peninsula, all five commissioners attended a CPUC oral argument hearing on California American Water’s proposed desalination project in San Francisco on Wednesday.  Several of those who attended the hearing said three of the five commissioners asked a number of questions of the parties to the desal project proceeding, and all five appeared “engaged and interested” in the issue. Only a majority of the commission was required to attend. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Full commission ‘engaged’ in CPUC hearing on Cal Am desal project

Fresno Irrigation District giving growers a few extra weeks of water:  “Growers in the Fresno Irrigation District will get a few extra weeks of water deliveries this season.  The Fresno Irrigation District credits a better than expected snowpack runoff and late storms. The extra deliveries meant farmers would not have to pump as much groundwater to water crops.  Harvest was underway for many valley crops, but farmers in the Fresno Irrigation District will enjoy extended water deliveries into September. ... ”  Read more from KFSN here:  Fresno Irrigation District giving growers a few extra weeks of water

San Diego: Water deal will keep costs down, says Mark Muir:  He writes, “A historic achievement for the San Diego region passed almost unnoticed when the San Diego County Water Authority’s Board of Directors adopted new wholesale water rates in late June.  The rate-setting process highlighted how the water authority’s independent water supplies from the Colorado River are now both less expensive and more reliable than supplies from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It’s an accomplishment that the region’s water officials started working toward two decades ago, and one that will bear fruit for decades to come. ... ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: San Diego: Water deal will keep costs down, says Mark Muir

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• NEWS WORTH NOTING: Mayor Garcetti and LADWP celebrate Cedars-Sinai’s water reuse innovation; Ruling on stromwater discharges in LA waterways; Water and climate report
• DELTA eNEWS: ~~ IEP Newsletter~ Science Conference~ Waterway Cleanup~ WEF Summit~ RMP Meeting ~~
• OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT: 30-day Comment Period Opens for Addendum 1 to Delta Levees Maintenance Subventions Guidelines
• OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT on the draft updated Delta Science Plan
• CENTRAL VALLEY REGIONAL WATER BOARD: Reformatted Water Quality Control Plans available

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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.