DAILY DIGEST: Is groundwater recharge a ‘beneficial use’? CA law says no; Multiple benefits possible if Central Valley ag lands retired and restored strategically; Denham is desperate to stop a CA water plan; A race to the finish on Oroville Dam fix; and more …

In California water news today, Is Groundwater Recharge a ‘Beneficial Use’? California Law Says No.; Groundwater sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley: Multiple benefits if agricultural lands are retired and restored strategically; Denham is desperate to stop a California water plan. Nothing has worked – yet; Denham makes case for Central Valley water; A race to the finish on Oroville Dam fix; What to do when the floodwaters rise; Commerce declares West Coast salmon disaster; Trump officials blame ‘environmental terrorists’ for wildfires. California loggers disagree; Climate scientists are struggling to find the right words for very bad news; and more …

On the calendar today …

• The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board meets today and tomorrow in Redding.  Click here for more information.
• DWR and California Rural Water Association will hold a Drought Preparedness Workshop for small water systems in Banning from 12pm to 4:30pm.  For more information and to register, click here.

In the news today …

Is Groundwater Recharge a ‘Beneficial Use’? California Law Says No.  “Groundwater depletion is a big problem in parts of California. But it is not the only groundwater problem. The state also has many areas of polluted groundwater, and some places where groundwater overdraft has caused the land to subside, damaging roads, canals and other infrastructure. Near the coast, heavy groundwater pumping has caused contamination by pulling seawater underground from the ocean.  But if you wanted to obtain a permit from the state to manage these problems by recharging groundwater, you could be out of luck. … ”  Read more from Water Deeply here:  Is Groundwater Recharge a ‘Beneficial Use’? California Law Says No.

Groundwater sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley: Multiple benefits if agricultural lands are retired and restored strategically:  “Sustaining the remarkable scale of agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley has required large imports of surface water and an average annual groundwater overdraft of 2 million acre-feet (Hanak et al. 2017). This level of water demand is unsustainable and is now forcing changes that will have profound social and economic consequences for San Joaquin Valley farmers and communities. Land will have to come out of agricultural production in some areas. Yet, the emerging changes also provide an important opportunity to strike a new balance between a vibrant agricultural economy and maintenance of natural ecosystems that provide a host of public benefits — if the land is retired and restored strategically. … ”  Read more from California Agriculture here:  Groundwater sustainability in the San Joaquin Valley: Multiple benefits if agricultural lands are retired and restored strategically

Denham is desperate to stop a California water plan. Nothing has worked – yet:  “Rep. Jeff Denham, one of the nation’s most vulnerable Republicans, is trying desperately to shut down a state water plan that’s widely disliked in his district. But nothing has worked so far.  One thing could: Yet another lawsuit between the Department of Justice and the state of California over the issue.  Denham first tried to include a provision in a congressional budget bill in July that would prevent a federal reservoir, called New Melones, from using federal dollars to participate in the plan, which would direct greater amounts of water out of his district’s water resources and into the ocean, purportedly to help salmon populations. … ”  Read more from McClatchy DC here:  Denham is desperate to stop a California water plan. Nothing has worked – yet

Denham makes case for Central Valley water:  “In the continued battle over water raging in the region, Congressman Jeff Denham sent a letter this week to the White House requesting the president take immediate action to stop Sacramento’s radical water grab that would cripple the Central Valley’s economy, farms and communities.  The state’s water grab, the congressman said, is an unprecedented assault on the Central Valley’s water, economy and livelihood and would drain Valley reservoirs, stop hydropower generation, and flush badly needed fresh water out to the ocean. … ”  Read more from the Oakdale Leader here:  Denham makes case for Central Valley water

A race to the finish on Oroville Dam fix:  “The Lake Oroville spillway’s 400-acre construction site is an intense flurry of activity. In one corner, an excavator driver uses an old tire as a squeegee to clean away loose rock and prep a foundation. In the steeply sloping spillway chute, a crane operator flies in a rebar cage to workers who tie it into neighboring chute wall segments. Everywhere, dump trucks buzz around the circuitous roadways while rock crushers and batch plants keep pace with dozens of dozers and excavators. Drones hover in the sky photographing and surveying the site, while inspectors pour over every detail of the finished assets. … ”  Read more from ENR here:  A race to the finish on Oroville Dam fix

What to do when the floodwaters rise:  “California is a state prone to flooding. Over the past 60 years, more than 30 major floods have occurred, claiming more than 300 lives.  While some spots expect high water, such as along Sonoma County’s Russian River where residents buy kayaks and build their homes on stilts, other places are far less prepared. Flooding came as a surprise for many of the 14,000 San Jose residents forced to evacuate near the city’s Coyote Creek during the wet winter of 2016-17.  Scientists say that, as sea levels rise and storms pack more moisture with atmospheric warming, the risk of dangerous floods is on the rise. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  What to do when the floodwaters rise

Commerce declares West Coast salmon disaster:  “In declaring a fishery disaster on Sept. 25, the U.S. Department of Commerce determined that West Coast commercial salmon fisheries suffered during the warm ocean conditions of 2015 to 2017 off the coasts of Washington, Oregon and California, in addition to the commercial sardine fishery off California.  “The Department of Commerce and NOAA stand ready to assist fishing towns and cities along the West Coast as they recover,” Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said. “After years of hardship, the department looks forward to providing economic relief that will allow the fisheries and the communities they help support to rebound.” … ”  Read more from the Chinook Observer here:  Commerce declares West Coast salmon disaster

Trump officials blame ‘environmental terrorists’ for wildfires.  California loggers disagree:  “Ryan Zinke knew exactly whom to blame for the catastrophic wildfires that have scorched California and the West this year.  Touring the scarred neighborhoods of Redding in August, President Donald Trump’s interior secretary blasted “special interest” environmental groups for blocking logging projects that he said would have made forests safer.  His words recalled the timber wars of the 1990s, when conservative politicians and out-of-work loggers blamed environmentalists for court rulings and a thicket of regulations that silenced chainsaws in many Western forests to protect the spotted owl and other threatened wildlife. ... ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Trump officials blame ‘environmental terrorists’ for wildfires.  California loggers disagree

Climate scientists are struggling to find the right words for very bad news:  “In Incheon, South Korea, this week, representatives of over 130 countries and about 50 scientists have packed into a large conference center going over every line of an all-important report: What chance does the planet have of keeping climate change to a moderate, controllable level?  When they can’t agree, they form “contact groups” outside the hall, trying to strike an agreement and move the process along. They are trying to reach consensus on what it would mean — and what it would take — to limit the warming of the planet to just 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, when 1 degree Celsius has already occurred and greenhouse gas emissions remain at record highs. ... ”  Read more from the Washington Post here:  Climate scientists are struggling to find the right words for very bad news

In regional news and commentary today …

Solano County Water Agency extends funding for chinook salmon study:  “The Solano County Water Agency’s board of directors has approved a $130,000 contract amendment with the University of California, Davis, to continue study of Lower Putah Creek salmon populations for the next fiscal year, according to a press release.  The board’s approval of these funds brings the water agency’s total investment in salmon studies to nearly $400,000. The primary purpose of this study is to determine whether a self-sustaining Chinook salmon population is becoming established. … ”  Read more from the Daily Republic here:  Solano County Water Agency extends funding for chinook salmon study

Bay Area: In Poor Neighborhoods, Add Rising Seas to List of Housing Woes:  “Along the San Rafael canal in Marin County, yacht clubs catering to the well-to-do stand cheek by jowl with working-class housing. On the canal’s south side, a squat, crowded apartment complex juts out, a mini-peninsula surrounded on three sides by blue water.  Little more than a creaky wooden deck and some thin walls stand between these renters and a bay already swollen with tides and storms.  Sea level rise is changing Bay Area shorelines, and the focus of planning discussions on mitigating the effects suggests most communities in the water’s way have time to adapt. … ”  Read more from KQED here:  Bay Area: In Poor Neighborhoods, Add Rising Seas to List of Housing Woes

Rain has little impact on low water levels of Lopez Lake, Lake Nacimiento:  “Rainfall Wednesday may not have directly influenced the critically low water levels of several Central Coast reservoirs and lakes, officials said, but it does lay the groundwork for future rainfall to make an impact.  “It saturates the ground it sets the good foundation for future rains so it can run off into those reservoirs,” San Luis Obispo County Supervising Water Resources Engineer Ray Dienzo said.  Dienzo noted that the water levels at Lopez Lake and Lake Nacimiento were at 43.9 percent and 13 percent respectively Wednesday, which is significantly low even for this time of year. … ”  Read more from KSBY here:  Rain has little impact on low water levels of Lopez Lake, Lake Nacimiento

Paso Robles: Worried about North County water? Here’s how to speak your mind on groundwater levels: “Water management agencies in North County are making big decisions about the future of the Paso Robles Basin — including setting future targets for groundwater levels.  That matters because the agencies will eventually propose restrictions to cut back demand — or projects to increase supply to meet those targets in the aim of sustainability, said Carolyn Berg with San Luis Obispo County Public Works Department.  When the rate of pumping is greater than the rate of infiltration, the water table drops and shallower wells run dry. This bureaucratic process will determine what is an acceptable level for the water table. … ”  Read more from the San Luis Obispo Tribune here:  Paso Robles: Worried about North County water? Here’s how to speak your mind on groundwater levels

Along the Colorado River …

Odd-Looking Razorback Sucker Fish Pulled Back from Extinction: “Another rare Colorado River fish has been pulled back from the brink of extinction, the second comeback this year for a species unique to the Southwestern U.S.  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service plans to announce Thursday that it will recommend reclassifying the ancient and odd-looking razorback sucker from endangered to threatened, meaning it is still at risk of extinction, but the danger is no longer immediate.  The Associated Press was briefed on the plans before the official announcement. ... ”  Read more from KQED here:  Odd-Looking Razorback Sucker Fish Pulled Back from Extinction

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

• SCIENCE NEWS: How wildfires are polluting rivers and threatening water supplies; Soaring views and hawks highlight new Jenner Headlands Preserve; Steelhead life cycle linked to environment, pink salmon abundance; and more …
• WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~Plenary Meeting~ Stormwater Targets~ Forest Grants~ Ecosystem Funding~ Grant Guidelines~ Data Contest ~~

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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.