In California water news today, Decades-old chemicals, new angst over drinking water; One year after California’s most devastating wildfire, Santa Rosa is a patchwork of loss and renewal; Ross Valley flood project environmental report released; Marsh project means more birds, fish, and wildlife; Senators concerned as Trump official disputes UN climate change warning; Trump says warming won’t last; Global warming to leave us crying in our costlier beer; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Decades-old chemicals, new angst over drinking water: “In some parts of the country people are learning their drinking water contains pollution from a group of chemicals called Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). These chemicals have been linked to illnesses, including cancer. But a lot of questions remain including how exactly they affect people’s health and in what doses. … ” Read more from NPR via OPB here: Decades-old chemicals, new angst over drinking water
One year after California’s most devastating wildfire, Santa Rosa is a patchwork of loss and renewal: “It was just one year ago when Tricia Woods lost her home in a single, impossible instant. The Tubbs fire, the most destructive wildfire in California history, had ripped through Sonoma County and incinerated more than 5,500 homes, including the middle school teacher’s own four-bedroom house in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa. That night, from an evacuation center at her daughter’s school, she called her insurance company and property manager. Right away, she knew she would rebuild. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: One year after California’s most devastating wildfire, Santa Rosa is a patchwork of loss and renewal
Ross Valley flood project environmental report released: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is moving forward with a flood control project along Corte Madera Creek in Ross and Kentfield. A draft environmental impact report on the project was released Friday. Comments are being accepted on the findings through Nov. 27. The draft 500-page report identifies potential problems that could be caused by flood control work in the area. The report analyzes potential impacts on water quality, biological resources and aesthetics, among other concerns. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Ross Valley flood project environmental report released
Marsh project means more birds, fish, and wildlife: “In the delta, with a few paddle strokes in a kayak across the cuts and sloughs of a wetlands marsh, it can feel like you’ve traveled through a wormhole in the universe and emerged out the other side. One of my favorite activities is watching a marsh wake up with the dawn. The curlews and ibis streak by just above the surface. Geese fly by in giant V wedges. The swarms of blackbirds can rise and fall as if connected. The occasional pintail and other ducks, which often arrive overhead in a pirouette, and then set their wings, dive and land. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Marsh project means more birds, fish, and wildlife
Water’s journey to Ventura County requires pumps, energy: David Goldstein writes, “Saving water saves energy. Simply tracing the origin and following the journey of Ventura County’s water shows the tremendous amount of pumping required to supply local water. Ventura County’s imported water originates in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, is pumped through a series of pipes and flows through canals for hundreds of miles, then is stored in Castaic Lake. From there, the water travels to the Jensen Water Treatment Plant in Granada Hills, where it is mixed and cleaned. ... ” Read more from the Ventura County Star here: Water’s journey to Ventura County requires pumps, energy
Senators concerned as Trump official disputes UN climate change warning: “The Trump administration on Sunday again appeared at odds with lawmakers over the severity of climate change and how it should be addressed in wake of a United Nations report warning of potential dire consequences. The report, which warns that the world is on a path toward catastrophic climate change if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t cut dramatically by 2030, was a key focus of the Sunday news shows, with top White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow pushing back against it. … ” Read more from The Hill here: Senators concerned as Trump official disputes UN climate change warning
Trump says warming won’t last: “President Trump cast fresh doubt on human-caused climate change last night by saying recent temperature increases will “change back again.” The president backed off previous assertions that global changes from greenhouse gases are a hoax, even as he renewed his claims that many climate scientists are politically motivated. “I think something’s happening. Something’s changing, and it’ll change back again,” Trump said on CBS’s “60 Minutes.” “I don’t think it’s a hoax. I think there’s probably a difference. But I don’t know that it’s man-made. I will say this: I don’t want to give trillions and trillions of dollars. I don’t want to lose millions and millions of jobs.” ... ” Read more from E&E News here: Trump says warming won’t last
Global warming to leave us crying in our costlier beer: “Add beer to chocolate , coffee and wine as some of life’s little pleasures that global warming will make scarcer and costlier, scientists say. Increasing bouts of extreme heat waves and drought will hurt production of barley, a key beer ingredient, in the future. Losses of barley yield can be as much as 17 percent, an international group of researchers estimated. … ” Read more from the AP here: Global warming to leave us crying in our costlier beer
On Prop 3 today …
Prop. 3 Is a Billion-Dollar Fix for Stubborn Water Woes, says Jerry Meral: He writes, “In 2012, the California Legislature passed a law stating that it is a human right to have safe drinking water. But it provided only meager funds for that purpose. Proposition 3, a water bond on the November ballot, includes $750 million for safe drinking water and safe wastewater disposal in disadvantaged communities, and to eliminate lead from water fountains in schools. This is just one of many things Proposition 3 would accomplish by issuing $8.9 billion in revenue bonds to fund water projects in the state. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Prop. 3 Is a Billion-Dollar Fix for Stubborn Water Woes
Prop 3 has something for everyone – and that’s the problem, says George Skelton: He writes, “Call it a Christmas tree or a candy shop, Proposition 3 has a nice gift for almost everyone, especially eastern San Joaquin Valley farmers. The Nov. 6 ballot initiative would authorize the largest water bond in California history, $8.9 billion. Add in $8.4 billion for interest payments and the total reaches $17.3 billion. That’s $430 million annually for 40 years. Proposition 3 is the product of a classic pay-to-play operation. It’s probably not what Gov. Hiram Johnson envisioned when he and Progressive reformers created California’s direct democracy system more than a century ago. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Prop 3 has something for everyone – and that’s the problem
No on LA County’s Measure W, says the Long Beach Press Telegram: “Measure W on the L.A. County ballot is a new tax on property to pay for projects related to stormwater capture. The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in July to put this measure before the voters. We opposed it then, and we oppose it now. L.A. County is spending tax dollars on campaign-style ads claiming that the new tax will pay for modernizing water infrastructure, cleaning groundwater, keeping trash out of the ocean, and providing a reliable local water supply for millions of residents. … ” Read more from the Long Beach Press Telegram here: No on LA County’s Measure W
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for October 15
- REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS: San Francisco Bay Water Quality Improvement Fund FY18 Request for Proposals (RFP) is now OPEN
- WEEKEND CAL WATER FIX READING: The latest State Water Board ruling letter, Delta Stewardship Council’s appeal hearing notice
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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.
