In California water news today, Massive California tunnel project forges ahead on several fronts; Permit Delays Dam Up Hydro Projects, Relicensing Costs Millions; In new California disaster era of ‘fire-floods,’ where will deadly debris flows strike next?; California court rules State Board must revise waiver in water code regarding agriculture discharge; Study uses seismic noise to track water levels in underground aquifers; California’s dry October could be a sign of more concentrated rainy seasons; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Massive California tunnel project forges ahead on several fronts: “The spring and summer of 2018 saw frenzied activity around California WaterFix, the latest iteration of a decades-long, on-again-off-again effort to convey fresh water from the Sacramento River to the South Delta export pumps while bypassing the Delta itself. Governor Jerry Brown has made WaterFix a top priority, but as his administration heads into its final months, the project – one of the largest infrastructure projects in state history – still faces a raft of uncertainties. “Going back to the 1960s, the Department of Fish and Game advised various administrations that the State Water Project had to include a conveyance around the Delta so that the prevailing flow patterns would be more natural,” says the State Water Resources Control Board’s Steve Moore. … ” Read more from Water Deeply here: Massive California tunnel project forges ahead on several fronts
Permit Delays Dam Up Hydro Projects, Relicensing Costs Millions: “Alvin Thoma’s youngest son was born the year his employer, Pacific Gas & Electric Co., began the process of renewing the license for its Upper North Fork Feather River hydropower facility in northern California. His son is 19 years old now. The facility, however, is still undergoing relicensing. “For me, that’s a mental image of just how long it takes to go through this process,” Thoma, a director of power generation at PG&E, which runs one of the largest hydro systems in the country, told Bloomberg Environment. … ” Read more from Bloomberg Environment here (simply cancel log-in pop-up box): Permit Delays Dam Up Hydro Projects, Relicensing Costs Millions
In new California disaster era of ‘fire-floods,’ where will deadly debris flows strike next? “Brent Larson awoke at 4 a.m. to the shake and rumble of what felt like a freight train rolling down the hill toward his Santa Barbara County home. He leaped from his bed and woke his two sons. In seconds, a wall of water, mud and rock slammed into his house, smashing through one window, then the next, then a third, pouring in as the trio sprinted to the safety of the chimney at the home’s far corner. “It was like out of ‘Indiana Jones,’” he said, nine months later, still shaken. He was lucky. Twenty-one of his Montecito neighbors were killed that Jan. 9 night, and 400 homes damaged or destroyed. … ” Read more from the Gazette Extra here: In new California disaster era of ‘fire-floods,’ where will deadly debris flows strike next?
California court rules State Board must revise waiver in water code regarding agriculture discharge: “A group of environmental entities has won an appeal in a case involving the state of California’s water code. On Oct. 17, the California Court of Appeal 3rd Appellate District of Sacramento sided with Monterey Coastkeeper, San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance and Santa Barbara Channelkeeper in the appeal. The group had submitted a petition for a writ of mandate in reference to a modified waiver in the state’s water code approved by the State Water Resources Control Board. The matter involves a challenge to a Section 13269 waiver of waste discharge requirements for irrigated agricultural land. The plaintiffs allege the waiver did not meet Water Code requirements and state water policies. … ” Read more from Legal Newsline here: California court rules State Board must revise waiver in water code regarding agriculture discharge
Study uses seismic noise to track water levels in underground aquifers: “Seismic noise — the low-level vibrations caused by everything from subway trains to waves crashing on the beach — is most often something seismologists work to avoid. They factor it out of models and create algorithms aimed at eliminating it so they can identify the signals of earthquakes. But Tim Clements thinks it might be a tool to monitor one of the most precious resources in the world — water. A graduate student working in the lab of Assistant Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences Marine Denolle, Clements is the lead author of a recent study that used seismic noise to measure the size and water levels in underground aquifers in California. ... ” Read more from The Harvard Gazette here: Study uses seismic noise to track water levels in underground aquifers
California’s dry October could be a sign of more concentrated rainy seasons: “The first part of fall has been dry so far in California, and that trend might continue. UCLA climate scientist Daniel Swain said it’s not unusual for rain to be scarce in October, but that dry conditions – like the ones forecast over the next few weeks – are increasingly being pushed deeper into autumn. “We expect there to be a further concentration of California’s already narrow rainy season into even fewer months during just the middle of winter,” Swain said, as laid out in his recent blog post. ... ” Read more from Capital Public Radio here: California’s dry October could be a sign of more concentrated rainy seasons
In regional news and commentary today …
Dry start to autumn in San Francisco Bay Area: Is this unusual? “The San Francisco Bay Area has seen little rain since the first day of fall, and the forecast for the next weeks points to dry weather through the start of November. In a region familiar with drought and prone to wildfires, this is unsettling. A few exceptions to the persisting dry pattern include a couple of off-shore storms delivering drizzle to the North Bay and a two-day spell of light, patchy rain in the greater Bay Area. Since Sept. 22, San Jose has recorded only .03 inches of rain, San Francisco .21 inches and Santa Rosa 1.34. All of these totals are well below normal; San Francisco, for example, has seen 19 percent of its average rainfall for October. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Dry start to autumn in San Francisco Bay Area: Is this unusual?
Is former Olympian a bully or savior in Mammoth geothermal fight? “Plans to boost clean energy production could have catastrophic impacts on this resort town known for world-class ski runs and stunning scenery. At least that’s what Pat Hayes, the area’s water manager, wants you to think. Hayes has launched a million-dollar fight against Ormat Technologies Inc.’s bid to double production at a nearby geothermal plant. “The local soccer moms and baseball dads, they are generally unaware of what’s about to happen here,” he said on a recent tour of a park near where new wells would pump up hot geothermal fluid for the plant. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Is former Olympian a bully or savior in Mammoth geothermal fight?
Along the Colorado River …
Central Arizona Project celebrates 50 years since landmark legislation: “As the Central Arizona Project celebrates the 50th anniversary of the federal act that authorized the massive water project, Arizona is still locked in complicated conversations about how the state will move forward on water issues. A half century ago, President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Colorado River Basin Project Act, which authorized construction of CAP to funnel water from the Colorado River Basin to central Arizona. During the signing, Johnson called the bill landmark legislation that built on a series of previous conservation measures he had signed. He also proclaimed the signing day, “Carl Hayden Day” after the Arizona senator who played an integral role in furthering the state’s water interests. … ” Read more from Arizona Capitol Times here: Central Arizona Project celebrates 50 years since landmark legislation
The precarious plan for the Lake Powell pipeline: “Nearly a decade ago, Gabriel Lozada, a man with a wiry frame and waves of steel-gray hair who looks exactly like the mathematician he is, set out to answer what he thought was a relatively simple question: Could Utah’s proposed Lake Powell Pipeline — a plan to ferry Colorado River water to southern Utah — live up to the state’s rosy forecasts of growth and prosperity? Or was it more likely to tank the economy of a small but lively retirement community in the southwestern Utah desert? ... ” Read more from High Country News here: The precarious plan for the Lake Powell pipeline
Colorado’s Western Slope wants limits on water sent to Lake Powell: “Western Slope water managers have doubled down on their position that they will oppose federal legislation creating a new regulated pool of water to boost the falling level of Lake Powell unless Colorado adopts a policy that the pool should be filled only on a voluntary basis. At a well-attended water meeting last week, Andy Mueller, the general manager of the Colorado River Water Conservation District, said that without a new state policy putting limits on how water can be stored in the big reservoir, “You will find that our district, the Southwest District and hopefully others will be, frankly, opposing the federal legislation.” … ” Read more from the Summit Daily News here: Colorado’s Western Slope wants limits on water sent to Lake Powell
A high stakes water reckoning looms in the West: Jonathan Thompson writes, “My parents have a small garlic farm in Western Colorado in the valley of the North Fork of the Gunnison River. They bought the place just over a decade ago, along with a couple of shares of water from the ditch which runs through their property. It’s a nice little plot of rural Colorado with good dirt and nice views, but it wasn’t until this terribly dry summer that they realized how valuable the land is. The Farmers Ditch, diverted from the North Fork near Paonia, has some of the most senior rights in the valley. They are water-rich in an arid world. ... ” Read more from the High Country News here: A high stakes water reckoning looms in the West
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.
