DAILY DIGEST: Oroville Dam fixed and ready to go, officials say — but at a big price; Mike Stoker takes helm of CA region in Trump’s EPA; Settlement talks are on again after offer by San Diego; Water managers along Colorado River figure out how to live with less; and more …

In California water news today, Oroville Dam fixed and ready to go, officials say — but at a big price; Mike Stoker Takes Helm of California and Region in Trump’s EPA; Apparently, size matters to some on the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority board; State Puts County in Temporary Control of Troubled Sativa Water in Compton; Settlement talks are on again after offer by San Diego; Water Managers Along Colorado River Figure Out How To Live With Less; and more …

On the calendar today …

 

In the news today …

Oroville Dam fixed and ready to go, officials say — but at a big price: “The nearly two-year race to rehab the nation’s tallest dam after an almost-catastrophic failure prompted the evacuation of 188,000 people is scheduled to wrap up in time for the rainy season.  State water officials who manage the 770-foot-high Oroville Dam said Wednesday they’ve met their Nov. 1 deadline for rebuilding most of the complex’s two faulty spillways. Final touches are still being made, but the dam is ready to discharge water should an early winter storm fill up the reservoir and require releases. … ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  Oroville Dam fixed and ready to go, officials say — but at a big price

Is Oroville Dam ready for the rainy season? Main spillway fixed, but work remains:  “State officials said Wednesday the damaged Oroville Dam flood-control spillway is ready for the rainy season, and will be able to fully blast water down its half-mile long concrete chute for the first time in nearly two years if lake levels rise.  Work on the adjacent emergency spillway is ongoing.  Both the main and emergency spillways that allow the dam to release water to prevent overflowing were severely damaged by heavy rains in February 2017. A massive crater erupted in the main flood-control spillway, and the never-before-used emergency spillway failed. The crisis at America’s tallest dam triggered the frantic evacuation of 188,000 Sacramento Valley residents as fear mounted that the structure could burst. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Is Oroville Dam ready for the rainy season? Main spillway fixed, but work remains

Officials: Oroville project meets construction deadline:  “California officials say they’ve met their goal of rebuilding the Oroville Dam’s main spillway by Nov. 1 to be prepared for the upcoming winter. After an 18-month, $1.1 billion restoration project following the dam’s near failure in February, 2017, the structure can again handle its original design capacity of 270,000 cubic feet per second.  More than 700 construction workers toiled day and night during the 2018 construction season, laying the final erosion-resistant concrete slab Oct. 1,1 and placing the final concrete wall Oct. 18, state Department of Water Resources officials told reporters during an Oct. 31 conference call. Final concrete placements on the energy dissipaters, or dentates, at the base of the main spillway were finished Oct. 20. ... ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  Officials: Oroville project meets construction deadline

Residents still concerned as DWR meets its Oroville Dam construction deadline:  “The California Department of Water Resources said it’s Nov. 1 deadline for work on the Oroville Dam’s main spillway has been met ahead of the rainy season.  With a price tag of over $1 billion, the job took over a thousand people working two million hours to get this point, according to a DWR spokesperson.  “Heavily vetted by the top teams of engineering construction and dam safety experts. So we are confident that if we do need to use it this year, next year or anytime in the future it will stand up to the challenge,” said spokeswoman Erin Mellon.  However, convincing some of the nearly 200,000 who were evacuated because of spillway failures could be more difficult. … ”  Read more from KTXL here:  Residents still concerned as DWR meets its Oroville Dam construction deadline

Radio show: Mike Stoker Takes Helm of California and Region in Trump’s EPA:Mike Stoker was recently appointed to head up the Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 9, which includes California, Arizona, Hawaii and Nevada. Though Stoker questions that climate change is caused by humans, he is in favor of reducing carbon emissions. A former Santa Barbara County Supervisor and agriculture attorney, Stoker joins us to discuss what he sees as priorities for California and the EPA during President Trump’s administration.”  Listen to the radio show here:  Mike Stoker Takes Helm of California and Region in Trump’s EPA

In regional news and commentary today …

Concerns raised about Mercer-Fraser rezoning request, Mad River water impacts: “A Humboldt County Planning Commission meeting set for Thursday evening will address sweeping zoning changes across the county and is concerning some residents about potential changes, which could mean the revival of a cannabis manufacturing facility project at a Mercer-Fraser Co. site.  The 55-page document accompanying the agenda for the planning commission includes requests for zoning changes by the owners of 30 parcels across the county. Among those parcels are several owned by Mercer-Fraser, including a gravel quarry in the Glendale area, which was the site of a previously proposed cannabis facility. … ”  Read more from Eureka Times-Herald here:  Concerns raised about Mercer-Fraser rezoning request, Mad River water impacts

White Pines Lake vegetation removal draws concern from fishermen, others:  “Vegetation removal across a large swath of the White Pines Lake shoreline in Arnold has fishermen and environmentalists concerned.  Heavy equipment has defaced the muddy earth and left the ground bare around southeast portions of the reservoir, which had been covered in cattails and other wetland vegetation just weeks before.  The print of large tire tracks remains a visible marker of the work. … ”  Read more from the Calaveras Enterprise here:  White Pines Lake vegetation removal draws concern from fishermen, others

Farmersville breaks ground on largest project in history:  “A lot has happened in Farmersville in the last 40 years. The city’s population doubled, the school district opened a high school, the city built a civic center and a community center, the city’s boundaries expanded north to the highway, the Highway 198 interchange was completely redone, water meters were installed and Visalia Road was widened to four lanes throughout town. All of that growth has been good for Farmersville, but not so good for its waste water treatment facility which hasn’t been expanded since 1978.  That will change this week when the City of Farmersville breaks ground on its new, $18 million waste water treatment plant (WWTP). The city will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 2 at the south end of South Virginia Avenue just south of Farmersville Civic Center, located 909 W. Visalia Road in Farmersville. ... ”  Read more from the Foothills Sun Gazette here:  Farmersville breaks ground on largest project in history

Eastern Sierra: Transbasin diversions are bad for wildlife, and cattle are even worse: A controversy has irrupted in a volcanic caldera used for livestock grazing in the scenic Eastern Sierra region of California.  Ditch irrigation is a common use of wet meadows along the eastern front of the Sierra Nevada, where snowmelt streams pour into basins and connect to rivers such as the Owens River and Walker River. According to General Land Office surveys, many ditch irrigation systems were begun in the late 1800s, and have been maintained for over a century by current agricultural users. Commonly, headgates are opened for certain periods along streams that divert a portion of the flow into artificial ditches, that often are allowed to flood out into pastures to extend areas of forage for livestock. ... ”  Read more from Wildlife News here: Transbasin diversions are bad for wildlife, and cattle are even worse

Apparently, size matters to some on the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority board:  “Mutual water companies and environmental groups have been waiting a year to find out what their participation in the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority might look like. The question of Associate Members and Interested Parties was on last Thursday’s agenda, but potential members of either category may never get a seat at the table.  The Joint Powers Authority that set the guidelines for the formation of the Owens Valley basin’s groundwater sustainability agency spelled out participation of groups other than governmental agencies. It was complicated, but gave a voice to groups outside the immediate circle. … ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  Apparently, size matters to some on the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority board

State Puts County in Temporary Control of Troubled Sativa Water in Compton: “The state Water Resources Control Board Wednesday turned over management of the troubled Sativa Water District, which has been under fire for delivering brown water to customers in Willowbrook and Compton, to Los Angeles County.  The county has been pushing for months to assume control of the district, accusing it of shirking its responsibilities to its customers — most notably when residents began reporting the murky water coming from their taps earlier this year. ... ”  Read more from NBC 4 here:  State Puts County in Temporary Control of Troubled Sativa Water in Compton

Settlement talks are on again after offer by San Diego:  “San Diego Water managers will meet with the Metropolitan Water District next week in a bid to end a long-running feud over water transfer costs.  The San Diego County Water Authority made a surprise settlement offer a week ago.  SDCWA Board Chair Jim Madaffer delivered a letter to MWD suggesting the two water agencies stop fighting over water fees. ... ”  Read more from KPBS here:  Settlement talks are on again after offer by San Diego

Along the Colorado River …

Water Managers Along Colorado River Figure Out How To Live With Less:  “Climate change is growing the gap between the river’s supply, and the demands in the communities that rely on it, including seven western U.S. states and Mexico. The federal government recently released proposals called Drought Contingency Plans designed to keep the Colorado River’s biggest reservoirs from falling to levels where water is unable to be sent through the dams that hold up Lakes Powell and Mead.  The river’s two basins are working on separate plans to manage the risks posed by dwindling water supplies. The Upper Basin — comprised of Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico — is focused on protecting water levels within Lake Powell. The reservoir is 45 feet lower now than it was in October 2010. It’s projected to fall another 15 feet in the next year. … ”  Read more from KJZZ here:  Water Managers Along Colorado River Figure Out How To Live With Less

Feds plan high-flow release from Glen Canyon Dam to replenish sandbars, beaches: “The Bureau of Reclamation, under the direction of the Department of the Interior, will increase water releases from Glen Canyon Dam Nov. 5-8 in support of a high-flow experiment in partnership with the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey.  Releases will begin to increase early Monday morning and will peak at approximately 38,100 cubic feet per second at 2 p.m. Flows will continue at that peak for 60 hours to move accumulated sediment downstream to help rebuild eroded sandbars and beaches of the Colorado River through Glen and Grand canyons. The sandbars and beaches are important for life in and along the river, according to a statement from the Bureau of Reclamation. ... ”  Read more from St. George News here:  Feds plan high-flow release from Glen Canyon Dam to replenish sandbars, beaches

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

PANEL DISCUSSION: Emerging legal issues in SGMA implementation

SCIENCE NEWS: The Spring-run Salmon Saga of the San Joaquin; How researchers flinging salmon inadvertently spurred tree growth; What’s in a scientific name? A story; and more …

NEWS WORTH NOTING: New survey finds majority of San Joaquin Valley voters support water bond proposition; Los Angeles County To Oversee Sativa Water District in Compton as Administrator; USEPA announces $26.6 million for environmental improvements on tribal lands in California

In announcements 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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