In California water news today, Water sustains everything in California farm country. It may also save this House Republican; State Water Board petitioned: Groups demand pesticide reduction on the Smith River; The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers a million square miles. A 24-year-old dropout is trying to clean it up; October’s low rainfall increases concern for California farmers; U.C. Davis Law’s Environmental Law Center Releases Proposition 3 White Paper; Trump: ‘People very much dispute’ climate change; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Proposition 1 – IRWM Implementation Tribal Meeting in Fresno from 10am to 2pm. For more information, click here.
- A webinar/seminar: Ocean-Friendly Gardens: Taking the Watershed Approach (STORMS Seminar) from 11:00am to 12:30pm. Attend online or in person. Click here for more information.
- Delta Plan Interagency Implementation Committee from 1pm to 4:30pm at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in Sacramento. Agenda items include furthering the federal/state nexus in the Bay Delta watershed; Updates on ecosystem restoration and multi-agency permitting efforts; advancing collaborative science, and aquatic weeds and nutria update. Click here for more information. Click here to watch on webcast.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Water sustains everything in California farm country. It may also save this House Republican: “When county officials from California flew across the country last month to hear President Trump speak at the White House, they got an earful from the commander in chief. Trump slammed the Golden State, which has suffered through more than five years of severe drought that ended only last year, for sending its water out to sea rather than using it to nourish crops. He dismissed that the notion the state had endured a historic dry spell and threatened to withhold federal funding. “California, get on the ball,” Trump concluded. “Because we’re not going to hand you any more money.” … ” Read more from the Washington Post here: Water sustains everything in California farm country. It may also save this House Republican
State Water Board petitioned: Groups demand pesticide reduction on the Smith River: “Following on its recent water monitoring report for the Smith River plain, the state Water Resources Board has been served with a petition to begin regulating and enforcing pesticide use on lily fields. The Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, Institute for Fisheries Resources, and Environmental Law Foundation filed the petition Friday, claiming the regional water board has failed to follow its own laws and policies by proposing a voluntary program for pesticide reduction. … ” Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate here: State Water Board petitioned: Groups demand pesticide reduction on the Smith River
The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers a million square miles. A 24-year-old dropout is trying to clean it up: “Cleaning up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, estimated to contain as much as 142 thousand tons of plastic garbage spread over an area that covers a million square miles, is no small task. But it starts with scooping up two white plastic crates, some plastic bottles and five discarded commercial fishing nets. That was the first trash captured by a 2,000-foot floating boom hauled deep into the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the middle of October by The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch nonprofit project aimed at clearing out the ever-growing accumulation of plastic trash that collects mid-ocean. How successful it will be remains to be seen, but the effort has captured the public’s imagination. … ” Read more from The Californian here: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch covers a million square miles. A 24-year-old dropout is trying to clean it up
October’s low rainfall increases concern for California farmers: “The lack of rain in California during the month of October has officials concerned about what this means for farmers. Central Valley growers only received about one-third of the normal October rainfall. As of now, it looks like conditions will remain dry across the state for at least the next few weeks. … ” Read more from KFSN here: October’s low rainfall increases concern for California farmers
U.C. Davis Law’s Environmental Law Center Releases Proposition 3 White Paper: “The U.C. Davis School of Law’s California Environmental Law & Policy Center has published a detailed analysis of one of the most controversial initiative measures facing California voters on the November 6, 2018 general election ballot: Proposition 3. California’s Proposition 3: A Policy Analysis provides a detailed summary and analysis of the proposed “Water Supply and Water Quality Act of 2018.” If enacted, Proposition 3 would authorize the sale of $8.877 billion in state general obligation bonds to finance a wide array of water infrastructure, safe drinking water, groundwater management and watershed and fisheries improvement projects. (When interest payments are included, the cost to California taxpayers of this proposed water bond measure would be an estimated $17.3 billion.) … ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: U.C. Davis Law’s Environmental Law Center Releases Proposition 3 White Paper
El Niño and what it means for the coming months: “Weather experts, climatologists, university researchers and other drought experts hosted a webinar Oct. 24 to give listeners an update on the long term drought and how El Niño may influence temperature and precipitation in the southwest region of the United States. The webinar series is a collaboration of NOAA/NIDIS, National Weather Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, state climatologists, universities and others. Gerry Bell, research meteorologist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Prediction Center, said currently much of the region is in an El Niño watch. ... ” Read more from the High Plains Journal here: El Niño and what it means for the coming months
Trump: ‘People very much dispute’ climate change: “President Trump dismissed the National Climate Assessment that shows humans are driving climate change, and said he was focused on the reports that dispute it. Jim VandeHei of Axios showed Trump a copy of the assessment, which was developed by his administration, and said the language identifies humans as the source of global warming. The interview was conducted in the White House by VandeHei and reporter Jonathan Swan for the debut “Axios on HBO” show. Trump repeated a popular talking point among conservatives, acknowledging that humans contribute in some way to global warming, without accepting mainstream climate science that says consumption of fossil fuels is responsible for warming the planet. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Trump: ‘People very much dispute’ climate change
Even skeptics see rising seas in Florida elections: “Republican Ron DeSantis doesn’t talk much about climate change, but his position on the issue could be boiled down to this: Build that sea wall. It’s an approach that neatly ties together all the factors that propelled the former congressman and Trump disciple to victory in the Republican primary for Florida governor. And it’s one that might help him succeed in the general election race against Democrat Andrew Gillum. Whether it’s good for the planet that DeSantis wants to prepare Florida for climate change — rather than try to stop it — is a different question. … ” Read more from E&E News here: Even skeptics see rising seas in Florida elections
In commentary today …
State Water Board Member D’Adamo: We must find a better approach: “Protecting California’s fish is an important duty of the State Water Resources Control Board. But it is not our board’s only duty. I am one of five members on the board, and the only one who lives in the San Joaquin Valley. Our board is required to provide for the reasonable protection of all beneficial uses of water. This calls for balancing the needs of fish with the needs of cities and the people who live in them – people whose lives and jobs are dependent on that water. We must also consider the needs of agriculture, and the beneficial use of water to grow crops. ... ” Continue reading at the Modesto Bee here: State Water Board Member D’Adamo: We must find a better approach
Time’s up. We’ll see if water board passes test on the rivers: Mike Dunbar writes, “Time for a water test. Question 1: After nine years of justifying itself through sham hearings, outdated studies and endless hand-wringing, will the State Water Board finally vote Nov. 7 to send billions of gallons of water from our rivers into the Delta? 2) What happens on Nov. 8, the day after the water board votes? 3) Who gets hurt? (Warning: Trick question.) … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Time’s up. We’ll see if water board passes test on the rivers
In regional news and commentary today …
Embattled Laguna seawall still stands as homeowners’ lawsuit against Coastal Commission awaits trial: “The seawall at the center of a fight between the state and a pair of Laguna Beach homeowners is still standing after the owners of the oceanfront mansion sued the California Coastal Commission over its hefty sanctions for what the agency says is an unauthorized, beach-threatening structure. The commission voted unanimously in August to impose a $1-million fine and order homeowners Jeffrey and Tracy Katz to tear down the seawall protecting 11 Lagunita Drive from the ocean’s waves. The demolition deadline would have passed in October, but an Orange County Superior Court judge stayed the punishments while the lawsuit is pending. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Embattled Laguna seawall still stands as homeowners’ lawsuit against Coastal Commission awaits trial
Oceanside Harbor dredging extended to get more sand on beaches: “The dredging that began Oct. 17 at the Oceanside Harbor has been extended by about two weeks to get more sand, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday. An additional 100,000 cubic yards of sand will be excavated, bringing the new total to 280,000 cubic yards that the contractor plans to place on the Oceanside beach, said Jay Field, a spokesman for the federal agency. Also going up is the cost of the project. The extension adds $1.5 million to the Corps’ original $3.5 million contract with Manson Construction of Seattle, Field said in an emailed response to questions. ... ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Oceanside Harbor dredging extended to get more sand on beaches
Along the Colorado River …
Grand Canyon will be flooded in high-flow experiment for Colorado River: “Federal officials will flood the Grand Canyon Monday morning to help move sand and sediment down the Colorado River the way the river’s natural flows did before construction of Glen Canyon Dam. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will open the bypass tubes on the dam for what scientists call high-flow experimental releases, aimed at rebuilding beaches and sandbars. The high flows will continue through Thursday. … ” Read more from the Arizona Republic here: Grand Canyon will be flooded in high-flow experiment for Colorado River
Las Vegas headed for a water calamity, says Geoffrey Marsh: He writes, “The Review-Journal story last month “Tentative deal seeks to boost reservoirs” reported a deal involving Nevada, Arizona and California and brought forth a mine of information on”then and now” water consumption in Las Vegas. Significantly, the Colorado River just saw its 14th year of below-average flows since 1999, leaving Lake Mead at 38 percent of capacity and Lake Powell at 45 percent. ... ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here: Las Vegas headed for a water calamity
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
https://mavensnotebook.com/2018/11/05/reservoir-and-water-conditions-for-november-5/
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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.
