In California water news today, After delays, water board to tackle flows proposal; Trump administration announces plan to roll back rules on stream, wetland protection; California suit seeks to extend water contracts; Kern County Supervisors vote to withdraw from Kern Groundwater Authority; Santa Barbara, Montecito move forward on desalination plan; Metropolitan Water District approves Colorado River shortage plan; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The State Water Resources Control Board will meet at 9:30am to vote on the update to the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan for the San Joaquin tributaries flow standards and Southern Delta salinity standards. Click here for the agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
- A Webinar: Atomic Blast Studied for State Water Plan: The Plowshare Program and the DWR Connection from 12pm to 1:30pm. Presented by the Groundwater Resources Association. Click here for more information.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
TODAY’S WATER BOARD VOTE (News and commentary)
After delays, water board to tackle flows proposals: “After two postponements, the State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday will take up a proposal to set minimum flows in three key tributaries of the lower San Joaquin River to aid imperiled fish. Adoption of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan could require an average of 40 percent unimpaired flows in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers in the winter and early spring, which water board officials have argued would improve species and habitat by increasing the number of juvenile salmon that migrate out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta in the spring. ... ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: After delays, water board to tackle flows proposals
Fight over river flows heads to historic Water Board meeting in Sacramento: “As all eyes turn to the State Water Resources Control Board on Wednesday, the board won’t have complete settlement agreements with Modesto-area irrigation districts to consider at a crucial meeting. At most, the districts and negotiators with the state Natural Resources Agency will have the basic framework of an agreement that’s an alternative to a state plan for river flows that is fiercely opposed by water users and local agencies in Stanislaus County. The Modesto Irrigation District board of directors had no announcement after a closed-door session held Tuesday to discuss potential litigation. … ” Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Fight over river flows heads to historic Water Board meeting in Sacramento
The right choice for the Bay Delta ecosystem and water supply reliability: ACWA Executive Director Dave Eggerton writes, “Gov. Jerry Brown and Gov. Elect Gavin Newsom exhibited exceptional leadership Nov. 6 by engaging in the process for the update of the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan. They suggested time be provided to allow ongoing negotiations of voluntary agreements to progress as a path forward in resolving challenges within the Bay-Delta. While the state and nation were understandably consumed by election news, a letter by Brown and Newsom urged the State Water Resources Control Board, which met the following day, to postpone taking up the Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan Update until this week, on Dec. 12. As Brown and Newsom wrote in requesting an extension a “lasting and well-thought-out solution will benefit all Californians and our environment.” These voluntary agreements are currently under development between cities, farmers, water agencies, state agencies and environmental groups. … ” Read more at ACWA’s Voices on Water here: The right choice for the Bay Delta ecosystem and water supply reliability
Conservationists: Future of California Salmon and Water Supply Reliability Depends on Water Board Action: The Environmental Defense Fund writes, “To restore the health of the San Joaquin River and its tributaries, the California State Water Resources Control Board can help break a pattern of delay by approving an updated Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan at its meeting Wednesday, leading conservation organizations said today. “The time to act is now. California’s iconic salmon runs and the Bay-Delta estuary sit on the brink of collapse, and the water supply system supporting our farms, our rural communities, and our cities is at risk,” said Maurice Hall, Associate VP, Ecosystems – Water, at Environmental Defense Fund. “Action by the State Water Board can help us move forward to advance a resilient water equation for the state and start the recovery of California’s 10,000-year-old native salmon fishery.” … ” Read more from EDF here: Conservationists: Future of California Salmon and Water Supply Reliability Depends on Water Board Action
State Water Resources Control Board should adopt protections for our rivers, says Doug Obegi: He writes, “After 10 years of study and extensive public outreach, the State Water Resources Control Board is scheduled to vote Wednesday to adopt new flow and water quality standards for the Merced, Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and lower San Joaquin rivers as part of its update of the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan. Wednesday’s scheduled vote to update the Plan comes after the Board agreed to delay the vote in August and then again in November, in order to allow secret, back room negotiations between the Resources Agency and stakeholders who signed confidentiality agreements. This raised concerns that the Governor would prevent the Board from adopting new standards, as Governor Wilson had done in the 1990s. However, at November’s SWRCB meeting the Resources Agency publicly promised that it would not seek any further delays in the Board’s process. … ” Read more from the NRDC here: State Water Resources Control Board should adopt protections for our rivers
ROLLBACK OF CLEAN WATER PROTECTIONS
Trump rolls back wetland protections. What it means for California farmers, developers: “It all started when California farmer John Duarte plowed a wheat field in Tehama County, about two hours north of Sacramento, and wound up paying a $1.1 million fine to the federal government for his efforts. On Tuesday, Duarte, who was embraced by conservatives nationwide as a victim of government over-reach, got vindication of sorts. In a victory for farmers and land developers throughout the West, the Trump administration announced a broad rollback of rules designed to protect wetlands and other small bodies of water. The decision means regulations put in place in 2015 by the Obama administration will fall by the wayside. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Trump rolls back wetland protections. What it means for California farmers, developers
Trump administration announces plan to roll back rules on stream, wetland protection: “The Trump administration laid out plans Tuesday to roll back Obama-era rules protecting isolated streams and wetlands from industrial pollution, a move that conservation groups said could harm creeks and impact drinking water in the Bay Area and throughout California. The move by the Environmental Protection Agency to roll back the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule, known as WOTUS, was hailed by farmers and industry, which have long sought to rewrite the rules. Environmental groups, however, denounced the proposal as an attempt by the Trump administration to dodge the Clean Water Act and open up thousands of miles of streams and wetlands throughout the U.S. to development, including pipeline construction. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Trump administration announces plan to roll back rules on stream, wetland protection
Major rollback of water rules endorsed by California farmers: “The Trump administration proposed withdrawing federal protections for countless waterways and wetlands across the country Tuesday, making good on President Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to weaken landmark Obama-era water rules long opposed by some developers, farmers and oil, gas, and mining executives. The scaling back of federal oversight is “recognizing and respecting the primary authority of states and tribes” over the waterways, R.D. James, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, said during a ceremony at EPA headquarters. … ” Read more from the Daily Democrat here: Major rollback of water rules endorsed by California farmers
Internal EPA document contradicts agency over existence of water rule data: “An internal EPA document is contradicting agency officials who said Tuesday that there is no data on how many waterways will lose protections under the administration’s latest rule rollback. The document, released through a Freedom of Information Act request to E&E News Tuesday, shows that officials in 2017 estimated that 13 percent of streams and 51 percent of wetlands across the U.S. would lose protections under EPA’s latest rollback, announced today. When announcing the details of the proposal to reporters at EPA headquarters in Washington, D.C., agency officials said the data on how many waterways would lose environmental protections didn’t exist. … ” Read more from The Hill here: Internal EPA document contradicts agency over existence of water rule data
Groups vow to fight rollback of clean water protections: “Negative reaction from conservation groups was swift to a Trump administration proposal on Tuesday to remove federal clean-water protections from many smaller streams and wetlands. The Environmental Protection Agency announced a replacement for the Waters of the United States Rule that would lift federal protections from water sources that are seasonal and wetlands that are not connected by a stream to a larger body of water. Jenifer Collins, a legislative representative for the law firm Earthjustice, said the proposal ignores the basic science of hydrology. … ” Read more from Public News Service here: Groups vow to fight rollback of clean water protections
OTHER STATEWIDE NEWS
California suit seeks to extend water contracts: “Capping years of debate over the financial future of the state’s critical water delivery system, California sued in state court Tuesday to validate contract extensions with its largest water suppliers for another 67 years. The move, which environmental groups could still challenge, purports to give the state the financial flexibility needed to renovate the State Water Project. If approved by a judge, contracts with 29 water suppliers will be extended through the year 2085. In the Sacramento Superior Court filing, the California Department of Water Resources says the extensions will enable the state to take out new revenue bonds in order to jump start badly needed infrastructure updates to the State Water Project. … ” Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: California suit seeks to extend water contracts
Five smart ways to engage water communities: “Whether it is climate change adaptation, water quality protection, or investing in ageing infrastructure, water sector professionals face new and evolving challenges when managing our world’s water supply. The only certainty is that traditional unilateral approaches are no longer cutting it. Resource planning and management is a dynamic two-way street. In booming cities and small rural communities alike, local residents are no longer passive consumers of centralised services. They expect to be invited and involved in the utility decision-making processes that impact them and to receive multiple benefits from infrastructure investments. To balance the needs of the customers and build resiliency in the places on which utilities depend, water professionals are turning to effective community engagement, sustainability and environmental justice strategies. ... ” Read more from Source Magazine here: Five smart ways to engage water communities
In commentary today …
Why water should take center stage in climate discussions: Maurice Hall writes, “The recent UN IPCC report offers stark warnings about fast-rising temperatures. San Francisco’s Global Climate Action Summit unsurprisingly focused on reducing emissions. Yet as speakers at the two-day affiliated Water Pavilion noted, most impacts are related to extreme precipitation: too much or too little. Devastating floods in North Carolina, drenched by peak rainfall during Hurricane Florence that researchers say climate change worsened by 50 percent, have been followed by record-setting droughts that have brought California to its knees. And the US is hardly alone. Water extremes are recurring from Cape Town narrowly avoiding “Day Zero” and São Paulo’s “state of calamity” with barely a month’s supply of water in 2015, to multiple typhoons more recently pounding Japan and deadly cyclones flooding northern India. Put simply, water is the blade of climate change that will cut most deeply. … ” Read more from Source Magazine here: Why water should take center stage in climate discussions
In regional news and commentary today …
Kern County Supervisors vote to withdraw from Kern Groundwater Authority: “The Kern County Board of Supervisors voted to withdraw from the Kern Groundwater Authority at Tuesday’s meeting, altering water management in certain areas of the county. Supervisors debated the issue for over two hours, at one point nearly tabling the vote until next week. The withdrawal will take effect in 30 days, giving the county a short window of opportunity to negotiate with the KGA to potentially remain a part of the organization. At issue is the level of legal liability the county would be responsible for if it remained a member of the KGA. … ” Read more from Bakersfield.com here: Kern County Supervisors vote to withdraw from Kern Groundwater Authority
Santa Barbara, Montecito move forward on desalination plan: “The city of Santa Barbara is moving forward on a plan to expand the Charles E. Meyer Desalination Plant to provide water to Montecito. The City Council on Tuesday voted 7-0 to apply for a Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loan for up to $26 million to fund the project, which requires extending an existing pipeline from the Cater Water Treatment Plant on San Roque Road to Montecito. “This is extremely important,” said Nick Turner, general manager of the Montecito Water District. “It’s a huge step toward achieving reliability for our water supply.” ... ” Read more from Noozhawk here: Santa Barbara, Montecito move forward on desalination plan
A legal fight is brewing against the Devil’s Gate Dam sediment-removal project in Pasadena: “La Canada Unified School District and a group of concerned parents are pursuing legal strategies to challenge the massive sediment removal project at Devil’s Gate Dam in Pasadena located across the street from La Canada High School. They say hundreds of dump trucks per day would emit diesel particulates that would endanger student health. The Arroyo Seco Foundation and the Pasadena Audubon Society challenging the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works project have already filed two lawsuits. The parents group would weigh in and offer supportive evidence, said attorney Mitchell Tsai. … ” Read more from the Pasadena Star News here: A legal fight is brewing against the Devil’s Gate Dam sediment-removal project in Pasadena
Bighorn sheep watering hole could be drained by Cadiz water project, state says: “California wildlife officials have concluded an environmental review of the controversial Cadiz water pumping project is severely flawed, and cannot be used to approve a key stream and lakebed alteration permit. The California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife says scientists for Cadiz and the Orange County-based Rancho Santa Margarita Water District wrongly claimed that a spring vital to bighorn sheep is not connected to the aquifer from which the project would draw water. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: Bighorn sheep watering hole could be drained by Cadiz water project, state says
Carlsbad Desalination Plant purifies 40 billionth gallon of ocean water: “The newest source of drinking water in our county just reached a major milestone. Around 100 million gallons of seawater are pumped through the filters at the Carlsbad desalination plant every day. Within about three hours that water is purified and sent to the taps. After three strong years, the plant just produced its 40 billionth gallon of drinking water. That’s enough water to fill a billion bathtubs, or fill every floor of the empire state building, 145 times. … ” Read more from NBC San Diego here: Carlsbad Desalination Plant purifies 40 billionth gallon of ocean water
Ongoing spill in Mexico is flooding Tijuana River and U.S. beaches with millions of gallons of raw sewage: “The equivalent of more than 6 million gallons a day of raw sewage has been spilling into the Tijuana River since Monday night, according to U.S. officials. The U.S. section of the International Boundary and Water Commission said Tuesday that counterparts in Mexico informed the agency that the cause of the sewage leak was a ruptured collector pipe. Officials said the aging collector underwent millions of dollars in upgrades over the last year but is not fully rehabilitated. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Ongoing spill in Mexico is flooding Tijuana River and U.S. beaches with millions of gallons of raw sewage
Along the Colorado River …
Metropolitan Water District approves Colorado River shortage plan: “The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California on Tuesday approved a plan for sharing Colorado River delivery cuts if a shortage is declared on the drought-depleted river. The vote by the district, which imports water to the Southland, represents another step in a years-long attempt to forge a shortage agreement among the seven states that depend on the Colorado for drinking and irrigation supplies. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: Metropolitan Water District approves Colorado River shortage plan
Southern California water agency OKs water plan that awaits Arizona’s approval: “Southern California’s largest water wholesaler has approved a drought contingency plan that it hopes will help ensure the drought-stressed Colorado River will supply the Southwest for a decade. General Manager Jeffrey Kightlinger says Tuesday’s approval adds the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to water agencies in Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming that have approved plans to take less water from key river reservoirs, including lakes Mead and Powell. … ” Read more from KTAR here: Southern California water agency OKs water plan that awaits Arizona’s approval
Colorado River drought plan gets CAP support; heading to Arizona lawmakers: “A $135 million plan to keep Lake Mead from falling too low appears headed to the Arizona Legislature after getting unanimous support from the board governing the Central Arizona Project, which gets its water from the lake. The CAP board’s vote last week caps five months of intense politicking over the plan, which was many times in serious jeopardy. In the last few weeks, oft-squabbling interest groups and agencies finally began to coalesce around basic principles for a plan. ... ” Read more from Tuscon.com here: Colorado River drought plan gets CAP support; heading to Arizona lawmakers
Let It Snow: Aerial Cloud Seeding Starts In Wyoming, Proposed In Colorado: “A first of its kind cloud seeding program has started in the mountains of southern Wyoming and could soon be coming to Colorado. Both states already seed clouds from land-based towers. The practice of spraying silver iodide or other chemicals into winter storm clouds to get them to drop more snow isn’t new, but using aircraft is. … ” Read more from KUNC here: Let It Snow: Aerial Cloud Seeding Starts In Wyoming, Proposed In Colorado
And lastly …
Water wars continue: A photographic essay by Adrian Mendoza: “The California Delta is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of this hemisphere and the source of freshwater for over 23 million Californians. It’s also the battleground for California’s continuing water wars. Mark Twain once famously quipped, “In the West, whisky’s for drinkin’ and water’s for fightin’ over.” I’d photographed the delta various times during my 17 years as a staff photographer for The Modesto Bee newspaper, but it wasn’t until 2006 that I first photographed it from the air. … ” Read more and view photos at Soundings Magazine, a new website focused on Bay & Delta art, culture, and entertainment here (Be patient, the site does take a while to load): Water wars continue And while you’re there, check out Skiing the Friendly Skies by Mike Fitzgerald
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.
