In California water news today, Lake Tahoe snowpack best in western US; resorts shatter February snowfall records; DWR doesn’t expect to use Oroville Dam spillway anytime soon — but it’s preparing if necessary; Central Valley Farms And Cities Acting To Achieve Sustainable Groundwater Use; Bill reintroduced to subject the Cadiz water project to further review; California avocado production struggles to keep up; Has the EPA lost its teeth? House to investigate dwindling enforcement; and more …
On the calendar today …
- Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets at 9am. Agenda items include updates on the Success Dam Spillway Enlargement Project, the Lower Elkhorn Basin Levee Setback Project, the American River Common Features 2016 Project, and the Eastside Bypass Improvement Project, as well as the monthly DWR report. Click here for more information.
- Water and the Future of the San Joaquin Valley at 9am. Click here to watch on webcast.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
Lake Tahoe snowpack best in western US; resorts shatter February snowfall records: “Lake Tahoe is the place to be this winter. It holds the best snowpack in the western United States and the crowds are flocking to the world-class slopes. Traffic has been insane, infuriating and downright miserable at times — all while the snow continues to fly. February has been a record-breaking month for some Lake Tahoe ski resorts. The snowfall has been so abundant that California is almost drought free. ... ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Lake Tahoe snowpack best in western US; resorts shatter February snowfall records
Atmospheric river on its way to NorCal: Forecasters uncertain how much rain it’ll dump on Bay Area: “Another wet storm is poised to soak Northern California. The so-called atmospheric river is forecast to arrive onshore sometime Sunday when a plume of moisture originating east of the Hawaiian Islands collides with a cold front dropping down from the Aleutian Islands off Alaska. “That cold front will move off the West Coast, and then pull that moisture plume onshore,” says Spencer Tangen, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Monterey. ... ” Read more from SF Gate here: Atmospheric river on its way to NorCal: Forecasters uncertain how much rain it’ll dump on Bay Area
DWR doesn’t expect to use Oroville Dam spillway anytime soon — but it’s preparing if necessary: “The state Department of Water Resources does not expect to need to operate the Oroville Dam spillway anytime soon but is preparing in the event that it is necessary. Lake Oroville, currently at 773-foot elevation, could rise to 780-785 feet by the end of the month based on current projections. DWR and crews with Kiewit Infrastructure West Co., the contractor for the spillways construction project, would remove equipment from the main spillway if the lake elevation reached 780 feet. … ” Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: DWR doesn’t expect to use Oroville Dam spillway anytime soon — but it’s preparing if necessary
Central Valley Farms And Cities Acting To Achieve Sustainable Groundwater Use: “2019 marks 5 years since lawmakers enacted, a package of laws that created, for the first time in the state’s history, a framework for sustainable groundwater management. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act was a response to the more than a century of unregulated overdraft from the state’s aquifers. That has resulted in depleting groundwater basins, sinking land surface and damages to canals, bridges and other infrastructure. Over the past five years, agencies in the state’s groundwater basins have been organizing their local approaches to bring groundwater pumping in balance with the amount that is replenished. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.“
Bill reintroduced to subject the Cadiz water project to further review: “Legislation that could stymie a controversial project to pump groundwater from the Mojave Desert has been reintroduced in Sacramento. State Sen. Richard Roth, D-Riverside and Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale last week introduced SB 307, which seeks to ensure “that any future water transfers from groundwater basins underlying desert lands do not adversely affect the California desert’s natural or cultural resources,” according to a bill fact sheet. … ” Read more from the San Bernardino Sun here: Bill reintroduced to subject the Cadiz water project to further review
California avocado production struggles to keep up: “Avocado production through out California is taking a huge hit. Conditions have hurt crops and growers are feeling the burn of Mexican imports filling the void. Katherine Epperson of Parks Ranch in Goleta said years of drought followed by an unusually hot July destroyed her avocado crops. … ” Read more from KEYT here: California avocado production struggles to keep up
Has the EPA lost its teeth? House to investigate dwindling enforcement: “Much attention has been paid to the Trump administration rollbacks of environmental regulations. But while those decisions can get tangled in the courts for months if not years, another shift is occurring on the ground: drastic reductions in pollution enforcement. Earlier this month the Environmental Protection Agency released its enforcement data for fiscal year 2018, and in many key areas data continued to show a downward trend in the civil and criminal punitive measures meted out to large polluters. And on Tuesday the House Committee on Energy and Commerce announced it will hold a hearing next week to investigate the Trump EPA’s “troubling enforcement record.” ... ” Read more from the Christian Science Monitor here: Has the EPA lost its teeth? House to investigate dwindling enforcement
In commentary today …
Analysis says to end Valley’s groundwater overdraft, farmland must be retired, say Ellen Hanak, Alvar Escriva-Bou, and Sarge Green: They write, “The San Joaquin Valley is on the brink of a major transition as it seeks to balance its groundwater accounts. California’s largest farming region has the state’s biggest groundwater deficit — almost 2 million acre-feet per year by our estimates. To put it in context, that’s about one Don Pedro Reservoir’s worth of water a year. Groundwater overdraft — pumping more than is replenished over the long term — makes wells go dry, increases energy required to pump water and causes land to sink, which in turn damages major regional infrastructure. These harmful impacts have become increasingly costly to address. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Analysis says to end Valley’s groundwater overdraft, farmland must be retired
In regional news and commentary today …
Crescent City Council votes 4-1 for dam removal: “Demanding more information on a project to remove four Klamath River dams, Jason Greenough cast the only no vote on a proposed Crescent City Council letter to support the endeavor. The Crescent City Council on Tuesday approved sending a letter to the State Water Resources Control Board supporting the Klamath River Renewal Corporation’s request for a Clean Water Act Section 401 certification in connection with the removal of the J.C. Boyle, Copco 1, Copco 2 and Iron Gate dams. … ” Read more from the Del Norte Triplicate here: Crescent City Council votes 4-1 for dam removal
Central Valley water control board fines owners of two Shasta County marijuana grow sites: “The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board announced fines for three Northern California landowners Thursday over infractions at two unrelated Shasta County marijuana growing operations. Teng Vang, 41, of Sacramento was fined $83,187 for failing to maintain a marijuana growing site on his Shasta County property, according to a news release issued by the board. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Central Valley water control board fines owners of two Shasta County marijuana grow sites
Harbor district declares Humboldt Bay emergency: “The Board of Commissioners for the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation and Conservation District will hold an emergency meeting at 4 p.m. today to address the issue of shoaling on Humboldt Bay. The shoaling in the bay is because of the recent winter storms and the shoaling has brought activity on the bay to a halt, according to Larry Oetker, executive director of the district. “The biggest issue are the fuel barges that come into the bay,” Oetker said. “There’s approximately six million gallons of fuel that comes to the bay every six to nine days, and that’s the gasoline, diesel and aviation fuel we use.” ... ” Read more from the Eureka Times-Standard here: Harbor district declares Humboldt Bay emergency
Lake County: Land Trust pursues Big Valley Wetlands acquisition as path to a healthier Clear Lake: “The current project of the Lake County Land Trust is the purchase of the 200-acre Wright property, a parcel located in the Big Valley Wetlands area of Lake County. This area is the No. 1 priority for the Lake County Land Trust, or LCLT, as it seeks to protect the largest remaining area of unprotected wetland habitats adjacent to Clear Lake. The project includes the Clear Lake shoreline and uplands from Clear Lake State Park west to Lakeport. It consists of high value habitats – pristine lakeshore vegetation along with mature oaks and other trees required by a variety of wildlife species. … ” Read more from the Lake County News here: Lake County: Land Trust pursues Big Valley Wetlands acquisition as path to a healthier Clear Lake
Twelve years in, foundation works Usal Forest a stream at a time: “In 2007 The Redwood Forest Foundation Inc. bought almost 50,000 acres in one of the steepest and most remote parts of California, a parcel larger than the city and county of San Francisco. The Usal Redwood Forest stretches from Rockport north almost to Benbow, its western edge about two miles inland from the ocean along the Usal Road. It’s nearly all steep ridges and ravines, spanning headwaters of the South Fork of the Eel River, stretching east to the Middle Fork and U.S. 101. Usal is a southern gateway to the Lost Coast, one of Northwest California’s wildest sections; its neighbor is the Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness, 3,845 acres of forest managed by ten Native American tribes from the region. ... ” Read more from the Mendocino Beacon here: Twelve years in, foundation works Usal Forest a stream at a time
PG&E bankruptcy sends water agencies looking for alternatives: “The Nevada Irrigation District and Placer County Water Agency are teaming up to study the long-term feasibility of jointly taking over ownership and/or operation of Pacific Gas & Electric’s Drum-Spaulding Project, according to a release. After PG&E filed for bankruptcy on Jan. 29, both water agencies became concerned that one of the possible outcomes from the bankruptcy proceedings will be the transfer of PG&E’s Drum-Spaulding Project to a third party. The release stated that could have unfavorable impacts on the water supply reliability for both agencies and the communities of Nevada, Placer and Yuba counties. ... ” Read more from The Union here: PG&E bankruptcy sends water agencies looking for alternatives
EPA orders Greka Energy to sample soil, groundwater for contamination: “After concluding Greka Energy improperly stored hazardous waste at its facility near Santa Maria, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered the company to conduct sampling to determine whether its operations resulted in contaminated local soil and groundwater. The order comes after a Dec. 13 inspection of Greka’s facility — which does not have a required permit to store hazardous waste — that found the company improperly stored, labeled and managed hazardous waste from their refinery processes, an EPA spokeswoman said. … ” Read more from the Lompoc Record here: EPA orders Greka Energy to sample soil, groundwater for contamination
No budget approved, Navy weighs in at IWV Groundwater Authority meeting: “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority met at City Hall on Thursday morning, first with an hourlong closed session meeting, covering potential litigation, followed by a five-hour regular meeting. The 2019 IWVGA budget was not approved, after several board members and a handful of residents voiced their concerns over the presentation. For starters, the budget that was presented was different from the one that was in the packet. A handful of numbers had been updated, including the total revenue (pump fee revenue and stressed counties grant revenue reimbursements) as well as a couple of lines in the expenditures section. ... ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: No budget approved, Navy weighs in at IWV Groundwater Authority meeting
LA To Recycle 100 Percent Of Its Wastewater By 2035, Mayor Says: “The city of Los Angeles is setting out an ambitious plan to recycle 100 percent of its wastewater by the year 2035 by spending billions of dollars on improvements at its largest water treatment plant. In a news conference Thursday, Mayor Eric Garcetti laid out the plan to reduce the city’s dependence on imported water by maximizing the recycling capacity at the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in Playa del Rey, by far the biggest of L.A.’s four water treatment facilities, and one of the largest in the United States. ... ” Read more from CBS LA here: LA To Recycle 100 Percent Of Its Wastewater By 2035, Mayor Says
Imported Water Built Southern California; Now Santa Monica Aims To Wean Itself Off That Supply: “Imported water built Southern California. Yet as drought, climate change and environmental concerns render those supplies increasingly vulnerable, the Southland’s cities have worked increasingly to develop local water sources so they can rely less on imports. The most ambitious goal has been set by the city of Santa Monica, which aims to be virtually water independent through local sources by 2023. The city is well on its way.” Read more from Western Water here: Imported Water Built Southern California; Now Santa Monica Aims To Wean Itself Off That Supply
Southern California Water Providers Think Local in Seeking to Expand Supplies: “Santa Monica may be the most aggressive Southern California water provider working to wean itself from imported supplies, but it is far from the only one looking to remake its water portfolio. Los Angeles and San Diego are among agencies in Southern California pursuing more diverse water portfolios so they too can be less reliant on water imports from Northern California and the Colorado River.” Read more from Western Water here: Southern California Water Providers Think Local in Seeking to Expand Supplies
Storm brings snow to low levels in Southern California: “Snow fell at low levels in Southern California on Thursday with the arrival of a very cold storm that added even more precipitation in a wet winter that has almost eliminated drought conditions statewide. Snow fell in the Santa Monica Mountains above the Malibu coast, the Los Angeles County Fire Department air operations section showed in a video posted on Twitter. In the nearby celebrity haven of Calabasas, actor Jerry O’Connell recorded video of himself as snow fell on his car and quickly melted. “It is snowing in Calabasas — crazy,” he said. … ” Read more from US News and World Report here: Storm brings snow to low levels in Southern California
In a rarity, snow falls on Southern California and not just in the mountains: “How often do Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, Pasadena or North Hollywood get a dusting? How about Zuma Beach and Malibu? Not often. Which is why the weather was the buzz Thursday among flatlanders and hill dwellers. “We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls about it and people are pretty interested. This is really getting people excited,” said Lisa Phillips, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Los Angeles/Oxnard office. … ” Read more from the Press Enterprise here: In a rarity, snow falls on Southern California and not just in the mountains
Precipitation watch …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- SMITH CANAL APPEAL: Staff Draft Determination for Smith Canal Gate Public Hearing and Adoption Meeting
- DELTA eNEWS: ~~ RFMAP Guidelines~ LURMP Update~ Duck Days~ Panel Materials~~
- LAKE OROVILLE: Operations update
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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.
