In California water news today, As Trump tries to roll back clean water rules, California seeks stronger protections; Resident Files Injunction to Prevent Dynamite Blasting at Oroville Dam; Who keeps buying California’s scarce water? Saudi Arabia; California Works to Head off Another Season of Deadly Fires; A closer look at environmental bonds; Microplastics in the ocean: Separating fact from fiction; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The California-Nevada DEWS Drought & Climate Webinar from 11am to 12pm. Click here to register.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: In Mammoth, the snow is so deep residents must tunnel out; From CA to Central India: Implementing water stewardship at the local level; How agtech is making irrigation more efficient; Could PFAS concerns sway the Democratic presidential contest?; and more …
- ESTUARY NEWS: Choppy waters for flow rules, High road or high water for wildlife, Putah Creek pipeline for salmon, and more …
- SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY & WATERSHED JOURNAL: Freshwater flows in the Delta, Importance of wetland habitats to waterbirds, Abundance of salmon on the Stanislaus, Largemouth bass diets, Fishing trawls
- NEWS WORTH NOTING: New report: Delta water supply impacted by human use protections and capacity significantly more than endangered fishes; Feinstein, Speier to EPA: Explain reversal of Redwood City salt plant determination
- RESERVOIR AND WATER CONDITIONS for March 25
- DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE: Statewide wetland definition and procedures for discharges of dredged or fill material to Waters of the State
- DELTA STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL: Public Participation Survey
- ARMY CORPS: Proposal to issue new Regional General Permit (RGP) for activities to restore salmon
As Trump tries to roll back clean water rules, California seeks stronger protections: “When grower Brad Goehring looks across his rows of grapes, he can’t help but see a pool of murky water that breaks the rhythm of his vines, which otherwise stretch steadily into the Sierra foothills. The pool is relatively small, maybe half an acre, but vital, according to environmental regulators. They say it helps to clean the runoff from Goehring’s fields and provides a home for critters such as marsh birds. And by law, it can’t be disrupted, which is what makes this mini wetland a headache for Goehring. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: As Trump tries to roll back clean water rules, California seeks stronger protections
- RELATED CONTENT: DOCUMENTS AVAILABLE: Statewide wetland definition and procedures for discharges of dredged or fill material to Waters of the State
California Resident Files Injunction to Prevent Dynamite Blasting at Oroville Dam: “A resident filed an injunction to prevent construction blasting using explosives near the Oroville Dam on March 22 at Butte County Superior Court, after becoming worried the public work could cause the collapse of the dam. The injunction was filed by plaintiff Paul Preston against defendant California Department of Water Resource (DWR). Oroville Dam, which sits at 770 feet, is the tallest in the United States, 44 feet higher than the Hoover Dam. The collapse of the dam could potentially cause the loss of billions of dollars of property and tens of thousands of lives. … ” Read more from Epoch Times here: California Resident Files Injunction to Prevent Dynamite Blasting at Oroville Dam
Who keeps buying California’s scarce water? Saudi Arabia: “Four hours east of Los Angeles, in a drought-stricken area of a drought-afflicted state, is a small town called Blythe where alfalfa is king. More than half of the town’s 94,000 acres are bushy blue-green fields growing the crop. Massive industrial storehouses line the southern end of town, packed with thousands upon thousands of stacks of alfalfa bales ready to be fed to dairy cows – but not cows in California’s Central Valley or Montana’s rangelands. Instead, the alfalfa will be fed to cows in Saudi Arabia. … ” Read more from The Guardian here: Who keeps buying California’s scarce water? Saudi Arabia
California Works to Head off Another Season of Deadly Fires: “It’s inevitable. Every year, big swaths of California will burn. The question now that spring is here is how bad it will be. If recent history is any guide, this year’s wildfire season could be grim, despite a new push by state officials to keep flames at bay. For all of its lush redwood forests and snow-capped peaks, most of the Golden State is semi-arid, with rain falling during only half of the year. And a shifting climate has been delivering ever hotter summer weather. … ” Read more from Bloomberg here: California Works to Head off Another Season of Deadly Fires
A closer look at environmental bonds: “Across the nation, countless cities with antiquated sewer and stormwater systems are under orders from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce stormwater runoff to decrease the amount of pollution entering local waterways. When Washington, D.C., faced this problem, city officials decided to experiment with green infrastructure rather than investing in expensive new pumps and pipes. Since green infrastructure had never been implemented on such a large scale, however, the city faced a huge challenge when it came to financing the project. … ” Read more from Water Finance & Management here: A closer look at environmental bonds
Microplastics in the ocean: Separating fact from fiction: “Last year, Gizmodo ran a story reporting on evidence that microplastics – plastic fragments less than five millimeters size (roughly a quarter inch) – are moving through the marine food web to top predators. The study, published by researchers at the University of Exeter, showed that when mackerel consumed microplastics and were later fed to seals, the plastic bits could be detected in the seals’ fecal samples. While the story reinforced a logical concept—that microplastics consumed by smaller marine animals may eventually end up in larger ones—it touched on the question of how harmful microplastics are to marine life and humans, if at all. … ” Read more from OceanUs Magazine here: Microplastics in the ocean: Separating fact from fiction
In regional news and commentary today …
Phillips tells PID board meters one culprit in contamination: “Paradise Irrigation District general manager Kevin Philips reiterated to the board of directors on Wednesday night that the water is clean as is the water coming from the water treatment plant. Phillips also told the board that they have yet to install any new meters —adding that they are taking out meters. “We are pulling meters,” he said. “What we are doing is pulling meters because we feel meters could have been one of the leading criteria to the contamination. Plastic meters that got heated up.” ... ” Read more from the Paradise Post here: Phillips tells PID board meters one culprit in contamination
New flood plain near Hamilton City gets first test when river rises: “As the Sacramento River rose in late February and early March due to a series of storms, it spilled over and flooded several hundred acres of recently planted fields south of Hamilton City. Just the way it was planned. The river poured through a gap that had been opened in the old J Levee and flooded a habitat restoration project between the riverbank and a new levee that had been built, set back from the river a mile or so. ... ” Read more from the Paradise Post here: New flood plain near Hamilton City gets first test when river rises
Possible fixes to Knights Landing Levee Basin considered: “Ways to reduce flood risks in Knights Landing will be presented to the Board of Supervisors at their Tuesday meeting. Staff is scheduled to discuss preliminary flood reduction alternatives that have been identified for the small community through a California Department of Water Resources grant program, received by Yolo County in 2017, at the meeting which begins at 9 a.m. in the Public Administration building in Woodland. Its purpose was “to complete a feasibility study with a primary goal of reducing flood risk to Knights Landing,” according to county documents. … ” Read more from the Daily Democrat here: Possible fixes to Knights Landing Levee Basin considered
Storm could dump up to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations around Lake Tahoe: “A large storm could bring up to 2 feet of snow to the high country in the Sierra Nevada this week. The National Weather Service in Reno has issued a winter storm watch for the Lake Tahoe region from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning. The storm could bring heavy snow to the Sierra Nevada. Accumulations below 7,000 feet could total 8-16 inches of snow, while 2 feet could fall above 7,000 feet. Snow totals along the Sierra crest could climb to 3 feet. … ” Read more from the Tahoe Daily Tribune here: Storm could dump up to 2 feet of snow at higher elevations around Lake Tahoe
Update on Lake Isabella Dam construction: “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released its recent situation report, or SITREP, regarding the Isabella Lake Dam construction project, noting that the site including Engineers Point is an active construction area and off limits to the public. The Isabella Lake Dam — consisting of a Main Dam, Auxiliary Dam, and service spillway — became fully operational in 1953. Throughout 2019, construction on State Route 155 near the Main Dam will continue; the contractor, a Flatiron-Dragados-Sukut joint venture, is building the embankment for the SR 155 detour. Traffic will be moved to the detour in Spring 2019, which will cause periodic traffic delays. … ” Read more from the Daily Independent here: Update on Lake Isabella Dam construction
Water conservation continues to be an emphasis in Long Beach: “According to a map released March 14 by the U.S. Drought Monitor, the state is exhibiting no areas suffering from prolonged drought — a circumstance that hasn’t happened in seven years. If that doesn’t wet your whistle, the snowpack is about 140 percent of average for this time of year, says the state Department of Water Resources. So, how do you convince people that they still need to conserve and not water their lawns every day? … ” Red more from the Long Beach Gazette here: Water conservation continues to be an emphasis in Long Beach
Along the Colorado River …
One Planet: Climate change and the Colorado River: “On this edition of Your Call’s One Planet Series, veteran environmental journalist Jim Robbins joins us to talk about his in-depth series headlined, “The West’s Great River Hits Its Limits: Will the Colorado Run Dry?” The Colorado River serves 40 million people and by 2050, the river is projected to serve millions more. How is climate change affecting the flow of the Colorado River? Guest: Jim Robbins, veteran environmental journalist and author of The Wonder of Birds: What They Tell Us About the World, Ourselves and a Better Future.” Listen to the radio show from KALW here: One Planet: Climate change and the Colorado River
Lake Mead crisis is about more than just a lack of water, says Wellington Reiter: He writes, “What image comes to mind when you think of Lake Mead? For most, it’s likely the infamous “bathtub ring,” a troubling sign of the depleted water supply in this life-sustaining reservoir. But while this is one of the most frequently deployed images associated with the decades long “drought” in the West, do we really see it? Does it make an impact that’s strong enough to shift our perceptions and motivate us to alter our personal water consumption? … ” Read more from Arizona Central here: Lake Mead crisis is about more than just a lack of water
Traveling the Green River to Understand the Future of Water in the West: “The end of the irrigation ditch is a corrugated pipe partially pinched shut by a piece of sheet metal. Randy Bolgiano, who runs the Circle Nine Cattle Ranch outside of Boulder, Wyoming, is standing in a hayfield just past the end of the pipe with a shovel, slicing off a piece of sod to block the trickle that flows out of it. The water runs into a channel along the edge of the meadow, and by blocking and pooling the flow, then pushing it out toward the field, Randy can inundate his hayfields, irrigating them. Randy and I had four-wheeled out to this end of the ditch, which isn’t far from the house where he lives with his wife, Twila. … ” Continue reading at Pacific Standard here: Traveling the Green River to Understand the Future of Water in the West
Precipitation watch …
After a prolonged cold and wet spell in California, warmer (but still unsettled) conditions to persist: Daniel Swain writes, “The 2018-2019 rainy season started exceptionally dry and relatively warm across most of California, and was punctuated by California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire in history during the uncharacteristic month of November. But weather conditions since the new year could not have been more different: January and February were very cool and quite wet months across much of California. Not record wet, or record cold…but certainly enough to be noticeably damp in most spots for a nearly 2-month period and generate an extremely impressive Sierra Nevada snowpack. ... ” Read more from the California Weather Blog here: After a prolonged cold and wet spell in California, warmer (but still unsettled) conditions to persist
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
https://mavensnotebook.com/2019/03/25/reservoir-and-water-conditions-for-march-25/
Today’s announcements …
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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.
