DAILY DIGEST: Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday; California’s monster snow year … ‘It’s Been a Wild Ride’; On public lands, visitors surge while federal management funds decline; April 1st posts; and more …

In California water news today, Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday; California’s monster snow year … ‘It’s Been a Wild Ride’; On Public Lands, Visitors Surge While Federal Management Funds Decline; and more …

In the news today …

Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday:  “The reconstructed main Oroville Dam spillway will be used Tuesday for the first time since it broke up in February 2017.  DWR said flows ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 cubic feet per second will be sent down the concrete chute, which was rebuilt over the last two years. The spillway has a capacity of 150,000 cubic feet per second. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday

Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday. The state says it’s ready: “Oroville Dam’s massive flood-control spillway will be deployed Tuesday for the first time since it was rebuilt for $1.1 billion after a near-catastrophe forced the evacuation of 188,000 people in 2017.  In a brief statement Sunday, the California Department of Water Resources’ deputy director Joel Ledesma said the agency has “restored full functionality to the Oroville main spillway and is operating the reservoir to ensure public safety of those downstream. The Oroville main spillway was designed and constructed using 21st century engineering practices and under the oversight and guidance from state and federal regulators and independent experts.” … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Oroville Dam spillway to be used Tuesday. The state says it’s ready

California’s monster snow year … ‘It’s Been a Wild Ride’:  “It’s been a big year for snow in the Sierra Nevada range.  This is the time of year—April 1—when the snowpack is typically at its peak and on Tuesday, when surveyors do their monthly manual survey, they’re likely to find a snowpack at about 160 percent of the average.  Mammoth Mountain, which soars to 11,000 feet in the central Sierra, has had 50 feet of snow pile onto its sweeping inclines. The nearby Mammoth ski resort tweeted that it had broken its snowfall record for February—and it was only two weeks into the month. … ”  Read more from KQED here:  California’s monster snow year … ‘It’s Been a Wild Ride’

On Public Lands, Visitors Surge While Federal Management Funds Decline:  “It’s the boom times in Mammoth Lakes, California, which is wrapping up a winter of record snowfall. Eager to take advantage of it, Donovan Sliman and his two young daughters are lumbering up a snowy trail on the outskirts of town, where the condos give way to National Forest.  “I like to get away from everybody else,” says Sliman. “I like to hear the sound of the wind and the snow through the trees.” ... ”  Read more from NPR here:  On Public Lands, Visitors Surge While Federal Management Funds Decline

April 1st posts …

Climate warming brings new water to California’s Delta:  Nestle Frobish writes, “The California Department of Water Resources is working to employ the ongoing break-up of the Antarctic ice cap to provide a vast supply of water for California.  Current plans are to employ ocean tugs to bring ice bergs into San Francisco Bay for docking in the State Water Project’s Clifton Court Forebay.  Several propulsion designs are being explored.  The resulting meltwater will provide a salt-free source of water in the south Delta for local and Delta export water users, cold water for Delta Smelt, and a summer winter-sports recreation activity in the southern Delta.  Satisfying the entire roughly 7 maf/year of total Delta export water demand will require roughly 8.6 billion tons of ice berg annually (9.2 cubic kilometers of ice). … ”  Read more from the California Water Blog here:  Climate warming brings new water to California’s Delta

President Trump Federalizes Lake Tahoe, Unveils TRUMPP: Tahoe Regional Underground Mountain Pipeline Project:  “In an early-morning 1 April 2019 Tweet President Donald J. Trump announced that he had signed an Executive Order federalizing Lake Tahoe and authorizing TRUMPP, the Tahoe Regional Underground Mountain Pipeline Project: (1/2) New TRUMPP plan will boost American jobs, use WV coal, provide water to over-regulated farmers & build infrastructure. (2/2) Nothing for loser states OR, CA, NV, WA! Total disasters! TRUMPP – Tahoe Regional Underground Mountain Pipeline Project – Making America Great Again!  The President later explained what TRUMPP really is at a White House press conference.  … ”  Read more from Water Wired here:  President Trump Federalizes Lake Tahoe, Unveils TRUMPP: Tahoe Regional Underground Mountain Pipeline Project

Trinidad Bay, remodeled and monetized:  Bernice Brouhaha writes, “Thousands of tourists and local residents descended on Trinidad last week for the much anticipated opening of Wally’s Wonderful Water World, a massive theme park celebrating the local marine eco-system and all the wonders of the sea.  The massive, family friendly complex – complete with captive whales, dolphins, sharks and even amusement park rides,  covers much of what used to be Trinidad Bay.  Project proponent Horatio McCallister noted how the project has vastly expanded opportunities to interact with the sea. … ”  Read more from the Mad River Union here:  Trinidad Bay, remodeled and monetized

In commentary today …

Why taxing water is wrongGary Arant writes,This year presents an ideal opportunity to solve a critical public health issue that our state must address, and one we cannot afford to miss.  While most California residents have access to safe drinking water, there are some people living in disadvantaged communities do not. This is primarily because the water systems within these communities are unable to adequately fund the operation and maintenance of treatment facilities capable of providing water in compliance with state and federal standards. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  Why taxing water is wrong

What California must learn from the Midwest floods Jacob Katz writes,A bomb cyclone formed in the sky above Nebraska not long ago, and warm rain melted an above-normal snowpack, causing catastrophic flooding across six states.  The Missouri River is long way away. But this emergency offers California critical lessons about how we must prepare for severe storms in a changing climate.  In California, we call our greatest flood threat “atmospheric rivers.” One of these rivers in the sky directed a firehose of tropical moisture at Northern California, leading to March flooding along the Russian River. Truth is we got off easy, as we did in 2017 when Oroville Dam’s spillway nearly failed and 188,000 people were evacuated. It could have been so much worse. … ”  Read more from Cal Matters here:  What California must learn from the Midwest floods

In regional news and commentary today …

Commissioners, KRRC address dam removal concerns:  “Klamath County Commissioners entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Klamath River Renewal Corporation to address local construction and road and traffic concerns with KRRC’s proposal to remove four Klamath River dams.  The document is a “good faith” commitment for KRRC to honor commissioners’ local concerns regarding the dam removal project, which is still awaiting approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. … ”  Read more from the Herald & News here:  Commissioners, KRRC address dam removal concerns

Plants improve health of Yreka Creek:  “Sixty-five Yreka High School students in Christian Birch’s Natural Resource class recently participated in a Bioswales Planting Event, installing landscape elements designed to concentrate or remove debris and pollution from surface runoff water. Also participating were 15 community volunteers and AmeriCorps watershed stewards Holly Garber and Emily Bork, who co-led the event.  The YHS Bioswales project was initiated by the Yreka Creek Committee of the non-profit Siskiyou Gardens and Parks Association, and funded by the US Fish and Wildlife Service “Partners” program. ... ”  Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here:  Plants improve health of Yreka Creek

Snafu results in death of 390,000 hatchery-raised salmon:  “An oversight at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery resulted in the death of some 390,000 fall Chinook salmon this week.  Water was shut off to one of the hatchery’s raceways and wasn’t turned back on during fish-tagging operations Thursday night, according to Brett Galyean, the project leader at the Coleman National Fish Hatchery Complex east of Anderson.  “It is an unfortunate mistake and the hatchery has already made adjustments in the hatchery procedures to reduce the likelihood of this happening again,” Galyean said via email Saturday. ... ”  Read more from the Redding Record-Searchlight here:  Snafu results in death of 390,000 hatchery-raised salmon

Superbloom: Experts say flowers are more abundant this year than others:  “Carpets of colorful flowers are popping up in the area and experts say it’s more abundant than other years. This year is known as a super bloom.  Barbara Kiernan, the University of California master gardener coordinator for community outreach in Yuba-Sutter, said years of drought are part of what makes the super bloom show of colors so impressive. … ”  Read more from the Appeal Democrat here:  Superbloom: Experts say flowers are more abundant this year than others

Sonoma: Focus is on wells as groundwater board does its research:  “Parts of Sonoma Valley, particularly southeast of the city of Sonoma and in the El Verano/Fowler Creek areas, have seen a persistent decline in groundwater levels over the last decade – and it may be expanding. These chronic declines, based on data from the USGS and the Sonoma County Water Agency, indicate that groundwater withdrawals are occurring at a rate exceeding the rate of replenishment within the deeper aquifer zones of southern Sonoma Valley. Saltwater intrusion is also threatening to compromise groundwater quality at Sonoma’s southernmost tip. ... ”  Read more from The Kenwood Press here:  Sonoma: Focus is on wells as groundwater board does its research

Bay Area’s rainy season not over yet: “The past few days of warm and dry conditions in the Bay Area are expected to give way to several drizzling springtime showers in the coming week.  Conditions that brought a deluge of rain to the region — and destructive flooding to places including Guerneville in Sonoma County — aren’t likely to return, said Steve Anderson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. But that doesn’t mean the region’s rainy season is over yet. ... ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  Bay Area’s rainy season not over yet

San Francisco: Plans resume to clean up waterfront contamination near Pier 39: “PG&E resumed work this month on plans to clean up contamination along a section of San Francisco’s northeastern waterfront after a “pause” caused by the utility’s recent bankruptcy filing, officials said last week.  But as the effort continues, the environmental group Greenaction has raised concerns about some of the suggested cleanup measures, like capping. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Examiner here:  San Francisco: Plans resume to clean up waterfront contamination near Pier 39

Santa Cruz water panel taking stock of supply plans:  “A self-imposed deadline to choose what path the city will choose in securing its future water supply, even in times of prolonged drought, is approaching.  The Santa Cruz Water Commission will take stock of its progress to enact an ambitious water supply plan, reuniting with the 14-member community panel that spent 18 tumultuous months crafting the city’s water supply source blueprint. The joint workshop comes ahead of a similar update for the Santa Cruz City Council, scheduled for late April. … ”  Read more from the Santa Cruz Sentinel here:  Santa Cruz water panel taking stock of supply plans

Yosemite Valley waterfalls thunder to life:  Tom Steinstra writes, “In Yosemite Valley, a bright sun radiated across a blue sky Sunday and turned the park’s waterfalls into a series of silver-tasseled free falls, cascades and chutes. Temperatures topped out in the 60s, but felt warmer.  At times, the pounding water could land with such force and volume that it sounded like the roar of distant thunder echoing off the big walls. … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  Yosemite Valley waterfalls thunder to life

Owens Valley: Updates on water providers, county business: “The California Water Resources Control Board isn’t satisfied with the speed with which Inyo’s Environmental Health Department is logging data on its 81 small community water providers. But, the Board of Supervisors agreed with department director Kathe Barton in her plea to request a hearing with the Board to avoid the State taking over regulation of those systems.  To be clear, the systems at risk of being gobbled up provide water to between five and 199 hook-ups. These systems come under a ton of regulations and it has been EH’s task to make sure they are in compliance. … ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here:  Owens Valley: Updates on water providers, county business

San Diego: Here’s How Much the Pure Water Project Could Raise Your Water Bill: “San Diego water customers will soon pay $6 to $13 more a month to fund the first part of the city’s new recycled water project, according to a newly released estimate.  The city is working on a multibillion-dollar plan to purify enough sewage to provide a third of the city’s drinking water by 2035.  Most of Southern California’s water now comes from either the rivers of Northern California or the Colorado River, which are not only hundreds of miles away but prone to drought. … ”  Read more from the Voice of San Diego here:  San Diego: Here’s How Much the Pure Water Project Could Raise Your Water Bill

San Diego: Vernal pools: Rains bring to life mini-ecosystem of button celery, Otay Mesa mint and fairy shrimp:  “Alongside auto wrecking yards and shipping centers off state Route 905, a pop-up world has emerged with some of the strangest creatures to swim in six inches of water.  Here aquatic plants grow next to cacti, and animals that have waited for decades in the dust come to life. In this Otay Mesa preserve are some of San Diego’s vernal pools, fleeting water bodies that appear and vanish over the course of a season. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here:  Vernal pools: Rains bring to life mini-ecosystem of button celery, Otay Mesa mint and fairy shrimp

San Diego delegation heads to Mexico to talk trade, push for Tijuana sewer system upgrades:  “Several San Diego political and business leaders headed to Mexico City Sunday to advocate for free trade and increased infrastructure spending in Tijuana to stop sewage spills from polluting local beaches.  The delegation led by the San Diego Chamber of Commerce is set to meet with Mexican leaders just days after President Donald Trump ramped up rhetoric about closing the U.S.-Mexico border — in part to block Central America migrants from entering the U.S. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  San Diego delegation heads to Mexico to talk trade, push for Tijuana sewer system upgrades

Precipitation watch …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

THIS JUST IN … DWR Plans to Use Oroville Main Spillway on Tuesday, April 2 (with photo gallery)

DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Governor’s drinking water tax plan advances in Assembly, but faces resistance; Oroville Dam spillway about to face its first big test; Public trust doctrine draws attention in courts; Desal’s potential for CA’s water supply; and more …

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.

 

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