In California water news today, California wants to aim lasers at snowpack to better predict runoff; Restoring Mountain Meadows to Benefit Water Supply; California’s Rebuilt Oroville Dam Spillway to Open for First Time Since Collapse; Rep. Jared Huffman becoming key Democratic leader on the environment; ‘It’s really in great shape.’ Trump sees warming up close; Debunking Myths: 5 Things To Know About Green Infrastructure; and more …
On the calendar today …
- State Water Board meets at 9:30am. Agenda items include a public meeting on the proposed amendments that would include a state wetland definition and procedures for discharges of dredged or fill material to waters of the state, an update on urban water conservation, and an update on implementation on the board resolution on a comprehensive response to climate change. Click here for the agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
- State Board of Food and Agriculture meets at 10am. Secretary Jared Blumenfeld, California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) and Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California Natural Resources Agency are scheduled to appear to discuss water policy. For more information, click here.
- GRA Central Coast Branch meets from 6pm to 8pm in Santa Barbara. Presentation: Two Case Studies of Sustainable Water Management at the Basin Scale. For more information and to register, click here. You do not have to be a member to attend.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
California wants to aim lasers at snowpack to better predict runoff: “Lawmakers are considering spending $150 million to fund new high-tech measurements of the snowpack using lasers. A pilot program with NASA has been in place for several years and results show lasers record snowpack measurements with near perfect accuracy. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento here: California wants to aim lasers at snowpack to better predict runoff
Restoring Mountain Meadows to Benefit Water Supply: “This winter’s storms piled so much snow on the Sierra Nevada that people standing on Mount Diablo could see the range as a serrated band of bright white on the horizon. That’s good news for the millions of Bay Area people who get their drinking water from snowmelt. The recent drought is a reminder, however, that we can’t always count on this wealth of water from the mountains. Furthermore, climate change is projected to diminish the snowpack, giving us less water even during wet years; and warmer temperatures will likely make the snow melt earlier, giving us a flood of water in the spring instead of a relatively steady supply that lasts through the summer and fall. … ” Read more from the Bay Area Monitor here: Restoring Mountain Meadows to Benefit Water Supply
California’s Rebuilt Oroville Dam Spillway to Open for First Time Since Collapse: “California’s Oroville Dam spillway, which suffered a catastrophic failure two years ago, is expected to be opened Tuesday for the first time since being rebuilt. “DWR has restored full functionality to the Oroville main spillway and is operating the reservoir to ensure public safety of those downstream,” Joel Ledesma, state water project deputy director for the California Department of Water Resources, said in a statement. … ” Read more from The Weather Channel here: California’s Rebuilt Oroville Dam Spillway to Open for First Time Since Collapse
Rep. Jared Huffman becoming key Democratic leader on the environment: “Jared Huffman, the North Coast’s representative in Congress, is emerging as a key leader as House Democrats, back in power after eight years, mount a wave of environmental legislation meant to spur action on climate change, block offshore oil drilling and bolster support for public lands and wildlife protections. Huffman, now in his fourth term on the Hill and chairman of a House subcommittee on water, oceans and wildlife, signed on this week as a co-sponsor of a major bill challenging President Donald Trump’s intention to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement aimed at curbing global warming. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Rep. Jared Huffman becoming key Democratic leader on the environment
‘It’s really in great shape.’ Trump sees warming up close: “President Trump’s visit to the shores of Lake Okeechobee last week took him, once again, to the front lines of climate change. The massive Florida lake last year experienced a particularly intense and monthslong algal bloom, killing countless fish and driving tourists away. It’s exactly the type of disaster that is expected to increase in the coming decades, according to NOAA. Lake Okeechobee’s infrastructure also wasn’t built to accommodate the sea-level rise that scientists project the region will experience as a result of climate change. If the seas rise just another few inches, the drainage canals and system of moving water from the lake could be compromised, according to Andrea Dutton, a sea-level rise expert and an associate professor of geology at the University of Florida. … ” Read more from E&E News here: ‘It’s really in great shape.’ Trump sees warming up close
Debunking Myths: 5 Things To Know About Green Infrastructure: “More than 600 million people lack clean drinking water. Drought affects more than 35 million every year. And by 2050, 1.3 billion people will live in flood-prone areas. Most people think that building dams, water treatment plants and other infrastructure is the only solution for these problems—but that’s only because they haven’t considered the many benefits of green infrastructure. Green infrastructure like healthy forests, wetlands and coral reefs can cheaply and effectively enhance the performance of traditional built, or “gray infrastructure.” ... ” Read more from Clean Technica here: Debunking Myths: 5 Things To Know About Green Infrastructure
In commentary today …
California must act to protect state’s remaining wetlands from Trump’s destructive plans, say Richard Frank and David Mogavero: They write, “California’s wetland resources provide an abundance of human and environmental benefits: flood protection, filtration of water pollutants, surface and groundwater supplies, wildlife habitat, open space, public recreational opportunities and more. Sadly, historical filling and development projects have reduced our wetlands to a mere 10 percent of their original extent. The loss of coastal wetlands is even more alarming: 95 percent of the formerly-abundant lagoons and marshes along California’s coastline have been destroyed. ... ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California must act to protect state’s remaining wetlands from Trump’s destructive plans
In regional news and commentary today …
Plans to fix Strathmore creek were ‘90% complete’ at time of last month’s devastating flood: “Last month, hundreds of Strathmore residents were sent scrambling after Frazier Creek spilled over, dumping massive amounts of swift-moving water through the small, rural community in southeast Tulare County. More than 20 homes suffered severe water damage as Tulare County fire crews worked around the clock to stack sandbags and pump water from the flooded streets into the Friant-Kern Canal. At the flood’s peak, water levels rose 3 feet above ground through the middle of the town. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here: Plans to fix Strathmore creek were ‘90% complete’ at time of last month’s devastating flood
Antelope Valley farming legacy endangered: “The sweet fragrance of onions permeated the air during a recent visit to Calandri Farms’ Lancaster facility on 70th Street East and Avenue K. “If you love your stew this is the place to hang out,” Brandon Calandri said. Calandri is a third-generation onion farmer. ... ” Read more from the AV Press here: Antelope Valley farming legacy endangered
SoCal: Reject latest effort to undermine needed local water projects, says Steven Figueroa: He writes, “Infrastructure projects that secure California’s future are being pursued every day in our great state. For better or worse, California is known to have the toughest environmental review laws in the nation with its CEQA framework that can impact these projects. … Yet this legislative session an old bill that would undermine the already rigorous CEQA process has been reincarnated and reintroduced as Senate Bill 307, introduced by Richard Roth, D-Riverside. A rehash of a twice-rejected bill, SB307 is being packaged as “just one more study” of water projects in California. Its target has been Cadiz … ” Read more from the Redlands Daily Facts here: Reject latest effort to undermine needed local water projects
Bombay Beach Biennale focuses artists’ energy in effort to save Salton Sea: “Many artists believe to their core their work can affect and change the world around us in a positive way. The use of public art to bring about social change created the interactive art event called the “Bombay Beach Biennale” on the shores of the Salton Sea. Organizers hope to bring attention to the long-ignored environmental issue facing the region, once one of the premier tourist destinations in Southern California. … ” Read more from SF Gate here: Bombay Beach Biennale focuses artists’ energy in effort to save Salton Sea
Along the Colorado River …
Researchers learning true scale of Lake Mead, Powell evaporation rates: “Precious water is vanishing into thin air at the Colorado River’s two largest reservoirs, and scientists are only now learning the true scale of the problem. Building on ongoing research at Lake Mead, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and Nevada’s Desert Research Institute have teamed up on a new study using remote sensors on floating platforms at Lake Powell to pinpoint how much water is lost to evaporation. … ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal here: Researchers learning true scale of Lake Mead, Powell evaporation rates
Colorado’s epic snowfall helps ease drought conditions, but state not out of the woods: “Billy Marquis can’t wait to run the Arkansas River this summer. With Colorado’s statewide snowpack totals nearing 150 percent of average, he and his crew of guides are eagerly awaiting the spring melt. Customers have noticed, too. Marquis already has seen a spike in summer bookings for his whitewater rafting trips. “As a business owner, I am very excited,” he said. … ” Read more from the Denver Post here: Colorado’s epic snowfall helps ease drought conditions, but state not out of the woods
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.
