DAILY DIGEST, weekend edition: Oroville residents submit petition to ‘hold DWR accountable’ to federal agency; Boosting nature by removing dams; Aging workforce hits water plants especially hard; Richard Frank on the new wetlands regulations; Sunday podcasts; and more …

In California water news this weekend, Oroville residents submit petition to ‘hold DWR accountable’ to federal agency; Boosting nature by removing dams; Aging workforce hits water plants especially hard; UC course helps landowners track water use; What’s Being Done to Save Wild Spaces from Instagram; Dems want documents on Bernhardt’s lobbying work; Global CO2 levels ‘unprecedented’ in last 3M years; Richard Frank on the new wetlands regulations; Sunday podcasts; and more …

In the news this weekend …

Oroville residents submit petition to ‘hold DWR accountable’ to federal agency:  “A petition to “hold the DWR accountable” was hand-delivered this week by Butte County Supervisor Bill Connelly to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C.  The Feather River Recovery Alliance is the name of the nonprofit run by local volunteers who organized the petition. It evolved from the local advocacy group Oroville Strong which was affiliated with the Oroville Chamber of Commerce. … ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here:  Oroville residents submit petition to ‘hold DWR accountable’ to federal agency

Conservation Through Destruction: American Rivers Provides Huge Boost to Nature By Removing Defunct Dams:  “”There are hundreds of dams all over the country that are no longer serving a purpose. These obsolete dams have no useful function, they damage rivers and can be dangerous for people,” says Laura Craig, Director of the River Restoration Program at American Rivers. “That’s where American Rivers comes in. Along with our partners, we identify dam removals that would provide the most ecological benefit and take them down in the safest way possible. We then use our collective knowledge and expertise to restore the area to its natural state.”  Craig has extensive expertise in dam removal. She has been managing and facilitating dam removals at American Rivers for eight and a half years. She also has a Ph.D. in Aquatic Ecology from the University of Maryland at College Park. … ”  Read more from Environmental Monitor here:  Conservation Through Destruction: American Rivers Provides Huge Boost to Nature By Removing Defunct Dams

Aging workforce hits water plants especially hard:  “Behind every toilet flush and faucet turn that draws on a public water system, there’s an entire industry making sure the water meets certain standards.  “Nobody touches the community like a water treatment plant operator,” said William McKeon, who teaches classes geared to prospective operators at Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology.  “Drinking water is public health,” he said, “and wastewater is the front lines of environmental work.” … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here:  Aging workforce hits water plants especially hard

UC course helps landowners track water use:  “On a recent morning, Jim Edwards and about 70 of his fellow farmers and ranchers from Northern California went back to school.  Each was handed a binder full of worksheets as they embarked on a three-hour course to learn how to measure and report their own water diversions – a state requirement now for landowners with rights to draw water from a river or stream. … ”  Read more from the Western Farm Press here:  UC course helps landowners track water use

What’s Being Done to Save Wild Spaces from Instagram:  “Nestled along the Utah-Arizona border, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area boasts a summer vacation’s worth of scenic wonders: the curvy waterways and cinnamon-hued spires of Reflection Canyon, the 186-mile-long Lake Powell, and the Hanging Garden, where plant life grows on vertical rock walls.  But one of the park’s most popular attractions is a U-shaped bend in the Colorado River, just outside the town of Page, Arizona. … ”  Read more from Outside Magazine here:  What’s Being Done to Save Wild Spaces from Instagram

Dems want documents on Bernhardt’s lobbying work:  “House Democrats on Friday asked for a probe into Interior secretary nominee David Bernhardt’s relationship with one of his former clients on the heels of a New York Times report that said he continued lobbying after saying he’d stopped.  In a letter sent to leaders of Westlands Water District, a major agribusiness group in California, House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) requested all documents associated with Bernhardt and his work for the former client, including his work to weaken Endangered Species Act protections. ... ”  Read more from The Hill here:  Dems want documents on Bernhardt’s lobbying work

Global CO2 levels ‘unprecedented’ in last 3M years: “If global temperatures rise more than 2 degrees Celsius — the ambitious goal encapsulated in the Paris Agreement — they’ll have risen beyond anything the Earth has experienced in the last 3 million years.  That’s according to a new modeling study published Wednesday in Science Advances. The study also suggests that the present-day atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations of more than 405 parts per million are “unprecedented” in that time.  The research, led by Matteo Willeit of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, focuses on climatic changes throughout the Quaternary Period, the most recent geologic period in the Earth’s history. It extends from the present day to about 3 million years into the past. ... ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Global CO2 levels ‘unprecedented’ in last 3M years

In commentary this weekend …

California Adopts New, Welcome Wetlands Protection Rules:  Richard Frank writes, “This week California’s State Water Resources Control Board adopted important new rules to protect the state’s remaining wetlands resources.  Enacted after over a decade of Board hearings, workshops and deliberation, those rules are overdue, welcome and critically necessary.  Their adoption is particularly timely now, given the Trump Administration’s wholesale assault on and erosion of federal programs designed to protect our nation’s wetlands under the federal Clean Water Act (CWA). The new California rules, adopted unanimously by the Board on April 2nd, create a new, statewide definition of wetlands. … ”  Read more from the Legal Planet blog here:  California Adopts New, Welcome Wetlands Protection Rules

Saving the Salton Sea isn’t just California’s problem, says Sen. Dianne Feinstein:  She writes, “I agree with the March 29 editorial that projects to cover the shrinking Salton Sea’s exposed shoreline are desperately needed to prevent an environmental and public health crisis.  In the recent farm bill, I secured provisions that made the Salton Sea eligible for Department of Agriculture conservation funding for the first time. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Saving the Salton Sea isn’t just California’s problem

Sunday podcasts …

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Chris Orrock and the Sierra snowpack:This time around, there’s great news: California has seen a succession of heavy storms – and now boasts a historic snowpack. This week’s snow measurement at Phillips Station, a site 8,000 feet up in the Sierra near Lake Tahoe, shows a snowpack more than 160% of the norm. And that brings us to Chris Orrock of the California Department of Water Resources. Chris joins the podcast to chat with John Howard and Tim Foster about what this wealth of snow means for California’s water reserves and flood dangers, and the implications for wildfires later in the year.” 

Water issues in the Sacramento Valley:  From Rice News: “In this episode we will take a look at the latest water news impacting the Sacramento Valley. What kind of water regulations are pending? What are Voluntary Agreements, and flooding could the the savior that Sac River salmon have been waiting for.”  From Rice News.


Perseverance Endures: Steve Baker writes, “Metropolitan Water District of Southern California has an appetite of 1.7 billion gallons of water every single day.  Now that’s a lot of water. No wonder Metropolitan is investing in conservation, recycling and developing local water. Metropolitan knows that if people recognize where their water is coming from,  they will develop habits and an attitude of good stewardship when using water.  Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life.

Stephen J. Baker, producer of Operation Unite’s Living Water® radio series, “Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing”, has completed 258 episodes from around the world since 2006. Each story is a real circumstance of one water relationship that exists in the world.  Contact Operation Unite® if you would like your organization’s water relationship to be shared with the masses.  Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems  Operation Unite®; stevebaker@operationunite.co; 530-263-1007

In regional news and commentary this weekend …

Watching the water: Shasta County residents in flood-prone areas share their stories: “People living in flood-prone areas throughout Shasta County seemed to be breathing easier Friday after a long winter dealing with high water threats.  For months, many have been watching the rivers and creeks around their homes, in case the waters started to rise.  However, despite wet weather and increased water releases from Keswick Dam this week, the residents we spoke with Friday say their waterways are staying at manageable levels. … ”  Read more from KRCR here:  Watching the water: Shasta County residents in flood-prone areas share their stories

Battle Creek Hatchery releases thousands of endangered chinook salmon into Sacramento River:  “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released 185,000 marked juvenile winter-run Chinook salmon into the north fork of Battle Creek for the second year in a row, a continuing effort to jump-start the population.  “Last year, approximately 200,000 hatchery-reared winter-run Chinook salmon were released into Battle Creek,” said Dan Castleberry, Assistant regional director for Fish and Aquatic Conservation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “Those fish are expected to return to Coleman National Fish Hatchery in 2020.” … ”  Read more from ABC 10 here:  Battle Creek Hatchery releases thousands of endangered chinook salmon into Sacramento River

Regional sustainable groundwater management forum hosted in Corning:  “Tehama and Butte counties teamed up Friday to host a Northern Sacramento Valley forum on sustainable groundwater held at Rolling Hills Casino. The event was a collaboration between the Tehama County UC Cooperative Extension and Butte County Department of Water and Resource Conservation.  Allan Fulton, a Tehama County farm advisor, served as moderator. ... ”  Read more from the Daily News here:  Regional sustainable groundwater management forum hosted in Corning

Sacramento County gets FEMA money to raise homes in flood zones:  “Sacramento County homeowners living in flood-prone areas may be eligible for a grant to elevate their houses above identified flood levels.  The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced it will fund a $2.6 million flood mitigation grant, which could help dozens of homeowners in the county. ... ”  Read more from KCRA Channel 3 here:  Sacramento County gets FEMA money to raise homes in flood zones

210 Connect looks at drought’s lingering impacts in the Central Valley:  “The drought may officially be over in Tulare County and across the state, but it remains a critical time for water in the Central Valley.  With the rain year coming to a close, Valley farmers will soon learn how much irrigation water they have to work with for the coming year.  Meanwhile, many rural communities in the Valley struggle with contaminated drinking water and failing infrastructure leaving them unable to flush their toilets or drink from their taps.  Finally, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is requiring farmers, engineers and everyday citizens to work together to replenish the region’s depleted aquifers after years of historic drought.  Those are just a few of the pressing concerns that will be addressed at this month’s 210 Connect forum: “Water in the Valley” … ”  Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here:  210 Connect looks at drought’s lingering impacts in the Central Valley

Santa Barbara County reservoir levels still rising, but rate slows as storms dry up:  “With the Central Coast basking in warmer, drier weather over the past week, the rise in level of three Santa Barbara County reservoirs has slowed, and one experienced a slight drop, according to county data.  Cachuma Lake’s storage rose just 0.4% from Monday morning until Thursday afternoon, going from 152,091 acre-feet to 152,854 acre-feet, according to sensor data provided by the County Public Works Department. … ”  Read more from the Santa Ynez Valley News here:  Santa Barbara County reservoir levels still rising, but rate slows as storms dry up

San Diego is ready for some big water solutions, says Jim Madaffer:  He writes, “Back in the early 1990s — near the start of my career at San Diego City Hall — the San Diego County Water Authority launched a historic effort to sustain the region’s economy and quality of life by diversifying our water supplies so that we didn’t depend on one source for 95 percent of our water.  That effort took many forms, many billions of dollars and more than two decades — but it paid off in spades. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here:  San Diego is ready for some big water solutions

Assemblyman Todd Gloria holds “inaugural dialogue” with Mexican officials on Tijuana water pollution:  “Officials met in Imperial Beach Friday to discuss the sewage pollution that continues to plague South Bay shorelines — shuttering beaches more than 100 days every year.  The event was billed as an “inaugural dialogue,” which in the future will include a host of other binational issues, including climate change and commerce.  Assemblyman Todd Gloria (D-San Diego) and others met on Friday with Baja California officials to discuss future collaboration on how to address Tijuana’s lack of wastewater infrastructure and the potential for California to help with funding. ... ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here:  Assemblyman Todd Gloria holds “inaugural dialogue” with Mexican officials on Tijuana water pollution

Along the Colorado River …

Tribal leaders urge House to extend funding for water settlements: “Tohono O’odham Chairman Edward D. Manuel testified Thursday that lack of water has been killing crops and livestock – and, essentially, the tribe’s economy – and things will only get worse if federal funding is allowed to lapse.  That’s why Manuel joined officials from other tribes, utilities and advocacy groups to urge passage of a bill by Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, that would make permanent a federal fund used to help the government meet its obligations under legal settlements over water-rights issues. … ”  Read more from the Arizona Daily Sun here:  Tribal leaders urge House to extend funding for water settlements

Precipitation watch …

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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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