DAILY DIGEST: IID sues to halt Colorado River drought plan signed by Trump, says officials ignored Salton Sea; West-Side Water Ticks Up to 65% of Allocation. Will It Hit 100%?; Legal analysis of new wetlands regulations; Colorado River’s biggest champion: Walmart heirs; and more …

In California water news today, IID sues to halt Colorado River drought plan signed by Trump, says officials ignored Salton Sea; West-Side Water Ticks Up to 65% of Allocation. Will It Hit 100%?; State Treasurer Fiona Ma announces sale of $299.6 million in bonds for State Water Project; Legal analysis: What to Expect Under California’s “New” Dredged or Fill Discharge Procedures; California warmth fades this weekend; A drier pattern overall out West; Drones, supercomputers and sonar deployed against floods; US irrigation continues eastward expansion; and more …

On the calendar today …

• This evening in Menlo Park, a USGS Lecture: The Story of California’s Changing Ecosystems: As observed from space at 7pm.  The event will be webcast.  For more information, click here.  Click here to watch online.

In the news today …

IID sues to halt Colorado River drought plan signed by Trump, says officials ignored Salton Sea:  “It’s not over yet. The Imperial Irrigation District has sued to halt a sweeping Colorado River drought plan that was signed in to law by President Trump on Tuesday. Officials with the sprawling, sparsely populated rural water district in southeastern California say the Salton Sea was wrongly left out of the plan.  IID holds among the oldest and largest rights to water from the river.  The petition, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges violations of the California Environmental Quality Act by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It asks the court to suspend the Lower Basin Drought Contingency Plan until a thorough environmental analysis has been completed. ... ”  Click here to continue reading at The Desert Sun.

• More Colorado River news in the ‘Along the Colorado River’ section below.  Take me there!

West-Side Water Ticks Up to 65% of Allocation. Will It Hit 100%?  “The heavy rains and snow falling on California this year are enabling the Bureau of Reclamation to boost water deliveries to growers on the west side of Fresno County.  The Bureau of Reclamation announced Wednesday that it will supply South-of-Delta growers with 65% of their contracted water total.  “This has been a great year for California’s water supply,” said Mid-Pacific Regional Director Ernest Conant. “The increased precipitation has allowed us to increase the amount of water we allocate to our South-of-Delta contractors.” … ”  Read more from GV Wire here:  West-Side Water Ticks Up to 65% of Allocation. Will It Hit 100%?

State Treasurer Fiona Ma announces sale of $299.6 million in bonds for State Water Project:  “California State Treasurer Fiona Ma announced the competitive sale of $299.6 million in California Department of Water Resources (DWR) water system revenue bonds to refinance certain State Water Project capital improvements, including a portion of the costs of the Oroville Dam Spillways Response, Recovery and Restoration Project.  “These funds will be used to finance the reconstruction of the Oroville dam spillways to help provide flood control and water supply throughout California,” said Treasurer Ma. … ”  Read more from the OC Breeze here:  State Treasurer Fiona Ma announces sale of $299.6 million in bonds for State Water Project

Legal analysis: What to Expect Under California’s “New” Dredged or Fill Discharge Procedures:  “On April 2, 2019, the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) adopted new rules entitled “Procedures for Discharges of Dredged or Fill Material to Waters of the State” (the Procedures). The State Water Board cited the potential need to strengthen protections for “waters of the state” and the need to develop uniform definitions and procedures across California’s Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Boards) for regulating discharges of dredged or fill materials.  The Procedures establish a definition for “wetlands” that largely tracks the definition historically used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Army Corps). In addition, they establish a Regional Boards regulatory process for the submission, review and approval of applications for activities that could result in the discharge of dredged or fill material to “waters of the state.” ... ”  Read more from Allen Matkins here:  Legal analysis: What to Expect Under California’s “New” Dredged or Fill Discharge Procedures

California warmth fades this weekend; A drier pattern overall out West: “As the month of April continues to chug along, the weather maps are looking more and more like the end of the wet season. Dry weather is starting to take hold.  Thursday will likely be the warmest day of the week along the California coast, with highs reach the 70s in San Francisco and the 80s in Downtown Los Angeles. Across the interior, Friday could be even a touch warmer with temperatures approaching record levels in places like Merced and Fresno. … ”  Read more from AccuWeather here: California warmth fades this weekend; A drier pattern overall out West

Drones, supercomputers and sonar deployed against floods:  “An arsenal of new technology is being put to the test fighting floods this year as rivers inundate towns and farm fields across the central United States. Drones, supercomputers and sonar that scans deep under water are helping to maintain flood control projects and predict just where rivers will roar out of their banks.  Together, these tools are putting detailed information to use in real time, enabling emergency managers and people at risk to make decisions that can save lives and property, said Kristie Franz, associate professor of geological and atmospheric sciences at Iowa State University. ... ”  Read more from SF Gate here:  Drones, supercomputers and sonar deployed against floods

US irrigation continues eastward expansion: “Irrigated farmland in the United States climbed to a record-high 58 million acres in 2017, according to new federal government data. It represents a 4 percent increase from 2012.  More striking than the increase itself, said Steve Evett, a U.S. Department of Agriculture soil scientist, is where much of that growth occurred.  Irrigation, originally the domain of arid regions west of the 100th meridian, is steadily being adopted in the humid eastern states. Farmers — and their bankers — in the Mississippi delta, Corn Belt, southern Georgia, and elsewhere view the capacity to supplement increasingly erratic rainfall with water pumped from underground or from canals as an essential feature of the 21st-century business model. … ”  Read more from the Circle of Blue here:  US irrigation continues eastward expansion

In regional news and commentary today …

Rare ‘toxic cocktail’ from Camp Fire is poisoning Paradise water. It could cost $300 million to fix.:  “The discovery was as surprising as it was ominous.  Weeks after the Camp Fire roared through Butte County last November, devouring entire towns, officials made an alarming find: The Paradise drinking water is now laced with benzene, a volatile compound linked to cancer.  Water officials say they believe the extreme heat of the firestorm created a “toxic cocktail” of gases in burning homes that got sucked into the water pipes when the system depressurized from use by residents and firefighters. … ”  Read more from the Modesto Bee here:  Rare ‘toxic cocktail’ from Camp Fire is poisoning Paradise water. It could cost $300 million to fix.

Congressman Jared Huffman in Ukiah for Potter Valley Project meeting: “Congressman Jared Huffman says the Water, Oceans and Wildlife Subcommittee, which he chairs in the U.S. House of Representatives, is finally getting to do things “we weren’t allowed to do” for the past six years when Republicans controlled the House. Things like protecting public lands, making climate change part of all environmental programs, trying to prevent offshore drilling and looking at the state of the nation’s wildlife and fisheries.  Acknowledging that much of the committee’s work will run into a brick wall in the Republican-controlled Senate, Huffman maintains that building a legislative record on the needs of the environment is still important. And, he says, “We’d never show up for work if we’re acting only on what (Senate Majority Leader Mitch) McConnell will bless.” … ”  Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal here:  Congressman Jared Huffman in Ukiah for Potter Valley Project meeting

North Chico residents irate over flooding issues: “Frustration was evident, whether it was from a flooded homeowner or a government agency trying to explain its processes during Wednesday’s “listening session” regarding flooding in north Chico.  Organized by Chico supervisor Debra Lucero, the session ran from 4 to 8 p.m. at the county Public Works Yard in south Chico. About 30 attended the opening, and Lucero asked participating agencies to write down the public’s questions and comments to keep the discussions going. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: North Chico residents irate over flooding issues

Best salmon return since 2014 leads to longer season for North Coast fishery:  “North Coast fishing crews idled by an early end to the Dungeness crab season will have a longer 2019 salmon season than in recent years after fishery managers finalized dates Tuesday, a reflection of this year’s healthier projected adult spawning run.  In fact, this generation of returning adult king salmon is thought to be the most abundant since 2014, allowing for a season opener beginning May 16 and stretching to at least late September in coastal waters between Point Arena on the southern Mendocino Coast and Pigeon Point on the coast of San Mateo County. ... ”  Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here:  Best salmon return since 2014 leads to longer season for North Coast fishery

Monterey pipeline cost headed for customers’ water bills:  “Monterey Peninsula customers could start paying for the $50 million Monterey pipeline project as soon as next month, the first water rate hike associated with California American Water’s proposed Monterey Peninsula water supply project that is expected to nearly double local water bills by 2021.  Cal Am is seeking California Public Utilities Commission approval to start raising local customers’ rates by May 11 to pay for the 7-mile pipeline from Seaside to Pacific Grove, which is in operation and is designed to allow pumping of new desalinated and recycled water sources from the Seaside basin to local customers. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Monterey pipeline cost headed for customers’ water bills

Golf course will be site of groundwater treatment plant: “In an effort to end Thousand Oaks’ near total reliance on imported water, public works staff is asking the City Council to commit $16.6 million over the next two years to build a groundwater treatment plant at the city’s publicly owned golf course.  The Los Robles Greens Golf Course Groundwater Utilization Project—which will be offset with an estimated $6 million in State Water Project (Prop. 1) grants—is the single most expensive item on the city’s proposed $97-million 2019-21 capital improvement program budget, which outlines spending on public infrastructure over the next two fiscal years. … ” Read more from the Acorn here: Golf course will be site of groundwater treatment plant

Along the Colorado River …

Imperial Irrigation District sues to block Colorado River drought plan:  “Just as a long-negotiated agreement for how California and six other Western states will deal with drought on the Colorado River was about to cross the finish line, the river’s biggest user put up a roadblock.  The Imperial Irrigation District in southeast California filed a lawsuit Tuesday asking a state court to block the plan until more analysis is done on the accord’s environmental impacts.  The filing is the district’s latest attempt to put the brakes on the drought pact until the federal government provides $200 million for restoration of the shrinking Salton Sea. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Imperial Irrigation District sues to block Colorado River drought plan

Imperial Irrigation District challenges river drought plan:  “The Salton Sea is at the center of a legal challenge to a plan designed to protect the Colorado River, which serves 40 million people and 7,812 square miles of farmland in the West.  The Colorado River Drought Contingency Plan seeks to keep two Colorado River reservoirs from dropping so low they cannot deliver water or produce hydropower.  Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming worked for years to come up with the plan. Under the agreement, states voluntarily would give up water to preserve Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border and Lake Powell upstream on the Arizona-Utah border. Mexico also has agreed to cuts. … ”  Read more from the OC Register here:  Imperial Irrigation District challenges river drought plan

Arizona’s top water official not worried yet about lawsuit involving drought plan:  “Arizona’s top water official says a lawsuit filed Tuesday by California’s Imperial Irrigation District could pose a threat to the newly approved multistate drought contingency plan.  But Tom Buschatzke, director of the Department of Water Resources, said he’s not worried the plan will fall apart — at least not yet.  The lawsuit seeks to block California’s Metropolitan Water District (MWD), the largest wholesale supplier of treated water in the United States, from signing the legal papers to be part of the drought plan. … ”  Read more from Tucson.com here: Arizona’s top water official not worried yet about lawsuit involving drought plan

Colorado River’s biggest champion: Walmart heirs:  “An unlikely advocate seems to be around every bend of the Colorado River these days: the Walton Family Foundation.  The $3.65 billion organization launched by Walmart founder Sam Walton has become ubiquitous in the seven-state basin that provides water to 40 million people, dishing out $100 million in grants in the last five years alone.  “It is unprecedented — the scale and duration of investment,” said Dustin Garrick, a former Walton grantee and Oxford University professor who has studied the role of philanthropy in river basins around the world.  The foundation’s reach is dizzying and, outside the basin, has received scant attention. ... ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Colorado River’s biggest champion: Walmart heirs

What drought? These states are gearing up to draw more water from the Colorado:  “Wyoming wants to modify the Fontenelle Dam so it can use an extra 80,000 acre-feet of water from a tributary of the once-mighty Colorado River. At its headwaters, Denver Water hopes to draw an additional 77,000 acre-feet of water. And several hundred miles south, Utah is trying to build a pipeline that can funnel another 86,000 acre-feet out of the river.  There are at least six high-profile projects in Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming that combined could divert more than 300,000 acre-feet of water from the beleaguered Colorado River. That’s the equivalent of Nevada’s entire allocation from the river. (One acre-foot is roughly equal to 326,000 gallons.) These projects are in different stages of permitting and funding, but are moving ahead even as headlines about the river’s dwindling supply dominate the news. ... ”  Read more from The Grist here:  What drought? These states are gearing up to draw more water from the Colorado

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

ADAPTIVE MANAGEMENT FORUM, Part 3: Challenges and lessons learned with adaptive management in the Bay-Delta

REACTIONS: Water contractors react to updated CVP allocation for south of Delta ag

SCIENCE NEWS: Tropical storms connected to Central Valley heat waves; Sinking salmon populations hidden by hatcheries; Salinity cycles in Lower Colorado River; Cover crops: Good for water quality?; and more …

THIS JUST IN … Reclamation updates 2019 Central Valley Project South-of-Delta water allocations

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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.