DAILY DIGEST: Can sensor data save CA’s aquifers?; Safe Drinking Water Trust bill passes second Senate policy committee; Imperial Beach collaborates with Gullah/Geechee Nation on sea level rise; Newsom offers a new approach to California’s water issues, say Don Nottoli and Bill Dodd; and more …

In California water news today, Can sensor data save California’s aquifers?; Safe Drinking Water Trust Bill Passes Second Senate Policy Committee; Imperial Beach collaborates on sea level rise; Newsom offers a new approach to California’s water issues, say Don Nottoli and Bill Dodd; and more …

On the calendar today …

In the news today …

Can sensor data save California’s aquifers?  “In California, the amount of water exiting aquifers under the state’s most productive farming region far surpasses the amount of water trickling back in. That rampant overdraft has caused land across much of the region to sink like a squeezed out sponge, permanently depleting groundwater storage capacity and damaging infrastructure.  The trend—and a 2014 mandate for sustainable groundwater management in the state—has ignited interest in replenishing aquifers in California’s Central Valley through managed flooding of the ground above them. But until now there has been no reliable way to know where this type of remedy will be most effective. … ”  Read more from Futurity here:  Can sensor data save California’s aquifers?

ACWA-Sponsored Safe Drinking Water Trust Bill Passes Second Senate Policy Committee:  “SB 669, legislation authored by Senator Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) that would create The Safe Drinking Water Trust, passed the Senate Governmental Organization Committee today by a 15-0 vote and is now headed to the Senate Appropriations Committee.  ACWA and the California Municipal Utilities Association (CMUA) are sponsoring the bill which would help community water systems in disadvantaged communities provide access to safe drinking water.  ACWA Deputy Executive Director of Government Relations Cindy Tuck opened the support testimony for the bill, and many ACWA member agencies or their representatives supported the bill at the hearing. … ”  Read more from ACWA’s Water News here:  ACWA-Sponsored Safe Drinking Water Trust Bill Passes Second Senate Policy Committee

As Bay Area heats up, Gov. Gavin Newsom warns of coming wildfire danger:  “As temperatures soared to summertime levels across the Bay Area, Gov. Gavin Newsom was at Tilden Regional Park in the East Bay hills Tuesday to warn that wildfires don’t only threaten California’s rural regions.  “About 25 percent of California lives on the wildland-urban interface” and other high fire-risk areas, Newsom said. “Contra Costa and Alameda County, you’re as vulnerable as Butte County and as vulnerable as Northern California counties.” … ”  Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here:  As Bay Area heats up, Gov. Gavin Newsom warns of coming wildfire danger

Sea level rise: ‘My nightmare has already happened’:  “A continental divide of geography, language, culture and tradition separates the Gullah/Geechee Nation of the south Atlantic coast and the U.S.-Mexico border city of Imperial Beach, Calif.  But their elected leaders are bound by a common cause. They are trying to keep rising seas from destroying their ways of life.  Speaking to a plenary audience of the National Adaptation Forum here yesterday, Queen Quet, chieftess of the Gullah/Geechee Nation, and Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina implored the roughly 900 participants to act decisively to counter climate warming or risk losing irreplaceable pieces of America’s cultural fabric. … ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Sea level rise: ‘My nightmare has already happened’

Could Biden build a new climate coalition? Joe Biden is betting a blue-collar campaign can win over a Democratic Party that’s grown more green than ever.  The former vice president is expected to launch his White House bid this week backed by the major firefighters union. Last week, he hit the picket line with striking grocery workers in New England. And on Monday, a Pittsburgh union hall will host his first campaign event.  That reliance on unions could preview how Biden balances a few of the 2020 race’s major dynamics. ... ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Could Biden build a new climate coalition? 

In commentary today …

Newsom offers a new approach to California’s water issues, say Don Nottoli and Bill Dodd:  They write,  “By rejecting the twin tunnels proposal, Gov. Gavin Newsom has sent an important message that new thinking is required to address California’s complex water issues.  The Delta Counties Coalition is committed to supporting a more thoughtful process. The Delta Counties Coalition represents more than 4 million residents whose livelihoods and way of life are grounded in a healthy Delta economy.  The coalition serves to protect the largest estuary on the west coast of the Americas from unwarranted intrusion that could destroy the precious Delta ecosystem and hurt our region’s economy. … ”  Read more from Cal Matters here: Newsom offers a new approach to California’s water issues

In regional news and commentary today …

Feds to Consider Adding Northern California Summer Steelhead to Endangered Species List:  “A trio of federal wildlife management agencies said Friday that listing the Northern California summer-run steelhead on the Endangered Species Act may be warranted, but said more public input is needed before a final determination is made.  Wildlife conservation group Friends of the Eel River petitioned to list the Northern coast population of steelhead as endangered in November 2018. According to the group, fewer than 1,000 adult steelhead spawn in all of the coastal rivers they still inhabit in California, from Redwood Creek in the north to the Mattole in the south. … ”  Read more from the Lost Coast Outpost here:  Feds to Consider Adding Northern California Summer Steelhead to Endangered Species List

Tugboat removal off China Camp costly for Marin:  “The Marin County Sheriff’s Office is in the final stages of disposing of two tugboats that were abandoned in San Pablo Bay about 100 feet from San Rafael’s China Camp State Park.  The boats were removed only after one of them sank after a storm earlier this year. The vessels were anchored untended for more than a year before that as county officials sought a state grant to help cover the cost of removal. ... ”  Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here:  Tugboat removal off China Camp costly for Marin

Monterey: More stringent groundwater testing aims to lower risk of E.coli infections from romaine:  “Monterey County growers face new water-testing regulations that hope to lessen risk of an E. coli outbreak like the one that hit the more-than-$600 million romaine lettuce industry last year. The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) Board of Directors voted Friday to strengthen testing requirements on both surface water and groundwater to prevent another E. coli outbreak. Last year’s outbreak sickened dozens and sideswiped the industry in 2018. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here:  Monterey: More stringent groundwater testing aims to lower risk of E.coli infections from romaine

How an ‘unripe snowpack’ will impact Lake Tahoe this summer:  “For the third year in a row, Lake Tahoe is expected to fill.  This is noteworthy for the sixth-largest lake in the United States that flirted with record-low levels amid a five-year drought that ended in 2017.  Even more good news for the West’s water supply: Tahoe’s water level is likely to reach its peak late in the season as a robust snow pack slowly melts through summer, feeding the reservoir and the Truckee River continuously for months to come. ... ”  Read more from SF Gate here: How an ‘unripe snowpack’ will impact Lake Tahoe this summer

What the hot days ahead mean for rivers and reservoirs in Stanislaus County:  “After a seesawing of temperatures in recent days, from the low 70s to upper 80s, the Modesto area is expected to have its first daily highs in the 90s this week.  Wednesday should reach near 93 degrees, the National Weather Service reports, and Thursday near 92. The rest of the week will gradually cool, according to the forecast, with highs near 88 Friday, 87 Saturday and 82 Sunday.  Winter storms built a healthy snowpack, and warming temperatures have been melting it, “but not in a manner we can’t accommodate,” Calvin Curtin, emergency preparedness coordinator for the Turlock Irrigation District, said Tuesday. … ”  Read more from the Modesto Bee here:  What the hot days ahead mean for rivers and reservoirs in Stanislaus County

Heavy snowmelt to fill Millerton Lake:  “The Central Valley is expecting warmer temperatures and the Bureau of Reclamation is getting ready to receive snowmelt that will be filling its watersheds.  Water levels at Millerton Lake are low as some spots of the lake are just low. ... ”  Read more from Your Central Valley here:  Heavy snowmelt to fill Millerton Lake

Kings River officials prepared for warmer temperatures and melting snowpack:  “A warm up to 90-degree temperatures right in the middle of spring is something officials with the Kings River Water Association prepared for back in the winter.  Water releases on the Kings River from Pine Flat Damn began in early March to accommodate spring storms and runoff from warmer temperatures. … ”  Read more from ABC Channel 30 here:  Kings River officials prepared for warmer temperatures and melting snowpack

Palmdale Water District approves more groundwater tests:  “To better understand if a proposed project to bolster the underlying groundwater basin with recycled water may work, the Palmdale Water District Board of Directors on Monday agreed to a contract amendment with its consulting firm to conduct more tests.  The Palmdale Regional Groundwater Recharge and Recovery Project is planned near Avenue L and 100th Street East, where treated wastewater will be allowed to percolate into the ground to be stored. However, the district is still studying the area to ensure it is appropriate for the water recharge. ... ”  Read more from the Antelope Valley Press here: Palmdale Water District approves more groundwater tests

Long Beach:  ‘Water always wins’: The most expensive parts of Long Beach are most vulnerable to rising seas:  “The slow-moving disaster of sea level rise is a problem that’s out of the price range for most residents of Long Beach.  In the 90803 ZIP code—which includes Naples, Belmont Shore and the Peninsula—the median home costs nearly $900,000. But large swaths of the area will soon be underwater, with predictions that a rapidly warming ocean will rise 6 to 22 inches by 2050 and as much 6 feet by 2100.  It will be even worse in the event of a 100-year storm or higher-than-average tides. ... ”  Read more from the Long Beach Post here:  ‘Water always wins’: The most expensive parts of Long Beach are most vulnerable to rising seas

Today’s video …

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

CA WATER COMMISSION: Stormwater Capture and Aquifer Recharge

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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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