DAILY DIGEST: CA Senate announces safe drinking water plan; Hurtado and Feinstein collaborate to restore clean water supply; Protecting endangered fish in the Delta; Interior reorganization: From grand vision to modest tinkering?; and more …

In California water news today, CA Senate announces safe drinking water plan; Senator Hurtado and U.S. Senator Feinstein Collaborate to Restore Clean Water Supply; Operation smelt recovery: Protecting endangered fish in the Delta; Feds Raise Water Allocations for Farmers. Westlands Isn’t Impressed; A river is lost: now what way forward?; Water gave life to this Central Valley boomtown in the 1880s – then took it away; Late-season rains mask looming fire danger as lush plants turn dry and explosive; Lengthy Study Shows Value of Soil Health and Forest Restoration after Damaging Events; Feds Sued to Force Protections for 8 Endangered Species; Interior reorganization: From grand vision to modest tinkering?; America Under Water: House Hears Call to Take Climate Action; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • The Central Valley Flood Protection Board meets at 9am.  Agenda items include a briefing on efforts to address levee damage from homeless encampments, monthly DWR report, and Nutria eradication.  Click here for the agenda and webcast link..

In the news today …

California Senate announces safe drinking water plan:  “The State Senate has announced a plan to ensure safe drinking water throughout California.  The proposal would implement a Safe Drinking Water Fund as outlined under SB 200, authored by Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel). Rather than relying on new revenues, the Senate’s proposal authorizes the continuous appropriation of $150 million annually from the General Fund, with the same level of protections in place that a new fee would provide to ensure the funds are used only to secure safe drinking water in the most vulnerable communities. ... ”  Read more from The Press here:  California Senate announces safe drinking water plan

Senator Hurtado and U.S. Senator Feinstein Collaborate to Restore Clean Water Supply in California:  “State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) today announced collaborative efforts with U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein to protect tens of thousands of disadvantaged communities and family farmers in the state of California. The partnership will include coordinating efforts at the state and federal level to address the Central Valley’s most immediate needs of restoring clean water supply by repairing the conveyance capacity on the Friant-Kern Canal. ... ”  Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Senator Hurtado and U.S. Senator Feinstein Collaborate to Restore Clean Water Supply in California

Operation smelt recovery: Protecting endangered fish in the Delta:  “About seven miles north of Rio Vista in Yolo County, DWR’s Sentinel research vessel gently approaches the underwater cages. DWR researchers snap into action, lifting the large black steel enclosures from the muddy water and guiding them with a hydraulic crane onto the ship’s deck. Inside each metal cage is precious cargo: a school of Delta smelt, the region’s most delicate and endangered fish, gleaming in inches of water.  Nicole Kwan, a DWR Environmental Scientist and field lead for the project, unlatched the first cage and peeked inside. “We definitely have survivors!” she announced. … ”  Read more from DWR News here:  Operation smelt recovery: Protecting endangered fish in the Delta

Feds Raise Water Allocations for Farmers. Westlands Isn’t Impressed:  “Citing the latest storms sweeping through California, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation approved a slight increase in water allocation to westside farmers. The agency that provides water to those farmers says it’s still not enough.  Allocations for Central Valley Project South-of-Delta agricultural use were increased from 65% to 70%, the bureau announced Wednesday. South-of-Delta allocations for municipal and industrial use were raised to 95%.  It’s the third time this year that the bureau has increased the agricultural allocation. It went up from 35% to 55% in March, then to 65% in April. … ”  Read more from GV Wire here:  Feds Raise Water Allocations for Farmers. Westlands Isn’t Impressed

WATER HISTORY

A river is lost: now what way forward? They lost a battle so devastating some still refuse to look at New Melones Reservoir.  Before photos are labeled “Live River.” After photos are labeled “Dead River.”  Activists who opposed the flooding of Stanislaus River rafting runs 40 years ago spoke Wednesday night of how they can try to share their loss, and their lessons learned, with younger generations. More than 50 people jammed into a narrow room at Tuolumne County Library on Greenley Road. About half of them boated the old Stanislaus rapids before New Melones covered them up in the early 1980s. … ” Read more from the Union Democrat here:  A river is lost: now what way forward? 

Water gave life to this Central Valley boomtown in the 1880s – then took it away:  “When the small Tulare County town of Traver comes to mind, most probably think of the bustling, Old West-themed Bravo Farms on Highway 99 south of Kingsburg. But 135 years ago, another Traver existed – one that became a ghost town, fading into oblivion nearly as fast as it came to be.  It was a boom town born not because of some precious metal, but on another valuable commodity: water. And the water that gave it life helped take it away within a few short years.  The history of Traver, preserved in many books and archives, is a study in land development, agriculture and irrigation. … ”  Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Water gave life to this Central Valley boomtown in the 1880s – then took it away

Remembering California’s 2nd-Deadliest Disaster: “Ninety-one years ago this spring, the St. Francis Dam collapsed, sending a 160-foot wall of water crashing 54 miles from Santa Clarita to the beach in Ventura.  It killed about 450 people – the second-deadliest disaster ever in the state. President Donald Trump signed a law in March establishing a national memorial there, and now, the Angeles National Forest has three years to come up with a management plan. ... ”  Read more from the Public News Service here:  Remembering California’s 2nd-Deadliest Disaster

WILDFIRES

Late-season rains mask looming fire danger as lush plants turn dry and explosive:  “Giant green stems with budding yellow flowers greeted hikers along a narrow path beneath the soaring Santa Monica Mountains on a recent drizzly day.  This is where, just seven months ago, the worst fire in Los Angeles County history swept through, destroying more than 1,000 homes and blackening miles of hillsides and canyon. But thanks to one of the wettest seasons in years, rains have transformed the fire zone back to life with great speed. And all those flowering black mustard plants point to a looming disaster once the rains finally end and Southern California shifts to its dry, hot, windy summer and fall. ... ”  Read more from the LA Times here:  Late-season rains mask looming fire danger as lush plants turn dry and explosive

Lengthy Study Shows Value of Soil Health and Forest Restoration after Damaging Events:  “A nine-year experiment by a UC Merced Department of Life and Environmental Sciences professor and his colleagues is illuminating the importance of soil carbon in maintaining healthy and functioning ecosystems because of its influence on the microbial communities that live in soil.  These communities’ health can help researchers understand the effects of climate change.  Professor Stephen C. Hart and graduate student Nicholas Dove published a new paper entitled “ Carbon Control on Terrestrial Ecosystem Function across Contrasting Site Productivities: The Carbon Connection Revisited ” in the prestigious journal Ecology this week, showing that reducing the carbon plants input into soil drastically affects microbial life.  That can lead to many downstream consequences, including the leaching of nitrogen and other nutrients from the soil — where they are beneficial — to aquatic ecosystems — where they are harmful. Carbon reductions are often the result of “disturbance events” such as wildfires and deforestation. ... ”  Read more from UC Merced here:  Lengthy Study Shows Value of Soil Health and Forest Restoration after Damaging Events

FEDERAL ISSUES

Feds Sued to Force Protections for 8 Endangered Species:  “The Trump administration failed to give Endangered Species Act protections to the longfin smelt, the eastern gopher tortoise and six other highly vulnerable species – even after finding that the wildlife qualified – conservationists claim in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday.  A United Nations report on biodiversity issued this month said over 1 million species of plants and animals face extinction due to climate change and the destruction of habitat for food and energy production and waste disposal projects.  Researchers found 27,159 species are threatened, endangered or are already extinct out of nearly 100,000 species that were examined in depth, according to the study. … ”  Read more from Courthouse News Service here: Feds Sued to Force Protections for 8 Endangered Species

Interior reorganization: From grand vision to modest tinkering? An Interior Department reorganization that began with a bang may end in a whimper, a bureaucratic shadow of its former self.  House Democrats want to cut off funding. Senate Republicans want more answers. And the Interior secretary who inherited the grandly ambitious proposal from his predecessor has distanced himself from some earlier concepts.  Taken together, the developments in recent days, including testimony by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt and a blunt report by the powerful House Appropriations Committee, suggest Interior reorganization is still real but certainly shrinking. What it ends up as may be anyone’s guess, but it’s losing its aura of being one Cabinet secretary’s legacy project. … ”  Read more from E&E here: Interior reorganization: From grand vision to modest tinkering? 

Regulations: Wheeler’s cost-benefit mandate confounds experts: “Regulatory experts say EPA’s recent directive to increase consistency in regulatory cost-benefit analyses appears more limited and complicated than the agency had initially planned.  This week, EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler directed his assistant administrators to reform how cost-benefit analysis is applied “in areas that are in need of greater clarity, transparency and consistency.”  Such reforms could include rulemakings involving notice and comment, and the reforms would be specific to each program office’s work. … ”  Read more from E&E News here:  Regulations: Wheeler’s cost-benefit mandate confounds experts

America Under Water: House Hears Call to Take Climate Action:  “Warning that billions of dollars of U.S. properties will be under water in the coming decades, a panel of climate experts told Congress Thursday that worst outcomes of climate change can be stopped now.  Rachel Cleetus, climate and energy policy director for the Union of Concerned Scientists, painted a startling economic picture of the trajectory for the United States if it continues to treat resiliency planning as an afterthought.  “Our research last year showed the impact of worsening tidal flooding, and we found that by the end of 2100, 2.5 million U.S. coastal homes and commercial properties worth more than $1 trillion will be at risk of chronic flooding,” Cleetus said, testifying this morning before the House Select Committee on Climate Crisis. ... ”  Read more from the Courthouse News Service here: America Under Water: House Hears Call to Take Climate Action

In regional news and commentary today …

Lake Tahoe clarity level bounces back:  “A return to more normal weather and streamflow conditions in 2018 saw Lake Tahoe’s annual clarity value improve dramatically to 70.9 feet. This represents a 10.5-foot increase over the 2017 value. That is according to a report of Lake Tahoe clarity released by the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center.  Lake clarity can swing widely from day to day and year to year. Long-term averages help to smooth the effects of variable weather and lake conditions. The five-year average lake clarity is currently 70.3 feet, an increase of almost a foot from the previous five-year running average. ... ”  Read more from UC Davis here:  Lake Tahoe clarity level bounces back

Lake Tahoe shows stunning improvement in water clarity over past year:  “Good news, just in time for Memorial Day Weekend: The clarity of the famed, cobalt-blue waters of Lake Tahoe improved dramatically last year, with visibility increasing 10 feet from the year before, a study released Thursday by scientists at UC Davis found.  The jump is the largest annual improvement in 50 years, since measurements at the iconic Sierra Nevada lake began in 1968. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Lake Tahoe shows stunning improvement in water clarity over past year

Sacramento: There’s a hidden danger at this popular Sacramento beach, water rescuers say:  “Crowds will be returning to Tiscornia Beach at Discovery Park this Memorial Day weekend.  And even with the cooler-than-normal temperatures this month, the Sacramento Fire Department’s water rescue team is sending out an early warning about a hidden danger at the popular cool-down spot.  “This is where drownings occur. People don’t realize it when they wade out how suddenly their footing drops off,” Sacramento Fire Captain Adam Watt said. ... ”  Read more from KCRA here:  There’s a hidden danger at this popular Sacramento beach, water rescuers say

Bay Area: Tech firm wants to use bay water to cool its data center; environmental groups wary:  “A local tech firm wants to make an investment in the old Alameda Naval Air Station and use bay water to cool a massive new data center. So why isn’t everybody happy about it? It’s the old story of progress versus protecting the bay.  There’s a pack of harbor seals who live happy and serene on a dock a few dozen yards off the Alameda jetty. They have no idea that they are at the center of another philosophical battle.  A Pleasanton-based data storage company wants to convert an old missile manufacturing building on the old naval base into a massive data center — filled with servers that generate a lot of heat. … ”  Read more from KGO here:  Tech firm wants to use bay water to cool its data center; environmental groups wary

Cupertino hills quarry applies for first new mining pit since 1903:  “Already considered a bane by local residents and labeled among the Bay Area’s top industrial polluters, Lehigh Permanente Quarry submitted an application this week that would substantially expand its mining operations by digging a second pit at the site, the first new pit since the quarry began mining in 1903.  Lehigh’s proposal calls for a new pit within a 60-acre area that would produce an estimated 60 million tons of limestone, aggregate and minerals. ... ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here:  Cupertino hills quarry applies for first new mining pit since 1903

Algae is back in Discovery Bay waters:  “Blue-green algae, otherwise known as cyanobacteria, has once again reared its scummy head in the waters of Discovery Bay, and at least one state agency is working to learn more about it.  On May 2, a group of Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) staff members took samples from Discovery Bay waters for a nutrient-loading assessment study, according to an email from environmental scientist Christine Joab. ... ”  Read more from The Press here: Algae is back in Discovery Bay waters

Pacifica:  Homeowners Fear Losing Property Over ‘Managed Retreat’ Policies To Address Sea Level Rise:  “Cities up and down the California coast are grappling with a looming crisis: How to deal with rising sea levels. By 2100, the U.S. Geological Survey predicts some 600,000 homes will be at risk of flooding. While the state Coastal Commission wants to let nature take its course, homeowners are fighting back.  Though he lives on the coast Jeff Guillet has never worried about sea level rise. But last fall all that changed when the city of Pacifica put out a draft of a local coastal plan that includes something called “managed retreat.” In essence, it means homeowners and businesses could be moved away from the shore to give rising tides more room. … ”  Read more from CBS Bay Area here:  Homeowners Fear Losing Property Over ‘Managed Retreat’ Policies To Address Sea Level Rise

Flurry of appeals filed on Cal Am desal project:  “Appeals involving California American Water’s proposed desalination project are flying fast and furious these days, with five different appeals being filed in the past week or so on three separate project-related permits.  On Wednesday, Cal Am filed its long-anticipated appeal with the Coastal Commission of the Marina Planning Commission’s March 7 denial of a coastal development permit for the desal project, specifically the project’s proposed slant intake wells at the CEMEX sand mining plant site and associated infrastructure. This came even as a debate continued between city officials and Coastal Commission staff over whether the city’s denial could be appealed. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Flurry of appeals filed on Cal Am desal project

Marina: A small city fights plans for a desalination plant:  “These almost unlimited coastal access points are what made Kathy Biala move here five years ago. She’s taking me to one of her favorite walking spots on the shore, but before we reach the beach Biala wants to take me on a little detour. We drive past the wastewater treatment plant, then to the regional landfill, and finally to a sand mining plant — a post-apocalyptic looking moonscape where sand from Marina beaches gets packaged for places like Home Depot, golf courses, and concrete manufacturers. The state determined that it was causing some of the worst beach erosion in California.  Biala tells me these sites tell a bigger story. … ”  Read more from KALW here:  A small city fights plans for a desalination plant

Monterey planning ahead for sea level rise:  “The threat of a rising tide is a problem coastal towns across the country are facing, and although the potential problems are still decades away, the City of Monterey is already planning for them.  At Tuesday’s city council meeting leaders looked at a beach nourishment study and submitted its sea level rise assessment to the state.  According to predictions from the state of California sea levels up and down the coast will rise two feet by 2060 and six feet by 2100. That level of change could erode Monterey beaches at rates between one and six feet a year over the next 50 years. … ”  Read more from KSBW here:  Monterey planning ahead for sea level rise

Owens Valley: Inyo County now involved in proposed hydro project:  “You’ve got to give Premium Energy, LLC credit for trying. In the Walnut company’s second amendment to its application for a permit to study the feasibility of a closed-loop hydro power project in the Eastern Sierra, Premium now has abandoned three reservoirs in or near the John Muir Wilderness. The upper part of the hydro-loop is now proposed for Silver Canyon in the White Mountains.  The latest amendment to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was dated May 19. Mono County had to scramble to record its objections in time for its Board of Supervisors discussion Tuesday, May 21. A member of the Inyo County’s Board of Supervisors became aware of the latest iteration just prior to its meeting on the same day. … ”  Read more from the Sierra Wave here: Inyo County now involved in proposed hydro project

Speakers Plead for Santa Maria to Resume Putting Fluoride in Water: “Dentists and public-health advocates are speaking out against the city of Santa Maria’s decision to stop adding fluoride to local tap water, calling the supplement a vital step for good oral health.  After hearing pleas at the start of the meeting Tuesday night, the City Council asked staff to include the possible restoration of fluoride as part of budget deliberations set for June 18. ... ”  Read more from Noozhawk here:  Speakers Plead for Santa Maria to Resume Putting Fluoride in Water

Santa Clarita Water shuts down well after perchlorate detected:  “Acting on “an abundance of caution,” SCV Water officials shut down one of their wells last week, after routine testing detected the presence of perchlorate, a suspected carcinogen and long-standing concern in the Santa Clarita Valley.  Water distributed by the agency, meanwhile, remains safe to drink and in compliance with all state water quality standards.  On Tuesday night, Mike Alvord, the agency’s director of operations and maintenance, briefed members of the agency’s board about the perchlorate detection and the actions taken in response to it. ... ”  Read more from The Signal here: Santa Clarita Water shuts down well after perchlorate detected

Surprise! The East Fork of the San Gabriel River gets a clean bill of health:  “For years, nonprofits, politicians, state agencies and the U.S. Forest Service have pointed to the East Fork of the upper San Gabriel River as one of the more polluted fresh water rivers in the state.  In 2013, the Los Angeles-Area Regional Water Quality Control Board rated this 2.5-mile stretch of the East Fork an “F” for violating the agency’s standards for trash. Contributing to the failing grade was overuse from day picnickers leaving diapers, trash and even entire barbecue grills in this bend of the natural river within the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa. ... ”  Read more from the Pasadena Star News here:  Surprise! The East Fork of the San Gabriel River gets a clean bill of health

Orange County water board vacancy draws ‘unprecedented’ interest after Newsom kills twin tunnels project:  “After much speculation about whether Janet Nguyen might run for one of Orange County’s hotly contested congressional seats in 2020, the Republican former state senator has thrown her hat in a surprising ring.  And she’s not alone. Nguyen is one of seven people vying to fill a board of directors seat with the Municipal Water District of Orange County. The seat was left vacant after director Wayne Osborne, who was elected to a four-year term in 2016, retired in late April.  “I was really heartened to see someone from that level interested in serving on our board,” MWDOC board president Brett Barbre said of Nguyen. ... ”  Read more from the Orange County Register here:  Orange County water board vacancy draws ‘unprecedented’ interest after Newsom kills twin tunnels project

Huntington Beach desalination plant: How it might have been operating by now: “Poseidon Water started pumping drinking water from its Carlsbad desalination plant 3 1/2 years ago, but the location of that first desalination plant might have been in Huntington Beach instead.  Plans for Poseidon operations at both locations were launched in 1998, but company officials prioritized the Carlsbad site in 2006, according to company Vice President Scott Maloni. … ”  Read more from the OC Register here: Huntington Beach desalination plant: How it might have been operating by now

Del Mar: Officials celebrate ‘living shoreline’ project’s conclusion:  “As rain started falling and storm-whipped waves pounded San Elijo State Beach Wednesday morning, May 22, city and state officials celebrated the conclusion of construction on the county’s first “living shoreline” dune system.  The project enhances a half-mile of coastline, creating a network of erodible sand dunes to protect Restaurant Row’s portion of Coast Highway 101 and add new nesting space for endangered birds, Encinitas Mayor Catherine Blakespear told the crowd of dignitaries huddling under rain-spattered, pop-up tents. … ”  Read more from the Del Mar Times here:  Del Mar: Officials celebrate ‘living shoreline’ project’s conclusion

Along the Colorado River …

150 Years After John Wesley Powell Ventured Down the Colorado River, How Should We Assess His Legacy in the West?  “Powell scrawled those words in his journal as he and his expedition paddled their way into the deep walls of the Grand Canyon on a stretch of the Colorado River in August 1869. Three months earlier, the 10-man group had set out on their exploration of the iconic Southwest river by hauling their wooden boats into a major tributary of the Colorado, the Green River in Wyoming, for their trip into the “great unknown,” as Powell described it.  Powell’s trip down the Colorado River and his subsequent account are a staple of the history of the American West and a key moment in the understanding of the region’s geology and hydrology. … ”  Read more from Western Water here:  150 Years After John Wesley Powell Ventured Down the Colorado River, How Should We Assess His Legacy in the West?

Green and Grand: John Wesley Powell and the West That Wasn’t:  “The American West, while steeped in mythology, is also a region that depends heavily on science for its long-term livability—and perhaps no one was quicker to realize that than John Wesley Powell. A Civil War veteran and an indefatigable explorer, Powell landed on the national stage in 1869, after an expedition he led became the first to navigate the Colorado River’s path through the Grand Canyon.  In the decades that followed, Powell would argue that careful, democratic management of water resources in the West must be a crucial component of its development and that a pattern of settlement and land cultivation based on the 19th century status quo would prove unsustainable. … ”  Read more from EOS here:  Green and Grand: John Wesley Powell and the West That Wasn’t

Southern Nevada: Water agencies OK red-ink budget reflecting construction spending:  “The Las Vegas Valley’s wholesale water supplier and its largest water utility expect to outspend their revenue by tens of millions of dollars in the coming year, but the man in charge of both agencies insists there is nothing to worry about.  What looks like red ink is actually bond money being spent down to pay for expensive infrastructure projects, said John Entsminger, general manager for the Southern Nevada Water Authority and the Las Vegas Valley Water District. ... ” Read more from the Las Vegas Review Journal here: Southern Nevada: Water agencies OK red-ink budget reflecting construction spending

Nevada ranchers, environmentalists and American Indians warn of urban water grab at Legislature:  “Nevada ranchers, environmental groups and American Indian tribes are sounding the alarm over legislation they say could drain the water supply from rural areas throughout the state. They’re worried about Assembly Bill 30 in the Nevada Legislature after negotiations over arcane language in the bill broke down in recent days. Backers say the bill is an attempt to make it easier for the state engineer to impose monitoring, management and mitigation plans, called 3M plans, on people applying for water rights throughout the state.  ... ”  Read more from Reno Gazette-Journal here: Nevada ranchers, environmentalists and American Indians warn of urban water grab at Legislature

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

NEWS WORTH NOTING: Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy awards $11 million in Prop 1 grants; Corps approves additional 10,000 acre-feet of water at Success Lake this summer; Public reminded to be aware of Harmful Algal Blooms and E Coli in state’s waterways

OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT: EPA Seeks Comment on Proposed Options for Regulating Perchlorate in Drinking Water

DELTA eNEWS: ~~ Delta Heritage~ Delta Blog~ White Paper~ CDFW Funding~ Farmers’ Market~ Seminar Series ~~

 

Sign up for daily email service and you’ll never miss a post …

Daily emailsSign up for free daily email service and you’ll get all the Notebook’s aggregated and original water news content delivered to your email box by 9AM. And with breaking news alerts, you’ll always be one of the first to know …


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.

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email