DAILY DIGEST: Newsom Catches Heat for Using Climate Funds on Drinking Water Plan; How 1 farmer navigates CA’s strict limit on groundwater; NOAA Fisheries adopts new plan for West Coast ecosystem science and management; Groundwater pumping has significantly reduced US stream flows; and more …

In California water news today, Newsom Catches Heat for Using Climate Funds on Drinking Water Plan; Radio show: How 1 Farmer Navigates California’s Strict Limit On Groundwater; California Lawmakers Approve Plan to Improve Water Management With a Network of Stream Gages; Congress passes $30 million Salton Sea bill; NOAA Fisheries adopts new plan for West Coast ecosystem science and management; Groundwater pumping has significantly reduced US stream flows; Septic sticker shock hits Russian River area; Kern County’s recharging basins come with a pesky price; and more …

On the calendar today …

In the news today …

Newsom Catches Heat for Using Climate Funds on Drinking Water Plan:  “California lawmakers are poised to fund the cleanup of dirty drinking water in the state’s poorest communities — a problem most everyone agrees needs to be addressed.  Not everyone, however, agrees on where the money should come from to pay for it.  The issue? The Legislature wants to use revenue from California’s  cap-and-trade climate change program, which was created to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by making companies pay for the right to emit them. … ”  Read more from KQED here: Newsom Catches Heat for Using Climate Funds on Drinking Water Plan

Radio show: How 1 Farmer Navigates California’s Strict Limit On Groundwater:  “New rules in California governing groundwater usage have pushed farmers to experiment with some innovative techniques, including developing micro markets for water.

California Lawmakers Approve Plan to Improve Water Management With a Network of Stream Gages:  “Legislation from Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, that would help California manage its water, protecting the precious resource for people and the environment, cleared a key committee on Tuesday.  “This bill is an important step toward managing our water for the long run,” Sen. Dodd said. “‘You can’t manage what you don’t measure. Stream gages provide important information in this era of droughts and flooding, driven in part by climate change.” … ”  Read more from the Sierra Sun here: California Lawmakers Approve Plan to Improve Water Management

Congress passes $30 million Salton Sea bill:  “The United State House of Representative has passed H.R. 2740, an appropriations bill in support of a federal agreement to allot $30 million for projects which would address the environmental and health crisis at the Salton Sea. ... ”  Read more from Channel 3 here: Congress passes $30 million Salton Sea bill

Radio show: ‘The Dreamt Land’ Explores How California Bent its Rivers Toward Political Power:  “In “The Dreamt Land” author Mark Arax describes “the most dramatic alteration of the earth’s surface in human history”: California’s Central Valley. Arax details how the promise of unprecedented harvests and profits led to policy and infrastructure that altered — and in some cases reversed — the flow of water in the state. We’ll talk to Arax about California’s water history and its current groundwater crises.”  Click here to listen to the radio show from KQED.

NOAA Fisheries adopts new plan for West Coast ecosystem science and management: “When an unusually strong marine heat wave warmed the ocean off the West Coast from late 2014 to 2016, the effects reverberated through the marine ecosystem.  One of the telltale changes was in copepods, tiny crustaceans that provide essential food for juvenile salmon as they first enter the ocean. Instead of energy-rich copepods that help the fish grow quickly, leaner copepods with less energy began to dominate. That left young salmon facing tougher odds in the ocean.  In the following years, salmon returns fell to some of their lowest levels in a decade.  Deciphering, and even anticipating such ecosystem-level effects is a goal of a new plan produced by NOAA Fisheries’ West Coast Region. … ”  Read more from the NOAA here: NOAA Fisheries adopts new plan for West Coast ecosystem science and management

Groundwater pumping has significantly reduced US stream flows:  “Groundwater pumping in the last century has contributed as much as 50 percent to stream flow declines in some U.S. rivers, according to new research led by a University of Arizona hydrologist.  The new study has important implications for managing U.S. water resources. Laws regulating the use of groundwater and surface waters differ from state to state. Some Western states, Arizona among them, manage groundwater and surface water separately. … ”  Read more from PhysOrg here:  Groundwater pumping has significantly reduced US stream flows

Inching Towards Abundant Water: New Progress in Desalination Tech:  ” … If only there was a cheap, easy way to take the salt out of the billions of gallons of seawater sitting within a few hundred miles of all these cities. As it stands, desalination is expensive and energy-intensive. Getting the technology to a point where desalinated sea water is a viable option for water-starved cities is going to take years, if not decades—but teams of scientists around the world are making incremental progress, slowly moving us towards a water-abundant world. … ”  Read more from Singularity Hub here:  Inching Towards Abundant Water: New Progress in Desalination Tech

In commentary today …

Voluntary agreements involving Modesto and Turlock water agencies at risk, says Mike Wade:  He writes, “You’re running a marathon that everyone said you’d never complete. Despite many obstacles, you kept moving forward. And then, just as the finish line is within sight, race officials announce that the results won’t count.  California is at this juncture now on water policy. Following marathon-like negotiations between federal and state policy makers, water agencies and other stakeholders, agreement on how to more effectively manage our water is finally within reach.  Proposed legislation — Senate Bill 1, by Toni Atkins, D-San Diego — puts that victory at risk. … ”  Read more from the Modesto Bee here: Voluntary agreements involving Modesto and Turlock water agencies at risk

In regional news and commentary today …

Algae Warning Lifted For Parts Of Lake Oroville:  “After warning people for weeks to avoid the water, the Department of Water Resources lifted the caution advisory for the Thermalito Afterbay in Lake Oroville.  The advisory remained in effect for the middle fork after algae were discovered.  At the Bidwell Canyon, boat launch boaters say the algae is something they deal with every summer. ... ”  Read more from CBS Sacramento here: Algae Warning Lifted For Parts Of Lake Oroville

Septic sticker shock hits Russian River area:  “Lower Russian River residents last week questioned the timing and expense of having to comply with stricter septic system regulations that kick in next year to protect river water quality and public health.  The new regs ban cesspools over time and require owners of properties served by OWTS (onsite wastewater treatment systems) within 600 feet of the Russian River and some of its tributaries to upgrade or replace old septic systems to bring them into compliance with the new state rules. … ”  Read more from Sonoma West here:  Septic sticker shock hits river area

Construction on the McKinley sewage and water tank begins. Here’s what to expect:  “Construction has begun on a sewage and water vault beneath McKinley Park, Sacramento city officials announced Tuesday. … The project to store 800,000 cubic feet of combined wastewater will be in the digging phase through the fall, and will included site prep and excavation, according to the project’s website. Residents should expect trucks excavating dirt and soil from the area and hauling them to Sutter’s Landing. The project is planned to be completed in 2021. … ”  Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Construction on the McKinley sewage and water tank begins. Here’s what to expect

Solano County Water Agency offering private flood control funding:  “The rainy season may be in the past, but it is never too late for Solano County landowners to prepare when the rainfall comes down again, bringing the potential for flooding.  The Solano County Water Agency (SCWA) is seeking applications for its Flood Control Grant Program to help Solano residents make land improvements and be better equipped for flooding.  “After a break in years of drought, landowners were reminded these past two winters that California’s annual rainfall totals are much more variable than those in other parts of the nation,” SCWA officials wrote in a news release. “Preparation efforts are one of the most effective ways to help protect Solano County from flood damages.” … ”  Read more from the Daily Republic here: Solano County Water Agency offering private flood control funding

DWR gives $10 million grant to Monterey Peninsula desalination project:  “The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced they will provide a $10 million grant to public utility, California American Water.  The grant money is destined to help build the seawater desalination component of the Peninsula Water Supply Project.  “We are extremely grateful to DWR for supporting our project,” said California American Water president Rich Svindland. … ”  Read more from Channel 8 here: DWR gives $10 million grant to Monterey Peninsula desalination project

Exeter: Groundwater Sustainability Agencies still unsure over monitoring, nearing draft sustainability plan:  “Measuring the water beneath our feet takes technology that looks out of this world, and pictures that actually are.  As the deadline for sustainable groundwater plans draws near agencies in charge are looking to NASA, foreign governments and top universities to figure out how much groundwater we have and how much we can use.  Since California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) was signed into law in 2014, it has been a mad dash to identify what is sustainable. Five years later, Greater Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Greater Kaweah) general manager, Eric Osterling says that things are getting clearer as their Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) comes into focus. … ”  Read more from the Foothills Sun Gazette here: Exeter: Groundwater Sustainability Agencies still unsure over monitoring, nearing draft sustainability plan

Aera Energy Seeks Aquifer Exemption at Cat Canyon:  “Aera Energy, one of California’s largest oil and gas produces and owned by Shell and Exxon Mobil, has submitted an aquifer exemption for the Cat Canyon oil field located about four miles east of Orcutt and six miles southwest of Santa Maria. If approved, the exemption would allow underground fluid injection into the aquifer and re-establish oil production in the area. The oil field was discovered in 1908 and was drilled for nearly 100 years before being decommissioned in the 1990s. … ”  Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Aera Energy Seeks Aquifer Exemption at Cat Canyon

Kern County’s recharging basins come with a pesky price:  “The recharging basins near Ming and Allen Rd. are filled with water. It’s a comforting reminder that we’ll be okay during the next drought, but with that security comes with a price.  “We have thousands of acres of surface water that can potentially breed mosquitoes,” Gene Abbott, the manager of Kern Mosquito and Vector Control (KMVC) said. … ”  Read more from Bakersfield.com here: Kern County’s recharging basins come with a pesky price

Long Beach: Study finds Long Beach would have to spend $246 million in the next 20 years to hold back rising sea levels: “A new study looking at the costs of sea-level rise in coastal communities has found that Long Beach would have to spend an estimated $246.3 million in the next two decades for seawall protection.  The report released Wednesday by Center for Climate Integrity is billed as the first such study to give a dollar amount to the cost of building seawalls to protect communities against rising sea levels due to climate change. The Center for Climate Integrity is an advocacy group that supports litigation against oil and gas companies over climate change and other issues. … ”  Read more from the Long Beach Post here: Long Beach: Study finds Long Beach would have to spend $246 million in the next 20 years to hold back rising sea levels

Encinitas: Living Shoreline Project holds ocean at bay:  “The locals in Encinitas, California know Cardiff Beach as a great spot for recreation, relaxation and a spectacular view of the ocean.  What they may not know, though, is that all of that beauty and serenity has been under constant threat of chaotic wave action, high tides and erosion from the Pacific Ocean, according to former Coastal Program manager Katherine Weldon.  “These tidal impacts have long been an issue for Cardiff State Beach even before Encinitas became a city. We have records of ocean water flooding Highway 101 at least 42 times since the ‘80s,” she said. … ”  Read more from the US FWS here: Living Shoreline Project holds ocean at bay+

Sweetwater Authority budget shows less spending on imported water: “The Sweetwater Authority anticipates that it will buy less imported water and supply customers with more from its own water supply in the upcoming fiscal year than in 2018-19, thanks primarily to above-average rainfall.  The South Bay water agency estimates that the amount it will spend to purchase water will drop from $15.2 million in 2018-19 to $10 million in the fiscal year that begins in July.  The projected decrease is reflected in the $46 million operating budget adopted by the governing board last week. ... ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Sweetwater Authority budget shows less spending on imported water

Along the Colorado River …

Lake Mead forecast continues to brighten as water cuts are modeled“The outlook for Lake Mead continues to improve, as federal forecasters factor in the benefits from an unusually wet winter and a new interstate drought deal that will leave more water in the reservoir.  Instead of the familiar declines of recent decades, the lake east of Las Vegas now is expected to finish the year slightly higher than it is now, according to the latest estimates from the Bureau of Reclamation. ... ”  Read more from the Las Vegas Review-Journal here:  Lake Mead forecast continues to brighten as water cuts are modeled

Commentary: Everything you need to know about groundwater in Arizona:  Joanna Allhands writes, “Arizona’s next great water scarcity battle won’t involve a lake, river or reservoir.  It’s the water we can’t see. The water that lives hundreds of feet underground.  Here’s what you need to know about groundwater and the pending battle over this dwindling resource ...”  Read more from Arizona Central here:  Everything you need to know about groundwater in Arizona

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

DELTA SCIENCE: Lead Scientist Dr. Callaway updates the State Water Board on science efforts in the Delta

SCIENCE NEWS: NOAA Fisheries adopts new plan for West Coast ecosystem science and management; CDFW documents statewide impact of recent drought on fish and aquatic species; A helping hand for coho in Scott Creek; Artifishal: New film asks, have we reached the end of wild?; and more …

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