In California water news this weekend, An update on SGMA in the Central Valley; Cleanup has removed 25,000 barrels from Cymric spill; Climate change may decimate California’s avocado industry; ‘The pot calling the kettle toxic’: What consumers can do as regulators weigh compounds’ risks; Ridgecrest: Banking water for LADWP? Kicinski talks groundwater with Rotary Club; San Diego aims to bolster biotech, breweries with new water proposals; Tamarisk Tree-Eating Beetles Continue Their March Across The Southwest; and more …
In the news this weekend …
Radio show: An Update On How The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Is Working: “When California adopted the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act in 2014, it became the last Western state to regulate its groundwater. If local groundwater agencies fail to submit plans to the state by 2020, the law says state water agencies could take over management of groundwater, a resource that’s critically important to Valley agriculture. Moderator Kathleen Schock got an update on how the work is progressing locally from Gary Serrato, executive director of the North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency, Christina Beckstead, executive director of Madera County Farm Bureau, and David Orth with New Current Water and Land.” Listen to radio show from KVPR here: Radio show: An Update On How The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act Is Working
Cleanup has removed 25,000 barrels from Cymric spill: “The California Department of Fish and Wild released this update Friday night on the cleanup underway at the side of a large oil spill in the Cymric Oilfield near McKittrick: Cleanup operations have been ongoing and will continue this weekend at the site of a surface expression of water and oil at the Cymric Oil Field in Kern County. Pumps have been used to recover fluid and excavators are working to remove solids created by mixing dirt with the fluid. ... ” Read more from the Taft Midway Driller here: Cleanup has removed 25,000 barrels from Cymric spill
Spill Draws Attention to Steam-Based Oil Extraction: “When the news broke, in the second week of July, that nearly 800,000 gallons of oil and water had spilled into a dry creekbed from an oil production facility in Kern County, California, it sounded rare and dramatic. But the spill — which Ted Goldberg at KQED news discovered while researching a different story — was unique only in its magnitude. In the oil fields of the San Joaquin Valley, spills and seeps of oil, wastewater and oil-laced wastewater are as common as the wind storms that episodically blanket the Valley with dust. Some are small, “low-energy seeps.” Some persist for months despite attempts to contain them. Some erupt like volcanoes, sending steamed oil and debris as high as 100 feet into the air. … ” Read more from KCET here: Spill Draws Attention to Steam-Based Oil Extraction
California’s the biggest oil spill in decades brings more defiance than anger from locals: “Near the jagged western edge of Kern County, where the Temblor Range gives way to a landscape of steam pipes, fuel lines and bobbing pumpjacks, there’s a definite mood in this dusty little oil town: Defiance. Hardly a day goes by without reports of the growing oil leak in nearby Cymric oil field. … But judging from the rowdy talk over cold beers and a blaring jukebox at Mike and Annie’s Penny Bar — a watering hole for thirsty oil field hands that has over a million pennies glued to the bar, floors, walls, television and entrance — the locals see a different story playing out. … ” Read more from the LA Times here: California’s the biggest oil spill in decades brings more defiance than anger from locals
Town at Center of Kern County Oil Spill: ‘You Don’t Really Think a Lot About It’: “As Dave Noerr drove his truck through the Cymric Oil Field, sun gleamed on hundreds of oil-pumping units plunging into the ground and pulling back up again in slow motion. Workers drove white pickup trucks on private roads owned by the different petroleum companies operating here in California’s oil country, while large pipes snaking through the desert hills carried oil and water to processing facilities. Here in Kern County — an hour’s drive west of Bakersfield — over 1 million gallons of a mixture of oil and water have seeped from a well that Chevron says it was attempting to reseal. The incident was first detected in May. … ” Read more from KQED here: Town at Center of Kern County Oil Spill: ‘You Don’t Really Think a Lot About It’
Climate change may decimate California’s avocado industry: “The United States will suffer far more days of extreme heat by 2036 — that is, if nothing is done to curb rising carbon emissions. In a report released this month by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), cities like New York might see up to 51 more dangerously hot days per year. New York is just one of 160 urban areas, the authors estimate, that will end up with at least 30 days each year that exceed a life-altering heat index of 105ºF. Later in the century, between the years 2070 to 2099, conditions are expected to be much worse if nothing is done to slow the rate of carbon emissions. … ” Read more from Salon here: Climate change may decimate California’s avocado industry
PFAS—Growing Regulation and Liabilities for the Regulated Community: “Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of chemicals that have received a lot of regulatory, scientific and legal attention in recent years, and all indications are that this is just the beginning. To be sure, the lack of federal guidance and the patchwork of state regulations addressing these chemicals is problematic for the regulated community. But other unique aspects of PFAS regulation further complicate the picture. Of particular concern are the current and proposed advisory and regulatory levels for two of these chemicals—perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS)—which are orders of magnitude below the concentration levels of most other chemicals. … ” Read more from Law.com here: PFAS—Growing Regulation and Liabilities for the Regulated Community
‘The pot calling the kettle toxic’: What consumers can do as regulators weigh compounds’ risks: “At first, Tomas Monarrez didn’t notice the labels when he went shopping for pots and pans. ‘Completely toxin free!” said a big green message on a line of nonstick frying pans in the cookware aisle at a store in the nation’s capital. “No PFOA!” boasted the label on a 12-piece kitchen set. “Will never release any toxic fumes,” another label promised. “Oh, wow,” Monarrez, an economist at a think tank, said, when asked if he had ever heard of the toxic chemicals that manufacturers were declaring their products free of. “I didn’t know anything. Should I buy these?” Monarrez asked. “So all these are bad? … ” Continue reading from the Lompoc Record here: ‘The pot calling the kettle toxic’: What consumers can do as regulators weigh compounds’ risks
U.S. Groundwater Wells Race Towards Bottom: “To locate sufficient supplies of fresh water, the nation’s groundwater wells are being drilled deeper and deeper, according to an analysis of more than 10 million well records since the 1950s. “No matter how you slice it, we’re drilling deeper across the United States,” Debra Perrone, a study co-author and assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, told Circle of Blue. The assessment of 11.8 million well logs from 46 states “stitches together a comprehensive map,” Perrone said. The study, published online July 22 in the journal Nature Sustainability, is the latest in a series of recent research papers to reveal worrisome trends for U.S. groundwater. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: U.S. Groundwater Wells Race Towards Bottom
Sunday podcasts …
Perfect Storm Of Extended Drought And Climate Warming Caused Sierra Tree Mortality: “A recent study by the Sierra Nevada Research Institute at U.C. Merced concludes that the state’s most extreme dry period in hundreds of years resulted in devastating tree deaths in the Sierra Nevada’s forests. The severity of the long drought dried up subsurface water reserves in the mountain range’s mixed conifer forests, threatening their ability to survive and causing a massive die-off. Vic Bedoian reports from Fresno.”
A City’s Life Line: “Many a time, cities are built where the rivers flow. The rivers are fundamental to many daily functions including water resources, industry and commerce. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a perfect example of this. Don and Jason, U.S. Corp of Engineers, reinforce the importance for all of us to focus on maintaining and being a good steward for our rivers. When rivers are healthy, communities thrive. Water is a Many Splendor’ed Thing brings you another water relationship that has a personally significant impact to your life.” Operation Unite®; Bringing People Together to Solve Water Problems; stevebaker@operationunite.co
In commentary this weekend …
Editorial: All Californians deserve clean drinking water, says the SF Chronicle: They write, “For years a million Californians have watched tainted, dirty water flow from their taps. These residents, overwhelmingly poor, Hispanic and living in small Central Valley towns, drive long distances to load up on bottled water for everyday basics. It’s shameful that in a state this rich, people still have to share shower water and schools have to plug up their drinking fountains. Thanks to overdue political attention, legislative horse trading and a dose of budget legerdemain, that situation is finally changing. Gov. Gavin Newsom showcased the final step with a bill signing in the aptly named hamlet of Tombstone in Fresno County. ... ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle here: Editorial: All Californians deserve clean drinking water, says the SF Chronicle
Editorial: Getting it right on water rights: The Santa Rosa Press Democrat writes, “If credibility were measured like rainfall, the Trump administration would be in the midst of a prolonged drought — as evidenced most recently in its handling of plans to send more water to California’s Central Valley. Last fall, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to expedite development of new rules guiding the water supply for two-thirds of California residents and the irrigation of millions of acres of farmland. The rapid timeline — and accompanying call “to minimize unnecessary regulatory burdens” — raised justifiable concerns about whether the new rules would protect species like the Chinook salmon critical to the state’s fishing industry. … ” Read more from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat here: Editorial: Getting it right on water rights
In regional news and commentary this weekend …
Novato wetlands flood control project slated for 2020: “To reduce flooding on roads near Novato Creek, a Marin County flood control agency and a local environmental group are partnering to upgrade flood control equipment and improve wetlands in the Simmons Slough basin. The estimated $2.2 million project by the Marin County Flood Control and Water Conservation District and Marin Audubon seeks to replace an aged, out-of-compliance diesel flood pump with a permanent electric pump, according to Roger Leventhal, a county public works engineer. … ” Read more from the Novato Independent Journal here: Novato wetlands flood control project slated for 2020
Tiburon beaches closed amid bay contamination probe: “State water officials ordered an investigation this week into the elusive source of contamination in Richardson Bay, where water samples collected near Tiburon beaches have shown high bacteria levels for more than two months. The Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin began testing the water after a pipe broke on May 17, spilling roughly 670 gallons of sewage into the bay near Blackie’s Pasture. The agency repaired its pipe, which had been cracked by a rock, within a few hours. But the dirty water has persisted, leading experts to believe the contamination is coming from elsewhere. … ” Read more from the Marin Independent Journal here: Tiburon beaches closed amid bay contamination probe
Interlake Tunnel, dam repairs cost now nearly $190 million: “It will cost about $189.5 million to complete the proposed Interlake Tunnel project and the state-required Lake San Antonio dam repairs, according to a county Water Resources Agency report to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday. And $162.5 million of that will have to be paid for by Salinas Valley property owners through a special assessment as early as spring next year. The report, delivered to the board by project manager Ron Drake, outlined the overall costs of the proposed projects, including $123.9 million for the 11,000-foot-long tunnel connecting Lake Nacimiento and Lake San Antonio designed to improve water storage, groundwater recharge and flood control, as well as $65.6 million for the dam repairs required before the tunnel project can proceed. … ” Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Interlake Tunnel, dam repairs cost now nearly $190 million
Officials Warn Against Harmful Algae Blooms in Stockton and Stanislaus River: “Officials are warning to stay out of the water at the Stanislaus River and Downtown Stockton this weekend due to harmful blue-green algae blooms. … ” Read more from CBS Sacramento here: Officials Warn Against Harmful Algae Blooms in Stockton and Stanislaus River
Commentary: Are Manteca leaders preparing to sell city’s future down the river? Dennis Wyatt writes, “It sounds like a good deal. A middle man approaches the city with a proposal: We’ll find a buyer for your treated wastewater, secure private sector financing to build the infrastructure, negotiate a 30 year deal to make it pencil out, reimburse the city for any upfront costs, take a cut for ourselves, get the city some pocket change every year, and after the deal has run its course and the infrastructure is paid off turn the improvements over to the city. What could possibly go wrong? In all likelihood nothing about the deal will go haywire. The real problem is what it could do to the city’s future. … ” Read more from the Manteca Bulletin here: Commentary: Are Manteca leaders preparing to sell city’s future down the river?
Cyanobacteria Spotted In The Stanislaus River Upstream Of New Melones: “State water officials are alerting recreaters about potentially dangerous bacterial conditions in a Mother Lode river upstream of a popular reservoir. On Friday, the State Water Resources Control Board issued a warning that urges boaters and recreational water users to be very cautious until further notice when visiting the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River upstream of New Melones Lake. … ” Read more from My Mother Lode here: Cyanobacteria Spotted In The Stanislaus River Upstream Of New Melones
Ridgecrest: Banking water for LADWP? Kicinski talks groundwater with Rotary Club: ““We are real close to defining exactly what stability is and how it is going to affect the valley,” said Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority Chair Ron Kicinski to the Rotary Club of China Lake on Wednesday. Kincinksi, who also serves on the IWV Water Board, made it clear he was speaking as a member of the IWVGA. Specifically, Kicinski said the model at the moment is that sustainability is being defined at using around 12,000 acre-feet a year of water. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: Banking water for LADWP? Kicinski talks groundwater with Rotary Club
Project manager on Isabella Dam provides update on progress: “It’s been a long and winding project. But now the end is finally in sight at Isabella Dam. “We can see a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Anthony Burdock, project manager for the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project, a gargantuan effort by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intended to redesign and repair the aging earthen dam. The multiyear project will ultimately change the face of the dam, probably the most important hunk of government infrastructure in Kern County. ... ” Read more from Bakersfield.com here: Project manager on Isabella Dam provides update on progress
Seal Beach planning for sea level rise with vulnerability assessment: “The sand berm that goes up every year in Seal Beach is an annual reminder that the coastal community is at risk for flooding. But a new city assessment shows how rising sea levels could make the city even more vulnerable. Rising sea levels could increase the frequency and severity of flooding in Seal Beach this century, possibly as early as 2050, with low-lying areas of Old Town and Surfside being the most susceptible if no action is taken. That’s according to the city of Seal Beach’s Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment which was presented at a public workshop on July 17 at Marina Community Center. ... ” Read more from the Sun here: Seal Beach planning for sea level rise with vulnerability assessment
San Diego aims to bolster biotech, breweries with new water proposals: “San Diego plans to boost the city’s already thriving biotech and craft beer industries by reducing their costs for sewer and water service, which are typically high because those businesses are water-dependent. The city plans to create California’s first “capacity bank” for water and sewer, which would allow breweries and biotech firms to cheaply buy excess capacity from former factories that have transitioned to other commercial uses. A companion proposal would geographically expand and soften the qualifying requirements for the city’s “guaranteed water” program, which ensures local firms access to water during droughts or other kinds of shortages. … ” Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: San Diego aims to bolster biotech, breweries with new water proposals
Along the Colorado River …
Tamarisk Tree-Eating Beetles Evolve Heat-Proof Abilities, Continue Their March Across The Southwest: “Matt Johnson treks along an Arizona riverbank and picks out a patch of yellow-tinged tamarisks. He sweeps a cloth net across the trees, hoping to scoop up beetles that munch on their evergreen-like leaves. He counts spiders, ants and leafhoppers among the catch and few beetles or their larvae. “Their numbers are really low,” the Northern Arizona University researcher said. That the tiny beetles brought to the U.S. from Asia in an experiment to devour invasive, water-sucking tamarisks showed up at the Verde River in central Arizona is no surprise. … ” Read more from Colorado Public Radio here: Tamarisk Tree-Eating Beetles Evolve Heat-Proof Abilities, Continue Their March Across The Southwest
Colorado releases state-of-the-art analysis to provide better planning for state’s water supply: “A new, state-of-the-art analysis released Monday by Colorado Water Conservation officials is hoping to help local water basins, elected officials and other stakeholders make more informed decisions about Colorado’s water future. The state’s water conservation board says their analysis and technical update to the Colorado Water Plan helps provide modeling tools and new data to an increasing growing population as well as an increasing hotter planet. … ” Read more from the Denver Channel here: Colorado releases state-of-the-art analysis to provide better planning for state’s water supply
Sunday video …
Fly over the Lower Kings River and Pine Flat Lake: Watch drone video flying over the lower Kings River and a portion of Pine Flat Lake in a high water year.
Also on Maven’s Notebook this weekend …
LEAD SCIENTIST WANTED: Delta Science Program Seeks Lead Scientist
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Landowners Invited to Participate in California Waterfowl Habitat Program
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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.
Maven’s Notebook
where California water news never goes home for the weekend