In California water news today, California’s Trump-blocking environmental bill (SB 1) may be delayed in fight over water; Friant-Kern Canal’s $400 million fix sunk by state legislature… for now; Unquenchable Thirst: Groundwater Bill Could Shift State’s Water Management Approach; DWR Awarded Prop 1 Grant to Study Removal Methods of Highly-Invasive Plant in Suisun Marsh; New UCLA Study – State Makes Progress On Goal To Guarantee Water As A Human Right; Was that snow? Northern Sierra gets showers while Sacramento heats back up; California professor awarded grant to harness water from fog; Chemical companies spar over PFAS pollution liability in US; Trump administration to repeal waterway protections; and more …
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- SCIENCE NEWS: Climate change and competition reduce freshwater rearing in salmon; South Sacto habitat plan balances urban growth with open space; DWR to study removal methods of highly-invasive plant in Suisun Marsh; Pulse flows planned for Owens River Gorge; and more …
- AB 1755: Implementation Journal now available for Open and Transparent Water Data Act
- WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~ Webinar Video~ Potable Reuse~ CWC Meeting~ Specialty Crops~ Implementation Strategy~ Splash ~~
SB 1 …
California’s Trump-blocking environmental bill (SB 1) may be delayed in fight over water: “It started out as a bold effort by the California Legislature to prevent the Trump administration from rolling back protections for the environment and labor. The bill, proposed by one of the state’s most powerful Democrats, would attempt to negate every environmental regulation proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration for the duration of his term or terms. It has a clause that would expire the day he leaves office in 2025 if he wins a second term. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: California’s Trump-blocking environmental bill may be delayed in fight over water
Water dispute bedevils bill to blunt Trump’s environment aims: “California’s campaign of legal challenges to Trump administration environmental rollbacks has been conducted mostly as a series of courtroom battles. Legislation now poised for final action would take that war with the president nuclear, by essentially adopting as California’s standards the environmental and workplace safety laws that existed at the end of the Obama administration. It is the signature legislation from Senate leader Toni Atkins this year, and the only environmental proposal of such breadth. And — hardly surprising — controversy has surrounded it. Water issues and endangered species reside at the heart of the contretemps, and it’s not clear whether the measure, whose fate will be decided in the Assembly by midnight Friday, will pass. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Water dispute bedevils bill to blunt Trump’s environment aims
Everyone wants to solve California’s water problems. Senate Bill 1 is not the answer, says William Hembree: He writes, “In their Fresno Bee op-ed (Sept. 8), Reps. Jim Costa and TJ Cox opined the remedies they suggested would improve Senate Bill 1 enough to make it possible for Gov. Newsom to sign the bill. You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig. Unfortunately, SB1 is so flawed that if it is signed by the governor, it will set back progress towards excellent solutions to California’s infamous water woes by decades. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Everyone wants to solve California’s water problems. Senate Bill 1 is not the answer
OTHER STATE LEGISLATION …
Friant-Kern Canal’s $400 million fix sunk by state legislature… for now: “The Friant-Kern Canal is sinking at an alarming rate, compromising the ability of farmers and rural communities across the Central Valley to access critical irrigation and drinking water. In March, newly-elected Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger) proposed a $400 million windfall to finance repairs for the canal under Senate Bill 559, named after the area code most reliant upon the canal’s flows. But the bipartisan bill, much like canal it was designed to fix, is sunk — for now. The bill failed to reach the Senate floor for a vote before the Sept. 13 legislative deadline. … ” Read more from the Visalia Times-Delta here: Friant-Kern Canal’s $400 million fix sunk by state legislature… for now
Senator Melissa Hurtado’s Bill to Provide Relief for Families without Reliable Access to Water Heads to Governor’s Desk: “Senate Bill 513, authored by Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Sanger), is headed towards Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk for approval. The bill, which received bi-partisan support, will provide relief for families without reliable access to water by delivering a temporary alternative source of water supply. “Today, water shortage in the southern Central Valley continue to impact thousands of families who face limited access to clean drinking water,” stated Sen. Hurtado. … ” Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Senator Melissa Hurtado’s Bill to Provide Relief for Families without Reliable Access to Water Heads to Governor’s Desk
Unquenchable Thirst: Groundwater Bill Could Shift State’s Water Management Approach: “The latest salvo is California’s long-running water wars, SB307, has the potential to emerge as one of the most important pieces of water regulation in recent years. Although its target was narrow — it was designed to undercut the capacity of Cadiz, Inc. to pump annually upwards of 16 billion gallons of groundwater in eastern San Bernardino County and sell it to ever-thirsty Southern California — the legislation may prove to be far-reaching in its consequences. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law on July 31, requiring independent review from the State Lands Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Water Resources to ensure that pumping from the groundwater basin doesn’t harm the natural or cultural resources at the site and in the surrounding watersheds. ... ” Read more from KCET here: Unquenchable Thirst: Groundwater Bill Could Shift State’s Water Management Approach
OTHER STATEWIDE NEWS
DWR Awarded Prop 1 Grant to Study Removal Methods of Highly-Invasive Plant in Suisun Marsh: “The Department of Water Resources (DWR) will begin a study this October to determine the effectiveness and environmental impacts of various ways to control a highly invasive plant species in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The common reed, Phragmites australis, is one of the most invasive plants in the world, and its numbers are widespread in Suisun Marsh. Phragmites reduces biodiversity in tidal wetlands by aggressively out competing native plants. … ” Read more from DWR News here: DWR Awarded Prop 1 Grant to Study Removal Methods of Highly-Invasive Plant in Suisun Marsh
New UCLA Study – State Makes Progress On Goal To Guarantee Water As A Human Right: “In 2012, California became the first state in the country to declare that “Every human being has the right to safe, clean, affordable and accessible water” when the state legislature inserted that statement into its state water code. Now, a new UCLA study finds, the state may be making progress on turning that goal into a reality. “From the start, the challenge was to meet the needs of some one million Californians who lacked access to clean, safe, reliable drinking water,” says Jon Christensen, the author of the study. “Their tap water was — and largely remains — contaminated by nitrates from agricultural pollution, perchlorate from industrial pollution and other toxics such as arsenic. … ” Read more from UCLA here: New UCLA Study – State Makes Progress On Goal To Guarantee Water As A Human Right
Was that snow? Northern Sierra gets showers while Sacramento heats back up: “With some weird weather already in the books this month, Mother Nature may have one last hurrah in store for Northern California before summer officially ends. A wave of thunderstorms passed over northeast California and near Reno on Tuesday afternoon, with the National Weather Service’s Reno office sharing a photo of what appears to be light snow on the Mt. Rose Highway at an elevation of about 8,500 feet. … ” Read more from the Sacramento Bee here: Was that snow? Northern Sierra gets showers while Sacramento heats back up
California professor awarded grant to harness water from fog: “A California State University, Monterey Bay professor will receive a substantial grant from the Defense Department to find methods to harness fog. The $266,589 gift will fund research on ways to use mesh-based devices to collect water circulating in fog, according to CSUMB. The DoD is interested in the study to collect usable water for drinking or irrigation, which may be useful for military personnel in remote foggy regions. … ” Read more from ABC Channel 10 here: California professor awarded grant to harness water from fog
Delta Week includes cleanup day with single Solano site: “The week of Sept. 21 has been designated by the state Legislature as Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Week. “The Delta is vital to Californians as both a natural resource teeming with abundant wildlife and fish, and a vital economic driver for tourism, recreation and local Delta farmers,” Sen. Bill Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement released Tuesday. … ” Read more from the Daily Republic here: Delta Week includes cleanup day with single Solano site
Stakeholders Weigh-In on Water Resilience Portfolio: “The California State Board of Food and Agriculture held another public comment session last week in Fresno to hear concerns regarding the development of California’s water resilience portfolio. The input provided through the series of public comment sessions will help the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the Natural Resources Agency, and the California Environmental Protection Agency craft recommendations for Governor Gavin Newsom to address his plans for ensuring healthy waterways. … ” Read more from Ag Net West here: Stakeholders Weigh-In on Water Resilience Portfolio
California presses Chevron for data on oil field where 8 spills have happened since April: “Despite new California regulations banning surface spills in the state’s vast oil fields, at least eight spills connected to Chevron have occurred in just one Kern County oil field since the new rules took effect in April, state regulators say. The “surface expression” spills have spewed more than 1.26 million gallons of oil and wastewater in five months, with some still not contained. One, the Gauge Station 5 spill, has actually been flowing for 15 years, but the company did not halt it after the new regulations took effect. … ” Read more from the Desert Sun here: California presses Chevron for data on oil field where 8 spills have happened since April
NATIONAL
Chemical companies spar over PFAS pollution liability in US: “Executives from DuPont, Chemours, and 3M told Congressat a Sept. 10 hearing that their companies should not be held liable for widespread per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution across the US. DuPont spun off its fluorochemicals business into Chemours in 2015. As part of that move, DuPont believes that financial responsibility for decades of previous PFAS production also went to Chemours, said Daryl Roberts, DuPont’s chief operations and engineering officer. Chemours has adequate financial resources to foot the bill, Roberts said. … ” Read more from Chemical & Engineering News here: Chemical companies spar over PFAS pollution liability in US
Trump administration to repeal waterway protections: “The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday will announce final plans to redefine and thus shrink the waterways that must be protected under the law, a move likely to be swiftly challenged legally by environmentalists. The final plans to repeal the 2015 Obama-era Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule would stymie the federal government’s capacity to regulate pollutants in wetlands and tributaries that feed into large rivers. … ” Read more from The Hill here: Trump administration to repeal waterway protections
Costs of Water Pollution, a Global Scourge, ‘Underestimated and Underappreciated’: “The world’s water challenges, messy as they are, can be neatly summarized: Too much, too little, too dirty. An eye-opening World Bank report argues that insufficient attention is paid to the latter challenge, the stealthy yet widespread scourge of water pollution. Through original research and a battery of existing studies, the authors make the case that contaminated water, an “invisible crisis” that will worsen as the planet warms, is far more damaging to health, ecosystems, and economies than is commonly understood. “Bad water quality shortens lives, shortens people [by stunting their growth], and it shrinks the economy,” Richard Damania, the report’s lead author, told Circle of Blue. “It’s bad all around.” … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Costs of Water Pollution, a Global Scourge, ‘Underestimated and Underappreciated’
In commentary today …
Farmers are not to blame for Valley subsidence, but they can help solve it with water: Kristi Diener writes, “Why. They always leave out the “why”. Read any news article regarding subsidence, and it will tell you farmers pumped groundwater, and the land sunk. That’s true, but that is only the end of the story. Why do farmers pump the water under their land (which California law clearly states belongs to them) in the first place? Unfortunately, you’ll rarely read the answer to this question in the press, but it is the most important part of the story. Farmers pump groundwater because for more than 25 years, an innumerable myriad of Endangered Species Act-related laws, mandates, opinions, rulings and settlements have resulted in less and less surface water allocations for agriculture — even though all of these directives have failed to produce a rebound of endangered fish. ... ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Farmers are not to blame for Valley subsidence, but they can help solve it with water
Farms, the environment, and the future of water: Maurice Hall writes, “In the middle of July, I was surprised to find myself trudging through a couple feet of snow while hiking south of Lake Tahoe. It was a striking contrast to the long walks I took on the dry lakebed of Folsom Reservoir near my home during the historic drought just five short years ago. That crisis led our state leaders to approve the most sweeping change in water law in a century: the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. Gov. Jerry Brown signed it into law on Sept. 16, 2014. … ” Read more from Cal Matters here: Farms, the environment, and the future of water
In regional news and commentary today …
KRRC: Water certification denial won’t stop removal: “The Klamath River Renewal Corporation had applied for the water quality certification on Sept. 4, 2018. Almost exactly one year later, on Sept. 3, the SWRCB issued a denial without prejudice of the water quality certification. Klamath River Renewal Corporation Director of Communications Matt Cox said that the State Water Resources Control Board’s recent denial of the KRRC’s request for a water quality certification for the Lower Klamath Project will not affect the process to remove four dams along the Klamath River. … ” Read more from the Siskiyou Daily News here: KRRC: Water certification denial won’t stop removal
Round Valley Tribes join two-basin solution effort for Potter Valley Project: “The Round Valley Indian Tribes announced this week that they have signed an agreement to join with users of both the Eel River and Russian River to seek a “Two-Basin Solution” for the re-licensing of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, which diverts water from the Eel River into the Russian River. “The process won’t be easy, but the Tribes are committed to working with our partners in exploring all options that might work in both basins,” Round Valley Indian Tribes President James Russ was quoted as saying in a press release … ” Read more from the Ukiah Daily Journal here: Round Valley Tribes join two-basin solution effort for Potter Valley Project
Marin County Environmentalists Remove Ghost Town to Save Salmon: “The bulldozers came for the ghost town of Jewell in West Marin County, ripping out a dozen or so abandoned homes as part of an environmental effort to improve the survival chances for endangered coho salmon on the Lagunitas Watershed. The houses sat empty since the National Park Service bought the tiny community hugging the creek and slowly moved out the residents. Last year, the environmental group Turtle Island Restoration Network secured a grant to finally tear down the cluster of homes and began the work of turning the clock back decades for the creek. ... ” Read more from NBC News here: Marin County Environmentalists Remove Ghost Town to Save Salmon
Costs soar for shoreline protections as SFO plans for higher sea-level rise: “New sea-level rise projections have increased tenfold the cost to protect the San Francisco International Airport from flooding. In 2015, the Board of Supervisors gave initial approval to a $58 million shoreline protection program to protect SFO from sea-level rise. But on Wednesday, the board’s Budget and Finance Committee approved an updated program that will now cost $587.1 million. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Examiner here: Costs soar for shoreline protections as SFO plans for higher sea-level rise
Mid-Kaweah publishes sustainability plan, accepting public comment: “Agencies are not quite in the home stretch of groundwater sustainability yet, but they are certainly heading towards the end of the beginning of the sustainability plan formation. The Tulare Irrigation District general manager, Aaron Fukuda, and ambassador for the Mid Kaweah Groundwater Sustainability Agency (Mid Kaweah) presented an update on their groundwater sustainability plan (GSP) to the Visalia City Council last Tuesday, Sept. 3. ... ” Read more from the Foothills Gazette here: Mid-Kaweah publishes sustainability plan, accepting public comment
Exeter: Dirty water fight brewing as Central Valley city refuses to help neighboring town: “The tiny South Valley community of Tooleville faced a major set back this week in its years-long struggle for clean drinking water – but advocates say the fight isn’t over. The Exeter City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to scrap plans to connect Exeter’s water system with Tooleville, rural community of about 80 households that has struggled for years with dirty water. The plan could have solved Tooleville’s water issues, but Exeter officials feared the additional burden on its water system, which they said is already in need of repair. … ” Read more from the Fresno Bee here: Dirty water fight brewing as Central Valley city refuses to help neighboring town
Council Votes to Declare Malibu in ‘Climate Emergency’: “Malibu is in the midst of a “climate emergency.” That’s according to four out of five Malibu City Council members, who voted Monday night to declare a climate emergency and request nearby cities join Malibu in a “regional collaboration on an immediate just transition and emergency mobilization effort to restore a safe climate.” ... ” Read more from the Malibu Times here: Council Votes to Declare Malibu in ‘Climate Emergency’
And lastly …
Animal heart portfolio of original paintings: Obi Kaufmann writes, “I’ve assembled a portfolio of sixty-seven original paintings made over the past three years and am presenting them here as a single presentation. Many of these paintings were published in either of my two books as yet, The California Field Atlas and The State Of Water — a few of them will be published in books to come. … ” Read more from Coyote and Thunder here: Animal heart portfolio of original paintings
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
AB 1755: Implementation Journal now available for Open and Transparent Water Data Act
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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.
