DAILY DIGEST: Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars; Trump says EPA will hit San Francisco with environmental violations over homelessness; California farms, ranches strive to adapt as climate warms; Study shows why water governance matters; and more …

In California water news today, Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars; Trump says EPA will hit San Francisco with environmental violations over homelessness; California farms, ranches strive to adapt as climate warms — it’s a matter of survival; Who Runs Your Water System? UC Davis Research Shows Why Water Governance Matters; Slimy lakes and dead dogs: climate crisis has brought the season of toxic algae; ‘I want to look better.’ For Trump, climate is a laugh line; and more …

On the calendar today …

  • BROWN BAG SEMINAR: Analysis, risk assessment, and adaptive management of impacted ecological systems from 12pm to 1pm.  Presented by the Delta Science Program and the Interagency Ecological ProgramClick here for more information.
  • The Delta Protection Commission meets at 5:30pm in Clarksburg.  Agenda items include the Delta Protection Advisory Committee, a presentation on Governor’s Water Resilience Portfolio, consider endorsement of a Delta Channel Restoration Program Problem Statement,   Delta Broadband Action Plan, Delta Conservancy Proposition 68 grant program.  Click here for the full agenda.
  • The Colusa and Glenn groundwater authorities will hold a workshop on local groundwater conditions from 6:00pm to 8:30pm.  Click here for more information.

In the news today …

SB 1

Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars:  “The smoke has (partly) cleared from the legislative battlefield, in the aftermath of a struggle pitting the leader of the California Senate against not only powerful water and agricultural interests but also Gov. Gavin Newsom. And California’s two largest water-delivery systems may soon be operating under rules that differ ever more significantly.  Newsom has said he won’t approve Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins’ bid for a legal backstop against environmental rollbacks by the Trump administration. And Washington is poised to reduce protections for endangered fish species in the state’s largest watersheds. … ”  Read more from Cal Matters here: Demise of key environment bill could escalate California’s water wars

Editorial: Governor Newsom must show commitment to protecting the Delta, says the Mercury News:  They write, “Gov. Gavin Newsom’s jaw-dropping announcement last week that he plans to veto a crucial water bill, SB 1, calls into question his commitment to protecting the health of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.  The Trump administration in August gutted the Endangered Species Act, the nation’s bedrock conservation law that protected not only the Delta’s wildlife but also the quality of its water.  SB 1, authored by Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, would establish as state standards the federal environmental protections that were in existence when Trump became president. The bill passed by wide margins in the Senate and Assembly earlier this month. … ”  Read more from the San Jose Mercury News here: Governor Newsom must show commitment to protecting the Delta

Editorial: Gavin Newsom just decided to carry Trump’s water by vetoing an endangered species bill, says the LA Times:  They write, “On the eve of President Trump’s visit to California this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced his intention to veto a bill that would have protected the state’s iconic migratory salmon and many other endangered species from the Trump administration’s environmental rollbacks.  The timing is unhappily fitting. Trump used his visit to trash the California air with his announcement that he was revoking the state’s power to set its own tough tailpipe emission standards. Now Newsom may help him drain California‘s rivers to further the president’s effort to divert more water to agricultural and urban uses. … ”  Read more from LA Times here: Gavin Newsom just decided to carry Trump’s water by vetoing an endangered species bill

Commentary: How bill defends against Trump environmental rollbacks:  Matt O’Malley writes, “If you’re a local and have hosted a visitor to San Diego, you’ve probably felt pride as you’ve guided people to take in Coronado Beach, Pacific Beach, La Jolla Cove, our parks and swimming holes along Mission Bay, and perhaps the new and growing waterside paths along Chollas Creek. Our beaches, bays and waterways are central to who we are as San Diegans and to our unique way of life. But in a heavily urbanized region clean water doesn’t just happen; it takes hard work and stewardship.  For nearly 50 years the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act and other federal environmental laws have provided us with tools to protect and restore our environmental resources in San Diego and throughout California. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Commentary: How bill defends against Trump environmental rollbacks

TRUMP – SAN FRANCISCO EPA VIOLATION

‘They have to clean it up’: Trump says EPA will hit San Francisco with environmental violations over homelessness:  “President Trump ramped up his recent attacks against California cities late on Wednesday by announcing the Environmental Protection Agency will hit San Francisco with violations over its homeless population.  “It’s a terrible situation — that’s in Los Angeles and in San Francisco,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “We’re going to be giving San Francisco, they’re in total violation, we’re going to be giving them a notice very soon.”  Trump said the EPA would issue a notice in less than a week. It is unclear what laws San Francisco is accused of violating, but the president cited “tremendous pollution” entering the ocean through storm sewers, specifically expressing a concern about used needles. … ”  Read more from the Washington Post here: ‘They have to clean it up’: Trump says EPA will hit San Francisco with environmental violations over homelessness

Trump’s bizarre SF attack: says needles flowing to ocean — but that’s unlikely, experts say:  “President Trump said Wednesday his administration will issue San Francisco an environmental violation notice within a week for polluting the ocean with needles and other waste via the city’s sewer system — but city officials said such waste is unlikely to get into the ocean through the city’s grated drains.  Storm drain runoff is piped to one of two city treatment facilities, the Southeast Treatment Plant in the Bayview neighborhood or the Oceanside Treatment Plant near the zoo. Any pollutants would be treated at those points if they haven’t already been filtered out at catch basins beneath city streets, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission. … ”  Read more from the SF Chronicle here: Trump’s bizarre SF attack: says needles flowing to ocean — but that’s unlikely, experts say

CLIMATE CHANGE

California farms, ranches strive to adapt as climate warms — it’s a matter of survival:  “If ever there was glaring example of the havoc and heartache climate change can cause to a farming family, the assortment of chain restaurants, stores and 300 apartments on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale is the one.  The 16-acre development in the heart of Silicon Valley is where Stanford Professor Mark Jacobson’s family had a cherry orchard and fruit stand, called C.J. Olson Cherries, that was a landmark for about a century in the agricultural region once known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight. … ” Read more from the SF Chronicle here:  California farms, ranches strive to adapt as climate warms — it’s a matter of survival

Climate Change: Strengthening Atmospheric Rivers:  “Ahead of the United Nations Climate Summit next week, 10News is diving deeper into the affects of climate change. Climate change is leading to more dangerous and deadly wildfires and so often after fires scorch the ground in the fall, the heavy winter rains in atmospheric rivers lead to mudslides and flooding.  The scary reality is that these types of storms are going to get stronger. According to Alexander Gershunov, a research meteorologist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UCSD, “we know for certain that atmospheric rivers are going to get stronger in the future … ”  Read more from ABC 10 here: Climate Change: Strengthening Atmospheric Rivers

OTHER STATEWIDE NEWS AND COMMENTARY

Radio show: Who Runs Your Water System? UC Davis Research Shows Why Water Governance Matters:  “Roughly a million Californians lack access to safe drinking water. And while a scarcity of money or local leadership can stand in the way of fixes, so too can California’s byzantine water management system.  A new article on UC Davis’s California Water Blog shines a light on just how complicated water governance can be and why it matters when it comes to the population served and the likelihood of water violations. For more, listen to this interview with Kristin Dobbin, one of the article’s co-authors and a UC Davis Ph.D. student studying regional water management and drinking water disparities in California. … ”  Read more from KVPR here: Radio show: Who Runs Your Water System? UC Davis Research Shows Why Water Governance Matters

Commentary: Water Victory Shows Power of People, say In the last few years we, along with so many others who together created a movement for water justice, drove thousands of miles, attended countless meetings with elected officials and their staffs, testified before dozens of committees, told our stories to media outlets and reporters from across the state and the nation, and encouraged our friends and families to keep fighting a battle that at times seemed hopeless. Through it all we remained thirsty for justice.  In 2019, at long last, justice was finally achieved; it was secured through the combined power of the people and allies who said it was finally time to bring safe water to all Californians. … ”  Read more from the Hanford Sentinel here: Commentary: Water Victory Shows Power of People

Column: In landmark session, the California Legislature shows what progressive lawmaking looks like:  Michael Hiltzik writes, “California is often identified as the one of the most liberal states in the union — perhaps the most liberal. In the session just ended, its Legislature showed its willingness to live up to that standard.  Among the measures passed in Sacramento were bills to enforce worker employment rights at “gig economy” firms such as Uber and Lyft; require that student-athletes be paid for the commercial use of their names and likenesses; enforce childhood vaccination rules; mandate access to abortion pills at state colleges and universities; and place caps on rent increases and predatory rates on high-interest loans. … ”  Read more from the LA Times here: Column: In landmark session, the California Legislature shows what progressive lawmaking looks like

NATIONAL

Slimy lakes and dead dogs: climate crisis has brought the season of toxic algae:  “From New York City to coastal California, a poison-producing living slime is overtaking waterways and shorelines, killing pets, ravaging tourism markets and making its way into local drinking water. So far this year, algae has been implicated in dog deaths and illness in California, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas. In August, toxic algae overtook Lake Erie, growing to 620 square miles.  These biotoxic blooms can last anywhere from a few weeks to over a year. ... ”  Read more from The Guardian here:  Slimy lakes and dead dogs: climate crisis has brought the season of toxic algae

Document reveals how Bureau of Land Management will spread offices across country in reorganization:  “An internal draft document reviewed by CNN reveals how individual offices within the Bureau of Land Management will be spread out across states and time zones under the agency’s proposed reorganization plan, putting federal workers who once worked together in Washington thousands of miles apart.  The plan has left some officials, lawmakers and former bureau employees confused about the agency’s goals in moving certain positions out West. … ”  Read more from CNN here: Document reveals how Bureau of Land Management will spread offices across country in reorganization

‘I want to look better.’ For Trump, climate is a laugh line:  “Light-emitting diode lightbulbs make you look orange.  Limiting chemicals that contribute to the ozone hole means your hairspray won’t work.  Cars have so “much junk on them” to reduce gasoline consumption that they have become too weak.  “They make them now like papier-mâché; somebody touches them, and the entire car collapses,” President Trump said at his New Mexico rally Monday night, describing fuel-efficient vehicles and his administration’s plan to roll back Obama-era clean car rules. “When somebody hits me, I want to be in as close to an Army tank as possible. No, they’re made out of papier-mâché; they weigh about 3 pounds; and if you get hit by a bus, it’s over.” … ”  Read more from E&E News here: ‘I want to look better.’ For Trump, climate is a laugh line

In regional news and commentary today …

Post-Camp Fire forest faces a changing climate:  “The Camp Fire may be accelerating changes in the local environment brought about by rising temperatures from increased greenhouse gas emissions.  One of the widely recognized phenomenons of climate change is the displacement of lower elevation species to higher elevations following a rise in temperatures. It’s called a range shift and it’s been happening slowly over the past decades in California, with very different effects depending on each precise location’s micro-climate. ... ”  Read more from the Chico Enterprise-Record here: Post-Camp Fire forest faces a changing climate

Plumas County: Watershed group says ‘Lake Almanor looking good’:  “It’s been a beautiful summer with lots of fun and recreation on the lake and the latest report from the Lake Almanor Watershed Group (LAWG) indicates that Lake Almanor is alive and doing well.  The folks at LAWG have continued to conduct sampling of the lake’s constituent; that is, temperature, dissolved oxygen content and lake clarity.  Water temperature at different points in the lake varied from 72 degrees at lake level in the west arm to 55 degrees at depths of 12 to 13 feet in the east arm of the lake. … ”  Read more from Plumas News here: Watershed group says ‘Lake Almanor looking good’

Cache Creek flood solution top priority for Woodland council:  “For years, Woodland’s efforts at Cache Creek flood control have resembled the rising and falling of the tides: Sometimes change advances and at other times it recedes.  It appears that Woodland is now in the “advancement” stage with the Army Corps of Engineers willing to work on a plan for longterm flood protection along the city’s northeast side. However, the effort could just as quickly be reversed, according to members of the City Council, if they don’t get farmers on board with their efforts. … ”  Read more from the Daily Democrat here:  Cache Creek flood solution top priority for Woodland council

Report: Monterey Peninsula may not need desal for two more decades:  “Reaction has been predictably mixed to a new report that concludes the Monterey Peninsula may be able to get by with recycled water instead of desalinated water for the next two decades and perhaps beyond.  Compiled by Monterey Peninsula Water Management District General Manager Dave Stoldt, the report concludes lower projected demand for water on the Peninsula suggests the Pure Water Monterey recycled water project with a proposed expansion could provide enough water to meet the state-ordered Carmel River pumping cutback order and meet future demand through 2043 and maybe longer even without California American Water’s proposed desalination plant. … ”  Read more from the Monterey Herald here: Report: Monterey Peninsula may not need desal for two more decades

Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board meets Thursday:  “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board of directors meets Thursday, Sept. 19 at the Ridgecrest City Hall council chambers, 100 W. California Ave. The open session begins at 11 a.m., with a closed session item scheduled for 10 a.m.  The board is expected to discuss a letter of support for the Defense Community Infrastructure Program, which could potentially provide funding for alternative water source infrastructure. According to a report from contractor Capital Core Group, the program is a federal provision included in the U.S. Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act currently circulating at a committee level. … ”  Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here:  Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board meets Thursday

Oceanside beach erosion study loses federal funding:  “A three-year study of possible solutions to Oceanside beach erosion has stalled after federal funding dried up and now the city is being asked to pony up as much as $1 million to restart it, a city official said Wednesday.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers launched its “shoreline feasibility study” in March 2016 to examine the effects the Camp Pendleton harbor, built in 1942, has on Oceanside beaches. The city’s harbor, built in the 1960s, shares its entrance.  “The ultimate goal is to get more sand on the beaches,” said Kiel Koger, the city’s public works director. … ”  Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune here: Oceanside beach erosion study loses federal funding

South Bay Officials, Residents Calls On President To Act On Border Pollution:  “More than 120 million gallons of sewage-tainted water has flowed into the United States since the beginning of September.  Tijuana’s sewage system appears to be incapable of handling the sewage generated in the Mexican city, and Imperial Beach Mayor Serge Dedina called the situation unacceptable. … ”  Read more from KPBS here: South Bay Officials, Residents Calls On President To Act On Border Pollution

Also on Maven’s Notebook today …

NEWS WORTH NOTING: Alan Lilly selected as first Administrative Hearings Officer for the State Water Board; The Nature Conservancy releases Critical Species LookBook; Final comprehensive monitoring report of Malibu Lagoon indicates proven success towards project goals

SCIENCE NEWS: Providing flows for fish; Managing a non-native Delta ecosystem; Rare California trout species returns to native habitat; New proposal for expanded killer whale critical habitat reflects latest science; and more …

SAN FRANCISCO ESTUARY AND WATERSHED SCIENCE JOURNAL: Mitigating land subsidence in the Delta; Effects of the drought and emergency drought barrier on the Delta; Study of tagged juvenile salmon released above Shasta Dam; and more …

 

WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~ Drought Vulnerability~ Tabletop Exercises~ “Black Swan”~ Greenway Grants~ Youth Program~ Investment Strategy ~~

 

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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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