In California water news today, The Many Faces of Flooding in California; The new weapon in the war over dam removal: Economics; Environmental Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Waters Rule; Maui Mayor Rejects Clean Water Act Settlement, Aims for Supreme Court Hearing; Hydrologic Simulation Models That Inform Policy Decisions Are Difficult To Interpret Correctly, University Of Illinois Study Shows; LADWP not bailing out Indian Wells Overdraft, for now; and more …
On the calendar today …
- The Delta Stewardship Council meets beginning at 12pm. Agenda items include consideration of the Sacramento Area Council of Government’s 2020 Metropolitan Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and its consistency with the Delta Plan, the Lead Scientist’s report, and Council consideration of endorsement of the Delta Plan Five-Year Review Report. Click here for the full agenda. Click here to watch on webcast.
In the news today …
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
- FEATURE: Integrated Hydrologic Model Development and Evaluation for Non-Modelers
- SCIENCE NEWS: Unprecedented movement detected on CA earthquake fault capable of 8.0 temblor; Salmon promote songbird diversity; Wrapping up a welcome water year; The antique technology still taking the ocean’s pulse; and more …
- CA WATER PLAN eNEWS: ~~Director Interview~ Flood-MAR Plan~ Multi-Benefit Framework~ Desalination Grants~ Irrigation Webinar~ Splash ~~
The Many Faces of Flooding in California: “Flooding is a major issue across California – every county has experienced a federally declared flood disaster in the past 20 years. To help Californians stay prepared this flood season, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) is participating in the eighth annual California Flood Preparedness Week from October 19 – 26, 2019. This year’s theme, “The Many Faces of Flooding” reminds us that flooding is a risk throughout the state. Not every part of California experiences every type of flooding, but the results of each is the same: without proper preparedness, lives, homes, infrastructure and agriculture are lost, and damage to the environment and economy is likely. … ” Read more from DWR News here: The Many Faces of Flooding in California
The new weapon in the war over dam removal: Economics: “The decadeslong Pacific Northwest salmon war may be nearing the end. But it’s economics, not fish, that could be the demise of four dams at the center of the fight. The dams on the Lower Snake River — besieged by conservationists and biologists for killing fish — are now battered by falling prices for renewable energy, skyrocketing replacement costs for aging turbines and a growing tab for environmental mitigation. ... ” Read more from E&E News here: The new weapon in the war over dam removal: Economics
Environmental Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Waters Rule: “Environmentalists have taken their first legal shot at the Trump administration’s repeal of a landmark Obama-era water regulation. The National Wildlife Federation, Natural Resources Defense Council, and nine other groups sued Oct. 23 in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, accusing the federal government of breaking the law in its rollback of the 2015 Clean Water Rule. … ” Read more from Bloomberg BNA here: Environmental Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Waters Rule
Maui Mayor Rejects Clean Water Act Settlement, Aims for Supreme Court Hearing: “Defying a vote of the County Council, Maui Mayor Michael Victorino said on October 18 that he will not settle a Clean Water Act lawsuit that holds national implications for water pollution permitting. Instead of the settlement that the council authorized last month, Victorino prefers to have the nation’s highest court decide whether a wastewater treatment facility on the island requires a federal pollution permit for disposing its effluent. Currently injected underground, the nutrient-rich effluent eventually seeps into coastal waters where it has contributed to algal blooms around coral reefs. The case is closely watched because it could determine whether pollution of groundwater that is connected to rivers, lakes, and oceans is covered by the nation’s primary water-protection law. … ” Read more from Circle of Blue here: Maui Mayor Rejects Clean Water Act Settlement, Aims for Supreme Court Hearing
Elizabeth Warren Joins Bernie Sanders In Opposition To Water Privatization: “There’s little doubt that the field of candidates vying for U.S. presidential election in 2020 represents a wide array of views on nearly every issue. But two Democratic frontrunners now appear unified on at least one major issue: the privatization of water systems. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic presidential nominee who leads her colleague according to some polls, released an environmental plan that emphasized the need for the nation’s water systems to be run publicly, among other things. … ” Read more from Water Online here: Elizabeth Warren Joins Bernie Sanders In Opposition To Water Privatization
Tap Water Safety: There’s Good News and Bad News: “Sometimes our drinking-water systems experience dangerous failures, such as the Flint lead poisoning disaster that made major news beginning in 2014. But outside those headline-grabbing crises, how safe is our drinking water? The nonprofit Environmental Working Group wants to help you answer that question. It has collected all the water-quality information that utilities in the United States submit to their state environmental or public health agencies. That information has been compiled into a newly updated database that allows residents to check the safety of tap water in their community and then learn what kind of actions they can take if their water contains contaminants. In many cases it’s as simple as adding a filter. ... ” Read more from The Revelator here: Tap Water Safety: There’s Good News and Bad News
Hydrologic Simulation Models That Inform Policy Decisions Are Difficult To Interpret Correctly, University Of Illinois Study Shows: “Hydrologic models that simulate and predict water flow are used to estimate how natural systems respond to different scenarios such as changes in climate, land use, and soil management. The output from these models can inform policy and regulatory decisions regarding water and land management practices. Numerical models have become increasingly easy to employ with advances in computer technology and software with graphical user interface (GUI). While these technologies make the models more accessible, problems can arise if they are used by inexperienced modelers, says Juan Sebastian Acero Triana, a doctoral student in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering at the University of Illinois. … ” Read more from Water Online here: Hydrologic Simulation Models That Inform Policy Decisions Are Difficult To Interpret Correctly, University Of Illinois Study Shows
Climate Change is Making El Niños More Intense, Study Finds: “Climate change is increasing the frequency of extreme El Niño events, leading to intensifying droughts, worsening floods, and shifting hurricane patterns, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study, led by scientists in China and the United States, examined data from 33 El Niños dating back to 1901. It found that since the 1970s, El Niños — a natural periodic warming in the Pacific Ocean that can change weather patterns globally — have been forming farther to the west in the Pacific Ocean, where temperatures are warmer. Strong El Niños can cause severe drought in dry climates such as Australia and India, intense flooding in wetter climates such as the Pacific Northwest and Peru, and causes more hurricanes to form in the Pacific and fewer in the Atlantic. … ” Read more from Yale E360 here: Climate Change is Making El Niños More Intense, Study Finds
In regional news and commentary today …
Klamath dam removal is not a partisan issue, says Jason Atkinson: He writes, “Today’s noisy partisan divide concerns me and makes the thought of meaningful collaboration across parties seem impossible. However, the largest river restoration project in history, spanning the California-Oregon border, tells a hopeful story offering a blueprint for political, conservation and economic progress. The project to remove the four lower Klamath River dams was born in bipartisanship. … ” Read more from The Oregonian here: Klamath dam removal is not a partisan issue
Zone 7 Settles On Minor Boost to Ag Water Price: “Zone 7 Water Agency directors have voted 5-2 to raise the price of agricultural water by 3%, a relatively minor hike that one vineyard owner said is affordable. Ryan Callahan, a grower familiar with the economics of Livermore Valley vineyards, told a reporter that a 3% raise is “a palatable increase. All in all, we are appreciative of Zone 7. They listened with open ears, and took our request into account.” ... ” Read more from the Livermore Independent here: Zone 7 Settles On Minor Boost to Ag Water Price
Central Coast plan to shift water to wealthier areas meets protest: “Activists and local government officials across Monterey County have banded together to fight a proposed desalination plant that could double the cost of water for some residents and endanger an aquifer that serves low-income communities. Opponents say the plant could cause saltwater to seep into the Salinas Valley Groundwater Basin, the aquifer that provides freshwater to much of Monterey County. … ” Read more from the Salinas Californian here: Central Coast plan to shift water to wealthier areas meets protest
Montecito Thirsting for New Water Source: “The seven-year drought is over, rationing has ended, and there’s enough water on hand for the next three years, but Montecito, a small but wealthy community of one-acre lots, large estates, and luxury resorts, is thirsting for new supplies. After years of negotiations, the Montecito Water District is closing in on a deal to buy 1,430 acre-feet of water from the City of Santa Barbara, every year for the next 50 years. That’s enough water to meet a third of Montecito’s annual demand. The city would produce the extra supply at its $72 million desalination plant, at a yearly cost to Montecito of $4.3 million. ... ” Read more from the Santa Barbara Independent here: Montecito Thirsting for New Water Source
Ridgecrest: LADWP not bailing out Indian Wells Overdraft, for now: “The critical aquifer overdraft in the Indian Wells Valley has been viewed with dread at Owens Valley Groundwater Authority meetings. Between growth in Ridgecrest and the Naval Air Station at White Sands, the area’s groundwater is in overdraft. The Owens Valley basin, on the other hand, appears to be in decent shape with a yet unverified “low” priority rating. So, why does the OVGA cringe at any mention of Indian Wells? ... ” Read more from the Sierra Wave here: LADWP not bailing out Indian Wells Overdraft, for now
Ridgecrest: Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority board discusses fiscal direction: “The Indian Wells Valley Groundwater Authority will scale back some of its work with Capital Core Group, the contractor responsible for grants and researching alternate sources of water and take a harder look at its current pump fee and expenses in order to get a handle on the future expenses. The IWVGA board looked over its future budget predicament in a lengthy discussion on Thursday, a month after it received a report about a dire fiscal scenario should things continued unaltered. … ” Read more from the Ridgecrest Independent here: IWVGA board discusses fiscal direction
Del Mar seeks solutions to preserve beaches: “There’s something of a spectacle along the beach in Del Mar these days: A bulldozer that’s helping to preserve the city’s main attraction. The heavy equipment is taking wet sand from the water line up to the public entrance areas, where it will protect access points to the beach. … ” Read more from Channel 10 here: Del Mar seeks solutions to preserve beaches
Imperial County Declares Emergency At Salton Sea: “The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to declare a local state of emergency over air pollution at the Salton Sea. The action is aimed at forcing state and federal officials to take action to decrease the dust around the lake. The shoreline of California’s largest lake is receding and creating more dry lake bed, in part, because of a water transfer deal between Imperial Valley and San Diego. That transfer prevents surrounding irrigation runoff from stabilizing the lake’s water level. … ” Read more from KPBS here: Imperial County Declares Emergency At Salton Sea
Along the Colorado River …
Yuma researchers track soil salt, crop water use: “A lot of variables go into agricultural success, some guided by the hand of nature, others by the intellect of man. In the latter category is a five-year, $2.5 million research project with the unwieldy moniker of “Qualitative Assessments of Water and Salt Balance for Cropping Systems in Lower Colorado River Irrigation Districts.” … ” Read more from the Western Farm Press here: Yuma researchers track soil salt, crop water use
Also on Maven’s Notebook today …
FEATURE: Integrated Hydrologic Model Development and Evaluation for Non-Modelers
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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.
